//------------------------------// // Things Past // Story: Night's Favoured Child // by Municipal Engines //------------------------------// Chapter Nine: Things Past Motes of dust floated freely about the sitting room, puffed into the air by the slightest pressure on the seemingly-spotless cushions and highlighted by the light streaming in through tall, narrow stained glass windows. Towering, darkly-varnished bookcases lined the walls. The volumes they contained were so old that the paper had turned brown and coarse. Twilight sat in front of a low table, surrounded by venerable chairs that had likely not seen use in over a hundred years. Behind her was a particularly well-crafted divan, filled with fine pillows that seemed more works of art than places to park a backside. It was like many of the other appallingly underused parlour rooms in the palace: priceless. Splayed on the table before Twilight was an ancient scrapbook. The tome was full of flamboyant, curly hornwriting that Twilight could barely decipher. Walls of text, notes and bullet-points were crammed in next to sketches, diagrams and maps. Much of the content – indeed, entire pages – had been bound into the tome, taken from other sources. A large black hoof pointed at one of the maps. “The Coalition then cornered us above Redroot Canyon,” Nightmare Moon said. “We were heavily outnumbered – only four thousand soldiers to their twenty thousand – and every unit but my Honour Guard had suffered many casualties. We were all exhausted from the fighting, even I. With the dead drop into the canyon at our backs and the Coalition forces facing us, the situation seemed hopeless. The Imperial pegasi were about to fly away and leave us to our fate, until I… convinced them of their imprudence.” The little purple filly stared up at the alicorn with eager eyes. Though talk of battle and strife was more Orion’s thing, Twilight found herself captivated by the first-hoof account from the Empress. “Then what happened? How did you escape?” “I may have lacked the energy to wipe out the enemy, but I had enough to make a rock bridge across the canyon. We managed to evacuate our non-flying troops to safety while the Honour Guard covered our retreat,” a brief, proud smile shone across her face. “Some fool of a Coalition general, probably some patrician that bought his commission, decided it would be wise to pursue us across my own bridge. I waited until it was full of their heavy infantry before collapsing it. Several hundred lighter units were on our side by then, but they surrendered almost immediately.” “So you escaped and returned to Canterlot,” Twilight said, remembering her own discussions on Equestrian history with Orion. “And you returned with your entire army.” Nightmare Moon nodded. “Yes. While we may have been outnumbered in theory, the capitulation of Unicornia in the previous conflict left them short of magic-using reinforcements. At the time, the south and the north were not very comsopolitan; the Earth Confederacy and the City-State of Pegasopolis were, demographically, almost entirely made up of their respective races.” Twilight furrowed her brow. If memory served, that was not compatible with what she had learned into her foray in early Equestrian history. “I thought the earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns had all joined the Coalition of Equestria to live and work together. Why were they still so separate?” “Though the nations had joined under an alliance, they were still independent peoples,” the Empress explained. “Their systems of government – military dictatorship, plutocratic oligarchy, and hereditary monarchy – were incompatible with each other. Each nation wanted to keep to their own goals, customs and laws, so while they cooperated at an administrative level, there was a lack of migration between them. Their disunity was what ultimately led to their downfall. Their armies were inflexible and vulnerable to my mixed forces without all the other members of the Coalition to assist them.” “Plus, you being an ultra-powerful alicorn helped, right?” Twilight offered, smiling. Nightmare Moon smiled back. “Right.” After a moment of silence, Twilight looked away. A question had scratched at her brain ever since they began the subject, begging to be asked, but fear of offending the Empress held it back. Even as the question begged her to release it, the unicorn considered the best possible way to ask it. “Your Majesty?” she squeaked tentatively, facing her mentor. “Yes, Twilight?” “Why do ponies fight?” she asked, immediately regretting it. That question was far too massive and unanswerable to burden the Empress with explaining it to a little filly. Twilight selected a different, easier question. “I mean, did you really have to invade Unicornia? It made the Coalition attack you and all those ponies died.” As Twilight’s question hung in the air, Nightmare Moon’s face drooped into a slight wince. At first, Twilight braced herself for an angry admonishment from the Empress, but then she saw the alicorn hang her head just slightly. Nightmare wore a look of... regret? Shame? Twilight couldn't quite read all of its nuances, but it was humbling – and frightening – to see the ruler of all Equestria look so vulnerable. “It was… necessary,” the black mare said finally, struggling to find the right words. “You have to understand, Twilight, Equestria as you know it didn’t exist beyond the Provinces of Everfree, Bluecob and half of what would be Manehattan. We were small and weak; Everfree had recently been rendered unsuitable for habitation, and the other two provinces brimmed with refugees. The Coalition looked at us like dragons at a two-ton diamond. Tensions were already at breaking point, and eventually…” Nightmare Moon sighed. “I admit that I was much less... patient then, but I did what I had to do to protect my little ponies. Even though we struck first, it was always a defensive war. Sometimes, a pony must fight in order to protect the things they love and believe in.” Twilight nodded. That did make sense. Even if Equestria started the war, Twilight knew Nightmare Moon would have only done so if she was left with no other choice. She was a good pony; a little frightening at times, but good. Protecting loved ones was as noble a goal as one could have. The filly creased her brow, though, confused by part of the Empress’s explanation. “Your Majesty?” she said. “How was Everfree made… like it is, just after you founded the Empire? What happened there?” The black alicorn pursed her lips, glancing upwards in thought. “Well… there was a certain… event. An accident whose effects were not unlike igniting a reservoir of liquid magic. The result was much devastation, and the creation of the dark forest we see tonight.” “Really? There was nothing mentioning an accident that big in any of the history books I’ve read,” Twilight frowned, failing to notice the worry in the Empress’s eyes. “I think you should