//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - Dark Tree // Story: Crystal Heart // by Luna Nightshade //------------------------------// Twilight scratched the last words on the parchment with her quill. With a small smile on the lips she blew gently on the ink to help it dry. Despite Celestia’s wishes, she had begun to write down what she had seen and experienced in her talk with Celestia. Especially the later parts were what had fascinated her the most. There was also no harm in writing this down so she could remember it more clearly later on, when she had gotten a much better understanding on what could have happened when Harmony turned into the Tree. She would just keep it a private and personal journal. This wouldn’t harm Luna’s feelings in any way – the princess would not read her private notes, would she? No. After all she had no reason to, and Twilight needed those notes. What she had witnessed explained not only the connection of the tree to the elements, but also why the elements were connected to them, as well as the connection to the map and the strange will to spread more harmony and friendship - not limited to Equestria alone. It had also given them the power to defeat Tirek, when he had been at his strongest. She had to wonder if the chest had just been a strange test, or what was needed to further increase the magic of friendship? Was it that the tree had foreseen all of this, staging the events that led to them realizing more about their own element? She would give anything, if she could interview the Tree of Harmony itself. A familiar sound ended her thoughts. “Twilight, you have a letter from Princess Celestia!”, Spike called from his own room, his feet patting on the crystal floor, as he made his way to her. Twilight levitated a book from one of her shelves, quickly hiding the forbidden scripture. Did the Princess know? And would she tell her to burn it immediately? “W… what does it say, Spike?” She asked, gulping. Spike unrolled the scroll. “I hope this is important, I almost burned my comics over this”, Spike grumbled. “Let’s see … hmm … hmm … it seems that she wants you to … preside … over court this morning.” He held out the message to her. Twilight grabbed it in her magic, and read aloud: Dear Princess Twilight, something rather urgent has come up and I have to leave Canterlot for a few hours. Since I cannot cancel Morning Court on such short notice, I would like you to preside over it in my stead. I have the utmost confidence in your ability to give fair judgments on any case presented. My trusted aide Raven will accompany you in court and will help you, should you be in need of advice. Please make haste, as Morning Court usually starts about one hour after sunrise. Thank you in advance, truly yours, Princess Celestia Twilight reread the letter once more, and then a third time. Princess Celestia wanted her to preside over Morning Court. Her. Not Luna. Her. The Princess of Friendship. Who has never been to court herself! Let alone to give judgment. She could understand why the Princess didn’t ask Cadance, but why hadn’t she just asked Luna? The Moon Princess surely would have more experience in dealing with court matters than her! Maybe she had taken Luna to that urgent … thing. That was a possibility. But that didn’t end her dilemma! She could screw up badly. One wrong decision! What should she do then? What would happen if she made a mistake? In the worst case she could ruin all of Equestria! “Twilight.” Equestria had been peaceful for over a thousand years, and all that could be ruined by her! “Twilight!” That would be the end of the Princess of Friendship. No one would heed her anymore. No one would trust her! “TWILIGHT!” Spike’s shout snapped her out of it. She found herself hovering close to the ceiling. “You really need to stop doing that when you freak out”, he said and eyed her. “Why are you even freaking out?” “Presiding over court is a big responsibility, Spike”, Twilight answered matter-of-factly, and descended slowly. “I can mess up really bad!” “You don’t have anything to worry about”, Spike said with a grin. “You’ll not only have Celestia’s number one assistant, but also your own”, with that he pointed a claw proudly to himself, a proud smile on his lips, and his eyes closed. Twilight had to smile. Although Spike had no idea what court was about, he could help her keep calm, just by stating the truth. And the truth was, that she would have Raven at her side. “Shouldn’t we hurry though?” Spike had raised an eyebrow and eyed her from the side. “We only have less than an hour to get to Canterlot, and to find Raven.” Twilight gulped, if she was late to this, she would have made her first blunder already, and there was no time to take the train! Her magic grabbed Spike, several books, a few scrolls of parchment, ink, and quills. Putting all of that – besides Spike of course – into saddlebags, she hurried out of her home and took to the air, her wings beating fast, trailing Spike and her bags in lavender clouds of magic behind her, she flew toward Equestria’s capital city. - [ § ] - A wing touched her sides, and pulled her gently against a warm body. Luna woke from her stupor, and looked away from the Tree of Harmony and toward the white shape that was her sister. She felt the crusty spots on her cheek left by the salt contained in her tears. Some of those tears still remained fresh within her fur. She hadn’t even recognized the moment her tears had stopped flowing. Celestia used her other wing to wipe some of Luna’s tears away. “I see that you have found those memories”, she stated with her gentle voice. “Indeed”, Luna answered and let out a sigh. “Tis was an ordeal, and as soon as I succeeded, they just … overwhelmed me.” She shook her head and kept staring at the tree. “I am so sorry that I forgot you.” Luna then turned to her sister. “And forgive me for not lowering the moon.” Celestia shook her head slowly. “About eight hundred years ago, when I found those memories, I forgot to lower the sun and raise the moon, as well. My court sent the whole royal guard to find me, and when I got to my senses, I had to find and collect them all, because nopony thought to search here.” Her gaze rested on the