Shadows of War

Twilight would sit in the Sky Garden every morning and look out into the mist. The mist was always thick and hid anything beyond the mountain. Morning, evening or night the mist remained, never once fading. It had to be a spell of some kind, Twilight knew but she couldn't understand why someone would want to keep up the spell.

The Sky Garden hung off the side of the Sanctum and was one of the few places one could fly. There were clouds for resting and looking up at the sky. Twilight would spend hours on the clouds reading, or at night making maps of the stars.

Some days she would spend time in the west wing and the library. other in the east wing with studying the artwork. Some of the art was of battles, other peaceful scenes of lakes, fields, and mountains. A few times she had stayed in her room and write out what she had learned that day or letters she wanted to send. It was there she learned she needed to work on her writing without the aid of magic.

Twilight quickly learned that despite being able to hold a small army in its walls, the Sanctum was near-abandoned. There were rooms filled with dust, with linen covering all the furniture. Her chambers had been like that, and when she had pulled the linen cover away, it had sent nearly millennium of dust into the air. Thankfully she found that her room had a window, however, opening it sent more dust into the air.

She closed the book she was reading as she heard the heavy hoofs of Archangel. It was strange to see him when he wasn't trying to remove the mark from her leg. Twilight flew down to where he was; Archangel paid her no mind as he looked out into the mist. Twilight tried to see what he was looking at, but all she saw was the endless mist. "peacefully isn't?" Archangel asked.

"In away, but it would be nice to see the land beyond."

Archangel glanced at her. "For you aye, for me it only a reminder of pain and failure."

Should I ask? Twilight thought for some time, knowing that she may not get a chance again. "Why is that?"

Archangel turned back to face the fog, for a long time he said nothing. "You have seen what lies on the other side of the mist, all the ruins, and monster in pony skins. Would you not want to hide it from your sight?" He spoke at last.

"Yes, but that wouldn't help my subjects or my kingdom," Twilight replied.

A sad smile found its way onto Archangel's face. "Your right in that; but my kingdom is better off with me leaving it be. I have fought wars, ordered the construction of castles, cities, temples and raised armies, appointed lords. Now outlaws claim ancient castles, cities are ruled by the unjust, I damned the souls of a whole legion. Oh, and those lords that I appointed are bandits in robes of silk."

"You could have turned to Celestia for help she could..."

"Could have what, done better? Show me the error of my ways? I say not, Celestia was blessed with a land of milk and honey. A land full of ponies that love her, rivals that admire her. Oh, she had her enemies but they are few, mine are many and not all of them are in plain sight." Archangel cut her off. He seemed to linger on a thought, as he waited for Twilight to respond.

What does he have against Celestia? Twilight wondered. This was nothing new, any time she brought up Celestia, Archangel would brush her off, or call her 'Celestia's Brood. The two were older then Equestria and knew spells, knowledge, and secrets that Twilight would have loved to learn. "Do you hate Celestia?"

"I..." Archangel seemed at a loss for words. "No, I don't hate her, part of me admired her at one time." He sighed, "Celestia has had an easy reign next to mine which leads my sin of envy. How nice it must have been to have even your enemies to respect you."

Twilight bit her lip as she thought, she knew Celestia reign had been anything but easy. "Her rule has not been easy, she had to face the might of King Sombra, the madness of Discord, the armies of griffins, the swarms of the changelings, lived in fear of the Dragon Lord, and banish her sister to the moon for a thousand years. So what part of that was easy."

Twilight had thought to see something in Archangel's eyes, anger, regret or anything. However, all she saw was nothing. "I concede to you those points, yet I wonder what would have happened if she was forced to live with King Sombra always at her door, or forced to kill her sister, or if her armies were in ruins and she was forced to damn them to save her ponies?"

"I don't know, but I believe she would have kept to her faith in harmony, in her ponies and herself," Twilight replied.

Archangel stood and muttered something to himself, "I'll tend to the mark at nightfall." He said before he left Twilight in the Sky Garden.

With little else to do, Twilight turned to study the three iron ponies that dwelled in the Sanctum. Old River was the one she saw the most of. He would tend to the rooms that were in use and seemed to liked having Twilight about the Sanctum. The other two were named Firesoul and Obsidianwing.

Firesoul had a garden he tended to, which was colorful. Roses of many colors, grass of the purest green, and soft, well-trimmed hedges, and an apple tree that had the sweetest apples that Twilight had ever had. Firesoul seemed friendly, but Twilight wasn't sure if that was just her projecting emotions on them or if they truly felt.

