The Centurion Project

by TheEighthDayofNight


Chapter 49: A Canterlot Wedding; Part 2

Elias groaned as Luna balanced on his shoulders, staring hard at his blue bowtie. She frowned hard at the tie, and her hooves barely moved as she tried to make it perfectly straight. Elias had thought it straight half an hour ago when he put it on, but apparently it was not enough for the blue alicorn, and as soon as she had seen him, she had started fiddling with it.

The ending of the week had gone well in his eyes. It had taken some convincing on his part, but Elias had managed to talk Celestia into officially releasing Snowball back to him. He believed that the alicorn had only put up a fight for appearances sake, but the simple truth was that she was looking for any solution, no matter how radical, to solve the changeling issue. The Royal Guards could only do so much, and with Snowball at their side, sniffing out spies would be a great deal easier. Elias wasn’t the only one who knew how close of a call they had, and the unspoken resentment between himself and Celestia was in the open air. They both acted civil, but after a few conversations with Snowball, Elias had learned that changelings couldn’t create new thoughts or emotions, only exaggerate or downplay existing ones. It meant that Celestia didn’t trust him. Why, he didn’t know, but she considered him an outsider and a threat. It mystified him as to why she continued keeping him on as a general, especially with the further rift caused by his position on the use of the Elements. Though she had taken his advice, she was anything but happy about leaving them behind.

Either way, they played nice, and Elias made sure things flowed smoothly in preparation of his short break. Midnight Chaser was especially grateful that Elias had sniffed out the rat in the Royal Guard, and he had decided that his method of paying Elias back was to make sure training was conducted exactly as Elias would conduct it. The pegasus had even surprised him by personally whipping a legionnaire whose mess-up had put three others into the infirmary. The sight of Chaser using a whip put Elias’ mind at ease, and when the time came to put down his work, Elias had done so with little hesitation. Mostly.

Snowball sat on Elias’ bed, watching Luna mess with his tie. The loveling had been welcomed back to the legion with mixed results. Some hated him simply for being a spy, but more than a few ponies gave him a second chance, quickly realizing that the pony he had been disguised as wasn’t altogether gone. Snowball acted the same, resolving problems, smiling and laughing often. Though there was a small initial wave of suspicion, the white bug-pony quickly found himself surrounded by friends once more, and he couldn’t have been happier when he was with the legion.

Elias’… other task, had made Snowball quite happy as well. Before he had been discovered, Snowball had to steal scraps of love from those around him for food, but Elias had given him an easy food solution. When Snowball visited, he was always welcome, especially after the events of his first visit, and when one of them couldn’t sleep, usually Elias, they would sit up and socialize like normal ponies did. It was a breath of fresh air, and though Elias had allowed the loveling the closeness because they weren’t friends, Elias found himself silently appreciating the bug-pony more and more.

The human glanced at the loveling.

“Did you have anything else to report?”

Snowball shook his head.

“No General. General Shattered Shield is completely unaware of my infiltration, and I believe he is my best shot at staying hidden in the Solar Guard. I start my official work as his assistant tomorrow.”

Elias nodded, and slipped his watch from his belt. He waved his free hand as he clicked it open.

“Dismissed then,” Elias said. “I expect a full report by Monday.” He glanced at Luna. “As for you, we’re going to be late at this rate,” he noted.

As Snowball slipped out of the bedroom, Luna stuck her tongue out in an adorable manner and continued fiddling with his bowtie.

“Give me just a moment Elias, I can get this right. It is only a degree off angle…”

Elias rolled his eyes and waited silently as Luna poked at the tie. Things had gone better than okay with Luna in the past few days. Though they hadn’t officially scheduled anything, Elias felt like he saw her everywhere. After the early morning run, she greeted him with a frigid canteen of water and an invitation to lunch. Elias had happily accepted, and though it was a short meal, Elias couldn’t help but smile walking away from it. She had pulled the same trick when they got back from the afternoon march, and again, Elias had accepted. The blue alicorn was simply intoxicating to be around, and Elias found that he couldn’t tell her no. She always asked, that was what got him. She met him with a smile, allowed him to drink his fill, then posed the question. He knew she would be disappointed if he said no, but he also knew that she would accept such an answer with no stipulations. He always said yes anyway. He had to be near her, had to hear her beautiful laughs and snorts when he made a bad joke.

