Royal Rewrite - The winner wrote the history

by Zalmax

2.4 - The battle begins

The funeral was short. Usually they lasted a bit longer. But usually they didn’t have a ceremony at all when a traitor was buried. The speeches of farewell had been short mumbles. Perhaps they wanted to hide the fact they missed a traitor. Perhaps some would rather be angry at the corpse, but something they wouldn’t dare with Luna leading by example. Perhaps some of them were still in denial.

Luna decided to keep her royal appearance up to honor the fallen. Black fur and radiant eyes bathing the ceremony in her aura of the night. According to Luna, Lieutenant Ladyhawk wasn’t a traitor. She was just put in an impossible situation. Caught between her duties acting as a sledgehammer, and her passion acting as the anvil; and the poor officer’s future in the middle.

The lieutenant had tried to solve the situation but failed. She had failed because she wasn’t allowed to voice her concern, to question, and to suggest changes. If Luna had been around to follow-up on the conflict, it surely could have been resolved differently?

Luna turned back towards the castle. Hearing sounds from the settlement she decided to make a detour. She never visited the settlement unannounced but she often used her magic stealth to gander a peek.

Her sister would balk at such deceitful behavior if she knew about it, but Luna considered it permissible. She considered it her duty to verify how well ponies’ dreams about the settlement matched the reality. How things appeared in dreams could vary quite a bit from actual life, and she just had to know.

Celestia’s protocol demanded that the inhabitants should receive ‘fair warning’ before any visit from the royals, even if it was just to say hello. The ponies living there should never have to worry about being subjected to some surprise evaluation.

Luna noticed some noise and hustle coming from the village. Had her visit been announced it would probably been entirely different, but then again, Luna figured ponies should be able to go about their lives without having to turn everything upside-down just because a royal princess is passing by. They may as well get used to the idea that a princess can walk around without a ceremonial greeting must take place.

One of the guards in tow since the funeral suddenly rushed past Luna, throwing herself flat on the ground on the side, kneeling towards the princess.

"Your most esteemed royal Princess!" she called out.

For a second Luna figured she should just keep walking. She looked at the guard, who didn’t look back.

"Speak your mind, Guard Silverbow."

"May your highness forgive us, but we have no knowledge of a royal visit. If our divine princess would let me run ahead and inform the village about your visit, everyone could take some time to greet you properly."

"No, that will not be necessary. We do not require the formalities of an official visit. We will just walk by and have a look," Luna replied as she walked past the kneeling guard.

The guards following Luna followed in unsettling silence without daring to voice any opinion.

As Luna entered the densely packed houses along the road, she saw ponies focusing their attention towards the center of the village. Those close to her looked shocked over the surprise visit. The odd thing was that they looked shocked while they were looking at the center of the village and kept that look on their face as they turned to see Princess Luna. The shock they felt didn’t prevent them from falling down and kneeling as she came, but it felt strange. As Luna got in line of sight of the small center square she understood why.

Writhing in pain was Captain Quicksmite; her right hind leg had been cut off with an axe. Another pony with a bandage in his mouth was pulling hard, to make the dressing of the wound tight. There were better ways to deal with such wounds, but traitors weren’t privy to the best medical care.

Luna didn’t keep walking. She looked at Captain Quicksmite from a distance. Most ponies in Luna’s vicinity had fallen to the ground and were kneeling instead of going about their usual business. Luna had seen enough. Her mane and tail gathering energy as the smoke around her eyes intensified.

Captain Quicksmite had been fiercely loyal to Queen Celestia, and obviously also held princess Luna in divine regard. Within the span of an hour, Quicksmite’s best friend and life-long support had been buried while Quicksmite herself had got her leg chopped off and was branded as a traitor.

Luna tried to keep calm but it was difficult, so very very difficult. She did a quick turn and was about to gallop towards the castle before she decided to go airborne and fly over the wall, ignoring the rules that everypony, including royals, should always leave and enter by the gate, for all to see and everyone to know. That rule, as so many others, felt like a mockery right now. Never before had she hated the rules and the protocols more than she did right now.

The door to the throne room was blown open by the force from Luna’s magic.

