> Rise from the Ashes
>  by ArgonMatrix
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Bonds of Eternity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Do you ever wonder where we came from, Luna?”

It was the first sound that had broken the still air of the Everfree Valley since the last songbird of the day had retired for the impending night. The midnight blue alicorn mare didn’t even blink as she thoughtfully considered the question, still gazing longingly towards the distant sunset which bathed the land in a silky twilight glow. It took a few moments of the valley’s natural silence before Luna managed her reply.

“All the time, sister.”

For the first time in what seemed like a long while, the stoic white alicorn to Luna’s right peeled her gaze away from the horizon to look at her sister’s silhouetted profile. “And?”

Luna shrugged. “We may never know for sure, but I do not think it matters regardless. We are here, and we know our duty.” A smooth turn of her head allowed Luna’s gaze to meet with her sister’s. “Is that not enough?”

A few necessary silences passed before Celestia shrugged and returned her eyes to the fading horizon. “I suppose it is. I just wish there was some way to know what... or who, came before us. Does it not perturb you that our very existence is a mystery even to us?”

Once the sisterly stare had been broken by Celestia, Luna had also returned her head to its initial position. “I never considered it to be a mystery, fair sister. As I said, our purpose is known and we are here to fulfill it. I fail to see why the prelude to our lives is of any consequence.”

“I only ask because I wish to know what may have prompted our creation. It seems our existence is more divine than anything, and our memories only go back fifty thousand years or so. It feels as though there’s a whole portion of our lives that’s incomplete, lost in the haze of time. I feel like we could understand this world so much better if only we knew our past.”

Luna’s tone took on a somewhat somber edge as she simply stated, “Perhaps not all knowledge is meant to be known.”

A prolonged silence filled the conversation for a while, seemingly concluding the existential inquiry. Luna knew her sister too well, however, and knew that there were more questions lingering in her curious mind. Prepared to continue the dialogue, Luna made the first verbal prod. “Something still troubles you, sister. Wouldst thou indulge us?”

Celestia bowed her head slightly to give the remotest indication of thought. An ominous wind rustling the millions of grass blades around the royal siblings was all that could be heard in her pensive state. It was as though the whole world was waiting on her response, and the relaxing hue of the sunset quickly turned into the more menacing appearance of twilight, a change seemingly driven by the serious turn of the conversation.

After what seemed like an eternity even to the immortal goddesses, the alabaster mare finally replied with a question of her own. “Why two?”

Obviously Luna was caught off guard by the question as she blinked once and gave her sister a quizzical look. “Pardon?”

“Why are there two of us?” Celestia clarified. “We both know that the world could exist equally as blissfully if there were only one of us to govern it, so what purpose does our dual existence serve? My only theory is that we are required to balance each other out, but would that balance not be attainable in the soul of a single being?” Celestia shook her head desperately. “I’ve never understood it.”

Still clearly taken aback by the question, but willing to acknowledge its legitimacy all the same, Luna returned to her stoic expression as she gave her answer. “I imagine it would be rather lonely for an immortal being to exist without companionship.”

It was Celestia’s turn to be mystified by the words of her sister, but her expression did not betray her confusion. “Indeed it would, but we have many companions, Luna. All of our loyal subjects, our students, our guard... every pony in the kingdom can be counted as a companion.”

“I suppose you’re right, but you fail to note an integral part of their companionship that is not prevalent in ours.”

“And what would that be?”

Without missing a beat, Luna coldly replied, “They die.”

Celestia’s stoic expression suddenly snapped under emotion, displaying her utter shock bordering on disgust which the response had provoked. “Luna! Just because their lives are not eternal like ours doesn’t mean that—”

“I do not mean to undermine the value of their companionship,” Luna determinedly inserted, having accurately guessed the direction of her sister’s argument. “All I mean to say is that, since we are everlasting, it is important to have a companion we can call permanent.” Sensing the need for further clarification, Luna returned to face her sister before continuing.

