Chapter Two: Truth And Lies
~BlackRoseRaven
Morpheus scowled out from the battlements of his fortress, gazing out through the darkness that blanketed the swampy forest around his chosen home. His closest accomplices, Neato Burrito and Antecedes, stood on either side of him: the earth pony was scowling horribly, and the skeleton only looked bored, moodily leaning against the side of the walkway.
And finally, the winged unicorn flapped his wings sharply before he shook his head and asked irritably: “Where is Celestia? I know she must know about me by now. I have made my presence very clear. There is no way, utterly no way, she can have forgotten about me...”
“Yes, it's only been five hundred years since you last met and she banished you beneath Tartarus, my lord.” Antecedes said dryly, looking up at the sky with boredom visible in his ruby-glowing eyes. “You may want to consider, great King of All Darkness, that Celestia may not be eager to leave her throne and kingdom to make a personal visit to you with the Elements of Harmony, especially since you've surrounded yourself by... oh, dark forests and swamps and thunderclouds. It's all very scenic, but...”
“I will go and get them! I will bring them all to you!” promised Neato Burrito, turning his intense gaze on Morpheus and raising a hoof in a clenching motion. “I will make them beg for an appointment with your lordship that does not conflict with your important personal schedule!”
“Uh. Thank you, Neato Burrito. That is not entirely necessary, though.” Morpheus said moodily, and then he shook his head shortly before slamming a hoof against the battlements in frustration, complaining almost childishly: “But it makes no sense! Antecedes, you told me yourself, the first thing she did in every threatening circumstance was to send the Elements of Harmony out to deal with it-”
“Well, consider this, oh great lord of darkness. They're only mortal ponies, and the journey is a long and difficult one. Perhaps they are on their way. Or, if you prefer, maybe Celestia considers you to be too dangerous a threat to send the Elements alone and unprepared.” Antecedes reasoned, raising his head and looking strangely resigned to trying to comfort the winged unicorn. “Or maybe she has decided to wait for you to come to her.”
“Like an ex-marefriend! A treacherous ex-marefriend... is she your ex-marefriend?” Neato Burrito suddenly became curious, even if his scowl only lightened ever-so-slightly as he looked with interest over at the winged unicorn.
Morpheus looked irritably back, by now used to the intense, constant scowl and piercing, beady glare of the little earth pony. “No. I am pure evil, I am the opposite of Celestia in every way. Therefore I have decided to live a life indulging the unnaturalness that is homoeroticism.”
Neato Burrito looked stumped by this response, while Antecedes sighed tiredly and rubbed slowly at his skull, saying moodily: “You don't have to justify being gay as part of your great evil existence. You do understand this, yes?”
But Morpheus only snorted at this, looking almost condescendingly over at the skeleton. “Oh please. As if I feel I have to rationalize this and justify myself. I'm merely reinforcing the fact that I have purposefully chosen this lifestyle for myself and, less because of any attraction I may actually have to any other stallion, and more because it better puts me at opposites with Celestia, who follows the clear and natural order of heterosexuality. An order I will corrupt and destroy.”
Antecedes looked flatly at Morpheus for a few moments as Neato Burrito only scratched his head, before the skeleton said sourly, as the winged unicorn started to look away: “Then I hate to point this out, but according to your own logic, then all you've done is made yourself more like Celestia. Reproductive issues aside, as a heterosexual mare, she likes stallions. As a homosexual stallion, you also like stallions. The opposite of a gay stallion is not a straight mare. It is a lesbian mare.”
“You... your argument lacks all logic! Heterosexuality and homosexuality can never peacefully coexist!” Morpheus snapped, and then he huffed and glared back out over the forest, grumbling: “Homosexuality is depravity and indulgence. It is unnatural and evil. It stops all reproduction. And I wish to stop all reproduction on a much larger scale through this entire world myself.”
Neato Burrito awkwardly held up a hoof, and then he asked after a moment in an almost-nervous voice: “Boss, uh... does that mean... I do not have to be homosexual, do I? Because a mighty Luchador such as I cannot bed the colts.”
“I do not care what you prefer, Neato Burrito, I know you are loyal. This is a matter of personal pride.” Morpheus muttered, and then he glared at Antecedes when the skeleton snorted loudly. “Oh, do not be such a child.”
“My apologies. Should we amend your titles, then, and begin calling you the Lord of Evil Love as well? Perhaps the King of Excessive Male Enjoyments?” Antecedes asked dryly, and Morpheus slowly turned a horrible look back on the skeleton. “You brought this up, mighty Morpheus of Nightmares. The only reason I care is because these stupid attempts of yours to be the 'ultimate evil' are going to end up distracting or ruining us.”
“Sexual preference equates to evil, not incompetence. I am no less powerful or intelligent for it. Some would say it makes me even more dangerous.” replied Morpheus moodily, the stallion reaching up and flicking back his silver locks before he turned an irritated look on Neato Burrito, who had turned almost suspicious. “Yes?”
“We are not... I mean, it's still okay to... no, no. Forget it. I shall work out my frustrations in the ring, as I always have, Señor Morpheus. I do not mean to question your governance.” Neato Burrito finally said humbly, bowing his head and going quiet for a moment before he suddenly leapt forwards, leaning over the battlements and roaring: “All of you shall learn to beware my master! My master is the most gay and most evil and most feared stallion in all of the wide, wide land! He shall rule you with impunity and... and great fashion sense!”
Morpheus smiled with wry entertainment at Neato Burrito as Antecedes sighed and lowered his head, before he muttered: “If you were truly evil, Morpheus, you would do away with the concept of 'love' altogether.”
