Chapter Thirteen: Shadows Flee
Luna drifted through the dream realm, every sense straining to seek two familiar dream bobbles. Her sister was fine, that much she had come to accept as the sun lowered without a hitch.
“Where are you, dear sister?” Luna muttered, a chime echoing through her mind as a bubble reached her awareness. “Yes! Wait, what is this…?” the Princess hissed, examining the dream realms of Nacreous and Celestia with a critical eye. The normally distinct orbs were shot through with static and darkness, something preventing Luna from exercising the majority of her power.
A dampening field? Odd, but there is something else here, another consciousness that dares not show itself. But…the dreams are weakening! I do not have long to speak with her!
Diving into Celestia’s realm, Luna was confronted by a familiar, nightmarish scenario. Her hooves crunched on bones, the dust storm as powerful as ever.
“Sister! Are you-”
Luna’s words cut off as she saw Celestia sitting in the midst of the storm. Instead of slouched and sobbing however the Alicorn stood tall, a serene smile on her face as a meadow spread out around her body. The bones were dissolved into flowers and grass, the colorful contrast to the tan, dusty surroundings rather startling.
She isn’t having a normal nightmare? This is different, something has changed to quiet her fears at least to some extent.
Wait.
The scene was interrupted by tendrils of shadow, the peaceful meadow quickly turning to dust. A faint dark chuckle reached Luna’s awareness.
Somecreature else is here trying to disrupt it, but I cannot sense them! Not completely. What is blocking my magic?
Luna’s eyes narrowed as the nightmare continued to build, a familiar dust storm gathering in strength.
I don’t have the power to break her from this, not with the restrictions in place!
Darting out from Celestia’s dream Luna dove into Nacreous’s, surprised that no entities impeded her passage as she pounded on the door.
“Nacreous! Gaudi! Forgive this intrusion, but I need your help. Celestia needs your help!”
The door swung open and Luna’s eyes narrowed as it dangled off a single hinge.
What darkness is this?!
Nacreous was huddled on a grassy field, no trees or any other objects in view. A massive shadowy hippogriff loomed over him, a familiar specter from the last time Luna was here.
And yet there is something else here, not just him!
“Nacreous, I need your help.”
Her words made the Paladin stir, slowly looking over with a tired huff. “Princess Luna? I can’t- I can barely hear you.”
Luna felt her connection to the two dreams begin to fade and her horn ignited with a surge of magic. “I cannot help you! Something is dampening my power and Celestia is having a nightmare. I fear it will consume her unless something is done. Please, help her!”
The Paladin grunted, levering himself upright even as his shadowy double dragged black claws over his scarred armor seeking to pull him back to the ground. “Celestia…in trouble?” he asked, head shaking as though struggling to wake from the dream he was in.
“A nightmare, one I am increasingly at odds to banish. You can help her, Nacreous. Please, and then she can help you. I will join your dream realms while you are away if that is acceptable.”
“Do it.”
As the connection began to fade Luna sent a surge of power between her sister and the Paladin’s dreams, connecting the two with a temporary bridge before they faded from her awareness.
Help her, Nacreous...
As that thought echoed through Luna’s mind the alicorn’s heart twisted in her chest, Nacreous’s own dreams eating at her confidence.
And I hope Celly can help you too.
Nacreous plodded along the crystal bridge; apparently the manifestation between his and Celestia’s dreams.
Nightmare. Have to help her.
“Why help her? Does that bring you joy?” A familiar shadowy spectrum grunted as it walked along at his side.
Yes. I want her to be happy.
“Oh, but to what extent? Do you want to take care of a patient forever? Is that the relationship you want with your special somepony? Does she even want you to be happy? Or is that just so you’ll stick around?”
Nacreous tripped, head shaking back and forth. The shadow chuckled as they entered a dust storm, outline fading briefly as the Paladin pushed through towards a familiar alabaster sight.
His claws crunched on skulls but Nacreous’s awareness to such was blunted, dark thoughts eating at his mind.
He finally stopped, looking at the alicorn sobbing on the apocalyptic ground.
“Celestia?” he asked, limbs giving out as he flopped onto a pile of bones.
“Nacreous? Huh?”
