"Ponykind is a term we use to address our species. Simple, but it also neglects the gryphon race, or the goats for that matter. This is avoidable through many different renditions of our words. However, among any word spoken between any species or race that is able to speak, there is one word that all understand the meaning to, or at least respect enough to be mutual over it. This word is humanity. What it means is mercy, being able to have a rudimentary understanding of right and wrong. Humanity does not dignify thoughts of is this right or wrong, it only understands the basic knowledge of how is this effecting someone. It is hardly a complex ideal... Yet I find it perplexing in itself that we must ask ourselves if there exists even a shred of humanity in us." - Star Swirl the Bearded.
Common practice throughout the kingdom was carried out the same between all lawbreakers: they would be taken the one of the royal figures for judgement. Guards would drag a pony from Saddle Arabia to Canterlot if need be. However, on most occasions, a member of the royal family was always within each of the major settlements. This led to lawbreakers at times to plan out if they would risk a crime in the city they were at or not...
Princess Mi Amora Cadenza; Makers help you if you do not say it in full when addressing her. Though rare to be one in place to pass judgement, her judgement was far from kind. It is her belief that the act of crime reflects poorly on the face of all the citizens in the area; so they should all be punished. Should you set fire to a stand? The guards will set fire to the fields. Should you assault a guard? The guards will assault a your place of work. One does not even want to entertain the idea of what could happen if the princess was harmed by anyone...
Queen Solaris. Queen Solaris' name alone has criminals begging for the noose. Anything would be better then to stand before her judgement. It is not that her punishments are undeserved, or greatly gruesome... It is that her word is law. If you break a law, you may as well have spit on Solaris' armor. At least in that case, you would suffer a swift death. There is no sympathy of any level in her judgements; only enjoyment. Stayed a few moments out passed curfew? Fair enough... You will be given a few minutes of timber wolves gnawing at your body. Have you stolen a batch of apples? Hardly something to steal, why not steal the crown jewels? So short sighted, perhaps a week with no food will learn you proper thieving ideals.
Should you be found under Nightmare Moon's jurisdiction, fortune smiled upon you. The royal ambassador to all segregate nations was known among all the citizens of Solaris' nation as many things; among those names was one many -if not all- agreed on: Samaritan of Night. Her hoof was cold, heavy, and equal; but that alone was a far greater cry to that of any of the other royals. Should you have robbed a stand, you would find yourself working for that pony until you paid back twice what you were to steal. When you assaulted a guard, you were left to that guard in the castle dungeon until they saw fit to release you. And when you committed murder... if it was a child, an adult, a pony, a gryphon, anything... The result was always the same. The sky over Caballussia was painted with the souls that shed the blood of others. Each and every star that made up the night sky was one such soul, sent there and placed there for eternal scorn for all to see by Nightmare Moon.
The Armor of Solaris. It is believed to be as heavy as the sun and as durable as diamond. No scratch has ever been found on it by anyone that has braved the chance to look at it. The armor has never once been seen without Solaris herself wearing it. Her helmet served just as much as a crown to her; and what a perfect example of her true being. As much a ruler as she was a vision of power. Each curving of her armor was built to protect what stretches the metal could reach. What parts of her body were left exposed could not even be called pony-like. Under her flawless armor was cracks and fissures that showed bleeding lava throughout her body under black, gravel skin.
"Sister!" the flames that lashed off against the walls and pillars charged and clashed against one another at Solaris' call.
In a twirl of conjured bats and thick black smoke, her sister appeared before her with the lack of her armor showing her ebony body clear to her sister. "Yes, Solaris."
"I... am tired..." The days had gone by so soon, Nightmare Moon failed to have noticed it herself, "You are aware of your duty..." the fires died at Solaris' words, leaving the room bleak and smelling of cinders.
"Of course, Solaris. Will you be leaving the armor with me?"
"Only my helmet..." a click echoed through the room and Nightmare Moon clamped her eyes shut.
Slowly, the helmet adorning Solaris' head began to rise from her with a golden ring of magic gripping it. Once it began to crack up over her chin, white and red flames lashed out all throughout the throne room, some flames cutting down pillars and crashing through windows. The flames screamed like ghosts as they tore apart banners, reducing them to ashes in the process. Solaris only continued to remove her helmet until her glowing yellow eyes could be seen burning though the air. The flames quickly flew back into Solaris and left the throne room a horrible mess like always. Nightmare Moon opened her eyes, assessed the damage, and looked at her sister. The throne around Solaris had been set on fire, still smouldering when Solaris dropped her helmet to the floor. The crown-helmet did not make a clang of any kind when it touched the floor; instead, it made the sound of a burning hammer striking against cold steel, shaking the throne room in the process.
Solaris' eyes went upon her sister, filled with golden light and piercing energy. "I will trust you with my crown for the time of my slumber..."
Solaris would keep the world in eternal dusk for months to perhaps years without end. This, however, was segmented just slightly by the time that Solaris had to rest. The time when she grew tired and would sleep for one day, two days, maybe even a month. These were days of celebration for the citizens. For on those blessed days, they were given night...
Interesting concept, I would hope there's a way to fix this alternate reality.
1858247 Maybe this IS the fixed reality.
1858274
That seems a bit sad then in a world of no hope.
1858283 No hope... But no harm either. No Discord messing things up, no Changelings trying to mess around, no Everfree Forest to harm anyone...
1858303
So estentially the idealist society the Communists and Facsists hoped for.
My only question though is, is this universe needed to be completely opposite for normal Equestria to exist, or is it just an alternate reality which mirrors the base one.
1858321 That's one way to view it.
And this is a world that's EXACTLY like Equestria... Only ONE thing happened/didn't happen that changed it into this world.
1858336
So technically deep down there is hope for this world. Now if only Queen Solaris and Evil Cadence could just go and die! Send in the Wehrmacht!
-Eye twitches and looks to the side-
Well
We'll need more than crazy glue and duct tape to fix this up. . .
1860392
Streamers?
1862084
Perhaps, perhaps. . .
We'll also need some Oxi-clean and several gallons of weapons-grade daww'ness to clean off the rusting and darkness. Least its not grimdarkness yet.
I wonder if silly putty constitutes as a repair material . . . We'll need a lot of it, heavy emphasis on the Silly.
1858336
Queen Solaris is a virgin, isn't she?
1865014 I won't say she's had sex... But I will say there has been ill feelings between Solaris and Cadenza.
1865196
knew it: bitch needs to get laid
Somehow, I only just very recently realized how well a certain few lyrics from Pink Floyd's "What Do You Want From Me" fit with this story:
"You can own everything you see
Sell your soul for complete control
Is that really what you need"
1865196 I dread to think of what Solaris did to Cadenza to make her what she is in the mirror universe. Plus, there's Nightmare Moon; I presume that Luna, crying out against her sisters' cruelties, was imprisoned until Solaris could find a way to strip her of her empathy.
I think this is the most horrifying fanfic I've ever read. Why? Because Solaris has a reason for what she does, one that we can appreciate; providing order and protection from threats. The best villains are the ones that we can almost sympathize with, and who fully believe they're doing what's right.
Welp. I'm this far in and feel I must congratulate you for creating such a terrifying vision. Now I'm going to go and cower in the corner for a little while before trying to finish.
Terrifying. Is there any hope for this world?
The scene where Solaris takes off her helmet reminds me of Vader removing his.