“Consider this. Our subjects all form friendships with ponies who are roughly their own age, is that not correct?” Celestia nodded. “We are no different, sister. We require strong friendships just as much as any other being in our kingdom, but how can we form lifelong bonds with anypony if our lives are infinitely more timeless than theirs?” Celestia turned her head down in deep consideration. Seeing no evidence of a forthcoming reply, Luna continued.

“It is never easy to cope with the passing of a friend, but at least when you make a friend of roughly the same age as yourself, your life is likely to have roughly the same duration as theirs. So even if you must be subjected to grief for a short period, at least you will eventually be freed from it.”

“We are not so fortunate, however. All of our mortal companions will, in time, pass away, and we will grieve for them, but we will never be freed from that grief. Given that all of our mortal companions are temporary, we cannot ever escape the grief that comes with the termination of a life. I believe it is vital for us to have a companion we can trust to be there always, one we can truly call a friend forever. Without that everlasting friendship, we may eventually become numbed to the value of life and friendship since we would so often associate it with grief and finality.”

Still seeing no obvious sign of a reply, Luna concluded, “That is my theory, dear sister. And that is why I am so very grateful to have you by my side always. I could not ask for a better sister, or a better friend.” With that, the princess of the night nestled her head against her sister’s neck, gazing off into the final shreds of sunlight with a newfound smile.

The solar monarch craned her head back to see the moon sitting just above the opposite horizon, and smiled in symmetry to her sister. She, in turn, rested her head against Luna’s and said, “How did you get to be so much wiser than me, Luna?”

“Because you think too much, Tia.”

As the royal sisters silently exchanged sentiments, so too did they exchange control over the sky above as the canvas of shimmering stars overtook the soft violet remnants of the sunset. Never had the transition from day to night seemed so harmonious.


***


Lightning struck somewhere in the distance, illuminating the corrupting darkness of night for only a brief moment, yet a moment long enough to discern two exceptionally tall ponies facing each other mere meters apart in the rain-drenched Everfree Valley. No stars illuminated the sky above them. The Moon lay half hidden behind an invisible cloud barrier. It was a remarkably uncharacteristic scene in the quiet country of Equestria, a land long praised for its harmony among denizens. Never had a more unexpecting field been the landscape of battle, and never had a more violent torrent of emotions overcome the two warriors who stood against each other.

Amidst the thundering roar of the surrounding storm, a still more commanding sound broke through the black of night in the form of a mighty, maleficent female voice. “Face it, you are powerless against me! My will is strong, and yours is so very weak. There’s nothing you can do to stop me now. This night will last forever!” Another well-timed lighting strike punctuated the statement, illuminating the turquoise, serpentine eyes of the mare who had spoken it. All the rest of her body melded with the imposing atmosphere, her only other notable feature being her star-studded ethereal mane and tail.

The same lightning strike illuminated a pair of violet eyes filled with seething rage staring pointedly back at the nightmare of a pony. A significantly less powerful, but no less respectable voice escaped from the mare who claimed ownership of those eyes. “Please Luna, I know you’re still in there! I’m sorry! It doesn’t have to end this way! Stop this!” There was a heavily exaggerated quality of exasperation to the way the alicorn spoke.

Timed integrally with a third lightning strike, the darker of the two mares let loose a soulless, maniacal laugh which chilled the blood of anyone who heard it rend the air. “Foolish Celestia, you had your chance to apologize! It is far too late for such pleas. Luna is gone, and I, her darkest shadow, now stand in her place. Fear me, for I am Nightmare Moon!” The thunderous sound of galloping hooves indicated that the nightmare was tired of wordplay, and a cone-shaped purple glow atop the alicorn’s head marked her intention of finality.

Invisibly, Celestia bowed her head in desperation and slammed her eyes shut. Out of options, the exhausted princess knew that this battle could only end one of two ways, and she knew which one it had to be. Before taking any further action, however, she solemnly whispered a single, heartfelt plea, one which was completely inaudible above the chaos of the scene.

“Forgive me, Luna.”

