Luna cannot be Nightmare Moon. Celestia has decided, but someone very important disagrees.
Luna cannot be Nightmare Moon. Celestia has decided, and the royal historians are ready to sign it off. She just needs one more pony to agree, but she isn't buying into it. Who is she, and why can't Celestia move without her approval? What does she have against Princess Luna? What's with her funny name? The scales must be balanced. Justice is no respecter of ponies. Justice tells only the truth, and loyally defends the just. Justice is fair, but woe to those who grieve her. Mercy is kind. Mercy softens her blows, and defends all, regardless of what is deserved. Mercy gives and forgives. How does a pony draw the line between Justice and Mercy?
This is the first fanfic I've ever posted, but far from my first story/writing. Don't be too gentle.
Behind a curtain of night darkened autumn trees, as the Mare in the Moon loomed overhead, in the old royal city, one candle remained lit in the window of the palace, traveling down the spiral staircase to the castle grounds, showing itself once every revolution. A hooded figure stepped out from the oaken doorway, toward the house of the palace steward on the wall. From outside all that could be heard were the three muted knocks, and the opening and shutting of a wooden door. The candle set itself in the lower front window of the house. Inside, a pair of hushed voices began to argue, indecipherable to any but themselves, or a very nearby listener, just as planned.
“Nox, your ancestors, and your family today, have served ours faithfully even before we made ourselves known to the ponies. You loved her, so you must tell your daughter…”
“If she has already refused, even with all your cajoling and pleading, she will not agree to it.”
Tucked behind the stairwell, an older filly listened intently, dark, dusky ears perked up to catch all the sound, and legs tucked discreetly beneath her, out of the way of the candle light flooding from the next room. She watched the shadows of light as the heated whispers caused them to fluctuate as the feminine voice rose (pleadingly or angrily) and fell. It wasn’t difficult to tell that they were talking about her, and the lady had every right to be angry. She just couldn’t hoard the anger, or the sadness.
“Just talk to her. She has to understand.”
“I will. I can’t promise it will help.”
Gathering her courage, Dike stretched her little neck as far as she could, and peered around the corner. Nox, her father, immediately saw her, met her mustard-gold eyes, and nodded her over. Dike did not hesitate. Her father was the only thing she had left at this point; she rose and went to his side.
A pink, undulating aether filled the space where the tall white mare’s mane should have been, other colors flashing in periodically, signaling her growth to her full power. A long and elegant horn spiraled from her forelock, and the cloak hid the wings and sun Dike knew so well. Her majestic grace seemed tarnished by sadness and the brown of the cloak and the dark circles under her soft lavender eyes. Even before the stallion she had implored to speak to this filly could open his mouth, she had begun to plead with the child.
“Dike, you must…”
“Please, your highness,” Dike spoke as if she were as ancient as the alicorn before her, “I cannot lie about this. It goes against my nature.”
“My sister is a princess, the orient and occident of the moon. She cannot be associated with the name Nightmare Moon, or else they will never see her as their princess when she returns in one thousand years”
“You and I both know that she will not return to us whole or sane.”
“No, we do not. We have read the propechy and promises of our siblings, time and time again. Our siblings will come to her aid, free her from her darkness, and bring her home to us.” Sunfire and tears whipped from the princess’s eyes, a sight that would send a normal filly into fits, and give her nightmares of her ‘benevolent’ princess for months. But Dike would not; she had seen worse.
Finally, in sorrow and shame, the princess bowed her head and allowed herself to cry softly. Dike went to her, treading lightly, trying to comfort her with a hoof on her shoulder.
“In body and soul, Nightmare Moon will return. Luna can only be set free by the elements, none of which either of you can wield, perhaps never again.”
Nox watched the mares, quietly, most especially his daughter. Dike had always been mature for her age, and her small size. She was tiny compared to an average filly, and yet her mane contrasting with her coat, and those ever seeing golden eyes… she looked both ancient and innocent at the same time (It was fitting hat she resembled her mother, slightly.). As he thought, the princess sighed.
“You are right, Dike. You are always right.” She whispered, struggling to maintain her voice, to not upset the neighbors. “But why not save your own mother’s reputation?”
The filly darkened. “It is not just. She rejected love from three and more ponies who cared for her more than anything in the world, that she knew still needed her, in favor of her own selfish desires and jealousy. Physically assaulting two of them, one of which her only child, I might add. No, Celestia, I will write history as it happened.”
“Whether or not it is just can matter later! You have to make a different story for the Nightmare.”
Dike’s face betrayed no pity. Her mind was filled with images of the nights only a year before, when her usually loving mother refused to hold her, yelling becoming irritable and cruel, slowly transforming until her inner demons consumed her, in one night becoming her. Dike had tried to show her mother, Luna, kindly princess of the Night, that no matter how the common ponies treated her or her night, she was still adored and needed and loved. The creature had grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, piercing her with fang and tooth, and tossed her over her shoulders, calling her worthless and selfish, a sentimental foal.
Yet, in the moments the elements were used against her, Luna seemed to break through for just a moment, turning the inky black alicorn blue, mouthing something that looked like “Dike? Sister? Oh, Mother no…” with panic and pain in her eyes as she dematerialized in a flash of iridescent light.
“She was weak, Dike. Can you not show some mercy?” celestia’s plea snapped dike out of her memories. Meeting her face, she deadpanned, “I was weak, too. The difference was that I was willing to admit it, even when she stopped showing any love, or pity, or mercy.” Dike quieted, with cold calculating fury that had weighed all options, outcomes, and oversights. “The scales must be balanced. I will not forge my history.”
“Dike…” Celestia began, only to be cut off by the resolute retreat of a pair of scales on a dark blue flank. Outraged, the sun princess stepped to follow her, but was stopped by a strong, cream colored foreleg.
“She needs some time. Even the way I love her still, it is hard to forget that she abused and left us” He sighed heavily, snorting out the air, slowly adding, “and harder to forgive. We all need time, you included.”
“It has been an entire year!”
