“So the magic failure that happened in Clouds dale, happened when you and your family were around?” Celestia asked, raising a hoof to her mouth. She had seen the accident in the paper but she couldn’t recall how long ago that was. By her sun her years were running together. A symptom of old age that she very much did not want to think about at this very moment.
“Yeah that was us, I was told by doctors and staff that the whole forced eclipse thing messed with the magic place we lived in. When it collapsed we didn’t know since the clouds didn’t fall apart, but it sank like a rock in the ocean.” Icarus said, looking out into the garden.
He wasn’t quite used to visiting the castle to talk with Celestia as he felt he should be. Since the Gala, he and Sombra had been staying in the castle for the better part of 2 months. Celestia had told Icarus and Sombra to take a vacation and stay with them. Much to the Princess of the Night's chagrin, she found herself bumping into Sombra more than she would have liked. What Icarus had not expected when being invited to stay in the castle was Celestia asking him to tea every other morning.
“Hmm, yes that day was disastrous in many ways. I know that this will not help, but I apologize for being unable to remedy that situation and for the loss of your parents,” Celestia said, bowing her head.
“Cel- I mean Tia. As much as you want me to call you that, I would like you to forgo the formalities as well. Besides, there were a lot of factors as to why that happened that day I’m sure,” Icarus said before sipping the last of his tea.
“You may very well be correct. However what happened to you then, and what you explained happened on the train are odd events.” Celestia said, closing her eyes. Icarus wouldn’t argue with that line of logic. It was extremely weird that no one caught the falling of a city section and the derailing and disappearance of a train near the Crystal Empire. While the two of them thought about how that was the case Celestia saw a worried look on the colt's face.
“So how did your parents meet?” Celestia asked after deciding to change the topic. Icarus shook his head and looked back up at Celestia.
“All I’ve heard when researching any pony related is that mom was a runaway from someplace far south. She met her husband while she was fleeing. A guard I think? He was in armor in a lot of photos I have” Icarus said.
“Hmm, that is quite the whirlwind romance, reminds me of my youth~” Celestia mused. They sat in silence yet again before Icarus spoke.
“Well it’s been fun but-” Icarus began to say before Celestia held up a hoof.
“No need to explain. You staying here with me was my selfish wish so please go enjoy yourself” She said smiling at him. Icarus nodded and hopped off his stool and walked out of the garden. Once he was out of sight Celestia sighed to herself.
“Fascinating young one. No wonder Sombra likes him huhu~” Celestia giggles to herself enjoying the early morning breeze.
“Jeez, I don’t get why she doesn’t try to get closer to Dad,” Icarus mumbled as he walked through the castle. His hoof steps echoed as he wandered about the castle. Where would he explore this time? He loved the solar wing of the castle for its flowers, kind staff, and colorful stained glass windows. However, the lunar wing of the castle seemed to draw him closer.
“Well, the lunar wing it is,” Icarus thought to himself. Shrugging his shoulders and making up his mind he headed across the castle. Making his way towards the lunar library he was enamored with decorations and architecture. The tall dark obsidian pillars, the seemingly endless black shelves filled with books stretching back as far as he could see. The walls a deep royal blue that shone much like The Princess of the night's mane. Icarus stood in the doorway taking in his surroundings with fascination until he heard some pony clear their throat.
“Can I help you?” An older light grey mare asked lifting an eyebrow.
“Ah, just uhhh, looking around thanks though,” Icarus said shyly. The mare stared at him a while longer as she debated asking again. She sighed and resumed cataloging what she had at her desk. Icarus taking this as his queue to move on slowly walked across the dark stone floor. A goofy grin plastered across his face as he felt at home amongst the books.
“I wonder where the ro- THERE!” Icarus thought happily as he made his way to the romance novels. Admittedly he was tired of reading the same books he grabbed from Aura Point. Slowly reaching up with his wing, he pulled out a plain green book. Icarus sneezed as he blew the dust off of the book which was followed by a loud,
“SHHHHHHHHHHH,” from the librarian some rows back. Rolling his eyes Icarus opened the book and began reading until his eyes widened in surprise.