The hippogriff nodded, weariness eating at his mind and body. “Luna said this is a nightmare? Said I can help. But I’m so tired, all of these dark thoughts…”
The dust storm ignited into fire, Celestia’s horn abruptly blazing with power. “A dream, yes. Lucid dreaming has been difficult as of late,” she muttered, the fiery tornado spinning into oblivion as the scene changed to a peaceful forest. As Celestia shook her head into full awareness her eyes narrowed on seeing shadows itching at her consciousness.
“What, what is this? Luna, you joined our dreams to have you snap me out of it? Clever sister,” she whispered, looking around and then back to Nacreous.
“Nacreous; it’s alright.”
The hippogriff didn’t respond as a dark chuckle echoed through the forest clearing, a shadowy hippogriff trotting to poke at the prone Paladin.
“Oh, it’s alright she says. Of course, everything is alright for her,” it chuckled.
“And you are?” Celestia asked with a glare.
“A thousand years of doubt, heartache, pain, and suffering,” the shadow replied dismissively. “But I don’t answer to you,” the apparition poked again at Nacreous’s shoulder, the hippogriff’s frame starting to ooze with dark magic as it dripped from his feathers and fur like slime.
“You see? Was I wrong? Why do you persist? She clearly needs you. Is that how you want to spend the rest of your life? Taking care of a creature? Another patient? Does she even truly care? Everyone else who might have cared is dead anyhow. What makes her so special?”
“What?!” Celestia sputtered, glaring at the shadow as it grinned with a fang-filled mouth.
“This is different,” Nacreous whispered prompting a laugh from his doppelganger.
“Is it? Who leans on who in this relationship? Is that what you want for thousands of years? For longer? Alone again, always taking care of someone? Never the reverse? Well?”
Nacreous shook his head, covering his face with both sets of talons. “No. Not real. Can’t be. Everything is wrong here.”
“Oh, but you have thought it, I’m you. A co-dependent lover, a doctor and patient for all eternity. That is what awaits you, and you know it! If only you could-”
“THAT IS ENOUGH!” Celestia barked, sending a beam of white-hot energy punching through the shadow. It let out a screech, pink sparks eating away at its frame as it looked at Celestia in shock.
“How did you-”
“I am not some babe to be coddled, Shadow!” the Alicorn bellowed, her hooves igniting the grass underneath. Instead of burning into ash the green blades turned to a brilliant blue crystal, Celestia’s violet eyes locked onto the increasingly uncomfortable apparition.
“I weathered a thousand lonely years, and I can weather a thousand more if that is what is required of me!” Celestia continued, walking over to Nacreous as the hippogriff still shook his head but now peeking out from under his talons.
“But if I’m able, I’d like nothing more than to have somecreature by my side for the rest of my life and beyond,” she whispered, a few tears falling from her eyes. “But I actually agree with you if only in portrayal.”
The shadow blinked in surprise, Nacreous fully uncovering his face now to look up at her.
“I haven’t shown that you can lean on me. I’ve taken your affection and empathy for granted, just as I did for Luna when she supported me,” Celestia admitted, now standing tall and glaring at the dark figure. “But no more. You will speak no more of these lies to Nacreous! I am not some helpless patient to be cared for, to be looked after as though I may shatter into pieces! Who do you think I am? SPEAK!”
The black hippogriff’s beak moved, but no words came out. Another awareness now pricked at Celestia’s consciousness, but she continued.
“I am the Princess of Equestria to my subjects, but to the world? I have many names; the Solar Empress, the Eternal Flame, the Bringer of Heavenly Fire! I have battled armies and armadas in defense of my ponies! I do not need to be coddled and cared for like some helpless mouse! I have been the shoulder countless creatures have leaned on, the ruler other nations have looked to for leadership and council. You dare insinuate I need somecreature to look after me like an ill foal? That I want or need anything other than an equal companion to weather the storms of life? You cannot fathom the value an equal partner has to me, so don’t you speak of my wants or needs!”
Still the shadow didn’t reply. Nacreous was still looking up at her, the alicorn now smiling tenderly at him with a soft sniffle. Celestia reached a shaking hoof down to rest it against his cheek as her eyes brimmed with tears.
“You dare suggest I don’t care for Nacreous? You…wait,” she then turned to look at a seemingly empty section of forest, eyes narrowing. “I can see you, creature!”
