Broken Sun
Chapter 1 of 4: Sundown
by Jonathan “KnightMysterio” Spires
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Canterlot Castle...
Night...
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“Tiring...” Luna said, yawning as she finished raising the moon.
“We have been a bit busy today, haven't we?” Celestia said, chuckling.
Luna smiled. “Actually, considering you've been having me raise and lower the sun as well as handle the moon and stars for the past month, today's been pretty light. No political business,” she said.
Celestia shrugged. “Even I need a break sometimes,” she said. “I cleared our schedule so I could help you with this.”
Luna nuzzled her happily. “I'm definitely appreciative for the opportunity,” she said. “I've always wondered what it was like to raise the sun. But why now, of all times?”
“Why not?” Celestia countered. “Can't a big sister just randomly do something nice for her little sister?”
Luna grinned. “I'm not complaining. It's just... I'm glad to spend time with you, is all... I do have a thousand years to make up for,” she said.
Celestia flinched, her smile turning a bit sad. “I'm sorry I did that to you, Luna,” she said.
Luna sighed. “It was as much my fault as it was yours,” she said. “I should have tried to talk to you instead of just hiding away and grumbling.”
Celestia kissed her on the forehead. “It's okay... I was an arrogant prat back then... but it's all over now. You're here now, and the ponies love you like they should.”
Luna smiled, looking out over the city. She started to say something, but then let out a yawn.
Celestia chuckled. “You're tired,” she said. “Go to sleep.”
Luna yawned again. “That'd be for the best, I think,” she said. She chuckled, and added, “See you later?”
“Of course,” Celestia lied. “Rest. Everything will be all right.”
Luna smiled, and yawned again, heading off for bed. Celestia sighed, smiling, and went to attend to her other guest. She found Twilight Sparkle in the library, passed out in a pile of books, most of them about Equestrian law. The Sun Princess picked up the various notes Twilight had made and grinned.
“Finally, someone figures out the tax code,” she said quietly, not wanting to wake her former student. All of the notes Twilight had written down were ideas for benefiting Equestria as a whole, most of them good ones. And to her credit, Twilight had crossed out or scribbled over ideas that wouldn't have worked.
Celestia gently kissed Twilight on the forehead, the smaller alicorn stirring a little in her sleep and smiling. “I'm so proud of you,” Celestia said softly. “You saved my sister. You saved Sunset Shimmer. You and your friends have saved Equestria so many times, and helped teach menaces like Discord and Starlight Glimmer the value of friendship.”
She gently picked up Twilight, teleporting with her to her room, where Spike and Starlight Glimmer were already resting. She gently lay her student in her bed, tucking her in fondly. “You will be fine, my wonderful student,” Celestia said softly. “You are strong, and can overcome anything.”
She trotted out of Twilight's room, sighing fondly. She noticed a light on, and went towards it. To her surprise, she found Prince Blueblood in one of the offices going through some paperwork.
“You're up awfully late,” Celestia said, smiling at her nephew.
The prince jumped, startled. “Oh! Auntie Tia, I didn't hear you come in,” he said.
Celestia smirked. “You'd be surprised at how stealthy I can be,” she said. “What are you up to?”
“Oh you know me, Auntie,” Blueblood said, puffing his chest out. “Looking for excuses to raise taxes on the commoners so I can fund my latest frivolous purchase.”
Celestia poked him. “We're not in public, Bluey. You don't have to pretend to be pompous like you do to scare off the gold diggers and fairy tale seekers,” she said.
Blueblood relaxed.. “Sorry, sorry. It's become a reflex at this point,” he said. “I'm just going over some old laws. Some of the Barons have been talking about possibly reinstating prima nocta.”
Celestia gagged. “Again? You'd think after nine hundred and ninety years of trying they'd get the hint that I will never allow it,” she said.
Blueblood nodded. “I'm just going over the laws again to see if there's any loopholes I missed,” he said. “The proposal is being brought up in a few days.”
Celestia smiled. “You have plenty of time to research, then,” she said. “Go. Sleep.”
Blueblood frowned a little. “If you're sure...”
“Sleepy research leads to mistakes,” Celestia said. “Go. I trust you will do the right thing. And aside from the Gala that one year, you've never disappointed me yet.”
Blueblood grimaced. “You're never going to let me hear the end of that, are you?” he said. “To be fair, she was acting just like one of the 'fairy tale seekers' you mentioned earlier.”
