"How about I double the amount, and you simply let this go. It's a fair deal. I have nothing to hide here that will harm your kingdom in any way, I can promise you that."

D-Double the amount? He came far too close to allowing his mental shock to bleed through to reality. That was insane. It only drove his curiosity even deeper.

"While that is exceeding generous, I cannot agree to this under the current circumstances."

"Is there something I don't know about? Some connection you personally have to these items? If one of them you find to be needed for removal, please show me."

"Have you been listening to me Celestia? I said I would not part with any of them."

"Well... it is just so surprising really. I had thought that griffins were practical creatures, who would prefer value now rather than useless memoirs of the past."

"You do not think wrongly my good lady, but our royal family is different. We have to be."

"Cyrel, be honest with me, is this really about you caring about your families legacy or are you simply trying to bargain here?"

"Then why can you not be honest with me to start? Why are you being so adamant and pressing when this is such a non issue my my perspective. Unless you haven't disclosed something about these items that you want? Hmm?"

Finally, Celestia paused to consider what he had said. She looked down at her food only for a moment.

"And what if I told you that this relates to someone close to me. I'll cut to to the chase. My student is borderline a historian. She has been obsessed with griffonian history as of late. Give me the list."

She waited for him to let it go before grasping it in her magic again. She drew it over and quickly used a pen over it and then passed it back.

There was only one article left. The Vulus era amethyst necklace.

"She has been obsessed with this item ever since she saw it in a book once. Of course, the rest of the items would've been just as great to bring back for her, but I can make do with just this. As for the passage through your kingdom, it really is harmless. There is a material we are in great need of that is known to occur in large quantities for one of the new cities were are constructing, found in the Spectick region. Do I really need to give more?"

A lot of the tension faded away after the confession. Suddenly he felt foolish at all to have been so caught up in this at all.
He was about to agree to the terms when something in the back of his mind started bothering him. It ate away as his consciousness. Every sense of his screamed at him to ignore it and accept this offered rope into shared prosperity that was being thrown out to him, but he let it eat at him.

Had she lied to him again? Of course, he didn't know the princess THAT well enough. But really, would she go so far for one student? Would she have reacted that way? Were they really that close? Ponies were sometimes like that he reminded himself, but still...

No.

There was no way that desperation could be for a gift. The more he thought about it the more he was sure. Celestia, that little ancient snake, had tried to pull another one over him.

"I was truly about to agree. But I must admit it's bothering me. Why do you go so far for a mere student? I cannot comprehend it."

"Twilight is special. She is an element of harmony after all. Even if you do not know that. I wish nothing more than to see her reach the heights her talent can achieve. I also happen to rule the richest country on Equus. It sort of fits for me to spoil myself and others I care about sometimes."

"So you're trying to make me believe you'd give decidedly ginormous bits for a present, eh."

"..."

"I do not believe you."

Celestia was trembling, he could see it even from a distance.

"You don't understand how important..."

"Enough! I will leave immediately. I do not know what has come over you, or what the true situation here is, but I know it is something foul."

He turned away from her and took a few steps. He heard her mutter something. He looked back one last time, just to see her get up and slowly approach him. She looked lost in thought, despite the purpose in her step.

Celestia tried, but her plan fell apart like sand on her hooves. Admittedly, she was much better than this; her long experience in diplomatic exchanges would normally give her an advantage over all the mortal kings and ambassadors, who each had to learn the ropes of politics and make their own experiences that would never catch up to hers.

But Celestia couldn't, not this time, because she was running out of time. She took a shortcut with Emperor Cyrel, offering precious wealth and resources in the hope that the plight of the decadent Griffin Kingdom and the greed so ingrained in Griffin culture would speed up negotiations.

Celestia should have been better than this. She was better than this. But right now, Celestia had no time to lose.

Every day counted, every minute, every second of her mind were focused on one thing. Her sister.

"Wait a moment, Cyrel, please!" She was running out of time and options.

"No!" The Emperor marched resolutely towards the doors of his carriage.

"PLEASE!" She screamed and knelt before the Griffin Emperor.