A dozen blades appeared from the nether and Celestia sent them stabbing into thin air next to a tree. Shimmering into existence a black alicorn-like pony let out a pained yelp, squirming as the weapons pinned him to the wood.
“My sister has the raw talent, but I maintained her realm for a millennium. You have no place here!” Celestia bellowed, a glowing, golden spear snapping into focus above her head. “You only started to get inside my head, but I can sense your influence to a greater extent. You leave him be, or I will burn you from here to Tartarus!”
The creature laughed, coughing up a bit of black liquid as he grinned.
“I didn’t have to do anything in here! This is all him! Well, most of it at least! Go ahead and send me away for now! My work is done!”
His cocky façade cracked as Celestia summoned two more spears, staring at the creature as fire began to leak from her pupils.
“You reek of the Limbo expanse. Do you think that makes you safe from me? I have traveled to that realm and dozens of other dimensions over my life; and in those you trust your safety? Do you have any comprehension of the ancient magic that runs through my veins? If you harm my hippogriff, no realm will hide you from me!”
The stallion’s façade cracked, the cocky expression shattering and exposing a burst of fear as the three spears pulverizing his body and shattered the connection.
As the weapons vanished along with the other blades Celestia trotted back over to Nacreous, taking a few deep breaths as she looked at the two shocked hippogriffs.
“If that is right, then I have failed more severely than I thought. If these are all, or even most of your doubts aside from that…thing…” Celestia whispered, shaking her head.
“Your doubts aren’t without a sliver of truth, Nacreous, but not for the reasons you describe. I won’t lie, being cared for as a lover, I’d like nothing more. To have a shoulder to lean on, to have a best friend, to trust someone implicitly; yet that goes both ways!” Celestia trotted over, shoving her hoof against the chest of the shadowy hippogriff who continued to stare at her in shock. “I want to be there for Nacreous, for you. Don’t you torment him with these thoughts! Give him the strength to tell me! Let me help! Please!”
A determined but tender smile slid onto Celestia’s features, the alicorn reaching down to put a hoof on Nacreous’s claws.
“Please, show me. Nacreous, what troubles you? Lean on me just as you did in the cavern yesterday. I can only ask you to forgive me for painting such a one-sided picture of what I want our relationship to be; I can certainly see how I have failed in that aspect.”
More tears slid down Celestia’s cheeks, the stoic alicorn’s muzzle trembling.
“I am so sorry, Nacreous. I never meant for you to shoulder this burden, to think you needed to help me without feeling you could entrust me to do so for you, to have you think I could not shoulder your burdens as a companion should. Please let me fix this. I lost Luna in a similar way once; I can’t lose you too.”
Nacreous shifted upright, his eyes seeming to clear slightly. He nodded, and Celestia let out a grunt as Celestia darted forwards and wrapped him up in a tight hug, pulling the large hippogriff into her arms.
“Will you let me help, Nacreous?”
The hippogriff paused, then returning the affectionate gesture. A new scene now resolved itself; a burning building in the background of the forest. As the faint sound of screaming began to increase in volume, Celestia refused to let go of her hippogriff, looking over to the shadow.
“What is this, a memory?”
“A fear,” was the simple reply.
“Nacreous, who is that in the building?” Celestia asked, feeling the stalwart Paladin shivering in her arms. “If this isn’t a memory then you’re afraid of someone perishing? Who is that?”
The first reply was too soft for Celestia to hear, the roaring of the fire coupled with the screams making it all but intelligible. But the next two words made her heart ache and hug the hippogriff all the tighter, especially as the Paladin’s voice cracked.
“My w-wife.”
The building now loomed over the forest, the screams echoing around the entire dream realm. Celestia pulled back ever so slightly to rest her forehead against Nacreous’s, her horn aglow with power. She knew the distorted voice that screamed from the skyscraper, even if it was only partially similar, a hint of a voice that she knew all too well.
It was her voice, or close enough to it.
“Losing someone we care about is hardly a fear to be ashamed of,” Celestia remarked, her voice then dropping to a whisper as Nacreous’s gaze met her own. “But I understand, I really do. To wait so long to find someone only have them perish…that is a thought lurking in the darkest part of my mind,” the Princess said softly. Her eyes then narrowed in determination, the flames of the building extinguished themselves under Celestia’s urging, the screams falling silent.
