A life in a day

by Mindscape

Chapter 4: Evening

Dear Princess Celestia,

I hope this letter finds you well. I don’t want to mince words, though knowing me I’ll probably waffle on anyway, but I wanted to tell you that I am truly sorry for the way we parted ways last we spoke. All you wanted, was to make things right, in whatever way you could. I was being the foolish child with a head full of frustration and believed I knew best. And I stubbornly told you to leave, with more than a few harsh words that you never deserved.

They say that the only time it’s too late to truly say sorry, is to never say it at all. Well I guess I’m cutting it close then. I’ve gotten old now, and from that, I think you can guess the reason for this letter. I don’t want to leave any regrets behind, and the way we left things has been one of my greatest regrets my whole life.

That said, I have not had a poor life. For a while I wandered, unsure what to do with myself. But thanks to a good friend, I always had a community of ponies I could talk to and guaranteed friendship almost wherever I went. I travelled all over Equestria. Sometimes by train, sometimes on hoof. I spent time with backpackers and caravans, telling stories and playing my music.

It was travelling among other ponies that I met another earth pony named Cheery Spark. She reminded me a lot of myself when I was younger. Who I used to be. She was energetic, curious, gifted, and almost always smiling. Everything I was pretending to be. At first, I thought she didn’t like me, because she would frown or scowl when she thought I wasn’t looking, yet she always tried to invite me among friends and gatherings when I tried to isolate myself. It wasn’t until later that I discovered what the real reason for the faces she made. She was frustrated that I wasn’t letting myself be happy. And she made me realize that this was exactly what I was doing to myself. She had seen right through my painted smile and the mask I wore to socialize, and bit by bit she was able to wear down the walls I never realized I had made.

At some point in my life previously, I unknowingly convinced myself I was never going to find somepony to love, but she proved me wrong in so many ways. And I shortly discovered why she spent so much effort including me and making sure I was with company. It was because she loved me too. Goodness knows why.

We had a quiet celebration, in the early hours of the evening under the light of the moon surrounded by close friends. I never told her the full reason why I wanted it that way, but I let her know it was important to me. I wanted to share the moment with Auntie Luna, and no matter how unlikely it seemed, it was the only way I could think to do so. There are still a few things to this day that I never told Cheery Spark the full story of. But she never seemed to mind the secrets I kept, unless it was hurting me.

We kept travelling, but this time it was together. And despite the fact I was tracking along paths I had trod before, with Cheery Spark by my side, everything seemed brighter. Goodness, listen to me wax poetically on like a romantic lovestruck colt.

Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen of course. There was something about travelling with your special somepony that just made life feel that much fuller and vibrant. She’d always wanted to see the world, and brought with her a wonder that I had somehow lacked the first time. We travelled by balloon to see the rainbow falls of Cloudsdale, travelled by boat over the great Celestial Sea. We even travelled far enough south to see the edge of the Badlands, though in the end we decided it would be best seen from a distance than experienced directly.

By the time we finished travelling, we came to settle in a small town, somewhat East of Canterlot. Cheery Spark wanted to open up a bakery. She told me she was inspired by her mother who always did the cooking for their family, and waking up early in the morning to the smell of freshly baked bread filled her day with joy. She always wanted to do the same for any family she made.

Unfortunately, it seemed that it was not in the stars for us to have children of our own. But that did not mean they were absent from our lives. Somehow, still not quite sure how it happened when I look back, I was wrangled into becoming a teacher for young fillies and colts at the nearby school. I believe the others thought that if I was so well travelled, surely I would have some choice wisdom to share with the little ones. And Cheery’s bakery was immensely popular, with little cakes and buns that drew in the young crowds in droves after school had ended for the day.

We lived our lives with a quiet contentment, and we still travelled every now and then. We even once travelled to Canterlot. I like what you did with the place. We even watched you raise the sun for the Summer Sun Celebration the year we were there.

It was… different, watching you from a distance, surrounded by crowds excited just to be in your presence. I always knew you were loved deeply by the ponies of Equestria, but that was the first time I had seen it from the outside. I couldn’t help but get caught up in all the excitement. You’ve truly made it something beautiful.

I’ve slowed down a fair bit since those days of travelling. But I don’t mind, and I’ve found myself doing a lot of reflecting. Except for a few things, of which I am certain you would be able to figure out yourself, I don’t think there is much I would change if I could do it over. I saw the world, fell in love, and I do hope my teaching has made a difference in those young lives that I’ve touched. And I will be seeing Cheery again soon, as she took that final trip before me.

Now is the time for goodbyes. Over my long life, I have said goodbye to many friends I have held over the years. And now I find myself saying goodbye once more, but this time it’s my turn to be leaving soon.

