//------------------------------// // Chapter 18 - Debt of Harmony // Story: The Darkness among the Stars // by Haseo //------------------------------// Chapter 18 Debt of Harmony Princess Celestia couldn't avoid telling the truth any longer. Everypony had seen far too much. She closed her eyes forcefully and ground her teeth. She searched through her mind for excuses, not wanting to tell them what was really going on. She didn't want to tell Applejack that her friend could be some kind of traitor. But she gave up finally; she shouldn't try to cover the matter any longer. They are the Elements of Harmony and they will know sooner or later... She ripped her eyes open while a specific word rang through her mind. It was 'Harmony'. She knew that she had to tell them about the true origins of their precious elements. She sighed in defeat and put on her royal mask that she had worn for a thousand years now. “Listen my little ponies. There is something I have to tell you about my sister, me, and the past of this land.” Twilight's ears perked up immediately. She had already waited for the continuation of the conservation from the night before. She went one step forward to show the Princess her curiosity. “Please tell us only the important things this time.” The Princess silently agreed with a nod. “As the elements themselves, you should know the truth about them, but I will resume a little bit, so everypony will understand what I will tell you now.” She cleared her throat and slipped back into her seat. “Before the Equestria you know today was founded, my sister was known as Princess Selene and myself was known as Princess Helia. Things were different back then; we ruled over the country iron hoofed. We didn't show mercy or kindness. Only the strongest could survive. At this time Star Swirl the Bearded was my personal student and leader of our defensive forces, the Solar Guard. Princess Luna also had a personal student back then. His name was Black Terror, he was also Captain of our offensive forces, the Nightmare Legion. The reason I'm telling you this is that we have to assume that Black Terror and your friend Soul are the same pony.” Applejack's ears perked up at the mentioning of the name that belonged to her heart’s desired stallion. “Isn't that a good thing? Ah mean if he could be the former student of Princess Luna, he is a good fellah, right?” The Princess couldn't look Applejack directly into her eyes. She didn't want to see how the hope inside the farmer pony shattered. Princess Celestia sighed and looked at the floor before her. “I really wish I could agree with you, my dear Applejack, but the truth is that he could be seeking after my life and even the lives of the elements themselves.” Everypony stumbled back to their plots. Nopony wanted to believe that this strange old but still kind stallion could be after their lives. Applejack's eyes filled with rage, she simply didn't want to believe that he would want to kill her. “Stop it! Soul would never harm anypony! Ah trust him with mah life!” Twilight slipped closer to Applejack to comfort her. She stroked her mane carefully and looked with watery eyes at her. “Soul himself had said that he is really the monster out of my nightmares. I saw how this monster killed a fully grown dragon. He is probably able to kill when necessary. I'm very sorry, Applejack.” Applejack froze at the spot she was standing, her mind denying the thought that they could be right. She still clung to her imagination. She still could see him and her together. “This can't be...” With hopeful eyes she looked at the Princess. She waited for her to say something. Princess Celestia's mane waved around her face, hiding the fear in her eyes for moments before they released them again. “Listen Applejack, everything I will tell you now is true. Everypony is free to judge us for what we did, so I will begin right where the important events happened.” She took a deep breath before she began her tale. “My sister and I ruled over our land equally, but little differences had driven us apart. It began with simple things like how we should refurbish our castle. But one day we had to decide how to deal with a foreign species. The dragons crossed the border of our land so we had to negotiate with them. Princess Luna's student went on a long-term mission to spy on them. He took much longer to return than originally planned. We had to assume that he had fallen. Princess Luna and I stood before the decision that could change the face of this world forever. My sister had suggested that we should try to reason with them. Our army was weakened through the loss of the Captain of the Nightmare Legion. My suggestion was … well, the unkind possibility. I didn't want to let them near our little ponies so I wanted to burn them to death.” Twilight looked at her mentor with disbelief. She shook her head violently. “Why should you do something like that? That doesn't sound like you at all!” Princess Celestia watched her personal student. Her eyes pleaded for forgiveness as she went on.”Like I told you before, we were different than we're now. Time had passed and we still couldn't decide. So I made a decision for my own. I travelled along with a few of my most capable soldiers to the hide-out of the dragons. I used my most powerful spell, the 'Solar Flare' to turn them into ashes. When I returned, Princess Luna already knew what happened. But to my dismay, I had to learn that Black Terror had returned. Luna and I started to argue. It got worse and worse everyday. Until one faithful day I did something really reckless and I regret every second