Chapter 8: Sun, Moon, and Magic.

"Cadance couldn't make it?" Luna asked from her seat. She was wearing her usual regal attire, much like her sister, while the newly arrived princess, Twilight Sparkle, wearing some loose pants, a yellow shirt, a dark green jacket with a hoodie, and her crown atop her head.

"She sends her regards though," Twilight answered sitting next to the lunar princess. "Chrysalis isn't coming either. She's leading an assault near the border of Cervidas against a presumable caribou force that is calling themselves 'The Male Superiority Faithfuls'."

"It would seem some managed to hide and escape at the end," Celestia said before taking a sip from her tea. "Twilight, it is good you managed the time to come," Celestia said with a smile.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Twilight replied as she looked around the mostly empty room. Aside from the table, seats, snacks, tea set, and a very old looking book atop said table, there was nothing else on the desolated, ruined room. "What is this room, Celestia? I've never seen it before."

"There are many secrets still left in this old castle of ours, Twilight. Some which we hold dear to our hearts, such as the case of this room," Luna answered before taking a quick sip from her tea. "Our nephew Blueblood and our niece Cadance know of this room already, shame they couldn't come join this day. Chrysalis shall also be missed, but I believe we can share the tale with her on a later date."

Twilight nodded, her eyes drifting down to the book. "Is that what you wanted to show us? OH! Is it a missing book from Starswirl the Bearded!?"

Celestia stifled a giggle. "Not this one I'm afraid, Twilight. This book is a family photo album of sorts, although back in the day only sketches could be made to fit the pages of a book," she said taking the book with her hands, open it, and then go through the pages for a few moments until she found what she was looking for.

Wordlessly the sun princess handed the book to Twilight. The Princess of Friendship looked at the surprisingly well-kept sketch, first noting that while the book looked old it felt good as new in her hands. She stared for a few moments at the sketch before looking at the alicorn sisters. "Are they... you?" Both sisters nodded. "Wow... You look even smaller than when we used the Elements of Harmony to cleanse the Nightmare out from you, Luna. And you, Celestia, you look so..."

"Young?"

"You said it, not me. I was going to say tiny; you look smaller than the average adult mare. Even your manes look like normal ones here," Twilight frowned a little looking at the third figure in the sketch standing in between the sisters. The third alicorn, bigger than the sisters, had pale blue, almost silver colored coat, flowing yellow mane, and bright blue eyes and was male. He was wearing a set of armor with a sword and a scabbard on his side. Tiny Luna was holding his right hand while Celestia was resting against his side while he laid a hand on her left shoulder.

Looking up to the sister once more she asked. "Is that... is that your brother, Blueblood?"

"Prince Blueblood Solaris the First," Luna answered putting down her teacup. "Divine Creators... what would he say if he was here with us now, Tia?"

"Probably something depressing and sad, reminding us yet again about the futility of one's hopes and goals," Celestia smiled sadly taking back the book.

Luna giggled. "Yes, I can see him doing just that. 'Prince of Pessimism', father used to call him in jest if I remember correctly."

"Ah, yes! He was always such a pain to hear when he got his 'creative strikes' and started reciting poem after dreadful poem," Celestia groaned. " 'In hopes of light I render my soul to waste, for in darkness I can see only it erased'. Gods, he drilled that poem into my skull," she laid the book open in the middle of the table.

There was a moment of silence before the sisters sighed in unison.

"I miss him so much, Tia," Luna said looking at the sketch. "I wish I could hear him sing his awful, sad song just one more time..."

"Me too, Lulu, me too," Celestia shared a sadden gaze with her sister as they looked at the sketch. "It's funny, is it not? How painfully similar Blueblood and my son were at the end... or in general for that regard."

Twilight looked at the sketch one more time for a few seconds. "Can you tell me more about your brother, Princesses?"

