//------------------------------//
// A History Forgotten 
// Story: Eques ex Gladius 
// by 2wingo 
//------------------------------//

A short time later, Twilight and Morning Star sat in Twilight's private chamber, a steaming pot of tea on the table between them. Morning Star drank the bitter green brew without complaint, suspecting that asking for something stronger would be imprudent. 

"So tell me, Commander Morning Star," asked Twilight, "If you are, as you claim, my great-uncle, why haven't I come across your name in any of the family history books?"

"I suspect that my step-mother is to blame in that regard," he said, "Frankly, I'd be extremely surprised if she HADN'T tried to erase all traces of my father's 'youthful indiscretion,' as she was wont to call me. However, my name and parentage should still be recorded in the Canterlot Officers' Academy student registry."

Twilight made a mental note to have Spike send for a copy as soon as he woke up. "So, you're . . . I mean, given that you're an earth-pony . . . that is to say - "

"Oh for Faust's sake, Twilight," he said, chuckling slightly, "The answer is yes. I am the first-born, bastard son of Lord Nightfall. I'd like to tell you a tragic tale of star-crossed love, of a young unicorn noble who was the only one capable of seeing how special a young earth-pony mare was, and how their happiness was dashed by the demands of his station and his duty to his parents."

Twilight's eyes shined with interest for a moment, but Morning Star continued, "I'd absolutely love to tell you that. Unfortunately, every word of it would have been a bald-faced lie. The truth is that your great-grandfather was a unicorn supremacist, and had on several occasions invoked the ancient Unicornian law of jus primae noctis."

Twilight felt sickened. The Law of the First Night gave a noble stallion the right to the sexual company of any mare who lived on his land on her wedding night, a barbaric practice that had been outlawed since the time of Celestia and Luna's parents. 

"Anyway, one rainy night an earth-pony mare with a very young colt came to Starfell, claiming that the foal, me, was Nightfall's son. Furthermore, she claimed that she was dying and asked only that her son be given a decent life. She fled that same night, never to be seen again. Most unicorn nobles would have just sent the colt to the nearest orphanage and washed their hooves of the matter, but Nightfall was different. For whatever reason, he was absolutely certain that I was his, and insisted that I be raised alongside his true-born son, Evershine."

"I never met my grandfather," said Twilight, "What was he like?"

"Oh, he was every inch the dutiful son," said Morning Star, "Always eager to make Father proud, never once questioning that his plans for our futures were correct. He knew how to smile, dress impeccably,  and talk to rich ponies of every variety, and this made him the favorite. I, on the other hand, was a bit of a disappointment. I hated schooling, I hated etiquette, and I hated not being able to do what I wanted when I wanted because of my 'station.' I can't remember how many times Nightfall had to pay hefty settlements to keep my various bar brawls and other mischief out of the papers. Eventually, he gave me an ultimatum: Join the Equestrian Army with my brother and become an officer, or be cut off and cut out of the family entirely."

Morning Star paused to pour himself more tea. "I hope that I'm not creating the impression that I ever resented Evershine for being the favorite; if anything, the fear of losing his respect was the only reason I felt compelled to behave at all. He was probably the only member of unicorn society that never made me feel inferior for being an earth pony. In any event, we joined the academy together, purchasing our officers' commissions when we graduated a few years later. Unfortunately, I didn't fit in much better here than I had in civilian life. I was always more comfortable among the enlisted stallions, drinking cheap beer, playing cards, and singing bawdy songs in the barracks rather than socializing with the other officers. It got to the point that I considered selling my commission and going off on my own."

"But you went on to have a decorated career up until your desertion," said Twilight, "What changed your mind?"

"As I've said before, combat training was where I truly excelled, and my skill at swordsponyship was second to none. It was this that brought me to the attention of Prince Blackmane, Master-at-Arms to the Royal Guard."

"Blackmane? Wasn't he Prince Blueblood's father?" asked Twilight.

Morning Star did not reply. He rose from his chair and walked to the window, staring at the the rising sun. Finally, he spoke again, his voice softer and less flippant.

"Prince Blackmane was the greatest pony I've ever known. He was everything a soldier should be, everything a ruler should be, and everything a stallion should be. Strong yet gentle, wise yet humble, decisive yet reasonable, and practical yet visionary; if there was ever a flaw in his character, I never saw it."

Morning Star took a small flask from under his armor and took a long swig from the liquid within. Twilight suspected he was about to share something particularly painful to talk about.

"Blackmane was one of the few ponies to ever challenge Celestia politically, and the only one to do so publicly. In those days, Celestia was a die-hard reactionary, and had been ever since she'd banished Luna and lost control of the Elements of Harmony. New ideas and technologies that could have been spread across Equestria in a matter of months took years to get beyond their point of origin, and only after she'd heavily scrutinized it for anything that was too radical for her tastes. The thousand years of Luna's banishment saw dozens of ponies arrested for sedition and subsequently erased from the history books."

Twilight bristled at Morning Star's words; none of this could be true. Sure, Celestia had been a traditionalist for a long time, but she could never do anything this unjust to her ponies.

Morning Star saw the frown on her face and said, "I know this must be hard for you to hear, Twilight, but please let me finish my story before you judge its truthfulness." She nodded, but said nothing.

"It was around that time that a huge civil war broke out in the Otterman Empire, with Saddle Arabia and Boarmany declaring their succession at the same time. A continuous war on two fronts brought the threat of unprecedented trade disruption, and Equestria was sure to suffer for it. However, Blackmane was determined to not let this happen. He appealed to Celestia and, with surprising ease, convinced her to allow him to train and deploy an elite unit of the best warriors in Equestria, who would use guerrilla tactics to weaken all three sides of the conflict, thus bringing it to a swifter end. To this end, he chose myself and four other soldiers, followed by a brother-sister team of archers from Trottingham. This was the origin of the Rainbow Guard."