Celestia stood in Star Swirl's room, looking hopelessly at the sickly, aged pony that had once been her most trusted advisor. His body looked weak and frail, his eyes clouded and misty from his long years of life. Her head was low, her eyes tearing, until Star Swirls weak voice called out to her from his bed.

“Your Highness, ye need not shed tears fer me. I've had a good life.”

Turning to face him, she walked over to him and laying a gentle hoof to his shoulder, replying as more tears fell against her will, “No, I'll find a way to save you, my friend. I shall not lose you. I promise.”

Star Swirl smiled very weakly to her. His breath was labored. Celestia watched as her mentor and friend struggled just to take a breath. Gently encasing him in her magic, she pulled him into a sitting position before returning to her work.

As she looked desperately through the many vials that lined the cabinets of Star Swirl's room, she again heard her mentor's soft voice call to her, “Celestia, I have ta confess something ta you before I pass on from this world.”

Curious, Celestia halted her search and gave Star Swirl her full attention. After a short pause, Star Swirl said, "Your Highness, it was my fault that the sirens attacked us fifty years ago.”

Before Celestia could respond to the revelation, she heard the door open behind her. Turning around, she saw Storming Winds enter the room, a few blankets on his back. The stallion looked from Star Swirl to Celestia and said, “Your Highness, you must let him go. There is nothing more you can do for him.”

Celestia, embarrassed at being seen in such a state and angry at the intrusion, yelled, “GET OUT! This is a personal moment!”
“I cannot obey your command, Your Highness. He was my mentor, as well.”

“W-What? How can that be?” Celestia looked back at Star Swirl as he struggled to breath. “Star Swirl has not left the castle since the sirens attacked us fifty years ago. I would've known if he had any other students.”

Star Swirl slowly opened his eyes, even though his vision was nearly gone. He said softly through wheezing breaths, “S-Storming Winds?” He wheezed hard, trying to speak. “I-Is that you, my old friend?” After he stopped talking, Star Swirl started to cough badly.

Stepping past Celestia, Storming Winds gently took the old pony's right hoof into his own, saying softly as he looked at his mentor with tears threatening to leak from his eyes, “Yes, it's me. I'm here with you.”

“C-Celestia, where are you? I must speak to you.” Star Swirl coughed, trying to fight off death one last time. “I must tell you something important.”

Celestia stepped forward, raising her right hoof to meet Star Swirl's. As Storming placed his mentor's hoof into Celestia's, he said gently, “I'll wait for you in the hallway.”

“No, my student. You must stay,” Star Swirl coughed out. "I must," he wheezed, gasping for what little breath he could take into his lungs, “speak to you, as well.”

Celestia laid Star Swirl's hoof onto his chest, then used her magic to pull the quilt up closer to him, trying to make him more comfortable. She swallowed hard, trying very hard to maintain her composure as her own tears threatened to fall once more. Storming Wings came up to Celestia, saying softly to her, “There is nothing more you can do for him. You must let him go.”

Shaking her head, she said, “No! I can’t lose him. There has to be a way to save him.” Celestia fought back her tears as she continued, “I-I’ll go to the Everfree Forest. There are plants there. Magical ones. I can use them to help--”

Storming Winds gently pulled Celestia into his powerful shoulders, whispering softly to her as he wrapped his wings around her to fight away her anger and sadness, “It is too late for him, Your Highness. He is too ill and too far gone. You must let him go.”

Celestia, unable to maintain her composure any longer, began sobbed into his shoulders. “No, this can't be the end. He can’t just leave me alone like this. He helped me through the darkest parts of my life. I can't say goodbye. It's just too hard.” Celestia tried to think of something, anything to hold off what she knew was inevitable. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. She said to Star Swirl gently, “What did you mean when you said it was your fault that the sirens attacked us?”

Star Swirl was unable to answer. All he could do was point his hoof towards his closet. Celestia walked over to the closet, opened it with her magic, and looked inside. She saw robes, hats, a wooden walking stick, and to her surprise, twelve brown, leather books. Each one had a red and yellow sun emblazoned on them. Using her magic, Celestia took out the first book, opened it up and saw that she held her mentor's diary. As if on instinct, she turned the book to the last few pages and began to read.

