Prim Rose's Redemption

by Hope


Chapter 20

When Prim Rose entered the royal dining room, Princess Luna was already eating a small meal of fresh fruit and vegetables. She nodded to Prim, as Prim entered and sat nearby, stifling a yawn.

“Sit here, and eat. We hath called for Spring so that he shall join us shortly,” Luna said as she gestured to the seat next to her.

Prim only hesitated for a moment before sitting and taking a few slices of apple for herself.

“Upon completing our meal, we shall have the joint guard meeting, correct? What was the subject?”

“Repair crews and the security thereof,” Prim said before eating a slice of apple.

“Ah yes, then we shall have our dusk court,” Luna said as she looked to the evening light pouring over Everfree City through the window.

They sat silently for a while and ate until Prince Spring entered, guided by two of his guards and Golden Sparkle. He nodded to Luna and sat across the table from her, where Princess Celestia had sat in the past.

“My thanks to thee for setting aside time to see me,” Spring said nervously.

“Of course, our rule may only function jointly, and consult must be done to ensure that. What is thy concern?”

Spring hesitated before looking to Prim and Golden.

“May we speak alone?” he asked cautiously.

“Of course,” Princess Luna said, gesturing to Prim who rose and exited the hall along with Sparkle.

Once they were outside and the door was closed behind them, Prim and Sparkle looked to eachother.

“What dost thou think they are speaking of?” Prim asked curiously.

“Likely Prince Spring’s fear and panic of being in his new position,” Sparkle said, sounding bored as she leaned against a wall, while a guard moved slightly to give her room.

“He is feeling so unsettled?” Prim asked incredulously.

Sparkle rolled her eyes, massaging the shoulder of her injured leg with her free hoof.

“There is no stallion ready to rule, and certainly not one which simply fell in love with a princess. He is frightened, small and certain that he is going to fail in some way, and be disgraced. Likely he is blubbering to her to get her sympathy as we speak.”

“Thou art not a friend to Prince Spring?” Prim asked, surprised by Sparkle’s extremely critical statement.

“‘Tis not my duty to be a friend to my charge. No, Princess Celestia had made it clear that I shall serve the post best if critical, exacting, and efficient. So I am not His Royal Highness’s friend, and I make it clear that I do not appreciate the replacement of Princess Celestia’s banners. Lying shall serve noone.”

Prim looked away and grimaced. “Lying hath not served me well either,” she said softly.

That is not thy fault,” Sparkle said.

Prim looked to her, shocked, but Sparkle wasn’t looking at her. She was looking down the hallway, eyes focused on something that wasn’t there. Prim waited for her to continue.

“Princess Celestia and I made the decision to ask for thy confidence together, and we should have told Princess Luna of the issue ourselves, not kept it. It is my greatest regret.”

Prim had to fight the urge to yell at Sparkle, to tell her off for putting her in that position to begin with. She had to remind herself that Sparkle had already paid for her crime, and that Prim's vindictive words would only serve as cruelty. Still, she couldn't stop a bitter smile, though Sparkle seemed not to notice.

“Dost thou seek my forgiveness?” Prim asked curiously.

“No, such a thing would be hollow at best, and not serve to return my true Princess to me. Do not bother thyself with the gesture. Instead, rest easy knowing that thou wert not at fault for this catastrophe. I hath been told of what Princess Celestia had said to thee that night, and surely it was a cruel falsehood, driven by her possession.”

“Possession?” Prim asked, confused.

“The change she had undergone, it was no disguise by the description I hath been given, but a true transformation, the kind of which must have been brought on by some sort of incorporeal being. That is my theory at least,” Sparkle said as she rocked her head back and forth, thinking over the idea yet again.

“It seems a bit hard to believe,” Prim said as she sighed. “But were it true, then why would the elements of harmony not clear this force from her?”

“That… I do not know,” Sparkle admitted. “It is only a theory anyway.”

They fell silent for a while, until one of the night guards shifted and looked to Prim. Prim recognized her as Evenstar. Prim knew that Tao was assigned to the other door that allowed access to the royal dining hall, otherwise Prim would be surprised by the duo not being near eachother.

“Permission to speak, Lady Rose?”

“Permission given, but do so with thy audience in mind,” Prim said, curious what Evenstar wanted to say.

Evenstar turned to face Sparkle a bit more, and lowered her weapon to rest on the floor, sitting instead of standing at attention.

“Perhaps Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia, was voluntary in the possession? An alicorn is powerful and could not be easily possessed against their will,” she proposed.

Prim noticed that Evenstar was being particularly thoughtful in her use of Princess Celestia’s titles, but nonetheless Sparkle tensed and immediately frowned, shaking her head. But she paused, and seemed to actually consider it for a moment.

“It is… easier to believe than a voluntary slaughter,” Sparkle admitted after a few more minutes, hanging her head. “But it would imply that she allowed herself to be corrupted without knowing the nature of the entity that refers to itself as the Daybreaker. For I refuse to believe that she would know that it was a murderous and hateful thing, but embrace it.”

“She stated all her reasons for doing so, for all to hear that night,” Evenstar said quickly. “She stated that she was weary of ruling alone, of the difficulty of--”

There was a knock on the inside of the door, and everyone quickly got in their positions, Evenstar standing at attention, while Prim and Golden moved to the center of the hallway.

“Later, we shall speak,” Sparkle said quickly.

Shortly, the door opened to reveal Princess Luna and Prince Spring side by side.

“--council I shall seek quite often, I am certain,” Spring was saying.

