//------------------------------//
// The Princess 
// Story: The Archives 
// by -Mazer 
//------------------------------//

	Discord may have been gone but that did not mean our troubles were over. The citizens had appointed the sisters Luna and Celestia as rulers over the land, protectors against any and all who dared bring back the darkness. If only we knew the truth…

“M’Ladies,” Patience bent his front knees to bow before the Princesses. “Shall I present onto thee the monthly report?”
It had been six months since Discord’s defeat and already things were looking on the up and up. The town, which had seen a huge increase in population, was now a bustling city. It had been renamed Canterlot in honor of the sisters and as of this very moment, dozens of ponies were working their hardest to provide onto the sisters a castle worthy of their greatness.
As for the sisters themselves, they have not fully recovered from their battle with Discord. The color of Luna’s coat had grown several shades darker making her look more black than midnight blue. Her eyes looked haunted, almost distant as if she was constantly lost in thought and whenever she spoke, there was a coolness to her voice that hadn’t existed before. 
Celestia on the other hoof looked the same but her tone practically quivered with rage. She was able to contain this anger when in the presence of civilians but when she was alone with Luna and Patience, her wrath was quite apparent. She would snap at the littlest of inconveniences causing those nearby to cower in surprise.
The greatest change came in the fact that the sisters now bore necklaces around their throats. Patience knew from experience that the jewels contained within these necklaces were none other than the mystical Shards that had given the sisters the power to defeat Discord. Upon Celestia’s neck were the Shards of Loyalty, Generosity, and Magic. Luna’s necklace held the Shards of Kindness, Laughter, and Honesty. The Shards were supposed to affect the personalities of those who bore them but at the moment, they seemed to be malfunctioning for the sisters seemed more miserable than they did joyous.
“Proceed,” Celestia said. She was standing before a tall window that overlooked the construction of her castle. Luna on the other hoof was lying upon a plush couch, her chin resting upon her front legs.
“The repairs to Canterlot are coming along nicely. Though the work is difficult, there are no complaints to be had. The ponies are more than willing to bring forth a city of such extravagance in celebration for thine work.” He tried to share a smile with the sisters, a gesture they did not return. He swallowed. “News from other towns has begun pouring in. Many of which have already returned to normal allowing their citizens to continue on with their usual routines. Any evidence of Discord’s presence has all but vanished.”
Celestia began to grind her teeth together. “Not all of it.”
Patience perked his ears forwards. “Pardon?”
She turned away from the window. “Never you mind,” she growled. “What of these troublemakers that I have been hearing rumors about? Those who dare deny our rightful place upon the throne?”
Patience winced. The troublemakers to whom Celestia referred were none other than a group of ponies who had dedicated themselves to Discord. As crazy as it may seem, there were some ponies who had actually found enjoyment through Discord’s chaos. These ponies had convinced themselves that the sisters had actually orchestrated Discord’s downfall just so that they could put themselves in power. These ponies weren’t very troublesome; they would just spend their time painting images of Discord upon walls or causing their own version of chaos – which basically resulted in pie-fights or the throwing of eggs against doors. They were an annoyance, but nothing to be concerned about.
“Three of the Discordants have been detained by the royal guard but I…”
“Any ye did not tell me this, why?” Celestia whirled around on Patience to stare into his eyes. The Shards upon her necklace glowed as her temper flared.
“I-I did not think it worthy of your attention.” He responded. “The only crime these ponies committed was that of singing of Discord’s antics.”
“That name,” she hissed. “Shan’t be spoken in my presence ever again.” Her nostrils flared as a growl rose deep within her throat. “Doest thou understand?”
He swallowed. “I do.” He ran his tongue over his lips. “B-But as I was saying, I did not find it necessary to inform thee, Princess for it was such a trifle.”
“What shall their punishment be?” she demanded.
“Considering that all they did was sing in the courtyard, maybe a slap on the hooves and curfew enforcement?”
“Banishment!” She shouted eyes ablaze with a barely contained fury. “Thou shall banish the fools to the furthest reaches of the land!” She smashed her hoof against the tile floor causing it to crack on impact. “I shall see to their punishment personally and ye shall make a note that any of His followers captured shall be sent to me immediately. Doest thou understand me?”
Patience felt like a mouse staring up into the eyes of a snake. “A-Aye M’lady.”