“'Love' is not a thing reserved solely for the forces of good, Antecedes, and I would think that even a skeleton like you would know that. You may be nothing more than brittle bones, but you still feel emotions. You know that to deny the existence of these emotions is weakness.” Morpheus touched his own breast, smiling calmly, looking almost patronizingly at the skeleton. “And you know love yourself, if I remember correctly...”
Antecedes looked sourly at Morpheus, refusing to be baited before he rolled his glowing eyes and turned his gaze back ahead, muttering: “Very well. Then, casting aside this... childishness for now, let's focus on the problem of Celestia-”
“I will go and get her! I will bring her and all the mares back here! And do not fear, for it does not break my sacred oath as a Luchador to do so. It is only within the ring where I am not permitted to harm mares, unless she herself is a master of Lucha Libre. Although, I swear by my code of honor, I shall do no harm to any mare who does not quarrel with me. They will feel only the forceful grip of my mighty grasp, but as the powerful mouth may cradle the egg!” Neato Burrito bit at the air a few times before baring his teeth, raising his head high as his eyes flashed. “To hold firmly, without breaking!”
Morpheus and Antecedes traded looks, and then they both shivered a little before the winged unicorn turned his eyes back towards Neato Burrito and said carefully: “I appreciate your... enthusiasm, my friend, but believe me. This is not necessary. They will come to us in time, I guarantee this. We may have to draw them towards us, and your efforts may be needed in the future... but I would not waste your time bringing all those ponies here when they're sure to arrive themselves. We need merely... give them a little bit of encouragement.”
The winged unicorn looked thoughtfully up at the dark clouds, patting the stone wall moodily before he asked meditatively: “Antecedes... how long has it been since true spirits of darkness and evil have entered the kingdom? Aside from my return, of course.”
“Evil things come and go as they please. What you really want to know is which among those creatures has bothered to attract the attention of the ponies, whether through stupidity or arrogance.” Antecedes said moodily, and Morpheus gave him an irritated look.
“Stop nitpicking. It's getting less charming and more annoying as time wears on.” Morpheus said distastefully, and then he added moodily: “And besides. Everyone here already knows that few 'evils' have ever come to Equestria. Not upon my level, that is.”
Antecedes sighed loudly, but didn't argue with the stallion. Instead, he tapped a hoof against the stone before saying finally: “Accordig to my sources, seventeen years ago there was an isolated incident. A mass murder. A pony was consumed by evil magic after he tampered in what he did not understand, and went on a killing spree. This only ended after he was captured by the Royal Guard, and Celestia had the incident... suppressed.”
“She's always been a tyrant. A dictator, really. Because that, you see, is all good truly is. Dictation of so-called 'good' over everyone else.” Morpheus said with an odd self-satisfaction, and Neato Burrito nodded vehemently in agreement. “But see, Antecedes? They won't understand what they're dealing with, not until too late. So why don't you stop worrying so much about everything... all I have to do is open a path for them, and they'll come right to me.”
“No. No, they won't. You keep treating Celestia like an idiot, but that just reveals your own stupidity.” Antecedes said sourly, and then he reached up and touched his bony nose as he said pointedly: “History is written by the victors and all lines of monarchy stem from conquerors.”
“Then Señor Morpheus is destined to be the leader of us all! Ever since he was a young colt, he has been a conqueror, has he not?” Neato Burrito's forcefulness made it sound a lot less like a question, and a lot more like he was stating some unquestionable, solid fact. “But wait... if Celestia is a great conquistador... why do we never hear of this?”
“That goes back to my first point. Because history is written by the victors. Celestia controls Equestria... quite literally, as she and her sister move the sun and moon.” Antecedes said irritably, gesturing up at the sky... and then the skeleton slowly turned a moody look on Morpheus as the stallion visibly lit up. “Oh no. You have an idea.”
“Yes, yes I do!” Morpheus said cheerfully, clapping his front hooves together once and turning an almost-excited smile towards the skeleton. “I'll use my magic to create an anchor... that way, we can lock the moon in place in the sky! We'll bring eternal night!”
Antecedes rolled his eyes and muttered something, and immediately Morpheus scowled, leaning forwards and asking moodily: “What did you just say? I didn't quite catch that.”
“I said, you're an idiot. And you're also copying Nightmare Moon, the... whiny evil spirit thing that took over Princess Luna.” Antecedes waved a hoof moodily, adding dryly: “Speaking of which, I'm fairly certain the ponies would all just blame her, not you. You're going to have to be more original. No eternal night.”
Morpheus rolled his eyes, then he paused before looking thoughtfully at Antecedes. Antecedes looked moodily back, before the winged unicorn pointed at him almost childishly and declared: “You like her! You like the Night Princess!”
“I do not.” Antecedes said waspishly, glaring at Morpheus even as his crimson horn sparked. “Look, you're the one who wants to be some kind of... idiotic supervillain! Well, you have to claim responsibility for what you do, yes? And you should try and practice at least the smallest bit of originality in your plots!”
“You just do not want him going after the Night Princess' plot, that is all, sí?” asked Neato Burrito with a waggle of his eyebrows, baring his teeth in that aggressive grin of his. “But that is not bad! You must woo her!”
