The Lyrist and The Tempest

by Valiant wind

Interlude---Old Memories

“Whatever is wrong, my dear sister?” Celestia asked when they exchanged their shifts at the highest balcony of Canterlot Castle, “you look…exhausted.”

“The night has been long, Tia,” Luna replied as casually as possible, Ever since she took over the realm of the dreams once more, this conversation has almost become a habit. “the dreams I conjured…they were consuming.”

Only that this time, she actually meant it.

“Then have some rest,” Celestia was still carrying that warm smile she offers to every pony she meets, “As usual, I will take over for the day, and I’ll have the guards send your breakfast to your bedroom. Do not ever tire yourself again, Luna.”

“Good night, sister,” she could feel Celestia’s apologetic sights when she turned around to leave. She knew Celestia had always been remorseful for her deeds a thousand years ago even as she’d told her one time after another that she never blamed her. Ponies were inclined to believe that it was Celestia’s obscurity that had led to her ultimate descent into the madness of Nightmare Moon, but no pony knew better than herself. Celestia may not have been a good-enough sister, but she was never the biggest factor.

It wasn’t your fault, sister, she thought, at least…not entirely.

She didn’t turn into the corridor leading to her bedroom, but instead went into the long airborne staircase leading to the backside of the castle, the place where most magical artifacts of Canterlot were stored. It was very early in the morning, and most of Celestia’s royal guards had not yet arrived at their post, while the night guards had already retreated to their barracks in downtown Canterlot. It was a rare opening when there was nearly no pony else in the castle, and when her sister was busy raising the sun—just the chance she needed.

Soon she was standing in front of the palace vault. Instead of going straight in, she went to one of the side corridors, where there was a small bookshelf hidden in the middle of a staircase. With a flicker of her horns, she removed the defense magic placed on the bookshelf and pulled on one of the books. The bookshelf slid to the side, revealing a passage just tall enough for her to enter. She took a deep breath, and walked straight in, restoring the bookshelf behind her,

The air inside the tunnel was moist and cold, and it made her wings twitch. She suddenly remembered that it had been too long since she last set her hooves in this place. As soon as Nightmare Moon was defeated, she’d vouched to herself that she’ll no longer live within her past, that she’ll shed all the sorrows and pains away and once again become the proud Princess of the Night and the Stars. It has been an entire year that she refrained from ever coming here again, and that one dream was enough to send all her efforts straight into Tartarus.

The past just has to nib on your hooves when you try to forget them, doesn’t it? She sighed.

She walked into a large, circular room made entirely of stone. A single stone pillar protruded out of the room’s center, and she went forward and saw the items it bore—a grey gem that is in the shape of seven spheres connected to each other by poles and a small black remote with a single broken red button in its middle.

Even though she was more than familiar with these objects, watching them again still made her heart knit. She raised the gem with her magic, laying it into her front hooves.

“This gem is made by my subunits. If you ever feel lonely at night again, my Princess, just raise it against the moon. I will always be there to tell you how awesome your night is!”

You never called me Luna, Whistle, memories began flowing back, and Luna smiled bitterly, tears welling in her eyes, not even at the very end.

She then raised the remote, feeling a round of aches in her heart.

“My princess.”

“Whistle, for the thousandth time, you can refer to us as LUNA.”

“This is urgent, your majesty.”

“Then speak.”

“I would like you to have this.”

“What is it?”

“Our final weapon.”

Even now, she could remember that talk down to every last word.

“Have I ever told you, my Princess? There are three fundamental codes my creators had established to confine the Tempest. One for its activation from slumber, one for its recreation shall it meets a threat, and one…for its destruction.”

“This is the termination code. Once you press that button, my Princess, an electric pulse will be activated in every single subunit of the Gray Tempest. This will disintegrate them at a molecular level, decomposing them into useless masses of quarks and leptons…Once you activate this, my Princess, the Gray Tempest will be destroyed forever.”

“But you are a part of the Tempest.”

“…”

“My Princess, please agree to this: when things go out of control, when the Gray Tempest grows strong enough to threaten Equestria…press that button. Put an end to everything.”

“Whistle…”

“Please, your majesty. This is for the sake of the Universe.”

“…”

“Very well. We, Princess Luna of Equestria, vouch to this: that when things really come down to that, when all hope is lost…”

“My Princess!”

“…I promise that I will find the best ending for the both of us…”

I was such a fool…tears shattered against the hard rock floor. She picked up the gem, embracing it with her wings.

Can you see this, Whistle? She thought to it, your sacrifice was not in vain. It has granted us peace…and a new life for a lost soul.

The Gray Tempest has been destroyed. She looked up towards the ceiling, imagining her sister’s sun shining through it, nothing will tear them apart this time.

Lyra Heartstrings, Nightjar and Grey Wind…They shall not repeat our tragedy…