“But Nacreous, you’re forgetting something. If that’s your fear for us, for me…” Celestia sent another surge of power through her horn, the skyscraper dissolving into ash as it rebuilt itself into a peaceful forest cabin, smoke spiraling from a small chimney.
“You cannot burn the sun, Nacreous, I’m not going anywhere,” Celestia said fiercely, tears streaking her cheeks as she hugged her hippogriff close. Before he returned the gesture, Celestia saw Nacreous’s own eyes widened in understanding, then burying his head into her shoulder.
“Now let’s both wake up.”
Sending the spell drifting across both of them, Celestia blinked as the real world resolved itself. She didn’t wait for Nacreous to say anything, his sides shaking with sobs as he slowly began to wake. Quickly crossing over, Celestia pulled the hippogriff into her arms, holding him close.
“I’m here, Nacreous. Dream realm or not.”
As his tears wet her fur Celestia could only hug her special somegriff tighter, alabaster wings draped over Nacreous’s shoulders to pull him closer.
You’ve been there for me ever since we met. I’m done taking that for granted.
I should have done this a long time ago; and I’m not about to ever go back to that!
Some time passed, and Celestia settled down with the now-dozing hippogriff still wrapped up in her arms. She traced a hoof along Nacreous’s neck, the gesture prompting a slight smile from the Paladin.
I’m not going anywhere, Nacreous. This is what I’ve always wanted; an equal friend, a companion…
I’m not letting go.
Nacreous let out a grunt, the warm blanket next to him a nice contrast to the icy air around them
Urg. What was going on last night? I feel so much better though…
As the events came rushing back the hippogriff couldn’t help but blush, yet relief was the only thing he could feel about the matter.
Well, relief and affection. Celestia is getting a lot more hugs, that’s for sure. Speaking of which, where is my favorite…
Oh.
The ‘blanket’ quickly resolved itself into being a familiar Alicorn sleeping soundly next to him. How they had shifted in their sleep Nacreous wasn’t sure, but his left forelimb was securely draped over Celestia’s back, claws wrapping around her upper chest and under her left forelimb, as he was laying slightly on his side up against a rocky incline.
Well. This is interesting. I certainly am not going to complain, yet I am a gentle’griff.
With a great deal of reluctance, Nacreous shifted his arm to retract it from the sleeping alicorn-only to find an alabaster hoof grip his claws tightly and place the limb back.
“Not yet,” was the soft reply, affection flooding Nacreous’s frame at her words. Not using magic for an affectionate gesture was an old sign among unicorns, adding sincerity to an action.
And this….
Nacreous nodded, instead pressing his side against Celestia’s as he hugged her close for a brief moment. Her mane smelled like a forest after a fresh rain, conifer mixed with water.
“Are you sure?”
Feeling Celestia nod at his words, the hippogriff ventured a bit of a bolder gesture, leaning over to trace his beak along Celestia’s neck briefly. Judging from the Alicorn immediately scooting closer and hugging Nacreous’s forelimb tighter, his actions were most definitely approved, even as the hippogriff tightened his hold across the alicorn.
What I would give to have this be a regular occurrence, waking up with someone?
He gave it a few long minutes, wanting nothing more than to just have this peace. Feeling someone’s sides rise and fall against his, Celestia hugging his forelimb tightly.
When did I first dream of someday?
The hippogriff finally sighing reluctantly.
“We do need to get up and get on the move,” he whispered, giving her a final, one-armed hug. “And don’t get me started on how this breaks our only-hugs rule. That said, I’d like nothing more than to just not move for a good long while.”
I don’t want to ever get used to this….
Celestia grumbled, clearly not about to be the first one to move.
“I’d like that very much, a lot more than I’d can explain right now,” she admitted. “You know, ” her tone changed, becoming soft, just above a whisper. “This is completely stalling, but do you want to know what I find amusing?” she asked, leaning her head backwards to press against Nacreous’s neck, forelimb reaching over to hold his claws. “I have guards, shock troops, and the ability to vaporize an entire continent if I needed to. Yet for all that power, I’ve…” her words broke off, but the fact Nacreous shifted slightly upright as to wrap both his arms around the Princess seemed to loosen her tongue, his head draped over the Alicorn’s shoulder. “For all my ability, my experience, I don’t think I’ve felt as safe as right now.”