Cyrel was...shocked, astonished, horrified. To see the immortal matriarch of the pony kind kneeling before him was not within the realm of possibility in his mind. Not ever. For although the kings and rulers such as himself envied the Sun Princess for her control, virtue, and power, they also admired her.

He gazed at her with wide-eyed wonder as his mind tried to reconcile the truth before him with reality. After all, who did not admire Princess Celestia Sol Invictus of the Ponies, even reluctantly? Who did not long to be acknowledged by her, even for a fleeting moment? Not only was she an inspirational figure to the ponies, but many kings and queens of the other races had tried to emulate her in one way or another.

And yet... to look at her now. So wretched and forlorn... begging for trinkets and promising a mountain of gold. Cyrel's mental image of the near deity he had dreamed in his mind crumbled to dust, leaving a desperate mare begging a beggar for scraps.

It was incredibly sobering.

"Celestia... what are you doing?"

"My sister is dying! Is that what you wanted to hear?! Her banishment has left her badly injured, and I need your artefacts to save her life, THIS artefact!" She finally revealed it.

"So that's the real reason!" He shouted, outraged. "You invited me here. Lured me with the promise of riches. Wealth my kingdom desperately needs! Hoping that I would be greedy enough not to question it! YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL!" Cyrel felt insulted that the princess thought so little of him that she would not even show him, the Griffin Emperor, the proper respect and courtesy. She wanted to trick him like some gold-hungry griffin peasant.

Had he had time to think, Cyrel would have cursed himself. On reflection, he wanted the gold, and had his mind not been clouded by the fumes of anger, he would have accepted her offer without much thought.

"I had no choice! My sister's life hangs in the balance and I haven't got the luxury of time! Please believe me, I meant no offence!" Celestia pleaded.

Cyrel could not bear to look at her any longer, so he turned his head towards the eastern view of the garden. This day had been a disaster so far. He had hoped for a good deal, maybe even an excellent one, and instead he was dealt a hot potato. Still, Cyrel's mind rebelled against this reality. Why had Celestia deceived him? If she had come clean from the start, he would have accepted it immediately, and he would have Celestia in eternal debt to him, a prospect countless politicians before him had dreamed of.

But she didn't! What was the point of all this secrecy! What was... WHAT WAS SHE STILL HIDING FROM HIM!

"Is this all, Celestia?" He had enough.

"Cyrel -"

"IS THIS ALL?" His voice is now cold.

Celestia flinched and stood up, stunned by the Griffin Emperor, who now had a visage of rage on his face.

"I... I just want to save my sister. My little sister, Emperor Cyrel."

"You know, before I entered your castle, I heard rumours of a great tragedy. Yes, I actually did homework before coming here. A pony village was destroyed by a rock slide, was it... Riftly? I had asked several experts, and they all said it was extremely unlikely to be natural. There were no survivors." His words cut mercilessly, ignoring Celestia's pleas.

"That such a tragedy should have befallen your kind so recently. Was it your doing? Were you trying to hide something?"

Celestia frowned, with fire threatening to rise from her belly. "I hope you are not suggesting that I was the cause of our ponies suffering, Emperor Cyrel?"

"And how would I know?"

"I have not ruled ponykind for millennia, working to build bridges with every creature, only to be smeared like this. Do not insult me, Emperor Cyrel! The destruction of Riftly is a tragedy!"

But the Emperor was not convinced, "... perhaps you had no part in it. But what of your sister? Did she have any part in the destruction of Riftly?"

Celestia had completely lost control of the conversation. She did not answer immediately, hoping to think of something to divert the conversation.

"My sister is comatose in bed. She is ill and..." she started and then stopped. She closed her eyes in defeat and resignation. All this time the Kingdom she had built should had been ready for her sister's return, but at the the very last she had failed. Her attempt to save her sister's future reputation was in vain, Luna would have to accept it. She looked into Cyrel's eyes and saw the anger and indignation. He was ready to leave immediately and curse her if she told another lie now. There would be no more chances.