Without any further warning, Celestia encased herself in a mighty golden glow which finally revealed the scene for what it was. Nightmare Moon was but a few meters from completing her charge across the windswept field, but the sudden influx of light caused her to halt in her tracks. Her face was completely aghast as she watched the silhouette of a goddess rise to the epicenter of the luminescent orb. Six equally shadowed spheres spread themselves alongside her, creating the living image of purity. Time itself seemed to slow as the spectacle quickly overshadowed the dark mare’s intentions. 

“No, no it isn’t fair!” shrieked Nightmare Moon, refusing to believe what was so clearly before her. “It’s impossible! You can’t do this! It can’t end this way!” A spire of pure magical energy escaped from her horn, targeted directly at the center of the steadily growing mass of light. The energy bolt was short-lived, however, as it dissipated into nothing more than a dark dust in the face of harmony. Shot after helpless shot careened towards the silhouetted figures, but nothing could stop the sheer power of the scene.

It was over.

Pure, blinding white light exploded across the world, overpowering the dark influence of eternal night with its serene radiance. With the light came a crisp, angelic sound, crescendoing into a deafening screech directly in proportion to the intensity of the light. Nothing in the world could overpower the sheer bliss which the magic carried; it felt as though nothing could go wrong anymore and that true harmony was all that mattered. Just as it seemed that the powerful magical influence would never fade, the vibrant golden luminescence faded to nothing more than a shimmer, and silence reigned once more.

Suddenly, nighttime characterized the landscape again, but it seemed far less ominous than it had mere moments prior. No trace of the terrific thunderstorm remained in the sky, and a vivid canvas of stars painted itself in its place. The only reminder of the corrupt darkness that remained was the scent of dampness which lined the atmosphere. Everything was still, as though time itself was in shock from the gravity of what had just taken place.

Yet in this newborn world, not a soul noticed as a single teardrop shattered against a blade of grass at the ground before an alicorn, standing alone in the middle of the Everfree Valley.


***


Celestia hadn’t bothered acknowledging any of the ponies whom she passed by as she stormed her way through the castle. None of them mattered to her right now. None of them could console her, or fix what she had done. None of them could replace what she had lost. None of their words could even hope to pierce the barrier of sorrow that had formed around her mind. She needed to be alone, yet ironically that was the last thing she wanted to be.

Locking her bedroom door tightly shut, the regent of the Sun and Moon collapsed on her bed and buried her face into a pillow, not unlike a filly who had just received a firm scolding from a parent. Despite the speed with which the pillowcase beneath her face dampened, not a single sob could be heard coming from it. All the sound that could be heard, as a matter of fact, was the chilling night breeze which rolled in through the open balcony archway, a stern reminder of what had come to pass not an hour earlier.

In her mind, Celestia knew that crying would serve her no purpose. Just like the ponies who had tried to give their condolences, no amount of wistful tears could fix her problem. Yet her heart refused to cooperate with her rational thoughts, willing her to continue weeping in a meager attempt to drain her sorrows away. So the princess remained frozen beneath the canopy of her bed, powerless to stop the waterfalls pouring from her eyes, yet unable to vocalize the same sadness those streams carried.

The dark hours of the night trudged on until Celestia finally managed to stem the flow of her tears and peel her matted face away from the pillow sanctuary. Her eyes were weary and bloodshot, the fur on her face just as damp as the pillow, but she didn’t care. Never had her appearance seemed less important to her. How could she worry about vanity in such a grievous moment?

She turned her head to the balcony in time to see the full Moon staring back at her above the westward horizon. Immediately she noticed the dark profile of an alicorn mare emblazoned on its surface, and she scowled. As she looked upon the effigy, she did not see her dear sister who was now trapped alone inside the dull heavenly rock which made up her namesake. Instead, she saw the monster who had taken that sister away from her. The monster who had driven her to an impossible decision. The monster who had effectively destroyed half of the reason for her existence. The monster who had cursed both her and her sister to live their eternal lives completely...

...alone.