He was so glad he had agreed to go with her to the wedding, or rather he would be, if she would quit messing with his tie. Elias’ eyes flicked down to meet Luna’s.

“Princess, respectively, leave the tie alone. It’s fine. I’m not the focus of today, and as a note, you aren’t even dressed yet.

Luna snorted and waved a hoof.

“Oh please, it takes me moments to dress. I have an entire staff specifically for it, in fact.” She clicked her tongue at him. “You on the other hoof, need all the help you can get. Now let me just get it straight…”

Elias grabbed her hooves and looked her square in the eye.

“Princess, you need to let it go. My tie is as good as it is going to get.”

She sighed and shook her head.

“I disagree, but I do need to get ready eventually. Come, I shall dress on the way to the carriage.”

She led the way out of her room, humming as they walked through the halls. With each corridor they passed, another pony would simply appear, and Luna would turn to them, letting them apply a spot of makeup, or apply a pin to her starry mane. By the time they got to the castle gates, a small herd had formed behind them. Luna turned and smiled at them.

“Thank you all,” she said loudly, raising her hoof into the air, “you have made your princess look quite beautiful, and I truly appreciate the work you’ve done this night. Rest, take the weekend as a token of my thanks. I insist.”

They let out a reserved cheer, then departed, chattering lightly amongst themselves. Luna smiled at Elias as they climbed into a large, ornate carriage with a pair of disguised Royal Guards strapped to the front. Luna sat opposite of Elias, and as soon as her rump hit the seat, she began rifling through her saddlebags. Her dress quickly emerged, and she threw it at Elias, who managed to catch it and keep it on its hanger. Luna scowled as she continued digging through her bags.

“Where is it?” she grumbled. “I left it in here, but where could it have gone…”

She stuck her head into one of the saddlebags, disappearing up to the neck. Elias mused over the fact that such casual magic had no effect on him anymore. Not a year before he had been living in a world of sane, human annihilation. Now he lived in a mostly peaceful pony world, with magic everywhere, and he was in love with a princess. A princess who, he was hoped loved him back.

Elias distracted himself from the dark thought of rejection by chuckling at Luna as her saddlebags slipped over her shoulders.

“Need a hand Princess?”

He heard a muffled huff, then her head shot out of the bag and she grinned at him.

“Got it!” she exclaimed after spitting a silver ring out of her mouth.

She wiped it off on the seat, then slid it over her hoof. Elias watched as the large, blue alicorn before him turned into a normal sized pegasus. Luna flapped her wings and wiggled in her seat, then spun in a circle, and sat back down before Elias. She smiled up at him.

“Well Elias, how do I look?”

Elias blinked at her stupidly, and when her face began to turn at his silence, he blurted the first thing that came to his mind.

“Smaller.”

It didn’t help. Luna frowned at him.

“Really?” she asked. “That’s it? Smaller?”

Elias blushed and looked away.

“Sorry, I just… you look different.”

“Different how?” she growled softly.

Elias took a deep breath and looked at her. He scanned her body from top to bottom, starting with her mane. It was no longer a flowing starscape, but rather a simple blue that just barely made it to her neckline. Her brilliant green eyes were almost exactly the same, and had small silver dots surrounding them, making them truly pop. Elias had to mentally force himself to move on from her stunning eyes. There was more than a little risk that if he started staring, he’d never stop. Moving downward, Luna’s muzzle was curled in a frown, but on a closer inspection, it was much more of an adorable pout. Her blue lips seemed incredibly soft, holding only the slightest tint of lipstick. It was enough to make them standout, but not enough to seem garish.

Elias continued down, quickly finding Luna’s chest fluff. Though she was smaller, her fluff looked like it was the same size, and Elias almost reached out to pet it. Even he knew that that would have been a mistake, so he pressed on. Like he had noticed, she was much smaller, and her body had a different build to it. As an alicorn her legs were a bit longer, ending in thicker torso, particularly around her hips and chest. As a pegasus however, Luna was better rounded out, and her fluff seemed to poke out more. The alicorn was stunningly beautiful, while the pegasus was much more cute, and adorable, while still retaining her prettiness.

