Magic on Sweet Apple Acres

by Blade Star

Chapter 17 - The Razgriz

It was with a sense of supreme satisfaction that I watched the Royal Guard haul away the shattered, petrified remains of the Storm King. I believe my last words to him were; 'Oh, they're gonna have to glue you back together...in Tartarus!'. To my knowledge, that was only the second time a villain had faced the ultimate penalty, albeit it was one of his own doing. Still, it was generally accepted by all that he was dead as Caesar himself. His army turned out to be no army at all, just the unfortunate denizens of his homelands far to the south, pressed into service. With him dead, they had no desire for further conflict and had departed to their own borders.

The hippogriffs too had returned to their Mount Aris to begin rebuilding their own nation. I must admit, I didn’t care for them. While they may have played a small part in liberating Canterlot, they were also partly responsible for this mess in the first place. You see, they came from the lands south of Equestria and had previously been allies, although reclusive ones to the kingdom in the past. But a few years back, before the show began, they’d suddenly vanished without a trace. As it turned out the same thing that happened to us, happened to them.

The hippogriff queen used some artifact, a pearl, to transform her people into seaponies, allowing them to escape. Here’s where I take issue with them. If it could do all that, then surely it was powerful enough to defeat the Storm King. But no, they’d just fled without a fight. Worse still though, they’d become isolationist, and when Twilight and her friends discovered their hidden realm, they refused to lend any aid. They struck me as cowardly and isolationist; like Americans before the last war, content to hide under the sea while the Storm King became dangerous enough to threaten Equestria and everywhere else. And yet they’d had the balls to start celebrating back on Mount Aris like they’d won the whole thing single hoofed.

But this is no time for pointing fingers. What happened, happened, and there’s no way to undo the past. All that mattered was that the Storm King was now a smashed lump of granite and not going to be a problem any more.

There was only one issue that remained; Tempest Shadow, or Fizzlepop Berrytwist to use her real name instead of her dark and edgy nom de gurre. While she had come to her senses and helped Twilight out when the Storm King, rather predictably, betrayed her, she was still guilty of more than a few crimes, up to and including high treason.

And that meant there would have to be a trial; one so important that only Celestia herself could preside over it.

A week after the whole affair, we were all once again gathered in Canterlot for the proceedings. It was difficult really. On the one hoof, Tempest had helped save the day and had, at great risk to her own life, helped defeat the Storm King once and for all. On the other though, this honourless turncoat had petrified three of Equestria’s princesses and almost killed Luna in the same manner of the Storm King. That could not simply be swept under the rug. Celestia did not mince her words in her opening address. Tempest was in very deep trouble, and in centuries gone by would have simply been taken out in front of the castle and beheaded.

Luckily for her though, justice has come a long way since then, sort of. You see, back on Earth, prison was supposed to mix retribution and rehabilitation, often achieving neither very well. In Equestria though, the core value is the preservation of harmony. Without harmony, the Windigoes would return someday and reduce Equestria to ruin. So their justice system is built around forgiveness and reformation instead holding grudges and seeking retribution. Most of the time, as long as a crime isn’t too serious (and let’s be honest, that list includes screwing around with the space/time continuum to get back at someone who bested you, using a dodgy magical artifact to take over a town, and using peculiar mirror magic and nearly taking over an alternate world with an army of zombies) redemption is the preferred path.

Only the most serious of crimes and when the pony in question is beyond reformation, are more harsher sentences looked at. And by that, I mean they throw you in Tartarus for all eternity. It really is a black and white justice system when you stop and think about it.

So it’s a case of either really light and really heavy, depending on just what you did. Tempest certainly seemed to come down on the latter, but she did show that she wanted to redeem herself. And in a way, she had.