Antecedes stared at the earth pony for a few moments, and then he shook his head shortly before turning his eyes back to Morpheus, saying irritably: “Just try and do something original. Your entire plan here isn't even original. You're not trying to destroy Equestria by yourself, you're-”
“I am so!” snapped Morpheus, and then he reached up and slowly smoothed his coiffed locks back, taking a slow breath before he said calmly: “Look. Once I get the tablet, everything will fall perfectly into place. All I'm missing are those little toys that the Elements of Harmony need to contribute. And once I have them, I will be unstoppable.”
“Well, that's a small improvement from 'I already am unstoppable.'” Antecedes said drolly, and then he winced when Neato Burrito leapt forwards, thrusting a hoof towards him.
“Hey, bone-pony, you best watch your mouth! Señor Morpheus' friend or not, I will have to defend my master's honor if you keep this up!” the small stallion threatened, waving his hoof back and forth before he rose his head proudly. “Our boss, he knows the deal. We just gotta have faith in him, that's all.”
Antecedes sighed and rubbed slowly at his face, but Morpheus only smiled before saying kindly: “Thank you very much, Neato Burrito, but that's not necessary. Antecedes means no harm. He's just a little cranky from not getting his nap and having all his 'helpful suggestions' so easily brushed aside by my much-better plans. Which, by the way, now include capturing the sun and the moon and creating an eternal darkness.”
“Oh that's clearly so much better.” the skeleton said dryly, rolling his eyes before he looked grouchily down at the dark forest below. “Do you see what I see?”
“Forests. Mud. A few goblins. A diamond dog over there is peeing on that tree.” Morpheus said mildly, pointing at the last, and Neato Burrito immediately almost threw himself over the wall, yelling angrily at the diamond dog in his native language and terrifying the canine creature into bolting into the forest, presumably while still urinating.
Slowly, Morpheus looked over at Neato Burrito, but the earth pony was stalwart, raising his head and snorting steam out of nostrils before he growled: “They disrespect you! They disrespect your creation! I will punish them all, Señor! I will show them who is a real stallion, who has the big cojones!”
“Try not to worry about it, Neato. Besides, that's less creation, more... a reworking of the raw material.” Morpheus said gently, and Neato Burrito looked somewhat soothed, nodding shortly and hopping back to a more humble position beside his master.
The winged unicorn nodded a few times to his earth pony companion, and then he clapped his front hooves together before scowling when Antecedes said moodily: “If everything is covered in complete darkness, how are they going to make their way through a pitch-black forest filled with monsters when they're only dumb little ponies? And furthermore, if Celestia does come with them... do you really think she'd be stupid enough to risk pushing through the bog and swamp?”
“You just... oh, fine, Antecedes, fine. Have things your way.” Morpheus muttered, rolling his eyes before he gave a long, theatrical sigh. “I'll be right back, then, while I fix everything... as usual. Excuse me, gentlecolts.”
Antecedes only glowered as Neato Burrito saluted sharply, and the black stallion gave a wry smile before he spread his wings wide and leapt calmly over the edge of the battlements. He glided smoothly down through the air, flapping his wings only once before he neatly landed on the extended bridge that crossed the soggy moat that went around his fortress: a defense measure he failed to realize was rendered mostly useless by the fact the water was little more than waist-deep and just below the level of the bridge... which itself couldn't be drawn back, anyway.
The stallion looked straight ahead, into the boggy, mucky forest and along the faintly-walked paths that led towards civilization. Morpheus chuckled to himself, then shook himself out and stretched back and forth, humming under his breath as his horn thrummed with malign light.
Then he calmly sighed before dropping his head forwards and his front hooves to the ground, taking a slow, leisurely breath. For a few moments, there was nothing further, even the light around his horn fading a little... and then the stallion suddenly snapped his head up with a cold smile, his eyes flashing as his horn released a single, powerful pulse.
The ground in front of him all but erupted, the boggy earth ripping upwards in one terrible tsunami that smashed aside trees like toys, the magical force tearing a trench through the earth leaving a rooster tail of debris and brine in its wake.
Morpheus smiled calmly as trees fell and shifted, the bridge beneath his hooves shivering almost in fear along with the aching earth as the long, seemingly-endless ditch was carved through the earth. He chuckled quietly, studying the destruction he'd caused so easily with a pleased look in his eye... and then he scowled a little as some of the trench started to fill in with sludgy water, the embankment on either side already starting to peel away as trees seemingly yanked themselves back from the wound in the earth. “No, no. Can't have that.”
His horn glowed faintly as he rose one hoof, then closed his eyes and made a simple, short rising gesture: in response, the earth quaked before massive slabs of stone began to shove themselves roughly up out of the trench in short succession, forming a rocky, ugly highway that stretched as far as the eye could see: that, in fact, would form an almost-straight path right through the dark forest that surrounded his fortress.
“Now. Even ponies should be able to manage that...” Morpheus paused, looking thoughtful as he rubbed his front hooves together. “Except... perhaps I'm overestimating them again, yes, Antecedes is right. I should send someone to wait for them, to light their way and bring them to me. Otherwise they might be too scared of the dark.”
Morpheus began to laugh at his own joke... then leapt into the air with a little squeal when a voice shouted: “I shall do it! You consider it done, boss!”
“Neato! How the hell did you get there?” shouted Morpheus, one eye twitching... and then he blushed slightly before hurriedly dropping out of the air and brushing himself out, clearing his throat and adding awkwardly: “You should be more careful I... if it wasn't for my self-control, I could have seriously injured you, my friend.”