Celestia’s mind wandered back to an insightful conversation she’d had with Luna just a few years prior to this fateful day, and the memories of that heartwarming, enlightening moment only served to intensify the rage in her eyes as she stared firmly into the distant lunar surface. Almost robotically, her wings carried her to the open balcony while her focus remained glued to the Moon as if fearing it would disappear if she looked away. Refusing to acknowledge the nipping wind which willed her to go back inside, her tormented scowl grew more pronounced until she reached her breaking point.

“Why did you leave me?! How could you be so foolish as to succumb to such obvious treachery?! Were you not even remotely aware of the consequences of your actions, or did you willingly mean to curse me to this fate?! Tell me!” The princess’ violent cries did not go unnoticed by the ponies in the town beneath the castle, but she neither noticed nor cared for their reactions. None of them mattered, not anymore.

“We could have resolved this, but you wouldn’t listen! Why wouldn’t you listen?! Now both of us are doomed to lives of solitude! Is that what you wanted?! Is that what your selfish, greedy little heart longed for?! To be done away with me?! Well congratulations! Wish granted!” Not knowing that her tear coffers even had any more supply, her eyes had sprung leaks once again. She knew her words to be untrue, but she couldn’t control her anger any longer.

“And why didn’t I listen to you?! All you wanted was appreciation, and I denied it! I thought my companionship was enough for you, but I wasn’t even giving you that as much as I should have! You were always so good to me, and I never returned it! Why were you so good to me?! What did I do to deserve your respect, and your companionship?! I suppose none of that matters anymore, since now I have neither! All thanks to... thanks to...”

Thanks to whom?

Could she blame any one being for what had transpired? Why did she even feel the need to place blame? Blame was just as pointless as her tears, but for some reason she still couldn’t resist it. So many emotions tortured her soul, and she could no longer determine what was right. All she could think now was that Luna was gone, she was alone, and there was nothing that anyone could do to change that.

Defeated, Celestia collapsed onto her stomach and buried her face in her hooves. The final words she muttered before falling into a dreamless, sorrowful slumber were only heard by her own ears and the heavens above.

“I’m sorry, Luna. I’m so, so sorry.”


***


A heavily aged unicorn stallion limped slowly into the room. The darkness of the chamber was only broken by the lone pair of lanterns which hung unassumingly above. From the faint glow, ancient runic symbols were just barely illuminated along the walls of the room. Despite the room’s size being comparable to that of a pantry, it carried about it an ominous presence which commanded respect. Quietly, the unicorn made his way to the center of the room where a rickety wooden table sat along with two lightly splintered stools. Seeing as the far stool was already occupied by a pony whose size had no business occupying the musty chamber, the mage sat himself in the near stool and removed the hood of his cloak, revealing a faded grey face and a mysteriously violet mane.

Staring across at the one mare he dreaded being in the presence of, given the reason for their meeting, the old pony sagely rasped, “Greetings, Your Highness.”

Princess Celestia returned the aged stare of the withered stallion and replied, “Greetings, Nova the Knowledgeable. I assume you recall the purpose of our meeting?” The question seemed unnaturally grim coming from such a benign ruler.

Nova bowed his head down in appreciation. “I’m so very sorry for your loss, Princess. I know how you must—”

“No, you do not,” Celestia coldly interrupted. “Neither you nor any other pony can know the grief I suffer, and your pity is not the reason I sought your services. Nothing you can say will help me now, so we will move on without you expressing your sympathies. Do I make myself clear?”

The sternness of her tone chilled Nova to the bone, but the archmage wisely nodded all the same. “Very well, Princess. Before we proceed, however, I must make one thing perfectly clear.” Nova’s serious yellow eyes locked with Celestia’s, and the tone with which he spoke indicated that he didn’t care that the mare across from him could sentence him to death at a moment’s notice. “Divination is a powerful magical practice, and also a very dangerous one. While it can show you the events of the future, seeing those events also means that they cannot be rewritten and will come to pass regardless of your actions. Luna’s release may come tomorrow, but if divination predicts otherwise, it will not come to pass. Do you fully understand what you’re asking me to do?”

