Twilight had not expected that. But, now that she knew, she could see signs of it on him. When Barthandelus spoke of his kind, the Immortals, his voice would deepen, barely echoing like it normally would. Though he normally stood still while speaking, mentioning his kind would cause him to shift about. Now, he couldn't stop pacing about, unable to meet her face.

It had been ten minutes since she asked her last question, and neither of them could muster the strength to speak. The air hung heavily around them, so thick, it was nearly palpable. She could nearly taste the sorrow in Barthandelus, and his face, normally expressionless, was twisted and contorted in sorrow. She wished she could say something, say anything to comfort him, but the silence was so complete, she almost feared that making the slightest sound would bring the entire palace down on top of them.

Finally, Barthandelus broke the silence, muttering something to himself. She could barely make out the words, but they sounded like a spell.

"Nusquam permaneo forever, nusquam subsisto idem eadem idem. Dico mihi it's non super, dico mihi it's non perfectus."

"What does that mean?" Twilight asked, her tongue suddenly able to move.

Barthandelus smiled at her. "It's just a short prayer I say to myself whenever I'm depressed. It doesn't have any special power, but it makes me feel happy. 'Nothing lasts forever, nothing stays the same. Tell me it's not over, tell me it's not done'. Nothing special."

"Like I said, the princesses and I are the last of the Immortals now. There used to be thousands of us, but our war amongst ourselves, and aeons upon aeons of time to destroy much of which we held dear, it has taken its toll. In fact, the reason I came here was to inform Celestia and Luna of the recent departure of Yunas Gong, the only other Immortal out there. You see, the four of us sworn an oath together, that we would forever be connected, until the end of time. I was the one to suggest it in the first place, when I myself was on the verge of passing on. It gave me the strength to keep living, and I thought it best if I inform them that Yunas had failed to keep his oath."

Twilight knew how he felt. Though she had never felt lonely before she meet her friends, she now drew great strength from them, and she cared for them deeply, and knew they all felt the same way about her and each other. They meant a lot to her, and she knew she would do anything for them. She didn't know what she would do if anything happened to them.

"I must admit," Barthandelus said, "I'm surprised at how much Celestia and Luna have done since I last saw them. Back then, Canterlot was just a mountainside town. They ruled from their old castle in Eclipse City. It's sad to know that the once glorious city is now nothing but ruins in the Everfree Forest, but I doubt they'd want to live there, after what happened with Nightmare Moon. Besides, it's nothing compared to the countless species that have gone extinct over the years. I still miss the Hydra-Griffons, they were marvelous architects!"

Sensing an unwanted turn in the conversation, Twilight quickly changed the subject. "Your book said that Immortals couldn't feel emotions. What was that like"

"It's hard to say," he said. "On one hand, I could really do without depression, sorrow, and anger. But on the other, it's wonderful to be able to feel happiness, love, amusement, and all the rest. How can I describe it? It's like watching a video of someone elses life. You know what your supposed to feel, but you just don't."

"And how did you 'learn' emotions?"

"It's very complicated. Until then, we used nothing but logic. Then, after spending time with your kind, we just did. You can't teach a young filly how to walk, or breath. They just know. We didn't even notice the change, we just woke up one day and felt emotion for the first time. Some of us latter lost the ability to feel, but they all eventually lost their connections to our world, and latter disappeared, apparently having destroyed their bodies. I suppose the ability to feel helped keep me and the princesses alive all these years, and I certainly wouldn't want to be without emotions again."

Most of her questions answered, Twilight asked one last thing. "Before I came in, I saw Luna leaving your room. what were you two talking about."

His mood suddenly serious, Barthandelus quickly shot a look outside the room. After conforming no one was outside, he said "Listen very carefully. What I'm about to tell you does not leave this room."

After she nodded, Barthandelus's horn began to glow. Twilight felt a strong wave of magic come from him, and she soon knew that he had cast a spell of silence. No one outside would be able to hear anything said or done in here. It would take a incredibly strong counter-spell to breach it, and although she knew that Celestia and Luna could break the spell, it would take them time. Until then, she was on effectively on her own.

Even though he knew no one could hear him, he still whispered. "Luna told me about her time as Nightmare Moon. I know how everyone else feels about it! I know how to fix it! But you must not tell anyone, not even Celestia! You have to promise!"

The suddenly dark mood messing with her mind, Twilight quickly agreed. Later, she would wonder what would have happened if she told somepony, but at the moment, she simply knew that she had to agree to keep the promise. She knew that if she didn't, he would wipe this all form her mind, and, from what little she knew of the process, she knew it was far from pleasant.

A look of relief on his face, Barthandelus quickly unwound the spell. Suddenly, she heard the clop-clop of hooves outside.

"That must be the princesses. They'll be wondering what happened. Remember, you are not to tell anypony about this ever!" With this, Barthandelus went over to the door and opened it. Just outside, as expected, were Celestia and Luna.

"Ah, Barthandelus!" Celestia said. "We felt you cast that spell, and we wondered what happened."

"Its nothing," he said. "Just a simple silence spell. You understand if I want to keep somethings to myself as much as possible."

"We understand," Luna said, "But the way you've been acting worries us. You know that if there is anything you want to talk about, you're free to tell us."

"I know. I'm just not ready. I'll tell you when I am, but I just need more time right now."

Celestia and Luna looked mildly disappointed, but they didn't say anything. They nearly turned to leave, but then Luna suddenly spoke up.

"Barthandelus, if this is still about what happened back then, you need to stop! What happened was never your fault, and if you keep tearing up yourself over it, your only going to make yourself miserable! You need to let go!"

"Luna-" Celestia said, but Luna went on.

"I know you did your best, and I appreciate it, but what happened, happened! No amount of sorrow can change that, you know that! He made his choice, and he paid for it, but there was nothing you could do about it! You have to let go!"

With that, Luna ran off, sobbing. Barthandelus almost made to run after her, but stopped himself. Tears ran down his face, and Celestia put one of her wings over him, to offer comfort. He buried his face in it for a moment, then went back into his room, locking it behind him. Twilight was left with Celestia, who had a sad expression on her face.

After a moment of silence, Celestia said "Come, Twilight. He'll need some time alone." Next Chapter: Chapter 6: The Incident Estimated time remaining: 44 Minutes