“Where are they being held?”
“In the main chambers.” He pointed a hoof towards the double doors leading out of the room. 
“I shall take care of them personally.” She stormed out of the room, her multi-colored mane wafting behind her. Once the doors slammed shut, Patience turned to Princess Luna. “M’lady,” he stammered while approaching her. “Doest thou not find this punishment a bit extreme?”
Luna raised her eyes to meet his. “They shall be lucky to escape with their lives,” she whispered in a monotone voice.
“Whatever do you mean?”
She sighed. “Doest thou know why my sister has taken this war so personally?”
“Nae. I wished to ask but never had the chance.”
“Before we came to this town, we lived further north in such a small village that Discord didn’t deem us worthy of his attention. Life was harsh, yes, but it was still life worth living. It was there were my sister met a stallion and soon they fell in love.”
She lowered her eyes. “Whilst it was difficult for me to see my sister share her attention with another, I was happy she had finally found someone worthy of her love. They were talking of marriage when Discord discovered us. Since we were such a small town, he grew bored rather quickly but before he left, he put upon my sister’s lover a spell that replaced his memories with that of a farm animal. Sister was so devastated and stricken with grief that she vowed to put an end to Discord’s tyranny in order to return her love to his former state.”
Patience’s eyes widened. “So that is why she acted the way she did…”
Princess Luna nodded. “Aye, but her love doesn’t justify just how cruel she had become. Her grief had transformed into anger as she lay witness to Discord’s acts upon the land and the more she saw, the angrier she became. We thought that by defeating Discord, his spell over her lover would break and in that sense, we were right. The moment Discord fell, his magic reversed, freeing every pony from his madness.” She closed her eyes. “We succeeded in freeing her lover from Discord’s curse but the damage had been too great. While his personality was still the same, his memories had been lost. He has no recollection of Celestia or their time together. It is this reason my sister remains so upset for she lost the only stallion she had ever loved to Discord’s chaos.”
Patience felt his heart sank. “I can understand that,” he admitted quietly. “I would feel just as upset if I were to lose the mare I loved to Discord.” He paused for a breath before whispering in a cautious voice, “But even thou have to admit that her anger is out of control.”
Luna shrugged her shoulders. “I will not deny it but I will not stop it. Anything I say will only compound her fury.” She looked towards the very window Celestia had been gazing out of. “Tell me Patience, what do the citizens say of me?”
Patience blinked, taken by surprise by this sudden question. It took him few seconds to gather his thoughts. “They speak highly of Your Majesties.” He said.
She shook her head. “Not of us, but of me, myself.” She looked into his eyes. “What do they say of me?”
Patience frowned. “That is something I cannae answer, Princess for whenever I hear them speak, they refer to both of ye, rarely one over the other.”
Luna nodded. “I see.” She placed her chin back down upon her hooves. “Ye may leave now, Patience. Take the rest of the afternoon off.”
Patience frowned again. “As ye wish, M’lady.”

I hadn’t known it then, but I do now that Luna’s question came not out of curiosity but from loneliness. She had not had a stallion of her own to miss or love and I would discover later on that she was jealous of her sister. She felt herself within her sister’s shadow, never to be loved as an individual but as part of a pair. It would be this jealousy that would bring forth Luna’s downfall but alas, that is of a different tale.
Celestia became increasingly unstable as time went on. Her hatred towards Discord had twisted her perspective on life. She soon deemed any unscheduled celebration, any sign of randomness or chaos, to be in celebration of Discord. This anger soon turned to paranoia as she enforced a very strict curfew on Canterlot. The streets would soon be patrolled by Celestia’s personal guards and they would arrest any pony who failed to live up to her strict rulings. I witnessed with my own eyes the banishment of several families to the frozen tundra of the north. Ponies who had once cheered Celestia’s name now were afraid to speak of her lest the catch her attention. She would have peace and control no matter what the cost…
It was during this time when I realized that one could not live without the other. As chaos needs control, control needs chaos. By forbidding one, you would be denying the other which will only cause turmoil. If only Celestia could realize that…

“I do not know which is worse,” Prism whispered as she and Patience walked through the castle’s empty corridors. “Her temper or His chaos.”
