One Last Time

by Teal

Prologue

Celestia sat alone and cried.

The details were still fresh in her mind. It had just happened, less than a few minutes ago. She remembered staring at the other alicorn’s eyes, seeing the rage and hatred on them. But she also remembered seeing past all of that. She remembered seeing the fear hidden behind the monster’s pupils. She remembered seeing the real Luna buried deep inside.

After seeing that, Celestia wished she could have stopped. But she couldn’t stop, there was no way of reversing the Element’s powers. As her foe’s eyes turned from showing hatred to showing fear, Celestia could have sworn that she saw Luna’s own fear behind them.

A single tear dropped from her eye as she watched the magic engulf her sister and banish her to the Moon. More tears followed as she realized that the battle was now over and that she was now alone.

Hovering in the air for a few seconds, she then rushed down, as she suddenly felt weak. Landing on the balcony of a nearby tower, she nearly collapsed as her hooves touched the floor. The battle had taken a toll on her, both on the outside and the inside.

Her normally pristine white coat was ruined by various cuts, as the marks tore away fur and left red marks all over. Her mane, usually energetically flowing with life, looked dead and disheveled. The Solar Princess had fought a terrible battle and her image clearly showed how big of a struggle it was.

However, despite all the wounds and bruises, there was no pain inside her that could compare to the pain she felt in her heart. It ached so badly and drained her so much that she felt like a part of her had suddenly left.

A part of her did leave, she reminded herself.

Forcing herself to look up, her eyes soon gazed at the Moon to see the cause of the pain plastered on it. The surface of the Moon was marked by the shape of a mare, a mare she knew was her sister. Luna, her beloved sister, had been exiled by her.

She had tried defending her actions, she had tried to tell herself that it was for the better of Equestria. But such excuses left a bitter taste in her mouth and she was not convinced that she did enough to prevent what had happened.

It was her fault. Everything that led to that moment was her fault and she wished that she had been much more aware of her sister’s feelings. Celestia wished she could have prevented her sister from turning to that monster. She wished that she could have been a better older sister to her Lulu.

It was too late now. What was done is done. She couldn’t change what had happened and she couldn’t bring her sister back. Or could she?

Turning her attention away from the Moon, she quickly looked at the six magical pieces that lay at her hoof. The Elements of Harmony, the most powerful magical artifact in Equestria. If they could send Luna to the Moon, then surely they can get her back?

Lifting them up with her magic, she ignored the pain and weariness in her and began to concentrate. It was simple, use the Elements to bring back her sister. She was determined and she knew that these artifacts were perfectly capable of doing such feats.

However, the Elements defied her will. Using every ounce of her energy, she tried to force the Elements to do her bidding. But that was not how these artifacts worked and although she tried to deceive herself that a little more effort would make them activate, the Elements remained dormant.

With a frustrated cry, she dropped the Elements back on the ground, as she cursed them for trapping her sister on the Moon and being unable to bring them back. She hated the Elements and their complexity. She hated them for their powers and for allowing her to do what she did.

However, the hatred she felt for the Elements did not compare to the hatred she felt against herself. It was her who wielded the Elements. It was her who chose to use them before trying other methods. She hated herself for her rash actions. She hated herself for letting her relationship with Luna fall apart. She hated herself for taking a path that made her alone.

Dropping to the floor, she buried her face in her hooves and cried. There was nothing that could be done and there was nothing that would be able to mender her heart. All she could do now was weep for her loss. The pain, the sadness, it all radiated out of her.

This was not missed by the Elements, who sensed the sorrow the alicorn was giving. They could feel it, sense it, and understand it. However, they could not grant her wish of bringing back her sisters. They knew better than to let the corrupted alicorn back to Equestrian and endanger all life that lived there. But at the same time, they could not ignore the pained feelings the remaining sister felt.

Celestia was the sole ruler of Equestria now and the sole protector of the land. The safety and future of the Kingdom now lay on her hooves. It would take centuries before others would come to help her. To be able to endure through such a length of time, the Elements knew that they needed to reassure the Solar alicorn that there was hope.

The thousand years to come would be a tough time where the alicorn would be rested physically, mentally, and emotionally. Because of this, she needed to start it with a sound mind and strong heart.

Knowing that they needed to aid her, the Elements began to glow as they acted on their own will. They would help her, although it was not what she had wanted. They would give her something else that would ease the pain she felt, something that they hoped would help her heart feel hope.

As Celestia cried and mourned for her exiled sister, the Elements began lifting themselves up in the air, as a magic glow from each gem emitted a light that grew brighter and brighter. Eventually, this light shone bright enough that the alicorn took notice and looked up from her hooves. However, before she could react to it, the light reached its peak and engulfed her and the Elements.

In one blinding flash Celestia and Elements were swallowed by the light. When the flash finally subsided, both alicorn and artifacts had disappeared from the balcony.

---

When Celestia opened her eyes, she noticed that something was different. As her eyes readjusted after the blinding light, she began to look around and see that the balcony she was on was now overrun by plantlife. Surprised by this, she began studying her surroundings to see that it wasn’t just the balcony that was different. All around her, the castle that usually radiated power and strength now looked rundown and abandoned.

Alarmed by this, the Solar Princess quickly wiped away her tears as her focus turned to the sudden situation before her. It seemed that her troubles that night weren’t over just yet. Briefly turning her attention towards the Elements that lay on the floor around her, she wondered how they managed to activate on their own and what they had done.

Exchanging glances between the artifacts and the ruins around her, she started to feel that it was the Elements that caused the damage to the castle. What exactly they did, she did not know. However, whatever it was, she did not like it.

Getting up, she studied her surroundings once more before opening her wings and hopping off of the balcony. As she glided down and saw the terrible state of the once magnificent castle, the alicorn could only ask herself one thing:

“What happened?”

Comments

[Starswirl the Beardless]

This was a decent start to your story. Your prose is good from a mechanical perspective. My biggest complaint would probably be the pacing of it. You pack a lot of stuff into just 1300 words, stuff that should really have taken its time. You're dealing with a lot of heavy emotions here, but it doesn't feel like you give them enough time to simmer. Also, your cliffhanger feels a little bit lackluster. I don't know where you were imagining this story going, but making the hook a little more exciting would have been an improvement.