Caelum Per Infernum

She looked at herself in the mirror, taking note of the crust dotting the pits of her eyes and her listless gaze. A single candle flickered on top of the dresser, doing its best to highlight her more elegant features and bring warmth to the bedroom, but it just made her notice a thin sheen of dust wafting in front of its flame. She glanced aside for a moment to see a single window in the reflection, sitting squished up near the ceiling on the opposite wall, shuttered close and leaving the room to shadows. The candle tried its best to combat this, but all it could do was color her snow-white fur and scintillate her magenta eyes.

Her horn lit up with a pale gold aura and lifted a simple hairbrush to her mane, running it through the lengthy pink strands and undoing all its tangles. All the while she kept her gaze impassive, looking into the mirror as if in a staring contest with herself. Her tongue felt heavy and stale, just like the stuffy air. The sounds of birds chirping, the neighbors coming to life, and the occasional muffled word from a voice unseen hung in the atmosphere. She could hear a carriage bounce along the cobblestone streets outside on occasion, and then off in the far distance the unforgettable chime of the town’s clock tower sounded.

An annoyed groan followed soon thereafter—right on cue—and it brought a smile to her stiff features. Her eyes twitched to the side in the mirror, watching a blanketed mass toss and turn in her bed. The bulge kicked out suddenly and then unceremoniously rolled off the bed, collapsing onto the stone floor with a heavy thump and a surprised squeal.

“Luna,” she said, withholding her amusement. “It’s time to wake up.”

Luna snorted. “I am up,” came the lethargic reply. Luna fumbled around in the blankets until she freed herself and then sat up straight. Her light blue mane was a disheveled mess, falling completely over the front of her face. She shook her head out of it and blinked up at her sister, sitting a short distance away in front of the mirror.

“Did you sleep well?” Celestia asked, now turning to brush out her tail.

“As well as ever,” Luna mumbled and stood up, popping her joints in the process and stretching her wings. She wandered over to the single window and opened the shutters, flooding the room with a dull gray light as she peeked outside. “The sun hasn’t come up yet,” she said with a hint of optimism. “We’ve got perhaps another hour at most before it starts to get busy.”

“That’s plenty of time,” Celestia replied and set the hairbrush down on the dresser. She then stood up as well and walked the short distance to the window, taking a quick look outside herself.

She could hear last night’s rainwater running through the gutter right in front of them. The cobblestone street was just a little bit lower than the bottom of the window, and thankfully it was completely bare. Stonework buildings protruded from the ground completely cold and lightless. There was a thin fog which made vision difficult beyond a hundred meters, and a very light mist lingered in the air—she could see it passing in front of the few lanterns that were still lit. Winter was in full swing, and yet the town hadn’t experienced any snow yet, which was a bit unfortunate. Not only did she think the snow added a beautiful aesthetic to this dreary village, but ponies tended not be out in it so much in the cold.

After Celestia got her eyeful she stepped down from the perch and realized Luna had already left. She looked back across their single room apartment and saw her sister standing before the dresser mirror, furiously trying to get the tangles out of her own mane. Looking at her this way, it was no wonder why they were often described as twins even though they born years apart. Despite Celestia being just a little bit taller, they were nearly the same height, and as Luna finished grooming her mane, their hair was nearly identical too. The only real differences between them then were their colors and their cutie marks. Not to mention behavior, obviously.

Luna squeaked as she pulled on a particularly tough knot in her tail.

Celestia snickered to herself and walked over to the door, taking her heavy overcoat up off the wall and quickly slipping it over herself. “I’m going to go get ourselves some breakfast,” she said as she buttoned it up and reached for her nearby scarf. “I was thinking toast and perhaps some tea. Do you have any requests?”

“That sounds fine,” Luna said and continued to fight with the hairbrush. “Don’t be out too long, however. Remember what happened last time?”

“I remember,” Celestia replied with a faint sigh as she made sure the warm scarf sat comfortably around her neck. She felt her throat clench momentarily and she loosened it a little bit more.

“Best of luck today, sister,” Luna chimed.

“Thank you, Luna,” Celestia said before she slowly opened the front door. The rusted hinges creaked on its old frame, and as soon as a pale shard of light bore down on her, she was immediately hit with a sharp gust of wind. She gritted her teeth, threw the overcoat’s hood over herself, scrunched her shoulders and then stepped out onto the wooden walkway of the apartment complex.

This particular terrace stood over a small plaza, with misshapen cobblestone for ground and a weathered stone fountain marking the centerpiece. The fountain may have dried up long ago but the whole area was dampened from last night’s rain. What few trees there were stood tall and lanky like skeletons, a select few still reaching for the overcast sky while most resigned to bend forlornly towards the earth. Dead vegetation stuck to the cobblestone and that made the already uneven surface even more precarious. The whole complex itself was in a state of disrepair, which Celestia could measure just by shifting her weight, but she made note of a few new balusters missing from the railings and some stones having fallen off the walls. The whole walkway looped around the inside of the complex, all save the side to her left, where a story below her sat a simple arch: the only entrance to this secluded nook in the densely packed village.

“Good day, Celestia,” came a voice to her right. She turned her head slightly and saw two old figures sitting outside their apartment, smothered in blankets and happily enjoying each other’s comfort.

Celestia gave them a small nod. “Rose. Golden. Good morning to you too.”

The one named Rose smiled up at her, bags hanging under her passionate eyes. “Every day is a good day so long as we see your smiling face,” she said, her voice frail yet hearty all the same.

“I could say the same about you,” Celestia replied with a wink and adjusted her hood. “Anything exciting going on?”

“Enjoying life, breathing fresh air,” answered Golden, his horn poking out from beneath is raggedy mane. One of the old stallion’s wings stretched out and drew his wife in a little bit closer. “Same old, same old. How about you now, dear? I know you’re more in touch with the outside world than we old folks are.”

To that, Celestia hummed. “It’s been real quiet, actually. Though, I know the Daffodilia is having a sale on baked goods, and with the way the economy is, that’s just what we need here. I’ve also heard rumors that a small group of Lightning was seen across the mountains a week ago, but that’s quite some ways away. But that’s about it.”

“We should go get some pastries sometime,” Rosen said to her side and nudged her husband. “Though, I do hope that terrible rumor you’ve heard is just that. Lightning is the last thing this town needs.”

“What this town needs is a confident mayor,” quipped Golden. “But at any rate, I’m sure you’ve got somewhere to be, so don’t let us hold you up! It’s been a pleasure talking with you, Celestia.”

“Every moment with you is a special one,” Rose added, her smile undying. “I don’t know how you keep your back straight in these tough times, but you’ve got a warmth all your own that’s just an absolute pleasure to be around.”

A gust of wind reddened Celestia’s cheeks, but she knew she was already blushing. “Thank you, you two,” she said, taking her first steps towards the staircase. “It always brightens my day to see ponies like yourselves in such good health.”

“Tell your sister we said hello!” Rose called after her. “And be sure to have an eventful day, Celestia!”

“But not too eventful!” added Golden, and the last thing Celestia heard was their quiet laughter. But their warm sound was soon overrun by the din of her hooves, the whistling wind in her ears, and the drone of running water.

She lifted her scarf over her muzzle, pulled her coat a little tighter, and descended the staircase into the small plaza below. And as Celestia made her way into town, the distant echo of the old couple’s gentle laughter seemed like it could lift the fog surrounding her. An unseen smile spread across her lips, and feeling the weight in her pockets, she trudged onward down the empty streets.