Elias realized quickly that he was staring, and he looked away and coughed as another blush consumed his face.

“You look… nice.” Elias said weakly.

Luna huffed and crossed her hooves. Her increased pout made her look even more huggable, and her mane falling in her face didn’t help.

“That was not the answer I was hoping for Elias,” she snapped.

Elias shrugged and smiled at her.

“I don’t know what to say Princess. You’re beautiful as an alicorn, but, not as an insult, being a pegasus makes you adorable. If we were in this situation six months ago, we would never have made it to the wedding. I’d be too busy hugging all of that cute little pony fluff.”

Luna blushed and pouted harder.

“I’m not cute,” she grumbled.

He couldn’t tell if he had genuinely insulted her or not. Leaning forward, he stroked her between the ears, and her pout vanished. She purred and leaned into his hand, causing Elias to smile.

“Sorry Princess, but you are very cute. Maybe once you’re dressed that’ll change, but right now? Cute as a button.”

Luna snorted, but she smiled at him.

“Fine Elias, I will grant you that, but only if you refer to me by disguise name from now on.”

She reached into her saddlebags and withdrew a piece of paper.

“Which tonight is… Night Sky!”

Elias chuckled.

“Had to go with the night theme huh?”

Luna swung at him, but with her shorter hooves, he was able to dodge her easily. The pegasus huffed and pouted as Elias grinned at her. She turned her nose up.

“Perhaps I did, but it is my expertise!”

She passed the paper she was reading off of to Elias as he passed her the dress.

“I am Night Sky,” she said again. “I am an astrologist who is working out of the Canterlot observatory for the year. We met in the castle gardens one evening, and you decided to ask me to be your date to the wedding.”

Elias frowned at her persona sheet, then looked to Luna as she began fiddling with her dress’s zipper.

“I hate to criticize what I can imagine wasn’t easy cover story to think up, but don’t you mean an astronomer?”

Luna stopped with her teeth around the zipper and gave him a quizzical look.

“Nay,” she said as she pulled it slowly down. “Astrologist. Studier of the stars.”

Elias shook his head.

“Not quite Princess,”

“Night Sky,” she cut in.

“Night Sky,” Elias corrected. “But either way, astronomy is the study of the stars and other planetary bodies. Astrology is a human thing about non-existent messages in the stars. Equestria has no such concept because your stars are a bit more fluid and changing. I know, I checked.”

Night Sky cocked her head.

“And why were you studying up on the stars Elias? I didn’t think it within your range of interests.”

Elias coughed and glanced away, scratching at his nose.

‘Because I wanted to be able to carry a conversation on one of your key interests with you,’ he thought.

“Curiosity,” he replied. “You always need to shake up the subject of research, otherwise you aren’t really thinking. Only studying one topic makes your mind go stale.”

Night Sky seemed to see right through his lie, and she blushed faintly as she went back to unzipping her dress.

“Well… my thanks then Elias. I would have confused many ponies with that mistake. An astronomer I shall be.”

Night Sky flipped her mane so that it fell over her face and grinned at him, making Elias blush harder. The pegasus noticed, and she giggled.

“No need for feeling abashed Elias, you have helped me into a dress before. Come now, chop chop, we will be there any moment, and I’d rather be dressed.”

Elias sighed and reached over, easily unzipping the dress with his fingers. Night Sky turned around, and with Elias’ help, she easily slid into her dress. She held her mane away from her neck, allowing Elias to zip it up without issue. Night Sky gave him a wink as she spun around and sat back in her seat. She withdrew a pair of bows from her saddlebags, and began tying one to her tail with her hooves.

“So Elias, tell me honestly, are you looking forward to tonight, or are you doing this because you know it will make everypony happy?”

Elias shrugged.

“A bit of both. The more I deal with the other generals, the more I find that still needs done. I need every minute to be productive if we hope to survive the march intact. I don’t mean this as an insult, but ponies are just in general soft.”

Night Sky raised an eyebrow, but didn’t meet his eyes as she tied off the silver bow on her tail.

“I’d like some clarification for that statement, because if I do recall, you’ve been nearly killed by ponies on several occasions.”