"Of course. That is the reason we invited you here today, my most faithful student," Celestia smiled at the lavender alicorn. "Blueblood, unlike my Spike, was, for as long as I can remember, always a pessimist. Always expecting the worst out of everything, always doing his absolute best to never stand out, to just complete a task with the minimal measure of success possible. Father lectured him so many times about his duty and purpose that I think in the end he just gave up. And mother always tried to push him onward, cheering to be more open to things and be not so gloom... until the day Grogar came."

"Father and mother fought against Grogar with everything they got but that soulless lich was evenly matched against them. In the end, they sacrificed themselves to send Grogar to the deepest pits of Tartarus where his powers meant nothing. Before passing, our parents wished to pass on the mantle of the Sun and Moon to Blueblood, but even then he rejected it as he dimmed himself unworthy, so with their last breaths they passed it on to us," Luna said holding an arm out of caress the sketch.

"Blueblood did what he could to rule over the Old Kingdom, and he did a surprisingly good job, too. He spent all the time he could with us playing games, teaching us how to properly control the Sun and Moon, reading Lulu bedtime stories--"

"--Always ending in the tragic death of the heroes or with a bittersweet ending." Luna interjected.

"--or just trying to be our big brother over the ruler of a nation. Sadly, with our parents passing, the Warding fractured until it collapsed and then the Windigoes came. The Three Tribes blames the other for what had happened, despite Blueblood's efforts on trying to maintain our subjects united. In the end, the influence and malice of those ice demons served to strengthen the petty old grudges the tribes held against the other from before the rule of Father and Mother."

"In the end, we had to flee from our home while those demons chased us. When we first arrive at the land we now call Equestria everything seemed fine, but Blueblood, ever the pessimist, stated that it would be futile to keep running from the Windigoes. They were too powerful and their influence only served to drive us ponies apart further," Luna said with a solemn expression. "My nephew Spike and dear big brother Blueblood were quite skittish... no, they were cowards, always running away from danger. But when we needed them the most, they became the bravest souls we have ever known. And just like Spike walked into the abyss, as Blueblood would say, our brother pushed us and our subjects out of the way and confronted the Windigoes on his own."

"Careless for his own safety. Suicidal in his goal. Uncaring for survival. That's how Blueblood fought against the Windigoes, but there were too many of them and only one of him. Before those demons could end our brother, it was the united will and unity of our subjects and ours that ended the Windigoes instead. For the longest time, we thought all had been wiped out, but my son even faced one in his quest... in a way, and this may sound incredibly silly, but I believe that in a way Spike finished what Blueblood started against the Windigoes."

"D-Did he die during that battle?" Twilight asked.

Luna shook her head. "He survived, but it had cost him dearly. Even an alicorn can't survive for long after fighting on his own against hundreds of demons as powerful as the Windigoes were. Blueblood was crippled and his health was rapidly degrading; his body poisoned and damaged beyond measure."

Celestia closed the book. "Blueblood died a few months after. He begged us to leave him out of history, he didn't want to be remembered as a failure... or remembered at all, for that matter. We promised him he would always live in our hearts and that we would take care of his family from that moment onwards. He died a day after his son, Blueblood the second, a unicorn, was born. Even in his last moments, he did what he loved doing the most... being his insufferable pessimist self," she ended with a chuckle. " 'I wonder if mom and dad will let me inside their castle? Probably not... but if they do... I wonder if Father will like my new poems? Will Mother find them worthwhile at last? Maybe. Perhaps. I'll find that out soon enough. Tia... Lulu... the abyss... it beckons to me. Sing me the song, please.' " Celestia said those last words of her brother.

"If I die in this world, who will know something of me? I am lost, no-one knows, there's no trace of my yearning~" Luna sang with a low, somber tone.

"But I must carry on. Nothing worse can befall. All my fears. All my tears. Tell my heart there's a hole~" Celestia continued in the same manner.

"I wear a void, not even hope. A downward slope is all I see~" Luna followed taking a hand of her sister.

