Sentinel of the Everfree

Rubbing at the faded bronze and tracing the markings on the bell with my claws I feel nothing. Yes I feel the weight of the soft metal in my palm and the smooth surface brushing against my silver scales, but that is normal. What isn’t normal is the senseless hollow abyss that is growing inside of me the longer I hold this damned thing. In my paws I am holding the last piece of my mother, yet I do not feel sorrow or anger. I feel nothing. I am nothing but an empty shell covered in scales.

“Gaia…” Glancing briefly up from the bell to my side I see Celestia sitting in the grass next to me with a small smile on her muzzle. How did she get so close without me seeing or hearing her?

“What do you want?” My words scratch painfully at my throat. What does it matter that she managed to sneak up on me. I wouldn’t have done anything had I seen her coming anyways.

“I know the pain of losing somepony close to you.” I snort a cloud of frost in the Æsir’s face, but like when I faked a bite she doesn’t flinch. Celestia must have grown a spine since I last saw her on the battlefield.

“Am I supposed to care?” The corner of her lip twitches and for the smallest moment her smile falters.

“When I lost my parents I still had my sister to lean on. Yet even with her I still felt as though I was alone and helpless to the dangers of the world that wanted to harm me.” Closing my paw around the bell I bring it to my chest as Celestia moves in front of me. Sitting on her flank she reaches out and tries to wrap her hooves and wings around me but pulls back once I snarl. Fear finally flashes across her face as she scoots back on her flank to make a small amount of distance between us.

“I am alone. You and yours made sure of that.” For a moment my head feels fuzzy. As if a warhammer had just struck me violently in the back of the skull.

“You are not alone Gaia.” Celestia tightens her hug around me. Her furred hooves and soft wings draped over my silver scales in a warm and tight embrace. Holding her hug for a moment longer she pulled back just enough to take my chin in her hoof and guide me until I met her eyes.

“For as long as I draw breath I promise you are not alone.” Pulling away from her embrace I snarl.

“Why do you even pretend to care?” Sighing loudly in my ear Celestia rests her chin on my shoulder as a dense fog clouds my mind a second time. Blinking my eyes rapidly I have to shake my head so as to not fall asleep on top of the white furred Æsir.

“I care because she cared. For over 400 years she never once stopped talking about you. She told me stories from when you hatched, stories of your youth, training and teaching you. Even told me about the disaster that was your first heat cycle. I in turn told her about my sister Luna and our parents, about our childhood. We told each other our life stories. All of the good and all of the bad.” Feeling one of her hooves leave my side I peer back over her shoulder and watch her wipe at her eyes.

“My heat cycle?” When was my last cycle? What happened on my first that- A heavy yawn splits my focus. When was the last time I slept?

“Artemisia may have moved on, but that does not mean she is gone Gaia. She lives in the stories that we tell, in the hearts of all those she touched. Most of all Gaia, she lives on through you.” Trying to blink away the foggy blur settling in my vision I let my head drop roughly onto Celestia’s shoulder. Tears begin to slowly drip from my tired eyes as I pull the mare tightly against my own scales.

“I don’t feel that way. I don’t feel anything really.” Pulling back from me I lift my head from her shoulder only for her to cup my face with both of her hooves. Opening my eyes tears fall down my cheeks in cold rivers before white feathers stop them. Wiping at my eyes with her wings I’m caught in her gaze. Locking her eyes with mine I start to choke. In an instant my vision blurs completely from my tears I start to shake.

“Oh Fen…” Pulling me back into her own hug I sob. Like a hatchling I cry into her fur, clinging to her as if she were my own mother.

I do not know how long I have been crying for, but at some point I fell asleep. The bright sunlit gardens I had been in have been replaced by a dark room. Scrambling to get up I’m blinded by a blanket of white feathers. Pulling me down and wrapping me in a warm embrace I freeze as I catch the scent of my attacker.

“Celestia?” Hearing the shimmer of magic a soft yellow glow lights up Celestia's face before something soft is pushed under my head. Pulling back I see a large pillow shimmering with yellow magic before fading.

“It’s alright Gaia. I didn’t mean to wake you.” Looking around the dark room I slowly settle myself back down into the soft fabrics.

“Where are we?” Pulling me back to her chest I can’t help but sink into her fur.

