Insight's magic had breathed on the last few embers of vitality. Their restored glow, just bright enough for a few subjective hours of a final dream. Physical-world seconds trickled by, each one stretched as far as Insight’s training would allow. The pull of the Eternal Fields would always win. Still, her role was to enable them to pass peacefully, not screaming and frantically tearing their soul apart as they resisted the inevitable.
Everything had been said, messages to be passed to the still living. Insight had been a shoulder to cry on, a companion to hold, and a confessor to bear any final regrets to. She knew him better than any living pony ever would, and all but what he permitted were her secrets to keep until her own existence ended.
The young pony soaking up the summer rays looked nothing like the ruined form of the old stallion that gave his life so others could flee. A slight smile graced his muzzle as he took a sip of his expensive cocktail.
Silvermane’s ear twitched, homing in on something Insight would never hear, but many had described in their final breaths. The sweet, irresistible song that promised eternal rest. The unseen force tugged on the stallion’s soul, lightly for now, a request. The afterlife was being polite, allowing her to finish her duty, to hear any final words. If she resisted, the drain of holding him here would be increased dramatically.
His hoof reached out, the warmth of the touch almost jarring as it rested on her shoulder. He nodded, nothing but serene acceptance in his eyes. Insight released her borrowed magic. The old stallion’s wellspring collapsed, releasing his core essence.
The presence of Silvermane’s hoof lingered even as the last of his form faded away. The single mote of light raced off, his soul answering the call of the afterlife.
“Thank you.” Floated on a final sea-scented breeze as the idyllic dream crumbled. The two words being the last act of his worldly magic.
The sunny beach slipped away as if it never existed, but Insight would always remember it. It was where Silvermane had proposed to Tiger Lily.
His wife was going to be devastated, but at least she would hear his final words. For everyone she had helped today, at least a dozen had passed alone. Anger flared. If it was not for what Celestia had done to Luna, everypony could have a peaceful end. Each tended to by a fragment of Luna made just for them, the ideal companion to escort them to the afterlife.
The cool tingle of the Tantabus’s body pressed into her side. The larger unicorn’s leg and neck closed round her in a hug. As simple as Luna’s creation was, she still cared. Insight leaned into the embrace, allowing herself a few stolen seconds to recenter.
“Where to now?” Insight asked.
The Tantabus nuzzled her once and slowly rose. Insight followed, heading to her next assignment.
The elder Tantabus ears twitched. She nuzzled insight before bounding off, leaving Insight before a simple wooden door with a Tree etched onto it. She raised her hoof to knock, and the portal opened of its own accord.
“Come in,” Sweet Dream’s voice called.
Insight headed in. Her tantabus, the most recent gift from Luna, a smaller copy of the dream creation, flanked her. The stuff of the very dream realm woven together with Luna's magic granted a rudimentary intelligence and bound to Insight’s will. Another portion of Luna's power granted to her. Its form was able to be whatever shape or form Insight desired, from a staff, to armour, to its current pony like form.
The wood beneath her hooves was more real than anywhere she had experienced today. Twilight’s bastion had a solidity, a tangibility, that the dreams Insight could create lacked. The simple sensation was a rock to ground herself with, a simple immutable reality after subjective years being whoever and whatever her charges needed to find peace.
She had been friends, lovers, family members. Shared precious moments simply so they could be passed on in dreams to those that were meant to experience them.
The subjective years weighed down her hooves, pressed down on her withers even as her body still held its youthful vigour. How had Luna done this on her own for nearly a decade?
The hardest had been those she was too late to help, those she had to kill, those she had to rip their souls free and throw to the afterlife before the Blight could claim them. That terrible truth weighed heavily in her heart. The darker magics were the only thing in the physical world that could taint or destroy a soul, and somepony had deliberately set such a thing loose into the world.
Her horn thrummed with borrowed power. It struggled and thrashed to escape like a snarling beast. How many souls had been consumed that might have escaped had that tyrant not crippled her own sister?
Her hooves found their own way through the tangled mess of Luna’s wing. So many trinkets and treasured memories of her lover were crammed in here. Why was this in Twilight’s Bastion? Was this what the bond of love between Alicorns was like, or was it something more? Will I ever be worthy of my own wing here?
Silver magic opened the door ahead, revealing the central chamber of the Grand Library. Packed with precarious piles of books.
“Welcome home, tea?” Sweet Dreams called out.
Home, that single word, four simple letters, yet meant so much. It was odd how easily it became true. This place accepted her just as readily as Candice’s head. Despite the extra freedom she had here, she still longed to return to her sister’s mind. Until recently, it had been both her home and her cage, but she still longed to return, to become her sister's other half again.
A grey aura floated stacks of books piled in the main chamber up a level and over the balcony. Her eyes tracked the motion. Since when could Grey’s magic affect anything outside her prison?