tree. “I had to apologize to half the court, and even though nothing bad had come from it, they still wanted to establish a special division that never left my side.” Luna had to smile as a memory stirred within her. “Like Strong Lance?” Celestia giggled slightly. “I probably would have done the same to them as I did to him.” “Those poor stallions.” Luna rested against her sister, and closed her eyes for a moment. “Thank you. For taking care of the moon.” It was not only this time, but the whole millennium she had been away. Celestia had tended to the moon, and in a way, to her as well. “Don’t worry about it”, her sister answered, leaning down to let her head rest on Luna’s. It had been years since they had shared such a sisterly moment, and the moon princess smiled. It was a serene moment that reminded her of peaceful times long gone. Times when neither of them had been a princess, when neither of them had any obligations but to themselves, and when even the question of how to survive was easily answered by meadows of green grass. After a long while her sister stirred. “Luna, there is something I am curious about.” She sat upright, addressing her while still staring at the tree. “Why did you seek them, and how did you find them?” Luna sat upright as well, and turned to Celestia. “Them?” “These memories”, Celestia clarified. “It had taken me centuries to even wonder what had happened between my memories of mother and those of suddenly being with you. There were gaps … and the more I tried to remember, tried to fill them, the harder it got. I even lost a few nights sleep over this problem.” “Tis was not so different from my experiences”, Luna replied. “I tried to remember my past, to see which of my decisions led to the path of my downfall. I tried to explore my memories to the fullest. But there were always times when my memories lost sharpness, where they weren’t tangible anymore. “So I altered my dream-walk-spell and entered mine own memoryscape. I had to break two barriers, and then I stood before the Tree of Harmony in mine own mind. That unlocked my memories. But there was something different about the tree compared to its real counterpart.” “Maybe she tried to leave something of herself with us”, Celestia mused. “Knowing you, you will be able to show me.” Luna nodded. There was no harm in showing her, and maybe she had an idea about what those differences were. “Close your eyes”, she said softly. As soon as Celesita closed her eyes, Luna’s horn lit up, and a thin line of power started to rise on the ridge of her horn, forming a connection toward her sister’s mind, plunging them into the sea of stars that was Luna’s memoryscape. Neither the fog nor the wall had returned. The image of the Tree of Harmony in her mind was crystal clear, the field of stars they stood upon was as solid as the marble halls of Canterlot Castle. Far below them was the ocean of memories and right below the Tree, growing downward, was an almost identical, but black version of it. Celestia looked around, her eyes betraying some sense of wonder within her older sister. “It reminds me of the astral plane”, she said, and trotted toward the tree. “I believe that the astral plane, ponies’ dreams, and even our memories are connected somehow. After all, they do manifest in a similar state whenever we visit them”, Luna explained and trotted next to her sister. “Still, I never expected to find such a tree within my memories.” “Nopony would expect to find the Tree of Harmony within their memories, dear sister. Not like this.” Celestia made a few steps toward the tree. “Yet it is here.” She turned her head, facing Luna with a smile. “Maybe she tried to watch over us, or maybe it is just a remnant of her power, that kept her spell alive all this time … But I would like to think it is the former.” “If either is true, then one such tree should be within thy memories as well.” Celestia nodded, turned her head back to the tree, and after a long while, below it. “Maybe her spell consisted of two parts”, she wondered aloud, “But what else would she need to hide?” “I do not know”, answered Luna truthfully. “Maybe the black tree just represents my darker memories, or maybe it even is an avatar of my past actions …” She felt a shiver run over her spine. It could very well be the reminder of her deeds that the Tantabus was meant to be. “Can you bring us to the other side?” Luna nodded and closed her eyes. Her horn glowed in a subtle silvery-blue aura as both of them sank into the ground, only to rise out of the ground on the other side. Although their position had flipped, neither of them felt any change in inertia or gravity. They simply stood upside-down on the stars as if it was solid ground. Far above them was the sea of memories, while below them was now the original tree. Her spell completed, Luna opened her eyes, and stared at the dark tree. What she felt was not only a cold shiver, it was a deep uncomfortable cold that paralyzed her. It felt as if some oppressing mist was all around her, like a dark shadow. Something that was nurturing the tree, and was being emanated from it. A self-sustaining, evil presence. Celestia made a step forward then another, raising a hoof to touch the crystal bark of the black tree. Couldn’t she feel the evil emanating from it? Shouldn’t she be more careful? Luna tried to overcome her paralysis, and finally shouted at the top of her lungs “don’t touch it!” It was too late. Black lightning struck from the tree trunk, scorching her sister’s hoof. “Are you all right?” Luna asked, and approached Celestia, careful not to come too close to the tree. She still felt the oppressive aura from the it all around her, and the danger it represented. Why was it within her memories? How dangerous was it? “Yes, I am fine, sister”, Celesta answered gently and lowered her hoof. “I am more startled than hurt.” “I am sorry”, Luna sighed. She should have said something earlier. “Don’t worry, sister. I am fine and I am sure that you did everything you could to protect me”, Celestia answered and took a few steps backwards. All she could do was shout - and even that had been too late, because she felt paralyzed. These diplomatic answers were vexing. Why couldn’t she become