Elias shrugged again.

“And? I’m not talking about individuals; every species has their standout members after all. Ponies as a whole are just soft. Underprepared. I would think that you and your sister would understand how dangerous war is, but no offense, you seem a bit too calm about the march to Saddle Arabia. It unnerves me.”

Night Sky frowned and looked up from her bow.

“What would make you believe that we were taking this seriously?” she asked.

Elias flinched at her flat tone, and opened his mouth to offer an apology, but Night Sky raised a hoof.

“I am not angry, or even offended, I merely wish for you to tell me honestly what you believe we should be doing. I do not like seeing you stressed, and if a moment of complete seriousness and discussion is what we need to alleviate your fears, then so be it. We still have a minute or two until we arrive at the wedding parlor.”

Elias slouched in his seat.

“I don’t know what else we should be doing,” he said with a sigh. “Maybe it’s the other generals, maybe I just don’t trust traditional Equestrian guard training. I don’t know. I just have this nasty feeling that something is going to go wrong.”

He snorted and stared at the floor. Night Sky reached out and rubbed his knee gently.

“Speak what is on your mind,” she said softly.

Elias continued staring for a moment, trying to find answers in the darkness of the floorboards, but they gave him nothing. Instead he looked up and met Night Sky’s beautiful green eyes. The illusion did nothing to change them, nor to diminish the shine Elias always saw in them. Those perfect eyes forced him to speak, and so he did.

“I’m scared,” Elias said softly. “I’m scared that I have risked far too much, and I am scared that I am making mistakes. I don’t know what’s right and wrong, and I think this is the first time in my life that that has ever been the case. I’m used to everything being clear, easy to judge and make hard calls, but now? I’m afraid that I’ve just gotten lucky until now, and with everything I’ve built back, I’m just gearing up to lose it all again.”

Night Sky sighed and slipped from her seat. Elias scooted over as she hopped onto his side and leaned against him.

“I’m afraid simple words cannot remedy such worries Elias,” she said quietly. “What I can offer is tonight. It may be a tall order, but do not think of yourself as a general today. Just enjoy yourself, flow through the wedding like you would have before all of our preparations. Relax tonight, then tomorrow, we shall sit down with General Chaser and General Nightshade and truly discuss what still needs to be done.”

She lightly nuzzled his shoulder.

“With your Adiutor at your side once more, we shall make a thorough, in-depth plan to make sure things go on without a hitch. Plans within plans Elias. Together we can ensure absolute preparedness, and hopefully ease some of your fears.”

She met his eyes and smiled.

“And if it makes you feel any better, I trust your judgement. You have done much to ensure the success of our march, and you have done so without fear.”

She chuckled and rested her head on his shoulder. Elias resisted the urge to stroke her much shorter mane.

“Not many ponies would argue with two princesses at the same time, and while my sister was not happy, your words convinced her to your point. If you can convince an alicorn that has ruled for a millennium to change her mind, then you are truly right of cause. I believe in you Elias, and I thank you for sparing her the pain you suffer.”

“Being a witness to pain can be almost as bad as experiencing it,” Elias replied. “I’m just trying to shelter all of you as much as possible. I don’t understand why everything is a battle though. I have the experiences; I’ve seen what war is. Why can’t your sister trust me?”

Night Sky sighed and nuzzled his neck.

“It is her own fear of failure. We all fear something Elias, and she has gotten quite used to getting her way, largely because she is level-headed and of sound judgement. It is as odd for her to be questioned as it is for you to be confused. Neither of you like it, and both fight hard to prevent it from happening. Perhaps when we are done with this march business you two will connect further. You are more similar than I think you realize.”

Elias snorted in mock disgust.

“Don’t say that. I’d look terrible with a gold crown. Too gaudy.”

Night Sky slapped his chest.

“Hush you, that was a gift from the original pony tribes. Princess Platinum herself helped to craft it.”

“Lovely,” Elias replied with a small grin. “That makes it almost as ancient as you.”

Night Sky let mock outrage filter across her face, and her hips wiggled aggressively just before she pounced at him. Elias let her grab hold, and she smacked the back of his head. The pegasus shot him a glare as she nuzzled his chest.