Celestia was, as I said before, presiding over the trial, with my dad acting as her advisor. Ordinarily, Luna too would act as a second judge, given the severity of the charge. However, nopony had dared go near her chambers since she summoned Shining Armor's replacement as Captain of the Royal Guard; the idiot who had left Canterlot virtually defenceless. It had been seven hours and she still hadn't stopped shouting in the Royal Canterlot Voice. I actually had to grab a dictionary a couple times. I never realised Luna had such a colourful vocabulary, or such a command of synonyms. I don't know all the details, but the pony in question hasn't shown his face in Canterlot since he got drummed out with a decidedly dishonourable discharge.

As things got underway, Dad stood up from his desk and read out the charge and the law in question.

“Whoever, owing allegiance to the Realm of Equestria, levies war against her, or adheres to her enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the borders of the Realm of Equestria or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall be exiled from the realm, or shall be imprisoned, for a term not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than the sum of ten thousand bits, and shall be incapable of holding any office within the Realm of Equestria.

“Tempest Shadow. You are charged with having committed the crime of treason against the Realm of Equestria, contrary to the Treason Act of 135CR. How do you plead; guilty or not guilty?” The crippled unicorn got to her hooves in the dock.

“Guilty,” she replied.

Now, you’d be forgiven for thinking that that would be an end to the business. After all, she was remorseful, and had begun the process of reformation. Typical Equestrian law, based around Harmony would most likely see her released with a slapped wrist.

But not everypony saw her as reformed. A lot of ponies in Canterlot still had it in for her. After all, the main reason she’d switched sides was because the Storm King turned on her, revealing that he was just using her, and had no intention of helping to restore her horn. Her defection, such as it was, could be seen more as an act of self-preservation than anything else. That would make it harder to go down the reform route as far as Celestia was concerned. You have to remember, this was a serious watershed moment for the ponies. For the first time, they realised the world beyond their borders was not necessarily a nice place.

Celestia may be a princess, but she can’t just do as she pleases. While she answers to nopony, she still has to occasionally placate the nobility and citizens. I later learned from Dad that she wanted to just let the matter drop, but her hoof was forced by public opinion.

Still, Celestia is a wise old mare, and has more than a few tricks up her sleeve. It was this that she planned on taking advantage of now. Since Tempest had pleaded guilty, there would be no trial per se; they’d just move right on to sentencing. Celestia turned to look at the prisoner across from her in the courtroom.

“Tempest Shadow,” she said. “You have pleaded guilty to the crime of treason. As stated in the act, I have only two options. It is my judgement, that you shall be exiled from Equestria for a period of no less than five years, after which time, you may return to the realm once more.”

Tempest nodded in understanding and was about to turn around to be taken back into the custody of the guards, when Celestia caught everypony off guard by speaking again.

“However,” she went on. “It would be wrong to cast you adrift outside our borders with no purpose. You have shown the beginnings of understanding the magic of friendship. To that end, I charge you to go forth beyond our borders and spread word of the magic of friendship; the force that defeated the once mighty Storm King. And when you return here, you shall receive a full pardon for your crimes.”

And that was that! Tempest was led away by the guards, and most ponies in the court were happy, including AJ and her friends. She was effectively going to do what Starswirl had done within Equestria. She would learn about the magic of friendship as she journeyed beyond our borders, and at the same time, help others learn it too, while making sure every creature and their mother knew the Storm King was dead and buried.

Twilight went and spoke with her, asking her to write and keep in touch, offering to help out if she needed it. I kept my distance. In fact, the two of us have never met. It was for the best, since I was wrestling with my own demons.

Twilight and the others stayed in Canterlot for the day, amid continued celebrations. It was certainly nice that there was no repair work needed. The combined magic of the princesses had sorted out all the damage, courtesy of Twilight. In fact, it was the first thing Twilight did. Undoing all the damage the attack and occupation had caused, which also had the effect of freeing the princesses. The lot of them, including Applejack, were heading back to Ponyville this evening. Apparently, Twilight had got some new project in mind for the lot of them.

