moon dust

As much as it’s horrifying, watching the silver Moon fall apart is a beautiful sight. The way its shine slowly dies, and the surface cracks into pieces, falling from each other.

A girl stands on top of the stairs, her armor lays behind her as she sheds it running up to the peak. Chest falls heavily, she tries to catch her breath, too enticed by the scene in front of her. Palm tingles with magic, begging to be let loose.

She could-… no. She must try.

One last glance at her palm, an intricate purple tattoo looks back at her, the lines precise and clean. It shines with a gentle glow, but as another rupture appears on the Moon the symbol’s glimmer fades.

“Violet, what are you doing?!” A scream cuts through the wind.

Violet turns to find a woman standing a few steps away from her, at the bottom of the stairs. She wears a similar armor to hers, the one lying on the ground. Well-crafted silver and purple, decorated with symbols of the Seven Moons and the stars. Silver locks spill around her neck, long gone from the strict bun she usually wears.

She tries to take another step forward.

“Rina, don’t!” Violet commands, her voice shrieking with something unsettling.

Her lilac eyes move between the woman and the Moon. Palm pushed against her chest, her skin tingling under the warmness emitting from the vibrant symbol.

She takes a step towards the raised Statue at the end of the stairs. The Statue depicts a woman, cupping her hands in front of her, holding up what seems to be a purple orb, floating. Her eyes look towards the sky. Vines have woven their way around the Statue, the rock slate in front of it cracked and unused, beaten up by the weather.

“Stay away from me, Rina!” Violet warns her again, slowly inching towards the Statue. “This is too dangerous for you!”

As she nears the Statue, the orb comes to life. It slowly spins around itself, purple and blue swirls on the inside.

Rina stands there, for only a moment hesitating. “Me?” A scoff. “You are the one who stands at the sacrificial altar!” She points at the Statue accusingly.

“You don’t…. It’s…” Violet averts her eyes away from the Statue to look at the woman again. “I’m the only one who can stop this. I can save the last Moon, I can save Celestia.”

Her voice is filled with hope, the kind that reminds Rina of a child instead of a Moon Priestess who spent her life defending dynasties and magic. Ignoring the pleas of Violet, she takes the next stair.

The world around them slowly falls apart. The once grand and proud Temple of the Seventh Moon is nothing but ruins, it burns with black and thick clouds as the structure has fallen into itself. In the distance, the wind carries the screams and pleas of the people, the glide of magic, and the destruction it brings with itself. Blue and red shrouds of the tall trees shake with vigor while the wind runs through between them.

It all fell silent for Violet.

She reaches for the orb, and like a magnet, it draws her towards it.

A few inches and she could fulfill her destiny, the one that was never trusted upon her, yet she has picked it up and carried it through her life.

Expect Rina’s hand clamps on her wrist, and yanks her away. Lilac meets with rosy pink, eyes locked together in a silent battle.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Rina screams over the wind. “How could you? The Guardians are long gone, slaughtered!”

“Not everyone,” Violet says, it sounds like a whisper against the storm that has gathered around them.

“What are you-”

Violet shows her palm, glowing and thrumming with magic, and it gathers around it slowly, then releases in small waves. The symbol that has always been hidden by her gloves, her hand she has barely used in fights instead learning to wield the sword in her left hand.

“This can’t be… How…” Words stuck in her throat, she takes a step back dropping Violet’s hand. “You’ve lied to me… You’ve lied to all of us!” She pushes Violet away. “How could you? How could you stay silent when we needed you?! Why now? Why not when the First Moon has fallen, or the Second?! Why now Violet?!”

Rina screams at her, her body shaking, anger flushing her cheeks. Violet says nothing, she stares at the woman, watching as her rosy eyes fill with tears, and they roll down her cheeks.

Without another word, Violet lunges forward and hugs Rina, weaving her arms around her. “I’m sorry…” She whispers. “I’m sorry…. I’m sorry.”

“You let our word be destroyed.” Rina’s voice sounds muffled against Violet's shoulders. “You caused this…”

“I know.”

“You killed all of them, without doing anything… You killed them.”

“I know…” She bites back her own cries.

Violet lets go of Rina, touching her forehead gently. Slender fingers frame her cheeks, and when she opens her eyes she sees Rina looking at her.

There’s an unspoken promise between the two, just like on the first night they confessed to each other many years ago. A promise that will never be fulfilled: I want to stay with you forever.

“I’m sorry, Rina.” Violet closes her eyes once more, pressing her lips now to Rina’s forehead. “Go, please.”

Rina slowly lets go, fingers trailing her shoulders, arms, and hand. She takes every detail of her face, wanting to remember every mole, the small smile lines around Violet’s lips, the scar on her eyebrows, the freckles scattered all around her face. The way her black hair falls into her eyes, and how the blunt cut frames her face.

“I wish…” Her words never come, swallowed by regret and bitterness. “Goodbye, Violet.”

She retreats. Stepping away, her steps are hesitant, slow, and unwilling. Despite the anger she possesses, the tenderness in her heart is stronger. Yet, she still turns her back and walks away, down the stairs and disappearing among the trees.

Violet ignores the way her own heart pangs, ignores the way Rina’s shoulder shakes, and ignores the bitter fantasy of their life together.

The Moon Priestess turns, tattooed hand cradling the orb. The blinding light banishes the storm around her, it takes her whole body in, enveloping her in the glow.

Her entire being, mind, and body have become one with the light. It consumes her, as her body cracks, purple rays escaping through it.

“Take me as your offering, for I exist only to serve you.” The words of the ancient texts echo around her as she speaks.

The light expands.

The Moon in the sky glows with the orb, and magic gathers around it, old and wild as it holds the falling parts together, mending, and restoring it.

The ancient and feral magic runs through the land, it erases the storm, the suffering, and the disease the destruction of the previous Moons brought with them. It mends the world, not into its previous glory but into one that can grow and progress. The rives clear from blood, the soil heals from the rot and the sky clears from the cursed clouds.

What it cannot heal, is a grieving heart.