“I’m not old,” she said. “I am merely long-lived.”

Elias smiled and gave in to his instincts, running his hands through her mane. He worked his way up, ending at her ears, which he scratched softly. Night Sky sighed happily and closed her eyes.

“So nice,” she groaned.

Elias snorted and continued scratching as the carriage began to slow to a halt. He made no effort to alert Night Sky to the fact that they had arrived at their destination, and only when the guards opened the carriage doors did she seem to realize that they were no longer in motion. She blinked at the pair of ponies as Elias continued scratching her ears. She blushed hard and sat up, wiggling free of Elias’ hands so that she could exit the carriage. The guards exchanged a glance, and Elias caught a small glare from each as Night Sky stepped free of the carriage. Elias quickly followed, only to be stopped short of leaving. The guards continued glaring at him silently for a moment, until Night Sky cleared her throat, drawing their attention with a brilliant smile.

“While I appreciate the gesture, the last person I need protecting from is my date. Please let Elias join me so that we can enjoy our night.”

The guards exchanged another glance, then shot a third glare at Elias before relenting. They stood back, allowing him to exit the carriage. Night Sky’s smile widened, and she quickly pinned herself to his side.

“Thank you gentlecolts, we shall see you in a few hours.”

They both gave her quick bows, then went back to glaring at Elias as he and Night Sky walked toward the parlor entrance. The human cast an eye back, a small frown on his face as he watched the guards strap themselves back in to drag the carriage away.

“What was that about?” he asked.

Night Sky smiled up at him.

“Black Skies and Shadow Mark are just a bit protective, and more and more ponies are seeing our friendship as something more. With our date tonight, they have become a bit fatherly.”

She giggled and looked toward the parlor entrance, where Book Binder’s parents were greeting ponies. Both spotted him and gave small waves, then went immediately back to their greeting duties. No doubt they would have something more in-depth when it was his turn to be greeted.

“Why would they be “fatherly”, as you said it?” Elias asked as they got in line.

“When I got back, I was much smaller,” Night Sky said. “You’ll see in the coming months, but I truly put the word ‘little’ in little sister. I was cuter than anypony in Equestria before the Keepers restored my full alicorn magic, and those two were my first pair of recruited guards. Though I am hundreds of years their elder, they appeared much older than I was, so they became almost like uncles.”

Her eye drifted toward the dark sky as she smiled in memory.

“And in truth, I quite appreciated it, and even encouraged the behavior. I have been without parental figures for well over two millennia, and after a tour of loneliness on the moon, I welcomed the affection. It certainly did not help that neither wished to marry, and so all their love and affection was given to me.”

Night Sky’s smile diminished slightly, and she looked down.

“That relationship is largely ended though. When I returned with ‘Tia from the Keepers, I was how you know me, taller, more visibly powerful. I attempted to keep them close, but our time together as a pseudo family was done. We became more friends than a niece and her uncles, and while I am glad for their continued friendship, I feel like something special was lost.”

With a deep breath she straightened and smiled again at Elias.

“But it would seem that old habits die hard, and now their precious niece is going on a date with a notorious bad boy. I am surprised that they were as mild as they were.”

Elias snorted.

“And should I expect further issues from your “uncles”?”

Night Sky shook her head.

“No, I shall make sure they know their limits. While I appreciate the rekindling of that kind of relationship, I shall not have it at the cost of our friendship. You are far too special to me for that kind of sacrifice, and I will not have you driven away because of over-protective ponies.”

Elias frowned.

“Don’t drive them away on my account,” he said quietly. “I’m definitely not worth sacrificing long-time friends over.”

He waited in silence for a moment, and they moved up in the line. It was only after he felt something burning into the side of his head that he looked down to find Night Sky’s glaring eyes attempting to melt his skull.

“What?”

“What?” she hissed. “Elias Bright, I swear you act intentionally dense sometimes. I just told you that I consider our relationship special, and you immediately turned and said that I shouldn’t sacrifice other relationships for it? I care about you Elias! A great deal! I’d rather you didn’t belittle us.”

Elias blinked at her with mild surprise, and raised his hands in defense.

“Luna, re-“

“It’s Night Sky,” she growled.