Celestia did not blink even once as she made her reply in an equally serious tone. “I understand, Nova, and I will not change my decision. Even if it takes a hundred years, I must know if and when Luna will be returned to this plane.” The monarch allowed her head to fall and her eyes to shut in grief. “I cannot go on without the promise of her companionship.”

Nova nodded again, slowly and grimly. “Very well, my Princess. May the fates be kind to you.”

A dark blue aura encased the horn of the master of divination. His eye instinctively closed as he began muttering an incomprehensible incantation. Several of the runes painted across the stone brick walls began glowing a ghastly green, increasing in intensity with each passing magical utterance. A magical breeze shifted the royal purple curtains which adorned the doorway, giving the room the chilling feel of a graveyard in the dead of night. Celestia did not even flinch as the runic symbols peeled themselves from the wall and began orbiting the table. A faint humming sound which reminded her of hushed voices filled her ears, and the unmistakable smell of rain suddenly overloaded her nostrils. All the while, Nova continued to cast his mysterious spell, seemingly oblivious to the unsettling scene unfolding around him.

Then, everything stopped: Nova’s words, the orbiting of the symbols, the push of the wind... nothing dared break the sudden silence of the room. All was still.

Finally, the symbols faded from existence around the two ponies, crumbling into a luminescent blue dust and scattering back towards the wall. Nova’s eyelids shot fiercely open and he began panting heavily. Celestia simply looked on, not making any effort to aid the exasperated mage since she knew better than to meddle with the affairs of divination. She also seemed to be halfway lost in thought, though what those thoughts were exactly was anyone’s guess; her mask of a face rarely betrayed the inner workings of her mind.

After a few minutes of recollection, Nova simply looked down at his hooves and flipped his hazel hood back over his head. Princess Celestia did not miss a beat as she spoke. “How long?”

The stallion mage sat in silence for a quick moment before emotionlessly stating, “A thousand.”

Not one to play the game of ambiguity, Celestia pressed on. “A thousand moons?”

“Nay, my Princess. A thousand years. One millennium.”

Even at this news, Celestia’s stoic expression did not budge. Her head merely tilted downwards towards her hooves and she sat in pensive silence for what could have been hours. Neither of the ponies spoke, one out of trauma and one out of fear. Eventually, though, Celestia knew she had to speak, and did so in a very steady tone. “Is there anything else which I should be made aware of?”

Unexpectedly, Nova winced at this question. He sighed heavily and made his final statement. “One thing, Princess. When Luna returns, she will not be in the form you know her to be. She will still be under the control of Nightmare Moon.”

“Thank you Nova, that will be all.” Refusing to allow the meeting to proceed any longer for fear of her emotions breaking her demeanor, Celestia swiftly rose to her hooves and strode towards the exit. Nova did not make any attempt to stop her, or even rise from his own stool.

Just as she was halfway into the hallway beyond the door, Celestia paused, but did not turn around. Instead, she spoke with grim finality. “Did your divinations reveal when Luna may have been freed had I not interfered with the future?”

A gruff voice replied instantaneously. “No, Princess. Divination deals in fact, not fantasy. There is nothing you can do to change it now.”

An ominous moment of stillness stirred between the two ponies before Celestia finally broke free of the chamber fully and strode into the castle corridors, a gentle frown tugging at the corners of her mouth.


***


Sitting out on her balcony for the second night in a row, Celestia bowed her head heavily as she sat under the ever-present gaze of the Moon hovering just above the western horizon. Her joints were stiff, having not moved an inch since returning to her bedroom so many hours ago. She could not move, for that would mean progression, and how could she progress with her life in her grief-ridden state?

“A thousand years,” she kept repeating in her mind. “How can I withstand a thousand years of solitude? How can she?” A sigh escaped her, finally breaking the silence which all but dominated the depressing night. “Yet I have to continue. My subjects need me, and Luna would want me to continue. I cannot fail her... not a second time... not when there’s still the promise that I may see her again.” Of course she realized that it would not be Luna she would see; it would be her captor. She did not know how, but she would slay that monster when the time came to pass and release her sister from its prison. When given the chance, she would not lose her sister a second time.