“Celestia, your Mother may have left you and your sister here alone, but she did not abandon you. She entrusted you with the care and the keeping of this land, with all the love and trust in her heart. Dike was left wounded in body and heart. Those are the last memories she has of her mother. This could take years, if not decades. Don’t you have scores of other historians to write this?”
Under a heavy, heaving breath, Celestia cursed the weak-willed fairy tale writers, all too willing to make their sovereign Princess of the night into a monster. “Dike’s will be the only history of the night ever taken seriously. They know she tells only the truth, that is why she was chosen to bear Honesty. I had hoped that the Loyalty would be to more than Justice. I cannot, nay, will not stop trying to get her to see that mercy is the better option.”
Nox just shook his head. They both knew it would take too long to just wait it out, but what choice did they have?
Quietly the Princess excused herself from the apartments, returning to her chambers for the night, allowing herself one long, mournful gaze at the crescent moon, now adorned with the feminine silhouette of an alicorn, or was it a unicorn? Time would soon forget.
On the balcony above, Nox was also watching the moon, mourning the loss of his beloved, the wife kept secret to the entire empire. She was as good as dead. They would never grow old together (though, he realized in retrospect, that wouldn’t have happened anyways), he would never see her beautiful smile again, or the sparkle in her eyes when they were together. He would never wrap his hooves around her, try to tousle that strange mane, or watch their daughter grow. No mother of the graduate, no mother of the bride, eventually, no grandmother, no nothing. It pained him to think that she deemed it all worthless in her self pity.
Silently, Dike approached her father from behind. He almost looked like a marble statue he was so pale, and his face seemed to cover the moon entirely. It was as if the entire event had never happened, and Mommy would be coming up the stairs again soon, to make star pictures until it was time for little eyes to go to sleep. But that time was long past. Now there was only an off-white stallion with a pale yellow mane and golden eyes staring at the moon like a lunatic. She nuzzled his shoulder, usually so strong, now bent with fatigue and grief. Slowly, he looked down and nuzzled her back, tears in his eyes.
“You still love her?”
Nox tried to smile at his daughter as he replied “Yes. Forever.”
“Even with everything that happened?”
“Even with everything that happened.”
Silence.
“You know she doesn’t deserve that.”
“I know.” He acknowledged this too quickly for his daughter’s taste, and as she began to protest, he stopped her.
“What she did was wrong, hurtful, even evil. But tell me, little justice, don’t you want your mother?”
dike opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it, for once at a loss for words. The rest of the night, that lonely first anniversary of Nightmare Night, was spent in silence, by two moon-gazing lunatics.
“And so, by the power invested in us, we grant, Dike, daughter of Nox Star, and Brilliance, son of Cobalt and Golden Vein, bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the titles of prince and princess, in reward for their courage and service to home and country during the events of Nightmare Night. These titles are for them and for their progeny to be remembered for all of history.”
A great fanfare of trumpets erupted as from the Grand Hall of Audiences entered two regally dressed ponies. The stallion, a young golden earth pony wearing a white military coat with bronze buttons, leftover from his short stint in the guards, tall, lean, and powerful looking, smiled modestly, in an effort to meet all the eyes in the room. Visibly baffled at whom he had smiled at and who he hadn’t, his bright green eyes sparkled as he shrugged, flipped his chestnut brown mane (always the golden boy), and walked to the throne.
Dikes ascent to the feet of Celestia was much more sedate and regal, much like Luna’s had been, the Princess recalled. She wore a trailing white gown, the same color as her mane, bony off-white, inlaid with pearls and golden embroidery around the bodice, and down the hem of the train. Seams of the same color of the dress streamlined her back. (this was the Magnum Opus of the greatest clothier of the time, Glitter Belle. She later went on to claim, as her popularity faded, that the muse had simply vanished after the making of this dress.) Both wore their elements around their neck, Dike’s burden being a golden choker bejeweled with a glittering scale, half ruby, half heliodor (her aunt’s favorite), and Brilliance’s a medallion on a long golden chain, bearing a strange beryl stone (at the time it appeared to be an emerald), and a sapphire, two halves of a tenor clef.
“We also make each head of house, to pass their title to their progeny to the end of Equestria.”
The crowd hushed for just a moment, whispering amongst itself. Celestia herself had borne the element of Generosity (as well as the sixth element), but this seemed too generous. Never had a stallion been designated a head of a noble house, except in dire circumstances. Not to mention their parentage! Brilliance’s parents owned a refinery of rare metals, wealthy, but seen as crass, and earth ponies to boot; as for Dike, well, Celestia knew who her mother was, but her father was Chief Steward of the Palace, a servant, and also an earth pony.
If the princess felt their discomfort, she did not show it. Making no effort to amend what she had done, she called the two up the steps.
“Kneel before us for the last time.”
Both ponies, though shocked and slightly embarrassed at the action, obeyed. Celestia touched the tip of her horn to Dike’s forelock, at the base of her horn, and to Brilliance’s forelock, placing her right hoof on their left shoulder in turn. Removing herself she bade them rise.
“We pronounce you prince Brilliance and princess Dike, our nephew and niece.”
All eyes were immediately upon the new princess, so very small for her age, as she turned to them and addressed them with a nod. She turned to her best friend, co-defender of Equestria, a real smile on her face, something he hadn’t seen in a long while. He couldn’t help but smile back, open-mouthed as he was. The pair walked back up the aisle together, managing to keep their conversation unnoticed as they nodded their heads to the many cheering ponies, trying to acknowledge all that they could.
“We have a lot to be thankful for today, don’t you think?”
“Yes.” The mare answered quietly.
“I mean, to finally be claimed as family, if only by assumption. Titles. It’s a little overwhelming isn’t it? And amazing. Never thought I’d get in on this. Silver Step is going to be so--”
“’Lance?”
“What? Did I say something wrong?”
“No.” She paused, and gave him a very eloquent look. “We have time to talk later. Why don’t we just sit back and enjoy?”
“You know as well as I do that we are going to get hounded by well-wishers the moment we step out of here, most of them looking for royal favors. Welcome to the rat race, and all. So, I would rather get in a few words edge-wise here, than get it all misconstrued trying to shout over a crowd.”
Dike managed another look that seemed to say ‘Like you’re doing now?’, and answered “You talk too much.”