“Remember what we hath said of the royal plural, and it’s importance,” Luna said with a small smile.

“Of course, of course. Council we shall seek,” he corrected with a matching smile and a small chuckle.

Princess Luna nodded to him in agreement before turning to Sparkle and Prim.

“We assume that Prince Spring’s schedule is accounted for?” she asked.

“Of course, your Highness,” Sparkle said, bowing only slightly.

“Excellent. We shall attend to the meeting of the guards then. We shall see thee both upon the Dusk court, there is much to be done. Prim?”

Prim bowed before following Princess Luna off towards the lunar guard barracks, which was being used for both guard groups, with the solar guard’s barracks still in disrepair, and with no roof or floor.

Before she could reach the door, Evenstar stepped up and knocked on the door, so that when it was opened, the two dozen guards in the room were at attention, and silent. Princess Luna strode in and went to the far side of the room, where a window looked out on the main courtyard.

Captains Fury and Bridle both stood at attention until Luna sat and nodded to them, letting them relax. She then looked around at the assembled guards. The crowd had doubled by the time she sat down, several guards filing in and some coming in from the side rooms.

“We appreciate the presence of thee all. We understand thirty more guards are on duty at this time, and shall be appraised of the situation by thee. This day we begin a new task, which is a painful one, in that it is sourced in the tragedy that shook us so recently. But the repair of this castle is at hoof. Crews hath been assembled and vetted by the captains, and shall begin delivering materials and evaluating the damage in the morning. Construction shall continue from dawn until dusk each day, and we must assume that these crews are not wholly loyal to us, due to the sensitive nature of their work. They shall be watched closely, and searched if needed. With portions of the dungeons and vaults exposed, a select few workers shall be permitted access to those portions of the crater. Those names shall be provided by Captain Fury.”

Princess Luna paused and looked around at the guards, contemplating their appearance and the changes that had been made over the last few weeks. Even the clouds above the castle, which shaded the grounds, were a constant reminder of the night’s mixing with the day. A new saying had come about due to it all. “To have a cloud above one’s head” was used to signify a peace or tranquility. It was one of the many abrupt changes from the scorn the night had been shown in the past, and Princess Luna had to bury the feeling of joy she felt at such things, as it was at the cost of her sister’s presence.

“We also must speak to thee about the state of our rule moving forward.”

She looked to Prim, standing next to the door, and decided in that moment that she could gather the strength to move on.

“It shall be a thousand years before our sister may return to our world. We hath sought every method of breaking her bonds, of retrieving her, and of communicating with her. Each has failed, and each has been pressed to its limits. We are left with the knowledge that Equestria shall need our rule without interruption for twice as long as we hath lived thus far. We shall tell nothing but the naked truth, this is a daunting task for anypony, alicorn or not. This is a great mountain we must climb, with the assistance of our nation, and it is a mountain we must be allowed to direct all of our attentions towards. We can struggle no further with the memories and heated discussion on what our sister hath become in the eyes of our ponies. We can no longer allow our focus to be laid upon the growing legend of… Daybreaker.”

The word tasted bitter in her mouth, and she turned to look out of the window.

“Though two courts shall remain, our sister’s touch upon this country must be muted for our focus and loyalty to be sharpened. Braced Bridle shall become the Captain of the Equestrian Guard, as Night Fury is granted the rank of General. The General’s post shall be expanded to oversee both Guard and Army, through the Captains and Knights, respectfully.”

She turned back to look at the guards. They were all standing at attention, careful to betray no emotion. But she had to see their loyalty.

“All uniform, insignia, and traditions of the Night Guard shall be embraced as the Equestrian Guard’s, with the Day Guard’s being retired until the return of our sister. Upon finding a way to cure her hysteria, and returning her to her throne, the Day Guard shall be revived. Are we understood?”

Every guard present saluted, standing tall. Not a flicker of doubt in their eyes. As one, they replied.

“Yes, your Highness.”

Princess Luna nodded in approval and began slowly walking back toward the door as she spoke.

“All day guards shall be accepted at current rank and given newly crafted armor and uniform. All shall be enchanted to embrace the unified image of the Thestral that our guard has taken for the last one hundred years. Henceforth, there shall be no flying of the Solar banner, and any declarations of allegiance to the Solar court shall be called into question to ensure that thy loyalty lies with the court, and not with Daybreaker.”

She stopped at the door as Prim opened it for her, and she looked back at the crowded room.

“Dismissed.”

Prim and Luna left, as the guards relaxed and began speaking amongst themselves.

“I prefer thy guard’s armor anyway,” Prim said conversationally.

“Regardless, it is not our preferred action to take. We would much rather embrace our sister’s legacy and history, but we hath seen recently that Mint is not the only pony with influence who seeks to make that legacy pay for her crimes. Letters have been sent to us with similar sentiments, and though we are certain there are many who wish to preserve her image in a positive light, they are neither as vocal nor in line with the deeds committed. Thus we are pressed to continue the isolation of our sister’s past from the future. Perhaps in time it may be possible to rebuild her legacy anew, in such a way that shall not offend those she injured.”

Prim sighed, shaking her head.

“A problem for a time long after I have passed,” she said with a smile. “Perhaps I should not be so thankful, but it is a problem complex enough that I have no desire to confront it.”

The two entered the great hall, and Princess Luna ascended to her throne as Prim went to the doors, checking with the guards to learn that there were only about a dozen petitioners in line. She then went back up to sit next to Luna’s throne. Shortly after that, Prince Spring entered, and they began the Dusk court, slowly trudging through the individual troubles of a country full of strife.