Armorby 21latenighterChaptersThe armorcaseChapter 2Celestia’s fearAn explanationThe armorcaseThe door opened to reveal a suit of armor, aged thousands of years from parades through small towns and big cities. It had been in the throne rooms of countless royals, and had stood guard many a night by the front gate of his home. It had seen its first battle at the stand of tree sap, a small town on the edge of the Everfree. It would stay on it's owner for nearly a month before being taken off in another town called Spearsound, a village that would become Ponyville in a few thousand years. The color had dulled after thousands of years from a bright gold to a dull brown. Scratches and dents adorned the chestplate like badges of honor. There were places along the sides where the armor had been broken altogether, from the scythe of Kaorn during the final battle of the Great Alicorn War. The straps that held the chestplate to the side guards were worn beyond repair. He had replaced the straps countless times, and this time would be no different. Fury gently lifted the armor with a wing as memories flooded his mind. He caressed the armor as he lifted it off its stand and fitted it onto his barrel. He closed his eyes as he placed the helmet over his head and mane. The slot over his left eye was sliced from a griffin claw during the griffin wars. He heard a small creak behind him as the door of his study opened to reveal a young unicorn, just at the cusp of adulthood. He let out a small gasp as he seen the soldier in complete uniform, though he still only seen him as his father. Fury turned around slowly to look towards his son, who began to back away a couple steps before rushing him for a hug. Fury caught the colt in a tight hug with a clang of armor. The young colt then heard the singing that was Rarity’s voice and took off running up the stairs as another pony walked in, this one tall and elegant, her tri-colored hair flowing to an unseen breeze. The pony began to wrinkle up her nose as she spotted the armored pony. She began to giggle before letting out a large sigh before speaking. “You still have that rusted old armor?” Celestia asked with slight amusement. “Why wouldn't I, I've had this armor through every major battle Equestria has ever seen..” Fury said with confusion. “Then place it in a museum and get another set,” she said with a small bit of irritation growing in her voice. “You don't fit in with the other soldiers anymore..” “Good,” Fury said, beginning to enrage his younger sister. “I never did quite fit with them… considering I was an alicorn, and a General..” “Yes brother, and we're all very grateful, but maybe it's time to let your armor rest and carry New,” she said with more irritation. “Why, are you ashamed of it?” He asked as serious as could be. “Well I, uh, n-nuh.. yes, a little,” she answered quietly and honestly. “Well then, let me share with you the story of the many dents and cracks of my armor,” Fury said as he sat down and motioned for Celestia to do the same. “Where shall I begin… how about my helmet..” he said as he took it off and pointed to a large cut through the left eye slot. “I attained this from General Calgary in the griffin wars, during the battle for Cloudsdale… before he called for his retreat, he made sure to blind me, and he did for a while.. I couldn't see out my left eye for nearly a month,” he said before pointing to a large set of claw marks across his chestplate. “These, I got during the battle of Canterlot, and the end of the griffin wars, Calgary fought hard to the last breath, and gave me a few wounds of my own before passing..” Fury said before moving on to a particularly large dent in his sideplate. As he touched the dent, a small giggle came over him. “This, this was from the great Sir Hoofington at the civil battle of Spearsound..” “The civil battle of Spearsound huh?” Celestia said in a cheerful manner, trying to hold back a giggle herself. “Well maybe it was more of a dispute, but we were called out nonetheless, and upon arrival, I'm kicked in the gut for no reason by a mountain of a stallion. When I got back up, the dispute had already been settled by the other knights, and I limped up to the town hall where I received an apology from both the mayor and Hoofington.” Fury said as he then turned his attention to a large hole in the middle of his armor. It had been split open where a blade had pierced through. He looked silently at the gash as the bitter memory returned. “... This one… this one’s from the final battle of the Great Alicorn War, in Spearsound… given to me by none other than Kaorn himself…” Fury said slowly as the pain of that day began to revive within him. “As we began the final charge, I led the way through Spearsound, taking down a few soldiers and officers, but stopped on the hill when I saw him… waiting on the edge of the slope… surrounded by a veil of shadows. The air.. the air was so electrified that little bolts of lightning began to shoot off our weapons. As I charged him, the air seemed to thicken into a dense fog, blinding the rest of the world from our battle. As our weapons connected with a great metallic clang, lightning shot from them and struck the ground around us. As I sliced left, he would swerve right, as I began to swing wildly, he outmaneuvered me and struck hard… as I felt my armor crack and splinter and felt the warmth of life trickling out of me, my life flashed before my eyes. As my life ran by me, I felt something strange… regret, I lived a life full of story, and I chose to focus on hatred. Just as I began to slip away, a face greeted me… bright blue eyes and a mane that matched the rainbow…” The two stood in complete silence for a moment as Fury came back to reality. “And so you see sister.. my armor tells a story as old as time, a story that is