//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Heart of the Sun Princess // by keithsterling //------------------------------// Prologue It’s several months before the upcoming wedding of Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria, to her personal guard Sir Justice Silverlight. For some time now, rumors have been floating around Canterlot like leaves in the early morning breezes of something big. Most pony citizens have not taken notice of these rumors and let them be, until the surprise announcement of Princess Celestia’s upcoming wedding day. The rumor mills started turning about who this Sir Justice Silverlight was and how this stallion of unknown origins could get the most beloved ruler of Equestria’s affection. Most pony citizens leaned towards a very powerful charm spell cast on the mind of the Sun Princess or this stallion dug-up something that Princess Celestia didn’t want any pony to know. Angered about all these terrible rumors being spread about the stallion she truly loved, Princess Celestia set to work quelling all the rumors. The admission from the Princess about the relationship between her and her personal guard extinguished most of the rumors being spun about the royal couple’s intent. In doing so, Celestia unknowingly, caused Sir Silverlight to leave Canterlot and his princess; making her wonder if she should have talk to him about it before doing it. But before leaving Canterlot he left a letter addressed to his Princess saying he will return once he sorts out his feelings for her. The thoughtfulness of this small act eases Celestia’s heart and allows her to continue to carry on without worrying that she just destroyed her happiness. It’s been three months and Justice still has not returned to Canterlot and his beloved Princess, but Celestia is not worried that Justice will not return. Her heart tells her to be patient. It’s a huge decision to wed the ruler of all Equestria and she wants him to fully embrace his new role as Prince of Equestria. That evening when Princess Celestia was about to turn in for the night, a mysterious messenger arrived from the family of Silverlight carrying a letter for her asking her to come to the Silverlight Stable by herself. Intrigued by the letter and the whole incident, Celestia headed to the Silverlight Stable in the Noble Ward of the City of Canterlot. The Silverlight stable is one of four estates designed in the old style of Canterlot. When she arrived at the stable it was deathly quiet. Her golden horseshoes clicked loudly on the flagstone courtyard leading up to the main house of the second oldest building in Canterlot. Normally the Silverlight stable is very busy anytime of the day with family members coming back home from their assigned duties helping the Princesses run the government of Equestria. But this evening no pony guards patrolled the grounds of the stable. The only thing Celestia saw was a single pony wearing the amber colored royal guard armor of the soldiers assigned to guard the Silverlight Stable. A hood was over the guards head with a lantern floating next to it in a magic aura. “Welcome your highness.” The hooded unicorn guard said bowing “Good evening, why all the mysteriousness?” Celestia inquired looking the guard over a few times. “This way your highness.” The hooded unicorn guard said, turning and walking down the path followed by her highness. Celestia followed the hooded unicorn guard down a flagstone path that runs through the grounds of the stable with her horseshoes clicking along the path. Everywhere she can see other hooded guards of different species of ponies each carrying a lantern. A chill ran down Celestia’s back. At the front door of the main house the hooded unicorn guard climbed up the staircase and stopped, pointing over to an empty chest sitting next to the door with his hoof. “Please your highness, remove your entire princess’s regalia and place them in that box your gold tiara, your collar and horseshoes. then I’ll let you into the house someone will be waiting for you inside, Your highness.” The hooded unicorn guard said, as Celestia nervously climbed up the staircase and began to float one item at a time into the box, till she was stripped of every piece of her regalia. “Please tell me what is going on? I’m not good with surprises.” Celestia asked, her voice edged with tension as the lid of the chest closes with a creak and a loud wooden bang. That causes the normally brave Princess of the sun to lay on the ground covering her head with her front hoofs. As she begins to shudder, the guard she followed to the main door of the house has vanished leaving only the lantern on a hook. “Hello, is there any pony around? please answer me.” Celestia calls as the front door slowly opens. “Please do come in your highness for when you enter here, you are an Alicorn mare and not a princess because no