Circe opened her eyes, blinking several times to adjust to the blinding light that seemed to envelop her. The air was much warmer than the frigid winds that blew across the moon’s desolate landscape. The ground beneath her was cool, but solid and pristine. Circe froze, her entire body shaking as she looked up and saw the tapestries on the walls of the bright room in which she now found herself. She continued to tremble, frozen in fear as the sound of approaching metal horseshoes echoed across the floor.
“Circe,” a familiar voice said gently. The filly’s ears swiveled in the direction of the voice, and she turned slowly, her eyes widening as she looked up at a beautiful blue alicorn.
“My dearest little Circe,” the alicorn said, placing her hoof on the filly’s shoulder, “it’s only me, it’s your mom. You are safe, and you are so very loved, my darling. Mama missed you so much.” Circe gasped and recoiled backwards.
“You,” she hissed as she fixed her eyes on Celestia. “I’ll kill you, Sun Bitch!” Circe lunged at the solar princess and was immediately subdued by Luna’s magic, which sent her into a comatose state that could easily be reversed. Luna sobbed as she lifted her daughter gently and placed her into her new bed.
“Nightmare Moon completely brainwashed Circe,” a heartbroken Luna confessed later as she and Celestia stood outside of the filly’s bedchamber. “She has been conditioned to hate you… to do anything to kill you.” Her eyes began to fill with tears.
“What can I do to earn her trust?” Celestia asked. “Luna, are you sure it’s safe for her to be here?”
“Where else can she go, Sister?” Luna snapped. “We are the only family she has. I will talk to her as much as I can, but it will be incredibly difficult to undo so many years of brainwashing. I’ll monitor her constantly; she will not be allowed to leave my wing of the castle without me. I will continue to educate her myself, but I would like to send her off to school once she has grown accustomed to Equestria.” Celestia nodded, sighing thoughtfully.
Circe woke with a start, her head snapping in every direction as she tried to remember where she was. Above her, the ceiling boasted a beautiful fresco of Luna and Celestia underneath their respective celestial bodies. Circe’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the sun in the breathtaking work of art; the sun that shone over this planet was so bright, intense and overwhelming, and Circe hated it. The disoriented young mare’s ears flickered, and she nearly fell out of bed. She shook her head and trotted off to find Luna, eager to learn more about her new home.
As Circe descended the spiral staircase, her breath caught in her throat. Celestia stood in the dining room, surrounded by a wide variety of cakes. Circe’s stomach dropped as the sound of her hooves on the ivory marble floor echoed all around her, soaring up to the cathedral-like ceilings and flitting from one side of the room to the other. The solar diarch’s ears swiveled back in Circe’s direction, and she turned to greet her niece with a warm smile.
“Good morning, Circe,” the white alicorn chirped, her eyes wide with surprise and a hint of fear as the sunrise’s crimson light reflected brilliantly off of her gold horn, crown and necklace, the latter two of which were both adorned with a large pink sapphire surrounded by equally large diamonds. “Did you sleep well?” Circe’s muscles tensed involuntarily, and she set her jaw, raising her chin slightly.
“Yes,” the younger princess replied, her tone icy. “I trust you slept equally soundly?” Celestia’s fuchsia eyes swept over Circe with a faint look of wariness that did not go unnoticed by Luna’s daughter.
“I did,” Celestia said after a few seconds that felt like hours. “How are you finding Equestria? Have you started exploring your new home yet? I know your mom is homeschooling you, but as your auntie I would love to take you on a special trip around Canterlot sometime. Would you like that?” Circe hoped that she didn’t sound as bitter as she felt when she heard herself agree to a tour of Equestria’s capital with her aunt. Yes, she hated Celestia, but curiosity was building within her.
“Wonderful,” Celestia squealed. “Why don’t we start with the castle? You’ve stayed in your mom’s wing for so long. I hope you understand that Canterlot Castle is just as much your home as it is mine, so please feel free to explore as much as you like. You are a princess, after all.”
“Thank you,” Circe replied shortly. “I… I think I would rather explore on my own. Thank you for the offer, though.” With that, she trotted down the nearest corridor and entered the first room she saw. The door was locked, but Circe opened it effortlessly with her magic, shooting a hot pink bolt from her horn that instantly unlocked the door and shoved it open. The room smelled of old books, leather, dust, and mahogany. Hundreds of shelves packed with thousands of books filled the expansive space. Circe’s jaw dropped at the sheer size of the massive library, which boasted several large stained glass windows that depicted five alicorns. Celestia’s picture was first, then Luna’s, followed by a pink alicorn with a purple, pale yellow and dark pink mane and tail, then another, smaller pink alicorn, both of whom were depicted levitating a blue heart. The next window was adorned with a picture of a purple alicorn against a hot pink star. As she looked up, Circe caught sight of the largest window in the library, which depicted a scene of Celestia banishing Nightmare Moon. Circe stifled a growl, then walked over to a random shelf and selected the first book she saw. Within it were many detailed accounts of Celestia’s “heroic deeds.” The filly looked through the titles of the other contents of the shelf, none of which seemed to acknowledge any of Luna’s incredible contributions to Equestria. She moved on to the shelves that contained the history textbooks from which every school in Equestria taught; these books, too, only mentioned Luna as the princess of the night who raised the moon and governed the realm of dreams. The detailed accounts of her victories in battle, lengthy descriptions of her charity work, and the reassuring passages that told of her most treasured work guiding ponies to the afterlife had all been completely omitted. Celestia had rewritten the history of Equestria, eliminating anything that portrayed Luna in a positive light.
“Where are the books about my mom?” Circe asked. Celestia shifted her weight uncomfortably between her front hooves with a guilty look on her face.
“After your mother’s banishment,” she sighed, “I was so enraged that I pulled everything that painted Luna as the kind ruler that she used to be from the shelves. I couldn’t afford for anypony to think I was in the wrong for doing what I did. I had no other choice.” Celestia looked down and refused to meet Circe’s eyes.
You cowardly, spineless, narcissistic bitch, Circe thought. Hatred bubbled within her, and she could no longer bring herself to look at her aunt.
“I’m tired. I’m going to rest for a while,” she murmured, trotting back to the wing that she shared with Luna. She had seen enough; the sun bitch had to go.