still being played out before us… and until that day comes, I'll keep on..” but before Fury could finish, Celestia rushed him and squeezed the Pegasus with a airtight bear hug. As Celestia pulled away, the two ponies began to walk upstairs from Fury's study to make their way to the town hall, for the parade of the summer solstice. Chapter 2As the two ponies walked through the front of the small cottage that Fury called home, they were greeted by the sight of southern Ponyville. They walked down the main road that led toward the town hall, and as they walked, Celestia began to ask Fury more about his armor. “So you've told me about the armor, but why aren't you with Rainbow Dash right now?” She asked as they passed a couple buildings around the outer circle of the town. Fury gave a small smile as he gave her an answer. “Well, today is the Summer Solstice, the day before the Summer Sun Celebration… today is one of the only days that all of Dash’s friends are in one place, today is her day, so I spend mine with other family..” Celestia nodded before looking towards the town hall, which grew larger with every step. As Fury walked, she noticed a small grunt in his breath, stress in his stride… a sign of aging. She stopped dead in her tracks, thoughts of another funeral filling her mind. Fury stopped after a couple steps without Celestia by his side and turned his attention to her, still looking gloomily at the hall. “Is everything alright Tia?” He asked as he turned around to face the white alicorn. “You're getting older…” she whispered, sadness building in her voice. Fury let out a small sigh as he sat down beside the next to immortal alicorn. She was still in the prime of her life, and would be for the next several hundred years. She still had the radiant beauty of a young mare, and the fire of youth still burned bright in her eyes and heart. His mane was starting to gray at the tips, with a few strands standing out against his red and yellow. His knees had the faintest proof of a knarl to them. His face had a few stress wrinkles beginning to form around his eyes and forehead. He had begun to take to walking more after his wings had began to stiffen with arthritis every now and again. “I know… I can feel it everyday..” he said before bringing out a faint smile, “but this is what it took to grow old with Dash…” “Why not let her become one of us? Why not give her a life like ours?” Celestia asked with tears forming. “And make her watch her family and friends age and die around her as she only seems to age a day, Celestia… one new alicorn is enough, I don't think Dash could handle it..” Celestia nodded slowly to the logic before starting to walk again. “So… what's this really about?” Fury asked he walked beside her. Celestia stopped and looked around to see if there were any other ponies around before speaking. “It's just, you were always there when I needed you… after Luna… and I know we were never the closest, but you’ve grown on me these past few years, and now I have to say goodbye…” “Not right now you don’t,” Fury said as he pulled Celestia into a tight hug. “In time sister, but not right now… right now I’m here, in front of you..” he said as he stood back up as a crowd began to gather. Celestia gathered up her emotions and placed them back in the dark corner of her mind and took a deep breath, wiping away a stray tear. “As a princess, I must be calm and reserved for my subjects..” “Hmm.. come on,” Fury said as he began to walk towards the edge of the Everfree. Celestia caught up quickly as she followed him into the wild of the magical forest. “Why are we walking in the Everfree?” Celestia asked honestly as she looked over to the aging Pegasus, who seemed to be taking in the sights. “You remember our home… right?” Fury asked as he glanced her way before returning his sight to a rather interesting tree to his left. “I..I try not to… too many memories of Nightmare Moon,” she answered. “I see… so you have forgotten it?” He asked with doubt. “Forgotten what?” Celestia asked in return, puzzled. “The mural, in the west wing, the one mom made…” “Fury… the west wing is gone, I’m sorry,” she answered politely, hoping that Fury would just brush his mistake on old age. “Yes, I remember, but that wasn’t the mural I wanted to show you. The mural I wanna show ya is in the main foyer, covered by our banner,” he answered her. A small memory poked its way into Celestia’s mind, one of many she had of her mother, Princess or rather Queen Paramour. Her mother had led her to the foyer along with Luna to teach them a small lesson for the day, and to enjoy the company of the local fauna. The lesson of the day was about loss, and it being a bittersweet thing, she had told them that when a pony left for the Elysian Fields, it was hard for the ponies they left behind. Their loss was the loss of a personality among a unique crowd, and the loss of a certain talent, but was joyful because that pony’s trials had ended and a new life lay ahead. Celestia’s mind snapped back to the present as she looked over to her brother, who now was setting against the tree he had been examining before, lightly chewing on a twig. She cleared her throat lightly to get his attention, and when he looked over at her, she began. “You were going to give me a lecture that mom gave me and Luna thousands of years ago, weren’t you?” She asked, a little sarcastically. “No, not really, but I was gonna tell you something that I learned over the years, losing friends until I shut myself off from the world..” “And that is?” “Don’t grieve for me, though my story may be coming to an end, others are just beginning, know what it means?” “Maybe,” she answered, “Don’t grieve because you're traveling to the Great Beyond, a Land of untold riches that waits for us at the end of this life. And the other