“Konabos...”
The late afternoon sun was filtering in through the window, catching the old wooden table and giving it a deep, fiery glow. Atop it, two sizeable piles of books, their covers greying and cracked with age, with one of their number set open upon the small stand between them. Twilight sat before it on the worn old stool that she had been using since she was first allowed in the High Archive, years ago. Her hooves were crossed before her on the same desk, a position she has occupied so frequently that there was a subtle indentation in its surface that perfectly fit her.
The first planet in orbit of Celestia’s Sun. It is believed to be roughly half the size of Luna’s Moon, though its proximity to the sun makes this difficult to ascertain. Its orbital period has been measured as taking eight months and ten days to make a complete circuit. The best time to view Konabos is immediately after the sun sinks below the horizon, though it might only be visible for a few moments to the unaided eye. With a suitably tuned telescope, one can just make out the faint trail of gasses and dust that follow in the planet’s wake. When our world and Konabos are at a certain angle to one another, this dust trail acts as a sort of prism for the light of Celestia’s Sun, giving the planet the appearance of being trailed by a rainbow.
Twilight frowned a bit, flipping the page and scanning quickly over the next few paragraphs of theories about the planet’s composition and atmosphere and any number of other things. The piece she had wanted was near the end of the entry, little more than a footnote. She had read it all those years ago when she had developed her little cosmic obsession, but she had been wanting to figure out what the planet were, not the origin of their names.
The planet’s rapid orbit and spectacular transit are the source of its name: Konabos was the spirit of travel and messengers, held in legend as being the envoy of our noble regents. Some stories credit Konabos with travelling for an entire day and night without stopping to warn the still-new kingdom of Equestria of a dire threat from the north, thus saving pony civilization.
“I wonder if they mean King Sombra,” mused Twilight, nibbling on her bottom lip and flipping through the next few pages. That was the end of the entry though, near identical to the other six cosmology books she had essayed. She wasn’t really surprised at the outcome; there was plenty of good speculation of the science in them, but by its nature, science didn’t have much interest in old myths. Still, Twilight was nothing if not diligent, and it was worth covering all her bases.
It was also kind of fun to revisit those old books she had poured over while she camped out in the Astrolabe.
An effort of will saw the old book lifted gently in a faint nimbus of magic, to be settled atop the rightmost pile as a different book was drawn from the left.
“Myths and Legends of Old Equestria,” Twilight read aloud, albeit in a soft voice that wouldn’t carry. Princess she might be, but in the High Archive even Princess Celestia bowed to the authority of the hard-eyed old librarian mare. Mrs. ShadyOak was actually a very pleasant pony... just so long as you didn’t break the rules. They were simple rules, at least, and posted above her desk for all to see:
1. Silence.
2. Books must be returned no later than the date shown.
3. Do not meddle with the nature of causality.
The last rule had always struck Twilight as a kind of joke, until she had gotten her hooves on the time spell, at which point it made perfect sense. Just why it was a rule being enforced in a quiet, non-magical wing of a library was baffling, but that wasn’t the kind of question you asked Mrs. ShadyOak. Not if you wanted to continue to go through life without the memory of her slowly tilting her head down to peer at you over her precise little half-moon spectacles.
Ponies on the receiving end of that look described it as something like what a mouse must experience when the hawk is an instant away from striking.
----------------------
The books were little help. What entries there had been on Konabos were vague at best, and two of them were actually contradicting one another on several points. For a dedicated lover of books and the knowledge therein, it was practically heartbreaking. Twilight dejectedly reshelved her takings and strode from the library.
She could ask the Princess about Konabos, but Twilight wasn’t so certain that she wanted to stir those memories again so soon. The loving regent had thanked Twilight last night in the Astrolabe, after the tears had dried and the sobs had been stifled, her smile as genuine as it could be... but Twilight didn’t want to put her mentor through that pain again to merely sate her curiosity.
She considered travelling down to the Starswirl wing and delving through the older tomes there, though it was an unimaginable pain in the rump trying to sift through the mess. Mrs. ShadyOak ran her High Archive like a well-oiled machine, with nary a paper out of place, but the Starswirl wing had no such guardian. It was a wild place, as libraries go. This might not sound like much a thing for the uninitiated, but those contemptuous feelings swiftly vanished when one experiences their first magical discharge from a carelessly nudged scroll. Most learned immediately after that to take extra special care when in the wing. The others... they received a heartfelt entry in the obituaries section of the Canterlot Gazette.
