Rapid Quill was thankful for Twilight’s assistance in calming down Rainbow Dash and Applejack. He didn’t expect them to be so upset for the cliffhanger. When all of the ponies had left the party, upset that they had to wait but excited with the way the story was going, he had walked home. He too was very excited with the story and the way they were receiving it. He couldn’t wait to write the next chapter. As soon as he was home, he set about writing the next part of his tale by himself:
The parties had begun to wrap up across Equestria as the time for the sunrise had come. Everywhere ponies stood together, with friends, family, and their special somepony and waited for the day to come. They stood there, confusion slowly starting to settle in as night continued on. Worry began to spread across the land as everypony was wondering where the sunrise was and whether something was wrong with the Princess.
In every town, day guards and night guards were gathering, keeping the worried civilians calm. Whatever the problem, there was a strong defensive presence to ensure their safety. But the same scene seemed to play out in each town: the struggle between the day and night guards over who was in charge. Though the time of day would suggest that the day guards were in charge, the fact that it was still night gave the night guards all that they required to fight back. In some towns, this scene played out as calm discussion and delegation; in other towns the scene was more physical, ponies pushing and fighting others.
In the Castle gardens, many ponies quaked in fear. They knew exactly why the sky was still dark as night, Nightmare Moon. Nopony seemed to know who this strong, dangerous pony was, but they knew that she meant trouble. As Shining Light continued to shout at her about the intrusion, Princess Celestia finally gained her breath, her strength returning from the failed spell.
“Luna, what happened to you?” she said, barely audible to those close to her. Shining Light shot her a baffled look, staring in disbelief at the suggestion that this evil mare was Princess Luna. He wondered whether the spell had done more than just tire his Princess.
Beaming Justice felt a pain deep in his heart. He had guessed that this was his beloved, but hearing confirmation from Princess Celestia was too much. He had seen the evil in this mare’s eyes before, only a few times, in those of Princess Luna. He saw this mare in front of him, feeling nothing but fear. This was not his love; this was the nightmare he had struggled against weeks ago in his sleep.
“Know that the night shall last forever,” Nightmare Moon said, chuckling at the despair on the pony’s faces. “Your sun shall never rise again!”
With that, she flew off, speeding away from the panic in the garden. Beaming Justice, seeing that the party guests were scared and packed tightly together, began to see the situation. This was his training, his ability: to see the situation and the solution and get from A to B. Instantly he called over some of his night guards, ordering them to calmly lead the guests out of the garden.
“YOU!” Shining Light shouted, snapped out of his own trance by the sound of Justice’s voice. He rushed over, throwing the pegasus to the ground. “What are you doing? What have you done? Where is she going?!?”
Justice shoved at Shining Light, trying to move the emotional pony off of him. Instead, Shining Light just jumped back, pinning him again. Seeing that more force would be needed, Justice swung hard and planted a firm shot across the other pony’s face. Standing up, he noticed Shining Light, bleeding profusely out of his nose, catching his breath and running towards Justice. Justice took to the sky, flying out of the reach of the enraged warrior.
Grabbing a spear, the one to be used in the ceremony to show the unity of the two guard groups, Shining Light aimed for Justice. As he pulled his hoof back, preparing to throw with all his might, Shining Light found that his arm was stuck in place. No matter how hard he tried, he just could not bring it forward to throw.
“Shining Light! Put the spear down immediately!” Princess Celestia shouted. The two had fought long enough for her to fully recover. As she let the spell go, and Shining Light dropped the spear, she turned an eye towards the pegasus, still tense with adrenaline. “Beaming Justice, come here now!”
Justice flew down to the princess, keeping an eye on the still very mad pony, whose white coat was being stained red. When he approached, he bowed respectfully, completely capable of realizing that the wrong action right now could be very bad.
“Did you have any preconceived notion that this would happen?” Princess Celestia said, anger spilling into her voice. She watched the guard pony carefully, wanting to see even the smallest hint of guilt. Equestria was shrouded in darkness, the one responsible was missing, and this pony might know something.
“I had no idea,” Justice said, his voice starting to quiver. “I was so worried about Princess Luna and this whole night vs. day mess, but I never expected this.” With that, he turned, not waiting for Princess Celestia’s response, and began to fly away, shouting, “I have to find her!”
“Princess!” Shining Light said, rushing up to her. “We have to stop him. They deceived us and are tormenting everypony.” He turned to issue orders to his guards to fly after Justice and capture him, but stopped when he felt the princess’ hoof on his shoulder.