Celestia recognized it as her sister’s temper tantrum. The only question on Celestia’s mind was why it came now and not earlier. Celestia kept her calm. With the deception dealt with the fire in her eyes and her aura was a bit mellower then it had been during the interrogation.

"Celestia!" Luna called out as she moved up towards her sister.

"Princess Luna, behave yourself. This is the royal throne room and not a Dragon hall."

Luna’s angry hoofsteps caused cracks to appear in the marble floor as she moved up the hall towards her sister. Queen Celestia on the other hoof had retired to sitting on her throne and didn’t even bother to stand up.

Luna’s angry voice drummed as hard as her hooves, "CELESTIA! What in Equestria is WRONG with you?? How can your mind be so flawed that you seek to judge and punish everything that moves, no matter if it moves with you or against you??"

"DON’T you start that tone with us. If you have a valid complaint, then bring it together with your manners and we shall listen, but until then you can go sit in your garden."

"STOP!" Luna screamed. The power she radiated rustled curtains, shelves, and furniture in the hall, "We are tired of this behavior and demand immediate change to your tyrannical rule."

Celestia’s anger suddenly showed in both eyes and energized mane as she clenched her teeth. "We have had a very hectic day and are in no mood for your ill-tempered conniption." Celestia’s voice switched to address the soldiers present. "Guards! Show the princess out. We do no longer require her presence in the throne room."

The rules for how to show someone out was clear. Move up and follow the target to the door. If they didn’t move, sign for them to do so. If they still didn’t move. Stand real close with a mean look on the face, weapons raised and ready for combat.

All that training was however for naught as they felt themselves raised from the ground and quickly levitated towards the door. Luna’s magic had gotten them before they had a chance to react, and even though their limbs and wings were flailing wildly, and the unicorns tried to free themselves with magic, it didn’t help as Luna had them in a firm neutralizing grip.

The display angered Celestia. She wasn’t agitated by the fact that the guards were thrown out. Even if it was a rare event and not something you saw every century, it could happen when Luna got her rage on.

What annoyed Celestia most was that Luna did what she herself could not. She couldn’t hoist a pony like that. Celestia could throw her power at a pony and it would make a bone breaking sound as the pony hit the wall, but she couldn’t carefully lift and displace it.

Celestia found that the magic in ponies made them slippery; especially if they struggled. It wasn’t because Celestia lacked power. It was just that pulling a splinter was easier using tweezers than a crowbar. She was annoyed by Luna’s display nonetheless.

Celestia stood up and walked down the stairs leading up to the throne on its dais. Her eyes, mane and tail clearly showing the fire within.

"You anger me sister. You shouldn’t provoke my fury. Our ties will only give you so much leniency before I grow weary of your shenanigans." Celestia bit off the words in a very uncharacteristic way. Her voice was loud and clear, but the royal authority was replaced with royal wrath.

"NO! It’s time for change, right here, right now. The princess of the night will now guide Equestria according to the philosophy of the Moon."

Luna walked up towards Celestia, and now her power really started to flow. Her mane was as voluminous as her body and her tail was lashing out as a big shark of darkness, holding unfathomable energy that anyone could readily assume but very few were capable to see.

Celestia responded in kind. Astral fire rising from the halo of her tail and mane intensified to become actual flames ready to burn anything it touched.

Luna was almost all the way to Celestia when magical lightning struck from all sides. Celestia’s method of engulfing an opponent in massive amounts of energy left only immortals alive.

This time however, her attack failed. Somehow her sister had evaded it. Standing just a tad bit on the side to the epicenter with an evil grin on her face. Luna’s appearance had kept changing and now she had long sharp teeth to go with every other sharp feature of her appearance. None of them ever had fangs as a part of the royal appearance. Sharp teeth were a hostile statement of aggression.

With Luna’s homicidal visage confirmed, Celestia didn’t wait. Luna must be knocked out fast before she caused any damage. She would not give her time to evade another barrage of energy. Celestia let her powers go and energy shot at Luna from every side, in a massive onslaught.

Except Luna wasn’t there.

Once again it looked like she was in the middle of it, but she had shifted a bit to the side, basking in the glorious light but not in the pain.