Dairy,
I learned today a horrible truth. The sirens were telling the truth when they came to me, pleading with me to end our travels over the Celestial Sea. Their eggs washed upon the shore today. To my horror, I saw at least two thousand eggs, all destroyed, all crushed, all dead, washed upon the shore. To think that I, a protector of life, would do such a thing. Three sisters stood by, all crying and begging me to end their lives so that they didn’t need to feel such pain and loss. I couldn’t. I told them that I would find a way to set things right, yet I was unable to do so. Admitting as much to the sirens only sparked anger and deep rage within the biggest of the three. She demanded blood for blood and is now on her way with the other two to conquer all of Equestria. It was my fault, and I must stop them! I have no choice. I must send them away.

I should have listened to them. I should have seen that my actions would have caused such pain and suffering. I told the princess that our ships would not destroy their rookies nor would our anchors damage their eggs. I should have known better. Sirens require shallow, warm water to lay their eggs, and the Celestial Sea provided such waters. Yet I was too set in my ways and to stupid to see this. I will carry this guilt and dishonor to my grave.

May the Elements forgive me for what I must do now, and may those that come after me when I am gone forgive me for my actions towards the sirens. They were innocent creatures who were only desperately trying to protect their young. I wish there was another way to end the fighting that our two races are now locked in, yet there is none. I will use my magic to send them to a world without magic, but I will give them the means to feed themselves. They have already suffered enough due to my foolishness. I hope that all eight Elements of Harmony will be able to forgive my transgressions against another sapient species.

Setting the book down, she walked over to her mentor. Taking his hoof into her own again, she said softly to him, “I forgive you for what you did, Star Swirl. I will find a way to find the sirens and bring them home. I swear it.” Celestia closed her eyes as Star Swirl slowly breathed his last. Storming Wings laid a gentle wing over her shoulder.

Celestia lowered her head as she allowed Star Swirl's hoof to fall out of her own, landing against the bedside. Silently, she wept, her tears falling off her chin and splashing on the cold, wooden floor of his bedchamber.

“Your Highness,” Storming Winds began gently, “it'll be alright. I will not leave you alone. You will never be alone.”

Looking back up, Celestia's jaw trembled slightly as she unfurled her wings, embracing Storming Winds in her own wings and hugging him tightly. She cried for several minutes in his shoulders before ending the embrace and heading out into the hallway. In the hallway, she said to her guards, “Prepare a funeral pyre. Today, we say goodbye to one of Equestria's greatest advisers, Star Swirl the Bearded.”

Several hours later, Princess Celestia stood on her balcony, overlooking her castle as she watched ponies from all over Equestria line up to mourn Star Swirl's passing. She turned her attention to Storming Winds, who stood just behind her. Gently, she said, “Please, after the funeral, don’t go. I want you to stay with me. I...I need a friend right now.”

“I will, Your Highness. I’ll stay as long as you want me to stay.”

Celestia nodded to Storming Winds, then turned back to face the crowd that had gathered to pay their respects to the fallen adviser to the royal crown. Celestia raised her right hoof and gave the signal to bring Star Swirl's body to the pyre.

Raising her voice, she said to all gathered, “My ponies, today, we say our goodbyes to Star Swirl the Bearded. Today, we mourn one that was both a good advisor and a good friend. May his soul find rest and peace in the meadows of his ancestors, and may his deeds always be remembered as good and brave.” Celestia decided not to tell the crowd of her mentor's mistake. Looking at the pyre, she continued at the same volume, “I will never forget you, Star Swirl, nor should anypony forget what you have done for all of us. May we all learn the lessons of love and kindness that you spent your life teaching us.”

Celestia watched Star Swirl's body slowly turn to ash and the embers float high into the sky. Feeling her sorrow well up again, she took hold of Storming Wind's hoof into her own and looked into his eyes, saying softly to him, “Please stay here tonight with me. I don’t think I can raise the sun tomorrow without somepony by my side.”

“You have nothing to fear. I will not leave you. I swear it.”

The two remained on the balcony for several hours, watching the funeral crowd die down to only a few ponies. Once the last ponies headed home, Storming Winds and Celestia retired to Celestia's bedchamber, where she soon found herself snuggled up tightly against his warm body. Storming Winds wrapped his wings gently around Celestia, holding her close to him. She took great comfort in his warmth and his loving embrace, and she soon found herself deep in sleep on his chest and powerful shoulders.

Though, before she fell truly into the land of dreams, a single thought crossed her mind. “Why did he mention eight elements in his diary? There are only six. Right?”

Next Chapter: Unhinged (Edited by and Titled by Icecreammac) Estimated time remaining: 16 Hours, 53 Minutes