“After you fell asleep I brought us back to my chambers. I didn’t want to wake you, but after I raised the moon I figured it would be a good idea.” Not saying anything in reply, a momentary silence settled between us. Celestia continued to hold me to her chest, my spines and scales seeming to be of no issue to her.

“How long was I in that crystal?” Even before the words finished leaving my mouth I regretted them.

“A very long time. I don’t remember the exact date anymore, the fighting between your mother and I has unfortunately been lost to history thanks to a being known as Discord.” Twisting myself around I look at Celestia. Her magenta eyes boring into my own icy blue ones.

“How long?” Breathing a heavy sigh Celestia’s horn lights up with her magic.

“You have been away for nearly 1,400 years.” Following the glow of her magic I watch as a small bell is floated over to me from a side table. Watching the bell I flinch back as Celestia takes my paw and opens it before setting the bell down on my palm. Staring at the bell in my palm my breath catches in my throat.

Gone was the faded and scratched bronze that once showed the great age of this bell. The dull green metal now shined brightly as if it had just been cast that morning. Indents and markings that had nearly disappeared under the harsh passing of time now demanded my attention. Even the ribbon that had all but wasted away looked as if it had just been spun from fresh silk. My eyes again filled with tears as I closed my paw around the bell and hugged it to my chest.

Sniffling like a hatchling in Celestia’s arms I reach out with my mana to the bell. Brushing against its sides I again feel the warmth within, the fire inside briefly flaring at my touch. Taking a moment to steady my breathing I ground myself before pushing my mana into the bell again. Just like before the mana inside rushed to meet me, its fire blazing into a small inferno with my presence. Holding my mana steady inside of the bell the fire began to dance around me.

In my third eye I saw myself inside of the bell and surrounded by tall emerald flames that reached high up into the top of the bell. Shaking my head I look back to Celestia only to be blinded by a bright flash of green. Yelping in surprise I rubbed my eyes again only to find that I am now truly inside of the bell and in the circle of green flames. Reaching for my mana I try to cut myself off but something stops me. Falling to my flank I twirl about in a steadily rising panic.

“It’s alright Gaia.” Turning quickly I just catch the outline of a black figure moving towards me from the otherside of the flames. Standing opposite the figure I ready myself into a proper fighting stance as the fire parts to let them through.

“Mom!” As quickly as possible I lunge at her. The beautiful sound of her laughter filling my ears as I cling to her and nuzzle into her neck as hard as I can.

“There's my little wildflower.” Sitting down on their flank I feel her wrap her arms around me and hug me back tightly. Pulling back I wipe at my snout and rub my eyes.

“I thought you were dead.” Gently resting their paw on my shoulder she shakes her head.

“I am dead Gaia. My body is no more, only my spirit remains. I have done everything I could to hold on long enough to see you one more time. I have called in many favors to be able to do this, but I do not have long.” Tears well in my eyes again as I grip her wooden form tightly again.

“No! Please don’t go, I can’t lose you!” Wrapping me in another hug I can’t stop myself from crying. Words fail me as my breaths get caught in my throat.

“I know Gaia, I don’t want to lose you either. I wish I could stay, even if only bound to this bell, but I can’t. I love you more than anything in this world Gaia. I wanted to watch you grow, I wanted to watch you live your life. I wanted so much for us to be a family. I’m so sorry.” Hitting mom with a fist I growled at her.

“No! Don’t say that, we still can! We can still be a family, you don’t have to go!” Breaking the hug mom cups my head in her paws and presses her snout to mine.

“I wish I could, you have no idea how much I wish I could… I know this is not easy, that I am asking a lot of you, but I need you to be strong Gaia. I know you may not trust her, but Celestia does care for you. I may not have been able to see much from this bell but I saw enough to know that she truly does care.” Without any warning mom starts to fade. As if her bark had been set upon by an invisible fire she started to turn to smoke.

“Please stop!” Pressing her head against mine fully I pushed back as hard as I could.

“I love you Gaia. I cannot wait to see you again, no matter how long it might take.” As her head turned to smoke I lurched forward and nearly fell onto my face. Slowly the fire around me started to die and before long I was covered in darkness. Only the sound of my own sorrowful cries to keep me company.