half just says find someone new to take my place..” “Yes.. and no.. yes to the first part, but what I mean by the last part is even though my life will eventually end, there are countless others who are just beginning, not replacing mine, but writing their own…” he said solemnly, slowly rising from his comfortable spot and walked over to her. “I seen something a while ago, so I brought you here to talk, where you wouldn’t be swamped by every pony, where you could be true with me, now what’s wrong?” Celestia drew a breath as the tears began to well up again, her heart rate rising, body beginning to quake slightly. She had to tell him now, about her fear of losing him and Luna again... Celestia’s fear“I… I… I..” Celestia stammered, her words staying deep in her gut. She wanted to tell Fury everything, about how she felt about losing him, about the stresses of being the ruler when he was the rightful heir, but when she tried to speak, nothing would come out. Her eyes drifted from staring into the blue eyes of her brother to a blotch of the forest that let in a spot of sunlight. Where the light had touched the ground, a young sapling had taken root and was flourishing in her sun’s nourishment. “I.. I don’t want to be alone… again…” she finally said, the words coming out like knives against her tongue. “Celestia… you’ll never be alone” “How do you know?” Celestia interrupted, her eyes beginning to water as her true feelings began to show. “How do you know that when you die, everypony else won’t leave me?! What if Twilight decides to go into exile after her friends die, what if Luna turns back to darkness.. what if..” but she was cut off by a hoof pressing against her lips. “Celestia, that’s crazy… Twilight will look to you when her friends ultimately cross over, and Luna will never turn back to darkness, no matter how strong the temptation. You’ll be fine without me, Equestria will live on without me..” “Equestria isn’t the one who decided that it had lived long enough and decided to choose its own fate!!” Celestia screamed, rage taking the place of her sadness. “No, Equestria didn’t make the decision that I did, and I’m sorry you feel that I changed my fate, but what is done is done, and nobody can change that,” Fury said as he stood up. “But, let’s take a look if I stayed an alicorn and lived my full lifespan,” Fury said as sat down next to her. “I would watch Dash age and die as I never appeared to age at all, and then I would watch generation after generation come and go, while I remained, unable to leave with them for another thousand or so years. The world around us would recognize that another alicorn was among them, and I would have the royal treatment I never wanted. The power of the Eternal Guardian would not be passed to Twilight, and thus she would believe her immortality was granted for nothing, and would no doubt turn to darkness, and you would be forced to destroy your most prized pupil… you would be in more pain if I stayed an alicorn Celestia, so that is why I made the decision i did, to not only protect the future, but to protect you..” Fury said before getting up and starting to walk the trail back to Ponyville. Celestia’s inner fear began to eat away at her sanity, driving a sharp pain through her mind, causing her to let out her true feelings. “You, you call yourself honorable, yet You turn your back on the nation you fought to create, a nation that you are the rightful king of!!! All for what? A mare with a pretty smile and a rainbow mane!” Celestia screamed as she shot to her hooves and flared her wings. Fury stopped mid step, but didn’t turn around to face the fuming princess. “You claim to be wise, but make a foolish decision to end your life… You once told me me that there would never come a day that you wouldn’t be there…” Celestia said, the words stinging as they left her tongue. “You used to be strong and noble, but now, well, look at yourself… not even a shadow of your former self… all for a few years of love…” she finished, hatred seething in her voice. Fury finally turned to face his sister, and as he did, she could see the remnants of tears streaming down his cheeks. With a weak voice, he spoke. “No… I’m not the pony I used to be, I’ve changed, as have you Celestia, but, I never dreamt of finding Rainbow… or having the chance to have a son that I will get to know, and cherish alive, not spending years searching for his tombstone!” Fury growled, anger beginning to show in his face. “I chose my fate, hoping that my sisters would approve, happy to see me in peace from a lifetime full of war! But I guess you wish for the old Fury back, the Fury who lived up to his name, a warrior who was ruthless towards his enemies, arrogant to his allies!” Fury yelled, his hooves pounding into the tough forest floor, crunching twigs and sticks into the mulchy earth. Fury took a deep breath, as if he was going to continue with his speech, but decided against it, and walked away, leaving the princess by herself in the Everfree, free to cry in peace over the friendship she had ruined, and the brother she had just potentially lost. An explanationCelestia weeped to herself as she began to trek back to Ponyville… what had she done? Her brother.. her only flesh and blood besides Luna, and she had just cast him out, because of a choice he made… a choice that she never wanted him to make. As she took another step toward the town, she heard giggling and laughing approaching her, and tried to pull herself together, but failed miserably. She was grateful when she seen it was only Twilight and her friends. When they stepped out of the bushes and onto the path, the six ponies automatically ran over to her, trying to find the cause of the princess’ distress. “Princess!! What’s wrong, what happened? Did Luna run away again? Did something happen