“Let him go,” she said. “He didn’t know this would happen, and he might be the only one capable of talking her down.” She stood with her bewildered head guard and watched as Beaming Justice flew off into the night sky.
Where do I begin looking? Justice thought, flying as fast as he could, randomly peering into windows in a panic, trying to find what once was his love. What can I do when I see her? Will she even listen to me? I have to try something. He flew to her tower, which was already surrounded by many guards, but didn’t find her there. He flew to their favorite restaurant, but she wasn’t there either. For hours he flew around Canterlot, tiring himself out, thinking only of Luna.
Finally, he realized that he was tired, having been up all night for the celebration and now searching everywhere. He stumbled towards his quarters, opened the door, and came face to face with Nightmare Moon. His heart skipped a beat; he swallowed hard, and felt his knees tremble.
“Well, well, well,” she said, laughing at the reaction she had received. “What do we have here? One of the toughest ponies in all of Equestria, tough enough to fight and survive many battles against horrible creatures, is shaking in his doorway like a little foal. Are you not happy to see me, my love?”
Hearing her horrible laugh had awoken Beaming Justice. He rushed up, threw her down, pinning her and screamed, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO PRINCESS LUNA?!?!” The anger in his eyes shone through the tears as they fell down his cheeks.
“Darling,” Nightmare Moon said, her voice getting higher pitched as if mimicking that of Princess Luna, “don’t you recognize me? It is me, Princess Luna, your love.” She laughed a large laugh, chilling Justice to his bones.
He shook her shoulders, cutting her laugh off and causing a look of extreme disdain to spread across her face. “You’re going to tell me how to get my Luna back, or so help me, I’m going to…”
“To what?” she asked, shaking the pony off of her. “You can’t hurt me or else you’ll never see her again. What can you do, hmm?” She laughed as he searched for the right answer. His face showed as his mind raced, looking for the right solution. Usually this comes naturally to me, he thought. What can I do? What can change her back? Who can…?
Suddenly a smile spread across his face, he stood up proud and tall. “You’re right,” he said, laughing as Nightmare Moon inquisitively looked on, “I can’t do anything, but I bet Princess Celestia could. She could find a way to fight this evil that has taken over my love.” He turned and ran for the door. Before he could even reach it, she cut him off. She began to laugh again, making his insides squirm.
“I’ll make you a deal,” she said, strolling up to him, causing him to step backwards. “Come with me, rule beside me as my king. You yourself said, ‘I will never let anypony hurt your nights,’ right? So, come with me, your lovely princess.”
“Shut up,” Justice whispered, still trying to process the entire situation in front of him. “You are not my Princess Luna; you are a monster, who must be stopped.”
Justice stared at the ground, unable to look at the mare in front of him, what once was the love of his life. He never even saw when she raised her hoof, bringing it down hard over his head. Right before the world blacked out, he heard her whisper in his ear, “I will ensure that nopony will ever listen to you again.”
Beaming Justice awoke in a haze, his vision blurred and his head pounding. Where am I? What time is it? He tried to stand up, but found that his world had become too dizzy. The pounding continued, seeming to grow in both volume and intensity. He shook his head, trying to right himself, and cautiously stood. Still the pounding continued, making him wince with pain. As he slowly began to focus on his surroundings (My room? When did I get here?), he noticed that the pounding was more than just in his head. Whispered voices, full of stress, accommodated the continued pounding on his door. He faltered over to the door, reaching out to unlock it. As soon as he heard the click, the door burst open. In rushed three shadows, two rushed past him, one slammed and locked the door.
One of the blurred ponies began talking, but the sound seemed to come from a mile away, muffled as if underwater. Suddenly he began to feel as if the cloud was being lifted, the throbbing in his head decreasing, his hearing clearing up, and his vision coming to focus. He saw the unicorn in front of him, her horn glowing red and heard her say, “Are you alright? Can you hear me?” Aurora Shine looked over her shoulder, calling out to Steel Hoof. “There’s nopony else here, but Justice is woozy. I need you to carry him.”
“No,” Justice said, adding another small shake of his head. “I’m fine. I’m fine. Thanks. What happened? How did I get back to my room? What time is it?” He asked this last part looking out his window. Ah, still dark outside, must be late.
“It’s mid-morning and where have you been?” Swift Breeze said, flying over to the group with an accusation in his eyes.