Elias nodded in agreement.

“Fine, Night Sky, just relax. I’m not belittling our relationship; I’m just suggesting you don’t ruin your other ones for my sake. I think you forget that I can take care of myself, and a bit of bullying won’t shake me from doing what I want, which is currently to have a nice night, with you.

Night Sky blushed and looked away, her anger disappearing. She shuffled the ground with a hoof as she smiled faintly, hiding behind her mane.

“Well,” she said slowly, “if you don’t believe I should worry, then I suppose I won’t.”

Her green eyes poked out of her mane, still holding a hint of anger.

“But please do not belittle yourself. I value you, not just because you are being a general for me, but because you are you. I care about you Elias. I hope that you can see that.”

‘How much do you care, I wonder?’ Elias thought.

He let them fall into a silence however, and they remained in line, waiting patiently as it inched forward. It took a few minutes for the pair to reach the front, and when they did, Velvet Breeze smiled widely and wiggled her hips. Elias quickly found himself with his arms outstretched and his feet planted as the unicorn leaped at him, wrapping his chest in a firm hug. Though it was forceful, the mare didn’t weigh enough to bowel him over, and Elias managed to stay on his feet as she wriggled and nuzzled. Ice Shard snorted, smiling as Breeze pulled back in disappointment.

“Pooh,” she said, looking Elias up and down, “I was hoping to tackle you again. That’s the traditional greeting for family.”

“For family?” Elias echoed.

Breeze’s smile widened and she winked.

“I won’t say anything, but Book Binder has been very happy about the end of this year. I hope you like snuggling mister.”

“I’ll have you know that Elias is quite the snuggler,” Night Sky said, moving forward to shake Ice Shard’s hoof. “Night Sky, I am Elias’ date.”

The stallion met her hoof and gave her a hearty shake as she introduced herself.

“Pleased to meet you Ms. Sky” Ice Shard said with a smile, “Have you two known each other long?”

Night Sky smiled back at Elias, who was still holding up Velvet Breeze.

“A few months,” she lied smoothly. “We actually met a little after he became a general. He was relaxing in the castle gardens while I was setting up my telescopes for a star pattern observation study I’m working on with Princess Luna.”

Velvet let out a small gasp and looked back up to Elias.

“She works with the Princess too? You have quite a talent for catching special mares Mr. Bright.”

She snorted and wiggled in his arms.

“Speaking of, could you please set me down? I’m going to fall asleep if I snuggle with you any longer.”

Elias crouched and set Velvet down on all fours. The unicorn gave him a peck on the cheek, then a wink as he stood tall again.

“We’ll make sure to meet your lovely date more at the reception Elias, but why don’t you two go get seated? We should be starting in a few minutes.”

Night Sky saddled up to Elias’ side, and using one of her wings, she guided him into the wedding hall. Elias gave one last wave to Velvet and Ice Shard, and both returned his wave with broad smiles before turning around to continue greeting guests. Elias quickly began a mental run through of the entire encounter, looking for any place he might have slipped up and alienated anyone, but in truth, Elias could only feel two things: warmth of familial love, and absolute dread of the same. The warmth helped him largely suppress any dark thoughts however, and Elias went a step further to bury his emotions by studying the architecture of the wedding hall.

With Night Sky leading him along, Elias used the opportunity to focus his mental energy on looking around rather than walking. He had been inside of many religious structures before; mosques, hundreds of churches, big and small, but his personal favorite had been the rare, but stalwart cathedrals. Their polished stone had been battered by nuclear war, but those that hadn’t collapsed completely were still a sight to behold, and a few had even had intact stained glass. Elias loved the ornate nature of each room, and the main cathedral hall was always beautiful and complex.

By comparison, the Equestrian wedding hall seemed almost… simple. It had many similarities to a church. Its ceiling was tall, and the hall was split into two sections of crimson cushioned pews, divided by a single aisle down the center. The red carpeted walkway lead to a small stage, decorated with candles and a piano sitting to one side. The altar had an arbor over it, decorating it in a simple white. What drew Elias’ attention however was the massive stained-glass window above the stage. It was easily as tall as he was, if not taller, and it depicted an image of Celestia elegantly raising the sun, her eyes closed. It was a sight to behold, yet Elias couldn’t help but frown as a question popped into his mind.