of it.” She looked for a brief moment to her sister. “I didn't lower my sun anymore, locking it in the sky for all time, I even increased it's heat. Luna demanded that I should lower the sun but I didn't listen... So for the sake of pony-kind... Luna had declared war. She left the castle along with her student and the entire army. I was driven by anger and wrath. Instead of trying to talk to her and lower the sun, I prepared the Solar Guards for war.” Princess Luna stepped to the side of her sister. Comforting her with a supporting wing. “I think I should go on now. As I declared war on my sister, Black Terror had already told me what happened in the dragon’s hide-out. The dragons wanted to take our land, but he could reason with them and was able to create a peaceful solution. The negotiations were over, only minutes before he left and would return to the castle, 'Solar Flare' stroke in, killing everything around. Black Terror stepped into a gap in space to fast-travel to the castle. He told me everything. In order to stop the madness of my sister, we had to fight, but even a normal soldier knew what was the most dangerous about this war.” She paused for a second to gather her strength. “They weren't afraid that my sister an I would fight against each other. They were afraid about what would happen if Star Swirl and Black Terror would fight. Star Swirl was a master of tactics and disguise while Black Terror's incredibly high amount of power and his combat abilities made him the perfect warrior.” Twilight listened curiously to the Princesses’ tale, but a few questions still bugged her. She raised a hoof again to show Luna that she had a question. She remembered from before how much Luna hated to be interrupted. Luna waved lazily her hoof to show Twilight her acceptance. “I don't want to interrupt you, Princess, but Soul had said that Star Swirl and Black Terror had fallen. So if he is Black Terror why did he said that Black Terror is dead? And… who exactly killed Star Swirl?” Princess Luna rolled her eyes. She wasn't that good at hiding her negative emotions like her sister. Maybe it's due to the lack of practice the last thousand years. “Isn't it obvious? You probably told him right away who you are. So he tried to cover his identity with this false name. Don't think that he isn't smart. Though Star Swirl is well-known for creating various spells, Black Terror is at least equally brilliant. The only reason nopony knows about Black Terror is that my sister had burned every hint of his existence.” Luna looked at her sister from the corner of her eye with a raised eyebrow. “She had some kind of habit to burn things she didn't liked.” Princess Celestia smiled sheepishly and turned away uncomfortably of the situation. Princess Luna couldn't resist and smiled weakly although she knew that the situation was dead serious. “Only a few days passed before war had broken out at it's fullest. Many ponies lost their lives in these battles. Several lost their families and friends, it was a dark time back then... Celestia and I operated from our headquarters along with our Captains. After we learned how big the loses of both sides were, I decided to go into battle myself and so did Black Terror. Our combined powers were enough to push the Solar Guards back into the Everfree Forest. Celestia and Star Swirl were forced to leave their safe spot and fight as directly. They knew that the Solar Guards got weaker everyday. Slayed by the hoof of the Captain of the Nightmare Legion. We had never thought that Black Terror and Star Swirl would have to fight against each other. It was a terrible thought and it still is. In order to protect his soldiers, Star Swirl decided to take Black Terror head on. I will spare you the details of the fight it think it would disturb some ponies.” Her eyes wandered to Fluttershy who already shivered. “Even for us, this fight was scary. If both of them teamed up against us, we would have most likely lost. Every spell that missed it's target killed several ponies fighting for their lives. They unintentionally murdered hundreds soldiers on both sides. While they fought each other, I sneaked into the castle and tried to talk to Celestia again. Like you can already imagine, it wasn't a very friendly talk.” Princess Luna stopped telling the tale of this bloody war because Applejack's gaze told her that she didn't like the story. She looked a little bit upset. “Are you feeling well, Applejack?” Applejack nearly exploded as Princess Luna questioned her. She still denied to accept that Soul Tearer was indeed Black Terror. “Ya talk like ya know for sure that Soul is this Black Terror pony! Where is the proof? Ya could still be mistaken!” Princess Luna gave her sister a worried look. Princess Celestia's face grew sad but she gave her sister a quick nod. “Well, we want to show you something.” Her horn ignited with high intensity. She turned to Princess Cadence. “The tournament shall be tomorrow. Prepare everything that will be required.” As she finished her sentence, they blinked out of existence, leaving Princess Cadence, her husband, and his subordinate behind in confusion. Shining Armor turned to Phalanx and whispered to him. “Did you get what’s going on?” The guard shook slowly his head. “Not a hint.” Both looked to Princess Cadence who buried her hooves deep into her mane. “A whole Tournament tomorrow! Arrgh! She is unbelievable! I have to begin immediately. You two over there! Help me!” Both stallions took the order like well-trained puppies. “Yes ma'am! We will do as you please!” Really, nopony wanted to upset a