“No way…” Icarus mumbled to himself as he buried his nose into the book. It wasn't just any book, but a diary. Whose diary well~
Property of The Princess of the Night.
Date: 20xxxx - 20xxxxx
Subject: My feelings and observations
Address: Really?
Icarus snorted reading the last line inside the title page. It wasn’t even a full joke yet it still amused him that she would even write inside the table of contents.
“Well since this is just among the books…” Icarus whispered looking to his left then slowly to his right. Seeing no pony in sight, he flipped to the first page and sighed.
“Gotta be something on dad in here. Maybe they could make up?” Icarus thought to himself as he began to pry into the life of Princess Luna from her perspective.
Ok.. admittedly when Icarus had opened up the diary and began to read he was expecting to see a lot about the lunar princess's life. However, he did not expect to quite literally see a lot of her life through her own eyes. One moment Icarus was sitting in the library, the next he was looking through eyes that weren’t his.
“This is…new,” Icarus thought as the magic walked Icarus through the Lunas' memories. The diary showed him how Luna saw Gala’s past, and how she saw her sister before she was sent away to the moon. Luna’s celebrated birthdays and hundreds of other scenarios played out in front of Icarus as he just soaked in his front-row seat to history.
“I could do without the gore and battle cries but th-” Icarus thought until he saw a figure he recognized.
“Dad?!” He exclaimed but the words that came from his mouth weren’t his own;
“Sombra! Why…” a shrill voice called out cracking in frustration. Icarus felt wave after wave of raw emotion as he experienced it. Icarus felt grief like he hadn’t felt since he was young. He felt a longing only known to those who have loved deeply. He felt the gaping hole where his heart should be, the hot tears that weren’t his rolled down his cheek.
“Wh-Why?” Icarus asked along with the memory of Luna. The voice of the lunar princess was hoarse, tired, and broken. The glowing red and green eyes of Sombra stared back at him.
“You are no longer needed or wanted. Leave me and my wife be. I never want to see y-'' Sombra said, cutting himself off. The magic around him faded slightly, his pupils slowly undulating. Icarus, remembering his father's story at the gala, gasped at what he saw.
“This is him hurting Luna, this is how she fel-” Icarus saw the crystal empire shattered around him and filled with smoke. Three familiar ponies stood across from each other. The two princesses and his father.
“Luna, we have to kill him, if we don’t…” Celestia said through pants of exhaustion.
“I know my sister but…” Luna trailed off. Tears continued to flow down her cheeks as her magic gripped her axe in her magic as she readied herself. Before the memory could go further Icarus felt a pull on his back.
The memory un-focusing until all around him was a hazy blur. He rubbed his eyes until everything came back into focus and he was sitting on the cool library floor. His eyes itched and the fur around his eyes was damp.
“That was…wow.” Was all Icarus could think. Even when he lost his parents, the emotions he felt were strong but these. He felt overwhelmed like he was drowning in what he wanted to say and grief. He felt awful, he felt bitter, he felt-
“Art thou done prying into our private affairs and laughing young one?” The familiar voice asked. Icarus wiping his tear stained cheeks looked up at Luna who wore a confused look after seeing his face.
“Princess Luna, Sorry. If I knew I was going to be sucked into memories of the past, I…” Icarus paused thinking about what he would have done even if he knew. “I probably would have still read it but I am sorry for prying” He admitted after a few moments of thought.
Luna who so desperately wanted to be angry at him. One for reading her diary and going through it, and two for having gall to be so blunt and honest. Yet, she liked his answer. He didn’t try to lie to her and from the look on his face he wasn’t laughing at her pain. Not like the others had, not like every pony who watched her weep when Sombra left her.
“We appreciate honesty, as thanks we shall let thee accompany us to dinner” Luna said, levitating the diary out of Icarus hooves.