Celestia poked him again. “I expect you to be able to recognize a national hero when you see her. She's been in the papers,” she said.
“Ah, but Auntie,” Blueblood said, smirking, “I'm Prince Blueblood. Why should I ever read a commoner publication?”
Celestia rolled her eyes, chuckling. “Sleep. Your research will be there in the morning,” she said.
Blueblood looked at the books and notes, and sighed, yawning. “Well... I suppose so,” he said. “Good night, Auntie. Pleasant dreams.”
He trotted off. Celestia smiled, bookmarking his place in the books and bundling up his notebooks for tonight. “My nephew. You are wise. You will be an excellent leader,” Celestia said confidently. “Soon, you will not have to pretend to be a fop.”
She walked through the castle, taking in everything. She admired the moonlight as it came through the stained glass windows, admired how peaceful the castle seemed at night.
Soon, she would be at peace as well, she thought, heading for her room.
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Elsewhere...
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In the guest quarters of the castle, the visiting Dragon Lord Ember woke up, a biological urge forcing her awake.
“Gotta pee,” she muttered sleepily. “Knew I shouldn't have had so many of those salted emerald pretzels at dinner...”
She made her way to the bathroom, relieved herself, washed her hands and started back. As she did, though, she got lost.
“How do ponies keep track of so many rooms?” she muttered. “This is why dragons live in caves.” Ember shook her head. Still, she couldn't help but like them. They'd treated her kindly since she came for the trade conference with the dragon lands. She assumed that they were so kind to her because she wasn't as big and scary as her dad (yet), but that didn't bother her.
Honestly, she was kind of liking this friendship thing. Maybe there was something to it, anyway.
As she tried to work her way back to the guest quarters, she spotted Celestia as she entered her quarters, dismissing her guards for the night. They looked surprised at this, but complied, leaving Celestia alone.
“...Odd,” Ember said after a moment. “You'd think she'd keep them around just so she wouldn't be disturbed.”
She knew she should just leave, but her curiosity was overwhelming her. Slowly, carefully, she made her way over to Princess Celestia's room, peering inside. As she did, she came upon her as she was writing a letter.
“...and it is my hope you will all understand why I feel I have to do this. My final instructions are enclosed within the second note. I love you all, and I know you will be fine without me. With love, Celestia,”
Ember blinked, confused. Something felt off, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Celestia smiled, rolling up the note and sealing it with wax. She then pulled open a drawer on her dresser and pulled out a long, golden knife.
Ember blinked, recognizing the knife. Her father had one just like it in his hoard. It was designed to kill immortal beings...
SWEET MERCIFUL TIAMAT THAT WAS A SUICIDE NOTE SHE WAS WRITING! Ember realized, to her growing horror.
Celestia, holding the knife in her magic, brought it up to her throat. “With this... Equestria is freed of my incompetence...”
Before she could cut, however, Ember ran in and grabbed Celestia's horn, disrupting her magic. The godslayer knife dropped to the floor with a clatter.
“Dragon Lord Ember?!” Celestia said, startled. “Why are you here!?”
“Please,” Ember said, “don't do this! You're better than this, I know it!”
Celestia tried to flare her horn's magic, but Ember, despite her size, still had a dragon's strength. “Let me go,” Celestia said firmly.
“Not until you promise me that you aren't going to kill yourself!” Ember insisted, frightened.
Celestia shook her head. “No... No, I have to do this! I've made so many mistakes, but everything is place now! Equestria can run without me!”
Ember shook her head. “What about your family!?” she shouted.
Celestia tried flaring her horn again, raising her body's temperature to levels that would scald a pony's skin. For Ember, all it did was make her feel a little bit warm. Desperately, Celestia tried to pick up the knife with her hooves, Ember kicking the knife away and getting on Celestia's back, putting her in a chokehold and wrapping her tail around the nearby bed, keeping her from going after the knife.
“Let me go!” Celestia screamed in growing panic. “I have to die! Equestia isn't safe as long as I'm alive, let me die, let me die, LET ME DIE, LET ME DIE!!!!”
The two guards from before came back, to find their leader in distress.
“EMBER! LET ME GO!! LET ME DIE, I HAVE TO DIE, LET ME GO!!!!” Celestia screamed, slowly tugging the bed towards the knife despite Ember's deathgrip on her.
