Chapter 9 - Explanations and Understandings

Twilight could not fathom what she had just heard. She was now forced to swallow the news that her once great magical teacher, was now a heartless monster.

Twilight didn't want to believe Solar Eclipse's story. She couldn't, because there were just too many questions, and contradictions in his story.

"Wait wait wait...so, Celestia held you in the dungeon for one hundred years, and Luna never noticed? How could she not be aware of your disappearance, when you said she was one of the few friends you had, besides Discord that is. Plus, how was Discord your magic tutor, sense he used to be a major threat to Equestria? And if all of this happened, and you 'claim' Celestia wiped your memory, how in Tartarus did you get your memory back?!"

Solar Eclipse looked up from the fire he had been watching while recalling his life, and noticed that Twilight was breathing heavily. He supposed that was from the news about Celestia, but he chose not to push his boundaries.

"Calm down, Twilight. I supposed my history wasn't exactly completed. Besides, some of those questions should be asked of a different pony." Solar said, waving his hoof for exaggeration, followed be a long stare at Luna, who was also looking into the flames of the roaring fire.

Luna was lost in her own world of thought, so much so that she hadn't even realized the discussion had started up again. She only realized that something was wrong, when she felt like she was being watched. She turned her gaze from the fire to the direction of the stare, and locked eyes with Solar.

The cave around them was pitch black now, but the fire still lit up the parts of them that faced the flames. Luna opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped by a lump in her throat when she saw the face of her brother, eyes reflecting blue light into her eyes.

To any other pony, Solar would have looked totally calm, and content in his current state, but Luna saw a whole different situation. His eyes, they were powered by sadness, and filled with sorrow. His entire being was pleading for redemption from the terror and fear, he felt deep inside every day. His eyes being locked with Luna's, poured every emotion that he held deep within his mind, directly into hers.

Luna could feel tears forming in her eyes, but she quickly closed them and turned her face back towards the fire. She felt so horrible for not being there for her brother whom she had loved with all of her heart, but at the time she was too busy with reestablishing her and Celestia's rule, to even realize his disappearance.

Luna was completely overwhelmed with guilt. She opened her eyes to speak, permitting a few tears to roll down her cheeks. "I...I don't know what happened. I was so busy with repairing the kingdom that I hadn't noticed your disappearance. If I had known what was happening, I would have stopped Celestia. Torturing is one of the highest crimes in Equestria, next to murder. However, the punishment is more severe for nobility, but...the punishment is royal execution." Luna sighed and looked at Solar again. "I know now what has to be done, but I also realize that, she had to have done it without anypony knowing at all, otherwise she would have been caught long ago."

Twilight gasped,"b-but, do...do we...how do we know he's telling the truth?"

Twilight was switching glances between both Luna and Solar, waiting for one of them to respond. Neither of them said anything to answer. However, Twilight's fears were confirmed when she looked back to Luna for the fifth time, and flinched, when she locked eyes with Luna, who looked like an emotional war was going on inside of her, but her face portrayed nothing but utter sadness.

Twilight sighed, "so you believe him then."

Luna slowly nodded, never taking her eyes from Twilight's.

"Okay then. I suppose it does make sense, but...I still want my questions answered." Twilight finished looking to Solar Eclipse.

"I do owe you that much." Solar responded. He looked back into the flames of the fire."The only reason I was able to make it back to Equestria, was because Discord had somehow managed to learn of my banishment. As to why he was my magic tutor, Discord was a nice being. Believe it or not, he was highly respected among the Canterlot nobility, and also highly regarded as one of the most magic prevalent beings in Equestria.

Being my tutor, and one of my closest friends, he quickly rushed to find me. He told me that he found me sitting in the middle of the badlands, staring at the ground. He tired to talk to me, and ask me questions, but he said that I had complete amnesia, and could not recall a second of my life.