Despite her reassuring thought process, Celestia could still not escape the depression which strangled her soul. “Will I be able to be the same ruler I once was, or will I grow jaded to the position and its responsibilities?” Her mind wandered again to that fateful conversation she had taken part in with her sister amidst a vast green field. She shook her head at the memory. “Luna would know the answers. She always knew the answers. I’ll never be able to match her wisdom. Not alone... not alone...” The offending words reverberated in her mind until she could take it no longer and cast it aside. Thinking of the impending millennium without a lasting companion was not doing anything to help her depressed mood.

With one final gaze to the Moon for the night, the alicorn sighed again as she began setting the celestial body beyond the horizon and raising the Sun on the opposite side of the world. “What I wouldn’t do to get to speak to Luna one more time... or at least to have some way to make it through these next thousand years without succumbing to this depression. I miss you, Luna. I miss you more than you could ever know.” A single, perfectly symmetrical teardrop rolled down the princess’ royal face, trickling down her cheek until it finally separated itself from her being and splashed down to the cold ground below, leaving the vague shape of a broken heart in its wake.


***


As the Sun rose over into the orange sky above, a violent, divine screech broke through the sky, jostling every creature on the eastern coast of Equestria from their slumber. Those few who were outside to see it couldn’t believe their eyes as a scorching red fireball rocketed forth from the distant sunrise, leaving a wake of powerful, intoxicating heat in its wake. The massive flare shot across the plains and forests without pause, targeted directly at the imposing mountain which sat in the distance.


***


Finishing her newest duty with much difficulty—in no small part due to the memories associated with the magical responsibility—Celestia turned herself around to head back into her inviting bedroom, the one place she knew she would not be interrupted as she escaped into dreamland. Just as she passed the threshold of her balcony and prepared to close the doorway, however, a violent caw jolted her to her senses and instinctively willed her to turn around to see what had cause such a heavenly outburst. As her eyes fell upon the balcony she had just seconds ago, she had to do a double take to make sure she wasn’t seeing a mirage.

Perched on the marble railing outside her bedroom was the most beautiful, majestic creature she had ever laid eyes upon. It was a tall, slender bird with plumage colored like the most vibrant of solar fires. Its pure orange eyes stared pointedly in her direction, its expertly carved blazing beak accentuating its regal appearance. Neither the bird nor the alicorn moved a muscle. The only motion coming from either of them was the quiet dance of the flames which decorated the outline of the feathered creature and went virtually unnoticed by Celestia.

After a few moments of silent shock, the vibrant animal was the first one to break the pause. “Caw?”

Pulled back to reality by the sudden, sharp noise, Celestia stared at the bird somewhat less wide-eyed as she responded. “I’m sorry, I don’t speak avian.”

Impressed at her ability to even make a joke in her current state, Celestia was utterly floored as her joke seemed to prove less funny than expected by the sound she heard next. “I apologize, I was not aware.” The voice was distinctly female, yet seemed to come from nowhere in particular and most certainly did not seem to belong to a pony of any kind.

In dumbstruck awe, Celestia stared at the only source from which the phrase could have possibly come. “You speak Equiish?”

“Not exactly, but I do have the ability to communicate telepathically in the language most familiar to the listener. It is one of the many magical talents of a phoenix, but one we do not indulge in readily.”

Not truly believing what was happening, Celestia did all she could think to do: ask questions. “What are you?”

The slender creature cocked its head swiftly. “Were you not listening? I am a phoenix.”

“I’ve never heard of such a creature,” replied the alicorn, not entirely convinced she should be having this conversation. Her grief was still pounding her mind heavily, and the only reason she was indulging in communication right now was because of the shock of exactly what she was communicating with.

“That is not surprising. We do not tend to leave our celestial haven that often, and those who do hide themselves rather well.”