“Maybe.”
“With this,” Celestia boomed, “we conclude the final ceremony in the Royal Palace in the City of the Royal Pony Sisters.” Symbolically, she dropped the Royal we, dropping all the connotations of dual rulers, no more 'sister and I', “I beseech you, my little ponies, let us leave this place of sadness and destruction, and move forward into a bright new age of hope, prosperity, and of harmony.”
Thunderous applause; no one wanted to be left behind in a city cursed by memory. The Sun Princess smiled.
“Let the exodus begin! Onward to Canterlot!”
Three days later, after the final audience had been granted and all officials and citizens had been quickly removed to the new capitol, three ponies and a small contingent of guards were all the life that remained. Everything was empty, clean and pristine, giving the eerie effect that perhaps the owners would return. But nopony was going to come back here, not for a thousand years.
In the hall of the elements, Celestia, Dike, and Brilliance stood in the pace they had three years prior, facing the greatest threat to Equestrian society since Discord. It was in that place the elements chose their bearers, and true friendship was tested. It was there a princess lost her throne. Dike tried violently to shut out the flashbacks that plagued her, all in vain. Tears dripped from her eyes as she tried to stifle herself, mind wandering to the hated Nightmare Night.
“Luna, you don’t have to do this. Come back home, fight this monster. We can forget this ever happened.”
“Can we though?” the inky black caricature of grandeur rebutted. “Oh, sister. Now you feign appreciation, but the truth is, you fear me. Nobody loved Luna. Nobody but the Nightmare.”
“That is a lie! What about us? Celestia, your sister, came to talk to you, to get you back before you hurt yourself. Dike, your daughter, forever willing to take you back. Nox. Myself. We only want to help you.”
The Nightmare wheeled on Brilliance, scowling. “Half-truths. You do not know us, earth pony. Our sister came here to make sure we did not steal the elements away from her, and further more she is the one who wrote the curfews that kept ponies out of my night! The love of a child is foalish. It is not enough. Soon, Nightmare Moon will make all the ponies love her.”
“Foalish? You think a daughter’s love is foalish?” Dike stepped out from behind her aunt, pain and betrayal showing their wounds in her eyes. The nighmare seemed to struggle within itself, suppressing something. Dike took that chance to run to the thing that was once her mother and nuzzle her.
“Please, come home mommy. We still love you. We need you.” For a moment, the black alicorn seemed to respond to the affection, bending her neck around Dike’s. Then, two shocks of sharp pain rocketed down Dike’s neck, to her hooves and tail. Screaming, she felt herself lifted from the ground, and hurtling through the air, stopped suddenly by the appearance of the pedestal of elements. She and the Elements of harmony fell to the ground.
“Dike!” Three voices cried at once. Brilliance was the first to her side.
As of their own volition, the stone spheres began to orbit the three against nightmare moon.
To dike, all that remained was a blur. The light came too quickly; the last clear memory of the even she had was watching the rainbow colored light dissolve away the feline eyes and black hide, leaving her mother’s teal eyes, pained and panicked by what she had done, crying and screaming as she was sent to the moon.
The sixth element had disappeared as quickly as it appeared, a mystery to all but Celestia. No one else had taken note; Dike was too busy pawing the earth, looking for something, anything that remained of her mother, desperately fighting Brilliance’s strong forelegs as she stamped the ground with a hoof over and over again.
Suddenly, Dike felt herself being held tightly. Thinking it some malevolent ghost or memory, she struggled to get free, until she recognized the golden fetlocks stroking her mane. Uncharacteristically silent, Brilliance pulled the sitting mare into his shoulder. She could bear it no longer; the sobs escaped her body, shaking her like a leaf, burying her head deeper into her friend’s chest.
Celestia could do precious little for her niece. There was still too much pain in her heart to properly comfort her. All they could do was leave the pain behind.
“It is time.”
Dike levitated her and Brilliance’s elements back to the pedestal: Loyalty, Honesty, Laughter, Kindness. Celestia did the same with Generosity. Immediately they reverted to stone form. Here they would be stay; here they would be safe.
Royal guards waited outside to escort the new nobles back to the capitol and their homes, and were soon off. The Princess, they explained, had to say her goodbyes alone.
Of course, she wept. This was the home she had shared with her sister for most of their lives, and as long as it stood it would be a painful reminder of her immense mistake. Luna had been so hungry for love from her subjects; it was foalish to think that anything would ever be enough. Nothing could condone her actions, but they could have helped sooner, instead of playing the game of ‘everything is fine’.
Before she could set the sun and raise the moon, one very important task had to be completed. Celestia had to clear the slate of this tortured land. Flying high above the towers, and using the last bit of sunlight she could channel, she broke the magical wards that had kept the forest in check for so long.
“I name you, forest, Everfree. Grow in your tangles, hide the strange fantastic creatures we ponies fear that you once sheltered. Be the buffer between the old and the new. Erase the misdeeds of the past, and safeguard the relics of harmony and the magic of friendship!”
With those words, she dropped the sun into the western horizon, hiding from prying eyes the resurgence of growth and the silent call on the wind to estranged animals, come home. In time, the city’s and the forest’s original names would be lost, and all memory of the events of a thousand years past would disappear. The last tear slid from Celestia's cheek, falling to earth with a profound silence. The twilight lasted for what seemed like forever as the alabaster alicorn flew the short journey north to Canterlot.
A golden sky chariot, pulled by two grey pegasi guards, towed two starkly different ponies through the darkened sky. They had watched Celestia stream past, and raise the moon from Canterlot. She had not quite determined how to make the stars twinkle, so they provided a constant steady stream of pure white light, each several thousand candela more bright than it should have been.They blocked each other out, and it seemed the light was just that of a stormy day. The brightness turned Dike's mane a strange shade of silver, reddish at one angle, yellowish at another, while her coat remained as darkly blue as ever. She fussed over it for a moment, quietly, and turned her attention to her friend.