It is truly a shame I never had the chance to say goodbye to Auntie Luna face to face, so when she finally comes home, pass on my love, and my most heartfelt goodbye. I have always, and always will love both of you dearly, and it was wrong to abandon my family for so long. I pray that you can find it in your heart to forgive this old foolish pony for the mistakes of his youth.

Goodbye Auntia,

With love as always, your student, nephew, and friend,

Dusk Elegy, a.k.a. Lucky Hope.

---

Dusk Elegy gave the letter one final look over and set the quill back in the pot on his bedside table.

“What do you think Winona? Too much?” he asked the aging border collie by his bed. She looked up and wagged her tail upon hearing her name. He reached a hoof off the side of his bed and gave her a scratch behind the ears that the canine happily pushed into.

“Suppose she picks up some of the more fantastical elements?” he joked. “Well, I suppose it’ll do.” Dusk gently folded the letter with his magic and set it aside next to the ink pot. His magic faltered slightly as he set it down, almost dropping it to the ground. He grumbled at the near accident. His magic had been getting gradually harder to use in his old age, something he had hoped would last longer than his failing joints and bones. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the theme of getting older. Everything started failing all at once.

He groaned as he moved the muscles that had fallen asleep while he wrote his letter, easing them back into use so he didn’t get too stiff, and taking a break before trying to move the letter to a position less likely to fall down. Tender Spirits had been full of it. Growing old sucked.

He briefly wondered if he had turned into the old fogey his old friend had warned about, but he shook his head. He still greatly cared about Equestria and what he would leave behind. That was the whole point of the letter, riddled with pleasant falsehoods as it was. It tied everything leftover into a neat little bow so that Celestia would no longer feel sorry for him, and left no lingering connections to this world so he could leave it cleanly. A tidy close to the chapter of his life. Everything back in order. He hoped.

There was a light knock, and he turned to see one of the hospice staff at the door to his room. A unicorn nurse by the name of Harmony Glow.

“Yes?” he asked curiously. It was late, so she may have been here to suggest he get some rest.

“Sorry to interrupt Mr Elegy” she said. “But you have a guest.”

“What?” he said, looking to his window. The moon was clearly visible at this late hour. “But it’s far past visiting hours. Who could be…” his voice trailed off as he noticed something about her. The nurse had a barely contained excitement that he’d never seen in her before. It looked as though she would be positively vibrating if she had the chance. And it dawned on him just who would be visiting him that would leave the nurse quite so starstruck. “Oh.”

Failing to notice his apprehension she continued. “I know it’s very unorthodox at this hour but… oh my, I’m sure you could understand the exception when you see…”

“Well you may as well let her in” he sighed.

“Oh of course, I knew you would…” she stopped, almost doing a double take. “Her? Wait, do… do you know who… were you expecting…?”

“I can’t imagine he was expecting my visit” said an old familiar voice as the princess of the sun entered the room, walking past the nurse. “But he’s always been very clever.”

“Always?” a look of amazement as she looked between Dusk Elegy and Princess Celestia. “You mean you know Princess…” Harmony caught herself and bowed deeply to the princess. “I-I guess I’ll give you two some privacy your highness. I’ll just be down the hall if you need anything.”

“Thank you Miss Glow” Celestia said politely. “I’ll be sure to let you know if we need anything.”

“Yes! O-of course” she said, backing up and still bowing. She bumped into the door frame as she backed away, squeaking a little in surprise. Her face quickly went red and she scampered away to hide her embarrassment.

“She seems energetic” Celestia mused.

“Harmony is a lot more composed usually” Dusk commented. “I don’t think she expected to meet the ruler of Equestria tonight is all. We’re such a small nopony town, here on the western coast. Who could expect you’d come all this way?”

As if sensing her master’s tension, Winona started whining and pushed up against the bed while eyeing the tall mare before her. “Easy Winona, she’s all right. Just an unexpected visitor.”

Celestia leaned closer, making herself smaller to not frighten the small dog. “That’s all right” she presented a hoof for the dog to sniff. “Winona was it? That’s an interesting name.”

“It’s a reference. I’d actually be a little worried if you got it.”

Winona relaxed visibly after sniffing the hoof presented, and welcomed the pets that followed. Celestia smiled. “It’s good to see you have at least one friend by your side” she said with just a hint of sadness.

Dusk sighed, gathering more meaning behind her words than she probably wanted to let on. “Well, with a comment like that, it sounds like you’ve been paying attention to my life anyway.”

Celestia’s smile faltered, misunderstanding his uneasiness. “I understand you didn’t want anything to do with me Dusk. But I still considered you family and I could not simply forget about you.” She stood up straight again, and Winona looked about, curious why the pets had stopped. “But if you still don’t want me here, then I can leave. I can’t really blame you if you still hate me.”

“No!” Dusk replied, a little stronger than he intended. “No, I don’t hate you. I never did.”

