When The Glass Breaks

A Timely Testing

James and Celestia began walking along the hall, with James making sure to take notice of the architecture and marveled at the arching that seemed to have a comforting sense as the warm browns mixed with the bright blue skies outside of the windows that they passed. However, as they continued on the shades of the castle around changed to night sky blues and gentle shades of black as if they were willing to take anything on and comfort you. The beings they passed by bowed to Celestia and shot fearful looks toward James as they walked and when they finally arrived in front of a set of large doors two guards stepped out saying “Halt. State your business…”

Celestia smiled and said with a bit of enjoyment at the serious nature of the guards “I am here to see my Sister and get her opinion on something. The being behind me is under my protection and will not bring harm to her or me.” The guards looked to her and then slightly around her with their eyes widening noticeably at the sight of James. But the Princess saying that he was under her protection and watch as well abated any sense of danger and so they nodded and seemed to meld back into the shadows in the hall. Celestia waited a moment before going to the door and knocking three times before entering and motioning for James to follow along behind her.

James did so and walked in and held back the urge to laugh as the woman on the bed as she was splayed out on top of her blanket, drool dripping down her chin and a gentle snore coming from her. After fighting down the laughter James began to take in details of her as she had a dark blue fur color and her hair seemed to be the night sky given form. Her wings were slightly smaller than Celestia’s, seeming to be two feet and seven inches on either side of her. Her horn as well was slightly smaller being about eight inches long but another detail, he actually picked up was a tail that came out from above her behind and seemed to match her hair. He then shifted his eyes to Celestia and noticed the same thing and shook his head as he had been paying too much attention to either his problems of not knowing enough or the architecture of the castle to have noticed the tail. He then moved his eyes up and noted a mischievous look in Celestia’s eyes as she walked silently over to her Sister. When she reached her side, she leaned in and then yelled suddenly “OH MY GOD THEY HAVE FREE COOKIES IN THE LOUNGE!!”

The woman sleeping suddenly woke up with the most serious look on her face and shouted loud enough James had to brace himself to keep from falling on his back “THEY SHALT BE MINE!” Though after a few seconds she noticed it was her sister and something new in the room and then shook the cobwebs of sleep from her head as she groaned saying “Sister must thou wake me up in such a manner?”

Celestia had an innocent smile as she giggled saying “Well you have to admit that it is the best way to make sure you wake up from a dead sleep right Luna?” Luna glowered at her and her cheeks had a bit brighter shade from the red beginning to come through. She then sighed and looked over to the new person and then noticed this was not someone she would consider normal. She then looked to her sister and raised an eyebrow and they seemed to have an entire conversation between themselves and then she looked over to him saying with a cough from slight embarrassment “I am sorry James. I hath not meant to ignore thee but as thou hast seen I have just awoken.” James wondered exactly how she knew his name but simply shrugged it off as it seemed there really was a conversation done in silence between the two. With the addition of Magic into his life he could simply divert most things toward it until he had a better understanding but for now looked between the two before shrugging it off.

“Its quite alright… Um I believe your name is Luna correct?” Luna nodded at this and so he continued as he looked between the sisters “Alright so I am apparently here for a test that your sister asked me to take and so with her being kind I didn’t want to say no.” His tone held a bit of sarcasm at the end as he remembered the hard tone Celestia had used to ask him to come to the room. As he tried to think of what the test could truly entail the ringing in his ears was becoming worse and worse, beginning to make it near deafening. He moved his hands to ears, the basic human instinct to try and block out the noise but surprisingly as he did so the sound seemed to die down while his ears warmed up slightly. He moved them down and then noted that the sound level stayed the same but noticed surprised looks coming from the Princesses in front of him.

James was about to speak up and ask what surprised them but Luna instead simply spoke up with a calmer tone “Now I hath seen why thou hast come to us dear Sister. James please stand still and simply let your thoughts become unclouded. Should thou resist against us then the consequences could be Dire.” He listened and then nodded gently, uncertainty in his eyes but as he simply didn’t have any other option, he closed his eyes and began to let his thoughts go. He focused on nothing as he heard the Princess approach him and then did his best to cut off his senses while Luna stood before him. After concentrating and focusing the magic through her horn she used a spell to search his mind, seeing nothing really out of the ordinary on the surface level. But when she decided to go a bit deeper, she found a brick wall with a small door being the only way through.

Luna was surprised at seeing the brick wall before her in the mindscape and when looking up could not see where the top of it ended. She walked to the door and grabbed the knob and slowly opened it, worried as she was hearing whispers as she continued to open it. When the door was fully open just looking into it made her scream, forcing the door closed and coming out of the mind scape still screaming as that threw James off and forced his thoughts to what had made her scream. He opened his eyes as the screaming died down and looked to her only to be even more shocked as she seemed to be staring at him like he was a monster. He took a step back with confusion portrayed on his face as Luna looked up to her sister asking with a shaking tone “S-sister WH-what hast thou brought into this c-castle? How… How c-can he even exist?

James took note of the last part of the sentence most and then looked to Celestia as her face remained serene from centuries of experience before looking to James and asking in a gentle tone, this time actually making it a choice “James I am sorry to ask but would you mind going out of the room for a moment? I wish to comfort my Sister and find out what she means but that.” He wanted to deny that and find out what was going but from how Luna seemed to be shaking he sighed before nodding and the going to the door and exiting the room. He stood out of the room and looked to the shadows as he noted the guards coming out with their spears pointed at him.

James put his hands up and simply said in a calm tone to the guards as he could see the anger and suspicion on their faces “I was asked to remain outside of the room while Celestia and Luna spoke. If after they are done, they want me to go with you then I will without a fight. But for now, please simply allow me to follow Celestia’s request.” The guards looked to each other and then back to him before the spears came down and they moved back into the shadows leaving him there and letting out the breath he hadn’t even realized he had been holding.

In the room Celestia kneeled down and her façade broke down as the care and worry on her face clearly showed as she asked with trepidation “Sister I have to know what you meant by how he can exist… So please tell me what you saw in his mind?” Luna slowed her breathing down enough that she could think and nodded, licking her lips as her body still quivered in fear from that brief glimpse behind the door.

Luna looked to her sister that had been so comforting for all her life and now she tried to hold onto that feeling even while the images of those brief moments past the door came back up again. She then spoke in a hushed whisper of reverence and fear “WH-what lies beyond his Waking mind is something that should not be. He… He hast thousands upon thousands of minds sharing that space behind a wall so large I could not see its scope… What hath he done to have so many beings within him Sister?”

Celestia could only guess as she wrapped her arms around her sister saying with a bit more understanding of the situation “It seems he was playing with time itself and he lost. But sister… Surely things in there could not be as bad as you make it out to be, right?” Luna looked up to her and nodded, not saying a word as the look of fear from what she had seen was still plainly evident in them. Celestia gently sighed at seeing this before nodding and helping her sister stand with her once again before using her magic to open the door calling out “James you can come back in now.”

Hearing the door open and his name being called he walked back in, seeing that both were somewhat shaken and so he simply closed the door behind him and stood there with a light smile wondering if that might help. Sadly the tension was now even thicker than when he had left the room but deciding to break the silence he asked with a steady voice “So what exactly is wrong with me?