//------------------------------// // II.7 - Destiny Denied // Story: II // by adcoon //------------------------------// It was still dark when Dash opened her eyes. She stretched and turned around on the bed as the memories from last night returned slowly. She must have fallen asleep while Twilight and Luna talked. Her eyes fell on the lavender unicorn next to her. Twilight had fallen asleep rather haphazardly on the other side of the bed, her hoof still stuck on the page of a book she had been reading. Dash smiled at the sight of her friend and closed her eyes again. She lay for a few minutes before slowly sliding out of bed. Her head felt a little better than the night before. She stretched her wings and wandered around the bed to the other side. Dash carefully picked up the book and pulled the blanket over Twilight. The unicorn stretched a bit and turned in her sleep, snuggling up under the warm blanket. Dash sighed and glanced at the book— Conditions of the Mind, its title read—before putting it down on the nightstand. She sat down on the edge of the bed next to Twilight and closed her eyes again. “Can't sleep?” Dash jumped at the voice and turned around, her eyes scanning the dark room. It took her several seconds to make out the form of Luna on one of the couches, shrouded in darkness. The princess was reclining on a pair of pillows, watching her with intense eyes that seemed to read her with the same ease she applied to the open book resting on her hooves. “H-How long have you been watching?” “All night,” the princess said and returned her eyes to her book. A barely visible glow of pale blue turned a page silently. “Do not worry yourself. I have not seen anything that should cause shame or worry,” she added. “Since you are awake, I wished to ask if you remember Discord?” Dash let herself relax a little. “Yeah, who could forget? You're not going to tell me he's escaped again or anything, are you?” “No.” Luna looked up briefly before refocusing on the book. “Do you remember the friendship report Twilight wrote to my sister afterwards?” “Um,” Dash began. “Should I? I didn't write it, or read it.” “No, of course, but I was quite hoping you still remember the lesson.” The princess kept reading as she talked. “Friendship is not always easy—I might be paraphrasing a little—but your friends are always worth fighting for, with everything you've got, teeth and hooves. To the bitter, bloody end.” A hardness crossed Luna's face as she spoke. “Don't ever let anything get between you and your friends.” “Princess?” Dash watched her uncertainly. “I mention this because I fear you will need to remember that lesson soon.” Luna sighed and gave her a look of sympathy. “I know the pain of losing your friends.” A thousand years of solitude and pain glittered in Luna's eyes. “It is not one I would wish on my worst enemy.” “I thought you never had any friends. Wasn't that why you went all crazy?” Dash blurted out. Luna's face showed no sign of reaction. “Look outside and tell me what you see.” Dash suddenly wondered if she had just said something incredibly stupid. She got up and walked over to the balcony doors. Through the glass she could see the night sky, the moon, and all the stars. Down below was the village of Gloaming. The lights from the windows and street lights could be seen from up here. She stood for a long time looking, wondering what she was missing. Behind her, Luna flipped another page of her book. “If you look down, what do you see?” “I see the town,” Dash said uncertainly. “Exactly, because there are lights in the windows even now. These are dusk ponies, but have you ever stayed up late to practice, study, or to party with your friends? Have you ever watched a meteor shower, or likened your lover's eyes to the stars? Have you ever worked night shift? How many ponies can you name who have never appreciated my night sky? Did it never seem strange to you that all the ponies a thousand years ago did none of this?” Dash scratched her head. “You got me here, Princess.” “I had many friends and admirers, Rainbow Dash, even lovers.” She gave a slightly hidden smile. “My night was always popular. It inspired the young and the old, poets, artists, thinkers, and common ponies all alike. You will not find a lack of fascination with the night in the ancient literature and artwork. I was loved and admired just like my sister.” Luna sighed. “And I wielded the Elements. I defeated Discord together with my sister and united the pony tribes. I was a hero and a legend.” “Oh yeah,” Dash grinned. “I guess I never thought of that.” “Nopony does. Until my return most ponies didn't even know Celestia once had a sister, or that Nightmare Moon was more than a silly legend to be appeased with candy once a