tell that to the publishers. We can’t have ponies going round thinking the wrong things!” “No… no we can’t,” Nightmare Moon smiled stiffly. Then, there was a knock at the door. A guard’s voice called, “Your Majesty! His Grace, Prince Blueblood, Duke of Canterlot requests to see you.” "The Duke? I thought he was visiting Whitetail with his son...” Nightmare Moon said to herself, brow furrowing. She sighed and called out. “Very well, show him in." The doors flashed with magic and opened; the white form of Blueblood the Ninth appeared with an uncharacteristically wide smile playing on his lips. Twilight couldn't help but think anything that made the Duke that happy was a bad thing. He stepped forward, saying nothing, and gave a small bob of a bow. “Make this quick, Blueblood. I am in the middle of something here,” the Empress said. The wide smile broke into a grin and gold light began to play around the unicorn stallion. Twilight winced at the display; the spectacular golden glow increased as it enveloped him completely, hurting her eyes like she was staring right at the Bright Moon. In a blaze of light, the shape of the pony before her changed. It grew tall and slender, shedding Duke Blueblood's powerful build, and the single horn on its head splintered into two, shifting to either side and sprouting a dozen branched points. When the light faded, Twilight could only stare with wide eyes at the person before her. It was a tall, sleek creature that she quickly recognised as a stag deer. His body was covered in shining white fur like the virgin snow on a crisp winter’s evening. The deer’s horns – no, antlers, she corrected herself – were perfectly smooth and symmetrical, spreading like an exotic crown above his head. There was something strangely fascinating about the creature. His alien body was lithe, well-muscled and seemingly flawless; his face strange and inequine, but somehow indefinably handsome. Sparkling eyes filled with liquid gold and a warm smile shifted to her, and it was all Twilight could do not to melt. There was something strangely glamorous about the stag. Twilight felt a powerful, wild presence about him, but it was tempered by an air as supple and delicate as the caress of a warm breeze. The paradox seemed to wrap itself around her brain, fascinating her attention as her stomach filled with butterflies and a trembling sigh escaped her lips. “Twilight.” At the sound of her teacher’s stern voice, the filly snapped out of her trance and turned to a Nightmare Moon who looked very cross indeed. She motioned for the door. “Leave us, please. This is a very important matter.” The filly nodded numbly and made for the door, but a shivery thrill ran through her as she passed the deer. The air seemed thick around the tall white stag; it made her blush for reasons she could not pinpoint, and she almost stopped to beg the Empress to let her stay. One glance at Nightmare Moon's icy expression, though, propelled her the rest of the way to the door. As she left the room and rounded the next corner, Twilight heard Nightmare Moon’s voice echo down the halls. “Guards, I am not to be disturbed under any circumstances. Understood?” Twilight sighed. The sudden, mysterious arrival of that fascinating stranger piqued her curiosity. A hundred questions hummed like honeybees inside her head. Who was he? Why was he there? And why did he make her feel so... fuzzy? The filly blushed as she remembered the stranger’s kind, handsome face smiling warmly at her. Now she could begin to understand why Moondancer and her friends were so interested in boys – if only they were more like the ivory stag! Turning another corner, Twilight pushed open a door absent-mindedly, still deep in her thoughts. Why was Nightmare Moon so cross? Did the hart bring bad news? The unicorn couldn’t imagine such a fantastic creature being able to make somepony angry. Twilight stopped abruptly as she realised that she had not been paying attention to where she was walking. The labyrinthine corridors and rooms of the palace were so very easy for a pony to lose themselves in, especially when her mind was elsewhere. Now she stood in a passageway completely unfamiliar to her. This was clearly one of the servants' passages, a plain stone corridor lit by glowing crystals instead of windows. There were miles of such tunnels throughout the castle, all practically identical, allowing the dirty and unpleasant parts of palace logistics to take place out of sight of the nobility. Well done, Twilight, a voice in the back of her mind quipped. You get your head stuck in the clouds, and look where it gets you: utterly lost. Focus. Frowning, the filly snorted and pushed onward. Lost as she was, going forward would be just a productive as trying to find her way back, so down the strange, narrow halls she went. Besides, further exploration of the ins and outs of the palace would be just the thing to shake the gorgeous– to shake that stag out of her head. As she wandered, trying to imagine what hidden wonders she might find, her ears perked up at the sound of a voice further down the corridor. “So how ‘bout it?” a deep male voice asked, his accent clipped and gravelly. “Just a little lunch is all I’m asking.” “Look, you’re sweet, but I’m not… I just…” Twilight poked her head round the corner to discover an oddity even her imagination hadn't anticipated. A young earth pony mare in the uniform of a maid was scuffing a forehoof against the floor. Her face was contorted in a show of nervousness. “You just think I’m intimidating, don’t you?” the male sighed. “Go on, you can say it.” The stallion himself was what made the tableau so strange. He was large and stocky, covered in grey-brown fur topped with a stark black mane, cut long but tied up in a ponytail. He was obviously a member of the Honor Guard; his batlike wings and dragon-slitted pupils were clear enough sign of that. And yet, he retained them out of uniform. The stallion wore no armor, his crossed-spears cutie mark clearly visible. Is he somehow keeping the illusion enchantment on? the filly wondered. “Maybe just a little,” the maid said. “I mean, please don’t take it the wrong way, but you–” The bat-winged pony shook his head. “It’s all right, I’m used to it. We weren't born to be pretty, just scary. Don‘t worry, I‘m not going to get violent just because you shot me down.” “It’s not that,” the earth pony said a little too quickly, giving him an apologetic look. “It’s just that you’re an Honour Guard, and…” Then, her eyes locked with Twilight’s, and she stalled. Raising her brow, she called out to the filly. “Hello?” As Twilight timidly stepped out from the shelter of the corner, the Honour Guard also turned his attention to her. With both these adults staring at her, fully aware of what could be called eavesdropping, the little unicorn blushed in embarrassment. “Hello,” she squeaked back. “My… I’m Twilight Sparkle.” The stallion raised a quizzical eyebrow. “And what is the Empress’s student doing in the servants’ passages?” “I’m, um… lost,” Twilight said. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and I kind of just wandered into the wrong place.” “Fair enough,” he chuckled. “I’ll take you back to the main foyer. I’m sure you know your way to wherever you want to go from there.” He turned to the maid. “I’ll see you around, Buttercup.” “Yeah,” the mare said, her voice soft and whispery. “Look, I’m sorry–” “I said it was all right,” the black-haired pony replied with a hint of bitterness, walking away. “Come this way, Miss Sparkle.” Twilight followed the large pony as he weaved through the corridors with stoic confidence, leaving Buttercup behind. There were so many doors and turns and intersecting halls, the little unicorn was always amazed that anypony knew their way around. She fought the inquisitive urge to speed around, opening random doors just to see where they led. Twilight imagined that some of them simply opened up to more corridors that eventually circled in on themselves. Sidling up to the stallion, she couldn’t help but glance at his wings. They were so strange, even though all Honour Guards had them. They were supposed to be a case of simple transmogrification! But these… she lifted a hoof, about to touch the leathery wing, but quickly set it down. I don’t think he’d like that too much, Twilight decided. She studied the rest of him. He was quite a bit larger than the average stallion, definitely larger than most other guard ponies, and he had a blocky quality about him; a jutting, angular jaw, broad, squared-off shoulders, and flat, slab-sided barrel. It was like somepony had taken a lump of pure muscle and roughly chiselled out the shape of a stallion before sticking a pair of bat wings on him. His draconic yellow eyes betrayed little emotion, just like the rest of the Honour Guard that so loyally kept watch over her and the Empress. “You can ask, you know,” he said in his gravelly voice, his eyes still fixed ahead. “I don’t mind you asking, if you’re curious.” “About your wings?” Twilight asked. He nodded. The filly considered this for a moment before shaking her head. “I’d rather know your name first, if you don’t mind.” “Proud Song,” he said simply, betraying only a flicker of a smile. “And… why do you have those bat wings? I mean, the other Honour Guards have them, but they go away when they take their armour off.” Proud Song flexed his wings, giving another slow nod. “You're correct, this is no enchantment. I was born this way.” Twilight digested this for a few seconds as they turned down yet another utterly identical corridor. “So you’re a different sort of pony altogether, like unicorns, earth ponies and pegasi?” “Precisely, although it was from the pegasi that my race, the thestrals, was created,” the stallion said. Twilight bridled at that comment. “Wait… created from pegasi? What do you mean by that?” Proud Song shrugged. “Created. Shaped. Sculpted. We were chosen by our Father, the Lord of the Light, and given these wings and these eyes as his brand.” Twilight was now thoroughly confused. What on earth is he talking about? she wondered. Surely not a god. There’s no such thing. Gods were fairy-tale beings that only existed in foreign myths. They supposedly had the power to create, destroy, and shape the world as they saw fit, creating their own morality and order for their chosen peoples. Alicorns had discovered and preached Enlightenment and Harmony, yes, but they were real ponies. They certainly weren't gods. “So who is this ‘Lord of the Light’, then?” Twilight probed, her academic interest once more awakened. “Some kind of deity?” The thestral stopped for a moment, head inclined to the side in thought. He turned to her, looking her in the eye for the first time. And for the first time, Twilight felt intimidated by him. She had been wrong about his eyes. They weren't exotically beautiful dragon's eyes like Nightmare Moon's. His were savage and bestial, more cat than dragon. Song’s eyes were a predator’s eyes. “The simplest answer is the best one, no?” He smiled, but only just. “The Father was an alicorn, many thousands of years ago. He surpassed all others in power and ability. We call him the Great Shaper; he made many races, taking the forms of different peoples and moulding them. Tarpans, thestals, and minotaurs were among the scores he created.” Proud Song paused and began leading Twilight through the palace halls once again. “But I am no priest. I only understand the basics.” Why worship one alicorn above thousands of others? the filly wondered. Other than Arche and his disciples, anyway. Still, she certainly had never heard of an alicorn actually making new creatures. Was even Nightmare Moon that powerful? “So what happened to him?” she asked. “I mean, he’s not around anymore, so did he ascend with the rest of the alicorns or something?” The bat-winged pegasus frowned. “No. He was betrayed.” This only elicited a confused look from Twilight, so he sighed and began to elaborate. “The Lord of the Light was a great being; clever and powerful and wise. While many respected him for these traits, others feared him. They were fearful of his power and his vision for the world. No other alicorn had even dared to attempt what he achieved, so they waged a war against him. The fighting was long and bitter, and all our Father’s children flocked to join him – as well as many alicorns – but the other side eventually prevailed and cast out the Lord. Even for all his might, he was not all-powerful, so he was overwhelmed by sheer number and imprisoned in the moon.” Twilight tilted her head. “But why would the alicorns do something like that? Why wouldn’t they appreciate him for his talents? I thought alicorns were wise and good.” “The nights of Arche and his disciples were long gone by then, Miss Sparkle. The Lord was a rare individual; he had wisdom like that of Arche and a vision of the perfect world for all his subjects. Alicorns are just like you or I, although they may have a different… perspective at times because of their age and power.” The stallion smiled slightly. “But one night the Lord will return and bring Light to the darkness, and he will heal this broken world.” Their discussion soon lapsed into silence as they trotted onwards through the palace. Finally, they emerged through a door into a bright, moonlit hallway in a more public part of the Imperial Palace. Rather than coming across only one or two ponies, Twilight now saw dozens along the way; all sweeping through the halls with little concern for the goings-on around them. Of course, they had important business to attend to, but Twilight wondered why they didn’t take the time to stop and just look at the world around them. Didn’t they find anything interesting besides their destinations? The palace still amazed her; there was so much to learn in its gilded halls! Even though she recognised this part of the palace, Twilight didn't