“Do not fear! I do not doubt your might, Señor Morpheus, but not even the crushing power of the moon, the most fiercest source of gravity in all of Equestria, can push me down! She may be able to crush the oceans, but a Luchador is greater than the oceans! A Luchador is like the rage of mother earth!” declared Neato Burrito, stepping forwards as his eyes glowed with passion, almost shoving face to face with Morpheus as he grabbed him by the shoulders and made the winged unicorn wince. “Do you understand, Señor Morpheus? Do you comprehend the majesty that is brought by Lucha Libre?”
“I. Yes. I do.” Morpheus said uncomfortably, leaning back with a grimace and giving a weak smile before he cleared his throat loudly, gently prying the earth pony off and saying carefully: “Neato, I... have a much different job for you. Your services are too invaluable to me to have you simply... standing around, waiting for a few ponies to show up at their own accord. No, you, my friend, must be put to work on something more suiting to your abilities.”
“I shall not fail you!” Neato Burrito all-but-shouted, thrusting a hoof into the air as his eyes glowed with pride, and then he gave a short, firm nod before he stepped back and almost ordered: “What is my mission? I must know! I must do!”
Morpheus sighed inwardly, reflecting that he was probably never going to get over how... exuberant Neato Burrito was, so to speak. But all the same, he forced himself to smile and nod awkwardly, clearing his throat before he said carefully: “If by tonight, we haven't had any contact from Princess Celestia... we are going to send her a little message. More specifically, you are, Neato Burrito. You will be going deep into enemy territory to... to defend my honor. Do you think you're capable of that, my Luchador friend?”
“Capable? Capable?” Neato Burrito puffed out his chest, eyes blazing, sounding furiously excited for the chance to prove himself. “I am more than capable, my friend! I am excited! I am enthralled! I am most ready to show you the true, unmatched might of Neato Burrito... of El Casco, the punisher who knows no fear and no equal!”
Neato Burrito slammed his hooves together several times before nodding firmly twice, and Morpheus gave him an almost-uneasy smile before he cleared his throat and said finally: “That is... good to hear. You uh... you uphold the honor of... Luchadores everywhere.”
“Yes!” Neato Burrito almost shouted, thrusting a hoof into the air, and Morpheus almost flinched away from the earth pony, before he sat back and crossed his forelegs, settling those blazing, beady, somehow-terrifying eyes on the winged unicorn again. “So now, I wait. I prepare mentally. And tonight, I will race to Canterlot and beyond if needed to punish your enemies and bring them to you!”
“I doubt you'll need to punish them, Neato. All you'll have to do is... give them a good reason not to ignore me anymore.” Morpheus replied candidly, before brushing at himself and adding pleasantly: “I'd do it myself, of course, but... such trivial things are beneath me. After all, I have much other important work that must be done, involving our preparations to capture the tablet that we seek.
“And, once I have it in my possession...” Morpheus turned away, smiling coldly and rubbing his hooves together before his eyes flicked over his shoulder, towards his still-almost-glaring minion. “No one will be able to stop us. Certainly not Celestia, now that I know her dirty little secret, just as I know the secret of the tablet... a tablet that will allow me to erase this country, if not the entire world!”
“Sí, Señor Morpheus. As you command.” Neato Burrito bowed his head humbly, then he looked quickly up and said firmly: “As it is, though, boss, there is no one who can match your strength! And you have much honor and tener cojones! There is no one who can match you!”
“Thank you, Neato.” Morpheus smiled again, this time a little more wry and relaxed as he gazed over his shoulder at the earth pony. Then he quickly shook himself out before gesturing at the brawny Luchador a few times, saying in a milder voice: “Now please. I... need time to think and prepare. It would be wise of you to do the same.”
“I am always prepared! I am always ready for whatever may happen!” Neato Burrito almost shouted, and Morpheus couldn't help but flinch a bit at the peerless passion of the strange little earth pony. “But very well, Señor Morpheus. I shall go, and will be ready the moment you need me. Do not fear, Señor Morpheus! I will punish your enemies!”
Neato Burrito nodded fiercely several times, then he spun around and strode quickly away, and Morpheus gave a long, tired sigh as he slowly rubbed at his face, watching as the earth pony strode back into the castle in his strange, quick, and incredibly-determined way.
Neato Burrito was a very odd pony... but, like it or not, also a very necessary part of his plans, and a useful servant. Yes, he was loud, 'passionate,' and sometimes a little slow... but then again, the last quality wasn't always a bad thing, either.
Besides, the earth pony's good qualities outweighed his eccentricities. His loyalty was without question, he was strong, and he was able to go places where Morpheus obviously couldn't: being a lavishly-handsome winged unicorn and all, he stood out like a sore hoof in a crowd. Well, if that sore hoof was beautiful and radiated charisma, of course.
Neato Burrito also had a few odder qualities that made him exceptional: he was an excellent fighter, able to wrestle down teams of diamond dogs with ease. He was also very resistant to magic: the short, stubby little brute was tough as nails, with hide like a dragon's scales. Even Morpheus' dark magic had trouble effecting the mighty little Luchador, and the winged unicorn's dark powers were enough to make even Princess Celestia quail in fear.
Morpheus' eyes drew outwards as he turned back ahead, smiling wider as he rubbed his front hooves together almost gleefully. The best thing about Neato Burrito was that he was sure Celestia didn't know about him: she might not even know that he had freed Antecedes from where he'd been sealed in his crypt, or about the fact that he had an entire army of darkness waiting on him, claw and hoof. And these goblins and diamond dogs were only the beginning... not that he really needed these forces of evil, of course, but a little backup never hurt.