Obsidianwing would disappear for hours each day, and always came back with some new, sometimes it was a rock, other a piece of fabric. Twilight would often wait and see what Obsidianwing's prize of the day would be.

Twilight was never sure if any of the iron ponies were male or female. She had started taking note of how each acts, hoping to learn. Twilight knew fall well she could ask Archangel but that would just remove one of the few things she could do.

Near nightfall, Twilight was happily reading books in the library. Today she had picked to read myths and legends of many nations, some she had heard of before others were new. She had thought about picking something on history or magic, but she needed something to take her mind off the world. That and she had found that some myths hold truths. As she could still recall how Luna had faded into myth and legend.

Twilight would glance at her leg every now and then, sometimes she would try and find what each symbol on the mark meant. So far if there was a book or scroll on those symbols she had yet to find it. She knew that Archangel most have a forbidden library, which she doubted she would ever see. That didn't stop her from looking through Celestia's collection of tomes and scrolls in the off-limits part of the Castle library.

The mark was well below her knee now, sometimes Twilight thought she could see scars were it had been. However, when she looked closer there were none at all. She still had odd thoughts now and then, but the visits from Veritas still came in the dead of night. Twilight was still unsure if they were dreams or the spirit of a pony. She wanted to believe it was a spirit,
as how else would she have known that Archangel could remove the mark.

She had not asked Archangel if he had ever known a pony by the name of Veritas. Every time he came to work his magic in removing the mark Twilight wanted to ask. However, she would remain silent fearing that Archangel would either call her mad or not believe her. Twilight needed to steel herself and just ask, as the question burning in the back of her mind.

Twilight waited in the library for Archangel, tonight she would ask him about Veritas. She had read a few books while she waited, but she felt uneasy. The doors opened and her host entered. He wordless set about his task, his soft golden magic burning away the red mark. Without glancing up, "Do you want to know what set Celestia and I as odd with one another?" He asked.

Yes, but I need to ask about Veritas. Twilight thought. "Yes."

"It was about a thousand years ago when her sister rose up and locked away. It reeked of Devights to me, after all a Nightmare. Anyway, Celestia thought I could help her, however, she didn't like what I told her." Archangel said not once glancing up at Twilight.

"What did you tell her?"

"Simple that I would help her summon the monster back and we would slay it. Needless to say, she was less than happy with that."

No wonder he wanted to kill Luna even though they could have saved her. "Well, you did tell her to kill her sister, which friends and I saved."

"Aye, and if you had failed? How many would have died to stop her, and are you sure that is truly Luna or something playing the role of her?" Archangel shook his head. "Celestia put too much faith in those Elemental of Harmony."

"You would have done the same if you had a sibling. Even if it was only a hope that you could have saved them." Twilight said without thinking.

Archangel didn't speak he just looked at the mark, he didn't move just sat there. Twilight could see something in his eyes, it was a deep sadness mixed with rage, anger, and pain. After a felt like an hour he started to work his spell again. "Did I ever tell you one of my greatest failings? Of course not only Silverfire knows. Well, you say I would have done the same, would have risked the lives of countless on just a hope." There was an anger in his voice. "I... I killed the demon that wore the skin of my dear sweet sister, then I wipe her name form every book and scroll, from every tale that the bards sing."

Does he mean Veritas? Twilight felt a pit in her stomach. "I'm sorry I..."

"Of course you didn't know, not even your dear sweet Celestia knows. Oh, and let us not forget the spell I worked that night that truly burned my soul, the Guardians." Archangel had not once looked at her while he talked. "So go ahead call me what Celestia will once you tell her, as I know you will. Kinslayer."

Archangel had finished his spell, and Twilight could think of anything to say. Archangel stood and headed for the door without a word. He never once looked at Twilight as he shut the door and headed for central wings of the Sanctum. Once there Twilight knew he would lock himself behind the great oak doors, only to come out to work on removing the mark.

Which left Twilight to wait for whenever that would be. So she turned to the books and scroll the older the better. She knew that Archangel couldn't have wiped all mention of his sister from history, and she was going to find it. Every yellow tome and scroll could hold what she was seeking. If I can learn what happened then maybe I can help, but he has had a long time to wipe his library clean and I don't know Sliverfire. I could see if Old River, Firesoul, or Obsidianwing could send a message to him. They seemed to have free will. Twilight still wasn't sure if they did or not, but she hoped they did.