• Published 24th Jan 2018
  • 250 Views, 0 Comments

Armor - 21latenighter



A story about Fury’s mortality.

  • ...
 0
 250

Chapter 2

As the two ponies walked through the front of the small cottage that Fury called home, they were greeted by the sight of southern Ponyville. They walked down the main road that led toward the town hall, and as they walked, Celestia began to ask Fury more about his armor.

“So you've told me about the armor, but why aren't you with Rainbow Dash right now?” She asked as they passed a couple buildings around the outer circle of the town.

Fury gave a small smile as he gave her an answer. “Well, today is the Summer Solstice, the day before the Summer Sun Celebration… today is one of the only days that all of Dash’s friends are in one place, today is her day, so I spend mine with other family..”

Celestia nodded before looking towards the town hall, which grew larger with every step. As Fury walked, she noticed a small grunt in his breath, stress in his stride… a sign of aging. She stopped dead in her tracks, thoughts of another funeral filling her mind.

Fury stopped after a couple steps without Celestia by his side and turned his attention to her, still looking gloomily at the hall.

“Is everything alright Tia?” He asked as he turned around to face the white alicorn.

“You're getting older…” she whispered, sadness building in her voice.

Fury let out a small sigh as he sat down beside the next to immortal alicorn. She was still in the prime of her life, and would be for the next several hundred years. She still had the radiant beauty of a young mare, and the fire of youth still burned bright in her eyes and heart. His mane was starting to gray at the tips, with a few strands standing out against his red and yellow. His knees had the faintest proof of a knarl to them. His face had a few stress wrinkles beginning to form around his eyes and forehead. He had begun to take to walking more after his wings had began to stiffen with arthritis every now and again.

“I know… I can feel it everyday..” he said before bringing out a faint smile, “but this is what it took to grow old with Dash…”

“Why not let her become one of us? Why not give her a life like ours?” Celestia asked with tears forming.

“And make her watch her family and friends age and die around her as she only seems to age a day, Celestia… one new alicorn is enough, I don't think Dash could handle it..”

Celestia nodded slowly to the logic before starting to walk again.

“So… what's this really about?” Fury asked he walked beside her.

Celestia stopped and looked around to see if there were any other ponies around before speaking. “It's just, you were always there when I needed you… after Luna… and I know we were never the closest, but you’ve grown on me these past few years, and now I have to say goodbye…”

“Not right now you don’t,” Fury said as he pulled Celestia into a tight hug. “In time sister, but not right now… right now I’m here, in front of you..” he said as he stood back up as a crowd began to gather.

Celestia gathered up her emotions and placed them back in the dark corner of her mind and took a deep breath, wiping away a stray tear. “As a princess, I must be calm and reserved for my subjects..”

“Hmm.. come on,” Fury said as he began to walk towards the edge of the Everfree. Celestia caught up quickly as she followed him into the wild of the magical forest.

“Why are we walking in the Everfree?” Celestia asked honestly as she looked over to the aging Pegasus, who seemed to be taking in the sights.
“You remember our home… right?” Fury asked as he glanced her way before returning his sight to a rather interesting tree to his left.

“I..I try not to… too many memories of Nightmare Moon,” she answered.

“I see… so you have forgotten it?” He asked with doubt.

“Forgotten what?” Celestia asked in return, puzzled.

“The mural, in the west wing, the one mom made…”

“Fury… the west wing is gone, I’m sorry,” she answered politely, hoping that Fury would just brush his mistake on old age.

“Yes, I remember, but that wasn’t the mural I wanted to show you. The mural I wanna show ya is in the main foyer, covered by our banner,” he answered her.

A small memory poked its way into Celestia’s mind, one of many she had of her mother, Princess or rather Queen Paramour. Her mother had led her to the foyer along with Luna to teach them a small lesson for the day, and to enjoy the company of the local fauna.

The lesson of the day was about loss, and it being a bittersweet thing, she had told them that when a pony left for the Elysian Fields, it was hard for the ponies they left behind. Their loss was the loss of a personality among a unique crowd, and the loss of a certain talent, but was joyful because that pony’s trials had ended and a new life lay ahead.
Celestia’s mind snapped back to the present as she looked over to her brother, who now was setting against the tree he had been examining before, lightly chewing on a twig. She cleared her throat lightly to get his attention, and when he looked over at her, she began.

“You were going to give me a lecture that mom gave me and Luna thousands of years ago, weren’t you?” She asked, a little sarcastically.

“No, not really, but I was gonna tell you something that I learned over the years, losing friends until I shut myself off from the world..”

“And that is?”

“Don’t grieve for me, though my story may be coming to an end, others are just beginning, know what it means?”

“Maybe,” she answered, “Don’t grieve because you're traveling to the Great Beyond, a Land of untold riches that waits for us at the end of this life. And the other half just says find someone new to take my place..”

“Yes.. and no.. yes to the first part, but what I mean by the last part is even though my life will eventually end, there are countless others who are just beginning, not replacing mine, but writing their own…” he said solemnly, slowly rising from his comfortable spot and walked over to her. “I seen something a while ago, so I brought you here to talk, where you wouldn’t be swamped by every pony, where you could be true with me, now what’s wrong?”

Celestia drew a breath as the tears began to well up again, her heart rate rising, body beginning to quake slightly. She had to tell him now, about her fear of losing him and Luna again...