Remanents
by Shay492
Prompt: Difficult Castle
Luna emerged from the foliage of Everfree to find her former home in ruin. She blinked, and for that brief moment, let herself imagine the castle would be as it was before. The damage remained.
Celestia passed the trees to join Luna in the clearing. Luna did not move an inch, staring at what lie ahead. It wasn't until Celestia nudged her side that the spell was broken. Luna spoke her first observation about the site: "The roof is gone." Both knew well how that happened, but neither wanted to recall that night, even to acknowledge how much of it was responsible for this.
Celestia only nodded in response and continued forward. "Come. We came for a reason." Luna reluctantly followed, each step only solidifying reality. One at a time, they walked across the flimsy wooden bridge, every other plank feeling like it had single digits uses remaining. Of course, flying was an option but neither considered it. This task became pilgrimage as much as retrieval, and skipping any part of it became sacrilegious.
Stepping over the rubble, they entered what remained of the foyer. Sunlight flooded the room, and the stone was noticeably bleaced in the spots directly in the light's path. The sculpture to the elements stood empty, waiting for somepony to eventually come and lower it back down. Celestia's horn glowed and she gave the sculpture its long overdue rest.
They stood for some minutes, letting nostalgia have its way briefly. Celestia and Luna had not been in this castle in a thousand years. Nightmare Moon's return was an exception. Neither could afford to carry the weight at the time. Celestia only could focus on her sister, and her student's success. Luna's mind had still been muddled by her rage and jealousy and her need to torment the ponies who would not appreciate their true princess's return. When they were ready, they continued on toward the library.
Celestia watched contently as Luna laid the last brick and jumped for joy, newfound wings fluttering in excitment. "It is done! It is done!" The rest of the ponies present, though initially skeptical of why the new rulers of Equestria would waste their time on manual labor, had come around. They were builders, and understood this feeling of accomplishment. They all had this same moment of ecstatic, prideful joy. And most had never met a pony whose emotions were more infections than Luna's. They all joined Celestia in cheering.
The first wall was complete. All that was left was the rest of the castle.
The sisters would assist twice a week, with the rest of the time spent overseeing their new responsibilities. Laws needed to be ratified, disputes settled, and taxes collected then distributed. Celestia second guessed every decision, and though she relentlessly sought the guidance of her teacher, Star Swirl never returned her letters anymore. Her sister was all she had to rely on, and Luna was much less intimidated by their newfound positions. To her, every issue had a clear right and wrong, and she was quick to speak her mind. If she did not begin by granting a verdict herself, she often jumped ahead after giving Celestia more than enough time to waste mulling over a decision.
Celestia rarely minded. As terrified as she was of making mistakes, Luna was a beacon of bravery for her to follow. Not everyone came out happy from their court, but at least they were being processed in a timely manor. Few wanted to stay for too long in the heart of Everfree Forest, even with the large guard presence on the road to the soon to be castle.
The second room, after the throne room, whose walls were finished was a bedroom. Celestia and Luna had grown up sharing one anyways, so neither cared much about doing so again until the second bedroom was ready. Two beds and a tarp for roof bet the tent at least.
It was unfortunate that a lightning storm came during that week, but timing was never really in their favor as is. Luna woke to find Celestia in her bed. She placed a foreleg around her sister, providing some shelter from the thunder that had made her cower. Moments like these made her forget she was supposed to be the younger sister.
Save for the aforementioned roof, the library was mostly untouched. Cobwebs and dust were the only sign of the years. Had she been in higher spirits, Luna would mention how right she was to insist on a preservation sigil to safeguard the books from aging. Celestia moved with purpose toward the bookshelf in the far back, second from the left. She pushes one book from the top of the spine and it tilted with a click. The row above it was engulfing with radiant light, leaving behind tomes baring Star Swirl's cutie mark. She took the one furthest right; the one he never finished filling.