Twilight took a brief detour to the rooms she was staying in during her visit, gathering some ink and quills, as well as a small bottle rather fine hard cider Applejack had given her before she left. Such contraband in the High Archive might have earned a lifetime ban, but there was no such eagle-eyed watch dog down in the old stacks. It was a guilty pleasure, but Twilight did enjoy a few sips of AJ’s special hard cider while browsing books. Anyways, if it wasn’t allowed, then they should have cleared away the unmistakable whisky bottles that still littered Starswirl’s desk down there after who knows how many years.
Well, what did you expect? No pony in their right state of mind would willingly wear a hat with bells on all the time.
Her tools and supplies gathered, Twilight departed her rooms and trotted her way down the great stairwell, her wings spread slightly for that extra bit of balance. A friendly envoy bowed to her as she passed, and a grizzled old guard she recognized gave her a wink and deftly tossed a peppermint her way; a tradition between them that felt as old as time, and not the least bit changed by Twilight’s new status.
Her mouth a pleasant tingle of mint, warm sun streaming through the tall window, an entire evening of sifting through mountains of books ahead of her. Twilight was quite possibly having one of her best days, and it only got better when she spied Princess Luna seated in the small courtyard that Twilight had to pass through to reach Starswirl’s wing.
She hadn’t even thought of asking Luna about Konabos and the others. Excited now, she trotted down the steps towards the regent, who was browsing a book of her own, though with what looked like little interest. When she saw Twilight approaching, she sat up a little straighter and regarded the younger pony with an aloof expression. Luna was indeed getting better with ponies as late, but the ancient habits died hard, and she wasn’t entirely at her ease yet with being addressed in casual fashion.
As Twilight had understood it, before Luna was banished, it was customary for most ponies to address the princesses from the opposite side of a line of armed and armoured guards. It was also dreadfully impudent and rude to looks at anything but the regents’ hooves. It had been such a different time...
“Princess Twilight. How do you find the day?” The good news was, she had her voice under perfect control now, and was even starting to drift away from the archaic “thou”s and “thee”s.
“Very well, thank you Princess Luna,” replied Twilight, giving a slight but respectful bow, and not failing to note the slight grin that showed at the corners of Luna’s mouth. Their prim and proper greeting completed, the two visibly relaxed to something closer to companionable ease.
“You look ready for an excursion,” said Luna, nodding towards the ends of no less than five quills peeking from the small saddlebags Twilight had prepared. “What is the occasion?”
“Fact-finding!” said Twilight, all cheer. She drew forth the small glass flask from her bag and held it up for Luna to inspect. “Care to share? Apple family specialty: you couldn’t buy some for all the gems in Araby.” Luna had little taste for drink, but one simply does not turn down an offer like this.
Wars had been fought over less.
“I would love to. What are you after?” asked Luna, taking hold of the offered flask with her magic and carefully cutting away the wax seal with a small effort of will.
“I was talking with Princess Celestia last night, and she brought up a bunch of names. I was actually rather interested in trying to find information on them, but the High Archive is pretty barren.” A quill, a bottle of ink and some parchment slid slowly free from the saddlebags as Twilight tried to look innocent, her voice taking on a wheedling tone. “I was sort of hoping I could maybe ask you about them?”
“Surely a genealogy collection would serve a better purpose?”
“I wish... though that would be interesting to look into later. These names are really old, though.”
“Mmn? What names?” asked Luna, peeling away the last of the wax from the cork.
“The ones we gave to the planets, actually. Bronte, Aithon, Hippokampa, Podarkes...” Twilight popped open the cap on her ink bottle, the quill’s nib drinking deeply of the black liquid within. “She had said those were the names of ponies she had known personally.”
Twilight was so drawn up in the anticipation of learning something new that she did not notice the flask being gently set down on the ground beside her saddlebags. The cork was still set firmly in the neck.
“She had told me quite a bit about Hippokampa, and some stuff about Podarkes, and I’m wondering if you could shed some more light on them?”
“Podarkes...”