year. Obscurity was my curse, and it was broken the moment the Elements passed on to you.” Luna closed her book. “Did you know that Discord has a sister too?” Dash sat down again. “Whoa, really? I can't imagine what she must be like.” “Very little like him, actually, and they are not exactly friends. I knew her originally as Destiny, although she prefers to be known as Eden Aspect.” Luna turned and nodded at Dash's flank. “She gave the ponies our cutie marks long ago. Whenever a pony gets her cutie mark and finds her special talent, it appears thanks to Eden.” Dash looked at her cutie mark and recalled the story of how she had discovered it, and the stories of her five friends, how it seemed like they were all destined to meet and become best friends. “Although in your case my sister and the Elements had a hoof in it as well,” Luna added. “Do you care for a story? It may be a little long, but there's time before sunrise.” “Sure,” Dash said and lay down, making herself comfortable on the bed as she watched the princess. Luna gazed out at the sky for a moment. *** “You may recall Discord as a draconequus, but this is a mere descriptive name: a 'dragon horse' in the old tongue. Discord was one of the djinn, or spirits, who ruled the land, skies, and heavens long before the ponies banded together in small tribes. Once there were many djinn, big and small ones, each with their special area and responsibility. Discord was one of them, a rebel and saboteur, a trickster always trying to ruin things. We know little of those early times, what Discord did and why he did it, but he was soon restrained by the other djinn and a long period of peace followed. Quite a few fanciful stories have been told about this, but their veracity is dubious.“ “Eventually, however, the djinn began to drift away, perhaps losing interest in this world and finding greener pastures elsewhere. It is also possible that Discord had some influence still and managed to sow a rift between them. Whatever the case, as they left one by one the task of governing the world and keeping chaos—Discord's domain—in check fell upon the shoulders of those who remained. In the end Eden was left alone of all djinn with the whole thing resting on her shoulders, and it quickly became too much for her to handle. Fearing that she would be overwhelmed and Discord let loose again, she decided to delegate the power and responsibilities of the other djinn to the mortal tribes of the world.” “Thus Eden conceived of the 'wishes'. She would grant any creature who she deemed worthy three wishes, no more, and she was not obligated to fulfill any wish she did not want to. They were wishes, not demands. Representatives of many tribes and races came to her, and some were granted their wishes. She granted the pegasi their mastery of the skies, their wings and ability to manipulate the weather, so that she didn't have to. She gave the unicorns their magic and told them the secrets of the heavens, how to raise the sun and moon. Such a task took many unicorns, but it left her paws free. And she gave the earth ponies their affinity for the earth and all things that grow.” “This worked for a time. Eden gave of her powers and responsibilities, distributing the tasks of keeping chaos under control so she could focus on fate and destiny, her own domain. But the ponies and other mortal creatures were not always as diligent in their work, or as guarded against Discord's subtle influences as the djinn. Eden realized her great mistake too late. By working his influence on the minds of these mortal creatures, Discord was able to take control of all the power Eden had handed out and break free at last. With so much power, he was unstoppable.” “Celestia and I were born during Discord's reign to an earth pony family. My sister was born a pegasus and I a unicorn, no more different than most. Nowadays such a thing is a bit of a rarity, although not unheard of. I hear you had one such pair in Ponyville a while back. Back then it was a sigh of relief that it wasn't something much weirder. If you think it was bad last time Discord was on the loose, you should see him after a few centuries, once he really hit his stride and didn't have anyone to hinder him. We might have been born as weasels, or canary crabs … or electrical ferns. I weep for the mares back then.” “Back then you had to stick together, and my sister and I were always very close. We both had a dream that one day it would be over, that the ponies would rise up and defeat Discord, but we didn't know how. I studied hard, all the scattered fragments of lore I could get my hooves on, until finally I spotted a glimmer of hope in the old tales. I found Destiny.” “I knew if we could get but one wish from her, perhaps there would be