I’d spent the last few days on the farm up until now. Just glad to be back in the company of AJ, Apple Bloom, Big Mac and Granny Smith. None of them were the worse for wear. Apple Bloom had endured remarkably well all things considered. She certainly enjoyed telling, what I think, is a very biased version of events where Applejack single hoofedly saved the day. I wasn’t about to take that away from her.

Personally, for the most part, I just wanted to put the whole business behind me. Yes we’d made new friends and allies, the lands to the south of Equestria were free again. But it had been damn traumatic for us. For the first couple of nights, I found myself beset by insomnia, and took to watching over AJ and Apple Bloom instead of getting rest myself. By the time of the trial though, a week later, I was beginning to relax and fall back into my old routines, returning to the tranquil life of an apple farmer.

There was one thing that I wanted to do though, a way of me having final closure on the whole affair, and means to put the whole dreadful business behind me. And to do that, I needed to see Luna. I don’t quite know how to describe it. But I just wanted to see her, in pony, and know she was alright. If she was okay, and Celestia was okay, then I knew that all was right with Equestria.

So I stayed in Canterlot well into the evening, when the sun set and the full moon rose. And like any good pony, I made my way to the throne room, which has actually recently been remodelled, at last giving Luna her own throne and reinforcing the return of the diarchy as the two sisters reigned side by side once more. I may have the honour of calling Luna a friend, and she me in turn, but that didn’t mean that I was going to jump the queue.

There were a few ponies waiting to see Luna. Crisis or no, the bureaucracy continued. As she’s become more popular again as she reintegrates into the political system, Luna has picked up her fair share of hangers on and irritating paper pushers. And of course, she gets a few more personal petitioners like me.

After a ten minute wait, the two thestral guards opened up the throne room doors and ushered me inside. And there she was, sitting on the throne, serene as ever. In keeping with proper decorum, I had to consciously stop myself from prancing up to her in excitement. Stopping at the foot of the now twin dais, I took off my stetson and bowed as custom dictated.

“Your servant, princess,” I said. “As always.” Luna smiled at me as she got up from her throne and walked down to join me. She offered a slight bow of her own.

“It is good to see you too, Blade Star,” she replied. Leaning forward, she extended her wings and enveloped me in a brief hug.

“So tell me,” she asked, stepping back. “What brings you to my court?” I smiled back.

“What? Ah can’t come say hello to a friend when she’s at work?” I replied. Luna giggled. “Ah guess Ah just wanted to drop and talk for a bit.” Luna stepped away from the twin thrones and gestured for me to follow her out onto the balcony.

It was a beautiful night out, as always whenever Luna has a hoof in things. The local weather was clear for miles around. The moon was high in the sky and at the moment was a waxing crescent. It wasn’t cold, but the night air was cool, and so the stars shone clearly, even with the light coming from the city. It was quiet down below in Canterlot proper; quiet and peaceful. Luna sat down and looked out toward a small smattering of lights that I knew to be Ponyville.

“So, my dear friend,” she went on. “What do you wish to talk about?” I paused and scratched the back of my neck with a hoof.

“Ah want to talk about what happened,” I said simply. Luna didn’t respond, waiting patiently for me to continue.

“Months back, at the awards ceremony for Starlight and the others,” I said. “Y’all and me had a talk. Ya reminded me how important it is to not seek revenge, and to let go of such things.”

“I did,” Luna replied softly. “And as I recall, you destroyed your spell, FOXDIE, and made certain it would never harm anypony again.” I nodded.

“Ah understood what ya said to me, Luna. I could see where y’all were comin’ from, and I knew y’all were right. Ah worked hard to let go of that hate, and embrace harmony and forgiveness. But this business with Tempest...well, Ah’m havin’ a hard time.”

“Because of what she did to me and my sister?” Luna prodded. I nodded again.