Not totally content with the response, Celestia pressed further. “I’m sorry, I still don’t understand exactly what you are. Could you explain a bit more?”

“Certainly, Lady of the Sun. My kind is a race of divine celestial birds who watch over your plane of existence from our own solar domain. We have many magical talents, but we use them only out of necessity. Most of them will never be required of us, but the one we most pride ourselves on is our ability to resurrect ourselves.”

“Resurrect yourselves?”

“Indeed. As our lives progress, our feathers will fall from our bodies. Once all of our feathers have fallen, we burst into flame and become a pile of ashes. Our resurrection ability, however, allows us to rise from the ashes with all of our feathers back in place. Such is the life cycle of a phoenix.” As if on cue, a gloriously hued feather fluttered off of the bird’s body and vanished in a delicate burst of flame.

Understanding more clearly what she was dealing with, Celestia only had one other pressing question. “Why are you here?”

A moment of silence emphasized the next words spoken by phoenix. “Because you wished for it.”

Celestia understood every word she heard, but did not understand the bird’s meaning. How could she have wished for something she didn’t know to exist. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

“You have had your sister—the Lady of the Moon—taken away from you by the Lady of Nightmares, thereby leaving you stricken with grief. You desire for a lasting companion to guide you through these next thousand years, and seeing as phoenixes are immortal, I am here to fulfill that desire.”

Instantly Celestia’s expression transcended from a dull shock to a powerful seriousness. “Leave.”

“Might I ask why?”

Turning back towards the inside of her room, Celestia walked slowly towards her bed as she spoke. “No one can replace Luna.”

“I claim no such thing.”

“I wished to have Luna back, not for some feathered anomaly of nature to come in here and remind me that she’s still missing. Now get out.”

Despite the insulting treatment, the phoenix carried on in a calm, level tone. “You misunderstand me. I do not mean to replace your lost one, I know such a thing is impossible, and you will remain full of grief until she returns. However, perhaps my presence as a companion and friend will help remind you that fate is not always so cruel, and that you are not alone in your endless sufferance.”

Celestia stopped, but did not turn around. “If you mean to tell me that you share my grievances for Luna, you are sorely and rudely mistaken. Luna was all I could rely on to be there in my life, and now she’s gone for another thousand years at the very least. You have no idea how that feels.”

Unbeknownst to Celestia, the phoenix bowed her head and narrowed her eyes. Her pseudo-voice portrayed the first hint of emotion that Celestia had hear from it, and it was grim. “Do not be so quick to dismiss the experiences of others. My life is everlasting, just as much as yours is. You are not the only one to suffer under the burden of eternal loneliness.”

Expression softening, Celestia twirled around once more to look at the blazing bird. “Do you mean...”

The bird gave a firm nod. “I must confess that my reasons for seeking your companionship are not entirely selfless. We are of similar destinies, and I extend my wing to you in friendship in the hopes that it will help us both cope with the solitude of eternity.” Completing the metaphor, the phoenix raised its left wing in an unmistakable gesture towards the princess, and stared at her in silent anticipation.

Celestia locked her wide eyes on the extended appendage. “Perhaps this is what I need,” she thought to herself. “Maybe I do need a reminder, not only a reminder that I’m not truly alone, but also a reminder of things to come, and a reminder that I have loyalties to maintain to others, immortal or not.” The goddess turned her eyes to meet with the phoenix’s, and smiled. It was the first real smile she’d had in a long while, and it was well-deserved.

The alicorn walked carefully back out to the balcony, finally feeling the warmth of the bird’s aura. It was a soothing warmth, not unlike a motherly embrace. Her smile only fortified as she raised a hoof to meet the outstretched wing.

Offering the bird a perch on her back—a position the majestic creature happily took—Celestia asked a final, nagging question. “So what’s your name?”

“Powerful Love. You may call me Philomena, if you prefer.”

“Well Philomena, thank you.” Philomena nodded in response as the unlikely regal pair of creatures passed swiftly back into the castle, leaving the balcony doors open to the glorious world outside.