He could only imagine what Princess Celestia was feeling right now... and the stallion grinned coldly as he leaned forwards, eyes flashing as he called out mockingly through the darkness of his desolate, hollow kingdom: “I'll be waiting, Day Princess! I'll be waiting... because the sun has already started to set on your rule!”
Princess Celestia's brow furrowed as she sat back in her throne, head down, a faint tingling passing through her horn before she gave a quiet sigh, murmuring: “Moonflower.”
There was silence for a few moments, and then she looked up and gave a brief smile to the six ponies in front of her. The ivory mare slowly stood, her beautiful rainbow mane twisting itself to the side as she looked over the six ponies gathered in front of her.
Two earth ponies, two Pegasi, two unicorns: all with vibrant colors, all with bright eyes... eyes that, even filled with worry, also had hope and total confidence in her, like she could somehow fix all this. But she couldn't... as much as she wished she could, some things couldn't be repaired, couldn't be mended, couldn't be made better.
“Princess?” asked a purple unicorn: a pony she knew very well. It was her student, Twilight Sparkle, who acted like the impromptu leader of this little gaggle of ponies. “Is... is 'moonflower' something we're supposed to find?”
Right. She was supposed to be telling them about what she needed from these six, these Elements of Harmony. But she'd felt that familiar, powerful dark magic, and when she'd closed her eyes, she'd almost seen him for a moment... sensed how powerful he'd become. How, even after all the years that had passed, even after being trapped in a place of evil and torment, he'd only grown stronger from it... while on the other hoof, she'd grown weaker over the years...
“Princess?” Twilight asked nervously again, stepping forwards and looking more worried now. Princess Celestia gave a brief smile at the honest care and compassion she saw in her student's eyes: something that meant even more to her than Twilight's respect.
The ivory winged unicorn held up a hoof, but took a moment to look over her friends, who had such variety between them. From athletic and impatient-looking Rainbow Dash, to coiffed and resplendent and distracted-looking Rarity. But how much difference was there, really? They were all friendly, all believed strongly in the laws of Equestria, they were all from the same culture, all mares. Even if they looked very different at first glance, they were all cut from the same cloth...
Celestia banished these thoughts, her smile only a little forced as she said gently: “I apologize, Twilight Sparkle. I was just... thinking. No, Moonflower... once, he was a unicorn. A unicorn who came from a village that has been... lost to the sands of time.”
Twilight nodded wisely, as if this actually explained something. She would probably repeat it to anyone who asked like it was absolute fact and the only acceptable answer, too, like how two plus two was four, never stopping to consider that villages didn't just vanish. But a certain naivety existed in most of the ponies she ruled, even the smartest ones: something she had helped breed into them, admittedly, although only to protect them of course. From themselves. From what ponies became when they weren't held to strict standards and morals.
Celestia made her voice a little more serious, studying the way the six responded to her verbal cues as she continued: “But Moonflower became obsessed with dark magic. He even challenged me for the throne, saying he wanted to rule a kingdom of darkness. He became an evil pony, calling himself... Moros, the Prince of Darkness.”
Okay, slightly-smudged facts. But they didn't need to know all the details, did they? After all, Moonflower was gathering an army of evil monsters, and she knew he was making plans to attack Canterlot thanks to information gathered through spies and her magic mirror. And it wasn't like Twilight was going to know that-
“Isn't that the ancient word for dumb-dumb?” asked Pinkie Pie querulously, and Celestia had to repress the urge to glare at the pony who was as brightly-colored as her namesake. And apparently as vapid as well, as she giggled brightly and said happily, completely ignoring the seriousness of the situation: “That's silly! Why would he name himself dumb-dumb?”
“I am fairly certain he meant 'Morose,' as in sadness.” Celestia said, only a little bit of stiffness in her voice as she forced herself to smile, before adding gently: “Please listen, we don't have time for interruptions, my little ponies. This is very serious.”
They always had to be treated like foals. Even now, they acted like little school-fillies, Rainbow Dash glaring at Pinkie Pie and Applejack grumbling at her and the pink mare herself only adding to the distraction with the exaggerated way she pretended to zip her mouth shut. And Fluttershy just sat apart from the group, waiting for it all to be over, while Rarity seemed preoccupied with neatening her outfit and adjusting her mane and tail.
Celestia let them settle before she continued in a calm, serious voice: “I was forced to banish him to Tartarus... but he has escaped from there, and instead come back even more powerful, as an alicorn of darkness. He wants to destroy Equestria, and he will stop at nothing to achieve his ends. Only the Elements of Harmony can hope to stop him: we need to... seal him away.”
Celestia wasn't actually sure what the Elements would do to Moonflower: what she honestly hoped was that they would flush the darkness out of his system and drain his strength, returning him to the state of a normal unicorn instead of what he had become. The thought of another winged unicorn in her kingdom, and one who practiced dark magic, at that...
The mare repressed a scowl, instead turning her eyes to Twilight as her student asked uneasily: “But Princess, if he's so powerful and so dangerous... do you really think we can stop him?”
Probably not. “Of course, Twilight Sparkle. As long as you work together with your friends, I know that you can conquer any enemy and solve any problem.”
Twilight Sparkle smiled warmly, and Celestia sighed inwardly, silently wishing that she could go back to the days when she had believed that herself... except, well, she never really had, had she? But she had grown up in a harsher, crueler time, with trials and tribulations these ponies couldn't even dream of thrust upon her again and again... and that was why she was determined to do whatever it would take to keep these ponies safe and stop them from making the mistakes their ancestors had.