angry with her even once? Like her father had? “But I fear that tree poses danger to you. We should examine it more closely, determine its origins and, if possible, remove it as fast as we can.” Luna nodded and gulped. She wasn’t sure how they would be able to safely examine this tree. Especially since her memoryscape was very similar to the astral plane, which meant that it could change and hurt a pony. Even the dreamscape allowed for these effects. It was no wonder that she feared the prospect of examining the tree. “I think that it must be an amalgamation of memories”, Luna observed. At least it would make sense. Everything within her memoryscape was made of memories. But it was also more, as the bolt had clearly demonstrated. “I … may be able to unravel, and at the same time remove it, but … I fear doing this will be dangerous. Especially should you be within my memoryscape at the time.” Celestia nodded. “I trust your judgment”, a smile appeared on her lips, “which is why I think that we should prepare for this.” Luna shook her head. “I think it is better, if I were to do this alone.” “No!” It had been a while since she had heard such a commanding tone from her sister, especially directed at her. “I wasn’t there for you a thousand years ago”, she continued much friendlier, determination showing on her muzzle, “I won’t make the same mistake twice.” Luna opened her mouth, but couldn’t say anything. Her heart felt curiously warm, and tears started to form in her eyes; she even felt the hint of a smile on her lips. She trotted toward Celestia and leaned into her, one wing wrapping around her neck, hugging her close, hiding her face in her sister’s fur. “Thank you.” - [ * ] - "I'm totally not ready for this!" Twilight trotted up and down in the hallway, in front of the door that lead to the court. "No, no, no. I am sure the princess could have selected somepony more suited ..." "You realize that you are also a princess?" Spike stood in front of the door and followed Twilights movements with his head. "So what?” Twilight snapped, “I have never been in such a situation before! It doesn’t matter if I am a princess or not! I don’t have the experience or knowledge to rule!” Her voice got steadily louder as panic settled into her like a comfortable freeloading friend. “Celestia has done this for more than a thousand years! I am not even alive for a fiftieth of that time!" "But you successfully organized a big event", countered Spike. "It is not the same, Spike. There are magnitudes in scale! One wrong word and we could have a war on our hooves! Twilight Sparkle – The Princess of Friendship and Starter of Wars!" "You do remember the yaks, right?" "I almost failed that one." Her wings stood on edge. Her eye twitched. At least she hadn’t started to subconsciously fly again. "But you didn't." Spike’s voice was echoed by another. Twilight turned around in time to see a white unicorn mare with a black mane trotting toward her. She held a clipboard within her magenta colored magical aura. Her cutie mark was that of a pen on top of an inkwell. “The princess has tasked you with residing over day court, because she believes you capable of handling it, Princess Sparkle.” She stopped right in front of her and smiled. “Besides, most of court is really just about organization. That and keeping your decisions to the laws, and Princess Celestia assured me that you know them as well as any magic book in the royal library, which probably makes you the foremost expert on laws after the princess herself.” She raised an eyebrow in question, the smile still on her muzzle. “R… Raven?” Twilight asked, while Spike mumbled something about ‘Egghead’ and ‘Helpless Bookworm’. “Correct, I am Raven, and I am Princess Celestia’s personal aide.” She extended a hoof. “N… nice to meet you.” Twilight grinned nervously and extended her hoof as well. Raven had an unusually firm hoofshake for a unicorn. “I have to apologize for being late, Princess, but I needed some time to make a few arrangements before court starts. Now for the procedure. I trust you have been to court before, so I will keep it short: We have about thirty petitioners in line outside, which means that every one of them will have about five minutes to state their case and also for you to give your judgment.” “F… five minutes?” “We always have a lot of petitioners, Princess Sparkle”, Raven started to explain, “And there are a lot of other things the princess needs to manage, so we have to cut the number of ponies and the time they have short.” She turned toward the doors. “Is it even possible to detail the problem in this short amount of time?” “It has to suffice and it is possible. They just have to be precise and need to concentrate on the key points.” Raven led her toward the door. “Sometimes the princess takes more time to answer, in order to investigate more complex matters personally. But usually it is only once a week.” She cleared her throat and waited in front of the door. “Anyways, you need to take your place on the throne as naturally as you can. You need to show the petitioners that this is your rightful place. We can’t have them question your every decision!” Great. There was no pressure involved, no pressure at all. “You can do it”, Spike whispered and drew himself up as much as he could. He managed to seem calm and pride, as if this were natural. Twilight gulped, shook her head, and flared her wings. She just had to look as regal as Princess Celestia when she made public appearances. As if she could! She felt herself shivering all over, up to the tips of her wing-feathers, and her horn. Still, she stepped forward as Raven opened the door. Just as she made her first step through the door, a guard announced in a too loud voice “Her Royal Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle!” She managed to keep going without stumbling over her own hooves. She could hear murmurs in the crowd. Some ponies wondered what had happened, others just expressed their surprise. There were also a few hushed voices that suggested she had no business there and others whispered she might easily be exploited. Reading in the relative quiet left her with very good ears. Still she didn’t look around to try and locate them, but