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// Chosen By The Past 
// Story: A Son Redeemed 
// by FirstClassBroconut 
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The moment the royal guards touched down, they started putting out fires with massive tanks of water they magicked over and searched for survivors. Princess Celestia and Luna flew down and landed in front of Moonless Night and Snow Flake,

"What happened here?!" cried Luna.

Night stepped forward, once again fighting back his tears and anger so he could explain, "We don't know what happened. We got here only few moments before you did..."

He turned and saw Snow had fallen to the ground, tears streaming down her face while whispering, "Blizzard...Blizzard..."

Celestia finished looking over the scene of utter destruction, "Are you two alright?"

The stallion nodded, "Yes. Everypony we've come across is dead...but we cannot find her sister, Blizzard, who came here for a party."

The Princesses nodded and spread their wings, Luna nodded down a road, "Some guards are putting up tents outside of the town, we will help put out the fire and search for living ponies. You two should get rest."

Right before they took to the air, Night took another step, "Wait! The New Bearers and the Legendary Six are all dead...the New Bearers were hung by the school house and the Six are on the town stage..."

Night watched as the Royal Sisters gasped and stepped back as if they had been punched. Celestia shook her head, "Go rest you two, but first...what are your names?"

Moonless helped Snow Flake to her hooves, "This is Snow Flake and I am-"

"Moonless Night," the Moon Princess interjected.

They stared at each other a moment, the sounds of guards barking orders and burning buildings in the background. Finally Celestia spoke up, "We will talk later, stallion. For now, take the mare to rest...you as well." They took to the skies and Night helped Snow Flake out of the burning Ponyville; he almost had to carry her there...

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Moonless Night had found a tent for Snow and waited for her to fall asleep before he headed out. The camp was on the same hill that he and Snow had exited Everfree Forest from, which gave him a tactical view of the town. He sat and watched as guards slowly put out the burning buildings and dragged its dead inhabitants out to be buried. 

Now that he didn't have to worry about his companion and he was alone, he let a tear fall. After it hit the damp grass, the rest followed. Tears streak Night's face as he sat, watching Ponyville go up in flames. He choked back a sob as the smell of smoke got stronger, the think, black cloud smothering the moon.

He fell to his stomach and wept as his mind thought of the Legendary Six on the stage and the New Bearers in the gallows...dead and cold. Night felt a warm wing being placed around him and heard the other alicorn land behind him.

Through his sobs he chokes out, "Have you found Blizzard?"

Princess Luna scooted closer to Night and sighed, "Yes...She's dead. We can tell she was raped many times, then she was beaten to death...." 

Night wiped the tears from his face and stood. He took a deep breathe and walked over to Snow's tent. The alicorns turned and watched him.

Night pulled back the tent flap and went in; Snow was awake again and whimpering. She sat up when she saw him and stared into his purple eyes, "Did they find her??"

"Yes."

A smile erupted on her face, but it slowly died away when she noticed the somber look upon the stallion, "What's wrong?"

He closed his eyes, not being able to look at her, "She's dead..."

The mare seemed to be unaffected by this statement, but then it hit her. Her sister, Blizzard, was dead. She stood, "How?"

He opened his eyes and took a step forward, "She was stabbed through the heart...and died instantly."

Snow fell back onto the bed and burst into tears. She called out for her sister, "Blizzard! Oh, Blizzard!"

Moonless Night went over and sat beside her, placing a fore-leg over her shoulders as she fell into his chest and wept. After a while, she cried herself back to sleep and Night slipped out of the tent silently.

The two royal alicorns were still there, talking silently. Princess Celestia turned to him, "Are you alert enough to talk with us?"

He nodded. 

He followed them to a large tent in the middle of the camp. They entered and Night looked around, the inside was very bland for what he had expected for a royal's tent; In the center there was a large table with map of Equestria and a smaller map of Ponyville, along with eight seats surrounding it. In the far back there were two large yet simple thrones made of wood. There was also  tunnel connected to the tent next to the thrones that most likely led to the sister's temporary chambers. 

The Royal Pony Sisters went and sat on their thrones, they looked down upon Night with a look of disturbance and anguish. A chair was magically brought and Moonless gladly sat in it. 

Celestia's horn glowed as she asked, "May i take your cloak?"

He nodded again and his cloak flew off to a coat hanger. The Princesses silently looked him over: he had a few long scares on his left side and his mane was unkempt, but his eyes were an amazing purple, they look so much like her's...thought Celestia. But what attracted Luna the most was his bare flank, how could this stallion be a Black Flank?!

Celestia took a breathe, "I'm sorry we are doing this now, after everything that's happened. But this is of the most importance." Night could tell she had been crying...hard.

"It's alright, im used to not sleeping at night," the stallion smiled. How can you smile at a time like this?!

Celestia nodded, "Good...straight to the point...we know who you are."

He was confused, "Pardon me?"

"We know who you really are, Lucent Dawn."

Silence fell on the tent as Night closed his eyes and a tear slipped down his cheek.

"That's not my name, your majesties," he whispered.

Luna leaned forward, "You are Lucent Dawn. Son of Twilight Sparkle."

Night opened his eyes. "That's not my name," he said stronger.

But she continued, foolishly, "You are the New Bearer of the Element of Magic. Passed down to you from Twilight when you were born of her!"

Moonless Night glared up at them, "My name is Moonless Night...I am no son of Twilight Sparkle. And I am not a New Bearer. They are out swinging in the gallows," he held back a choke and put as much authority into his voice that he could muster , "and Twilight Sparkle is dead on the stage!" Tears streaked down his face like a fountain, he had always mentally told himself that, but this was the first time he had to ever say it.