“Then?” She ventured.

“Stay, please. Gods it’s been too long.” He snorted derisively. “Can’t really blame you for that though, this one is most certainly on me.”

Celestia approached the bed and sat by his side smiling warmly. “How are you, old friend?”

Dusk chuckled. “Old” he answered with a sly smile. “I’m not exactly a young colt anymore. A fact my body reminds me of constantly.”

“Time goes by so swiftly. It seems like just yesterday you were sneaking out of your room at the old palace, late at night.”

“When an entire life seems like a day” he snorted, shaking his head. “That’s the danger a pony has with an alicorn’s lifetime.”

“The curse of longevity” She agreed solemnly. “To see so many you hold dear part ways before you.”

“I suppose all the ponies I knew from the old days have passed on long ago, haven’t they?”

“You were so young back then” Celestia said. “I’m not sure any would be still around.”

“How did they live in the end?” he asked, honestly curious what happened to the staff at the old palace.

Celestia smiled, brought back to older memories. “They all moved on in their own time. Age caught up and one by one they began to retire. Bold Feather went back to Cloudsdale after his daughter had her own family and he wanted to foalsit whenever he had the energy.”

“I didn’t even know he had a daughter” he sighed, shaking his head. “Also difficult to imagine him without energy to spare. Of course, it would be if I weren’t in the same boat nowadays” he added with a dry sense of humour.

“I ended up meeting his grandchildren at one point before he passed. One of them was a spritely young colt who swore to become my new captain of the guard when he was of age. Obviously brought up on exaggerated stories of defending the realm” she said with a smile. “Arpeggio Parade actually got into cake decorating if you can believe it.”

“Oh goodness, that’s not my fault is it?” Dusk laughed.

“I wouldn’t say your fault per say, but I suppose your gift inspired him. Arpeggio took a vacation down to Filly Delphia some time back and tracked down the baker you commissioned the cake from. Apparently, they hit things off quite well and eventually settled down together, and he learned a love for the craft from his new love.”

“That seems quite a career change” Dusk replied, almost a little worried at how swift it sounded.

“It was more of a hobby from what I gather. He still led the marching band for a good many years.”

“Well I suppose that’s good to hear.”

They were distracted when the letter Dusk had been working on fell off the bedside table, crackling as it hit the floor. He had forgotten he hadn’t moved it with all the excitement. Winona dashed over, sniffing the letter intently, but she quickly grew bored upon realizing it wasn’t food.

“No, that’s not yours Winona” Dusk said, shooing her away. He picked it up in his magic, but it fizzled and the letter dropped again. “Damn. My magic hasn’t been the same for a while.”

“Don’t worry, let me” Celestia said.

“No, you don’t have to…” Dusk started, but he trailed of as she picked it up with her magic. Celestia stopped as she noticed the seal, and that it was addressed to her.

“Oh, is this… for me?”

“Uh…” Dusk slumped in his bed, suddenly feeling guilty as she opened and unfolded the letter. He should tell her not to, but he didn’t feel he had the energy to stop her, emotional or otherwise.

Celestia’s face crinkled in confusion as she read the letter. “I don’t understand. You never…”

“There was a purpose in it,” he said tiredly. “But that was before I realized you’ve still been paying attention to my life. I didn’t think you’d be able to see through it so easily. I just didn’t want you to worry about me.”

“So this pony, Cheery Sparks? Is that… a desire? Or did you believe it would put me at ease to think you found somepony to live your life with?” she asked, knowing full well that there was nopony named Cheery Sparks in his life. Dusk didn’t have to answer, she likely already knew the answer. And the fact he was unable to meet her gaze would have told her enough. “Dusk, I know we have had our differences” she started, pain clearly written on her face. “But I had hoped that… after so long, you could trust enough to be honest with me. I’m sorry. This was a mistake” she said, standing up and turning to leave.

“No, Auntia please!” Dusk cried, tears threatening to form in his eyes. She drew breath and stopped at the sound of her old nickname. “It’s not your fault. It’s all me. Gods, I still haven’t learned anything over all these years. Despite all my attempts I still fell for two of the curses.”

“Curses?” Celestia gasped, spinning to face him. “What do you mean? Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no!” Dusk replied quickly, trying to reassure her. “No not literal curses, it’s more of a…” he struggled to find an apt description. “More of a philosophical thing.”

She frowned curiously. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“I guess that makes sense” he chuckled uncomfortably, trying to brush it off. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just a… just a…” but Dusk faltered as he found himself doing it again. Deflecting the answer that would take too long to explain its origin. Hiding the truth. Keeping secrets from those he loved. “No” he told himself.

“Dusk?”