kept approaching the throne instead. Twilight hesitated only a short moment before folding her wings and sitting down on the throne. Raven took a place next to her, shuffled through some papers and smiled. “Good work”, she whispered as the murmurs of the crowd began to die down. Spike took the other side and winked. “Announcing Lord High Tower”, one of the guards shouted and the first unicorn pony stepped forward, beginning Twilights newest trial … - [ + ] - Celestia returned from Luna’s memoryscape slowly, as if waking from a particular short sleep. Her vision was slightly hazy and for a moment it was as if she stood in front of the Tree of Harmony alone. But this tree wasn’t in a cave beneath their old castle. It was on a floating green island, surrounded by small flowers; a gentle breeze moved the crystal vines hanging down the trees branches, and the light of her sun was refracted in the facets of the tree. One of these vines sported something that looked like a brightly glowing crystal fruit. She blinked once and found herself before the original Tree of Harmony once more. There was no green, no light, and certainly no crystal fruit. She slowly shook her head, trying to clear it from the vision she had just seen. “How do you propose we prepare for this endeavor?” Luna asked next to her. “I already have a few ideas, but I will need to do some research. Just give me a few hours.” Celestia asked, putting that strange experience aside. Luna nodded. “Very well.” Celestia went toward the cave’s entrance, spread her wings and took to the air, her destination: Canterlot Castle. Her thoughts went back to what had happened in Luna’s memoryscape. She had seen the tree, had touched it, and had felt its bite. In that moment she had recognized the magic, the presence. This tree had been the source of what had transformed her sister into Nightmare Moon; She was sure of it. This darkness had been the real culprit. And now there was the possibility for history to repeat itself. What had begun that long ago, still wasn’t over. But this time, she would prepare properly. There were a few questions she had to answer: How had that tree formed? Was it just her sister’s jealousy? Or had it come from somewhere else? There was a familiarity to it that she attributed to Nightmare Moon’s presence. But there had to be something more. At least she hoped. There were some methods she could use to safely handle that darkness. A long time ago she had dabbled into dark magic, had learned it in hopes she could help her sister. She had learned that it was hard to control, much harder than normal magic, as if it had a mind of its own. She almost failed once, got almost overwhelmed, and stopped researching it. Still, with her sister’s help, she should be able to control the memory of it. She should be able to contain it. What she wouldn’t, and shouldn’t do was trying to contain all of that within herself. That was just too risky. There had to be another method, something she could use. There had been one stallion that had managed to master dark magic, and he had used crystals in order to contain and direct it. A smile started to form on her muzzle as a plan began to shape. Crystals. She could use Crystals to contain this dark magic and seal it away. She just needed to combine a few spells from the Crystal Empire with some of Starswirl the Bearded and give them all a twist to make them compatible for dark magic! “Is something the matter?” Luna asked, beating her wings slowly. “Were you able to formulate a plan?” “I have a vague idea on how to proceed. I will need some more time for preparation, though.” Luna raised an eyebrow. It was an unspoken question, one that Celestia did not answer. She usually kept many details of her plans secret. It was oftentimes unfair toward her sister, but she always had had a good reason. And this time, if she were to tell Luna that there was a possibility of turning into Nightmare Moon again … No this had to stay a secret. “Can you do me a favor?” She asked, and turned her head toward Luna. “Would you help Twilight presiding over day court until I am done with the necessary research?” “Day court is today?” Luna asked, her voice a bit higher with every word. “And you let Twilight Sparkle handle it all on her own?” She immediately accelerated. Celestia smiled. That distraction would help her keep this secret. She flapped her wings, determined, accelerating as well. She would help her little sister. No matter the cost. - [ * ] - “… and that is why the taxes of entrepreneurs like us need to be lowered!” The copper unicorn stallion with black mane and tail finished his plea. The silver highlights in his mane and tail gave him an aura of experience. Three interconnected gears showed his special talent for machinery. Twilight would have loved to talk to him about all that he had achieved, on how his machines worked, but no, she had to talk about taxes with him. She closed her eyes a bit more forcefully than necessary, suppressing a small sigh. He could probably get a scholarship if he wanted to build a new machine. There was no need to come here time and again to try and get taxes lowered. Raven had already whispered into her ear that this would be the fourteenth time. And every time he brought a slightly different argument. “Gilded Gear”, Twilight raised her voice. “I can and will not lower taxes for any entrepreneurs.” She immediately held up a hoof to forestall anything he might want to say, laying down her argument. “Equestria is dependent on those Taxes. You are not the only one employing ponies of several different talents and I hazard to say, that the princesses are a far bigger employer than you are. Now you stand before me and basically demand that I should trade the safety of every pony in the princesses’ employment against the safety of the relatively few ponies in your employment.” She lowered her hoof and looked into his eyes. “If you do not like my judgment, or reasoning, then you may come back the next time one of the princesses is holding court. Maybe Princess Luna will be open to your arguments.” She saw him gulp. Luna was the least sympathetic to such proposals. Gilded Gear took a moment to compose himself and then left the room