“And the six of you are not in this alone. I will be coming with you myself, to help you in every way I can.” Celestia said gently, and Twilight lit up at this as all her friends looked up in surprise that quickly turned to a mix of relief and happiness.
“Thank you, Princess Celestia! With your help, I know we'll be able to stop him!” Twilight exclaimed, and Celestia smiled almost sadly at her student, her eyes flickering with both happiness and pain. Twilight was so naïve still: she still believed in things like perfection, and easy answers, and good and right and justice...
The Princess of the Sun shook her head slowly, and then she said softly: “But for now, Twilight Sparkle, you and your friends should go and get some well-deserved rest. Tomorrow, we will begin training and preparations for the journey. We will not allow ourselves to be rushed: Moonflower is still in the process of establishing his presence in our country, and he has many dangerous servants. We have to be cautious.”
“Hey, we can take him any time!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, pumping a hoof in the air and nodding firmly, and Twilight Sparkle blushed and glared at her friend, but seemed to agree all the same.
Celestia repressed the urge to sigh, instead only forcing herself to smile again as she chastened gently, in her practiced, teacherly voice: “Now, Rainbow Dash. Don't be hasty or overconfident. Moonflower is a very serious enemy. We don't want anyone to get hurt.”
The others nodded, and then Celestia prompted: “Shining Armor is waiting, though, and I'm sure you're all eager to rest for tomorrow.”
There was the faintest spark, the smallest pulse of magic, and a moment later even exuberant Pinkie Pie was yawning as five of the six ponies were all overcome with sudden exhaustion. Celestia smiled slightly as Twilight Sparkle nodded respectfully, then turned to her friends... and laughed, saying awkwardly: “I'm sorry, Princess, I guess my friends really are tired... and I really do want to make sure I'm as prepared as possible for your lessons!”
“Good. It's my fault, though, Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia smiled wryly at her own truth, although she knew Twilight wouldn't catch on: her student still hadn't learned how to suppress the telltale aura around her horn, or how to detect cloaked enchantments. And it wasn't like Celestia had any intention of teaching her that, either: some things were better left untaught.
“So I'll... see you tomorrow!” Twilight said awkwardly, smiling lamely up at her teacher, and Celestia nodded calmly. She watched, but didn't really pay attention as Twilight turned to marshal her friends away: instead, she thought of all the plans she'd once had for her student, plans that had all changed so suddenly thanks to one little thing she had never anticipated.
She watched in silence as her personal student led her friends away, and then she gave a quiet sigh before shaking her head slowly and sitting back in her throne. She shifted impatiently as everyone filtered out, ignoring the brief wave and smile Twilight gave her as she lingered in the doorway for a moment before the guards finally shut them.
Celestia let her shoulders slump, her head dropping before she glanced irritably up at her guards. They looked back at her impassively, and the ivory mare grimaced before muttering: “I'm going to have to fix you two someday.”
She rose her hoof and flicked it to the side, and both guards quickly stepped back in front of the doors before sitting themselves down, as if to block them with their bodies. For a moment longer, they stared at Celestia before she made another short gesture... and then both soldiers suddenly lost all color and distinction, becoming solid stone statues in golden armor.
They weren't lifeless, though: these constructs still seemed to breathe, even with a lack of mouth... not to mention no lungs and bodies made of inflexible marble. These golems were carefully programmed to mimic real pony behaviors, and to 'disguise' themselves in the presence of real ponies... well, apart from her and a few others who knew that her personal escort was composed mainly of dependable synthetic constructs.
Celestia scowled a little: the one problem was that they couldn't think creatively, which meant that real ponies were still a necessity. Ponies like Shining Armor... not that he actually knew about any of the golems, of course. He didn't even know which soldiers under his command were real, and which ones were constructs, thanks to how well they were able to blend in with normal ponies.
The ivory mare sighed tiredly, then held up a hoof as her horn glowed: a moment later, a large bottle floated up from where it had hidden behind her seat of power. It dropped into her grip, and the mare quickly uncorked it before taking a few long, soothing drinks from the bottle.
She sighed, then slumped, hugging the bottle against her body and scowling moodily up at the ceiling, muttering: “Well, here I am, mother. Wasting my life, just like you said I would. So at least you're happy, since little sister always was your favorite... and she thinks I'm wasting my life here, too.”
Celestia took another long drink from the seemingly-endless bottle, and then she dropped it back into its safe cradle in her forelegs, holding it like it was a baby as she closed her eyes. She shifted uncomfortably as she felt a prickling need for something else twist through her mind, but it was only just starting to move towards dinnertime: if anyone came in, they'd smell the smoke and then there would probably be a riot, because oh my god, how could such a perfect princess do something so awful and terrible as smoking a cigarette?
“Maybe I should let Moonflower take over. Then he can mollycoddle Equestria all day.” Celestia muttered under her breath bitterly, and then she shook herself out, scowling a little at her own self-pity and silly dreaming. No, she was Princess for a reason: one day, she would be able to step down, but only after she found the right inheritor.
She'd thought – hoped – that would be Twilight Sparkle... but she had been wrong. She still couldn't believe it, either, after Twilight had shown so much promise... and even now, she seemed exceptional, she seemed so talented, she seemed so incredible...
But none of it was thanks to some innate gift. All of it was because Twilight Sparkle had worked hard her entire life to get where she was today... and for Celestia, that was a disappointment. Moreover, considering all the countless hours spent studying and practicing magic, Celestia had calculated that Twilight should be far above the current level she was at...