Celestia didn’t have time to mix frustration into her anger as Luna’s dark bolt hit her straight on. It felt like bones cracked and fur singed, but it was just pain. Pain and... her fur actually smoked and singed as she was forcibly crushed down into the stairs leading up to the throne.

It hurt. It hurt a lot. The marble wasn’t as soft as your hooves may lead you believe, when your body was slammed into it, back first.

Celestia screamed in pain and anger before she directed a flare of her own against her sister. Sending her beam head-on towards Luna who had become airborne with a magical force field acting as a shield to protect her. Celestia’s fiery flares broke against Luna’s magical shield as harmless firework.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, TRAITOR!" Celestia yelled.

"Weak words, from a weak Queen," her sister said in a soft, sinister tone. No longer yelling like before but still amplified to be heard above the roaring sounds of blasts breaking up floors and tearing down walls.

Head on their beams collided. Celestia let her anger drive her focus, pushing harder than ever before. Luna pushed back, and Celestia couldn’t overcome it. Something was wrong. Luna can’t possibly be that strong.

Suddenly Luna was gone. Stepping through a portal with a speed that would make a red unicorn green with envy. A split second later a bone-cracking sound was heard inside Celestia’s head as Luna’s hooves caused a bone-cracking sound – against her head.

Celestia reeled from the shock as she fell forward. Her sister laughed at the pathetic display.

"Weak! So weak! Pushing the sun a bit each morning, giving it some speed, and then sitting on her royal ass. Makes for a very weak Queen." The mocking words from Luna echoed in Celestia’s ears, together with the ringing from the trauma to her head.

If she had known Luna could teleport like that she would have presumed it was because Luna had lost a lot of power. But her head on energy charge that Celestia couldn’t penetrate proved that Luna contained just as much power as she ever had, maybe more. Luna had then lifted all that power in a blink of an eye, and moved it behind her. Something that she herself was unable to do. A massive feat that only the God of Chaos excelled at.

Celestia formed a new shield around her. Covering all areas this time. So teleporting behind her wasn’t possible.

"So fragile!" Luna’s dark voice gloated. "So weak and fragile, hiding in a globe, even though the moon – not the sun – is the master of shield magic."

Celestia panted in between gasps, trying to figure out what to do. The taunts didn’t bother her, but her desperation did. At first she was furious with her sister but she was holding back as to not hurt her too badly. Now she felt perplexed, confused, maybe even fear. Whatever she tried, Luna one-upped her.

Luna in a shimmering sphere of her own had walked up to be real close to Celestia. No longer keeping a healthy blast-range.

"Celestia! For your crimes against ponies, I hereby sentence you as a traitor," Luna’s voice called out filled with rage.

Celestia carefully balanced her shield, waiting for an opening in her sister’s defense or a slip-up of some sort.

It didn’t happen.

Luna didn’t lower her shield before she sent her next blast. Her face contorted with her dark energy smoking from eyes, nostrils and even mouth. The accumulation of power was immense and greater than Luna had shown during battles with Dragonkind, Eternals or even the God of Chaos. It warned Celestia that the upcoming attack was beyond anything Celestia had previously witnessed. Ever!

The blast crushed itself out of Luna’s own shield, penetrated right through Celestia’s barrier as if it didn’t exist, and continued to crush Celestia’s right hind-leg in one extreme blow.

Celestia screamed out in pain and fear. Her drawn out agonizing shriek filled up not just the throne-room but also the entire castle. Her body was an intricate part of herself and having a piece of it crushed like that was inexplicable and nothing she could imagine happen.

"I SENTENCE YOU TO HOBBLE!" Luna’s mad voice roared.

Celestia brought up another shield, faintly flickering and not as steady as the one before, but any shield is better than no shield. It must be!

Luna just stared at her.

"Sister, you’re feeble, frail and pathetic. You may have a heart of stone and a mind of fire, but your faded power is even weaker than I expected. You call that a shield?" Luna was calm but angry.

Celestia frantically tried to reinforce her barrier, while Luna made a big show of drawing a glowing circle in the air. The circle of energy, as a wheel on a cart, started to spin faster and faster, while moving closer to Celestia. As it approached Celestia’s shield it was sawing right through it as if it didn’t exist. Splitting her barrier in tiny pieces while the sawing circle was undisturbed.