He waited silently while Night Sky shuffled them into a pair of seats in the rear-most pew. They sat on the end next to the center aisle, and Elias watched as Night Sky shuffled in her seat, making sure that her saddlebags were situated properly out of sight. Once she had finished, Elias leaned over, speaking quietly in her ear as he motioned toward the glowing window.

“Is there a religion surrounding you and your sister?” he asked. “I was under the impression that the Keepers of Harmony were the only gods of your world.”

Night Sky smiled faintly as she looked to the window.

“That is a complex question. In a formal sense, I say no. We have no churches, or great ceremonies in our name, no sacrifices or any such foolery.”

She tilted her head.

“But I cannot say we have never had worshippers, or that there are some ponies who follow us out of anything other than absolute devotion. You would be surprised the lengths ponies would go to accrue favor.”

Elias held back a smile as Night Sky leaned against him, still looking up. On an unknown instinct, Elias wrapped his arm around her barrel, using his fingers to scratch lightly at the exposed chest fluff poking out of the neck of her dress. He noticed her lips spread in a slight smile, and though she didn’t nuzzle him, he could very much tell that she wanted to.

“I’d love to hear the history of it,” he said, continuing to let his fingers drift across her fluff. “You know how I enjoy history.”

Night Sky snorted.

“I didn’t know I had such a big history nerd as my best friend. Still, if it is tales of ancient ages, I suppose I can tell while we wait for the ceremony to begin.”

She let out a long exhale.

“Where to begin? I suppose when it started is too on-the-nose, so I shall start just before my banishment. ‘Tia and I had risen to power over the three pony tribes for a little over four centuries by that point, and we were well received. We drove away the wendigos, helped the tribes to work together as a single society, and sent out a stern message about Equestria’s borders. Raids were becoming less frequent, and while my sister sought administrative improvement, I worked more with the realms of the arcane, using a team of my best mages to craft new runes to spread across the lands, hoping to better ponies lives.”

She sighed dreamily.

“Ah, those were the days. A cadre of ponies locked in a tower for endless nights, writing and studying and talking, but most often not. We did a lot of thinking in those days, created many new spells, some sillier than others, but all of them useful in some form. We even inspired new kinds of magic, and expanded magical theory so that ponies like Starswirl the Bearded could get his start. Did you know that we, the supposed rulers of Equestria, didn’t know there were more than two types of magic?”

Elias gave her a deadpan look.

“I have no frame of reference for any kind of magic; I’m a human, remember? I was under the impression it was all the same.”

Night Sky scowled at him in return.

“No need for the snark mister. Simply put, we have discovered that while there is one basic type of magic from which all magic originates, there are many other forms. We have found and catalogued five; discord, dark magic, shadow magic, friendship, and the ambient magics.”

“What does this have to do with your history with religion?” Elias asked. “I apologize if it seems rude, but I don’t think I’ll be able to understand magic theory in a single go at a wedding.”

Night Sky smiled at him.

“I think you could if you put your mind to it Elias, you are an intelligent individual.” She tilted her head. “Still, I shall not force the point. Essentially, it was a time of great advances in Equestrian society, and the beginning of the divide between my sister and I. While she sought the love of the general populace through events and massive construction projects, I saw fit to benefit Equestria by silently improving it. We created a rune that made rogue clouds easier to destroy, and another that created new waterways throughout our nation, making it easier for ponies to establish new towns and cities.”

Night Sky frowned.

“Unfortunately, this meant that I was out of the public eye for great swathes of time, and while those working with me appreciated my efforts, few others even knew they were occurring. So called “explorers” began discovering new rivers of my creation, then stole the credit for them and approached my sister for settling grants.”

Elias switched his rubbing of her chest fluff to rubbing her back. Her voice had gotten sharper, and lower, and it worried him that she would get angry during what was supposed to be a happy time.

“Hey,” he said at a whisper, “if you don’t want to talk about this, don’t. I was just curious is all.”

Night Sky shook her head slowly and let out a deep exhale.