“Oh, yes! Celestia had said so much about her, she sounded wonderful. You knew her, right?” She was excited, practically buzzing with energy... and absolutely oblivious to the chill that radiated from the starry-maned mare at her side. Too late, she realized what she had just said, too late did she remember what happened to Podarkes, in the mist-shrouded ages long ago.
Luna’s gaze was cold. Not merely expressionless; this was something beyond that, an expression that echoed the starless black depths of the cosmos. That look pinned Twilight to her seat, pushed icewater into her veins. The ink bottle dropped to the ground, spattering the grass with oily midnight. The quill fluttered down, laying within the pool. The parchments rustled as they tumbled away.
“I killed her.”
It was a long moment before Twilight was able to breathe again, and it was longer still for that oppressive weight to fade from the courtyard, though the young pony didn’t dare move but simply stared, wide-eyed at the pony beside her. Luna hadn’t changed, hadn’t shifted back into the hateful creature that had taken her over before, did not scowl or frown or curse. Somehow, Twilight felt it might have been better had she done any of those things. Luna simply going cold like that was beyond terrifying.
“P-princess, I-”
“As Nightmare Moon, I slew my sister’s lover, then laughed as she wept over the body.” Luna rose to her hooves, stepping away from the bench. “Is that something you wanted to hear, Twilight Sparkle?”
“N-no, I just. I’m sorry; I wasn’t thinking...”
Luna’s wings were spread wide, great midnight blue feathers seeming to drink the light of day. Her muscles were taut, her jaw clenched tight, her eyes staring straight ahead and burning with a barely suppressed rage. It wasn’t a hate that was directed at the world, though: this was a fury turned inwards.
“No, you weren’t thinking. You are asking about very old names, Twilight. Names that have deep echoes in scarred hearts.” Here a breath. Luna took it in, then blew it out, and with it much of the tension eased from her shoulders. She stood there, head hanging now, her wings drooping low until the tips of her vanes just brushed the ground.
Twilight didn’t move a muscle, barely dared to draw a breath. The fear was fading, but in its place came an awful guilt that drew the beginnings of tears to her eyes.
“Luna, I am so sorry.. Please, I never meant to...”
A gentle answer, almost kind. “I know. Calm yourself, Twilight...” Luna turned back to the younger pony, settling beside her again, closer this time, a wing draping across the trembling Twilight’s shoulders. “I did not mean to frighten you so.” A long breath. “Those names... they carry a great burden in my sister. But you have to understand, Twilight: what has been a thousand years for Celestia has only been two years for me.”
Twilight tried to scrub the tears from her cheeks with the back of a hoof, only managing a faint sniffle.
“What are just faint echoes and misty images to her are still vivid in my mind. I can still hear their voices, the cry of the trumpets, the smell of the flames. I can still see my sister weeping over what I had done, as readily as you can remember freeing me from my curse just those months ago.
“You are curious, you want to know things... but you have to remember that sometimes what you are trying to find is not mere trivia.”
“I’m sorry,” quavered Twilight, but she was gently hushed by Luna.
“You are forgiven. Take a breath now...”
The two stayed there together for a long while, sitting in silence, listening to the whisper of wind and the calls of distant birds. No words passed between them, no questions or conversation. So very different they may be, but they had become near sisters only days ago, and even such a painful moment would pass and be forgotten.
------------------------
In time, Twilight felt herself calmed enough to venture, “Celestia asked if I would share more time with her, to ask her about those names...”
“I hope you will take her up on that offer, Twilight. Her memories are old, and she fears to forget them. It’s why the worlds beyond ours bear those names, and why she had Sage Wisdom build her the Astrolabe. Many of those names will ease her heart to hear, but they will bring with them much pain.”
“I know, I saw... when she spoke of Hippokampa and of... of her.”
“Comfort her, then. She holds you very close in her heart, Twilight. Help her remember those fond faces lost to the past.”
“I will,” said Twilight, making her way a little shakily to her hooves. Her things were gathered slowly with a wisp of magical power, the only sound the faint clink of the bottles rattling together as they were set back into the bags.
“And Twilight... if you would like to ask me of Konabos, or Bronte... I knew them well, and their stories don’t carry such a black weight.”
Twilight turned back to the princess, a faint but hopeful smile showing beneath tired eyes. “I think I would like that, Luna... But maybe, not for another few days.”