say so; she wanted to hear more of what Proud Song had to say. “Why do the Honour Guards look like bat-po… thestrals, Mister Song?” she asked. “Originally, the Honour Guard was made up only of thestrals,” the stallion said. “Her Majesty gave us a home and a purpose when we had none, and we became Nightmare Moon's personal warriors. Now even non-thestral ponies of the Honour Guard assume our likeness for the sake of tradition. In time, our numbers thinned and many migrated away into other lives, but there are still a few thestral who remember our old loyalties.” Twilight looked up at the bat-winged pony with wide, reverent eyes. “So you're part of a long line of ponies who've served Nightmare Moon since before the Empire?” Proud Song – much to Twilight’s silent surprise – allowed a small chuckle to escape his lips. “No, actually. My father worked on a private airship. I was just young and headstrong, looking for my purpose in life. Anyway, after reading up on my people’s history, I had the bright idea to come to Canterlot. I signed up for the royal guards and before I knew it, I was promoted to the Honour Guards. I earned my captaincy through the sweat of my brow and back-breaking effort. The first of my kind in the Honour Guard for over a century.” “I’ve never seen any thestrals before,” the lavender unicorn said. “Where’d you come from?” “There’s hardly any of us in Equestria anymore, and nowanights we all live in Covenburg.” The town’s name was lost on Twilight, and it didn’t take long for Song to realise that. “It’s like Cloudsdale, but with thestrals.” “Oh… yeah, that makes sense,” Twilight nodded. At last, they reached the entrance foyer. As usual, it was bustling with ponies, some simply using it as a thoroughfare, others eating at the tables and many more mingling and talking in groups. Proud Song drew himself up, puffed his chest out and put on a stern face. As the pair walked, ponies only needed to take one good look at the fearsome thestrals before parting like a herd scattering before a lion. “Twilight Sparkle!” The filly and her companion looked to the source of the voice. Swooping towards her like an owl on a field mouse was a distinctive fuchsia unicorn wearing a gown of silvery-white silk and indigo trims. Twilight had spent little time with Hierophant North Star, though the mare had always been very polite and kind toward her. It was uncomfortably easy to switch on the more zealous side of her personality, and sometimes the strangest things would rile her to a fury. Say, for example, walking with the wrong pony. Gliding at her heels like a shadow, the black-clad form of the Inquisitor detatched itself from the multitude. He cut such a stark contrast to the colourful throng that idled about the hall, yet he had the uncanny ability to appear unexpectedly – almost as if by magic – out of a crowd. “What’s the matter, Miss North Star?” Twilight asked. “Forgive me, little mistress, but it would be best if I chaperone you from here,” she turned to Proud Song. “You, heathen, will leave.” The bat-winged stallion glowered at the Hierophant, leaning forward aggressively. North Star responded with her own death-glare. But before anything happened, Song flicked his eyes to the Inquisitor, who simply shook his head. The thestral gave an angry snort and pulled away from the priestly unicorn, turning his back on her. “Take care, Miss Sparkle,” he said. And then he was gone, disappearing into the rainbow sea of ponies. As Twilight moved her gaze back to the two adults, she was met with worry on the fuchsia unicorn’s face. “What’s wrong?” she asked sweetly. The mare’s face hardened with concern. “Do you know who you were with just then?” “Yes, the captain of the Honour Guard, Proud Song,” Twilight said. “Why?” “Did he… tell you anything?” What’s got her so jittery? “We talked a little on the way here... why?” “The Hierophant is trying to ask if Proud Song told you about his religion,” the Inquisitor interjected flippantly, stepping forward. “Did he tell you about what he calls the Lord of the Light?” “Oh, that! Proud Song said that he was an alicorn that was really wise and powerful and created a whole lot of creatures. He said the alicorn was betrayed by the rest of his race because they were jealous and feared him.” North Star gasped, flinching as if she had heard the most scandalous piece of news. She whirled on the Inquisitor. “See?” she cried in a shrill tone. “This is what happens when we let those Stormspawn–” the word was little more than a growl spat through clenched teeth “–into our lives. As soon as they have our children alone, they corrupt them with their lies and devil-worship!” Letting out an exasperated sigh, the Inquisitor rolled his eyes. “Save your sermons for the faithful, Hierophant. I’m sure they’d love to hear exactly how the lack of orthodoxy and blind faith are making our society ripe for destruction.” Ignoring him, the mare faced Twilight, a wide, obviously forced smile spread across her face. “Lady Sparkle, you mustn’t let that stallion fill your head with that kind of rubbish.” “Let the Hierophant fill your head with her kind of rubbish instead,” the Inquisitor quipped, grinning. The Hierophant glared silently at him. “What’s the matter?” Twilight asked. The mare’s behaviour, while not entirely atypical of her, seemed so much more hateful than usual. How could somepony as helpful and nice as Proud Song make her so angry? And so what if he told me about his religion? she thought. I'd like to learn more about that sort of stuff! “Why are you so hostile to Proud Song? He’s done nothing wrong.” “Nothing wrong?” North Star snapped her eyes back to Twilight. “He’s trying to paint his demon-god in a rose-tinted light.” “He didn't sound so bad. He was wise and he wanted to change the world, but the other alicorns betrayed him.” “Actually, Twilight,” the Inquisitor said. “It was the other way around. Maelstrom-Cheimon attacked the other alicorns first.” “Maelstrom-Cheimon?” Twilight tasted the name. It sounded cumbersome; foreign. No wonder Proud Song stuck with words like ‘Father’. “Wait, do you mean Maelstrom the Mad, from All Hallows' Eve?” North Star nodded. “The very same, Twilight. He was a demonic tyrant that tried to destroy the world millennia ago. He captured innocent ponies and cruelly twisted their bodies and their minds to serve his nefarious purposes. This ‘Lord of the Light’ nonsense is nothing but dogmatic propaganda used by his spawn to convince others to worship him. He was nothing more than an insane, evil demon that wished destruction or enslavement for all.” The Inquisitor grew uncharacteristically serious at this, nodding in sober agreement with North Star. “Regardless of what anypony tells you, Sparks, Cheimon was a dangerous and powerful pony. His worship is the source of much strife all over Midderland, and I’d advise you don’t get involved with any religious system that deifies a mad conqueror like Cheimon,” the Inquisitor warned. “It can get you into quite a bit of trouble.” The little unicorn filly was dumbfounded at what she was hearing. This didn’t sound at all like the wise, visionary Arche-figure Proud Song was telling her about. “But… but why would Proud Song lie? He seemed so nice.”   