“Ah know that bein’ mad at her won’t change the past. Ah know that you’re all safe and well now. And Ah know that she’s gone off to spread the magic of friendship herself. She’s earned her forgiveness from the lot of ya. An’ for the most part, Ah agree with ya. But there’s a part of me that’s still stuck in its old ways. A part of me still wants her to suffer for what she did, just as the Storm King did. A part of me wants to use Starswirl’s spell to go back in time and warn y’all before everything happened. And so Ah just can’t help but feel that, after all this time, Ah still haven’t learnt anything.”

I hung my head. I was disappointed in myself. And I knew that what I’d just said would disappoint Luna too. That was something I never wanted to do. To my surprise though, I suddenly felt Luna softly nuzzle me. I let out a startled whiny as she withdrew.

“I can see that you have begun to make some progress, my young friend,” she said in a commending tone. “You recognise the importance of redemption, of the second chance, and the futility of bearing a grudge.”

“But Ah still have those feelings inside me, Luna,” I replied sadly. Luna smiled.

“And you believe my sister or I do not?” she asked curiously. I looked up at her astonishment. "Blade Star, a wise pony once said that every normal pony must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hooves, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. Having those feelings of anger does not make you a bad pony. It just makes you a pony. The fact that you can recognise that is all the more encouraging.”

I smiled up at that. As I’ve said many times, Luna is to me, what Celestia is to Twilight. So to get such praise from her was most welcome. The night alicorn continued.

“But perhaps it would be cathartic to face up to these demons?” she suggested. “There is a spell that I believe you have studied which would allow such a meeting.”

She was talking about that projection spell Twilight had come across a few months back. Actually it was one of the first things I did after the whole FOXDIE debacle. Among other things, during that experiment, I’d ‘met’ my darker self. Not evil, I might add, more like amoral. Actually, what seemed to drive him more than anything was his love and care for his friends and family, in particular Applejack and Luna.

I didn’t particularly fancy meeting him again though; it was unsettling enough the first time. But if he was the source of the dark desires still whirling around my head, he was also the one who could lay them to rest. So, trusting that Luna would step in if anything went wrong, I agreed.

Readying her magic, Luna blasted me with her horn. As before with Twilight, I felt no real impact from the spell. The effect however was almost instantaneous. Just as before, my shadow separated from me and sped off to the nearest wall. There is splayed itself out it stood upright, and a moment later, he stepped out of the darkness.

He was very much as I remember him. The two of us were remarkably alike, albeit he lacked my own stetson. We had the same height, same built, same mane, coat and eye colour. But there was something about him that set him apart from me; something that made your hair stand on end. He seemed to stand a little taller than me, he seemed more confident and self-assured in everything he did, right down to the way he walked.

As he stepped out onto the moonlit balcony, I saw his eyes instantly fix themselves on Luna. He bowed deeply, far more than I usually would, with his horn almost touching the stone tiles of the floor and got down on one of his forelegs. He remained there in that position as he spoke.

“What is thy bidding, my princess?” he asked, his voice that same deep, aristocratic tone, but now it was laced with a note of reverence.

The both of us were caught a little off guard. From my last interaction with my darker half, I knew that he had no dark desires towards those I cared about. In fact, it seemed that my love for them all came from him, rather than my lighter side. That was what made him dangerous after all; there was no line he wouldn’t cross to protect those he cared for. I guess I should have expected that my...borderline obsession toward Luna, which I had long since cast off in favour of our friendship, would also originate from him.

Luna too was caught a little flat footed by his sudden reverence towards her. She’s worked hard since her return to set aside the image of an unreachable princess in favour of her being just herself. Even her ever devoted thestral guards have begun to liberalise these days. Still, she recovered herself quite quickly.

“Oh...erm...rise...erm...Blade Star?” He slowly got back to his hooves and stood patiently before the night princess. Quite the contrast to the caustic reception I’d gotten.

“You may call me that if you wish, your highness,” he went on. “But I fear it might makes things a tad confusing with the both of us here.” He turned to me, casting a withering glance in my direction.

