The last solstice

Chapter 10: The windmills of her mind – Part 1


Nocturnal Mirage just stared at the plate. Even though it was the finest quality of comida Equestria had to offer, the royal blue stallion wasn’t hungry. Dark thoughts have been preying upon him. The alicorns have infiltrated his mind. Not just the one he has to guard, but there’s another… The Crystal Princess… Cadence…

Mirage smashes his hooves against the massive wooden table. There’s been two weeks since the failed changeling attack on Canterlot, but the interaction he had with the rosa, -de-rosa alicorn left a vivid picture in his brain. The earth pónei, pônei tried to avoid Cadence ever since. He feared her a little; however the Princess of amor gave no reason for him to do so. She was kind, her voice was soothing and reassuring, her manners were delicate, yet Mirage couldn’t help to feel, that the rosa, -de-rosa alicorn was leitura in him, like an open book.

The stallion furrows a brow every time he thinks about it. He considers Cadence a much bigger threat to the secrets of his soul, than Luna. The Princess of the Night was always a little stringent and detached… she seemed a little rigid to Mirage.

Cadence was entirely different. Even her very presence was suspicious. Why is the Princess of the Crystal Empire spending so much time in Canterlot? She’s been here for at least four months now!

The cobalt stallion had a hunch that the two alicorns are working together, pushing him toward something, but he could not put the pieces together yet.

Alicorns…

A very unexpected sound suddenly breaks his train of thought. He looks around perplexedly and realizes he’s been sitting in the same pose for hours. His lunch has gone cold long ago. Mirage doesn’t care. He gets off the chair and follows the sound. Is that… a piano?

At first, he thinks it comes from somewhere outside. The stallion trots out to the small hallway and acknowledges with a mixture of surprise and curiosity that the sound comes from the Princess’s suite.

Hah, I didn’t know she can play the piano… Mirage thinks. And he has to admit, that Celestia plays beautifully. The dark blue earth pónei, pônei has never heard the Princess play before. She’s been awfully quiet since the changeling attack… and since their first encounter muzzle to muzzle…

She seems to be in a good mood. Mirage glances out the window. It’s a gorgeous late-summer afternoon. Maybe that’s the reason… The Princess changes the tempo and starts a new song. After the first few staves, Mirage realizes that she’s playing familiar tunes. Then he hears it.

Celestia sings?!! the stallion recoils in shock. This is the first time he hears the Princess’s voice when she’s not screaming in horror or rage, in the middle of the Night. And what a beautiful voice she has! It’s like honey to the ear; it sounds like countless bells ringing at the same time, each on a different vibration.

Only after a few segundos Mirage notices, that he knows the lyrics as well. Long forgotten words emerge from his soul as his lips mover silently. Celestia’s voice penetrates through the thick walls; every word she sings is perfectly understandable even outside the hallway.

Mirage acts like he’s in some sort of trans. He concentrates on the song entirely. The stallion presses his body against the large wooden door, perks up the ear and listens to Celestia’s singing. He knows the song… but from where?
Suddenly, the door gives in to the pressure and opens for a bit. The cobalt earth pónei, pônei almost falls onto his head, but manages to get a hold on the knob.

Mirage peeks inside the Princess’s suite. It seems she did not recognize that the door opened. She continues to sing. The earth pónei, pônei slowly walks inside, giving in to the urge of his curiosity which snuffs out his sense of danger. It’s difficult for him to mover silently, because there are all kinds of trash on the floor. The first room is filled with tons of dusty books. There’s a giant, rusty shield on the wall, with the crest of the Princesses painted on it. Large cobwebs cover every corner of the premise and the air is heavy from the musty books. Mirage moves on carefully, following Celestia’s voice.

The segundo room seems like her living room, with a huge fireplace, and large sofá as the dominating furniture. Several portraits and pictures are hanging on the wall. The royal blue stallion recognizes a few faces, such as Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Luna and Cadence. Countless royal letters are scattered around the floor, like toys of a reckless filly. There are numerous empty wine bottles piled up in one corner. Many valuable tomes, the works of Starswirl the Bearded are lying on the floor beside the couch. There are silky white feathers of different sizes everywhere, fallen out of Celestia’s wings. Mirage picks one up and holds it toward the sunlight. A discrete smile forms at the corners of his lips, then he lets go of the feather. He crosses the room and halts at the door. The stallion does not dare to enter this one. It’s Celestia’s bedroom. There she is! Mirage thinks with fearful excitement.

The piano is under a window in the opposite corner of the room, so the sun goddess could not see Mirage, and the earth pónei, pônei could only see her back and her billowing mane and tail, sparkling in the as cores of a breathtaking sunset. The song ends and the solar alicorn takes a sip of red wine from a half empty goblet. Then she begins to play another song. Her soothing, warm voice fills the room and Mirage's soul.

Round
Like a círculo in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning
On an ever-spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain
Or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning
Running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutos of its face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind...