Luna wandered the shelves in the fiction section. She remembered so many of the books vividly, having spent hours imagining herself on the adventures of the heroines within. Nights left plenty of time to read with so few ponies awake. She picked up one and flipped to her favorite part. Raspberry Jam dropped her cake right after knocking on the door to Sea Shell's home. It was meant to apologize for always being a source of problems and here she was, making one more mess to clean up. Jam stood crying when the door open. Yet, Sea Shell said nothing and began to clean the mess. Jam was chastising herself the whole time until they finished, and Sea Shell gave her a hug. Despite everything, Shell cared, and Jam couldn't fathom how or why.
Luna was interrupted by Celestia calling out, "I have it. We can depart." They reconvened at the entrance.
Luna stopped Celestia before she could teleport them back to Canterlot. "One moment sister. I wish to visit one room first." Celestia watched Luna's expression.
Celestia nodded. "Of course. Let us go." They walked down the hall, back the way they came.
Celestia joined her sister outside on the balcony. Though she had been so excited for the gala commemorating the castle's completion, one could only gallop so grandly for so long and far too many guest were violating the 'no political business' rule. Celestia felt too timid still to refuse, and the night had worn her thin.
Outside, Luna was watching her stars, shifting them into the shapes she was in the mood for. Celestia leaned over the balcony to watch. "Lucky."
"Pardon?"
Celestia explained, "I have nothing to decorate the day with. The pegasi control the clouds."
Luna bluntly replied, "Not like anypony cares to see them."
Celestia stood up. "Yes they do. Plenty of ponies love the stars"
"Maybe when they bother staying awake." Luna turned away from Celestia.
"Where is this coming from?" Celestia reached forward but stopped herself from connecting.
"I wouldn't expect you to understand. Ponies all love the day. They all love getting whatever they want from the pony-pleaser princess."
Celestia walked around to make Luna see her. "Hey! It isn't my fault I try my hardest to give every one of our subject their due deliberation."
Luna turned her face away again. "Whatever."
Celestia recalled the moment Luna stepped away from the gala. "Did something happen inside?"
Luna did not answer, and reentered the castle.
Celestia stayed outside for a few more minutes, then rejoined.
Together, Celestia and Luna entered the room above the spire. The room was lined with floor to ceiling windows. At the end were a pedestal and panes of glass providing a view the forest below. The walk was long, the room closer in dimensions to a hallway.
Celestia remembered what gave this place significance. Yes, it was their former study, where they spent days and nights drafting proposals and planning for the future with the forest below providing inspiration and comfort. More importantly, this was where they reunited.
Reaching the end, Luna stepped on the raised floor and stared down. Celestia joined her, standing on the unelevated stone.
The forest was constantly in motion, leaves and bushes twitched from both wind and wildlife. Luna reminisced on days spent exploring it, and one day stumbling across the Tree of Harmony. Celestia imagined the night her student made friends. She hoped the book they recovered would allow her to reach the next steps of her destiny.
Neither wanted to face the difficult task of speaking why they stood there. Luna eventually gave in. She needed this to happy. "I'm deeply sorry, sister."
Celestia took a breath. "I know. I forgive you."
Celestia held her tightly as Luna cried into her shoulder.
Celestia meandered the castle, assessing the damage. Her mind could do the calculus; the time and cost to repair still did not exceed that of building anew. She picked up a piece of broken stone and placed it back in the wall. It was enough to even qualify as a dent in undoing the harm done, but it told her what she needed to know. She listened to her heart, and departed. She entered the foyer and looked down the hall toward their bedrooms. She stepped out the front door.
Years passed. Travel had been the change of pace Celestia had needed, but even that wore out its stay. She laid down in her beach chair, watching as Twilight placed the sun at the horizon all the way back in Canterlot. Soon, the stars emerged. They never did shift since the night on the balcony. She turned to her sister next to her, only the space of a picnic basket seperating their chairs. "Our stay ends tomorrow. Where should we go next?"
Luna thought over the possibilities, then timidly asked, "Perhaps it is time to return home?"
Celestia shook her head. "Even if it has been a couple years, I worry our presence will still undermine Twilight's rule."
"No, not Canterlot."
Celestia pulled back, confused until the pieces clicked. She sat up. "Truly?"
Luna smiled. "I think we owe it that much."
Though she knew the task ahead would be difficult, Celestia couldn't think of anything else she would rather do.