Nacreous could only smile, more than happy to lean against Celestia as the alicorn melted in his arms with a happy hum.
“Yet another reason hugs are so well received?”
“Mmmm….”
As they parted, the affectionate fire in Celestia’s eyes made Nacreous’s heart skip a few beats, the Princess clearly battling the ‘nothing but hugs’ arbitrary rule for a good long few moments. She then trotted over after they packed their backs and downed a quick breakfast in relative silence.
“Before we go, I want to know; are you doing alright, Nacreous?” she asked, looking at the hippogriff as he stood in front of her. What she wasn’t prepared for was a surprise hug, Nacreous definitely hearing a startled squeak from the ruler as he held her rather tightly against his chest.
Note to self. Making Celestia squeak in surprise is adorable.
“Thanks to you. What you said last night, I-” he shook his head, eyes shimmering with tears. “It’s a lot to unpack and think about. I just-I don’t know what to think other than being thankful.”
Celestia didn’t say anything at first, simply enjoying the hug with a happy sigh. When she pulled away however, her violet eyes seemed to have a fire behind them that threatened to melt the very icy walls around them.
“I meant every word I said there, Nacreous. Your thanks are nice but I should have confronted this long before now.”
The Paladin seemed to have words catch in his throat, finally uttering a soft phrase with the slightest blush.
“If I recall, what was it? ‘My hippogriff?’”
Celestia’s eyes narrowed, a bit of flame leaking off the Alicorn’s frame much to the Paladin’s surprise. Yet instead of a searing heat the flames felt warm, comforting like the steam rising from a cup of hot coco.
“As I said. I meant every word, including my threats to that thing. You’ve been there for me, Nacreous. Don’t you dare think I’m not there for you.”
A rather endearing smile now dawned on Nacreous’s face as they packed up their belongings, beginning the trek once again.
“My dream is slowly coming back; a rather angelic figure burning away my darker thoughts. Those eyes…”
Celestia found herself pausing, a set of talons gently resting on her cheek as Nacreous’s blue eyes met her own.
“How I’d like to break that arbitrary rule I set but a day before. I’ve never seen this fiercer side of you, and on my behalf…” his words trailed off as the hippogriff took a shaky breath. “Thank you, Celestia.”
“Anytime.” They began to walk again, but Nacreous caught a final whisper from the Princess as she hopped over a large rocky outcropping.
“My Hippogriff.”
The time passed as a blur to Nacreous, the Hippogriff falling quiet as they continued to slowly keep moving. The amulet was getting close to being charged up; but to stop moving was to invite an ambush.
Yet through it all, the dark thoughts of the previous night continued to eat away at his mind.
She disproved it all, burning all my fears away.
And yet they return, perhaps that is the downside of our predicament. I do not have many instances to back up her words.
“Nacreous?”
The hippogriff blinked, finding himself leaning against an icy wall.
“Hmm?”
“You’ve been standing there for a good minute or two, and barely said anything these past few hours,” the alicorn’s ears then flattened, violet eyes shimming with unease. “May I ask what is wrong? Will you let me know?”
Celestia…
Nacreous swallowed, nodding slowly.
“Just the thoughts from last night. They are not easy to banish. Having my darkest fears brought to life and shown to another is unsettling. And that strange influence seems to have intensified it all. It ebbs and flows.”
Celestia was quiet for a few moments, the alicorn trotting over to press her side against his. “What can I do to help?”
The lump in the Paladin’s throat managed to be dislodged for a moment, the hippogriff leaning over to rest his forehead against Celestia’s.
“Just things like this. Showing that you care,” he whispered, his somber mood broken by the flicker of flames that appeared in Celestia’s eyes, her mouth widening in a slight smile.
“Well, as soon as the nothing-else-other-than-hugs rule is lifted, my options are somewhat limited. But I get it, I really do,” Celestia responded firmly. “I’m here for you and I’ll try my hardest to show that.”
“Despite an arbitrary rule?”
Celestia nodded, reaching over to place her hoof in Nacreous’s claws; much to his apparent delight as he happily tightened his grip.
“Rules are rules. Not like you can change them.”