with his head held high, his Horn almost pointing upright. He certainly wasn’t happy with her decision. Maybe he had thought that she would be far easier to convince than Celestia had been all those thirteen times before. Spike scribbled on a scroll next to her, keeping a record of everything that transpired in court. Celestia could review every decision Twilight made, minimizing the danger of a wrong decision. The little dragon still found the time to flash her a smile and give her a “thumbs up”. Sometimes she wondered what she would do without him. “Princess Celestia was right to appoint you as her substitute”, Raven commented almost at the same time. “I don’t know, making all these decisions … in this short amount of time … I am afraid I have made a few mistakes … and I feel a headache coming on.” Twilight rubbed her temples with her hooves, while she complained. “Don’t worry, you have done admirably”, Raven shuffled through her papers with magic, while using a firm hoof to get Twilight to lower hers “not in front of the petitioners”, she murmured, while her magic exchanged the paper from the top to the back of her stack. “Just a little more, princess, you are half-way through.” “Only half?” Twilight exclaimed and slumped her shoulders. This was more tedious than she had imagined it to be. How did Celestia manage this on a daily basis? Spike smiled in her direction, flexed his claws and was ready to write again. Twilight had inadvertently trained his claw well for this task. “Next is Lord Golden Gamble”, Raven said, “it is his first time coming to court.” Another noble. So far the greater number of petitioners had been nobles – and half of those came with proposals suggesting that they had too much free time. And too little money, despite having more than most of the population. She idly wondered what his proposal could be. “His Lordship Golden Gamble”, the Guard announced as another unicorn stepped forward. “Esteemed Princess Sparkle”, he began, flourishing a leg while bowing. He was sturdily built, had a brown coat and a blond, almost golden mane and tail. His voice was deep, rich, and charismatic. A black mustache completed the picture of nobility. “I think it would be a good idea, if the crown were to start something that I would like to call the Harmony Lottery.” “Harmony Lottery?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Would you care to elaborate?” “Maybe the ‘Equestrian Lottery’ is a better name, or we could start the ‘Solar Lottery’ and the ‘Lunar lottery’ for two events in a week”, he threw his hooves to the side and smiled. “And yes, I would like to elaborate on this opportunity.” Setting his hooves to the ground once more, he cleared his throat, and started to explain: “The idea is fairly simple: Anypony shall have their weekly pick of six numbers out of a pool of 49 numbers. They can register this selection of numbers for a small fee. Then, once a week, one of the princesses will draw randomly the six harmony numbers. The one pony who’s registered numbers match the ones drawn will win one million bits!” He grinned widely, flinging his forelegs wide once more. Twilight ignored his grand gestures, while she calculated in her head. The odds of getting all six numbers correct were astronomically small. Who in their right mind would bet on such small odds in hopes of getting a million bits? And even if you had a million bits, what would you do with all that money? “It gets even better”, the unicorn intoned in a near whisper. “Should you endorse my idea and create this crown lottery, then the crown would earn a lot of extra bits every week, which can be spend in other projects.” He smiled, raising an eyebrow conspiratorially. Twilight opened her mouth and closed it once more. There were a lot of details missing. She didn’t know the state of the royal treasury. What would happen, if a pony won on the first draw? Would it really be a good thing to those not used to having a lot of money? And there was one more point to consider … “What would you gain out of this?” “Oh, a small percentage of the what the crown makes from this lottery every year”, he said with a smile, sat back on his haunches and polished his hoof on his fur. “Just think about it. This is a win-win-win idea!” He grinned, looking at his hoof. “The ponies that participate in the lottery can win so many bits that they do not have to work, the treasury will get a boost every week, and I have to admit, that I will benefit from this idea, as well! We could set a fixed amount of bits every week as licensing fee. That way the crown will profit even more from this!” He got back to his hooves, taking a wide open stance. “There is absolutely no way you can deny this proposal!” Twilight blinked. There was merit to this system of his. Maybe they could lower the taxes of the whole population, freeing up some more money to be used in this lottery. Since no one would be forced to participate in this lottery, those trying their luck would help bolster the treasury. There were a few things to consider, but if she would allow him to conduct an experiment for a year, to see if there were any negative effects to such a lottery … “Maybe she may not find a way to decline thee, but I certainly will!” A familiar voice interrupted Twilights thoughts. Princess Luna trotted slowly into the audience chamber, her wings flared, her head held high. She radiated a regal posture Twilight could only dream of. Her stern gaze demanded obedience. The Princess climbed the dais while the crowd whispered their theories why the princess of the night came into morning court, and not her sister. Princess Luna stood next to Twilight and addressed Golden Gamble once more: “We will not allow few ponies to profit on the base of hundreds of ponies due to a promise whose odds are astronomically low. Our society has been built on equality, and such a system would upset this equality. We have a duty to everypony. We are here to protect them, not to plunder their earnings!” She let her words sink in. When Golden Gamble didn’t answer, she added: “That’s all! Thou art dismissed.” Just as Twilight wanted to get up to make space for Princess Luna, the alicorn gestured with a wing that she should stay where she is. “Do