The Hierophant opened her mouth, readying another tirade, but the grey stallion cut her off. “It’s important to remember that Proud Song didn’t lie. He fervently believes that Maelstrom was a kind, wise ruler who wanted peace and happiness. That’s what religion is; faith in something greater. The captain just happens to place his faith in something that is, shall we say, tainted by falsehoods.” He flashed a grin. “Not unlike Lady North Star here.” "The Cult Imperia is based on no dark falsehoods, Inquisitor! Do not compare us to Stormspawn, even in jest!” “No dark falsehoods, maybe, but falsehoods all the same,” he smirked. “How dare you! I demand an apolo…” The clergymare’s voice was drowned in the hum of chatter as Twilight slipped away from the two ponies into the crowd. She preferred to not get caught up in whatever strange banter they had in store for each other. Adults were odd, petty creatures indeed. Meandering between the legs of courtiers, servants and bureaucrats, the purple filly made her way for the closest exit from the foyer. At last, she burst free of the near-stifling mass of officials and began to trot down the halls. Since her lesson with Nightmare Moon had been interrupted, she pondered what to do with the rest of the night. Research more on light magic? Or perhaps she could test the waters of mind magic? Twilight cast her thoughts back to events earlier in the night. Now that she thought about it, these thestrals seemed particularly fascinating. Perhaps she could also read up on some of the other races that Cheimon created? That’s it! she decided. Grinning with anticipation, she bolted round a bend in the hallway, eagerly racing down the shortest path to the library. And smacked into another filly. With a synchronised “oof!”, they both fell flat on their rumps. Twilight sat up, rubbing her muzzle and blinking. The filly in front of her – also shaking herself out of a daze – was covered in light-blue fur crowned with a swishy, soft yellow mane. Her dress had the colouration of a thistle, and so many ruffles that Twilight wondered if the designer was aiming for the shape of one, too. It was as if somepony had taken all the frilly, silky and lacy bits of clothing they could find and stitched them together. Pearls seemed to play a key part of her outfit; Twilight was sure a dress didn't need that many pearl buttons, and she wore a necklace and earrings made from the shiny little orbs of cream. She scowled at Twilight, scrunching her face up in a pout that outdid a toddler. “Watch where you’re going, maid!” The addition of the sharp, slightly screechy voice finally placed the filly in Twilight's memory, recalling the noble fillies that shunned her and threw their weight around, acting as if they were better than her because of their parentage. This little unicorn filly was the ringleader; of that she was sure. They always followed her lead, acting as she did and subscribing to whatever ridiculous fashions caught her fancy. “I’m not a maid,” Twilight said, pressing her lips together. The blue filly stood up, peering at her as if only just now bothering to identify Twilight. “Oh, that’s right. You’re that new commoner who’s been sucking up to the Empress. You’re the so-called ‘special one’.” Twilight growled. “I earned my place here!” “But do you deserve it?” It was a strange question, but the aristocratic filly seemed to believe it was entirely obvious. “You're nothing special. No pedigree and no title. You’re a commoner and you have no place in the palace.” Twilight scowled. She already had her fill of this attitude from Prince Blueblood and the other younger members of the nobility. They couldn’t see past who your sire or dam were; if you were ‘better bred’ you were better, full stop. It made the purple unicorn’s blood boil. “I should be going now,” the haughty little noble said, picking up her pearl tiara that had fallen onto the floor. “Not that I can expect an apology from you. You're only a peasant orphan, after all.” That’s it! I’ve had enough of this! Blueblood and Blitz had both thought they could get away with bullying her. They thought they were better than her, but she proved them wrong in the end. And she’d prove this pompous foal wrong as well! Twilight wrapped the tiara in her magic and snatched it from the yellow-haired unicorn. “Hey!” she cried. “What do you think you’re doing?!” Twilight shot her a hateful look so intense that the filly actually took a step back, eyes widening. Rather than answer the noble, she focused on the tiara. Channelling more and more of her strength into the shimmering aura surrounding the headdress, Twilight squeezed. The pressure was too much for the flimsy metal, and it quickly gave way, but Twilight kept on squeezing. Eventually, there was nothing left but a ball of pearl and twisted silver. She unceremoniously dropped it at the noble filly’s hooves. “Let this be a lesson to you to treat others with respect,” Twilight said. Her voice was venemous and calm, yet it made it clear to the filly that there was to be no argument. “Wh-why did you do that?” the blue unicorn asked, the corner of her eyes collecting with moisture. “You keep on acting like you’re special just because of who your parents are,” Twilight began, eyes alight with righteous vengeance. She was going to enjoy this. “In reality, you’re not special at all. You just surround yourself with pretty things and lots of friends who are just as shallow as you are. You like to pretend a family name makes you better than me, but I'm the one who's special. I'm the one who's here because of what I can do, not what my name is!” Now the tears were flowing freely from the filly’s eyes. Her lip quivered and she sniffled. Twilight felt a twinge of guilt in the pit of her stomach. Maybe that was too much? No, a voice in the back of her mind said. It came with a sudden surge of authority that warmed her body. It felt good. I put up with this for so long. I've earned this! She's no different from Blueblood or Blitz, and it's my right to teach this little idiot a lesson for the way she's treated me! “I… I’m telling on you,” the filly sniffed. “I’m going to get Daddy and you’re going to be in so much trouble!” Twilight’s heart jolted. No. No, I can’t let her tell! She'll make me sound like some kind of bully to Nightmare Moon! Instinctively, she took a step forward. The filly widened her eyes and shuffled back in fright. “No,” Twilight said, mustering as much command and authority to her words as she could. “No, you will not. If you do, I will tell them that you’re lying and you were just trying to get me in trouble. They’re going to believe me, the Empress’s personal student, over