"SO WEAK! I don’t even know why you try. We both know the moon lends a better shield and in the old days your different barriers may have been impressive, but this is pathetic."

"SISTER, STOP THIS!" Celestia screamed as she stood up on three hooves, trying to figure out some way to turn the tables. "What have gotten into you? Did the dragons corrupt you with some new magic? Did someone else corrupt you? How can you rebel against your Queen?"

The assault came blindingly fast. Celestia didn’t have a chance to notice Luna gathering energy. It slammed into her and sent her sailing, crashing against the wall further behind. The wall cracked almost as easily as her leg previously had done.

"YOU DARE ASK THAT QUESTION?!" Luna screamed after releasing her blast, "Asking US that question after what YOU did to Captain Quicksmite? After the pain YOUR rules caused lieutenant Ladyhawk? After the multitude of feardreams ponies suffered under YOUR reign because of YOU!?"

Luna lifted from the debris among the floor and was now hovering in the air above Celestia. Wings spread out for balance. Celestia felt a knot in her stomach and a queasy feeling that would almost make her forget the pain in her head, her body and her leg.

She didn’t dare say anything. Perhaps Luna would kill her. But probably not. If she wanted to kill her she would be working on destroying her already. She didn’t know what Luna planned but realized there was nothing she could do to stop her.

"It’s time for Equestria to experience a shift in power. For so many years, it has been you ruling, and your rules. Now it’s our turn."

Luna floated down to stand on the ground, right in front of Luna. Close enough for them to touch each other. The energy darting back and forth over Luna’s skin, some form of shield, showed Celestia that Luna still had her guard up. Something Celestia no longer had.

"The sun will soon go down and as you always said, the day is the time for change, for action, to do things," Luna said in a harsh voice, but still calmer than any tone she had previously used during this entire incident.

"Nighttime is soon upon us. Time to rest. Time to think, to contemplate and enlighten our minds instead of our coat. You will need this time to think."

Luna scrutinized Celestia who looked like a crumbled piece of paper someone tossed next to the wall.

"Tomorrow morning, it is time for change. Tomorrow morning we will announce that Queen Luna is the new ruler of the Kingdom. The time of the Moon will be marked by the wisdom of the night. Queen Luna will explain the rules of her night court, and those rules will be followed also during the day. Queen Luna will explain the meditative philosophy of the night, and those deep thoughts should guide our actions also during the day. We will no longer act, because we feel a need to act, but only if we absolutely must."

Luna looked at Celestia, no longer looking regal where she covered in dirt and dust even lacked power to make her eyes burn. They had more of a petty glow than regal fire. The iris even looked less elliptical than usual and the proud astral fire that usually adorned her mane and tail was almost gone. Leaving it flowing without brightness.

"So tomorrow morning, prepare to gather all our subjects, and we shall declare: THE NIGHT SHALL LAST FOREVER!" Luna’s final declaration echoed all over the castle and its surrounding.

After her utterance she quickly turned around and took to the air. A large gaping fresh hole in the wall behind the throne served as an exit for the princess. Celestia saw her sister fly away and left Celestia wondering what Luna planned to do.

Celestia stood uneasily on three legs trying to come up with a plan that would work in her current condition. The leg of a goddess could take some time to heal. That it had been shattered quickly was no indication of how fast it could change. At least not to the better.

She needed to find a way to resist this omnipotent Luna that commanded vast amounts of power. She couldn’t think of any being in existence that could rival what she had seen in the throne room. Well, except the God of Chaos – maybe. But they had locked him up together and it would require both of them, and a lot of time, to undo that.

Luna had insisted on so many layers of protection when he was locked up it felt ridiculous. Perhaps Luna already at that time wanted to suppress the most powerful foe she could anticipate. Had she planned her traitorous action for so long, and just biding her time until her attuned moon somehow bestowed massive power to her, while the power of the sun seemed to have faded.

Celestia didn’t know the answers but she wasn’t Queen and ultimate protector of Equestria because she gave up easily. She knew what she had to do, and she was determined to do it.

* * * A night goes by * * *

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