Discord was extremely furious about what had transpired between me and Celestia, and devised a plan to punish her, but only after I was back inside the Equestrian border. During our travel back, he gave me an updated map of Equestria, and helped me increase my powers so that I could face Celestia. I would ask him everyday if he thought I was ready, and every day he would tell me I'd know when the time came. After two years of roaming Equestria, Discord went off to start his plan, only to never return to me. I later found out that he attacked Canterlot, and took control of Equestria for a time.

Being alone to wander Equestria was horrifying. I didn't sleep for months. I was so afraid of finding Celestia around every corner, or right over the next hill. One night I was so horrified of being alone that I slept in a barn with chickens and pigs. Apparently I made a lot of noise, because the caretaker came out in the middle of the night, and said she found me shivering, and holding myself. She was so nice to me, that she spent the entire night in the barn with me, keeping me company.

It was the first real compassion that had been given to me for over one hundred years before then. It gave me a new outlook. I didn't need the kingdom to have ponies love me, I just needed friends, who were understanding. I lived with the farmer until she died forty years later. She actually gave me the deed to her home, and I cloaked it with an invisibility ward. I was free to live for one thousand years, all while making friends in towns, and increasing my magical ability. Eventually I was able to sleep again, but only while having nightmares.

After a few hundred years the nightmares stopped, and I was comfortable with my solitude. Only last year did I decide that I was ready to face Celestia again. Nothing major happened, to tell me I was ready, which makes me question Discords suggestion. However, once I found this cave, I could see Canterlot, and it brought back the nightmares and loneliness. One day I decided to cloak myself and visit Canterlot.

I actually made it a decent way into Canterlot, before I accidentally entered the castle and got lost. I ended up in Celestia's bedroom. I was looking around when she entered, so I hid. She eventually went to sleep, but I decided to pay her back the sleepless nights by keeping her awake.

My confidence also increased substantially , so I eventually started my return by creating the solar eclipse in the sky."

Solar finished his second story telling session, looking to Twilight, for any indication as to how she felt. Twilight was expressionless, simply copying the duo before her, and looking into the fire while she tried to organize her thoughts and emotions.

Luna was the first to speak. "So now you are here to make friends, and be loved again like you were those many years ago."

"Exactly, there is no throne stealing involved." Solar replied.

"But Celestia needs to be punished, and your story needs to be brought to the attention of the nobles." Twilight added.

"If only that didn't include a royal execution." Luna sighed.

"I think she deserves it." Twilight said quickly.

Both Solar and Luna looked at Twilight in pure shock.

"Well, she obviously doesn't deserve to rule from the simple fact that she almost killed you to get your powers, for her own selfish needs. Plus, like you said Luna, torture is punishable by death, and if Celestia has taught me anything, its that actions have consistencies. I think we should make her eat her words." Twilight said, stomping her hoof on the solid cave floor.

"I expected you to jump to the defense of your teacher, Twilight." Solar said, still staring at Twilight.

Twilight stood and looked directly into Solar's eyes. "Anypony heartless, and cruel enough to almost murder their own flesh and blood brother, simply to absorb their power for their own selfish greed, is no pony I want to be associated with, and is the most evil possible pony in the world, in my book." Twilight looked back into the fire. "Celestia has to die."

Author's Note

I hate to say this, but I have come to the general conclusion, that no one is really interested in this story, but I don't blame anyone. It honestly is bad. I have been reading a ton of other fimfiction stories, and mine is just bad. The emotional description and attachments just aren't there, but I don't know how to do it better. I am really bad with description of characters and settings. I don't put enough detail into things that I should. I have tried to fix these issues before, and I just don't know how.

Also a lack of any feedback whatsoever has been extremely demotivating. I do want this story to evolve into a trilogy, but if it doesn't turn out good in the end, I'm just going to scrap the whole idea. It is fun writing, but I see no point in writing something no one is interested in.

The rest of the story is gonna go how it goes, I have two paths i could take to end it, one being extremely short and the other being rather long. I will decided soon as to what I will do. Heck, I'm not even sure if anyone reads these author notes i leave.

Oh well, this will probably be the last AN i make.
~signing out
BattleMaestro

Thanks for reading :)