It was hard for the both of them to leave their childhood home, with so many memories attached to the forest city, but, if his stoic face and hard set jaw were any indication, it was harder for Brilliance. His family's mines may have been in the caves beneath Canterlot, but he had lived in the capitol his entire life. It was his only home, and he had known it all like the bottom of his hoof, from the palace to the slum. For Dike, the move was inconsequential, not only did the place reek of her mother's sweet moonflower and white anemone perfume, she rarely left the castle walls, and when she did she always managed to get into some degree of trouble. Like when I met that jokester she thought.
Now it is a fact universally accepted that a bright filly in possesion of a high IQ at a young age must be in want of a bully. Such are the laws of equinity. To Dike fell the lot of Bright Lights and Silver Steps, pegasus twins of Hurricane's line. Naturally, they had a similar brash personality, coupled with a condescending superiority that drove Dike insane. On one particular day, they had stalked her from school (they shared a tutor, a brilliant unicorn hermit that refused to leave his home), intent on finding where she lived so they could "walk her home" on a daily basis. It was only their nature to harass her on their way.
"What an egghead! Silver Step, don't you think she should get down from her little cloud?"
"What cloud? Unicorns can't fly!" She added a quick loop-de-loop for emphasis. "What she really needs to do is leave our tutor alone. He shouldn't be wasting his time on egghead servant children."
"I am right here. If you wish to insult me, you could have the courtesy of doing so to my face, instead of doing it from the sky like some coward afraid of magic."
"And what a name!" Silver Steps continued, ignoring Dike's comment. "Were you named after some kind of dam? So your little flowers don't get wet?"
Bright Lights got a wicked gleam in her eyes, as only over-exposed preteen girls can give. "No, she was named after a fill-"
"I was named afer a constellation that only occurs once a year in November, the lady Justice, called Astraia the star-maiden or Dike the goddess of Justice. That's D-I-K-E, pronounced Dae-ki not dike. What were you named after? A big candle? Horseshoes?"
For a moment, she walked in blissful silence, even starting to think that they had left. That is, until Bright Lights finally had a light go off in her mind.
"So, who named you?"
"My mother." Immediately she regretted speaking.
"Oh, so is she some egghead like you? Wait, that's right, you wouldn't know would you?"
"I bet you made that all up! She did name you after a dam. Or something."
Silently, Dike cursed herself for giving them the ammunition, and wilted under their haughty glares. She knew they were lying, her mother was at home, but to hear them talk about the accepted story that way... it made her wonder what the rest of Equestria thought of her, and her Father. Did the story ever pity him, as if he were some victim of a seductive unicorn that simply left when the going got hard? Or was he, not her mother, the monster in the stories?
"I bet she left because she found out your father was a servant. And poor."
"Does Tutor know you're an illegitamate? Are you even allowed?"
"How does your father even afford to pay?"
She knew where it was going. First they would take strikes at her "absent" mother, then at her father. They were relentless, and she soon found herself lost in some alley. The two snide pegasi hovered over her, like flying vipers, or cockatrices waiting to turn her to stone. She braced herself, ready to go down fighting, when suddenly an angel floated down from Faust herself.
Well more like another foal, gangly-legged and dirty, tumbled from a low overhang of boxes and barrels.
"That was...AWESOME! Oh, hey didn't see you there."
Standing before Dike, looking straight at her, was a scruffy-looking golden coated colt. His face had lines of grime from being out all day, globs of mud on his fetlocks and a lopsided grin. She had never seen anyone more dirty, or more beautiful.
"Oh, hello Brilliance! Fancy meeting you here." Silver Steps interrupted her thoughts, stepping up to this "Brilliance". Apparently, they had met.
"Yeah, Fancy. Hey, kid, are you ok?"
Dike hadn't even noticed that she was trembling, but she couldn't even talk. Just shake her head no. There was a tenderness in his eyes that she had only ever seen in Mama's eyes or her aunt's. Somehow, she knew she could trust this colt.
Then it hit her. Brilliance. He went to the boys grammar school, down the street. His family was "noveau riche", but already close to the princesses, having provided the royal ornamental armor. Earth ponies, owners of a successful smithing and mining company. He was at her academic level, but much older than her, more her fault than his. She was set to graduate within the next two or three years, and then move to the advanced college.
"Are you lost?" Dike took comfort in knowing that he was ignoring Silver Steps. The light grey pegasus fumed.
"Come on," Bright Lights finally said, "we're gone." She dragged the angry pegasus behind her by the wing.
"Hello? Are you lost?" Dike nodded, not wanting to be heard, lest the harassers should follow.
"Ok, let's get you home."
"WAIT!"
He was surprised to finally hear her talk. "What?"
"You can't tell anypony where I live. Promise me."
He gave her a cocky grin. "Cross my heart."
"Whoa."
"Just remember, you promised."
They stood before the grand stone wall of the Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters.
"Who are you?"
Dike smiled. "That is none of your business."
"Seriously! Are you a princess protege or something?"
That smile still hadn't left her face. "Or something." He gawked at the towers as they neared the gate. Gaily, the colt trotted straight up to the wrought iron filligree of the side gate.
"You can't get that close--" but he was already there, with guards pointing spears at his neck.
"Um...hello?"
"He's with me." She explained to the big white Pegasus who seemed to be in charge. His bright red eyes looked suspiciously at the young colt. "I got lost, and Brilliance here helped me get home. He knows the city really well."
"Very well." The stoic Lunar guard ordered his stallions at ease, and opened the gate, just enough for Dike to come in. He smiled gently at the little filly.
"Explains why you were late. But you know the rules. Come on, they've been worried about you."
The heavy iron groaned as it came down after Dike. She turned to Brilliance.
"Thank you. Remember that you promised."
"I won't breathe a word. Want to hang out sometime? Maybe you could use a friend?"
She just smiled at him and shook his hoof through the gate.
"Well," Dike snapped out of her moment as Brilliance spoke, "At least one good thing comes out of this."
"Oh, and what would that be?"
"Captain Orion doesn't have to give me the stink eye anytime I want to go see you."
Even the guards smirked at that one. Dike faked a smile for her oldest friend. She was really beyond his jokes, especially the dark ones, at the moment, but she couldn't help but be happy that he could still be effervescent, if only to hold her up.
"I'm really going to miss those alleys" She started, leaning on her best friend.