Luna emerged from the foliage of Everfree to find her former home in ruin. She blinked, and for that brief moment, let herself imagine the castle would be as it was before. The damage remained.
Celestia passed the trees to join Luna in the clearing. Luna did not move an inch, staring at what lie ahead. It wasn't until Celestia nudged her side that the spell was broken. Luna spoke her first observation about the site: "The roof is gone." Both knew well how that happened, but neither wanted to recall that night, even to acknowledge how much of it was responsible for this.
Celestia only nodded in response and continued forward. "Come. We came for a reason." Luna reluctantly followed, each step only solidifying reality. One at a time, they walked across the flimsy wooden bridge, every other plank feeling like it had single digits uses remaining. Of course, flying was an option but neither considered it. This task became pilgrimage as much as retrieval, and skipping any part of it became sacrilegious.
Stepping over the rubble, they entered what remained of the foyer. Sunlight flooded the room, and the stone was noticeably bleaced in the spots directly in the light's path. The sculpture to the elements stood empty, waiting for somepony to eventually come and lower it back down. Celestia's horn glowed and she gave the sculpture its long overdue rest.
They stood for some minutes, letting nostalgia have its way briefly. Celestia and Luna had not been in this castle in a thousand years. Nightmare Moon's return was an exception. Neither could afford to carry the weight at the time. Celestia only could focus on her sister, and her student's success. Luna's mind had still been muddled by her rage and jealousy and her need to torment the ponies who would not appreciate their true princess's return. When they were ready, they continued on toward the library.
Celestia watched contently as Luna laid the last brick and jumped for joy, newfound wings fluttering in excitment. "It is done! It is done!" The rest of the ponies present, though initially skeptical of why the new rulers of Equestria would waste their time on manual labor, had come around. They were builders, and understood this feeling of accomplishment. They all had this same moment of ecstatic, prideful joy. And most had never met a pony whose emotions were more infections than Luna's. They all joined Celestia in cheering.
The first wall was complete. All that was left was the rest of the castle.
The sisters would assist twice a week, with the rest of the time spent overseeing their new responsibilities. Laws needed to be ratified, disputes settled, and taxes collected then distributed. Celestia second guessed every decision, and though she relentlessly sought the guidance of her teacher, Star Swirl never returned her letters anymore. Her sister was all she had to rely on, and Luna was much less intimidated by their newfound positions. To her, every issue had a clear right and wrong, and she was quick to speak her mind. If she did not begin by granting a verdict herself, she often jumped ahead after giving Celestia more than enough time to waste mulling over a decision.
Celestia rarely minded. As terrified as she was of making mistakes, Luna was a beacon of bravery for her to follow. Not everyone came out happy from their court, but at least they were being processed in a timely manor. Few wanted to stay for too long in the heart of Everfree Forest, even with the large guard presence on the road to the soon to be castle.
The second room, after the throne room, whose walls were finished was a bedroom. Celestia and Luna had grown up sharing one anyways, so neither cared much about doing so again until the second bedroom was ready. Two beds and a tarp for roof bet the tent at least.
It was unfortunate that a lightning storm came during that week, but timing was never really in their favor as is. Luna woke to find Celestia in her bed. She placed a foreleg around her sister, providing some shelter from the thunder that had made her cower. Moments like these made her forget she was supposed to be the younger sister.
Save for the aforementioned roof, the library was mostly untouched. Cobwebs and dust were the only sign of the years. Had she been in higher spirits, Luna would mention how right she was to insist on a preservation sigil to safeguard the books from aging. Celestia moved with purpose toward the bookshelf in the far back, second from the left. She pushes one book from the top of the spine and it tilted with a click. The row above it was engulfing with radiant light, leaving behind tomes baring Star Swirl's cutie mark. She took the one furthest right; the one he never finished filling.