Insight wove her way past the walls of books until she could see her host. Sweet Dream’s ancient eyes gazed into Insight’s own. Without a single word, she conveyed her sympathy and respect. Dream’s remembered, she once held the same duty. The silver-maned Alicorn guided Insight to a comfortable cushioned nest, out of the way of the airborne tombs.
"Thank you. I just wish I could do more. I wouldn't have to if Luna hadn't been crippled by her sister." Her borrowed magic flared a little again, though she tamped it down quickly.
“You may not have a body, but both the mind and soul can tire and succumb to fatigue.” Dreams’s wing guided Insight to a corner full of decadently soft cushions.
Her whole body sang with praise with the simple relief of being off her hooves. Dreams’s wing became a luxurious blanket as it enfolded her. Silver magic presented both tea and biscuits. Insight just snuggled into Dreams causing a soft giggle.
Dreams graced her with a motherly smile, returning the refreshments to the table. The silver-maned Alicorn rose her voice in a light song, the enchanting performance captivating her. It cleansed the resentment, soothing the malice from Insight’s magic.
Insight did nothing to fight her heavy lids and the sleep claiming her.
This situation they find themselves in presents the opportunity for Luna to appeal to Celestia to remove the terrible magics keeping her soul from fully recovering. Also, NMM (and I'm assuming all thememories she shared with Luna) were transfered to Twilight and incorporated into the Luna wing of the Grand Oaks bastion (I think that's what Sweet Dreams called it) before Celestia razed Luna's. Why hasen't Luna requested or been offered the opportunity to relearn all that was lost (or most of it anyway)?
10722859
Celestia needs her power curtailed What right did she have to do that anyway? How is that ruling together?
10722859
Remember, Luna believes that those memories had to be removed in order for her "sanity" to be returned.
At least that is what she tells herself ( well and I think Celestia told her that) because the alternative would really suck.
10723015
I'm starting to see that the entire story of Celestia and Luna is all but completely false. They may have had the same father (and even that is uncertain) but they were raised (bread actually) for different roles in life. Celestia was raised to be a ruler in a very changeling-esqu manner where the queen is all that matters and everything else is expendable. Something must have happened in the past (that we haven't see or heard about yet) that resulted in her siding with Luna, given that (according to NMM) Celestia burned Luna's family alive and sentenced her to the gladiator pits. The major problem we've been seeing here is that Celestia has the mindset of the ancient alicorns yet doesn't seem to uphold any of their laws.
Honestly at this point all the alicorns in this story (barring Cadence) need a reality check and to level with each other. Celestia needs to listen, Luna needs companionship, and Twilight needs Guidance.
10723085
have to agree in regards to the alicorns
10723085
I 100% agree , also Yes there was something during the time of the Alicorn Imperium that changed Celestias Mind.
I think I remember Luna thinking her time in the Arena was punishment for something ( I could be wrong here, its somewhere during the festival ) but if what Night told Sunset is true, Luna probably wouldn't think about it that way so Does she still have her memories about her Master/s and what she did?
Also, the Tree of Harmony said goodbye to Twilight... That means its probably gonna get destroyed or drained or something in the (near?) future...is Celly just gonna go and destroy the Tree once she finds out about Nightmare beeing free?
10723286
Celestia, "Noble Guild" or something else entirely; although it is also possible that "goodbye" did not mean that the tree (or more accurately the spirit) of harmony was going anywhere but rather that Twilight was in some way leaving harmony.
10723535
ooohh thats something I didnt think about....REALLY GOOD idea as well....also his name is Noble Guide
10723548
We've kind of been seeing for a while now that Celestia is not fallowing the workings of harmony, nor is she in harmony with herself. It is difficult to discern where this story is going given that Chrissy is siding with Celestia, Luna has so far been indifferent, Cadence is trying to bring everyone to the same level and Twilight is trying to do her own thing completely unsupervised.
Ironically all the problems pertaining to Twilight are a result of outside interferance shifting her focus away from self healing. The worst part about this is that that was Daybreaker's plan.
10723568
What I just noticed.....you just left Night out of that entire thing.
we NEVER really talk about Night in the Comments...we mention her here and there, but we never really talk about HER.
We talk about Celestia, Luna,Twilight, Cadance, Daybreaker, Little Star, but arguably THE MOST IMPORTANT Character in the entire Story , just gets left out of the discussion.
And I think I understand why.
I think we don't really see Night as a Character. We tie Night to Luna , we see her as an extension of her and her experiences, not really her own person.
I think that just comes down to: we don't really know that much about Night.
We can talk about Daybreaker because we roughly understand what she is and where she came from, but with Night? Nothing, really....sure we can guess and I think the Story that we eventually will get will be great, but right now we are just left in limbo, the puzzle has a few pieces but there are still HUGE holes in there. That just makes it VERY hard to talk about Night in ANY capacity!