to her? Is the castle alright?” Twilight asked anxiously, but was cut off by Rainbow Dash. “Where are they, I’ll find them and I’ll, Well I’ll pummel them, with a ya, ya yaaa!” She said as she began to demonstrate her moves. “It’s alright girls, it’s alright,” Celestia said as she tried to soothe them out of a rage, but she stopped… it wasn’t alright… it was far from it, she had just potentially lost her brother, and it was all her fault. “Actually…” she started, looking over at Rainbow Dash, “I’m very sorry Rainbow Dash, so very sorry,” she said slowly. “Why are you sorry for me?” Rainbow asked, confused. Celestia took a deep breath as she focused on her mistake. “I awoke a beast… one that has been dormant for nearly a thousand years…” “A beast, what beast?” Rainbow answered. “Fury Flight… I awakened Fury’s temper… all because of a stupid mistake..” she said as she began to break down again. Rainbow cocked her head to the right a little as she thought about Fury, and the temper he had. She placed a hoof on Celestia’s shoulder as the alicorn cried. “It can’t be worse than the time he blew up at the castle,” she said, hoping to calm her down. “Rainbow Dash, my brother was notorious for the temper he had… it usually took months to calm him back down, and in the meantime.. he was a live wire, a bomb ready to blow, either on the enemy or us,” Celestia said as she rose up, her tears ending. “What did you say to him?” Came Twilight’s voice as she interrupted the two. “I.. I said my feelings about him giving up his immortality..” Twilight took a small breath before responding. “That’s it?” “Well, I then basically all but banished him,” she said weakly. At this, Rainbow began to shake her head and slowly trot off, murmuring something about finding Fury before he did something dumb. Twilight gave a dirty look towards the Pegasus before returning her attention back to the princess, who had started to tear up again. “Princess, you have been my mentor for a long time now, and I have felt your wrath more than once, so I know about your little outbursts, but Fury is your brother, and has known you for nearly two thousand years… so I’m sure he knows you like the back of his hoof,” she said as she brought Celestia into a tight hug, which she gladly returned. Inside the castle of the royal sisters in the Everfree, or what was left of it, Fury sat, looking at a large mural. The mural shown Celestia and Luna setting upon a throne, while the leaders of the three tribes bowed to them. It had stood for the ending of an era, the end of pony segregation, and the beginning of harmony. He looked at the mural and tried to remember where he was, and then it hit him, he was in the cave of the Eternal Guardian, learning of his father’s story. A twig breaking caught his attention, and turned to the source of the sound. He could hear the calls of Dash, outside the castle. He decided against calling back and instead found a spot in the shadows. He soon heard the muffled clatter of hooves on carpeted concrete, and waited until he seen the silhouette of the Pegasus as she entered the room. “..Fury!... Fury!....” she called out, before setting down on the very spot he was at a few moments before. Fury watched from the shadows as Rainbow began to take a few deep breaths and slowly look around. She sighed as she began to talk to the wall. “So.. I’ll bet you’re here Fury.. somewhere… listening to my voice, or trying to calm down, but if you are listening… I love you..” she said before standing back up. “And I know the sacrifice you made.. just to stick around and be an old fart with me, though sometimes I wish I knew why.. why you decided to cut your life short.. why now,” she said as began to examine the mural. “You’ve done so many great things, met so many ponies… it makes a mare like me seem like nothing, but yet… you chose me,” she said as a hoof stopped on the drawing of Commander Hurricane. “I know I wasn’t your first, and I’ll never be as great as her…” Rainbow then stopped and looked over at a patch of sunlight that had made its way through the ruins, and now reflected on a small trinket.. a blue gem the size of her hoof or a little smaller. It sat on a small pile of rubble, where it looked regal among the stones. As she walked over to get a closer look, she then heard the sound of Fury’s voice. “.. it belonged to my mother… it was given to her by my father… she gave it to Celestia, who… left it when she left this place,” Fury said as he left the shadows. “I was going to give it back to her today… but things went.. it got complicated,” he said as he sat down beside the gem. “We heard, Celestia was in tears, saying she had lost you, and it was all her fault..” “She is scared, like she should be… when you are an alicorn… the thought of mortal life.. terrifies you, because you know that you can never obtain it. You have to live on, watching all those who you came to know, age and die.” Fury said as he closed his eyes. “She seen that in me today, my mortality… and it terrified her, because she’s not ready for me to leave..” “I don’t think any pony will be,” Rainbow said as she sat beside him and gently nuzzled his neck. He smiled as he nuzzled her back, “Do you want to know… why I chose you, why I chose now?” He asked. Rainbow looked up at him with her heart in her eyes as she nodded. “..I chose now, because I don’t wish to see the next century.. Twilight is destined to take my place, but not if I stay. And why did I choose you? I chose you, because you’re not afraid to wear your heart on your sleeves, to stand up for what’s right… and you happened to be in the right seat at the right time,” he finished as he pulled Rainbow close for a tight hug. He took a deep breath before picking up the sapphire and motioning for Rainbow to follow him as they left the ruins of his former home in search of his sister.