“I am fine Elias; it just still agitates me to some extent.” She took another deep breath and sat up, then smiled at him. “I have long since matured past the petty jealousy that created Nightmare Moon, and talking through this is just proof of it.”

With another breath, she pressed on.

“Regardless, I was not the only pony who recognized that my credit was not being paid, and it is there that I began to gather a bit of the zealous following that formed the backbone of my Nightmare army, and that still function as a hidden society to this day.”

“Most were simply devoted to me, and supported me by attempting to shower me with gifts and praise,” she continued, “but others took their devotion to the next level. They stopped functioning at all during the daytime, and many political leaders began to denounce the diarchy. They had a name for their group, but it escapes me at the moment. Something to do with night I am sure.”

She frowned lightly in thought.

“I am fairly sure portions of the group are still functioning, hidden away of course, but I have not made contact with them in some time. Perhaps I should change that.”

Elias looked forward.

“Aren’t there any books on this supposed secret society? Why haven’t I heard of this until now?”

Night Sky chuckled.

“There is much that is unavailable to the public. We princesses have a restricted section for a reason after all, but in truth, they did not exist as an organized part of Equestrian society long enough to validate writing anything down. My transformation stole the stage I’m afraid.”

Her eyes became hazy with what Elias could only assume were dark thoughts, then she shook her head and her eyes drifted back into focus, looking out over the crowd of ponies as they filtered into the wedding hall. From what Elias could tell, they would be starting soon. Bridesmares were beginning to filter on the stage. Elias recognized none of them, and in truth, he doubted he ever would. Book Binder would try to introduce him to her friends, and he would alienate himself from them. He had gotten lucky with Night Flash, and only his influence had drawn Book Binder. He doubted he would make friends with ponies from outside the castle.

“There is nothing that I am unaware of that contributes to my story,” Night Sky said, “but, before Nightmare Moon, a cult began to form as a desperate effort to give me the acclaim I so desperately sought. They worshipped the very ground I walked, and since they worshipped me as a goddess, my sister had to be, by relation of blood, a goddess as well. Her own cult came about soon after, though it never truly gained traction. ‘Tia was very good at making sure to stay grounded at the time, and so her ponies never found cause to give her extra worship.”

Night Sky tilted her head as a door beside the altar opened and a group of stallions walked onto the stage. Elias quickly spotted Shooting Star, followed quickly by a nervous looking Night Flash. The stallion’s eyes quickly flicked out over the crowd, clearly searching for someone. Elias raised his hand, giving the pegasus a small wave. Night Flash’s eyes lit up, and his nerves seemed to disappear. His tail began wagging back and forth at a desperate pace as he and his groomsmen ascended to their positions.

“My religion,” Night Sky said, “continued up and until I transformed into Nightmare Moon. They took it as evidence of my divine right for the throne, and so threw their lots in with me, helping me to build my forces. When I was banished, some were arrested, others fled. The cult itself was destroyed, and with that, organized religion supporting my sister and I was finished. All of this,” she said motioning around the wedding hall, “merely honors us as the noble officiants for all weddings. The “lower classes” have elected their officiators in order to ensure that everyone that wants can be wed, but my sister and I still conduct the ceremonies for all nobles, and any friends we wish to.”

She nodded toward Celestia as she entered from the side door.

“It was a stroke of luck that Book Binder’s family carries some minor noble blood. If they hadn’t, I would have been officiating this evening.”

Elias snorted as music from a piano started playing, and everyone rose.

“What a shame. It would have been an evening of me doing my job. Such a tragedy.”

Night Sky slapped his leg.

“Hush you. Even if you are suffering, which I don’t believe you are, this is for the benefit of Night Flash and Book Binder. You saw how that stallion’s eyes lit up when he saw you, and I can only imagine that Book Binder will be the same.”

Elias reached behind his back and scratched her ears.

“Alright, alright, no need to get after me. I was kidding, and besides, how could I suffer with such a cute date?”

He could practically feel the heat of her blush, but Elias dropped his arm and fell silent as the doors opened to reveal Book Binder in a brilliant white dress. Her eyes shined as they momentarily locked with Elias’, and she had to take a moment to wipe away her tears before the wedding ceremony could truly begin and her dad escorted down the aisle.