Luna wandered the shelves in the fiction section. She remembered so many of the books vividly, having spent hours imagining herself on the adventures of the heroines within. Nights left plenty of time to read with so few ponies awake. She picked up one and flipped to her favorite part. Raspberry Jam dropped her cake right after knocking on the door to Sea Shell's home. It was meant to apologize for always being a source of problems and here she was, making one more mess to clean up. Jam stood crying when the door open. Yet, Sea Shell said nothing and began to clean the mess. Jam was chastising herself the whole time until they finished, and Sea Shell gave her a hug. Despite everything, Shell cared, and Jam couldn't fathom how or why.
Luna was interrupted by Celestia calling out, "I have it. We can depart." They reconvened at the entrance.
Luna stopped Celestia before she could teleport them back to Canterlot. "One moment sister. I wish to visit one room first." Celestia watched Luna's expression.
Celestia nodded. "Of course. Let us go." They walked down the hall, back the way they came.
Celestia joined her sister outside on the balcony. Though she had been so excited for the gala commemorating the castle's completion, one could only gallop so grandly for so long and far too many guest were violating the 'no political business' rule. Celestia felt too timid still to refuse, and the night had worn her thin.
Outside, Luna was watching her stars, shifting them into the shapes she was in the mood for. Celestia leaned over the balcony to watch. "Lucky."
"Pardon?"
Celestia explained, "I have nothing to decorate the day with. The pegasi control the clouds."
Luna bluntly replied, "Not like anypony cares to see them."
Celestia stood up. "Yes they do. Plenty of ponies love the stars"
"Maybe when they bother staying awake." Luna turned away from Celestia.
"Where is this coming from?" Celestia reached forward but stopped herself from connecting.
"I wouldn't expect you to understand. Ponies all love the day. They all love getting whatever they want from the pony-pleaser princess."
Celestia walked around to make Luna see her. "Hey! It isn't my fault I try my hardest to give every one of our subject their due deliberation."
Luna turned her face away again. "Whatever."
Celestia recalled the moment Luna stepped away from the gala. "Did something happen inside?"
Luna did not answer, and reentered the castle.
Celestia stayed outside for a few more minutes, then rejoined.
Together, Celestia and Luna entered the room above the spire. The room was lined with floor to ceiling windows. At the end were a pedestal and panes of glass providing a view the forest below. The walk was long, the room closer in dimensions to a hallway.
Celestia remembered what gave this place significance. Yes, it was their former study, where they spent days and nights drafting proposals and planning for the future with the forest below providing inspiration and comfort. More importantly, this was where they reunited.
Reaching the end, Luna stepped on the raised floor and stared down. Celestia joined her, standing on the unelevated stone.
The forest was constantly in motion, leaves and bushes twitched from both wind and wildlife. Luna reminisced on days spent exploring it, and one day stumbling across the Tree of Harmony. Celestia imagined the night her student made friends. She hoped the book they recovered would allow her to reach the next steps of her destiny.
Neither wanted to face the difficult task of speaking why they stood there. Luna eventually gave in. She needed this to happy. "I'm deeply sorry, sister."
Celestia took a breath. "I know. I forgive you."
Celestia held her tightly as Luna cried into her shoulder.
Celestia meandered the castle, assessing the damage. Her mind could do the calculus; the time and cost to repair still did not exceed that of building anew. She picked up a piece of broken stone and placed it back in the wall. It was enough to even qualify as a dent in undoing the harm done, but it told her what she needed to know. She listened to her heart, and departed. She entered the foyer and looked down the hall toward their bedrooms. She stepped out the front door.
Years passed. Travel had been the change of pace Celestia had needed, but even that wore out its stay. She laid down in her beach chair, watching as Twilight placed the sun at the horizon all the way back in Canterlot. Soon, the stars emerged. They never did shift since the night on the balcony. She turned to her sister next to her, only the space of a picnic basket seperating their chairs. "Our stay ends tomorrow. Where should we go next?"
Luna thought over the possibilities, then timidly asked, "Perhaps it is time to return home?"
Celestia shook her head. "Even if it has been a couple years, I worry our presence will still undermine Twilight's rule."
"No, not Canterlot."
Celestia pulled back, confused until the pieces clicked. She sat up. "Truly?"
Luna smiled. "I think we owe it that much."
Though she knew the task ahead would be difficult, Celestia couldn't think of anything else she would rather do.