some jealous, spoilt filly like you. And when they do, they’ll throw you in the dungeons.” The filly gritted her teeth, face twisting as she strained to think; weighing up her options. At last she hung her head in defeat. “I won’t tell,” she murmured. “Just please don’t send me to the dungeons.” “I won’t,” the purple unicorn said. “As long as you hold your tongue.” With that, she brushed past the dejected filly and carried on her way back to the royal apartments. Twilight couldn’t help but wonder again if maybe, perhaps just maybe, she had gone too far. Don’t worry about it, the voice of rationalisation said. She got what she deserved and she’ll learn her lesson. I did her a favor, in a way. Who cares about her crocodile tears? She's probably got a dozen more tiaras at home. Now, I've got some research to do. ============ Of all the parlour rooms in all the palaces, he had to walk into mine. Nightmare Moon glowered at the ivory-white stag standing in front of her, who responded with a simple grin. The two never broke eye contact; the alicorn staring with as much cool authority as she could muster, the deer staring back with a playful, brash look she knew all too well. “Hello, Lulu,” he said, his lilting voice soothing and pleasant to the ears. “It’s been a long time.” “What are you doing here, Cernunnos?” growled Nightmare Moon. “Oh? No ‘hello’ or ‘how have you been’ or ‘I’ve missed you too, Snow’? Just straight to the point?” the deer harrumphed. “I came an awful long way, Lulu, the least you could do is be hospitable. I remember your father was very keen on being a good host, and your sister–” “Don’t!” she snapped and prodded his chest hard. “Do not talk about my family. And don’t call me ‘Lulu’. I’m not a little filly anymore.” “No, you certainly are not,” the White Hart grinned playfully. “Though you didn’t seem to mind me calling you that when we–” “I'm not that filly anymore, either!” The infuriating Immortal just chuckled and swept past the alicorn, hopping up onto the ancient, pristine divan. Before she could protest, Cernunnos had draped himself lazily across the seat, knocking a couple of the old, priceless cushions to the floor. Light spilling from a stained-glass window painted him in patches of brilliant colour. He smiled ever so casually at her, his teeth shining with perfection. And that was the thing Nightmare Moon found so annoying about the White Hart – about deer in general. They provoked wonder and weaved enchantment just by being. They were a fantasy made flesh. Many a young mare avidly devoured romance novels about maidens being spirited away by one of the Fair Folk. And all this natural Cervid glamour was only intensified in Cernunnos. The alien beauty of the deer-folk was a mere echo of his features. He had a literal aura about him; whether magical or natural, Nightmare was not sure – if there even was a difference for the Immortal. All she knew is that it made even alicorns hot under the saddle, and everything he did, he did with an ethereal grace and beauty that would never come so naturally to anyone else. She couldn’t help but appreciate the way his lithe body held what must have been the perfect ratio of muscle, and how his coat shone like the ancient sun, without a single blemish. His face, so warm and welcoming, could make any mare’s heart melt if they weren’t prepared. The black alicorn found her eyes wandering along his back and to his– Dammit, stop staring! No getting distracted this time. Nightmare Moon composed her expression to one of bland indifference toward the tall, elegant, handsome– “You’re biting your lip,” Cernunnos chuckled. She huffed. “Quiet, White Hart. Now, get off that thing and tell me what your sudden arrival is all about.” The stag shrugged. “As you wish... Lulu,” he teased, hopping down from the seat in one fluid leap and walking towards her. His steps were so smooth it was as if he glided across the floor. “This is just a social visit. There’s no pressing matter to discuss, nothing I want from you. I just wanted to catch up on old times.” It was the Empress’s turn to smile. “Ah, so that’s it. You miss me.” Cernunnos laughed – a sound like the light ringing of celebratory bells. “Of course I miss you, Lulu! We used to be the closest of friends, you and I. Two hundred years is a long time for us to not see a hair of one another.” “‘Friends’ is pushing it, Cernunnos,” Nightmare Moon said. “More like ‘associates’.” “Oh, we certainly did our share of ‘associating’.” He winked and laughed again, brushing the crude comment away as if he had just made an observation about the weather. “The Anniversary is coming up soon.” “It’s in ten years, White Hart.” The deer tsked and shook his head. “You’ve become too accustomed to these mortals’ sense of time. Ten years is nothing to us; it’s a mere hoofprint along an endless road. A cup of water added to the ocean, a single thread in the tapestry of eternity–” “A single fling in your little black book,” Nightmare Moon added with a smirk. “Stop trying to be poetic, Snow. It might work on all the little mortal princesses, but I know you far too well for that.” “A thousand years is a long time, though, isn’t it?” She fought back a grimace as a burning mix of remorse, fear, and anger surged against the door in the back of her mind. Her brow furrowed, though, as she shook the thought away, pushing the emotions back down into her subconscious. “I try not to think about it,” she replied with a small, noncommittal shrug. “So drop it.” “As you wish,” he said, melodramatically dropping a picture-perfect bow. Why does he have to do that so blasted gracefully? The alicorn reached out with her magic and grabbed a couple of large, plump cushions from the corner of the room. If he is going to stay, then I might as well get comfortable. She brought the pillows over to where they were standing and dropped them down next to herself and her guest, then sunk down onto the plush silk, sighing appreciatively at the opportunity to give her hooves a rest. Cernunnos took several seconds to adjust his cushion just so before he reclined on it as well. Nightmare Moon was painfully aware that he had moved several inches closer to her in the process. “Please don’t,” she sighed. “I am in no mood for your games.” The deer clicked his teeth. “You’re never in any kind of mood nowadays. I would have thought at least your adorable little student would have cheered you up.” “She did cheer me up,” the alicorn said defensively. “I was in a good mood until you arrived. You should have notified me beforehoof.” “Oh, but then we would have had to go through all the formalities, and our little talk wouldn’t have been so casual and private.” He waved a nonchalant hoof. “But anyway, since when did you become a teacher? You’ve never struck me as the type to take students.” “Little Twilight Sparkle is… special,” said Nightmare Moon. Pride edged her words as she spoke. “She’s very powerful; only eight years old and she let