"And the wall."
"And the gate."
"And the garden."
"And those beautiful stained glass windows."
"And the pointy ends of spears."
"And saving you whenever you came over."
"When there was cake at school."
"When there was cake anywhere, you mean."
"And...when I would go to your house, and you introduced me to your mom for the first time."
Dike paused, choking back her tear. "When Mama would disguise herself so she could see me graduate and all the other functions."
"Those mulled cider nights, when you invited me over to watch the stars."
"Watching Papa sneak a kiss from Mama when they thought I wasn't looking."
The rest of the journey, they named and remembered the places they had visited and shared, as they got lost in the nostalgia.
In Canterlot, the new capitol city, things had begun to settle into normalcy. Homes were built, families were made, and foals were born. Those who chose to remember the days of The City of the Royal Pony Sisters learned to not speak of them; too many had lost all that was dear to them on the Night of Nightmares, preferring to leave the memories in the lost city.
It was on a particularly sushiney day in this shining new era of ponykind that Dike received a royal summons. Her fifteenth, to be exact.
Her aunt could not have had worse timing. The night before was supposed to be the occlusion of Libra and Virgo , the first viewing of the "Star Maiden" since Luna had left, and more importantly, Dike's seventeenth birthday. It wasn't that it went forgotten, Celestia had sent her a lovely gift; a silver and hematite compact mirror, encrusted with black diamonds and white sapphires in the shape of the moon and stars, that had belonged to her mother. But Celestia's attempt to create her niece's namesake were... lackluster to say the least. It could easily have been forgiven, had the night not been, again, too bright for the astronomers to even take note that after all this time things were starting to return to normal. And even worse, her best friend had gone to an uppity royal party, supposedly in the honor of the new princess's birthday, that she had not been invited to. He didn't know she wasn't invited, he had even come to take her, always the gentlecolt escort. But when she told him to go ahead and go without her, he did not hesitate. And to add insult to injury, it had been organized by her old rival, Silver Steps, who had, no doubt, met him at the door.
Her father, by contrast, handled the situation more delicately. Dike had to smile at the thought. He alone was the reason she had not broken down completely. He had foregone the traditional mulled cider, and instead opted for a new discovery from the far south, the home of the wild Azteca ponies. Cacao beans, pressed and scraped together, then dissolved in hot water. It was a little bitter, and adding honey had little effect on it, but the drink itself was comforting. They did, however, watch the skies that evening, which was how she discovered her aunt's grievous mistake.
The royal messenger had found her sitting in a darkened corner of the study of her new, opulent home, far from the familiar comfort of palace walls, nursing a headache. He had to flee the scene when he opened the window, as she began to levitate several heavy objects in his general direction. Dike groaned. All she had succeeded in was making her headache worse, and scaring a young colt, and making the worst of a bad situation. Grumbling, she levitated the note off the desk in front of her, put down the various geologic oddities she had nearly wasted on the poor colt, and forced herself downstairs.
She really tried not to think what her birthday might have been with her mother there. But it came, unbidden, with the force of the migraine she was trying hard to shake off. She remembered perfectly starry nights, swirling smudges of light onto a navy canvas of night. Everything her mother did, before, had been a work of art, perfect and glorious. The glassy, spotless form of the moon would illuminate the streets below, making a night slightly brighter than usual, so that other little foals might enjoy the handiwork of the Princess on the most important night of her year. And Virgo would close her eyes, and lift the scales of justice, weighing the sins of ponykind against the good they had done, and found them perfectly balanced. Smiling, the ponies would be saved from the wrath of the heavens once more. (This was, at least, the story she had heard from both of her parents. No other ponies she knew, save Celestia herself, had even heard of the tales of the night.)
Before she reached the bottom of the stairs, she noticed her eyes were wet. No time for tears, she thought, as she brushed them away with her knee. She quickly scribbled a note for her father, rather than waking him to let him know she was going out.
Papa,
Received summons. More than likely the same old question. Will be back soon, don't worry.
Love, Dike
-----
The walk to the palace was lonely. It was almost noon, and ponies were bustling out in the markets and in the new restaurants. Everywhere was crowded, full of life, and yet, so empty.
Well, she could be philosophical another time. The palace walls were nearing. She would have to show her summons at the gate, or they would not let her in. None of the new guards could remember her, and all of the lunar guards had been dismissed. Some of the old solar guards may have a flicker of recognition, but orders were orders, and all must have a good reason to enter the castle. No exceptions, especially for new royals.
Again, she tried not to flashback to the time when the lunar guards were the most trusted figures in her life, beyond her mother, father and best friend. They knew who she was, and would protect her family with their dying breaths. Unfortunately, that was exactly what happened to many of them as they tried to protect their beloved Princess from herself.
No, no, she had to remind herself. No more tears.
As was routine, she placed her summons in the slot of the front gate, where the new Captain of the Guard reviewed it and finally allowed her inside. You would think they would remember the Princess's niece, after the whole ceremony was given.
To her surprise, she was met not only by Asphodel, Celestia's secretary and instigator of all the new policies, but also Brilliance, and the Arch-Historian, Afterthought.
"Dike! I was wondering when you would get here."
She wilted under his enthusiasm and the glares of the older, grayer, pair. "Here I am." She managed to break a small grin onto her face, for Brillance's sake, but it was quickly extinguished by Asphodel's announcement.
"Your audience with her Majesty, Princess Celestia, will begin. Follow me."
Summer Asphodel, Celestia's secretary and chief of staff, was fond of the new castle policies. Of course, why wouldn't she be? They were her brainchild (brainchildren?). She designed her system so that no one could take advantage of it, so that all would be equal before the princess, especially the irritating, pushy nobles. Not unlike those trailing behind her, she noted with perhaps a bit too much pleasure. Unless the princess asked specifically for one pony, they had to wait with the rest of the laity, even the mare that ran the system.