not worry Twilight Sparkle”, she said with a soft voice as Golden Gamble left, “I shall help you with your decisions.” She glanced at Celestia’s aide and then added “But Raven tells me that you have performed well thus far.” Twilight nodded slightly and grinned nervously. “Thank you”, she whispered. She didn’t know what the ponies would think with her making the decisions and Princess Luna just standing at her side. Still, the presence of her eased Twilight’s headache. Maybe the latter half of morning court wouldn’t prove as stressful as the first one had. - [ + ] - Celestia strode along the countless shelves that were filled with even more scrolls than any library had the right to have. But this were the Canterlot Archives, if no other library had the right, hers had. She had to grin at that thought, and returned her attention to searching. She had a rough idea of what she was looking for, but not so much where to look for it. Somepony had neglected to catalog this particular wing of the archives. That somepony was her, as access to this wing had been denied to anyone but the princesses themselves. She pulled a few scrolls out of the shelves with her magic, and glanced quickly on the inscribed cutiemark. Many of them showed the mark of Starswirl. After noticing that some of his discoveries could have very adverse effects, he requested them to stay secret. He didn’t destroy them outright, because they also contained the necessary countermeasures. What Celestia was searching for was a different scroll, one that bore her own mark. It contained the secret on conjuring and her attempts at controlling a lot of dark magic. Something she had worked on after she had had to banish her sister to the moon. Dark Magic Control had adverse effects on a pony’s mind, some broke beneath it, some turned completely to the dark arts. It could have such a corrupting influence that she had been hesitant to show only a fraction to Twilight. Her former student was probably immune to the effects because she stood under the protection of the Elements of Harmony. They had been the key to cleansing her sister after her return. But they hadn’t completely removed the dark presence from within Luna’s memories. Celestia briefly wondered why, but quickly returned to searching. She feared that they had little time to set this right. The spells she had prepared a hundred years ago, meticulously copying Starswirl’s notes, modifying them, developing theories on his findings, and finally creating her new spells. All meant to work with dark magic. Dark magic she had to seal into a suitable receptacle. She couldn’t use a pony to hold all this dark magic. Not even herself would be safe from its corrupting essence should she take it all into herself. That was much too risky. Banishing it to the moon or the sun wouldn’t work either. She wouldn’t have the power of the Elements of Harmony on her side – and there could be adverse effects on either celestial body. She had seen the effects it had on just a few crystals. They started to grow like weeds until they had incorporated all the magical energy directed at them. Still, if she were to do it carefully, shouldn’t it then be able to hold it all? Couldn’t she just pour all this darkness into one little crystal and then have it stored in one of the castles vaults? This one crystal of the Crystal Empire that she possessed, one of the purest crystals in existence … It had been a gift to her and she had cherished it all this time. But to safe her sister, it would have to suffice. Considering its origins, it was probably the best receptacle she could find. Finding the scrolls was just a matter of time. Speaking of which, there was one spell of Starswirl she could use, should her plan backfire. She went on searching that one was well. There should be an advanced copy in this section of the castle … - [ § ] - After the last pony left the room, Luna turned slightly away from Twilight, stifling a yawn with her wing. “It seems that day court is as tedious as ever”, she said. How did Celestia survive that all this time? Maybe she secretly sneaks in a cupboard cutout, and uses magic to project her denials into court … “I wouldn’t have thought that so many ponies of the nobility are such … short sighted … creatures”, Twilight exclaimed. “Maybe they all just need a free prescription of new glasses”, Spike said, rolled the last scroll up and put it on the heap of scrolls he had written today. He shook his claw, which was slightly swollen. Raven snickered at Spike’s comment, then cleared her throat and added her bits: “Celestia once told me that they are so far disconnected from the normal pony that they can’t see that their problems are not real problems at all. Still they fight their problems as much as anypony would, just with more fervor, because they have the resources to do so. Some even forget the true meaning of their special talent.” She checked the last of her papers and let them float next to her. “Celestia deals with this on a weekly, if not daily basis, and every so often throws them a bone, since they have the power to stop Equestria in its tracks. Though many fear what Celestia could do, if they angered her.” Raven pointed a hoof at Luna. “Believe it or not, but you set a fine example, that allowed Celestia a lot more leeway a thousand years ago than she normally would have.” Luna blinked a few times. She had never thought that anything good come out of her ordeal. “I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that the nobility won’t change.” Luna turned toward Twilight. “Long ago they already thought that they are entitled to being our equal. One even demanded from us that we should grant them alicornhood.” She snorted. “They already had a ruler. They just ‘appreciated’ that we took the burden of rising sun and moon.” “Wow, no wonder that the Princess needed some time off,” Spike said. “Oh Spike”, Twilight laughed a bit, “Celestia wouldn’t take some time off in this manner.” She stood up and shook her hind legs. “Speaking of her”, she turned to Luna, “what was the emergency she had to get to?” Luna stared at Twilight. Of course she would ask. She should have known, should have prepared a proper story. Celestia had known, as