“Say it isn’t true, Justice,” Aurora said, sorrow beginning to creep into her voice. “You didn’t mess up this bad, did you?” Tears began to form in her eyes, a lump climbing her throat.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Justice said, still trying to make sense of the strange emotions he was receiving. “What do you mean, mid-morning? It’s pitch black outside! Is this some kind of game?” Staring at these ponies, noticing the sad looks in their eyes helped jar loose what had happened. Everything came back all at once: the failed spell to raise the sun, the appearance of Nightmare Moon, his fight with Shining Light, and getting knocked out in his own room.
“Boss, you better not be messing with us, or so help me…” Steel said, hovering protectively next to Aurora, looking rather threateningly at his commanding officer. “A lot of ponies are in big trouble, and I need to know who we can trust. So start making some sense.”
Justice told the three all he knew, finishing with Nightmare Moon’s attack in his room. He sat there, rubbing his still sore head, watching their reactions as they took in the new information.
“Princess Luna?” Steel said, walking off to think about this development. They had been told that a dangerous criminal had caused the night to last for as long as it did, but never would they have considered Princess Luna to be the cause.
“So you’ve been here, unconscious, this whole time,” Swift said, staring carefully at Justice, watching for any tell-tale signs of lying. Swift had become pretty adept at reading different pony’s reactions to determine how truthful they were being.
“‘This whole time’?” Justice asked, looking to Aurora. “How long has it been since the Summer Sun Celebration?” Surely he hadn’t been knocked out for too long.
“Justice,” Aurora said, taking his hooves into hers, a tear beginning to fall down her face. “We’ve been looking for you for so long. It’s been two days.” She suddenly shook her head, drying her tears on one of her legs. A focused look came to her face. “We don’t have much time; we need to move you now.” With that she began to push him, urging him towards the door.
“What are you talking about?” Justice demanded, planting his front hooves on the floor, refusing to move until an answer was given. “Where are you taking me? Why?”
Swift grabbed Justice by the shoulders, squaring him up and looking him right in the eyes. “Shortly after Princess Celestia was unable to raise the sun, runner ponies were sent out to every town informing the night guards to subdue the day guards due to a possible treasonous plot. In most towns, the night guards have taken command, imprisoning the day guards and, in some cases, the civilians. There are reports coming in of mass casualties, both guards and civilians. Does this ring a bell?”
Justice shook Swift free, annoyance turning to anger, clearly seen on his face. “What do you expect me to know? I’ve been out for days, it would seem, and you are standing here talking to me like I’m the one at fault?”
Swift stood his ground, returning the angry stare from one of his best friends. “You were the one who gave the order to the runner ponies. Don’t you get it? They found the notes you wrote to Princess Luna, suggesting that the night shouldn’t end. The notes talk about how you could accomplish a takeover of Canterlot, starting with the removal of Princess Celestia. Justice, it’s your writing.”
Justice fell to the ground, his legs unable to hold him up from these accusations. Never had he even thought about a takeover. Never did he suggest that the night should last forever. How could he have sent any runners off to the towns when he was knocked out almost instantly? “It’s a trap. I’m being set up. You have to believe me.”
Aurora pushed Swift aside. “You know he’s telling the truth. He would never do these things. That’s why we have to hide him.” Turning to Justice, concern in her eyes, she warned, “Shining Light is on a warpath searching for you. They say you’ll never see the light of day after what all you’ve “done.” This is straight treason.”
Suddenly a loud bang rang out on the door. Shouting started leaking into the room from the ponies in the hall, Shining Light among them. Steel jumped up, prepping his body against the frame. Swift started flying around to the many windows, seeing all exits sealed off by guards on the streets. Aurora turned to Justice, looking for direction.
Justice’s mind went into overdrive. He saw the best option, even if it wasn’t preferable. “Guys,” he said, softly. Steel and Swift kept up their escape plan, too panicked to here Justice. “Guys! Let it go. You’ll only get in trouble being seen harboring me. I’ll go with them. Let me talk to Celestia, she’ll understand.”
The three ponies cringed, knowing that their leader was doomed, but right. They could do more to help clear his name if they were not in a jail cell, and just being seen in his room with him was going to get them questioned. Steel backed away from the door, knocking loudly and shouting, “He’s coming out. Back up.”
When he opened the door, a platoon of day guards poured into the room, pinning the three officers to the ground, holding them steady against their struggles. Shining Light burst into the room, his nose still badly bruised from the fight two days before. He looked around, catching sight of Beaming Justice. He ran over, standing next to him, and said, “Will you come quietly?” Justice began to stand, opening his mouth when suddenly he felt the sharp pain under his ribs. Shining Light removed his hoof from what felt like two broken ribs, a gleeful smile on his face. “No talking.”