The hippogriff let out an amused snort, the pair beginning to walk once again. “I’m just glad you understand. I’d hate to ruin something because we’re…well….”
“Stressed? Trapped away from a safe location? Both rather starved for affection?”
Nacreous blinked at Celestia’s honest words, a slight smile tugging at his beak. “Well, yes. I wasn’t expecting such a blunt reply.”
“It’s the truth though, and I’ve been ignoring some of that for long enough, I think.”
Celestia paused, the two of them finally releasing their respective hoof and claws to climb over some more rubble.
“You don’t really know how much you need something if you simply cease to have it, lock away memories, resign yourself to not hoping for what can’t be obtained,” the alicorn mused, Nacreous nodding in agreement.
“Like something even as simple as a hug?”
“Especially something as simple as a hug.”
Nacreous seemed to drift into a pensive daze as they continued to traverse the icy caverns, Celestia not wanting to interrupt for a time. When his gaze began to droop in time with is wings, the alicorn walked over to nudge the hippogriff’s shoulder.
“Nacreous?”
“Hmm?” he asked, shaking his head. “Sorry…”
“Dark thoughts?”
“To say the least. Sorry I’m not in a talkative mood.”
“No need to apologize for that. Whatever helps you the best.”
He paused, then shuffled his wings in thought. “Perhaps a prompt? I’d like to talk, Celly, but I don’t know about what.”
Celestia blinked, a rather affectionate smile making her cheeks warm at his words. “Celly?”
“I…erm, sorry. I’ve heard that’s your nickname; just slipped out.”
A soft giggle warmed the icy walls around the pair, Celestia sliding over to nudge her head under Nacreous’s wing playfully. “I think you’re in the clear to use it, Nacreous. I’m not sure what your nickname could be thought. But only those close to me use my nickname, and I’d say you most certainly fit that.”
The bright pink on Celestia’s usually white cheeks made the hippogriff’s head tilt in curiosity, Celestia muttering something under her breath.
“What was that?”
“I like it when you say it too.”
“Then Celly it is, well at least part of the time. No sense in wearing out a perfectly good nickname. I think you should have another though, I’ll have to think on that.”
The pleasant shiver that ran up Celestia’s spine only made Nacreous grin, no doubt feeling her wings shift as she slid out from under his own.
“Hmm. A prompt? I don’t want to encourage the dark thoughts, Nacreous, so your past….”
“Is fine, as long as it’s happier questions, even if about individuals who have passed.”
Celestia seemed curious at that; nodding as they walked. “Did anycreature manage to break the Paw’s spell? Remember you longer?”
To her surprise, Nacreous chuckled, nodding in reply. “Indeed. It seemed to be rare, but there were some who were resistant to the Paw’s spell. I remember one unicorn, a librarian for a village I helped ages ago. C-coarse Pen was his name,” Nacreous’s voice shuttered, emotion welling up in his throat.
“Brown fur that match his eyes; bland in appearance only, some would say. Sharp as a tack and just as meticulous about knowledge, he hated the idea of not knowing something by some arbitrary rule. He remembered me long enough to devise a method to continue to do so. Apparently, he made recorded messages to himself about me, so every time I was forgotten, Coarse simply re-watched himself and moved forwards to try and push the two-week limit, he and his wife. He was my friend, one of the few. I spent many a night in his library, talking with him about well, everything. He was a listening ear when I needed it, and offered formidable council when called upon,” Nacreous said, a peaceful smile dawning on his beak.
“He loved knowledge, every book he could read, he did, even cookbooks. Coarse had a near photographic memory; going against him in a war of context was useless. Not half bad a cook, but his wife had the talent in that regard. Usually soft spoken, he was on the village council since when he did speak, it was extremely well thought out, and his words had a power to them,” the hippogriff chuckled, “Of course, ask him about his hobbies such as books, gardening, or architecture, and you’d be hard pressed to get him to stop talking. But reading and knowledge was his true passion, and he delved into trying to remember me with everything he had.”
“How long did he get to?”
“Not just him, Celestia. There were other archivists who joined his cause; an entire clan of ponies, the knowledge-keepers. It took them a lifetime, but almost a year was the outer limit before he became too weak to continue.”