well. Maybe she even intended this to happen. Should she involve the young alicorn in her matters once more? She settled on an answer that should be perfectly neutral. She wouldn’t lie, just leave parts of the truth unspoken. “I was the emergency. I have discovered some disturbing, but private memories about the Tree of Harmony.” “Disturbing memories … Tree of Harmony …” Twilight looked half in thought, half as if asking a question – then her facial expression changed suddenly into a large grin. “So you remember it as well?” It was such a display of joy, that she almost feared Twilight would turn into Pinkie Pie in front of her eyes. Gone was the display of a weary alicorn that just sat through morning court. “That means that I can finally write it down and publish my theories!” She clapped her forehooves together in joy. Luna tried to keep her facial expression neutral. Twilight’s words echoed in her mind. How did she know? How could she know? Had the Tree of Harmony revealed itself to her? Had Harmony’s spirit awakened? Could she dare hope to once more talk to the pony that saved her life? No, that couldn’t be it. There had to be a simpler explanation, and the only simpler explanation that came to mind was that Celestia had told her. “Tell me, Twilight Sparkle: For how long have thee known?” Her emotions were in turmoil. Why had Cilista told Twilight, but not her? Twilight stopped clapping, and her smile disappeared. “I … I’m sorry princess”, she answered. “I didn’t mean to …” Luna closed her eyes and sighed. Once more she directed her anger at the wrong target. “I am the one that should be sorry. My emotions got the better of me. Still, I would like to know, when it was that my sister told you.” “It was about half a year ago. She even told me to keep it secret, because she feared the memory might hurt you.” Luna sighed again and looked to one of the stained glass windows. Celestia always kept secrets. And all of them were sold as trying to protect her. She shook her head. “Your Highnesses?” Raven cleared her throat, making a display of ordering the papers in her magical grasp. “It is time for lunch. And then there is the issue with the maretonian delegates in the afternoon.” “Lunch? Awesome, I’m starving”, Spike ran eagerly toward the doors. Luna rolled her eyes. The maretonian delegates. Again. Equestria’s diplomatic relationship with Maretonia was … difficult to say the least. Especially since the maretonian duke didn’t take changes in the status quo lightly. The sudden rise of Twilight into the rank of a princess had caused problems already. Celestia had told her that it was the same when Cadence rose into alicornhood. Then there was Cadance becoming the appointed ruler of the Crystal Empire. Maretonia feared a concentration of power in Equestria, feared that they would become conquerors as they might need a kingdom for every princess that arose. It was a silly notion. Maybe he wanted alicornhood as well. Just to be on the safe side. But there were rules to the process. And the way he acted … there was no chance in Tartarus. “What do they want?” Luna asked as she followed Raven and Spike to the dining hall. “Sorry, but I don’t know. They keep the details secret, as usual”, Raven answered and shrugged. Luna let out a long sigh. She really disliked these meetings. She could only hope that Celestia would be done with her research before they had to meet. The duke might even see it as an insult, if Celestia didn’t appear. One problem never came alone … - [ + ] - Celestia joined Luna and Twilight in the Dining Hall. They already sat concentrated at Luna’s end of the large dining table. A few dishes with assorted fruits, sliced up for easy chewing, salads, and daisy sandwiches were waiting on the table. The cooks had outdone themselves. Normally she would have made a few pancakes, but that had to wait. Twilight was talking, while gesturing wildly with her hooves. She was so immersed in her topic of conversation, that her food was still untouched. Celestia had to smile as she remembered her student forgetting to eat time and again. Spike sat to the side and had a small bowl of gemstones, bakes into biscuits, in front of him. He seemed to savor every one, his attention focused on the bowl. The cooks had prepared a plate for her as well. She smiled, sat down next to Luna and Twilight, and floated her plate over to them. “It seems as if this will be a very eventful day”, she said and took one of the sandwiches in her magic grasp. “Indeed it is.” Luna turned toward her. “Twilight Sparkle has told me her theories on what Harmony may have done as she turned into a tree.” Celestia flinched inside. That was Luna’s way of telling her that she was ‘very displeased’ about her actions. Although she kept calm enough on the outside, maintaining her mask and smiling her usual smile, Luna had noticed that her comment had struck home. It was noticeable in the way she smiled. Twilight grinned nervously, very nervously. “W… well, Princess Luna mentioned her memories, and then I figured that she had remembered, and that I don’t need to keep it secret anymore, and …” “It’s fine Twilight.” Celestia closed her eyes for the moment, shook her head, and looked at her former student. “In fact, I expected this to happen.” That was a lie, and yet it helped her maintain the image of being in control. Twilight let out a sigh and smiled. “Thank you.” “There is no need to thank me, Twilight. I am the one that needs to apologize.” Celestia’s gaze found her sister. “I am sorry, Luna. I should have told you, but I feared that you wouldn’t believe me, or if you would …” She put a hoof toward her own heart. “I remember my own pain as I unlocked these memories. It was nothing I wished upon you.” “I surmised as much”, Luna answered, her eyes looked somewhere else. She was probably grappling with her emotions. Luna finally closed her eyes, dipped her head, let out a sigh, and, after a moment, started to smile. “You are forgiven.” It was a genuine smile, and she was looking at her. It warmed her heart. “Thank you, dear sister”, Celestia answered with a smile of her own. She would be her sister’s anchor through what was to come, she would show her the compassion she needed. This time Luna wouldn’t turn into a Nightmare! Not while she still breathed. Celestia looked at Twilight and suddenly another puzzle piece of her half-formed plan fell into place. “Luna, I think it might be a good idea if Twilight were to accompany us.” Luna closed her eyes and sighed. “Did you plan this already, when you called Twilight in to be your replacement in court this morning?” As she opened her eyes again she looked straight at Celestia. This time she had no problem to maintain her impassive gaze that imparted no information. “Accompany you?