It would be remiss of her not to take pride in the prestige of her position; it was after all, a hard fought battle. The Lunar Princess' own chief of staff had been next in line should Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia's...fall, to put it delicately. However, with the near disappearance of all Lunar staff, the position fell into dispute. Strangely, no one, save Asphodel, thought to ask the Princess what had happened to Celandine. Mayhap, she considered for a moment, that was my reason of promotion? The poor Princess just needed someone she could really confide her loss to. Does that translate into trust?. It made her smile to know the princess did trust her with power over her "beloved little ponies". The graying sage colored mare strutted through the eerily bright halls with gusto, for without her, the entire place would fall apart. She kept a haughty smile on her snout, and her burgundy eyes fixed on the glittering golden door ahead of the party that led to the hall of audiences.
As quietly as possible, Asphodel seized the door-pull with her teeth, and opened for the three ponies behind her. Surprisingly enough, the new royale were the ones who actually thanked her for opening the door, though the prince noticeably more genuinely than the princess. No matter. They were Celestia's problem now.
Dike knew she had no real reason to dislike Asphodel. Still, the fact that she had to make an appointment to see her aunt irked her. Not that she liked to see Celestia all the time anymore, but still.
"Hello, Dike."
A voice, warm and comforting as sunlight striking her coat on a crisp morning in the early spring, welcomed her in. Everything about the space was soft, and inviting. Annoyingly, Brilliance was humming some new song that seemed to fit in as well. The two sounds melded together, into something familiar, beautiful and disarming all at once. Dike fought not to let down her guard, though her resolve was trickling away in the presence of the Princess of the Day, the Archistorian, and Prince Brilliance.
"Good Morning, your highness."
Celestia winced. "I told you not to call me that. It's been years since I asked you both not to."
"I would not feel any need too if you would not be so distant."
The heaviness of the royal sigh was tangible in the air. She had known that Dike would still be bitter, but at least she had prepared this time instead of just pleading with her. Hardly befitting of a Princess to argue crime and punishment with her much younger niece, and even more foolish when said niece's special talent was justice itself. She put on a smile, kind, gentle, and as genuine as she could muster.
"Sometimes, things have to change. There have been several security breaches already, from 'family' requesting to visit, and it turns out to be something different altogether. But we have already discussed this. How was your evening? I trust you enjoyed the cocoa?" The glare she received in reply was enough.
"Ah. Your father didn't tell you I sent it, did he?"
"What is this about?"
"Well--"
"Pardon me, Your Majesty, but I do believe I should answer this question. Miss Dike..."
"Afterthought. She has a title. Use it. I was about to tell her myself the purpose of this meeting, and why Brilliance is here as well."
This piqued Dike's interest. Celestia thought it was important enough that she should tell both of them herself, and not leave it to some lackey? Even if it was the same question, there must be a new detail at work here.
"As I was saying, I called you here because of your involvement on Nightmare Night, so many years ago."
"So why now?"
Brilliance, even with all his humming, had been uncharacteristically quiet the entirety of the visit, so that even Dike had forgotten he was there. She did, however suddenly remember that after all these years, she still hadn't told him that one small detail that the whole mess was about.
Celestia however just smiled; inwardly she was bursting about in glee at her teachable moment. She rarely got them anymore. "Brilliance, most ponies remember that it was you and Dike that assisted me in wielding the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon."
"Princess Luna." a pair of flat voices interrupted.
"Nightmare Moon. Anyways, while most ponies remember, some do not. Eventually, after about five generations, the story will disappear, and you two won't be around to tell it. Alternatively, it may still exist as a legend or myth, but there will be no proof.
"That is where the historians come in. They collect the facts about the event, write it down, and it becomes history, fact rather than fable. It becomes true for generations to come, and is taught in schools. The only problem is that for your story, there is no written history."
"Well why not? You were there, Dike was there, and so was I. I'm sure we could come up with a history between the three of us" He was blissfully unaware of Dike's wince, or the glare she directed to him.
"It would be that simple if not for one minor detail. Dike, I believe this one is yours to tell."
With raised eyebrows and tense shoulders, she complied. "I am not signing off on Celestia's version of the story. It is not the entire truth of what happened. As a former palace historian, her story cannot pass without my approval, and I will not give it."
"Well, what's wrong with the story?"
"For one, the change to Nightmare Moon was not overnight, nor do I believe it was complete. Two, it does not give a complete reason or explanation of the change. Three, Luna and Nightmare Moon are described as two separate entities, which goes back to point one. Four, there is no punishment in place for after the return from the moon. Last of all, we aren't in it."
It would not be difficult for Brilliance to say what he wanted to say. But he knew that it would be difficult for certain ponies to hear. He hoped he had chosen his words wisely as the escaped his lips.
"Would that be so bad?"
Dike's eye involuntarily twitched.
"You did say that part of this is based on your belief, not on the evidence or your own observation. Then, there is a reason, but we all know it's classified for the safety of the general public, as is that entire chapter of Equestrian History. and isn't one thousand years away from everything you know punishment enough? Furthermore,"He tried to lighten the load he was leaving on Dike, "I'm getting too much attention as it is!"
"Brilliance, I thought you liked the attention!" Celestia retorted brightly. Too brightly. Dike was fuming.
"I did, it just gets a little hard to handle all the well wishers, and fan mail, and that occasional hate mail..."
"You're serious?"
"....She just used a contraction didn't she?"
"Don't you ignore me!"
"Yes...she did. Now we die." He turned to face her, and the smile he would have used to disarm her again was lost in the weight of the rage on her face.
"How could you just... FORGET! She hurt us. She tried to kill us. She showed no quarter. Yet you would allow a falsehood of the highest degree be taught as history?" The tears were coming again, but they would not win, not today. "It would be far better to forget her existence than to give her the status of victim. She does not deserve it!"
Silence reigned in the room as Dike stood fast in the center of the room, huffing air through her nostrils like so many angry minotaurs. Finally, Celestia spoke.
"Archistorian, you have your answer. Leave us now."
"But, your Majesty..."
"If you would, her Ladyship needs a moment. Go."
Offended, Afterthought stormed from the room. Still, he now had the answer for the counsel.
When the door closed after him, Celestia rose from the throne, reminding Brilliance of the morning clouds catching the light stream over the horizon. This Princess was pure power, yet she never felt the need to display her might to those beneath her. In fact, she lifted them up, not only from the ground, but to her level, meeting them eye to eye, rather than secluding herself.