Princess. Seriously… don't upset a Princess. Several miles away a deep blue flash brought the Princesses and the Elements of Harmony back into existence. Twilight looked around herself. She identified her surroundings as the old castle of the Princesses in the Everfree Forest. They appeared to be in a dark hallway. Both endings were covered in darkness. Nopony could possibly see where they were leading unless a pony was familiar with the structure of the castle. Old weathered paintings hung on the walls. Time had damaged them far too much to recognize them. The only light source was the horns of the Princesses. Princess Luna ignited the old candles that still were attached to the wall along the hallway. “If you would follow me, please.” The mares looked at each other questioning the purpose of the teleport. They walked through the hallway. Old armours laid on the floor paired with the matching weapon. Rarity looked upwards so she didn't have to see these crimes against fashion. Fluttershy squeaked every time they crossed a piece armour, in fear that something would pounce at her. They reached the end of the hallway, leading to a huge room. In its centre was a giant deserted stairway that led upstairs to both sides of the room. Everything was covered in dust and rocks. Only a little light fell into the room, leaving every detail hidden. Princess Luna's horn ignited again, but instead of lighting some candles she illuminated the right of three big windows behind the stairway with moonlight. It showed a grey stallion with a white mane and a long beard in a golden armour holding a flag with the solar insignia. Written below was: Star Swirl. Ruler over time. Princess Celestia stepped in front of the window and turned around. “As you can see, this is clearly the image of my former student, Star Swirl the Bearded. Born in the Village of Everfree, he dedicated his life to study and the crown. Fallen in battle against the Nightmare Legion. Star Swirl the Bearded had lost his life during the fight against Black Terror, his best friend and rival. We didn't exactly know what happened. The only thing we saw was a bright light cone as the spells 'Urano Metoria' and 'Aetas Alterantia' clashed together. The only pony that left the cone was Black Terror. But something was different... something inside him had changed.” The moonlight left the window and wandered to the window on the left side. It showed a slightly bigger black stallion with a grey mane, wearing a dark blue armour. The figure held a flag with the Lunar insignia. Written below was: Black Terror. Master over space. Twilight's and Applejack's mouths stood agape. Applejack recognized the image immediately as Soul but still denied the obvious truth. “No! This can't be! Ah admit this pony looks quite similar to Soul, but he still could be somepony else.” Small tears formed in her eyes, the hard facts slowly going through her mind. Twilight laid her hoof on Applejack's shoulder to comfort her. “The armour he is wearing... Soul had worn the same armour as I met him in my dream and when he arrived in Ponyville. I'm so sorry, but it is undeniable. Soul Tearer is Black Terror.” Applejack crumbled to her knees, the tears running freely over her face. Everypony tried to comfort her while Princess Luna walked in front of the window and cleared her throat to catch the attention of the six ponies. “This is Black Terror, now we all know that he is Soul Tearer as well. I will refer to him as Soul. He was born in Canterville and destroyed the village in order to deal with Discord. He had a wonderful fiancée that had fallen in war as well. And he also seemed to have died as he took everything evil with him to hell and purified us.” Twilight’s ears perking up, she stepped in front of her friends. Her face beamed with glee. It was the same expression when she understood a topic or aced an test. “You've said he was the leader of the Nightmare Legion, so what do you mean that Soul had 'purified' you from the Nightmare?” Princesses Luna's and Princesses Celestia's nearly neutral face turned into a sad frown. Princess Celestia pawed with her hoof at the ground. “No, the story that Nightmare Moon was banished with help of the Elements is true. But I had left out a small detail. Do you know why we changed our names when the war was over and how the Elements were created?” Her student scratched her chin while she thought about every logical reason. “Well, to get off your bad image I think.” Princess Celestia could only offer her a small smile; she couldn't blame her for not knowing the truth. “You actually realized that Nightmare Moon is the opposite of Luna, right?” Twilight nodded shortly and let Celestia went on. “This white mare that took Nightmare Moon with her was Radiant Flare. She was my darker half. Nightmare Moon and Luna were originally one pony, same for myself and Radiant Flare. As we were still merged with our darker sides, we were Helia and Selene. We changed our names due to the loss of a part of our powers and personality. This is why they are so strong and so hard to defeat.” Everypony couldn't believe what they had just heard. Twilight's mind seemed to be broken. Her eyes narrowed and she began to speak faster. “What happened? How is this possible?” Princess Luna met her sister at the centre of the stairway before the last window. “This was Soul Tearer's work. He went mad after he had killed his best-friend just mere seconds after his filly-friend got killed. He teleported himself over to us and pushed me aside. Soul began to ignite his horn. The magical pressure was unbelievable. Black chains restricted