The armorcaseThe door opened to reveal a suit of armor, aged thousands of years from parades through small towns and big cities. It had been in the throne rooms of countless royals, and had stood guard many a night by the front gate of his home. It had seen its first battle at the stand of tree sap, a small town on the edge of the Everfree. It would stay on it's owner for nearly a month before being taken off in another town called Spearsound, a village that would become Ponyville in a few thousand years. The color had dulled after thousands of years from a bright gold to a dull brown. Scratches and dents adorned the chestplate like badges of honor. There were places along the sides where the armor had been broken altogether, from the scythe of Kaorn during the final battle of the Great Alicorn War. The straps that held the chestplate to the side guards were worn beyond repair. He had replaced the straps countless times, and this time would be no different. Fury gently lifted the armor with a wing as memories flooded his mind. He caressed the armor as he lifted it off its stand and fitted it onto his barrel. He closed his eyes as he placed the helmet over his head and mane. The slot over his left eye was sliced from a griffin claw during the griffin wars. He heard a small creak behind him as the door of his study opened to reveal a young unicorn, just at the cusp of adulthood. He let out a small gasp as he seen the soldier in complete uniform, though he still only seen him as his father. Fury turned around slowly to look towards his son, who began to back away a couple steps before rushing him for a hug. Fury caught the colt in a tight hug with a clang of armor. The young colt then heard the singing that was Rarity’s voice and took off running up the stairs as another pony walked in, this one tall and elegant, her tri-colored hair flowing to an unseen breeze. The pony began to wrinkle up her nose as she spotted the armored pony. She began to giggle before letting out a large sigh before speaking. “You still have that rusted old armor?” Celestia asked with slight amusement. “Why wouldn't I, I've had this armor through every major battle Equestria has ever seen..” Fury said with confusion. “Then place it in a museum and get another set,” she said with a small bit of irritation growing in her voice. “You don't fit in with the other soldiers anymore..” “Good,” Fury said, beginning to enrage his younger sister. “I never did quite fit with them… considering I was an alicorn, and a General..” “Yes brother, and we're all very grateful, but maybe it's time to let your armor rest and carry New,” she said with more irritation. “Why, are you ashamed of it?” He asked as serious as could be. “Well I, uh, n-nuh.. yes, a little,” she answered quietly and honestly. “Well then, let me share with you the story of the many dents and cracks of my armor,” Fury said as he sat down and motioned for Celestia to do the same. “Where shall I begin… how about my helmet..” he said as he took it off and pointed to a large cut through the left eye slot. “I attained this from General Calgary in the griffin wars, during the battle for Cloudsdale… before he called for his retreat, he made sure to blind me, and he did for a while.. I couldn't see out my left eye for nearly a month,” he said before pointing to a large set of claw marks across his chestplate. “These, I got during the battle of Canterlot, and the end of the griffin wars, Calgary fought hard to the last breath, and gave me a few wounds of my own before passing..” Fury said before moving on to a particularly large dent in his sideplate. As he touched the dent, a small giggle came over him. “This, this was from the great Sir Hoofington at the civil battle of Spearsound..” “The civil battle of Spearsound huh?” Celestia said in a cheerful manner, trying to hold back a giggle herself. “Well maybe it was more of a dispute, but we were called out nonetheless, and upon arrival, I'm kicked in the gut for no reason by a mountain of a stallion. When I got back up, the dispute had already been settled by the other knights, and I limped up to the town hall where I received an apology from both the mayor and Hoofington.” Fury said as he then turned his attention to a large hole in the middle of his armor. It had been split open where a blade had pierced through. He looked silently at the gash as the bitter memory returned. “... This one… this one’s from the final battle of the Great Alicorn War, in Spearsound… given to me by none other than Kaorn himself…” Fury said slowly as the pain of that day began to revive within him. “As we began the final charge, I led the way through Spearsound, taking down a few soldiers and officers, but stopped on the hill when I saw him… waiting on the edge of the slope… surrounded by a veil of shadows. The air.. the air was so electrified that little bolts of lightning began to shoot off our weapons. As I charged him, the air seemed to thicken into a dense fog, blinding the rest of the world from our battle. As our weapons connected with a great metallic clang, lightning shot from them and struck the ground around us. As I sliced left, he would swerve right, as I began to swing wildly, he outmaneuvered me and struck hard… as I felt my armor crack and splinter and felt the warmth of life trickling out of me, my life flashed before my eyes. As my life ran by me, I felt something strange… regret, I lived a life full of story, and I chose to focus on hatred. Just as I began to slip away, a face greeted me… bright blue eyes and a mane that matched the rainbow…” The two stood in complete silence for a moment as Fury came back to reality. “And so you see sister.. my armor tells a story as old as time, a story that is still being played out before us… and until that day comes, I'll keep on..” but before Fury could finish, Celestia rushed him and squeezed the Pegasus with a airtight bear hug. As Celestia pulled away, the two ponies began to walk upstairs from Fury's study to make their way to the town hall, for the parade of the summer solstice.
