A Millenium In Solitude No More
A gentle breeze slithered through the thick underbush of the forest,gently ruffling the orange leaves. A single leaf trembled under the pressure, its gaunt stalk failing to hold it in place. An inaudible snap signified the end for this particular leaf, and a lone observer watched it cascade down through the air, finally hitting a mirror surface of the pond.
There is a saying among earth pony folk, mostly those that till the land on the untamed frontiers. The fallen leaves tell a story.
What would her story be, Celestia wondered. Would it be one of heroic triumph of good against evil? The valliant day that vanquished the harrowing night eternal, and brought peace and prosperity to her kind? Or would it be a different kind of story, of neglect and abandonment, of pride and arrogance obscuring what was most prescious, of betrayal and isolation?
By Faust, Celestia didn't know which one was worse. She sighed and gazed into the moon's reflection, the newly embedded markings making her heart ache in a mix of fear, longing and self-loathing. She couldn't make herself look up at the night sky, feebly resolving to appreciate the mere reflection.
Was it all she could do now? Merely appreciate the hard work of her sister as if it would make up for all that's been done? For all she's done? What else could she do but silently pray for her every waking hour, awaiting her return, while hypocritically fulfilling her duties and basking in the praise of her kind, praise that was never fully her's?
She chuckled mirthlessly at the thought, the sound that fell on deaf ears in the empty forest. She couldn't do even that.
In that moment when she resorted to the aid of the Elements, did she really think they would comply? Submit completely to the will of a mere part of the whole? Revolt against their very nature, and abandon their host, all in the name of stopping an evil that could've been prevented otherwise?
It was laughable, in retrospect, but in that moment of weakness she believed it to be the only choice. A pitiful excuse that that was, and she knew it, but what's done is done, and there's no going back. She stifled a cry of anguish, flaring her magic in attempt to grasp the moon and will it to move. It failed, of course, and judging by the previous hundred attempts, it wasn't going to do so in the near future.
It seemed that in the last act of defiance, Nightmare Moon bound her namesake to the sky, freezing it in its position. The act supposedly required her complete attention, as the rest of the night sky was more pliable to Celestia's influence than ever before. The stars still moved in an effort to aid their mistress' escape, with a great speed at that, but were pliable enough to slow their movements to a more managable speed.
None of it mattered, in the end. The Moon blotted out the Sun, and Equestria was plunged into night eternal, doomed to be enveloped in a blanket of unyelding snow. Her attempts amounted to nothing, and of ponykind will pay for her mistakes.
She though it to be a mirage at first, then a hallucination caused by lack of sleep, then nightmare come to life. The pale moon stretched from below the water line, sending ripples across the pond. It rose until it was halfway out, and the ripples ceased as it stopped. Celestia stood paralysed, thinking for a moment that all that happened was another ploy, a way to divert her attention from Nightmare Moon, that she somehow escaped and now came back for revenge.
Four faint ripples were sent across the pond from the moon in a pattern familiar to Celestia, and she held her breath in trepidation. The air shimmered and sparkled a vibrant blue, as a strange sight came to stand before the goddes of the sun.
A spectral horse phased into existance seemingly from thin air, his white mane obscuring its eyes, complimenting his dirty-looking white coat to the best of its ability. Upon a pale horse sat two peculear forms, one's Celestia was unfamiliar with.
One of the two was tall, taller that Celestia, even. Her light blue skin concealed by a pale blue gown, accompanied by a witches hat of the same color. Her feet hung off one side of the steed, exposing what seemed to be mechanical joints. Despite the exotic form, the figure struck her as destictly feminine.
Another form sat in front of her, steering the horse by the reigns, clad in armor of some kind, a slitted helmet obscuring his features. The steed stopped as it reached land, the second figure dismounting and stooping down to the ground. His back was obscured by a tattered fur cape, as he outstretched his hand towards the blue figure.
She held his hand with her own, and Celestia noticed an ornate looking ring on one of the pale fingers. After helping the lady off her steed he stood guard, looking in Celestia's direction. Then something unexpected happened.
She spoke.
"Thank you, dear consort." The taller figure leaned into the smaller one, planting a kiss on his helmet, probably where his cheek should be. He made a surprised grunt that sounded suspisciously embarrased, before nodding. The taller figure turned to Celestia, her left eye closed.
"A pleasure to meet with thee, noble steed." She said with a curtsy, allowing Celestia a glance at her two pairs of arms. "Thou'rt of a unique pedigree," Her gaze lingered on the moon's reflection for a moment. "as is your sibling." She tilted her head and gave Celestia a look-over. "I've surmised thou'rt capable of speech, perhaps encouragement is in order?" She parted her cloak, revealing more doll-like joints. "Thou may call me Rena." A soft smile graced her lips, as she waited for the solar princess to return the favor.
"Princess Celestia." The alicorn replied, standing her ground and observing the arrival warily. Rena replied with a smile.
"Celestia-" The figure replied, rolling the name in her mouth. "What a splendid name." Her smile faded just a tad. "What a foul station thou'st found thou'self in." Celestia wanted to ask Rena a myriad of questions, but was silenced with one sentence.
"I offer thou an accord." An accord? This... thing appears out of nowhere, at the lowest moment in Celestia's life, and wants a deal?
"What kind of accord?"
"I couldn't help but notice your... familial discord-" She raised one of her arms, pointing at the moon. "shall we say. It pains me to see suffering caused by this to affect so many, thus I offer a solution." She raised her other hand to accompany the first, while forming a triangle with the fingers on her other two hands. A blue aura enveloped her, as the moon, drowned by the same tinge buckled under pressure and finally moved from its position in the sky. It took a monumental amount of effort to keep Celestia's jaw from hitting the grassy ground, as night finally relented giving way to a new dawn.
Despite her porcelain skin, the creature somehow looked tired from the effort, her hands going limp at her sides. The first figure dashed to her side, trowing two of her left hands over his back, while holding the right hands in his own. Rena turned to the figure with a warm smile, squeezing his hands before turning to Celestia.
"All I ask for in return is patronage, for me and my dear consort eternal." Having said these words she stood still, awaiting Celestia's answer.
"What kind of patronage?" The white alicorn inquired, a myriad of thoughts racing through her mind.
"Shelter and safety would be plenty for us." She straightened her posture, not letting her partner go. "That would be a welcome beginning."
Celestia chewed the inside of her cheek in worry. Rena's offer sounded enticing, by Faust it did. But was it right to accept it? Allow such alien creature influence Celestia in such a way? And for how long would she keep doing that, only Alicorns are unaging, after all.
Celestia shook her head inwardly. No, that didn't matter. She will accept this, she won't let others suffer because of her mistakes. She opened her mouth, asking one final question before making a descision.
"Your... services may be needed for a long time, hundreds of years, perhaps." Celestia inquired with worry. "Will you be able to perform them?" Rena flashed a smile before replying.
"I assure thou, time is not a factor thou need to consider." She took a step forward, awaiting the alicorn's answer.
Celestia still had plenty of doubts, and plenty of questions. All of those could wait, however. They could wait until a better time, a time when Equestria stood strong, and her little ponies were safe and happy. With a heavy sigh Celestia stepped towards the figure.
"I accept your accord."