hope. I told my sister, and together we ventured out to find her, to meet our destiny. I tried to decipher the signs and stories while Celestia sheltered us from the chaos and the cold. It was a long and dangerous journey. We had to make sure Discord didn't learn of our plans, for surely he would crush out hopes in an instant. Our great hope was that we were too small and unimportant to worry about or even notice. It worked, but we were still just two ponies in a hostile world, guided only by old stories, our wits, and probably a lot of dumb luck to tell you the truth. Sometimes that's the kind of bullheaded attitude you need. Once in a great while it actually works. And it did. We found Eden after many weeks of searching.” “Eden had created a small pocket of harmony, a tiny island in the great sea of chaos, investing all her remaining power to keep that tiny refuge free of Discord's influence. It was not much, but it was like a dream to my sister and I who had never known such beauty and order in all our lives. All we had ever truly known was chaos and disharmony. She welcomed us to her home with great kindness, and she treated our wounds and tired minds. I could see the sorrow and fear in her eyes, how she mourned for the world she could not save and feared that even this small sanctuary would eventually crumble against the pressure. She apologized to us that we had come in vain to her.” “I told her all we wanted was a wish each. She told us she would grant us three, as per the custom, if they were within her power to give. Celestia wished for us to have the power to represent all the broken pony tribes, all the different kinds of ponies, to give them something to trust in and unite around. That is how we came to be what we are, the first of the true pony princesses, the alicorns. Her second wish was for the power of day, to raise the sun and bring light and warmth to the world. In the same vein, I asked as my second wish for the power of night, to soothe the tired souls and inspire the minds.” “But my first and original wish was for the Magic of Harmony to be given to the ponies. I knew Eden had this power, that she held on to it with all her might, for it was what she used to hold off Discord. But alone as she was, all on her own, she was too weak to banish him or defeat him. All she could do was postpone the inevitable. One day he would defeat her too and make his reign complete. But I knew … I believed in my heart that if Discord's power over the ponies could only be broken, then he would be weak enough to defeat. His power was usurped from all the ponies, if they all had the collective power to fight him back, like Eden, they could break his hold and break his power. It was the only hope.” “Eden was reluctant to give up her most treasured secret. Finally she agreed, on one condition. She would grant us the Elements of Harmony, and let all the ponies know the true magic of friendship, if I swore to return it all to her once Discord was defeated. I agreed and swore a solemn oath that I would return the Elements the moment Discord was safely contained. As you can tell, I broke my vow.” “Discord's power was broken and he defeated after a long and bitter fight. When Eden asked that I return the Elements, I refused. I expected she would simply take them back, but I stood my ground regardless. I could not give up that which had saved us and that which I felt belonged to all and not just one. I would rather die and break every promise I had ever made than give up such magic.” “At first she pleaded with me. It became apparent to me after a while that she could not touch me or take back what was given, that the Elements protected me and my sister to some degree. She needed us to willingly return them, to forswear their power, and we refused. What I did not in my wildest imagination realize was the depths to which this creature, who had so far been nothing but kind to us, would stoop to get back what she felt was rightfully hers, and what she believed to be too dangerous to have in the hooves of mere ponies.” “Eden could not touch me or my sister, but she could touch everypony else. And so, at last, she cursed me and my night to bitter loneliness, that it be my fate and destiny to be unloved, and that my beautiful night and every effort of mine should go unappreciated until the day my sister and I no longer held the Elements. And likewise it should be Celestia's fate to watch my fall, unable to help or ease my pain. All that I had done for the ponies that I loved, all was forgotten, and so was I. Only my sister knew my pain.” “Still I refused. Still I fought, backed by my loving sister. But how can you fight fate? The Elements gave some protection, but they did not help us much against Eden. As