“No, I can’t do this any longer. I’m tired. I’ve kept so many secrets for so long. It’s amazing how easy deception becomes when you convince yourself that it’s all for the best. But all I’ve done is push away those who care for me. All because of fear in a phantom of the future. And what did any of it matter in the end?”

“What are you saying?”

He looked squarely into Celestia’s eyes. “You have questions. Probably thousands of them. I won’t hold back anymore.”

“Dusk, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“Believe me I want to tell you everything. The only reason I’m asking you is that there is so much, I don’t know where to start. For once in my life I want to be completely open and honest. Please, I don’t want to leave behind any unanswered questions.”

Celestia didn’t answer for a while. Dusk could see a storm of emotions in her eyes. She was obviously conflicted, but he remained patient.

Finally, Celestia sighed and closed her eyes, making a decision. “Why did you leave? The real reason you never told me?”

Dusk squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed, trying to prevent the tears. She had started with a hard one. It made sense, and he fully expected it. That didn’t stop it from hurting though. “I was afraid” he finally admitted. The start of his answer felt liberating, and the words continued to come forth. “Afraid of what could change. Knowing the future is a terrible burden. But what is even worse, is knowing a future that you were never meant to be a part of.” Celestia’s eyes had widened in disbelief at what Dusk was saying. He continued, now that the floodgates had opened, now only a pouring of the truth that had been held back for years could follow. “At first I thought I could make things better, with the knowledge of the future. I thought I could stop Luna’s fall to Nightmare Moon, but when it happened anyway, and she held such anger in her heart, that was when I began to worry. Yes, I knew she was supposed to be angry, that was one of the triggers, but it was never supposed to be such fury. When she thought I betrayed her, in my eyes that seemed to trigger something far deeper than her loneliness and jealousy. And if those emotions lingered, perhaps even combined with the understanding of my passing when she finally returns… how much would that change her emotional state when she did return? What if it was enough to change events of the future so that she could never return to her old self? Events in the present would cause a ripple effect with unpredictable results in a thousand years.” He opened his eyes, now wet with tears, and regarded Celestia. Her hoof was in front of her mouth, her face a mix of shock and confusion. “And so I ran” he continued. “I ran to try and avoid making more changes that I didn’t know the result of.”

“You… you knew? All along?” Celestia asked, her voice trembling. “You knew that Luna would… become Nightmare Moon?”

He nodded solemnly. “I wanted to prevent it, subtly. In my mind I could only imagine how much better things would be if both of you were there to rule side by side for a thousand years of peace. I couldn’t see any downside to it. But most of all, I didn’t want Princess Luna to be consumed by loneliness. I wanted to give her at least one pony that could appreciate her nights with her. But as we found out, one pony wasn’t enough to fill that hole in her heart.”

“But how could you possibly know? You were just a child.”

That question was a little more difficult to answer. He was at a bit of a loss of how to even begin explaining it. “Reincarnation” he found himself saying. “Even as a child, I could still remember my previous life as though it were… just another day. And in that life, I saw…” he struggled for an apt description that would not require him to explain how TV and cartoons worked. “… Stories, of this world. A thousand years in the future, beginning with the return of Nightmare Moon, and her redemption.”

Dusk gave her a moment to recover. He had just delivered news that possibly just shook her world to the core. She certainly looked perplexed as she tried to sort out the information she now had to make sense of.

“But…” Celestia began, still looking like she didn’t even know where the question she was about to ask would go. “You were a baby. You were… normal” she finally said. “How could a child hold so much without breaking or letting somepony know?”

Dusk sighed. This would take some convincing. “I told you before. I’m a good actor.”

“You mean you… pretended to be an infant? But why?”

“Even then I was wary of making too many changes to the future. I didn’t want to become some kind of prophet.”

“But I…” she continued to flounder in disbelief. “I changed your diaper.”

If Dusk Elegy could sink into his bed and disappear he would. Failing that, he covered his face with his hooves. “Augh, don’t remind me.” There was nothing more embarrassing during his infancy than imitating a total lack of bladder control.

“And… the night you got into the music storeroom? That magical surge that made the instruments come alive? Was that just you pretending again?”

“Oh that?” He said, eager to change the subject. “Well… magic was still very new to me then. I was never able to do anything like that in my previous life.” He shrugged. “In fact, in my previous life magic was generally believed to be impossible. We just didn’t have it, so waking up to find I was a unicorn took a lot of getting used to.”

“This is a lot to take in, and difficult to believe.”

“I understand, and I don’t have any real proof of my claims. The only thing I could really do would be to tell you of events in the far future, but by the time they come about, I will be long gone, and at that stage, what would be the point?” He stopped and thought for a moment. “Although, I guess there is one thing that might convince you. I still remember that first night we met. Opening my eyes, I looked up to see you and Princess Luna staring down at me.” He smirked at the memory. “And Luna said ‘I don’t know how to care for a baby foal’ more than a little worried.” Celestia’s hoof had raised to her mouth again, this time in awe.