Mirage’s eyes go wide. He knows this song too! His mother used to sing it for him, when he was smaller... Celestia continues.

Like a tunnel that you follow
To a tunnel of its own
Down a hollow to a cavern
Where the sun has never shone
Like a door that keeps revolving
In a half-forgotten dream
Or the ripples from a pebble
Someone tosses in a stream
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutos of its face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind...*

The royal blue stallion leans against the stile abstractedly. He’s completely preoccupied with the sight of the cantar Princess, he feels like her beautiful voice brings down every barrier in his soul. But, the song stops all of a sudden as Celestia presses down several keys of the piano violently.

Mirage comes out of the daze por the vehement noise. The solar goddess doesn’t move, she sits por the instrument like an alabaster statue. Mirage feels it is time for him to leave. Celestia spreads her wings very slowly, until she stretches them out entirely. The earth pónei, pônei tries to back out of the situation, but he knows the Princess is already aware of his presence.
With one quick wing-flap, the white alicorn is in front of Mirage. Her dainty figure towers over the cobalt stallion, but her movement seems unnatural, like if she had measured every motion, to always show the left side of her body.

Celestia’s behavior is fundamentally different than last time. Now, the Princess doesn’t seem to be frightened por the proximity of another pony. On the contrary, it appears to be angering her.
Mirage’s eyes travel upwards and look the alicorn in the eye. That mad flame still dances in her purple iris, like before. They stare at each other for a few seconds.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Celestia eventually breaks the silence.

Her deep voice is soothing and threatening at the same time. She pushes Mirage backwards and the stallion tries to retreat. The trash cracks under his hooves.

“How dare you enter?! How did you get in?! ANSWER ME!” the sun goddess perguntas vigorously.

“I… I… the door was open… your Highness...” Mirage stutters nervously.

“Unmitigated lie! The door is enchanted! Nopony could enter unless I want them to! And I certainly do not want anypony in here!!!” Celestia shouts foaming with rage.

“I… my apologies Princess, it’s just that…”

“Silence! I have saved you once, and this is how you repay me?! By looking at me?!!” the snow white alicorn yells, her voice approaches the regions of the Royal Canterlot Voice.

“I… I swear to the Creator, the door opened and…” Mirage jabbers, angst and perplexity is written all over his features.

The stallion still backs from the way of the Princess, and she keeps pushing him backwards. Every muscle in his body stretches, as fear starts to overwhelm his being. They cruz the living room like this.

“I’ve locked myself in here for a reason!!! So that I may never have to see how ponies look at me… like I was some sort of monster!!!”

“Your Highness…”

“I’M NOT A MONSTER!!! DON’T YOU EVER LOOK AT ME! DON’T YOU DARE LOOKING AT ME!!!” The Princess of the Sun screams on the Royal Canterlot Voice.

Celestia goes hysterical, her voice changes entirely. Mirage recognizes this and knows the Princess will have another breakdown.

“I’ll personally seek through that you’re executed for this, mu ha ha ha!” the solar alicorn cuts and thrusts.

“No… that wouldn’t work… I cannot leave this room...” Celestia says on meek voice, that reminiscent of Fluttershy’s.

“LUNA WILL TAKE CARE OF IT! YES THAT’S IT! LUNA! LUNA! WHERE’S LUNA?! EXECUTE THIS TREASONOUS GUARDIAN AT ONCE!!!” the Princess demands on a growly, deep voice.

“Or I could take care of this myself…” she says on a scornful, pesky voice.

Mirage has heard these voices before, when Celestia woke him up in the middle of the Night with her screaming. But actually seeing the white alicorn battling herself like this was quite unsettling for him. Looking into her eyes and seeing that delirious light flickering in them, he had no doubt about Celestia’s intentions. He runs out of space, and now have to press his back against the wall.

“You will never lay eyes upon me again!” The Solar Princess hisses as a mad grin forms on her face.

Even now she moves in a way that only her left side is visible. She flares her wings and hogs, pointing her long, sharp horn at the chest of the stallion as she approaches. Mirage’s esmeralda eyes mover about, his brain seeks for options. He suddenly spots an empty picture frame on the wall, right beside him. As he examines it mais carefully, he realizes it was a mirror. But it was busted. He looks on the floor and sees the shattered pieces. With a quick, instinctive movement, he picks up a bigger piece and holds it in front of his face. As soon as Celestia reaches the cobalt earth pónei, pônei she recoils in shock, because she sees her own reflection in the mirror shard.

“NOOOO!” she lets out a desperate, ghoulish scream and retreats to her bedroom with one flying jump.

Mirage is left alone in the biblioteca room. Celestia did not seem to care about his presence anymore. The royal blue earth pónei, pônei gasps for air for several minutes. He cannot fully comprehend what just happened. Did the Princess really wanted to kill him? Just for looking at her?! Why?!!


*lyrics of the song "Windmills Of Your Mind" por Petula Clark