But she wasn't. She was plateauing, as a matter of fact, and even though Twilight was currently mastering 'the highest level of magic,' that wasn't actually a very high level of magic at all. Unicorns even a few hundred years ago would have cast circles around her, metaphorically and probably literally, since holding spells had always been a popular choice among mages.
Celestia grumbled tiredly to herself. One little accident of magic... she shouldn't have acted on impulse. Many unicorn foals, when panicked, produced incredible feats of magic, but it wasn't something that lasted very long: by the time they were adolescents, their magical abilities usually dropped and required effort and hard work to develop.
Twilight Sparkle wasn't special. Her biggest feats to date were defeating Nightmare Moon and Discord... but Nightmare Moon had been the equivalent of a childish little filly having a hissy-fit, and Discord was nothing more than a clown looking for social validation. Which he would never get, of course, no matter how much he tried to help or how hard he worked to get along with the ponies.
Celestia grumbled under her breath, then sipped at her bottle... but with a little more restraint this time, absently playing with her peytral. The worst part of their current plight was that, if Moonflower had just been a little bit nicer, she would have gladly accepted him as a student, and eventually taken him on as an advisor or more. And he'd certainly gone and proven that he was powerful enough to be a ruler... the problem was that he had such an egotistical, bratty personality. Always combing his hair or trying to show off or rubbing oils all over himself...
Celestia shook her head hurriedly, then she slapped her own cheek a few times before looking down at the bottle. She grimaced after a moment, then took one last drink to fortify herself before quickly corking it and shoving it under her throne, muttering: “That's enough of that now. And enough of you, too.” She added, looking pointedly down at herself. “You're too old to fall for the bad boy types. You know that.”
There was a rumble of disagreement from... well, herself, so to speak... but the mare only shook her head and slouched back in her throne, absently letting one hoof trail over her body as she mumbled: “Still. He always was handsome, and strong, and... well, that's about it. Well... no, he had a nice voice, too, didn't he? It was easy to listen to. I mean, he was boring, but he was easy to listen to...”
The mare closed her eyes, sighing softly as she slumped back in her throne. And the worst part of it all? He was from the old days, meaning he was a pony she could actually probably be herself around, instead of... perfect princess ultra perfect super perfect Celestia. Sure, maybe she couldn't completely be 'herself,' but at least she wouldn't have to pretend she was nice all the time. She could show her real emotions, if not her real face.
“Moonflower.” Celestia muttered, and then she shook her head slowly before closing her eyes and trying to focus in on him. But just on her own, she couldn't find him: he had inundated the entire area around his fortress with a powerful shroud enchantment. So unless he performed some great feat of magic, she wasn't going to be able to so much as catch a glimpse of him without the use of her magic mirror... which she didn't exactly have in easy access right now.
Her thoughts were interrupted as there was a hammering on the door, before a muffled voice shouted through the wood: “Celestia! I know you're in there! Let me in!”
“No.” Celestia said sulkily, slouching further in her seat and not caring how childish she was being. The annoying mare pounded on the door a few more times, and yelled something through the wood, but Celestia only flicked her horn with a scowl, and a moment a thin barrier appeared over both doors, bracing them... and more importantly, muffling any noise trying to pass through them.
She knew that it wouldn't hold for long, all the same, but Celestia closed her eyes and dropped her head forwards, praying for just a few more seconds of peace and quiet before she had to play babysitter to the biggest baby of all. Some days, she really wished that her little sister would go crazy, just so she could send her horrible, bratty, whiny, obnoxious little sister straight to the moon...
Luna was horrible. She had a bad temper, no sense of volume control, and she was bossy and childish and scared all the handsome colts away. She also considered herself to be a wellspring of great wisdom, when she didn't have enough common sense not to lick metal poles in winter.
And I bet she licks a lot more than metal poles, any season of the year. Celestia thought grouchily, although even she recognized this was far from charitable even by her standards. But well... she wasn't feeling charitable today. Especially not towards a certain pony who thought she could solve all their problems with Moonflower by having a 'nice little talk' with him.
The mare scowled a little, then she shook her head quickly before sighing and looking up irritably as a loud buzzing sound filled the air. A moment later, a portal ripped open in reality that Luna tromped through, the sapphire winged unicorn glaring up at her challengingly, her starry mane swirling around her as she snapped: “You can't lock me out whenever you want!”
“I can so. It's my castle. I can do whatever I want.” Celestia retorted, and Luna glared at her before the ivory mare sighed and reached up to slowly rub her forehead, muttering: “And that is a ridiculous abuse of magic. A portal, really? Ancient space-time magic, to get through a locked door?”
“You put up a magic barrier, I can see it!” complained Luna, and then she stormed forwards as Celestia moodily flicked her horn, shutting the portal that Luna had apparently already forgotten about. After all, leaving wormholes festering in reality was a rather bad habit to get into. “Now you listen to me. We are equals. If you don't respect me saying that, remember that our mommy always said so too.”
“Mommy said a lot of things.” Celestia muttered, and then she dropped her chin on a hoof and sighed quietly before she said suddenly: “I hate you. And I hate this. And I hate most of all that I actually don't, because at least you're the one person who I can at least be my real self around.”
Luna looked surprised at this, raising her head for a moment... and then she bit her lip before giving a small smile, dropping her own head forwards and mumbling: “I'm still mad at you. But it's your fault, you know. You said-”
“I know. I know. I'm responsible for a lot of this.” Celestia sighed softly, then she shook her head slowly and muttered: “But even you understand. There's no perfect medium, only one extreme or the other. They live like children, or they live like monsters. I'm... losing my patience with them.”