“I wouldn’t speak like that if I were you,” Patience whispered while looking over his shoulders. “Her guards are everywhere.” He bit his lower lip. “Did you hear about the foals that had been caught playing in the woods? Apparently they had been playing as the Princesses and one was playing as Him when the guards fell upon them. Celestia ordered that, for the rest of their lives, they be banned from leaving their homes. She even had guards stationed outside their houses. If they so much step a hoof out the door their parents will be thrown in prison.”
“I cannot believe it has come to this,” Prism frowned. “At least with Him, we knew where we stood. We could etch out an existence if we knew where to hide. With her, there is nowhere we can go. Her eyes are everywhere.”
“Some ponies requested her permission to leave Canterlot. She felt that they were deserters and demanded that their property be seized. They are now living in the streets.” Patience growled in disgust. “And Luna, she is becoming more of a shut in with each passing day. It is as if she no longer cares what happens.”
“Something happened when they went against Him,” Prism suggested. “We know what happened to Celestia, but with Luna, that remains a mystery.”
“Whatever happened, it was enough to suck the joy out of her. It worries me.”	
“As it does me,” Prism agreed. They turned down another corridor and paused. Two royal guards were approaching from up ahead. “Your presence is requested upstairs,” one of them said towards Patience.
“Ah?” he blinked. “Aye, of course.” He shot a look towards Prism. “If you’d excuse me, M’lady.”
She nodded. “I understand.” She stepped between the guards, moving just quickly enough not to draw attention to herself but fast enough to remove herself from their presence as soon as possible. Patience followed the guards to the royal chambers. “For what reason am I being summoned this late in the evening?”
“The Princess wishes for all of Canterlot to lay witness to her greatness.”
Patience frowned at this. “Oh?” he asked but they did not elaborate. The escorted him to the royal chambers where Celestia and Luna stood before the grand double-doors that led out to the balcony. Patience could hear the rustling sound of thousands of ponies that had been pulled out of their houses by the royal guards to assemble before the castle. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia stood upon the balcony, Celestia standing a few feet in front of the younger sister. Luna had a dark expression upon her face as she stared at Celestia.
“Citizens of Canterlot!” Celestia exclaimed so loud that her voice echoed across the land. “We have heard your concerns and we have brought it upon ourselves to heed your voices! We understand that life hath not been as easy as ye have wished it to be but We have not become your rulers just so thou can live in the lap of luxury! Glory must be earned and We shan’t no longer tolerate the whisperings that hath gone on!” Her dark eyes gazed down upon the crowd who were not bustling with nervous energy. “Whisperings of doubt have spread and We know that there are those who doubt Our right as Princesses so I say onto you, look with thine own eyes and bare witness to Our Devine Power!”
Celestia closed her eyes in concentration while pointing her horn towards the horizon. Her lips curled back to expose her teeth as she began to focus all of her magical energy into her horn. The ground beneath Patience’s hooves began to tremble as the air around him became charged with a magical energy. He felt the hair on the back of his neck rise up as a beam of pure energy erupted from Celestia’s horn into the night sky. A sound of aw erupted from the crowd as the sun suddenly broke over the horizon bathing the world in its orange glow. The ponies below began to panic as the sun rose a full three hours before it was supposed too, guided strictly by Celestia’s magic. Their eyes went from the sun back to their Princess and Patience could see, even from up so high, the look of admiration and awe crossed the faces of the ponies below but beneath that admiration there came a third expression…
That of fear…
Celestia eased off her spell, allowing the sun to continue its rise on its own accord. Her face moist with sweat, she glared down at her citizens for a breath before raising her white wings high into the air. There, upon her once blank flank, was the mark of the sun, showing all those below that it was he special talent to control the sun.
“All Hail Celestia!” the crowd shouted. “All Hail Celestia!”
Celestia smirked. “No longer,” she muttered under her breath. “Will they forget their place lest they do so without the warmth of the sun.” She stepped between her sister and Chancellor with a cold, arrogant expression upon her face. Luna’s dark eyes followed her sister and there was nothing but contempt within those dark blue orbs. 
“We shall see about that,” she hissed.

How I wish that I could say that life became easier after this show of power, but alas I cannot. It is with great regret that I share onto thee, my reader; the truth of Princess Celestia for it was shortly after that ceremony that I bear witness to the extent of her cruelty. It became apparent onto me that my dearest friend Prism had vanished. I asked both Princesses to Prism’s whereabouts only to be told that they did not know of what I was speaking. I took it upon myself to explore the castle grounds and in doing so; I discovered a chamber hidden away.