Chapter 2As the two ponies walked through the front of the small cottage that Fury called home, they were greeted by the sight of southern Ponyville. They walked down the main road that led toward the town hall, and as they walked, Celestia began to ask Fury more about his armor. “So you've told me about the armor, but why aren't you with Rainbow Dash right now?” She asked as they passed a couple buildings around the outer circle of the town. Fury gave a small smile as he gave her an answer. “Well, today is the Summer Solstice, the day before the Summer Sun Celebration… today is one of the only days that all of Dash’s friends are in one place, today is her day, so I spend mine with other family..” Celestia nodded before looking towards the town hall, which grew larger with every step. As Fury walked, she noticed a small grunt in his breath, stress in his stride… a sign of aging. She stopped dead in her tracks, thoughts of another funeral filling her mind. Fury stopped after a couple steps without Celestia by his side and turned his attention to her, still looking gloomily at the hall. “Is everything alright Tia?” He asked as he turned around to face the white alicorn. “You're getting older…” she whispered, sadness building in her voice. Fury let out a small sigh as he sat down beside the next to immortal alicorn. She was still in the prime of her life, and would be for the next several hundred years. She still had the radiant beauty of a young mare, and the fire of youth still burned bright in her eyes and heart. His mane was starting to gray at the tips, with a few strands standing out against his red and yellow. His knees had the faintest proof of a knarl to them. His face had a few stress wrinkles beginning to form around his eyes and forehead. He had begun to take to walking more after his wings had began to stiffen with arthritis every now and again. “I know… I can feel it everyday..” he said before bringing out a faint smile, “but this is what it took to grow old with Dash…” “Why not let her become one of us? Why not give her a life like ours?” Celestia asked with tears forming. “And make her watch her family and friends age and die around her as she only seems to age a day, Celestia… one new alicorn is enough, I don't think Dash could handle it..” Celestia nodded slowly to the logic before starting to walk again. “So… what's this really about?” Fury asked he walked beside her. Celestia stopped and looked around to see if there were any other ponies around before speaking. “It's just, you were always there when I needed you… after Luna… and I know we were never the closest, but you’ve grown on me these past few years, and now I have to say goodbye…” “Not right now you don’t,” Fury said as he pulled Celestia into a tight hug. “In time sister, but not right now… right now I’m here, in front of you..” he said as he stood back up as a crowd began to gather. Celestia gathered up her emotions and placed them back in the dark corner of her mind and took a deep breath, wiping away a stray tear. “As a princess, I must be calm and reserved for my subjects..” “Hmm.. come on,” Fury said as he began to walk towards the edge of the Everfree. Celestia caught up quickly as she followed him into the wild of the magical forest. “Why are we walking in the Everfree?” Celestia asked honestly as she looked over to the aging Pegasus, who seemed to be taking in the sights. “You remember our home… right?” Fury asked as he glanced her way before returning his sight to a rather interesting tree to his left. “I..I try not to… too many memories of Nightmare Moon,” she answered. “I see… so you have forgotten it?” He asked with doubt. “Forgotten what?” Celestia asked in return, puzzled. “The mural, in the west wing, the one mom made…” “Fury… the west wing is gone, I’m sorry,” she answered politely, hoping that Fury would just brush his mistake on old age. “Yes, I remember, but that wasn’t the mural I wanted to show you. The mural I wanna show ya is in the main foyer, covered by our banner,” he answered her. A small memory poked its way into Celestia’s mind, one of many she had of her mother, Princess or rather Queen Paramour. Her mother had led her to the foyer along with Luna to teach them a small lesson for the day, and to enjoy the company of the local fauna. The lesson of the day was about loss, and it being a bittersweet thing, she had told them that when a pony left for the Elysian Fields, it was hard for the ponies they left behind. Their loss was the loss of a personality among a unique crowd, and the loss of a certain talent, but was joyful because that pony’s trials had ended and a new life lay ahead. Celestia’s mind snapped back to the present as she looked over to her brother, who now was setting against the tree he had been examining before, lightly chewing on a twig. She cleared her throat lightly to get his attention, and when he looked over at her, she began. “You were going to give me a lecture that mom gave me and Luna thousands of years ago, weren’t you?” She asked, a little sarcastically. “No, not really, but I was gonna tell you something that I learned over the years, losing friends until I shut myself off from the world..” “And that is?” “Don’t grieve for me, though my story may be coming to an end, others are just beginning, know what it means?” “Maybe,” she answered, “Don’t grieve because you're traveling to the Great Beyond, a Land of untold riches that waits for us at the end of this life. And the other half just says find someone new to take my place..” “Yes.. and no.. yes to the first part, but what I mean by the last part is even though my life will eventually end, there are countless others who are just beginning, not replacing mine, but writing their own…” he said solemnly, slowly rising from his comfortable spot and walked over to her. “I seen something a while ago, so I brought you here to talk, where you wouldn’t be swamped by every pony, where you could be true with me, now what’s wrong?” Celestia drew a breath as the tears began to well up again, her heart rate rising, body beginning to quake slightly. She had to tell him now, about her fear of losing him and Luna again...