Nacreous grew somber, pausing in his steps. Celestia was at his side in an instant as the stoic hippogriff’s voice began to tremble softly. “I tried to save him, his fellow workers, their families; Coarse came up with an idea, but it failed.”
“What was it?”
His ears up once again, the Paladin taking a deep breath as the words continued to flow. “Golem’s of a sort. Channeling their essence into crystal bodies that could change into pure energy at whim. Recently such a method we know to exist due to an accident with some gryphons, but back then it was unheard of. However, we both hoped such a form would circumvent the Paw’s power, and that was Coarse’s main drive to do so. To have an evil spell wipe his memory was somewhat of a personal affront to that pony; I think he took it personally. For a solid year before he grew too frail to move, I tried every method I knew to have their energies cross over into the waiting vessels. But….”
“That’s a high feat even for a trained mage, Nacreous. To do so with multiple at once, that’s incredible, and back then without our knowledge of arcane magic like we have now…”
“A high feat, but we had to try. The result was so much worse, and I couldn’t bear to stay afterwards. His entire staff, his wife; they all wanted to be transferred at the same time, refusing to suffer a different fate than Coarse, even if it meant they all perished with him. He was so blasted stubborn; passed that on to his staff too. Knowledge was their lifeblood, and they were content trusting the archives to others in this attempt to defeat the Paw’s magic. I tried to convince them otherwise, that not everypony should be tied into the effort, but it was useless.
They were about as close to a family as I could get during that time. Laughing, eating, bantering; they simply accepted I might fade, and made sure to refuse the Paw’s fate. When I did suddenly become a new face, they’d re-watch the crystal records, and within a few days we’d be back talking again. It was that devotion that made them all try at once, even though they knew it was a hope and a chance to succeed.”
A few tears slid down Nacreous’s cheeks, yet a smile was still fixed on his features, however faint. “They recorded every day’s notes, so that when they did forget, they wouldn’t tell me the same thing over and over,” Nacreous sniffed softly. “I just wish it had worked. When the spell failed, there was nobody left to remember me, not that wanted to put in the effort at least. All that was left of them were baker’s dozen of purple crystal husks. But perhaps it’s best none of them were left alone. I can understand that at least.”
She knew no words could offer complete comfort, but the alicorn let out a soft breath, watching as it misted in the cold air. “He sounds like quite a friend.”
The hippogriff nodded, his wings drooping as a few tears continued to spill from the Paladin’s eyes. “That he was. I was lucky to know him and all the others. I didn’t go back to the village after that, I just couldn’t, not without Coarse and his clan, and nobody was left to remember me. There were other reasons I left, but…” he shook his head slowly.
Celestia didn’t say anything for a few moments, but on seeing her hippogriff’s wings continue to droop, she reached over with a hoof to grasp his claws gently. She wasn’t about to let the dark thoughts of the previous night return.
He immediately returned the gesture, claws shaking slightly as Nacreous leaned on her shoulder. “Thank you, Celly.”
“You’re not alone now, Nacreous, neither of us are. I’ve lost creatures I’ve care for as well…but that’s a pain nobody can understand fully. I can’t speak for Coarse, but they must have loved you beyond measure to risk their lives in even an attempt to break that spell.”
Celestia’s heart nearly shattered as Nacreous’ wings and shoulders slumped at her words, genuine sobs shaking his frame. It was the first time she had seen the stalwart Paladin completely break down, tears streaming down his cheeks to pitter-patter against the floor.
“I haven’t mourned for any of my friends in ages. Between last night and remembering their life…”
A sudden thought made Celestia’s eyes widen, a simple realization from the night before as Nacreous held her hoof tightly.
He’s letting me help.
The alicorn immediately scooted over to wrap her hippogriff up in a hug, feeling him immediately relax in her arms.
I want to be here for you in times like this; and I’ll prove it over and over again if you’ll let me.
The cold icy caverns held no power over Celestia’s heart as she embraced Nacreous all the tighter, not about to let him go until stopped shaking.
“I miss them.”
Those three words made tears immediately well up in Celestia’s eyes, the faces of her own friends flashing through her mind. She shifted her embrace, letting Nacreous bury his head into the crook of her arm as the Alicorn pressed against his neck.
“I do too.”
We’ve both needed this. Someone who won’t fade as we remember those who have.
