Part 9
"So are the Elements contained here? In the castle?" Raven asked. Vibrant torches lit the stone hall as she and Celestia walked towards the throne room.
"Ahh, I am afraid that is only for we two sisters to know." Celestia smiled. "Some secrets must be kept as such, lest the wrong pony find out."
"Thou dost not trust me to keep a secret? Thou woundest me, Princess," Raven said, grinning. Celestia laughed.
Around the next corner came Luna walking towards them, tired, headed for her room. She was in her smaller form, her hair blue and opaque. "Good morrow, Luna," Celestia said, smiling. "I hope thou hast a pleasant sleep." Raven gave her own sympathetic smile, seeing that Luna was still not feeling well.
Luna looked up at Celestia as she passed. "I thank thee," she said, trying to force a smile. Celestia frowned slightly.
Arriving at her doorway, Luna paused. "Raven… may I speak with thee?"
Raven looked at her, curious, then turned to Celestia. "Wouldst thou like to take these with thee? I shall be just along." Celestia nodded, taking the morning's paperwork.
Raven walked into Luna's room as Luna held the door open with a hoof. Her regal bed sat at the back wall, and every window was covered with thick shades. Only a lantern on an end table provided light.
"What didst thou want to discuss?" She smiled brightly as she turned to face Luna, then paused.
Luna had shut the door, but one hoof still lay on it. She stared at the floor, her breath staggered.
"...Is… is something the matter, Luna?" Raven asked.
Luna tried to force a smile again. "Thou hast been with us almost two years now, hast thou not?"
"Yes! I have been very happy under your employ. And you have been wonderful friends to me."
Luna nodded. "I am glad. And thou as well."
She paused. The room was silent for a moment.
"...I am sure thou hast noticed that I have not entirely been myself as of late." She took her hoof off the door, standing up with a touch of a tired slouch.
Raven grew more serious. "I have, yes."
"I have been plagued with thoughts I know to be irrational, and yet I cannot free myself of them. I have been lashing out, I have been avoiding others, I…" Her eyes grew misty. "Something is happening to me. And I... I fear it shall overtake me in the end."
Raven was taken aback, speechless. "Luna, I... I am so sorry to hear this. I don't believe I fully understand, but—"
"Nor do I," Luna replied. She gritted her teeth, straining as she shut her eyes tight, a tear escaping regardless.
Raven searched for the words. "...What can I do? Please, tell me."
Luna took a moment to compose herself, then opened her eyes.
"I may be gone for some time. I do not know under what circumstances, precisely… but Celestia shall be left alone." She swallowed. "And she cannot be left alone." Her voice cracked.
"I need thee…" Luna began to walk towards Raven. "What I need, Raven, more than anything I have ever needed of thee, is for thee to stay with her. She shall blame herself, she shall attempt to hide away from the world... Do not allow this. Please.
"Ensure that she remain busy, ensure that she retain hope… do whatever thou canst to ensure that she cannot focus on the void left behind. I—I would not ask this of thee unless I truly thought it necessary, for it may be… a nightmare at times. She will need thee."
A tear fell out of one of Luna's eyes, then the other. "But I need thee to promise me this. Stay with my sister until I return. Promise me that thou shalt stay with her."
Raven swallowed heavily. Luna's gaze was intense, piercing into her soul. It was a nebulous plea with uncertain terms, but the strain in Luna's voice told her that she would never have a more important task asked of her.
Raven nodded intently. "I promise, Luna. I promise that I shall stay with her until thy return."
Luna's expression twitched slightly, before a wide, trembling smile emerged. She leaned forward and hugged Raven tightly. "I... I thank thee, Raven."
Luna released the hug and moved towards her bed, lost in thought, her slouch lessened. Raven took her cue to leave. "...I hope thou hast a pleasant sleep, Luna. I shall see thee in the evening," she said. She walked out the door as Luna stared at her empty bed.
She met with Celestia in the throne room, who was already halfway through the morning paperwork, sitting atop her golden throne. She looked up as Raven approached. "Ah! Just along, as thou saidst." She smiled.
Raven gave a soft smile in return, then sat next to the throne, trying to ascertain just where Celestia had gotten to in that morning's business.
Celestia frowned. "Is there something wrong, Raven?"
Raven met Celestia's gaze, then looked back at the paperwork, shaking her head. "No… no, not at all." She motioned at the pages. "There is merely some particularly complicated business to take care of this morrow. It may be some time before we are through."
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6919396
Spoke too soon.
6919403
Mayhap the promise was doubly wrought?
6919403 So, Luna desperate plea for her sister not to be alone made Raven live until Celestia was no longer alone.
So if a Princess commands a pony to become immortal, they will be...
(looks at Twilight)
And considering things in the show... this is now somehow plausible.
Raven is immortal in the sense of agelessness, but ¿is she indestructible? ¿Would the desperate wish and the sincere promise cause her to reincorporate if a dragon would incinerate her to ash or not burn at all?
*GASP* THAT EXPLAINS WHY SHE LIVES FOR SO LONG!
7023709
It says the universe rearranges to fit the wish. Simplest answer I can think of is that the dragon would never be permitted to even get close
Oh no D:
7120234
You said it.
6977243
Your profile pic says no spoilers, you cheater.
We could be immortal
8739978
No, Raven is not going to be immortal; the circumstances of the spell's ending have already been set...
This is such and amazing beautiful story, but sadly I now can't consider it cannon, it absolves Luna of responsibility of the Nightmare, making her be infested rather then accepting it and regretting it.
Unless, Luna is simply talking about normal mental health problems that she thinks at this point is an outside influence but in fact come from stress compeltly unrelated to Nightmare Moon and she is simply overblowing it and stressing out about the stress, but that cheapens the spell.
This makes it seem as if luna was infested with the Nightmare, which did happen in some way for sure, but she seems a lot more in control than I expected.
Oh fuck me I was wrong. This was... Again, clever as hell. This is beautiful, beautiful writing. You subverted the expectation TWICE, in a way that feels truly organic and shows as well that, even at this point with bitterness and jealousy running amok, Luna still loved her sister so much that she could not bear to imagine Celestia alone.
All this emotion and depth, in under 1,000 words. Consider me awestruck.