Celestia’s fear“I… I… I..” Celestia stammered, her words staying deep in her gut. She wanted to tell Fury everything, about how she felt about losing him, about the stresses of being the ruler when he was the rightful heir, but when she tried to speak, nothing would come out. Her eyes drifted from staring into the blue eyes of her brother to a blotch of the forest that let in a spot of sunlight. Where the light had touched the ground, a young sapling had taken root and was flourishing in her sun’s nourishment. “I.. I don’t want to be alone… again…” she finally said, the words coming out like knives against her tongue. “Celestia… you’ll never be alone” “How do you know?” Celestia interrupted, her eyes beginning to water as her true feelings began to show. “How do you know that when you die, everypony else won’t leave me?! What if Twilight decides to go into exile after her friends die, what if Luna turns back to darkness.. what if..” but she was cut off by a hoof pressing against her lips. “Celestia, that’s crazy… Twilight will look to you when her friends ultimately cross over, and Luna will never turn back to darkness, no matter how strong the temptation. You’ll be fine without me, Equestria will live on without me..” “Equestria isn’t the one who decided that it had lived long enough and decided to choose its own fate!!” Celestia screamed, rage taking the place of her sadness. “No, Equestria didn’t make the decision that I did, and I’m sorry you feel that I changed my fate, but what is done is done, and nobody can change that,” Fury said as he stood up. “But, let’s take a look if I stayed an alicorn and lived my full lifespan,” Fury said as sat down next to her. “I would watch Dash age and die as I never appeared to age at all, and then I would watch generation after generation come and go, while I remained, unable to leave with them for another thousand or so years. The world around us would recognize that another alicorn was among them, and I would have the royal treatment I never wanted. The power of the Eternal Guardian would not be passed to Twilight, and thus she would believe her immortality was granted for nothing, and would no doubt turn to darkness, and you would be forced to destroy your most prized pupil… you would be in more pain if I stayed an alicorn Celestia, so that is why I made the decision i did, to not only protect the future, but to protect you..” Fury said before getting up and starting to walk the trail back to Ponyville. Celestia’s inner fear began to eat away at her sanity, driving a sharp pain through her mind, causing her to let out her true feelings. “You, you call yourself honorable, yet You turn your back on the nation you fought to create, a nation that you are the rightful king of!!! All for what? A mare with a pretty smile and a rainbow mane!” Celestia screamed as she shot to her hooves and flared her wings. Fury stopped mid step, but didn’t turn around to face the fuming princess. “You claim to be wise, but make a foolish decision to end your life… You once told me me that there would never come a day that you wouldn’t be there…” Celestia said, the words stinging as they left her tongue. “You used to be strong and noble, but now, well, look at yourself… not even a shadow of your former self… all for a few years of love…” she finished, hatred seething in her voice. Fury finally turned to face his sister, and as he did, she could see the remnants of tears streaming down his cheeks. With a weak voice, he spoke. “No… I’m not the pony I used to be, I’ve changed, as have you Celestia, but, I never dreamt of finding Rainbow… or having the chance to have a son that I will get to know, and cherish alive, not spending years searching for his tombstone!” Fury growled, anger beginning to show in his face. “I chose my fate, hoping that my sisters would approve, happy to see me in peace from a lifetime full of war! But I guess you wish for the old Fury back, the Fury who lived up to his name, a warrior who was ruthless towards his enemies, arrogant to his allies!” Fury yelled, his hooves pounding into the tough forest floor, crunching twigs and sticks into the mulchy earth. Fury took a deep breath, as if he was going to continue with his speech, but decided against it, and walked away, leaving the princess by herself in the Everfree, free to cry in peace over the friendship she had ruined, and the brother she had just potentially lost.