off a Flare that was felt throughout the city. She has more strength than I’ve ever seen in a mortal unicorn.” “Really?” the stag leaned forward, ears perking up with genuine interest. The Empress smiled a little more proudly. “And she is incredibly intelligent, and as dedicated to her studies as Cel… as she was when you trained us. Perhaps moreso.” “For some reason, I doubt that can be possible,” the White Hart gave another one of his chiming laughs that made Nightmare’s skin tingle. “I had never seen such dedication.” Discussion of the past brought back the churning froth of emotions that Nightmare Moon hated so much. Frowning for a split second, she pushed them down with as much gusto as she could muster, determined to lock them away for the duration of her conversation. “She did have powerful motivations,” Nightmare whispered, then shrugged away the memories, firmly changing the subject. “I am quite confident in Twilight’s ability and growth. Taking her under my wing is the best choice I’ve made in centuries.” “Sounds like she’ll make an excellent lieutenant.” The Empress's smile returned, small but fond. “Well, it’s not just about her potential anymore. I find I rather like having a foal living with me. She is enjoying it too; you should see how excited she gets about everything. Not just the learning – Twilight loves the palace and the ponies around her. I suppose that’s because she has lived in an orphanage all her life.” Nightmare Moon’s smile grew slightly. “And you should see her when we are together. Her face just lights up if I so much as smile at her.” Cernunnos chuckled and returned her grin, nodding. “Ah, yes. I know the look you mean. As it is, I get my fill of fawns and then some, but if I were in your situation, Ancestors know I might adopt a few myself." “My situation?!” Nightmare Moon scowled at him. “I thought you knew better than to bring that up.”   The hart lowered his head and composed his face into an expression sufficiently pathetic that Nightmare could almost believe it was wholly sincere. “I’m sorry, Lulu. I didn’t realize it was still such a sore point after so many centuries.” The Empress snorted. “Besides, I have only assumed guardianship over Twilight, not adopted her.” A hoof knocked several times on the large doors of the throne room, but they swung open without waiting for a reply. Only one pony could be so bold; standing in the doorway was the black-clad form of the Inquisitor. His near-constant smirk was on his face as he walked into the room, but that vanished as he caught sight of Cernunnos. The ashen unicorn’s eyes widened for just a moment before narrowing along with the white deer’s own. A heavy silence filled the room as the two scrutinised each other. At last, the silence was broken. “Please excuse my intrusion, Empress. I did not realise we were entertaining foreign dignitaries,” the Inquisitor said. “I dropped by on a surprise visit,” the White Hart replied, maintaining his gaze. “Your Empress and I are old friends.” “Really?” the Inquisitor smirked. “You must be the Great Prince of Cervidia, Cernunnos the Grass-Crowned.” The stag cocked his head. “No one has called me that in a long time indeed. You have me at a disadvantage; I don’t know who you are.” “I am the Lord Inquisitor of Her Majesty’s Overwatch.” The ashen stallion pushed past the deer’s words with his typical nonchalance. Cernunnos peered at him curiously. “You know, you seem a little familiar. Have I seen you in Cervidia before?” “I am sure you have,” the Inquisitor said. “Like my predecessors, I’ve been all around the world on state visits. I will never forget the first time I saw the great world-tree of Irminsul.” “Yes,” Cernunnos smiled. “The city is really quite unique. I am glad you had the opportunity to visit it.” “As am I.” The Inquisitor’s smiled twitched at the corner of his mouth. He turned to the night-black alicorn and bowed. “Again, my apologies. I shall leave you to your business, Your Majesty.” Taking a bow, the stallion spun around and walked out of the throne room. The doors glowed black and closed behind him, leaving the Empress and the Prince once again alone. “Your subordinates are interesting, from what I’ve seen, but so conniving. It’s a wonder you’ve managed to keep up with them, Lulu.” Nightmare Moon gave him an arch look. “From what you’ve seen? Have you been spying on my government, Snow? And what exactly do you mean, ‘it’s a wonder’? I’m three thousand years younger than you!” Cernunnos just snickered in response. The Empress pressed her lips tightly together, scowling at him. She was sure there was no joke to be had, and the Prince was only laughing to get on her nerves. Three millennia older, but as immature as a teenager, she thought. After the gentle laughter died down, the deer grinned at her. “You may be younger than me, but you’ve become awfully stern in the past thousand years,” he cooed. “You need to rid yourself of all that stress.” “I’m not stressed,” Nightmare Moon said defensively. “I’m focussed, which is more than I can say for you. Tell me truthfully now, are you spying on me?” Shrugging, the Prince pursed his lips. “Define ‘spying’.” “I knew it,” the starry-maned alicorn narrowed her eyes. “I thought we had an understanding, White Hart.” “But we do, Lulu. I’m just very curious to know what you and your little ‘Empire’ are up to nowadays. Besides,” he said, brandishing another playful smirk, “who wouldn’t want to spy on you?” Nightmare Moon snorted, temper rising. She could feel her cheeks growing hotter, and his face seemed to draw her eyes whenever she looked toward him. Damn his magic, she thought. She hated the feeling of being manipulated, of having her very emotions twisted in his favour. She couldn’t even blame him; he didn’t have to do it deliberately. He just had to be. Determined not to let him get to her, the mare stared at a single spot on the marble floor. “If you’ve just come here to flirt with me, then you’ve come at the wrong time,” she said.” “When is the right time, then?” “Never,” Nightmare snapped back. “You’re so predictable, Snow. Tell me, did you just come here to make me your latest ‘vanity project’ – again – or do you actually want to have a conversation that doesn’t include you trying to bed somepony for once?” Giving a hurt look, the stag frowned. “Don’t be like that, Lulu. You know I never thought of you like that. Why can’t you accept that maybe I just want to have things the way they were back then? Our relationship made you so happy.” The Empress frowned and redoubled her focus on the marble tiles. “Call it what it was, Cernunnos: a tryst. For the dozenth time, stop trying to ‘rekindle’ what ended an age ago.” Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Cernunnos just gave her a smouldering look, complete with sparkling eyes that would make anyone melt. The air was now steeped in tangible magic and a strange, enticing musk, smelling of masculinity and the wilderness. Nightmare Moon steeled herself against this onslaught. The White Hart could be very convincing when he wanted to. His very presence made mares swoon and stallions seethe with jealousy or creep away in self-conscious humiliation. The dragon-eyed alicorn was determined not to let the stag sway her this time. “Oh Lulu, please don’t say that,” he smiled sweetly. Nightmare Moon shivered. “I know it’s been so very long since you’ve had any kind of intimacy. Someone to love; someone to hold. Twelve hundred years is quite a dry spell. Is it really necessary? Is that what you really want?” His words were honey. They sweetened her ears and sent involuntary shivers down her spine. The Empress found the urge to shut him up dying against his overpowering, wonderful presence. His eyes, so welcoming and perfect, soothed her. She found herself, through no conscious effort, nodding at his words. They rang with truth. Why should I be alone anymore? A thousand years is too long for anyone to be without someone to love. She cast her thoughts back to the time of his tutelage. Cernunnos had been so caring, so passionate back then. She had been young, and her life had been full of joy and pleasure in spite of their urgent quest to defeat Discord. Why not recapture some of that? Didn’t she deserve some companionship after a hundred decades of loneliness? Nightmare Moon realised he had shuffled closer to her, but that didn’t concern her one bit. “You know how much I care about you,” Cernunnos whispered, his smile softened so soothingly as her gaze became glassy and half-lidded. “You’ll never be just a tryst to me. You’re so much more than that. It physically hurts me to see you struggle alone here, surrounded by scheming underlings and ponies who feign love for you. All that stress and pressure, and you can’t even have the comfort of a loving pair of arms to retreat to each night.” He leaned in to her, his expression so warm and caring. “Lulu, you don’t have to be alone anymore.” At the back of her mind, Nightmare Moon knew she should block out his speech and send him away. But between the magic and musk hanging thickly in the air, the gentle, handsome face of the stag and the lilting balm of his voice, the alicorn mare let her resistance slip away. She didn’t even protest when she felt Cernunnos nuzzle her cheek. She just closed her eyes and welcomed the feeling of being loved and touched. Maybe… with the stag at her side, she could go ahead and adopt Twilight. She could have the one thing she hadn’t let herself dream of since that terrible day ten centuries past. A family of her own. “I can give you everything you’ve ever needed. You don’t have to face this world alone anymore,” the deer murmured. “Just forget about all that; all your worries and stress. You only need to focus on the here and now. Winter Storm is gone, but I’ll always be here.” Winter Storm. The name echoed around Nightmare Moon’s skull, bringing back a fierce, powerful set of memories. Days and nights of happiness and genuine love; dreams of contentment. The brand of comfort that Cernunnos offered paled in comparison to what she’d felt back then. The clear, bold emotions cut through the magical aura that permeated the air like a beam of light through a pitch-black tunnel. The mare’s eyes snapped open. No longer was her mind a soothed, harmonious ocean. Emotions now bubbled into a maelstrom and anger erupted from the centre of the whirlpool. Fury crashed down on her. Outrage for what she almost did, what he tried to do to her. This wasn’t just his casual glamour, but a concentrated, deliberate attempt to manipulate her! Embarrassment for her own weakness went to ashes almost as soon as she felt it, further feeding the flames. He was touching her, his muzzle on her neck! She pushed herself away and lashed out. Nightmare Moon’s hoof cracked like thunder across the stag’s face. Cernunnos fell sprawling across the floor. Her wings spread like the black cloak of nightfall, the Empress of Equestria snarled at the stunned stag. “How dare you!” she boomed, her voice augmented by magic and a righteous fury. A window shattered under the intensity of her words; books were knocked from their shelves. The White Hart blinked, dazed by her fearsome blow. A red welt tarnished his otherwise immaculate cheek. Wide-eyed, he stared up at her. “Lulu, I’m so sor–” “Don’t!” she shouted. “Don’t call me that! I am not a little child anymore, simpering if you so much as wink! I am Nightmare Moon! I am the Empress of All Equestria and Queen of the Night, and you dare to use your disgusting, perverse magic on me?” The stag stood up, trying to regain his dignity. “Luna, I’m sorry. I… I don’t know what I was thinking.” “You were thinking to trick and seduce me with your little aura, since you are too much of a coward to try any other way!” Nightmare Moon roared, her chest heaving from the strain the Voice put on her lungs. Her volume dropped to a hoarse, threatening whisper. “And don’t ever talk about Storm like that again. Understand?” “Luna,” Cernunnos said. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t… I didn’t mean to–” “Leave, White Hart,” Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes at the deer. “I don’t want to see you for at least another century.” The snowy hart looked as if he was about to protest, but the sustained glare from the alicorn caused him to falter. Instead, he simply closed his eyes and bowed his head. “I know I don’t deserve your sympathy, but please know that I do love you. Goodbye, Luna.” His antlers flashed gold and, in the blink of an eye, he vanished. Nightmare Moon closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, willing herself to be calm. When that failed, she trudged over to the divan, a dark cloud hanging over her thoughts. Slumping down onto the cushioned sofa, she blew out a furious gust of breath and glared at the floor where Cernunnos had sat beside her. After a moment, she called out to the stallions posted at the door. “Guards!” The two bat-winged ponies came in, pushing the doors open, and bowed. “What can we do for you, Your Majesty?” “Do not worry about the yelling. The event has come and passed, and I do not wish to speak of it again.” she said. The Honour Guards bowed again. “Yes, Your Majesty,” one said. “Do you wish to be left alone for the rest of the night?” “Of course,” Nightmare Moon replied. Once more, the ponies bowed and turned for the door. The Empress sat, mulling the recent events over in her head. What she had felt under the influence of that aura reopened a wound she had thought long since closed. But rather than bleeding, the wound allowed loneliness to seep in and fill her heart. Just before the guards closed the doors, the alicorn called out to them. “Actually…” The ponies stopped and faced their Empress, waiting patiently for her order. “Send for Twilight Sparkle,” Nightmare Moon smiled, more to herself than to the guards. “I… I desire her company tonight.”