"Come, my little ponies," She whispered, with the sound of a gentle wind, "and I will show you my reasons."
"It has been many years since I last explained our reasoning to a pony; this is the first time that I wasn't alone with one."
Celestia led the pair out of the hallway, onto the top of grand marble staircase that led down to the Royal Gardens, specifically the outside of the labyrinth, where the statues were kept. Her long, translucent, flowing tail swept down the steps as if it were made of silk, and it might as well have been. The colors, the sparkling and the movement went pale, and her mane began to droop as she approached one statue in particular.
Dike remembered this one. It was a horrendous chimera, a conglomeration of creatures that should never see the light of day. It was an affront to all that the Royal Sisters stood for; the antithesis of Harmony; hay, it even said "DISCORD" right on the pedestal. Even in the old palace, she had often wondered what foul humor had possessed her mother and aunt that they decorated with ... it.
And it wasn't just its appearance, though it should have been enough. There was an aura of discomfort just being too near to it. Celestia's drooping mane and tail were only confirming what Dike had always thought to be true: the statue was evil.
At once she shook herself of the thought. How juvenile of her, to think that an inanimate object had the power to see right and wrong, and to choose wrong. Statues do not have minds, hearts, souls or feelings.
So why was it she heard a heartbeat on the wind?
"This, my little ponies, is Discord."
Dike rolled her eyes, even as Brilliance shushed her. "I deduced from the name on the base." But Celestia continued, as if she hadn't even heard her speak.
"He hasn't always been a statue. He, at one point, held absolute power over all of ponykind. It took both of us and the power of the elements to defeat him. Only then did we begin to rule over the mortal ponies. Now you tell me, Dike, what were his crimes, and the sentence. I believe your mother did teach you this."
So, this was the monster-dictator. She could hardly believe such a strange looking creature was as powerful as the princesses claimed. Still, the unease she felt in his, no, its presence was slowly convincing her otherwise.
"He was a tyrant. He took away the free will of his subjects, and thrust them into chaos. No one knew what to expect, because he never did the same punishment twice. Or if he did, it was for two completely different and unrelated matters. A day could last months, or only a few minutes. Ponies starved to death, the earth would fall right out from underneath them, some would spontaneously combust, and, when he felt like it, he could make slaves of them by touching them. They would either be under his complete control, or they would act the exact opposite of their nature. Sometimes, in this state they would be taken advantage of. Just for fun, he would turn them back, for just a little while, to see what they had become, just so he could see them cry, just because he had the power to. He was sadistic, ruthless. A monster. And you both turned him to stone"
"He held in his hands the power to feed those that were hungry to free those he enslaved, and would not."
"That is what made him more of a monster."
"Now, say you had the power to punish him. He wouldn't be stone, would he?"
"He would be a pile of ash. Or worse."
"You would make him feel pain, like the pain he put ponies through. What if you had the power to punish your mother?"
"That would be simple. She pushed away all that was dear to her, killed or tried to kill those that cared about her, and plunged the world into the longest night..."
"So what better punishment than to force her from all she cared about, make sure she never sees most of the those she failed to kill, whom she loved dearly, and plunge her into the longest night? It is, of course, always night on the Moon. Should I really give her more punishment than that?"
"No, you gave her what she wanted!"
"Sometimes, what we want is the worst thing for us. What she truly wanted was to be loved, and appreciated, forgetting that those feelings cannot be forced. In my account, I separate Luna and Nightmare Moon, because, while Luna pushed away those that truly cared, she would have never hurt them.
"'Nightmare' is what happened after we tried to save the Crystal Empire. King Sombra, somehow, was able to take an essence form when we shattered his body. Or at least, parts of him were. Tell me, Brilliance, you went to the military academy, what comes out when a grenade or any other bomb explodes?"
"Shrapnel, your highness. It's more dangerous than the explosion itself." He swallowed hard.
"Thank you. When his body shattered into crystal, a piece of him lodged in Luna. I put up a shield over myself, before I thought to protect my sister. It turned to dark essence when she saw me try to save myself before her, and took hold in her heart.
"Dike, you mother may have been more distant when she left me, but when she returned it was more than just distance between you, correct?"
She said nothing. She didn't have to; they both knewe what happened the night she arrived at the castle. Luna only sneered at the child so happy to see her, and went to her room.
"Nice try, kid. If I don't get it why should you?"
"Dike, this is as much punishment for me as it is for her. I understand that she was wrong, but this was completely avoidable, and all my fault. I failed your mother when she needed me most. I wish I could tell my subjects that, but half would not believe me, and the others would not care, or they would try to bring about an anarchy. Which, in turn, would release Discord, and all the ponies that wanted me out of power would get what they want, and suffer for it."
"But..."
"You say you would want to punish her further. Would that make you feel better?"
"Well, yes, actually..."
"Doesn't that make you as much of a sadist as Discord here?"
"What? No!"
"You have the power to forgive her, to feed her hunger for love. And yet, now knowing all of the facts about her change, you want to see her suffer beyond her lot, because you also have the power to not forgive her, and to leave her starved for the love she so needs from you. Does that not make you a monster as well?"
Dike was shocked and silent, breathing heavily, eyes wide and jaw hanging. "That's... no... cannot be. Justice..."
Celestia shook her head, and looked her niece in the eyes, not with anger, not with accusation, and definitely not with malice, but kindness, pity, mercy.
"Justice, Dike? Or revenge?"
The shocked expression did not leave her face. "I...I... I am leaving! I don't have to stand here and listen to you li...li... say what ever it is you are saying about me!"
Celestia's face fell, but she made no move to stop her. "Very well. The Guards will escort you home."
"Actually, if it pleases your highness, I will."
Brilliance, still trembling and pale from all the knowledge so pleasantly bestowed upon him, stepped forward, with his chest up, and head high, even though Dike looked at him with cutting eyes. At first, the princess was going to disallow it, but, really, what was the harm? He might even help her.
"Alright. Please, make sure she gets home safely."
"I will. I will not let either of you down."
He pretended not to hear her mumble "You already have."