Lost in memory, Dusk continued. “In that moment, although I didn’t know how it had happened, I knew what had happened. As the two of you panicked, trying to figure out what to do, I realized I was tipping over, my proportions were all changed and I had no idea how to hold myself up properly anymore. That seemed to break you both out of it, and you just seemed to watch me for a bit as I tried not to panic at the sudden change and figure myself out. Then Luna decided to pick me up. She was so gentle with her magic, like a gentle hug that encompassed my entire body. I thought I would be afraid, but there suddenly wasn’t any reason to be.”

“It was such a beautiful moment” Celestia continued, joining him in memory. “I’d never seen her quite so gentle or warm with anypony.”

“In that moment, she looked so happy being able to care for somepony, I just… didn’t want to disappoint her. So, I thought I’d play along and sort out what I’d do later. It just seemed best at the time, and eventually I felt it had gone on too long to change things. Like I just kept digging myself into a hole, and the longer it went the worse it felt to tell anypony the truth. And then I thought at the very least I could do some good. I always made the effort to stay up late so I could spend time with her, just to give her somepony to talk to and share her nights.” He sighed, shaking his head. “And that’s how I fell for the first curse. The curse of the Oracle is the idea of seeing a version of the future, and in their attempts to stop the tragedy in turn create the future they tried to prevent. I was so sure that it was enough, just being with her, that I never noticed that it only exacerbated it. I don’t even know if I postponed her decent into Nightmare Moon or brought it forward sooner.”

“Don’t say that” Celestia interrupted. “It was never your fault what happened to Luna. You were right when you yelled at me that night. I should have paid more attention to my sister. I didn’t even notice she was hurting until it was far too late.”

“Except that I already knew” Dusk said flatly. “Or at least I should have. Either way, I quickly fell to the Seer’s curse next. For the Seer, they see a version of the future they believe must come true, so they do all they can to ensure it comes to pass. Even at the expense of others. Seeing Luna transform made me realize that I had no idea what I was doing. I was worried I had made things worse, so the only way I knew how to fix things was to just disappear. Just let time sort itself out without my presence. I just wandered, playing music I stole from the other world, I was never good enough to write my own, but who would even know? I wanted to leave no mark or legacy on this world and fade into obscurity. But then you found me, and you wanted me to come home. I panicked and tried to push you away. I never meant any of those things I said I just…” His voice faltered, trying not to cry. “At some point I just focused on making you go away, I didn’t even think about how cruel I was being until I had left.”

“Oh my little pony” Celestia said. She moved forward and pulled his head into an embrace. Dusk surrendered to the embrace and silently wept. “You did what you thought was right. I knew you must have had some reason, but at the time I couldn’t possibly imagine what it could be.”

Dusk sniffed. “I was afraid you’d hate me.”

“Never. I couldn’t possibly hate you” she reassured him.

He chuckled painfully. “I know. It was just a stupid thought. I don’t think you have it in you to hate anypony. And I should know. I’ve seen your future.”

Celestia was silent a moment. “I suppose you have. It seems strange to think about it.”

“You believe me?”

“It is not so outlandish as you seem to believe. I know that while he only had limited success, Starswirl the Bearded experimented with time magic, and I know of at least one method of travelling to other worlds.”

“Of course” Dusk sighed. “The mirror.”

“You are aware of it? How?” Celestia asked, surprised at his comment.

“Uh…” he blinked, mentally slapping himself for the slip of the tongue. “Don’t think about that too hard.”

“Ah” she said. “Then I suppose it makes an appearance in those stories you heard.”

Dusk groaned. This was the kind of thing he had always been trying to avoid. He pulled back from the hug to address her properly. “I’m serious Celestia. If I start mentioning references of the future and you latch onto those comments. The very knowledge that they are important could change how you interact with them. You could focus too hard on a situation or a pony and change a reaction that should have been made in the moment or off your own intuition.”

“References…” she mused. Upon realizing something, her eyes turned to Winona.

Dusk groaned again in exasperation. “Stop already. Stop being so… perceptive!”

“I’m sorry!” she said, getting flustered. “This is all a bit new and surprising.”

“Well, let’s change the subject before we get too involved” Dusk suggested, eager to move away from dangerous territory.

“Um…” she looked around the room looking for inspiration. “Well, you mentioned those two… curses before. But it sounded like there were more?”

“Ah yes” Dusk said. “It’s just something I remember from long ago. There are three in total. I’ve mentioned the Oracle and the Seer, but the third is the curse of the Prophet. The Prophet’s curse is to become a target of worship because of the prophecies they foretell, rather than whatever god or power granted them their visions. More of diverting praise or losing sight of what the visions mean than the faults of the prophet themselves. Or the idea of fame corrupting the integrity of such things. I never felt in any danger of succumbing to this one, as I did my best not to let anypony know of the knowledge I had. I never wanted to be worshipped nor tell any prophecies.”

