Author's Note

Note: the first set of dashed lines indicates the start of the time jump, the second and third sets are a pause in the time jump and the resuming of it.

Enjoy

Chapter 17: Days Turn to Weeks, Then Months, Then Years

Chapter 17: Days Turn to Weeks, Then Months, Then Years

Tristan

When we arrived back at Canterlot, one of Nightmare’s appointed officials met us to talk about the events since our absence. All in all not much besides outrageous demands made by the nobles and a few basic concerns that could be taken care of easily enough by local guards. I looked at Nightmare, “So back to the usual grind hmm?” Nightmare just sighed and nodded.

Nightmare took her position on the throne and I got back to training the guards making the day quite uneventful. So I decided to see Celestia. She quickly took notice when I entered the room “So what brings you here?”

I shrugged, “Boredom, I’m a soldier so when everything is calm I have nothing to do besides train the guards and practice with Tacet Nox. Might as well learn to be decent with a blade of this age. So how about you?”

“I’m fine, I have just been reading some books from my personal collection.” Celestia replied neutrally as she peeked up from her book

I saw that facade break for a second making the bags under her eyes more noticeable and a certain mix of sadness, anger and fear evident in her eyes.

“I rather doubt that, something has you upset.”

Celestia put her book to the side and was about to protest before a wave of sadness seemed to wash over her and she tilted her head down, “I could not fend off those stallions' with my magic drained. Me, the solar princess with the power to raise the sun itself, and even worshiped by some ponies, could not fight off a few stallions.” Celestia broke down into tears every memory of that moment played in her head. “If It weren't for you they could have killed me, and I was powerless.”

Celestia just hugged me and sobbed, seeming not to care that I was in armor. It was sad to see the very same woman that fought me once, broken down in tears. “Don’t worry they won’t do anything to you ever again.” I said in a weak attempt to comfort Celestia, though it seemed it worked at least in part. Part of me wondered why I did this, by all rights she was my enemy, a prisoner but then I reminded myself that nobody deserved what she had done to her.

We eventually parted ways wishing each other well. I walked back to my room to rest after such a long few days. I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes, Sleep soon overtaking me.

My dreams were uneventful and the days of training troops and doing a mission or appearance with Nightmare here and there started to bleed into each other as they turned to weeks and eventually months and before I knew it Nightmare had been on the throne for two years. Two years of relatively quiet rule. Most of the protests calmed down after a year and no sign of any drastic change to the ponies' daily lives causing them to lose the wind in their sails.

The military was much better trained than it had been in years under Celestia’s rule and a couple of improvements on the equipment were made by Nightmare’s request, putting the Equestrian Military on par technologically with other kingdoms . Like better armor, the introduction of a magic based musket even if some other countries had black powder based ones for a while now. Even improvements to the Navy’s water and air based ships. Though it seemed I still could not get the herd mindset trained out much to my dismay.

After a year when the first few batches of recruits finished training, I was able to let others do the work of training, letting me focus on military actions and even create a special operations group like I had when I fought alongside Discord.

It was also when I fulfilled my Promise to Chrysalis after so long. I said I would tear her hive apart if she betrayed me like she did and I always kept my promises. Suffice to say the operation was approved and the first bit of action tasted by my newly made special operations group, and they performed spectacularly.

Once spies found the hive Chrysalis was located in, it was not long till we attacked. Like promise, her hive was in ruins with Chrysalis’ dead body before me. Her army gave up soon after that and the next in line King Thorax surrendered to us. We escorted him to Canterlot and some political negotiations later the rest of the hive was free to go if they were willing to become Equestrian citizens under the condition that if in disguise then they had to have at least one distinct feature that put them apart from other ponies. Nightmare even let King Thorax become the political representative of all changeling citizens in Equestria, with an official baronship, land, and a seat in the circle of Nobles

Nightmare and I were close friends and allies and she would talk about her days to me and I would talk about mine, sometimes even walking about after day court. Then we would both be on our way to continue our respective duties.

As for the relationship between myself and Celestia became that of close friends over the course of months, however Celestia seemed to want to make it more. I ignored the advances knowing I could never return the feelings. Though months of ignoring advances lead to the dreaded point of Celestia telling me directly.

Tristan

One year three months since Nightmare Moon’s coup

I was visiting Celestia Like I always did and like most visits we talked and vented. Though this time she requested to let her walk in the gardens under my supervision. Finding nothing wrong with the request I gave her my approval and I led her there.

The gardens were in sight when she spoke up. “It sure is nice out you should rid yourself of the armor, it’s not like you're defenseless without it.”

I shrugged as I thought about the idea, it was not the first time she requested such a thing and not the first time I had done it around her and though it was like a second skin sometimes it is nice to be able to feel the wind a bit through the under armor. So with a thought I activated the spell and the armor vanished into whatever place it went to when it was not on me. “Are they happy?”

Celestia nodded, “Yes I am quite happy.” Celestia leaned on me a little and I just let it happen seeing no real harm in it.

It was about five minutes later that Celestia led us to a part of the gardens with a nice bench overlooking the entirety of Canterlot and we both sat down. “I always liked coming here every night I could during Luna’s banishment, a reminder of what happened and because I just liked how relaxing it was at night. The city rests with a few walking about here and there.”

Celestia leaned into me some more, the suspicions of her feelings towards me rising up once again.

“I just wanted to share this little place with you and….” Celestia paused a small tinge of red on her cheeks as Celestia seemed to be searching for the words to say. “I wanted to admit something.”

I motioned for Celestia to go on dreading what was to come and my inevitable reply.

Celestia took a deep breath, “I think I might have feelings for you, maybe even love you either way I want to know if you might feel the same way.”

Celestia looked at me expectantly, I just sighed, “I’m sorry but I don’t and I doubt I ever will.” I sighed, “I have been fighting battles and wars for too long and for half of my memories I was fighting enemy troops as early as fourteen. Even if I consider the half of my memories of a young man that got sucked here I still have been in so much fighting for so long.”

I looked at the ground for a moment gathering my thoughts while Celestia was on the verge of tears. “Sometimes I wonder if I even qualify as human, I follow orders, fight, kill and move to the next battle almost mechanically. Part of me says that is not normal or a good thing then what seems to be the dominant part of my being since I came here tells me it is normal that it is just what I do. I wish that I could feel more than just pity, a bit of sadness and some anger when I watch someone under my command die. The best I manage is frustration and anger if I fail a mission.”

I bitterly laughed. “Funny thing is if I was around my family or the others of Blue Team maybe I would be less detached. As your friend I hope you find that one person that feels special to you but I’m not the one, I’m sorry.”

The walk back was quiet and I walked away from her room hearing her cry on her bed.

Celestia and I did not talk to me much more than necessary after that and that was only during the few times I would even see her. Even now I wish that day could have gone differently, or that by some miracle I could feel actual love or even lust. I had always liked talking to Celestia and Nightmare. It made me feel human again if only for a moment and now I lost connection to one of two people that let me feel that way.

It would be nine months later that Nightmare and I would find out we missed one big detail about the Elements of Harmony, and that our prisoners had devised just the plan to overthrow Nightmare.