princess can learn our secrets only a mare can.” A mysterious female voice calls from inside the house. “I don’t understand! Please tell what’s going on!?” Celestia said puzzled as she sticks her head in. As she passes through the door, she find herself standing in a darken foyer of the Silverlight main house. She has come to the Silverlight home many times on business and private matters. Most recently this was on a private matter when Countess Ophelia Silverlight, Justice’s grandmother, invited her to afternoon tea in the garden at the estate. Celestia could hardly say no to her future in laws and could hardly pass up the chance to sample some of the finest tea in Equestria from the family’s own stock. The foyer of the main house is always well lit and warm, but this time no light lit-up. Standing near the center of the foyer was a pony wearing a hooded robe holding a single lantern which lit the small area around it. “Thank you for coming ,Celestia what’s about to happen to you is for the good of Justice my first ,question to you Celestia is this. Can you forgive a family that has tried for generations to free themselves of guilt that caused your own family to turn on you and force you to do something that broke your heart for a thousand years?” Hooded unicorn mare inquired. “Of course but, what do you mean by guilt? It was Luna’s choice. She alone decided to seek the power of darkness to take what didn’t belong to her.” Celestia explains as Unicorn mare lowers her head. “No, your sister did have a choice if our patriarch didn’t get tricked by a shadow to break the seal. that our first matriarch set to hold the nightmare force. it would have never hunt for an Alicorn like your sister Luna and use her to help further it’s plan. that is our family guilt we caused your pain, forced you to banish your sister to her moon. I tell you this because you are about to become the wife to a member of the dark stained family. If you are willing to live with this stain knowing that the real pain was caused by us relit the lantern next to me with your magic or leave the way you came the door is open your choice your highness.” Unicorn mare said blowing out the flame in the lantern. As Celestia sat in pitch black darkness of the foyer many emotions filled her head like, anger, confusing, bitterness, disgust, deep sadness and guilt. For a thousand years, she felt as if she failed as big sister to Luna, allowing her little sister to be taken over by the nightmare force and force her to banish her only family to her moon. With this revelation, the great princess Celestia comes to a crossroads. Does she forgive the family that hurt her and her sister or does she continue to carry her anger and bitterness towards the family that robbed her of her little sister’s love. “Your family betrayed me! H-how-dare you deceive me like this! Do you know what you have done?! Not to me but my sister? All the pain and suffering we both had to endure. For a thousand years I was alone wondering how my sister was fairing! Not knowing when she would ever return to herself! Losing the love and respect from her subjects! Do you have any idea how painful it was for me to do that to my own little sister? (Begins to cry) I-I do-not-Why couldn’t you have told me sooner!” Celestia said in unimaginary pain knowing she was in love with the family who could have separated her and Luna forever. “I-I gotta go!” Celestia said as tears streak her face running out of the manor grabbing the box with her magic containing her princess’s regalia along the way. As Celestia leaves the manor, the light goes on in the foyer. Sitting next to the lantern was the heartbroken hooded unicorn mare. She used her magic to lower the hood of her cloak revealing the face of Baroness Shimmering Diamond Silverlight the matriarch of the Silverlight unicorn family and Sir Justice Silverlight’s own mother. A tear runs down her cheek as the hooded unicorn guard from the ground approaches her. He uses his magic to lower his hood revealing the face of Sir Justice Silverlight. “I am sorry baby. I had high hopes that Celestia could have broken the curse on you.” Shimmering Diamond said sadden but loving as she wrapped her wings around her son in a caring hug. “I did also, mother. but how can Celestia forgive us for what we did to her sister?” Justice comments sadden. “He had no choice. The shadow promised him unlimited food to feed his family and the other families in the village. so he broke the seal for the shadow and he was rewarded by being cursed by Nightmare Overlord, his family slowly died because of the lack of food to eat that would have ended, our family line. If your grandfather didn’t survive to marry your grandmother.” Shimmering Diamond said mad but sadden. Meanwhile back in the Canterlot Royal Palace a candelabra burn in the center of a small dining table. Sitting on one end