“You always call me a child, though, and you say it's one of the things about me that makes you angriest... is it really such a good idea to make them live the same way?” Luna asked quietly, and Celestia looked up in surprise, before slowly lowering her head and looking considering.
She tapped a hoof against the arm of her chair, and then she sighed, instead asking: “What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?”
Luna scowled at her, then she huffed and blew some of her starry mane away from her face, muttering: “And great. One heartwarming moment later, and now we're back to this.”
“Back to what?” Celestia asked irritably, sitting up and frowning darkly in return, but Luna only rolled her eyes, complete with a dismissive, rude little flick of her head, and the ivory mare ground her teeth together in irritation.
“I wanted to talk to you about Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Involving them is too cruel, even for you. You're going to get them hurt. We've talked about this, you promised you'd stop putting ponies at risk.” Luna said pointedly, and Celestia glared at her little sister, opening her mouth-
A soft ding filled the air, and Celestia grimaced and gave Luna a short, rude gesture before she sharply flicked her horn: immediately, both of her golems stepped away from the door as the barrier vanished, and they both took on the shape of Royal Guards a moment before the doors were carefully pushed open, and a blushing Twilight Sparkle stuck her head inside.
Celestia smiled calmly, straightening in her throne, making herself look as maternal as possible as Luna turned around and rose her head high. As always, her posture was stiff, and her voice came across too serious as she greeted cordially: “Twilight Sparkle, it is good to have thou in our presence.”
“Hi, Princess Luna! It's nice to see you too.” Twilight smiled, completely unaware that Luna's bastardized regality wasn't because she was some long-ago time, but because Celestia's little sister was a horrible, horrible actress. Just like in cards, she always overplayed her hoof... but it wasn't like any of these ponies had ever caught on.
“How can I help you, Twilight Sparkle? And please tell me you didn't come alone: I'm very concerned for the safety of you and your friends in particular.” Celestia said, putting as much concern as she could force out into her voice.
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle. We are very concerned as well.” Luna added pompously, and Celestia did her best to resist the urge to glare at her horrible little sister. “This is truly a most dangerous and pressing time, after all. We know that our most-loved sister may have your best interest at heart, but there are many dangerous games ahoof.”
Twilight only smiled and blushed a bit, lowering her head awkwardly. “Well, I... did get a Royal Guard to escort me, one of Shining's best soldiers, he said. I just... I'm really worried about everyone. I wanted to make sure there was nothing else I could do. Maybe I could help you... prepare defenses around the castle, or I could use my magic to help you investigate what Moros is doing.”
Celestia resisted the urge to laugh: the wards on the castle were ancient and more powerful than Twilight could begin to imagine, and a unicorn of her meager talent would only get in the way. It would take Celestia days to teach her any new magic... “That is a nice thought, Twilight Sparkle, but those spells are very... complicated. I'm not sure you could use them properly without practice.”
Twilight blushed and nodded, then said hurriedly: “But... but I'd be willing to try! I know sometimes it takes me a little while of studying before I really... master new magic, but... when we dealt with King Sombra a little while ago, I was able to use that kind of magic really fast!”
Celestia's eyes sharpened at this, the mare's features becoming colder as Luna frowned uneasily. Twilight caught the change in expression... but apparently attributed it to something completely different in her naivety, saying embarrassedly: “I'm sorry, I... don't mean to brag or anything, you're always telling me to practice, practice, practice, and about how getting it on the first try often means luck, not skill... but it really felt-”
“Twilight Sparkle, perhaps... we should speak later tonight. Yes, I have some business to attend to with my sister, but we'll talk tonight.” Celestia stopped, realized how abrupt she was coming across, and quickly smiled as Twilight looked at her uncertainly, the ivory mare saying gently: “I'm sorry for being short with you, but our country's business doesn't grind to a halt just because of Moros. I have a very busy schedule.”
“Oh! I'm sorry, Princess, I didn't mean to intrude.” Twilight blushed and dropped her head humbly, smiling awkwardly. “I won't ring the bell next time, I'll just wait outside the doors, okay?”
“No, it's fine, Twilight Sparkle. Thank you for telling me what you have. Tonight, please come to my room, and we'll find a place where you can demonstrate your magic proficiencies to me. We'll go from there.” Celestia said gently, and the violet mare smiled happily and nodded a few times.
Neither of the winged unicorns paid any attention to Twilight Sparkle as the unicorn left and closed the doors, barely hearing her goodbyes and platitudes... and, the moment the doors were shut, Luna looked sharply up at Celestia and said quietly: “You cannot kill her.”
“I will do what I must. It's bad enough she ended up being a disappointment. But if she does have a talent for dark magic, then I'll... do what must be done to protect Equestria, just like I have since I first took over.” Celestia muttered, looking away and scowling darkly. “I'll start with a genealogy. I checked three generations back for any compromising qualities... maybe I didn't look back far enough.”
Luna looked up at Celestia, then she shook her head slowly before muttering: “You call me the big baby, sister, but you're the one who seems to enjoy pretending to be-”
“I am the one who has to take care of this nation. I am Celestia.” The ivory mare snarled, sitting up and glaring furiously down at her sister, who winced back in surprise at her sibling's fury. Then Celestia closed her eyes and took a breath before she said icily: “Our conversation is over.”
“Fine.” Luna growled, spinning around and heading for the doors. But even in spite of all her anger and how upset she was, she couldn't help but look worriedly over her shoulder at her big sister, afraid that she might end up doing more damage to her own country than the darkness she was trying so hard to fight ever could.