And I’ll be here as long as you need…or want me to be.
Luna stared at the parchment in front of her, not quite believing what she was reading.
“Shifting,” she asked calmly, the sort of tone indicating the poor Alicorn was a few minutes from a mental overload. “Please explain to me what this report means.”
Shifting calmly retrieved the report and tore it into small strips with his magic, each line a makeshift bulletin point.
“A group of creatures just emerged from the blizzard on that strange golden road. They apparently gave samples of what appears to be the cure Nacreous concocted, and it’s currently being analyzed for verification. The leader of the group wants to speak with you; the guards aren’t really sure how to describe them all. Hmm…” the unicorn’s voice drifted off, a thoughtful hum leaving his lips.
“Shifting?”
“It’s interesting. They don’t refer to you as ‘Princess’, but they want to speak with the Solar or Lunar Empress; whoever is willing to hear them.”
A few short moments later, a communications portal activated and Luna could only stare in shock. Dozens of creatures of all species stood in front of her, each clad in an odd vest with brass and golden gears that spun this way and that, and what appeared to be a portable boiler on their backs as a strange fabric covered most of their body. A unicorn trotted forwards, a simple yellow metal breastplate strapped across his chest. He bowed deeply, the rest of the group following suite.
“Empress Luna; thank you for the audience,” the unicorn rumbled, as Luna sat up a bit straighter, nerves seeming to vanish.
“You are most welcome; may I ask to whom I am speaking?”
The unicorn rose nodding as a sincere smile twitched at his lips.
“My name is Ambassador Brass Link of the nation-state Hauyne, Empress of the Night,” the unicorn paused, a full smile now dawning on his features as a few large wagons entered view. Pulled by two ponies, the vehicles clearly zipped unnaturally fast along the golden road in the background as though pushed by a rearward wind.
“We are here on behalf of a distant village near our borders whom relayed a request of aid,” he gestured to one of the wagons; the contents appearing to be hundreds if not thousands of vials along with weaponry with blades crafted from an odd, pink-like crystal that was rather familiar…
“It would seem you have a Windigo problem, Empress. We’ve come to aid you in this fight.”
Go Celestia Go! 
She finally gets a chance to help her hippogriff! (And about time too, the poor guy needs it!)
ALL THE FLUFF!
Hmm. But who are these new individuals? Allies? Or wolves in sheeps clothing...
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omg so cute!! I love them so much. Too bad for that only hugs rule tho
9988295
They're adorable- buuuuuut how long can that rule hold? 
9988299
Hopefully not much longer
I'm going to be putting my money on allies simply due to them using the title of Empress instead of Princess and because they asked for either the Solar or Lunar Empress
9988390
True...
Reminds me of a certain story:
I too believe the newcomers to be allies, since they are using Crystal Empire crystals that are the normal pink color. I don't think that those crystals can be used for evil without turning black. (Unless RadBunny is just ignoring MLP canon for the sake of artistic license or narrative trickery.)
9988520
.........
A certain story you say?
Heh. I've oft wondered how it would be like to be able to hug someone you love every morning as well. It seems a simple yet deep pleasure...
A tragic fate, for ponies so loyal and dedicated... They're Element of Loyalty material, I think...
Rest in peace.
9988732
A tragic fate indeed. But loyal to the end.
Steam punk makes EVERYTHING 20% cooler!~
9988749
Agreed! That was the tech level I was aiming to portray, so I'm glad that came through!
...I am here, and everyone who has seen me knows why.
I refuse to say it in any sort of normal way again.
9989003
Paladin's Shadow burst into Tirek's room, dancing around like a mad griff.
Tirek: Pissed off the Solar Princess, did you.
Shadow: Shut up and remove these spears from my ass, Tirek.
Tirek grinned Evil.
Tirek: Whatever you say....Porcupine.
9989486
It's good to be back reading this story, I haven't had much time to catch up on all the stories I've got in my tracking list. I forgot how much of a heart tug the story could be.
10020102
Huzzah!
found this. Die typo die!
the fiery tornado spinning into oblivious [ oblivion ] ????
10028519
Thank you!
Still a favorite moment of mine.
I am a gentle'griff?
11261499
I figured that some bad guys aren't TOTALLY clueless
Ah, fixed. Thank you!