Celestia tilted her head. “But, what of your prophecy of Nightmare Moon’s return?”

Duck scoffed to himself. “That was no prophecy of mine. I only recited what I remembered from the first episode. The first story I mean” he amended.

“But then… Where did the words first come from?” Celestia asked.

Dusk frowned looking at her confused face. He had to ponder a moment to remember the exact details. “It was written in a book or something. An old pony tale by the time the story took place. It was never mentioned who authored it. Why?”

“Dusk. I have not heard that prophecy from any source other than you.”

“…What?” Dusk Elegy had to wrack his brain to figure out what it meant. Surely the prophecy couldn’t have come from him the whole time. No, that was impossible, the events surrounding Nightmare Moon were so different, and there was never any figure like himself in the original events or in their telling. “But surely you’ve managed to confirm it from… I don’t know, something else?” he asked.

Celestia shook her head. “I have been unable to find anymore information regarding my sister’s return. Do you suppose that, your coming here was to impart this prophecy?”

“No, that couldn’t be it” he easily told her. “As I said earlier, I was never meant to be a part of this story, and things have already changed enough. I was never a part of the history I knew of.” Just how much had changed by his very presence in this world’s history? And what did it mean for the future when Nightmare Moon returned?

“Celestia,” he found himself saying. “What do you plan to do when she returns?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, reserved.

“Whether she returns as Princess Luna or Nightmare Moon, what will you do when she does come back?”

The princess shut her eyes with a pained expression before answering. “Whatever I can.” She opened her eyes and walked to the window to gaze at the moon. “If she returns as Luna, I will welcome her back with all my heart, and beg for her forgiveness for what I was forced to do to her, and for failing her. If she returns as Nightmare Moon, then I shall do all I can to help her return to how she once was. If I use The Elements once more with a different goal in my heart, perhaps I will be able to return her to normal, and banish the hurt that transformed her in the first place.”

Dusk sighed where he sat in his bed. Her answer troubled him. She had too much focus on what she herself could do. So convinced that it was a family issue. Perhaps with everything changed as it was, at least he could set this one part back in order. “I’m sorry Celestia. But you can’t.”

Celestia turned sharply with a look of panic. But she waited for him to finish.

“Am I right in guessing The Elements don’t answer to you anymore?” The way she looked away to avoid his gaze told him everything he needed to know. “She will return as Nightmare Moon, and still with her goal of casting everlasting night. Her anger is mostly directed at you, I’m afraid you won’t be able to reason with her, and with The Elements unresponsive to your will, you will have to take a back seat in this task.”

“But she is my sister!” she pleaded. “How can I just stand aside and do nothing?”

“You won’t be doing nothing” he reassured. “But it will be others who bring her back, wielding the elements. New bearers who represent each Element of Harmony in turn. Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, and Magic. Together their friendship will empower the elements and bring Luna back.”

“But then… what will I do?”

“Prepare them” he answered. “I won’t tell you who they are, or what their names are. Their friendship must happen organically, and if I let you know, even unconsciously you might try to push things in anticipation. Just know that you will teach your student valuable lessons that will prepare them for whatever tasks they face to stop Nightmare Moon, and beyond.”

“I… But… how will I know?”

“You will. I have trust in you” Dusk smiled.

She smiled painfully and wiped a tear forming in her eye. “It feels you have more faith in me than I do. Are you sure I could not have your help even in the future? To make sure I am on the right path?”

“I think we’re far beyond that chance of happening.”

“I could still make you an alicorn” she told him. “If you were simply afraid of making too many changes, your knowledge could surely keep things in the right path that you saw from your stories.”

Dusk froze. He had to admit, the prospect of being an immortal alicorn had been tempting the first time she made the offer. But he shook his head. It still felt wrong. “Even if I were to be there to directly ensure things went the way I wanted them, what would be the purpose? I can’t solve everypony’s problems for them. The younger generations must have the chance to learn to cope on their own. If their elders solve everything for them, how they will have the knowledge or experience to stand on their own hooves?”

“Even if it means you’ll never get to see Luna again?”

That one hurt, but still he shook his head firmly. “Not even for that. It would be selfish of me, and I stand by what I said the first time you offered. I haven’t done anything to deserve it, and I’m not certain I would be a good candidate to be immortal. Or immortal-adjacent” he added, pondering. “Never did quite work out what the case was with alicorns and their longevity. Besides, immortality with this creaking old body?” the old stallion waved one of his forelegs, showing off how his skin sagged. “No thank you.”