There, deep within the bowels of the castle there be a prison that were reserved strictly for the most heinous of criminals though they were erected to inspire fear for there has not been a pony in existence deemed so horrific. There had not been a day that I gave the dungeon a second thought but with the disappearance of Prism, I could nae ignore them any longer. It was upon discovering these chambers that I realized just how far Celestia had fallen for within those very rooms were the remains of those ponies whom she had banished. Full families, from foals to the elderly, had been imprisoned within these walls, left to starve, left to die. 
It was at this moment I realized that we did not defeat the monster, only substituted one in its place. 
I tell this onto thee, reader, so that ye may understand the true cruelty of our Princess for I fear that by the time of my passing, she shall remain in control. The ponies must know the truth lest a time of darkness fall upon the land…
Celestia must be stopped…
She must be…

The pages of the journal erupted into flame causing Twilight to scream out in surprise. She spun around and felt her heart leap into her throat at the sight before her. There, standing only a few feet away, was Princess Celestia herself. Her face was but a mask of seriousness as she used her magic to destroy Patience’s journal. Twilight stumbled away from the book until her back was against the wall. “P-P-Princess Celestia!” she exclaimed.
“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia’s voice was soft.
“I-I-I, that is to say, I…”
Celestia squinted towards the journal. Her horn took on an unearthly glow as the journal was blown into tiny flaming bits. Twlight Sparkle squealed in surprised, diving low to the ground to cover her head with her front hooves.
“How much do you know,” Celestia asked her voice still soft.
Twilight felt tears well up within her eyes. She did not know how to answer this so she kept her mouth shut.
“That is what I was afraid of.” Celestia sighed. “I have heard from my guards that you have been spending a lot of time down here so I came to investigate. I was curious to see which of these old books you would find so fascinating that you would devote so much of your time in reading them only to find you reading that.” She lowered her head, her mane covering both of her eyes. “I did not need to read that book to know what it contained. I’ve seen Patience writing in it before he left Canterlot and I have always assumed that it was about me though I had my doubts. Seeing your reaction, however, confirms my suspicions.” 
“So it’s true?” Twilight squeaked. “You really did all of those terrible things?”
“I did,” Celestia’s voice grew softer. “But you must understand that I was a different pony back then. I did not mean to cause so much pain but I had been so blinded by my anger that I could not see just how much damage I was causing.” A tear trickled down the side of her cheek as she continued talking. “It wasn’t until I lost my sister, Luna, to the terrors of NightMare Moon that I realized just how far I’ve fallen. I lost everything because of my inability to let go of my anger. I lost those closest to me, Patience, Prism, even Luna. For the next hundred years I had to live with my mistakes, seeing the distrust in my subjects' eyes, knowing that I have done horrible things. It wasn't until later, when a new generation of ponies were born, that I could start anew. I vowed to never become that pony every again and I swore to bring peace and tranquility to all those I serve.” She looked through her mane to peer into Twilight’s eyes. “There is not an evening that goes by that I don’t regret the things I did, and I can never truly ask for forgiveness, but all I can say is that was a long time ago.”
“P-Princess…” Twilight whimpered. She still could not bring herself to relax in front of Celestia’s presence. In a matter of hours everything she knew about her mentor and friend had been ripped asunder, replacing her love and devotion with fear and caution. She felt as if she did not know Celestia, let alone trust her. 
“Twilight,” Celestia shook her mane from her eyes. They were wet with tears. “I know this is something that you cannot forgot let alone forgive, but I promise you, no, I promise every pony in all of Equestria, that I have changed.”
Twlight felt a tiny stab of hope strike her heart. “I…believe you…” she managed to whisper.
“Even as it may,” Celestia wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hoof. “I cannot allow you to leave this chamber with the knowledge that you have uncovered. That book was the last remnants of my former life and I intend to keep it that way.”
“Princess?” Twilight exclaimed. 
Celestia’s horn began to glow. “I promise you,” she sighed. “This won’t take long…”
Before Twilight could cry out, a bright white light enveloped her entire body, sending her into a deep, dark abyss.