An explanationCelestia weeped to herself as she began to trek back to Ponyville… what had she done? Her brother.. her only flesh and blood besides Luna, and she had just cast him out, because of a choice he made… a choice that she never wanted him to make. As she took another step toward the town, she heard giggling and laughing approaching her, and tried to pull herself together, but failed miserably. She was grateful when she seen it was only Twilight and her friends. When they stepped out of the bushes and onto the path, the six ponies automatically ran over to her, trying to find the cause of the princess’ distress. “Princess!! What’s wrong, what happened? Did Luna run away again? Did something happen to her? Is the castle alright?” Twilight asked anxiously, but was cut off by Rainbow Dash. “Where are they, I’ll find them and I’ll, Well I’ll pummel them, with a ya, ya yaaa!” She said as she began to demonstrate her moves. “It’s alright girls, it’s alright,” Celestia said as she tried to soothe them out of a rage, but she stopped… it wasn’t alright… it was far from it, she had just potentially lost her brother, and it was all her fault. “Actually…” she started, looking over at Rainbow Dash, “I’m very sorry Rainbow Dash, so very sorry,” she said slowly. “Why are you sorry for me?” Rainbow asked, confused. Celestia took a deep breath as she focused on her mistake. “I awoke a beast… one that has been dormant for nearly a thousand years…” “A beast, what beast?” Rainbow answered. “Fury Flight… I awakened Fury’s temper… all because of a stupid mistake..” she said as she began to break down again. Rainbow cocked her head to the right a little as she thought about Fury, and the temper he had. She placed a hoof on Celestia’s shoulder as the alicorn cried. “It can’t be worse than the time he blew up at the castle,” she said, hoping to calm her down. “Rainbow Dash, my brother was notorious for the temper he had… it usually took months to calm him back down, and in the meantime.. he was a live wire, a bomb ready to blow, either on the enemy or us,” Celestia said as she rose up, her tears ending. “What did you say to him?” Came Twilight’s voice as she interrupted the two. “I.. I said my feelings about him giving up his immortality..” Twilight took a small breath before responding. “That’s it?” “Well, I then basically all but banished him,” she said weakly. At this, Rainbow began to shake her head and slowly trot off, murmuring something about finding Fury before he did something dumb. Twilight gave a dirty look towards the Pegasus before returning her attention back to the princess, who had started to tear up again. “Princess, you have been my mentor for a long time now, and I have felt your wrath more than once, so I know about your little outbursts, but Fury is your brother, and has known you for nearly two thousand years… so I’m sure he knows you like the back of his hoof,” she said as she brought Celestia into a tight hug, which she gladly returned. Inside the castle of the royal sisters in the Everfree, or what was left of it, Fury sat, looking at a large mural. The mural shown Celestia and Luna setting upon a throne, while the leaders of the three tribes bowed to them. It had stood for the ending of an era, the end of pony segregation, and the beginning of harmony. He looked at the mural and tried to remember where he was, and then it hit him, he was in the cave of the Eternal Guardian, learning of his father’s story. A twig breaking caught his attention, and turned to the source of the sound. He could hear the calls of Dash, outside the castle. He decided against calling back and instead found a spot in the shadows. He soon heard the muffled clatter of hooves on carpeted concrete, and waited until he seen the silhouette of the Pegasus as she entered the room. “..Fury!... Fury!....” she called out, before setting down on the very spot he was at a few moments before. Fury watched from the shadows as Rainbow began to take a few deep breaths and slowly look around. She sighed as she began to talk to the wall. “So.. I’ll bet you’re here Fury.. somewhere… listening to my voice, or trying to calm down, but if you are listening… I love you..” she said before standing back up. “And I know the sacrifice you made.. just to stick around and be an old fart with me, though sometimes I wish I knew why.. why you decided to cut your life short.. why now,” she said as began to examine the mural. “You’ve done so many great things, met so many ponies… it makes a mare like me seem like nothing, but yet… you chose me,” she said as a hoof stopped on the drawing of Commander Hurricane. “I know I wasn’t your first, and I’ll never be as great as her…” Rainbow then stopped and looked over at a patch of sunlight that had made its way through the ruins, and now reflected on a small trinket.. a blue gem the size of her hoof or a little smaller. It sat on a small pile of rubble, where it looked regal among the stones. As she walked over to get a closer look, she then heard the sound of Fury’s voice. “.. it belonged to my mother… it was given to her by my father… she gave it to Celestia, who… left it when she left this place,” Fury said as he left the shadows. “I was going to give it back to her today… but things went.. it got complicated,” he said as he sat down beside the gem. “We heard, Celestia was in tears, saying she had lost you, and it was all her fault..” “She is scared, like she should be… when you are an alicorn… the thought of mortal life.. terrifies you, because you know that you can never obtain it. You have to live on, watching all those who you came to know, age and die.” Fury said as he closed his eyes. “She seen that in me today, my mortality… and it terrified her, because she’s not ready for me to leave..” “I don’t think any pony will be,” Rainbow said as she sat beside him and gently nuzzled his neck. He smiled as he nuzzled her back, “Do you want to know… why I chose you, why I chose now?” He asked. Rainbow looked up at him with her heart in her eyes as she nodded. “..I chose now, because I don’t wish to see the next century.. Twilight is destined to take my place, but not if I stay. And why did I choose you? I chose you, because you’re not afraid to wear your heart on your sleeves, to stand up for what’s right… and you happened to be in the right seat at the right time,” he finished as he pulled Rainbow close for a tight hug. He took a deep breath before picking up the sapphire and motioning for Rainbow to follow him as they left the ruins of his former home in search of his sister.