“It would make you young again” Celestia admitted.

“My answer remains the same” he replied with only a moment’s hesitation. He had to tamp down that desire before he changed his mind. “I wouldn’t be deserving of such an honour.”

“I would beg to differ, but I can see your mind is made up so I won’t push any further.”

“See that you do” he said playfully.

“Very well, if you insist” she said with a smile as she approached the bed once more so he didn’t have to look so far over to speak with her. “What a world your first life must have been to produce ponies of such sage wisdom.”

“Hah, nothing like wisdom” he laughed. “Wisdom is just taking what others have said and repeating it in a way that sounds meaningful. Just another piece of performance art.”

She chuckled at his comment. “I’m still very curious. If you don’t mind, what was your world like?”

“Well, it had its moments” he shrugged. “My world was much the same as Equestria. And yet at the same time, so very different.”

“I’d love to hear about it.”

“Well then, ask away” Dusk assured her with an open smile.

“There is… one thing I am curious about” She said. “But I’m not sure if I should ask.”

“I’m sure it’s fine, and if I don’t want to answer then I’ll let you know” he said.

“Is reincarnation common where you come from?”

Dusk blinked. Of all the questions she could have asked, that was far from one he had expected. “Uh… no. As far as I’m aware it’s never happened to any reliable degree in my world. What happened to me is… a real anomaly.”

“I see” she replied. “So, I assume then that… what caused it was…” she hesitated and shook her head. “No, that’s insensitive. You can forget about that.”

“My death?” Dusk asked quietly, gathering where she was leading with her question.

Celestia breathed sharply. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up something so…”

“No no, it’s fine” he reassured her quickly, but his thoughts quickly distracted him again. “It might even be good for me to talk about it. It’s not exactly something I’ve been able to tell… well, anypony. For obvious reasons.”

“Dusk, you don’t have to if it’s hard.”

He shook his head. “No, after all this time, I want to finally get this off my shoulders.”

Celestia sat down. “Very well, if it is important to you, then I will listen.”

Dusk took a moment to think how to start. It was something that he had spared a lot of time on, but actually sitting down and talking about it was another matter entirely. “I guess, this will need a bit of backstory. But in our world, we can’t control the weather like the pegasi in Equestria. We’re at the mercy of nature. It’s like the weather surrounding the Everfree Forest, but all over the world. We do have a habit of making things worse though” he added with a grumble. “So where I lived, my country, it’s very hot and dry. The land is filled with bushland that is prone to bushfires during the summer months. And that year, we had one of the worst bushfire seasons we’d ever seen, caused by long months of drought. We had bushfires popping up all over the country. We needed so many fire fighters that some were flying over from overseas to help contain the many blazes and protect people’s lives and homes. And me? I was a young fool” he scoffed. “I was living in the city, but I’d lived out in the country previously. I thought I knew what I was doing because I had friends tell me about their time in the CFS. The Country Fire Service. I wanted to do something, be a hero. So, I lied about my qualifications and joined one of the volunteer fire fighting trucks. They needed everyone they could get, so they didn’t even check the training I never had and set me up in a team heading right into the thick of things. I could have helped anywhere, support or supplies, or even just donating money. But I wanted to be something important. I was an idiot. Our truck got stranded as the wind changed suddenly, completely cutting us off with the fire barrelling towards us. We didn’t have time to flee, so we had to protect ourselves in the truck while the first wave of flame erupted around us as everything started to burn. Those were the most terrifying two minutes of my life. And then we had to abandon the truck and head into that hell with nothing but a few thin layers of fire protective gear and gasmasks. I don’t even recall how it happened, but I got separated from the rest of my team. I think I just panicked and blanked out for a moment. But I was alone with a roiling inferno all around me.” Dusk could feel his heart racing just at the memory of that time. He felt his hoof got to his throat. “You’d think it’s the fire that would kill you, but it’s really the smoke that’s most dangerous. The burning and gasping for breath as your lungs struggle to get the oxygen that has just been burned away by the flames. And the whole time, you can smell it all around even through the gas mask.” He began to cough, as a sympathetic memory tricked his brain into reliving the moment.

“Dusk!” She moved to comfort him, but he held up a hoof to stop her.

Dusk swallowed and breathed deeply a few times to calm his speeding heart and control his coughing. “I died alone in the heat and smoke, thanks to my own stupidity. But the worst part…” he said, feeling a pain in his chest. “I never even told my family what I was doing. I never got to tell them goodbye.”

“Your… family?”

He shook his head. “My parents, and my two younger sisters. I was living alone by that stage, having already moved out. I don’t know why I never told them what I was doing. I probably knew my parents would talk me out of it, knowing full well I’d never set foot in a fire truck. I just wanted to do something with myself that I could prove to them later. But in the end, I’m sure they would have found out about my death and be heartbroken. Taken by a fire I had no right to be anywhere near.”