“Than what should I call you?” Luna asked. My darker half thought for a moment.

“Perhaps Morning Star, your highness?” he suggested.

“Ah see ya still haven’t given up the idea that you’re Old Scratch himself,” I commented dryly. Still, it was rather apt and fitting. Luna continued.

“Very well, Morning Star,” she said. “I take it you know why we summoned you?” He nodded.

“You want Blade Star to talk to himself,” he replied, with a faint smile. “Ordinarily I’d say no. But as it is at the request of you, my princess, I shall oblige.” Luna smiled back.

“I am pleased that you see things that way,” she said. “I shall leave the two of you alone for now then.” Morning Star bowed again, just as deeply as before, as Luna departed, heading back into the throne room.

“Such a majestic creature,” he said to himself as he watched her depart.

I watched her too, and I admit that the exact same thought flashed across my mind, if only for an instant. A moment later, this Morning Star, turned around and faced me. Once again I was struck by his cold, harsh glare and felt my knees knock.

“So, you wish to get rid of me, do you?” he asked with a sneer. “You want to just get rid of all your negative emotions?” I shook my head. That seemed to surprise him.

“No,” I replied. “That would be silly, and probably quite dangerous in the long run.”

“Then what do you want?” I shrugged my haunches.

“Ah want to be your friend.”

That set him off. He began laughing his head off at my expense. After a few moments, he finally calmed himself down and wiped a tear from his eye. But as he looked me in the eye, he realised that I hadn’t so much as cracked a smile.

“You’re serious?” he asked. I nodded.

“Y’all are a part of me,” I replied. “Ah can’t just get rid of ya. Heck, Ah need ya. Y’all were the one that kept me sane when the Storm King attacked. For pony’s sake, y’all have saved my life at least ten separate times before we even came to Equestria. Ah wouldn’t be the pony Ah am without you.” I paused and rubbed the back of my neck as I thought about what to say next.

“Ah understand why you feel what ya feel. You’re that part of me. Ya hold grudges, seek vengeance, and y’all would step way outside the bounds of morality to save ponies we care about. But you’re also the part of me that loves Applejack the most, and would do anything to protect her. You’re that part of me that looks out for AB and treats her like a surrogate daughter. And you’re the part of me that wanted to be friends with the lonely alicorn that almost everypony was scared of.

“You said it yourself, Morning Star. You’re not evil; you’re my darker half; the yang. Ah couldn’t be me without you.”

Morning Star had initially listened to my little speech with disinterest. But as I’d gone on, I’d seen his mask start to crack.

“The last time we met, ya said that Ah could be somepony better, that Ah could be you. And Ah said that that Ah wouldn’t be me if that happened. Only now Ah realise, I already am you, just as y’all are me. We’re one and the same, just a little different; opposite sides of the same coin.”

And for the first time since I met him, Morning Star smiled at me. I no longer felt afraid or uneasy around him. I couldn’t help but see the connection to Luna in all this. Morning Star was my Nightmare Moon, my Daybreaker. Alone, he was an amoral being that would do anything to protect those he love, and which would ultimately push them away. He was me, if I abandoned morality and my slightly odd commitment not to interfere with the events of the ‘show’. But he was still a part of me, a facet of my personality. If I set him aside, something of me would be lost.

The unicorn was about to say something in return, when he suddenly perked up his ears. I could hear something too. It was coming from the city.

It was singing. Ponies were still celebrating the defeat of the Storm King (and unlike ponies I use the term as a euphemism, they seem uncomfortable with saying ‘death’ or ‘killed’). Across the still night came the strains of a fairly recent song written to celebrate Luna’s return and the reunification of the diarchy, combining a thestral song and an old tune dedicated to Celestia.

“Listen,” Morning Star said. “They’re singing down there.” He paused to listen to the music, floating on the night air. I on the other hand, couldn’t help myself. I knew the lyrics, and it was one of the most uplifting songs I knew. I started singing, while my companion kept quiet.