“That may be for the best. Sleep well, Princess Twilight,”
“Fair winds, Princess Luna.” Twilight left the courtyard the way she had come, slowly climbing the stairs back to her rooms.
Beyond the walls and windows, the last of Celestia’s sun drifted down for the horizon, painting the sky in a riot of orange and violet, celebrating the close of the day and the coming rise of the moon.
Another GREAT chapter! I absolutely LOVE your writing style. Although the chapters are still a little too short for me it is still a great pleasure to read them.
(Still good sized chapters though!)
I'm glad you decided to continue the story
I found it refreshing that you actually made Luna admit that all that happened wile she was Nightmare Moon she was still herself and not some evil possession that took over her. Bonus points for not going to the pity route most authors pick when dealing this issue and ending making the chapter about her.
On another note why the hay are smilies of photo finish and trixie but not luna?
Anyway good chapter and keep up the good work
And... featured. Bravo Martian.
My faith is rewarded. Yes, this will be much better than I had feared it would be, back when I misinterpreted the first chapter as a one shot. It had seemed pretty, but vapid. It is still pretty, but now it is apparent that there is weight to it. Moreover, it is clear that the weight deserves to be there, and that you are not just making up sad things for the purpose of making up sad things.
That is actually a problem in this fandom. I do not understand why. Deliberately writing sad stories is no new art, but in most contexts it is certainly not a genre in its own right.
Is this going to be a Twilestia fic? :D
Well, you've got my attention. Definitely looking to see where you take this.
I see that Mrs. ShadyOak has got one of the good libraries. The kind with connections.
intrigued, like it.
2394935
Actually, no: they are simply not part of this story. I suppose I should make that clear in the next chapter. I did mention that it has only been four days since her coronation, but it might have gone unnoticed.
2394795
I am glad I proved to be worthy.
YOU HAVE PROVEN YOURSELF WORTHY.
*Clicks the favorite button.*
ANOTHER!
As gently as possible, I've gotta say your story REALLY needs a better description than that. While single-line descriptions are eye-catching, it tells us nothing about what its actually about, and many might skip over it from lack of a hook.
2396072
I think it works, it's simple, to me the image got my attention. I LOVE stories with Twilight and Celestia.
2396201 The description and picture imply a generic sadfic. Many will pass it over.
I don't think those references are really called for in a story like that.
...
Holy shit... That's... She's... Holy fucking shit. I think I might just be afraid of Nightmare Moon now...
I'm going to run away now.
I'll just leave this here too.
2396072
I am with you on that. Generally, I try to keep the desc simple, but that is a habit from writing fairly one-dimensional one-sots.
How about now?
2396547 That illustrates a frequent contentious issue with stories like these. They assume that everyone has the same personality and will deal with loss in the same way.
Given that this is manifestly not true, all 'loss' stories should be based on more individualistic character viewpoints rather than broad population-based generalizations.
2396398 Hmm, now this present an internal logic problem. If Nightmare Moon was a cold-blooded murderer, does it seem at all likely that Celestia would have allowed the Bearers (6 young, naive, inexperienced mares) to face her, given that SHE KNEW THE EXACT TIME NMM would escape, and the high likelihood that this psychotic monster would simply kill anypony who got in her way? And then, given that risk, NMM would be victorious and night would last forever.
Remember, NMM knew they were going after the Elements of Harmony. If she were a killer, she'd have simply slain one or all of them and eliminated the risk to herself. If she were the same villain we see in this story, she'd have killed one of them (most likely Twilight Sparkle, the Faithful Student of Celestia) and mocked the rest of them and Celestia with her death, maybe getting a little creative about how she rends the body apart, playing marionette with the limbs and internal organs.
One must always consider how altering the past to paint a darker picture of events would play out in the present-day canon.
2396777
Well, that's the bit when fanon and canon veer sharply away from one another.
I needed this fic to have a slightly darker tone than canon would have allowed, to really drive home the point that NMM is a genuinely terrifying figure in their folklore for a reason.
If I were to go into an explanation, I would likely use her arrogance and complacency as the excuse: she didn't feel threatened enough by the little marshmallow Mane 6 to warrant wasting the effort in killing them. But, that's not the topic for this story and I really don't see it being addressed. It is just atmospheric.