my sister, made her immobile. Claws made of some dark matter appeared from the shadows and grabbed something inside her. He separated her darker side and sealed it somewhere. After he was done, he flew high in the air and cast a mighty spell. The entire Nightmare Legion disappeared along with Radiant Flare. Nothing was left, only myself, the remains of the Solar Guards, and my weakened sister.” The purple unicorn couldn't decide what she should have said. She looked between both Princesses, back and forth. “But what about you, Luna? What about the Elements? And what will we do since my tiara is broken?” The Princess of the Night showed a worried expression. Her eyes didn't show determination but portrayed uncertainty and fear from what would happen in the future. The moonlight wandered to the last window in the centre of the stairway. The intensity of the moonlight slowly increased and revealed the last picture. A huge golden circular object appeared above and beneath where a single gem with two gems attached on each side. It nearly covered the whole window. In the centre of the golden plate was a white unicorn mare with a mane in every colour of the rainbow, just like Rainbow Dash. Her eyes were closed, she seemed to sleep in peace. Written below were the words: Harmony. The veritable love and tolerance. Everypony's eyes lighted up by the beauty of this picture. But Twilight's mind kept being rational. “These are the Elements of Harmony but who is this mare sleeping in their centre?” The face of Princess Celestia became emotionless and dull. “This is Harmony. She isn't sleeping. She is dead.” The air in the room became thick enough that a knife could cut through it. Everypony watched at the Princess with disbelief. Princess Luna stepped in front of her sister to hide her face from the eyes of the others. “She is the reason why we believe that Soul could be after you. Twilight, the day Celestia had brought you here after the nightmare incident, three representatives of Saddle Arabia had arrived. They told us that their elders had fore told something terrible. They told us that the darkness among the stars would return and doom us. We already suspected that Nightmare Moon and Radiant Flare could have returned but when you told us that you were looking for that pony, we knew that it was even worse.” It was only a close call that Twilight didn't explode. “This is exactly why you shouldn't have held such secrets before me! We could have prevented all this. And isn't it ridiculous for two alicorns to be afraid of one single unicorn and his minions? And even if he is after you, and I couldn't think of a reason why, you're both immortal. He can't harm you after all.” Princess Luna sighed in defeat and pulled her sister in a tight hug. “Listen, Twilight. Please don't judge my sister for what she had done back then. In case that Star Swirl would fall, she wanted to have something in reserve. This mare is Harmony, she was the fiancée of Soul. She began as plain servant in the castle, working for Black Terror. But how fate plays, they found liking in each other. We noticed her powers when she was together with him. How strong the harmony inside her was when the literal death stood next to her. So Celestia had caught her and imprisoned her as Star Swirl had indeed fallen. She took desperate measures. Princess Celestia, or better, Helia… had killed Harmony before Soul's eyes to craft a powerful weapon out of her spirit. This weapon were the Elements of Harmony. In this very moment Soul had gone mad and ripped everything apart. My sister was still there weak, but still powerfully she used the elements against me and banished me to the moon. You ask why we are afraid of a unicorn and his minions? This unicorn had nearly killed Discord and took his power away in battle as a young colt. He had beaten entire armies and sealed the powerful darkness inside of my sister. He jumped with an entire army through time. He is definitely the strongest living creature in this universe right now. Even if we were somehow able to kill him, he would alter reality and set himself back in time. Even immortality has a limit. He could still kill us.” Twilight couldn't move nor could she really think in this moment. The horrible truth had paralysed her. Applejack raised from the floor to face the Princess. “What would be the worst case scenario?” “The beast and his army will rise from the pit of hell to make war against god.” The Princesses couldn't even respond when Twilight said these words. “This is what the Layfeeders had told us over and over.” Princess Celestia struggled free from the embrace of her sister and looked at her, terrified. “The worst case is since at least one element had left us… that Soul will go along with our darker sides and his minions to war against us. It would be a massacre and Soul would probably enslave this whole world.” Her horn ignited in a bright white light. A second before, they stood in the deserted castle of the Princesses. Now they were in a huge room that seemed to be in same sort of vault. “Take your rest my little ponies, tomorrow will be a very important day.” With these words Princess and Luna and Princess Celestia blinked out of existence again, leaving the six ponies behind. Twilight turned around to face her friends. Determination but fear kept hold of her mind. She looked at them for a few seconds before she could finally say something. “Girls. I don't know how to say it. I lost my element but that doesn't mean we can't do anything to stop Soul. I think what the Princess tried to say was… that we will certainly go to war.”