My singing, which I’ve been told isn’t too bad; one of the few benefits of growing up in rural Wales, also attracted the attention of Princess Luna, who silently rejoined us out on the balcony.

That was enough for Morning Star. He could hold himself back no longer, and he joined me as the song swelled into its final verse. He had quite the set of lungs on him too, and our mixed accents gave quite the harmony.

Then we were both caught by surprise, as Luna too joined in for the final part.

Far below the singing crowds cheered as the song ended. Morning Star and I just stood and watched. It really summed everything up; harmony. That was the principle on which Equestria was founded, everything from its laws, to its rulers, and even its people. They all existed in harmony, in balance. I’d finally achieved that balance within myself.

I turned to Luna, who was beaming at me with nothing but pride. To my surprise though, Morning Star walked back over to the far wall, where my shadow had previously been cast when he appeared.

“Going somewhere, Morning Star?” Luna asked. He smiled and shook his head.

“No, Luna. I’ll be right here,” he replied, gesturing to me. “And thanks, Bones. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

And with that, he stepped once again into the shadows. His form slowly faded until nothing but black remained. Then, the shadow once again slid off of the wall and soon rebound itself to me. I looked up at Luna and she smiled down at me.

“I take it your talk was productive then?” he asked with a knowing look. I simply nodded.

Luna was kind enough to give me her version of a lift home. She teleported the two of us all the way back to Sweet Apple Acres. It was pretty late in the evening by now, and I expected Granny Smith would have set supper on the table.

The two of us materialised in one of the orchards, about a five minute walk from the farmhouse itself. It was so quiet out here; one of the many things I liked about living out in the sticks. But it was never an unsettling quiet, you never felt uneasy in the darkness of the night. I took a moment to breathe in the cool night air, and listened to the peaceful silence, broken only by the gentle babbling of a distant stream.

I asked Luna if she wanted to join us all for dinner. While it may not be Canterlot Castle three horseshoe quality, everypony I know has loved Granny Smith’s cooking, including Luna. Ages ago she did come by the farm. It would have been nice to have her as a guest again. Sadly though, she was forced to decline; she had a court to preside over, and dreams to guard later in the night.

So the two of us bid farewell. After a parting hug, the lunar princess departed in the same manner she had arrived, and vanished in the flash and pop of a teleport.

I knew where I was on the farm. Living here, it’s surprising how quickly you pick up landmarks to tell you where you are, little things, like a particular tree stump, an apple tree with a hole in the trunk, or even a particularly distinctive sapling. I knew that the farmhouse was just a short walk from here through one of the orchards. Before long, I’d come out onto one of the paths, and from there, I’d walk right back to the farmyard and the house.

With a full moon, there was more than enough light to see by. There were even lunar shadows being cast by the apple trees, so I had no need for my magic to create a light. Despite that though, the sky was full of stars. The moon was still fairly low in the sky at the moment, and so its own light didn’t drown out the starlight.

Looking up, I was able to pick out a few constellations. While not exact, there are some similarities. Orion’s belt at least exists, although Orion himself is naturally a pony. The Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are now living animals rather than a collection of stars. But the Big Dipper exists, and thankfully still points to the North Star.

I found myself stopping on my brief journey, just to look up at the sky. Luna only moved the moon, rather than the stars themselves, but I always credited the beauty of the night sky to her regardless.

My thoughts turned briefly to one Fizzlepop Berrytwist. Was she looking up at the sky too, now beyond Equestria’s borders? Like me, she too was no doubt facing up to her inner demons, and her past. With luck, and perhaps a touch of magic though, by the time she returned, she would, like me, have found her own version of harmony. I felt no more anger towards her now. I would wait and see what the future would bring.

After a while, I realised that I’d been staring up at the sky for twenty odd minutes. Applejack was probably starting to wonder where I’d gotten to. Getting back to my hooves, I broke into a light canter, and soon found myself back at the farmhouse.