cruel as she can be, she is a creature of harmony and order still. And so I suffered hopelessly until finally the loneliness crushed my spirit.” Luna looked away, shamefully. “In a moment of weakness I succumbed to the bitter hatred and resentment and … I gave in. I swore to shroud the world in eternal darkness in order to force my sister to give up the magic to end my pain, or to kill her if she refused. That is the true story of how I became Nightmare Moon.” “As much as it pained her, Celestia had no other recourse. With the bitter hatred filling my heart the power of the Elements were weakened, but with her last ounce of strength she fought me and finally, after a long and terrible fight, she caught me off guard for a second and drove a spear of light through my unguarded heart.” Dash looked up and blinked. “Wait, what?” For a moment she wondered if she had dozed off, if dream and reality had mingled a bit perhaps. Luna nodded. “I know, that is not how the story goes, is it? It does not sound very nice that sunny Celestia pierced her sister's blackened heart with a spear of light and cried her eyes out—figuratively speaking—as she watched me bleed to death in a scorched and muddy field outside the ruins of this very castle. Nor do you wish to hear about the excruciating pain I endured in those last few seconds as my life drained away. It was a grim and terrible battle, so she embellished the story a little to spare you all the horror. It was only a minor twist of the truth.” Dash was speechless. “Even before meeting Eden and being granted our wishes, I was quite an accomplished sorcerer. Information back then was scattered, but at the same time there was certainly no one keeping the darker lore away from everypony. Stuff was just floating around in total chaos. I was well studied, and even more so after Discord's defeat and our rise to the throne. Not to mention my long and lonely years where all I had were books. So I had devised a spell to transfer my soul to safety in the moon, to be reborn later, should I ever be slain. As death took my body, my spirit was whisked away to safety.” “What I did not expect was for Celestia to interfere with my magic and trap my spirit in the moon. I did not know her capable of such tricks, but she must have studied as well. Celestia knew that with our friendship broken it was only a matter of time before the spell broke, as well as our last strained ties to the Elements. Once that happened, I would be free and Eden would surely win. So for a thousand years Celestia strained to keep the seal and orchestrate the events that you already know of. She saw it as our only hope for the Elements to pass to a new set of bearers who would renew the bond of friendship and carry on the torch.” Luna fell silent and turned to glance out the window. She closed her eyes, and a soft blue glow illuminated the room. Outside the moon began its slow descent, giving way to the rising sun. The princess smiled softly as the moon disappeared below the horizon and the warm light of day filled the room. Dash had been watching Twilight for a time as she listened to the story. The unicorn had been awake for a time now, idly playing with Dash's tail while listening in. Twilight gave the tail a thoughtful stroke with her magic as Luna fell silent. “You think Eden is still out to get the Elements?” “I do not believe Eden will ever give up that hope. What I do not know is if she's got anything to do with recent events.” Luna lowered her head. “I do not know how she could have caused any of this, it should not be possible while the Elements protect you, but the whole thing still reeks of her if you ask me. I do not know … but my gut tells me she's somewhere near, and you ought to know because she will come for you. She's out there somewhere, her thoughts consumed by you and the Elements.” “What will she do?” Twilight said, still twirling Dash's tail in her magic. Dash wondered if Twilight was aware of it, but she didn't mind. It was almost hypnotizing to watch. “I can only offer you speculation. But she will give you a choice. She will try to convince you to give up the magic willingly, because Eden does not want bloodshed or war. She loves us dearly, and all of ponykind. I think all that we went through, all that she felt she had to do, hurt her as much as it did us. She desperately wants to end it peacefully. That is why she never simply killed us, but I also expect she must be getting desperate. Do not think she won't destroy your lives when you refuse her.” Dash noticed the 'when'. It was not an 'if'. She sank a bit at the realization of what the whole thing meant for them. Suddenly wielding the Elements was not all sunshine and saving the day. Twilight had fallen still as well.