“Your fear of fire and smoke” Celestia whispered to herself.

“Yes” he confirmed. “Even if it didn’t kill me, that experience would have left a mark not easily ignored. I’ll never forget that overwhelming heat and the burning in my chest. Losing consciousness on the ground, trying to hide away in a ditch. Everything faded to black. And then strangely, everything went cold. Colder than anything I’d experienced. I was so out of it, fading in and out of consciousness by that point. I could hear voices, but couldn’t make them out as I lost consciousness completely. Then when I finally woke up, I was staring at the two of you.”

“My goodness.” Celestia said, at a loss of what else to say.

“For the life of me, I could never figure out what happened that night that brought me here to this world, or why this time. There was nothing particularly special about me in my previous life. I didn’t choose this. I couldn’t possibly be worthy. And ever since I’ve been here, I’ve been dishonest, cruel and selfish. I’ve run away when I should have stayed, and I can’t even remember the last time I honestly laughed and enjoyed life. I shunned friendship altogether for so much of this life. In a world where those things are so important.”

“That’s not true Dusk, you’ve been none of those things.”

“Can you honestly say that?”

“Yes I can” she said without a moment’s hesitation. “You may not have told the whole truth, and you have said some terrible things, but it was never out of cruelty or malice. You thought it was for the best, and you even placed more importance on the betterment of Equestria above your own happiness. You may think yourself unworthy of it but I think you are one of the most selfless ponies I have ever known. You always thought of others first, even if it meant leaving those you loved.”

“I… I’m not sure if I’ll be able to see it that way” he muttered to himself. “But… thank you.”

"I hope that someday, you'll see it as well as I do" She said.

Dusk heard a whine as Winona leapt onto the bed and the canine snuggled up to him, sharing her warmth. He sighed, noticing his fatigue. “Is it that time already?” he asked, giving Winona a one hooved hug.

“I suppose it is quite late” Celestia said, standing up. “Shall I leave you to rest for now and I’ll see you again in the morning?”

“Perhaps during visiting hours next time?” he joked.

“Of course” she smiled. “Goodnight.”

Dusk closed his eyes and was silent a moment before replying. “Goodbye… Auntia.”

“Goodbye?” she asked hesitantly. “I wouldn’t say it’s goodbye quite yet.”

He smiled weakly. “I suppose not, but it will be soon. And I don’t want to risk leaving without saying it.”

“Don’t worry Dusk. I promise I’ll be here so you have the chance.”

Dusk scoffed. “Death doesn’t really work on a predictable schedule. You’re the ruler of Equestria, you don’t have time to wait for me to kick the bucket.”

“Then I’ll make time” Celestia said without a hint of hesitation. Dusk cracked an eye open and stared at her. “I’ve learned the lesson of not making time for family. I won’t be making that mistake anymore.”

“You still… consider me family? After all this time? After everything I just told you? I lied to you my entire life.”

She reached a hoof and stroked his hair comfortingly. “Sometimes you lie to those you love to spare them heartbreak, or because it is in their best interests. I cannot blame you for the decisions you made, because they were done out of love. And one doesn’t stop being family just because they weren’t always a pony.”

Dusk felt tears forming in the corner of his eyes. The unconditional love Celestia put him in mind of his own mother. He never got to say goodbye to her, or the rest of his family and he missed them all terribly. The first time he died alone. But this time he had his family with him. Broken and small as it was, it was a true comfort. He reached for her hoof and held tightly, or at least as tightly as his worn-out body would allow. “Thank you” he sniffed. “I love you Auntia.”

“And I love you too Dusk Elegy” she replied with a teary smile.

“Auntia. You can call me Lucky Hope if you want” he told her softly, finally feeling the name suited him once more.

“Goodnight… Lucky Hope.”

Lucky Hope had been prepared to live the last of his days silently passing away in obscurity. But perhaps now he didn’t have to. He wasn’t alone anymore.

Author's Note:

Oh my goodness, here it is finally. This chapter felt difficult to write, and I tried not to make it one huge info-dump, but I got here in the end.

So I know I said this would be the last chapter, but after finishing, I really do feel it needs an epilogue to round everything out in the end. Hopefully that should be done soon so I don’t leave you hanging for as long as it took to write this chapter.

As always, here’s some of the music I listened to while writing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcwgkR1Hhdk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp26Ozw0JbY

Comments

[Luckyfanisaac]

“No, I can’t do this any longer. I’m tired. I’ve kept so many secrets for so long.

“I… I’m not sure if I’ll be able to see it that way” he muttered to himself. “But… thank you.”

He reached for her hoof and held tightly, or at least as tightly as his worn-out body would allow. “Thank you” he sniffed. “I love you Auntia.”