'Honesty has never been my element' she thought despairingly. She hoped beyond hope and prayed in harmony that her honesty would find the Emperor's heart.

"...in her wounded state, my sister Princess Luna, destroyed Riftly."

"She destroyed the village?"

"Yes."

"Why? She longed to bring back the eternal night. Does she wish now to destroy those who oppose her?"

"No. She is dying, she barely has the strength to stand, she can never return to her former state."

"And yet she destroyed a village!"

"She was not acting on her own will, Cyrel. Believe me, Nightmare Moon was cruel and wanted to dominate all ponies and subjugate every creature to her rule, if I thought that she could return I would not be acting like this. What happened to Riftly was a tragedy."

"I was going to try to salvage her reputation as a princess. I have waited a millennium for Luna to be at my side again... but those plans no longer matter. Now I'm trying to save her life."

"And what about the lie, the one you so carefully tried to pull the wool over my eyes and those of your ponies? What ails your sister that you must lie to me and everycreature?"

She explained Luna's condition to the emperor. The talk was long, longer than she would have liked. She had to patiently guide the Emperor to understand the wounded state of her sister's soul, to calmly explain how any creature would have chosen life over death if forced to do so, and how Riftly's demise was a tragedy for Luna also.

They talked for so long that Celestia had to raise the sun. The light of the morning sun illuminated the Emperor's face. He was troubled. He had never expected or wanted to be involved in this mess.

He looked at the matriarch of pony kind and made his decision.

"No."

Celestia blinked, "What?"

"No, Celestia. I will not help you with this."

"How... How could you? Don't you understand what I-"

"You want me to be a part of your... scheme. To be your accomplice in your crimes, in the hope that your spell will revive Nightmare Moon. That's what this really is. This is folly. My crown and my kingdom will have no part in this. This is my final word."

Emperor Cyrel had had enough. He came for riches and found problems instead, and his kingdom had enough of those already.

As he approached the door, he turned his head to look at the sad mare, who looked at him with wide eyes. They were not friends, and Celestia's deceit had shown him that she was not his, but Emperor Cyrel respected Princess Celestia enough to leave a few parting words for this mare who was so unwilling to let go her sister.

"You should have learned to grieve, Celestia. If what you said is true, then your sister's time has come. Let her sins die with her in a pure ending. Just accept it, like we all have to."

"Grieve?" she spat out the word with a choked breath.

"Grieve," she cursed this time, "I have seen mortals... born, grow, wither and die before my eyes... I have seen family, lovers, friends and enemies fade like leaves in autumn, leaving only memories. Memories that also fade like mist before morning. Who are you to tell me I should mourn my sister, my only sister, my only companion who walked with me through the ages before you were a even a speck of dust!"

"I've had enough of this! Your disgusting sister will never make it, and you can rot with her! I will make sure of that, Celestia." He did not even bother to look at her this time. This was it.

He turned away from her, intent on leaving Equestria for good.

"How dare you... you..."

Had he had time to reflect on all the revelations he had received today, he would have taken a closer look at Celestia. Seeing all the illusions of power and control fall away to reveal the mare within should have given the griffon pause. Had he had time to reflect, he would have realized that he was looking at a mare who had endured thousands of years, who had covered up a terrible tragedy, who had lied to his face about her intentions for a chance to get her sister back, with the same zeal and insanity with which some ponies accused Princess Luna of having in bringing the eternal night.

"Foalish mortal..." He had barely heard it.

Had he had time to consider what would happen if Celestia Sol Invictus, like her sister, were to be denied something precious to her, something that she longed for with all her being, and what depths of depravity she is willing to fall for it, he might have realized his folly and that perhaps, as the peasants that accuse the nobles of, madness does run in the family.

But his time was up.

Suddenly he felt the temperature of the room skyrocket! His head whipped back only to see a flash of orange which blinded him, his scream died halfway through his throat.

Everything went dark.

Author's Note

Chapter HEAVILY revised to add in the massive contribution of Twilight Kira. Credit to him. His work was in-line with my original vision almost entirely, and I merely edited a few things of his.