of the table wearing a few choice pieces of jewelry, that’s not part of her princess’s regalia was Princess Luna. It’s rare that she gets to put on her own personal jewelry, but for this special occasion a romantic dinner with her special somepony Luna forgoes her princess’s regalia, for a single dark purple young alicorn mare appearance. Sitting on the opposite side of the table nervously straightening his tie with his magic as beads of perspiration form on his forehead was Luna’s personal guard Sir Keith Sterling. This is the first time Sir Sterling has ever gone on a real date with anyone and the first time with a Princess. For the past few minutes, Sir Sterling has nervously chewed on the same piece of lettuce from his dinner salad. “Oh, Sir Sterling! Thou is the worst dinner date. Coming from some pony who doesn’t go on to many dates or nothing at all that is bad we set this whole evening up for us to spend some quality time together as boyfriend and girlfriend away from our royal duties and not once have you said how beautiful we look!” Luna agitated as Keith’s ears drop upset with how the date was going. He excuses himself from the table and walks off depressed toward the balcony to look at Luna’s moon in the starry night sky. Disappointed with how she, acted Luna ran after him and caught him on the balcony. His front hooves were on top the balustrade looking at her beautiful moon in the sky. Soon Luna joins him placing her front hooves on top the balustrade, before reaching over with one of her hoof and wraps her hoof around his in a loving gesture. “Keith, thou is sorry, we didn’t mean to become upset at you, we just want this relationship, we have started to last. it’s not like many stallions are lining up to date the Princess of the night all the ponies still see me as the villain Nightmare Moon a fearsome image we have been unable to shake since we’ve been reformed.” Luna said disheartened as tears run down her cheek and splash on the ground, “That’s not true Luna, not every pony sees you as Nightmare Moon. I see you as Princess Luna the princess of the night protector of the nights and dreams.” Keith said comforting as he wraps his hoof around Luna in a loving embrace as she begins to blush. “I thank you, my love at least I have you one pony that sees the real Princess of the night and not Nightmare Moon.” Luna said loving as she kisses him on the cheek. A moment later a messenger wearing the dark goldenrod colored royal guard armor of the Sterling warrior clan arrives carrying a letter from Baroness Jennifer Sterling, Keith’s mother and his clan matriarch. To: My son Sir Keith Sterling Please forgive me, dear for sending this letter to you, while you are on your dinner date with Princess Luna. Her Majesty Queen Shimmering Diamond Silverlight has informed me that her Highness Princess Celestia Has refused to forgive what the Silverlight family has done to release the nightmare force on Equestria and hurting Princess Luna. As we know it was not the fault of the Silverlight patriarch he was trying to save the whole village from starving as to their good nature. So Her Majesty has given the Sterling clan the options of staying in Canterlot in the service of Princesses of Equestria or Leaving Canterlot with the Silverlight Royal family and helps rebuild our homeland of Dream Valley. So I have called an emergency clan meeting of the whole family order at the Sterling Stable to discuss the two options as normal whatever the majority of the family members decided will be the will of the whole family. Your mother, Baroness Jennifer Sterling Matriarch of the Sterling Clan Grand Master Knight of the house of Sterling With that, Keith sighs slowly and runs to the front gate of the Canterlot Royal Palace to leave, so he can get to the emergency family meeting at the Sterling stable his family’s home in Canterlot. A moment later a puzzled Princess Luna steps off the balcony into the hallway and looks around. Not seeing Keith anywhere Luna’s face becomes drawn wondering what she said this time to cause her special somepony to leave without telling her. A depressed Princess Luna slowly makes her way back to her bed chamber on the second floor of the Royal Palace; her legs feel unusually heavy even though she is not wearing her four silver horseshoes on her hooves. At the door to her bed chamber a messenger arrives carrying a letter from which she hopes was from Keith. To: Princess Luna I am sorry my love for leaving so suddenly from your company without telling you. Something has come up with my family duty to the Silverlight Royal Family that I must attend to as it could change my relationship with you and your sister Celestia. The outcome of this could change so this will be my last message to you my love. Your faithful guard Sir Keith Sterling Knight from the house of Sterling Personal Guard to Princess Luna