Justice slumped to the floor, two day guards bounding and gagging him, as Aurora shrieked, “What are you doing? He isn’t fighting, he isn’t resisting!” She stopped suddenly, a frighteningly stern look emanating from Justice’s face. Tears began welling in her eyes as the day guards began dragging Justice away.
When they reached the royal dungeons, the two day guards threw Justice roughly into a cell, standing aside so that Shining Light could come through. The look of pure psychotic terror plastered on his face was enough to make both ponies turn away, unsure that they wanted to witness what would happen next. He ambled up to Justice, taking his time with the still bound pony. Reaching up, he ripped the gag out of his mouth, causing bruising around the corners.
“You’d better start talking,” Shining Light said, a smile creeping across his face. “This will be VERY painful if you don’t. I knew you and those three accomplices of yours were just trying to build up an army. You and Luna were in on this together, weren’t you? Overthrow Princess Celestia, kill me, and rule all of Equestria? Well, where’s your Princess now?”
Justice remained silent, his anger boiling inside. He had had his issues with Shining Light before, but this was something different. This pony had snapped and nopony was there to help him. He knew nothing and knew that saying so would not help the matter, so he kept his mouth shut. Surely Princess Celestia doesn’t know of this, he thought. When the beating had ended, and Justice shook with pain, Shining Light left, slamming the cell door behind him, unsatisfied with the lack of answers he demanded.
Justice sat in the cell, watching the night sky and wondering what part of the day it was. As he sat there, thinking of the massive events occurring around him, his mind kept racing back to Princess Luna. Why didn’t I do something when I saw the signs? She was getting so angry but I ignored it. She kept getting better, seemed like her own self. His ears perked up as he heard the door unlocking, hooves approaching him from behind. He turned and saw…himself?
Justice would’ve sworn that he was looking into a mirror. The image before him was an exact duplicate, even the way it looked at him, constantly judging the situation to determine the correct course of action. Suddenly, a wicked smile broke across the fake pegasus’ face, and a chilling chuckle rang out. The pony in front of him began to disappear in a swirl of dark, dark smoke. As the smoke cleared, the chuckle seemed to rise in pitch, climbing an entire octave until finally Justice recognized the laugh. He had heard it only a few times before, but he knew it was her.
Nightmare Moon stared at the beaten and broken pegasus before her. “Wouldn’t it have just been easier to come with me? We could be ruling this place by now. Instead, look at you. You are pathetic. But you might help me yet.” She stomped inches away from his face, causing him to jump in instincts.
“I want nothing to do with you,” Justice said, glaring madly at the monster before him. “I’ll never help you gain anything you desire.” His look softened as he thought of his princess, the love of his life. “Luna, if you can still hear me, I will save you. Just be strong and…”
Nightmare Moon burst out in a large laugh. “You silly foal,” she said, “Luna wanted this. She was tired of being second-fiddle to her sister; the night should last forever. And you’ve done more than enough to help already. How else do you think I could’ve gotten an army prepared? I needed guards loyal to me to be stationed in every town. But Celestia almost ruined it. When she suspended you, I thought my plan had failed. Who else was qualified enough to train the best? I was able to stall her and her little peon with arguments over that month, knowing that I would have a more formidable force than her, even at half the numbers.”
“You liar,” Justice said, his anger starting to overflow. “Luna fought against my suspension because it wasn’t fair. She loved me and hated seeing me being degraded by Shining Light. She…”
Nightmare Moon bent down, her face just inches from his. He felt her breath as she whispered, “You were nothing more than a tool in my conquest.” She pulled back, a smile spreading across her face. “I never lied to you, you poor thing. I’d say you were deceived, a useful piece of the puzzle to allow my rule over Equestria.” Once said, Nightmare Moon turned, her tail caressing Justice’s chin as she headed for the cell door, laughing at the pained expression on the broken stallion behind her.
“I swear, you’ll pay for this,” Justice said, shaking with fury. “DO YOU HEAR ME?!? YOU’LL PAY FOR EVERYTHING YOU’VE DONE!!!” Nightmare Moon’s laugh, though cut off by the closing dungeon door, still seemed to resonate inside of Justice’s head, causing the pony to slowly go insane.
Rapid Quill stopped, his eyes feeling heavy. He had started writing as soon as he returned from Twilight’s library, working late into the night. He rolled up his scroll, determined to re-read it in the morning. For now, the pony was too tired, even though the story persisted in his mind. As he crawled into bed, closing his curtains to stop the dawn sun that was fast approaching, all he could see was the face of Nightmare Moon, laughing at the pain Justice was being put through.