It was quiet for a mid-afternoon in the streets. Too quiet, it seemed to Brilliance. The streets that had just been full of life were now swept clean of trash, debris, and ponies. Part of him was on his guard, but most of his attention drifted to the sullen mare walking next to him. Was she mumbling again? (Yes, she was.) Something about Celestia and stupidity and merciful whatsit.
She had never been this way before. She had always had a reserved, quiet grace, not unlike the empty streets around them, knowing always what to say, how to say it, and above all when to say it, remaining silent otherwise. It was him that always had to put in his two bits. (Or fifty) Now, it seemed she just could not keep her mouth shut about those things she disagreed with, especially when it came to the subject of Nightmare Moon.
"Dike?" The only response was more muttering. Enough was enough. He had to know what was really bothering her.
"Di? Hello?" Did she even hear him? He trotted and stopped in front of her, fully expecting her to run into him, surprised when she stopped short.
"Get out of my way." She snapped.
"Di, talk to me."
"Do not call me that."
"I've always called you that, Di. Don't shut me out."
"What is there to talk about?"
"Well there is whatever you were just talking to yourself about."
"It doesn't concern you, so leave it alone."
"You are my friend, so yes, it does."
"Fine!" She growled, even further out of character. "I think that Celestia is just trying to confuse me so she can have her way with history, and warp it to her desires. But I'm not going to let her. I mean where does it end? Erasing Discord? Erasing the Crystal Empire? Erasing ME? I won't go down so easily. Oh, no, no. I am going to fight everything she throws my way." A toothy smile that just didn't suit her erupted on her face, and a twisted gleeful gleam in her eyes. "I will make her suffer."
Brilliance, however loyal to the Princess he might have been, refused to address the affront. All he could feel was pity for the confused child next to him. "Dike," he murmured gently, reaching out a hoof to stroke her mane, "What happened to you? I feel like I don't know you anymore, like the real you has left on some vacation and left a replacement. But I don't like this mare, and I would like my friend back."
"Well she isn't here right now, so go find someone else. I don't even care."
"See? That. That right there. You never used to use contractions like that. You were always very proper in your speech. Just like your mo..."
Her horn lit up like a roman candle, sparkling silver fire. "Finish that sentence, I dare you." Dike's face was no longer the royal, put together face of a lady, but a feral snarl,with her beige-silver mane falling in her face, covering one eye, which was narrowed so you could hardly see the pupils contracted inside the golden iris, lips drawn up showing her teeth, midnight blue coat bristled, with the posture of an irate bull. "I will never be like her. I HATE her."
Any stallion that cared for his life would have walked away, and let her be. Let it never be said that Brilliance was one of those stallions. All it took was the sun to come out from behind a cloud and reveal something shining in the corner of her eye, and he had made up his mind.
"Just like your mother."
She hit him with an expanding shield spell, throwing him back onto the slate streets about twenty paces, skidding to a stop in front of some other aristocrat's city house, leaving a crater-like trail in the road. He landed on his back, forever grateful to Faust and the Princesses that he was born an earth pony or his spine would have shattered from the impact. As it stood, he would be hurting in the morning.
Slowly lifting himself up out of the gravel that made up the street's foundation, he braced for the impact of another spell, and not a moment too soon. A boulder, roughly twice his size, (Where in Equestria had she gotten that?!?) was headed right in his direction. He tried to back up, but as fate would have it, the paranoid aristo had his house walled in with stone. The gray behemoth neared, and yet, Brilliance felt no fear.
When Dike opened her eyes, there was a rock and an impact crater in the street where her friend had been standing.
"Brilliance!" Still no response. She raced to the stone, praying to any deity that would listen. Not him, not him.
There were no signs of life from what she could see, but the lack of splatters or blood in the crater did offer a glimmer of hope. Still, after going around the rock for the nth time, she still could not find any trace of him. For whatever reason, she began beating the rock. She tried to lift the rock with magic, and when that failed, she continued kicking. Her feeble bucks would not help if he were actually underneath the rock, of course, but she was completely out of ideas, perhaps out of her mind, and refused to give up.
After what seemed like hours, her legs were beyond sore. Whatever it was that possessed her to keep kicking slowly ebbed out and finally left her splayed out in an empty street, completely drained of magic, strength, everything. All that was left was the guilt.
This is all my fault, she realized. I am just like her. And now I'll be alone forever, just like her. A foreign, yet somehow familiar, sensation welled up in her chest and tugged at the corners of her mouth, spreading across her face to her eyes. Had it really been that long since she last cried? And now she was sobbing, alone, and useless. Useless to Brilliance, if he had even survived. Useless to herself.
Perfect prey.
They climbed out from their hiding places; the stalls that had appeared empty, the dark shadows in the walls. They appeared to be ponies, hiding behind black hooded cloaks. All of their coats were as colorfully diverse as any other pony, if every other pony was darker than night. One, he appeared to be a unicorn, with a dark olive-green coat, lifted a strange looking crystal to his face. A looking glass?
"I have the descendant, and loyalty is broken." There was a guttural mutter from the glass. Oh, a scrying glass. For some reason, knowing what the thing was didn't make her feel any better. She was well aware that she was too exhausted to get up, let alone muster enough magic to defend herself. She was trapped.
"Yes, that is completely possible. I will bring her to you personally."
Did she have any voice left to cry out, and if she did, who would hear her? She felt her weight start to shift, and she realized she was being levitated onto the stallion's back. Where were they taking her? To whom? What were they planning with her? Dike was panicked; enough adrenaline rocketed to her limbs to get her kicking and screaming.
"Brilliance! Celestia! Help! Someone!"
"Oh, little princess, " the stallion dropped his hood to show his horn and eyes so icy blue they were almost white. "No one is coming for you."
She looked him in those cold, steely eyes for a moment. Just for that moment she lost her resolve. Just for that moment, she gave up on escaping. She looked away, and started screaming again, and fighting what little she could. Somepony cursed, and another thug slammed his hoof into her jaw. Her adrenaline rush was gone, and slowly she felt herself slipping.
"Mother..." was the last she uttered before falling into peaceful sleep.