"As long as breath comes through my mouth, I may stand the slightest chance~" Celestia squeezed gently at Luna's touch.

"A shaft of light is all I need... to cease the darkness killing me~" They both ended in chorus at the same time, humming a melody for a good few seconds after the end.

Several seconds passed between the three alicorns until Twilight broke the silence.

"I... I had no idea," Twilight stammered out. "You were really close to him, right?"

"Very. I more than Tia because I clung to him at every chance I got," Luna confessed. "I regret not approaching Spike after my return and subsequent recovery. We spent so little time together, I barely got to know him at all before Fall began. It is grueling that we came to grow closer during the Fall."

"I can't claim to know how you feel, Luna, but I do understand to some level. Despite Spike being my little brother, there were times I honestly forgot that. The resurgence of the Crystal Empire reminded me how important he is to me, and how important I was to him," Twilight sighed. "I can see some similarities between your brother and Spike. But we both lost them in the end to their cause."

Celestia clutched her necklace, gifted by Rarity, with a shaky hand. "After his trial he and I had a little chat about everything he had confessed. He...," Celestia took a deep, calming breath. "He cracked down. He was so angry that he wasn't put to death. He said to me he had wished to die like that; hated but free after saying his part and the ultimate 'Go Fuck Yourselves' to our so-called allies that left us to suffer under the caribou regime," Celestia stopped for a moment, gripping her necklace tighter. "He confessed why he vomited each time a female touched him without his permission or wasn't wearing his gise during the Fall. He couldn't bring himself to say it during the trial."

Twilight looked down at the table. "It's because he enjoyed the sexual activities, correct?"

"Yes," Celestia answered not surprised at all. She already expected Twilight to know. "A little over two years as an Enslaved, having sex almost daily programmed his body to enjoy it out of instinct the same way females were broken." She stated softly.

"He didn't tell me, if that's what you're thinking," the lavender mare clarified looking up to Celestia. "Discord, Big Mac, and almost every male have similar effects. Discord closes up. Big Mac becomes stoic and emotionless. Soarin hates himself. Shining is actually pretty similar to Spike but doesn't vomit as often. Button Mash... Button Mash won't leave his mother and daughters side outside from his work. And many, many others."

"Each has their coping mechanic despite suffering from the same source," Luna said almost in a whisper. "It is sometimes easy to forget that our stallions, colts, and males suffered as much as we females did with us outnumbering them almost eight to one," Luna shook her head. "It's almost funny now that I think about it," her fellow princesses looked at her with curiosity. "My dear nephew Spike had no regards, reservations, nor limits for his vocal expressions. Yet he still felt enough shame to never openly admit the reason he eluded females like the plague if at all possible. He, who had embraced his darkest desires in full and spearheaded the Rise, I do admit to being terrified by what he did, but I am thankful at the same time. So much for the 'Heartless Monster', those Tartarus damn idiots in Minotauria are spewing."

"I guess it is kind of funny, in a twisted, ironic way," Twilight added with a small smile. "Now that we are speaking about monsters. Celestia, remember that time you, Cadance, Spike, and I were playing 'Save the Dragon?'"

"AH! How could I ever forget that!" Celestia said with a beaming smile, slightly confusing Luna. "You two chased me all afternoon trying to save fair Spike from the clutches of the Evil Pony Princess! You three looked adorable with your makeshift cardboard armor and weapons!"

"Oh gosh, I totally forgot we used to wear those all the time and that I wanted to become a Royal Guard while also being you Student!" Twilight laughed. "I also remember we ransoming you with a ton of cake for Spike's freedom!" She said making Celestia blush a little.

"Now THAT I have to hear!" Luna said leaning forward.

"Okay! It all started after Cadance finished reading us a bedtime story the night before..."

As the lavender alicorn began to tell a happy little story from their infancy, they relished on the moment, enjoying this small window of tranquility and understanding.

End.

Author's Note

Special thanks to anyone that read this!

*Song referenced is Tragedy from Shin Godzilla*