Luna threw herself forward with her wings and landed nose-to-nose with Night, "How DARE you spit on their memory, you foal!!" she roared. Tears continued to rained down from his purple eyes as he stared into Luna's.

"Sister." Celestia whispered.

They turned to see the Sun Goddess with her eyes shut and a tear trailing down her royal face, "Calm down. There has already been enough bloodshed."

Luna neighed angrily and flew back to her seat. After a moment of silence, Night spoke up, "I am Moonless Night, 
son of non."

"Son of non?"

Night turned to see Snow Flake walking up, her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

"Snow...Why aren't you sleeping?"

She sniffed, "Can't sleep...I don't want to be alone."

Moonless looked upon his friend with such sadness, he could see the pain in her eyes and the fright. She sat in a chair beside him that Celestia had summoned. 

"Why are you the son of non?" she asked again.

He stared into her blue eyes, "Long story..."

Celestia spoke up, "Moonless Night, son of non. If you truly aren't Lucent Dawn, son of Twilight Sparkle and New Bearer of the Element of Magic, then just listen as a pony who feels the same pain as my sister and I at the hands of this tragedy."

Night looked up at her as her voice quivered, "The Legendary Six and the New Bearers have been slain. The Elements of Harmony that have long been protecting Equestria are now useless without their wielders. All of Ponyville has been slaughtered by an unknown group led by..." she choked and Luna finished her sentence, "led by the unicorn, Vilis Malum."

Moonless Night stood, "How do you know?"

"The gallows only held four ponies. Only yo-...I mean...Lucent Dawn and Vilis Malum aren't swinging. And that fire was dragon flame, which means whoever did this has control of a dragon and the only unicorn strong enough to control a dragon would be him."

Night stared at them, "What makes you say that? He's only one unicorn!"

Snow had to ask, to keep from crying again, "Who is he?"

Night turned to her again and spoke softly, "Vilis Malum is the New Bearer of the Element of Generosity, the son of Rarity."

Luna turned back to Night, "Ever since you were banished," 

"You mean Lucent." interjected the stallion.

She sighed, "Yes, when Lucent was banished, Vilis made it his duty to try and retrieve the Element of Magic, believing that he was always stronger than Lucent, and so, thought he had more right to it. He also had faith in the idea that the Elements were not to be handed down through generations. Instead that they should have the Elements chose their carriers. The Six rejected this theory with the fact that a zebra, Zecora, had a vision that all of the offspring of the Six had their mother's Element, respectively."

Celestia stood and walked over to a window in the tent and looked out at Ponyville, now with almost all the fires extinguished, "Vilis anger fueled his magic and so we watched as he progressed in his skill, surpassing that of even my student Twilight Sparkle during her advanced years...and now it seems he has bested her and all the Elements. We were blinded by the idea that those carrying an Element couldn't betray their closest friends." She stared at the ground now, silently.

Snow was confused, she sniffed and asked, "So that's it? He won and now he controls all the Elements of Harmony?"

At this, Night could have sworn he saw Celestia smile, "No, my dear Snow Flake. Though he does have the Elements in his possession, he can not use them to their full power because they are not being wielded by the New Bearers they chose. That...and he doesn't have all of them. He is still missing his golden prize, the Element of Magic. The unicorn, Lucent Dawn, still holds it's power, and as far as we know, he still lives."

Snow thought for a moment, "So if he was to return...could he beat Vilis Malum and take back the Elements?"

Luna nodded, "Very much so. For there to be harmony, something or somepony must rule and keep justice, it is the same with the Elements. Though they are equal, they need a leader...the Element of Magic is their proverbial leader. It is stronger than the rest, yet it will be five against one. We would fight him, but we are servants of the Elements just as much as anything else. Only another Element has a chance against Vilis."

"And this is where you two come in," Celestia softly said as she returned to her throne, "We want you to find Lucent and have return to help Equestria." 

Moonless Night, who hadn't said a word since the tale began, spoke up, "And what if he doesn't want to return or we can't find him?"

Luna stared at him, anger on her face, "Well then i guess you will have to buck some sense into him."

Moonless knew, no matter what, he couldn't say no to an order from the Royal Pony Sisters, no matter how foalish it was. He decided to play along, "Where should we start out search?"

Celestia nodded out another window facing Everfree, "Find Zecora." 

Night's memory flashed as he saw him holding Apple Crisp under the gallows as she whispered, "Find...Zecora..."

He stood and turned to leave, and Snow followed

"What now? she asked.

"We wait till morning when we are well enough to travel." he grabbed his cloak off the coat stand and folded it, balancing it on his back. 

They silently walked back to the mare's tent. He could tell she was exhausted and, obviously, emotionally torn to shreds. After she went in, he bade her goodnight and turned to leave, but was stopped by the mare, "Wait! I don't want to be alone tonight...please stay.."

Night turned back, her eyes were brimming with tears again and the icy-blue irises pierced his heart. He sighed and walked in. Snow crawled into the bed and the stallion followed, pulling up the covers over her and tossing his cloak to a corner.

The crushed mare snuggled up next to him and started to silently cry again. Night held her as she slowly succumbed to the peacefulness of sleep. Night stayed awake for a little while, thinking of all that had happened, replaying it in his mind. It had started out a fabulous day and ended in pain. He knew no matter how hard he tried, he was stuck with this mission till the end. 

The princesses chose him because they thought he was the stallion he wasn't...hey chose him because of his past...his past chose him.