10723781
That is probably true. However we actually know more about Night than Luna. I assert that the reason we don't talk about night is because we know the most about her. Twilight is legally insane and thus completely unpredictable; Celestia is making plans but we do not know the endgame; Daybreaker exists to protect Celestia and is getting somewhat desperate, we know her endgame (if not the methods); Cadence is a victim here, either a replacement or reprogrammed Amoura who's trying to understand her existence and at the same time keep her "comrades" from destroying each other in this invisible war.
And then we have Luna and Night. Luna was and is an artist and a survivor, she surrounds herself with spies and shadows, she used to uphold the mantle of the reaper. Celestia took everything from her and she doesn't even know why. Her biggest problem though, is her unwillingness to form deep bonds, she has lovers and friends but all of them are kept at hoof's reach (and I think the destruction of her bastion plays a big part in this). But we do not know her story.
Night is (as you said) the most interesting and important character. She was Luna, everything Luna knew she knew, everything Luna did she did. Night is religiously devoted to Luna and making her happy. I think that Night was created to save Luna, either as a last ditch effort by Luna, or by an outside force (of which we know there are many). As we have seen, Celestia cannot detect mental companions above adept level congeration. (I say adept because that is where I believe Celestia falls on the scale of mastery for mental magics, and the only reason no one noticed is because mentalists and neuromancers are killed on site and all tombs locked away or destroyed). For this reason, I am willing to bet that Night is a mental companion, created by [Faust] from a perfect copy of NMM. And that NMM was Luna's first fragment.
P.s. I put Faust in brackets because I don't actually know who and just used her as a placeholder.
10723894
I guess we DO KNOW the most about Night.
Ok so we agree on a lot of stuff, Nightmare beeing Lunas first Fragment , Night beeing devotet to Luna....
Night beeing Createt by an outside force to save Luna...thats a VERY interesting Idea!
Ok if we run with this I have a crazy theory....the one behind that is Lunas old Master....you know the one that said: I'm off to a two thousand year long journey and that conveniently just puts me around the current events of this Story. ( or am I wrong about that? I just remember thinking that when I read that chapter)
Im willing to bet money on the fact that the entire :" all alicorns are dead! " thing is total BS and that they are still around. Maybe their Civilazation collapsed, but Alicorns themselves are still around.
I just think we need SOMETHING to tie it all back to The Alicorn Imperium and how Celestia holding on to the shit that they taught her is the cause of all of this bullshit.
Im also pretty sure that Noble Guide will probably succeed in ascending to Alicornhood, will throw a tantrum , and get bitchslapped by all the other Alicorns.
I never really saw him as a threat to our main characters, his role in the Story is to Push the Alicorns into conflict with each other. He will probably will do something to escelate the Situation between them to an insane degree, and Something crazy is going to happen.
10724002
I did have that thought that the outside hand in this case was Luna's old master, however I don't have enough evidence to push the claim. That being said, you are right he said he had to work on a grand design so big that he would be gone for centuries (if not millennia) we should note that whatever the cataclysm was that ended the old imperium did not occur right after Luna was sentenced for the murder of that brute. One could make the claim that Harmony itself was the grand design [painted] by the old master.
Oh and yes, I too have been largely disregarding "Noble Guild" as a major threat the the tetrarchy and avidly arguing against him being evil; that being said I think he already has escalated the situation as much as he possibly can. NMM's blight megaspell and Chrysalis' declaration was kind of the last straw. Though he didn't intend for it to fulfill its purpose so spectacularly. Here's a thought: perhaps the blight is his final test. If he can master and subdue it, bend it to his will and obliterate it. Would that not prove him worthy of ascension? He's already bested all the other dark mages, this could be it. It might also shatter Celestia's belief in what constitutes worthiness.
P.s. I have been putting "Noble Guild" in quotes because it is a disguise he has been using and his real name has been mentioned.
10724063
Wait do we know how Alicorns Ascend in this Story? Im pretty sure we don't right?
Also I know his real name is Moonlight Scroll but its easier to write Noble Guide I think , idk...
10724069
Not really, only that (by ancient custom) the Ascended must be put through a trial in order to claim their right of domain (or something to that effect). In the old days the ascendes were bread and trained specifically for their roll within the domain they would inherit and then administered a trial appropriate of that domain. Now days Celestia bisects you with a sword within three months of ascension and you live or you don't. Rather barbaric if you ask me.
Oh, and according to Discord Noble guild's real name is Moonlight Scroll
Addendum:
Though I'd imagine that the initial aspect of ascension is as simple as it is in canon; find a sufficient power source and have mastery of something (doesn't matter what)
10702237
Got a thing for homeless cat-girl Fluttershy?
Celestia really hurt her sister with that. It is her task to ferry the dead to the beyond, and she made it imposable.
THIS IS TO SAD. I CAN'T EVEN.