The guards just stared, shocked by their leader's words.
“I...” one guard stammered.
“What... What is...” the other guard stammered.
“GET LUNA!” Ember roared. “I can't hold her forever!” When the guards just stood there, she bellowed. “GO!!!”
The two guards nearly fell over themselves running away from the scene and towards Luna's room. They banged on the locked door desperately, Luna's personal guards trying and failing to shoo them away.
“Princess Luna!” the slightly larger of the two guards shouted. “Please, get up! Your sister needs you!”
Blearily, grumblingly, Luna came to the door, opening it. “What... What's going on?” she muttered, yawning. “Something wrong with my sister?”
The two Day Guards traded distressed looks. “She... she's trying to kill herself, your majesty!” the smaller guard said.
THAT woke Luna up completely, her two thestral guards trading horrified looks. “...You're lying,” Luna said, glaring at the two guards. “My sister... she would NEVER...!”
“Please...” the larger guard said. “There was... some kind of curved golden knife on the floor... Dragon Lord Ember is trying to stop her, but I don't think she can hold her forever! You have to help her.”
Curved, golden knife... A godslayer?! Luna thought with growing dismay. She vanished in a swirl of darkness, reappearing outside Celestia's room. She then immediately had to dodge to the side as Ember, covered in flames, flew out of the room, flung with tremendous force by Celestia.
Luna briefly glanced at Ember, who was already picking herself up, and then ran in to see her older sister pick up the enchanted knife and bring it to her throat.
“Tia?!” Luna said, horrified.
Celestia turned, startled. “L-Luna?! W-What are you doing here!? You're aren't supposed to...”
Luna, acting almost on instinct, flared her horn and cast the most powerful sleep spell she knew on her sister. Before the larger alicorn could react, she collapsed, falling limply to the floor, the knife clattering away.
Luna slowly walked in the room, tears slowly flowing down her face. She stared at her sister's unconscious form, glancing back between her and the knife. “Why?” Luna said softly. “I thought things were going so well... Don't you want to be with me anymore?”
Ember, looking singed but otherwise unhurt, came in. “Did you stop her?” she asked.
Luna nodded numbly. “Yes... She is in a magically-induced slumber. It will last about a day. How did you know to come here?”
“Got lost after I went to the bathroom,” Ember said. “Glad at did, now that I think of it...”
“Yes,” Luna said quietly. “If you hadn't, my sister would have...”
Ember shook her head. “Don't. You've stopped her. Once we've got her restrained properly, we can get her help,” she said.
“Restrained,” Luna said softly, the word feeling like a slap.
“You want to leave her unbound after this?” Ember said, hating herself for how harsh it sounded.
Luna sniffled, and fell to her knees, crying. Ember sighed, and went over to the godslayer knife. She scowled at it, breaking it in half and breathing an intense gout of flame on it, melting it into slag. The gold sparked as the enchantments were removed with the weapon's destruction.
A moment later, Luna's and Celestia's guards came into the room, staring at the tableau before them.
“Is she...” one of the thestral guards asked, fearful.
Ember briefly glanced at the weeping Luna and deduced she was in no condition to make a decision right now. “No,” Ember said. “She's just out cold. But right now, she needs to be contained so she doesn't try this again. Do you have a dungeon?”
“Yes...” the smaller Day Guard said, worried.
“Take her there. Right now, Celestia cannot be trusted not to take her own life. Bind her legs, bind her wings, bind her horn, and WATCH HER. Don't leave her alone,” Ember said.
The guards hesitated. Finally, the larger Day Guard said, “We don't take orders from you!”
“DO AS SHE SAYS!” Luna almost shrieked, making the four guards flinch. “Please... I can't... I can't think right now...”
The four guards traded worried looks, and nodded. Picking up the unconscious Celestia, they gently carried her out of the room. Ember sighed wearily. “Sorry for just taking command like that,” she said.
“The order needed to be given,” Luna said. “I can barely think right now, so it's best that you were here... Because if you hadn't been here, she would have... she would have...” She trailed off, breaking into sobs again. “Why?! Did I do something wrong?! Why would she do this?”
Ember hestitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. Finally, remembering what Spike taught her the first time they met, she sat down next to Luna and hugged her gently. Luna leaned into Ember, sobbing, tears streaming down her face as she desperately tried to figure out why her dear sister wanted to kill herself...
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note
National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 1-800-273-8255