2396807 It's not generally a good thing set contrivance within the story simply for the sake of mood.
That's why I vehemently despise "Avatar", after all... well, one of the many reasons...
Araby...
is this a refrence to that song The Sheik of Araby?
2397156
I wish I could lay claim to having heard such a classy song. Jazz is
No, I had actually just watched Master and Commander, and a comment made was how the Acheron was full of 'gold and ambergris, and all the gems of Araby."
Just struck me as a fun way to describe something valuable.
2397175
Ah, they must have been referencing the song. I take it you heard it, then.
It's very classy, as you mentioned. I like it.
Featured! Hot damn, mate! Kudos to you!
Is it wrong of me to hope this turns into a Twilestia fic?
You've really discovered a new style for yourself here, with this... and I think it suits you. It's more 'lean' and direct than your one-shots, but for this story, it is entirely appropriate. There's just enough description to give shading and color to what's going on, but mostly this stuff just MOVES. I'm not in any way a speed-reader, but I honestly blew through this in what felt like moments.
Damnit, did you have to hit me with Sad!Luna though? Now I want to write a one-shot of her getting random hugs, the poor thing....
Without exaggeration, though, this is among your finest work already. Enjoy the feature box, sir - this definitely BELONGS there.
This is moving a bit quick and skippy, while the chapters are quite short.
That being said, what is written is written exactly the way it should be. Keep doing what you're doing–just more of it before posting.
I liked the aside about StarSwrill, his love of drink, the idea his last mess is preserved, and Twilight's thoughts on his mental state in relation to his hats. I like the pacing and length of the chapters, and the overall concept of Twilight wanting to "complete" the information about the ponies that are the namesakes of the planets in Equestria's star system, it suits her personality. Also like to see you picking to use the WoG about Luna's time in the Moon, no thousand years of madness, just a few moments of confusion. Read a few fics that deal with the idea she was aware the whole time but few dealing with Lauren's intention that she wasn't.
I am somewhat confused as to the time period this takes place. You said that Twilight had spent a few months in the observatory seven years ago last chapter, however in this chapter you say Luna has only been back for two years.
So Twilight was un-ascended during her campout? Just trying to get a 'when' in my head for all this. Originally openned it thinking it would be somewhat Twilight centric (with her friends passed) though that doesn't seem to be the case. Story is still very entertaining.
2400867
This is taking place only three days after the Coronation episode. I tried to include that in the first chapter, but you're the third person to mention being confused.
I think I'll make a little adjustment to that part to clear it up.
The reason I read this fic was because the description made it sound practically identical to my fic "Immortal?"
This is like... a billion times better and about 1.5 times as popular.
In the end though, they are two very different fics.
i am completely fascinated with the mythos and ancient history of equestria. it's great how you've taken a darker approach to its past. mlp is great and all, but all the bright love-dovey-ness of it all becomes overdone (yes, it's a children's show... i can only hope ).
you craft a perfectly believable world within canon, in my opinion, and i look forward to future chapters.
I was hesitant to read this since there are so many other fics that go into this topic and make things too damn angsty. You did well with this, you are spot on with the characters and so far haven't made this an angst fest.
Also... saw the rules of the library, I see someone has been reading Discworld
2403002
>Suggesting that there are people who do not read discworld.
2403133
I'm afraid that is true, there are people who do not read Discworld.
2389940
This is true, and learned only through decades of experience. However, I'd still rather not repeatedly reopen those scars...
2403152
I've - um... I've never even heard of Discworld...
The whole thing of Luna remembering EVERYTHING from 1000 years ago like it happened two years ago. My god, this is fucking horrible and tragic. I literally stopped breathing when I got to that part.
Dark as hell at points, but VERY good writing style. I love it, can't wait for more.
2403220
And you just proved my point... Very well you mission if you chose to accept it is to head to Wikipedia and look up Discworld then you are head into your local bookstore and track down the works of Sir Terry Pratchett and start reading.
I think a freight train hitting Twilight instead of this sentence wouldn't hit nearly as hard. Luna... you are downright terrifying if you wanted to.
Now, i'm keeping an eye on this one. Martian, your style is a refreshing breeze for all the fics i've set myself to read around here. Keep up the good work!
2403220
I feel so sorry for you...
2403251
Terry Pratchett is a Knight?! Or am I just being thick?
This is Australia...