“I don’t think I have much of a stomach for food. Not after living through a few wars and uh… very intense moments” Icarus said shaking his head. Ponies already didn’t eat meat but he would never look at another sword the same way.
“Well consider it punishment then, for prying into a royals life. You shall accompany us to the dinner. This is an order” Luna said sternly looking down at the coffee colored Pegasus.
Icarus sighed and slowly got up, “ As you wish your highness,” he said on shaky hooves. Slowly he grabbed a couple books from his pile and checked them out as he the Lunar princess left the library.
“Better, now let us go. Tonight is tomato soup” Luna said.
“Sounds fine to me,” Icarus replied, following behind Luna. As the two approached the private dining the two stopped at the door. Two familiar voices were…Laughing?
“Oh by my sisters name. No.” Luna said as she went pale. The laughter grew louder as the two stood in silence. As the laughter subsided they could finally hear.
“Oh, Princess when I tell you the look on the colt's face when he sees her,” Sombra’s voice boomed.
“My, you should have seen Cadence when she was going out with shining armor.” Celestia replied. The two began seemingly competing with each other to see who could tell the most embarrassing stories.
“I swear to whoever, DAD!” Icarus whined as he opened the door. Celestia and Sombra looked over from their conversation. Sombras smile only grew as he laid eyes on his Icarus as he walked in plopped down next to him.
“Oh please. If this is anything to be embarrassed about. I hadn’t even gotten to the stories of Fleur coming to visit us fo-'' Sombra began to say before Icarus put his wing over his fathers mouth.
“Please and respectfully. Shut upppp!!! This isn't what I wanted when I thought you two should get closerrr” Icarus continued to whine. Causing Celestia and Sombra to laugh a little before Sombra nodded in agreement.
“For now I suppose I can spare you” Sombra said as Icarus lowered his wing, sighing.
“Now if you two are done, Lu-Lu dear sister are you a statue? Come in food getting cold” Celestia called not looking up from her soup. Luna flinched and mumbled inaudibly before she came and sat at the table next to her sister. Celestia and Sombra continued their conversation albeit adhering to less embarrassing stories about Icarus and Fleur. Icarus looked over at the princess of the night.
“Not the setting you were expecting to talk in, huh?” Icarus asked. Luna only nodded, keeping her gaze fixed on her bowl of soup. The two sat and listened to the conversation before Icarus sighed. He poked Sombra to get his attention who turned to him smiling.
“Anything you’d like to add?” Sombra asked, motioning him to speak.
“Actually yeah, uh when are you going to talk with your Queen of Night?” Icarus asked. Both Sombra and Luna looked at him. Both wore looks of embarrassment, and frustration as Celestia giggled.
“How about this. Icarus dear these two have much to talk about, let us go to the pastry store in town.” Celestia said getting up and using her magic to lift a napkin and clean her mouth.
“Ya know what Tia, I would love too. Cya later dad!” Icarus said getting up and leaving with Celestia.
“You can’t do this to me Sister I-” Luna said panicked as the door behind the other door closed.
“ ‘m not ready…” Luna finished saying.
“We don’t have to talk if you wish not too. I wouldn’t blame you” Sombra said. Luna hated when he sounded like that. Like…Like he actually cared about her. She looked towards him to see his ruby eyes, his soft ruby eyes looking at her with worry.
“No no no, Luna don’t fall for this. He doesn’t care.” Luna thought. She held his gaze as she thought of what to say.
Another thought crossed Luna's mind, “But what if he does care about us? We know he was used so…”
“Princess are you feeling alright? Do I need to call a medic?” Sombra asked softly.
“N-No. Just give me a moment. We have well… a lot to talk about” Luna said resigning herself. She knew she would have to confront her past some time, she didn’t think it would be tonight. She just wanted to ask the colt for advice on how to talk to Sombra since he had actually seen what happened that day.
“Please do not push yourself and take your time” Sombra replied before resuming his meal. Leaving Luna to gather her thoughts as best she could.