All Behind Celestial Rays

by Cosy Purity

I Can't Seem To Get It Through Your Thick Head

Nightfall’s slow step echoed throughout the castle. Celestia could hear him edging toward Nebula very slowly, as if trying to build up her father’s fear in order to gain the upper-hand in this encounter.

“You’ve always been the hero,” He began, his voice filled with a menace that seemed to have decades of memories hidden behind it, “the light half of the moon. Let me guess… You’ve come here to talk?”

There was a brief pause, and the castle was filled with a silence tainted with Celestia’s terror.

“If you’ll let me,” Nebula responded.

“Go ahead. Do your best. It’s not like it’s ever worked before,” Nightfall growled.

There was another pause, as if her father was trying to find the patience he needed to effectively negotiate.

Then Nebula gave a deep breath and began very slowly,

“You’ve already pointed out that I’m one half of the moon… but you represent the other half. It takes two to make a whole, Nightfall. If one of us is missing, the moon cannot be a moon any longer… it can’t do its job because one half has chosen that the responsibilities assigned to it are not enough. Now the oceans won’t rise, and darkness threatens to overcome the night sky because the one half that is fulfilling his duty cannot shine brightly enough on his own.”

Celestia’s eyes widened.

What does he mean by all of this?

She thought,

Responsibilities and duties and being the other half… Who actually is Nightfall?

After a brief moment of hesitation, Celestia heard Nightfall spit in annoyance.

“What is it with you and metaphors?” He exclaimed, sounding almost too angry, as if he was trying to shrug off an actual impact that Nebula’s lecture had made on him,

“We’ve always been different. Why not try to think the way I do for once? Maybe then you can get through to me.”

A small sigh seeped through the castle.

Celestia had to perk her ears in order to hear Nebula’s quiet response:

“Ah,”

He whispered,

“My brother. After all this time… are you still bitter?”

Celestia drew in a shocked gasp.

“Crescent Moonlight, is this still why you’re doing these things?”

Immediately Nebula was cut off with a horrifyingly angry exclaim.

“NO!”

Nightfall screeched, slamming his hoof down on the castle floor, and making Celestia flinch at the loud sound created at such a furious reaction.

“NO! No, never call me by that name! I am Nightfall! I am NOT your brother! I only do ‘these things’ for my own plans, for my benefit, and not because of a petty, stupid jealousy that I’d once harbored for you of all ponies! Of course I’ve moved past such a disgusting phase! Why in the name of anything would you ever be worth my jealousy?”

Nightfall let out an enraged gasp, and then suddenly the sound of a strong sheet of magic rang in Celestia’s ears, followed by the explosion of some wooden object which was probably now stranded into a thousand withered, black pieces.

The young alicorn looked down at her hooves, her purple eyes flashing in surprise.

He didn’t hurt Nebula… he actually aimed at something else to destroy.

Now all that could be heard was Nightfall’s panting as he attempted to calm again and regain his composure. Celestia closed her eyes and, now having the opportunity in this minor time of recess, looked up at the ceiling and thought, Thank you!, a hundred times for the miracle that her father had actually remained in one piece for this amount of time. Then once that was out of her system, she allowed the awful fact to finally seep in.

Nightfall was Nebula’s brother.

Her uncle.

Her sister’s uncle.

Her mother’s brother-in-law.

Her future child’s second uncle.

Starswirl’s future uncle-in-law -- Wait, no, that was going too far.

Celestia slowly let out a breath, silenced her thoughts, and listened in once more.

Nightfall’s panting had stopped, and again silence reigned amongst the tenseness thickly filling the castle. Celestia sat upright behind the pillar, her head now visible above the fern.

“Well,”

She heard Nebula say, his tone giving away a hint of sarcasm,

“Obviously you’re not bitter at all.”

A hiss echoed after her father’s words, probably from the gryphons that had very wisely remained silent throughout the two alicorns’ conversation until now. They seemed threatened by the fact that her father had suddenly said something that wasn’t as nice-sounding as before.

“Quiet, you,” Nightfall muttered to his minions, “I can take care of this myself.”

Celestia hauled herself to her hooves as Nightfall’s words appeared to be tinged with more hostility than before.

I don’t want him to hurt Nebula, Celestia thought, sudden courage appearing within her heart, Perhaps I can talk to him instead. Maybe since I’m Nebula’s daughter, Nightfall won’t feel so bitter towards me… I haven’t done anything, after all…

She knew these hopes were far more than a stretch though, and these little ideas intended to reassure herself had less than the worth of one bit in being right.

But still, her father meant more to her than her own life. She had to do something.

Letting out a deep breath, Celestia very silently inched out from her hiding place and cautiously started to move along the large room, ever diligent not to make any sound. She figured by everything she’d heard at this point that the older alicorns were at least two rooms away, to the left.

“Ah, brother,” Nightfall spat, his voice low and menacing, “perhaps the time has come for us to realize that talking isn’t going to help our case in the slightest.”

Celestia’s heart lurched, but she kept moving, and made it into the next room, which was a Lunar Corridor.

Good, she thought, It’ll be easier to move along the shadows then.

She carefully inched along the wall to the very left side of the corridor and then pressed against that wall, making sure to keep inside the shaded area.

“I don’t want it to come to this, Crescent,”

Nebula whispered, his voice coming to a plea,

“I want us to be brothers, side-by-side again. Our power is stronger together… you know this. Do you have to have everything for yourself? I’m inviting you, Crescent! Please, you can be part of our family again!”

Another furious stomp sounded from the next corridor, even louder than the last time because of how near Celestia was drawing.

“Do not call me Crescent!” Nightfall exclaimed.

Finally Celestia had reached the end of the corridor, and then crawled towards the other side of the door to where Nightfall and Nebula were. She glued herself to the side, her heart beating fearfully, and then peered out to finally get a clear glimpse of what was happening.

Nightfall paced towards Nebula.

Nebula took a step back.

His eyes were wide with distress.

“I don’t want to fight you!” He exclaimed.

“Ah, I don’t think you have a choice,” Nightfall breathed, “it’s time to end this once and for all. Either you defeat me and save your family from ever being harmed, and your kingdom remains intact… or I destroy you and take over the kingdom, and well… the fate of your family will rest in my hooves. Oh, and just to be clear, I’m very much leaning for the latter.”

Nebula’s eyes darkened with a grim understanding that he hadn’t any other choice at this point.

He nodded as sadness grew on his face.

“Oh, and let’s make this fun,” Nightfall added, “We’ll go and fight in the place of my choice.”

“Whatever,” Nebula muttered, “Go ahead.”

A wide smirk broke upon Nightfall’s face and soon he lit his horn with a dark blue glow, and a white outline surrounded his magic.

“Remember this spell, brother?” Nightfall said, his smile growing with more malice, “We came up with this one together!”

“Yeah… the first spell that brought us close as brothers. Now it’ll be the last spell that leads to our demise,” Nebula whispered.

Nightfall snickered, then the blue glow around the evil alicorn’s horn grew, and Celestia knew that it was now or never to make her move.

She darted out from her hiding spot the exact moment that Nightfall grabbed her father’s hoof; Celestia hastily clung to Nebula’s tail, and in that sudden instant, they all disappeared in a burst.

Comments

[Ingoma]

Oooh! I bet they are going

TO DA MOOOOOOONA

[Cosy Purity]

8576557
Haha! We'll see...