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Where to? Should I get my friends? Is Equestria in danger?” Celestia chuckled. “It is far less severe than you think”, she answered and turned to Luna. “No, it is something that fell into place, without me actively manipulating things”, she admitted. “It is very convenient, how these things always fall into place, after you have meddled with your hooves in the matter.” Luna closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. “Tell me, sister, how is Twilight Sparkle’s involvement in this a good idea?” “Twilight is bound to the Element of Magic, and from what I know, Harmony favors her. I am sure that, should something go wrong, Twilight will find a solution to it; and maybe Harmony still has a hoof in things.” “What … are you talking about?” Twilight looked from one alicorn to the other, Spike shrugged and took another treat out of his bowl. Celestia ignored them both, her attention was fully on her sister. “You do know what this thing might be? What danger it may pose?” Luna leaned forward, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Yes, I know. And that is exactly why I want her to accompany us.” Celestia kept calm. She was certain that this was the right course of action. “Would anypony please tell me what is going on!?” Twilight shouted. Luna glowered at her. “Very well, if you insist.” She then turned to Twilight. “We did find something disturbing within my memories. A dark and fearsome presence.” “It is a magic construct”, Celestia supplied, “and its essence is almost identical to that of Nightmare Moon. I believe that it has been dormant since you cleansed Luna with the Elements of Harmony.” “You are not going to be Nightmare Moon again, right?” Spike pointed with a glittering gem at Luna. That dragon sometimes had the uncanny ability to hit too close to the truth. “We do fear that it might cause problems in the future”, Luna answered. “Which is why we are planning to remove its influence.” “If it is just a memory, shouldn’t it be harmless?” Spike interjected. “It is not that easy. Our memories shape who we are. We change with our memories, as our memories change with us. I can only speculate on how this … memory … has been planted within me, but I fear that it may have contributed to me acting the way I did.” Celestia closed her eyes. They knew so little about the dark tree’s origins. It might have grown with Luna’s jealousy, it might have grown in the thousand years she was imprisoned on the moon, or within the short moment when the Elements had been used against Nightmare Moon. It may even have come from a totally different source. Celestia just couldn’t dismiss the possibility that it had been planted in her sister well before all of that, but … she couldn’t remember any incident that could have caused it. “Luna, please don’t dwell on the past. You are back now and that is all that matters.” Celestia smiled at her sibling. “We will get through this together, as we have in the past.” Her sister smiled at this and nodded. “Twilight, I have a favor to ask of you”, Celestia turned to her former pupil. “W… what is it?” Twilight was excited and nervous at the same time. “Since you will be part of this little adventure, I think you should check my spellwork”, Celestia chuckled at Twilights face. It was full of wonder, awe, respect, and this nervousness she always had when they tackled a new magical subject. “D… do you think …” “Who else but you?” Celestia smiled. “You are the Princess of Friendship, and the Princess of Magic. The only other pony I would trust with this would be Starswirl the Bearded, and he isn’t around anymore. I am sure you are the best pony qualified for this task.” Twilights eyes practically glowed at this comparison with one of her idols. She would probably have enough time to check everything, since she had to meet the maretonian delegation. Sometimes the duties of a princess were just tedious. But then she always allowed herself an additional helping of pancakes afterward. Or one of the delicious treats her chefs made once in a while … - [ * ] - Twilight had been examining everything in the small chamber Celestia had prepared. The plan and spells were laid out on a small table, including the clear crystal from the Crystal Empire Celestia had used to show her the effects of magic on the empire and on the world itself. In addition to that, she had laid out her own scrolls, scribbled formulas, checked math, runes, and angles for the diagrams. There were wards and spells set on the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room, wards that would keep any spell cast and any magic arising locked in this room. Celestia had also modified the wards on the ceiling to vent excess magic into a short lived illusory spell somewhere far above the castle. The magical equivalent of fireworks. The design of Celestia’s spells was simple, yet elegant. They would channel the targeted magic through a stream directly into the crystal. The patterns used were modified for the use with dark magic, and although Twilight wasn’t experienced with dark magic, she thought that they looked safe and sound. Especially since these runes were, at the same time, powered by Celestia’s normal magic, and not by dark magic itself. Twilight scratched her head with a hoof. The biggest problem was that Celestia had to maintain two completely different, separate spells, that worked on different principles. That was magic only a very advanced unicorn could muster. If it wasn’t even far above an advanced unicorn. Then there was a second problem with the spell, but Twilight didn’t see any other way around this limitation. For Celestia to be able to remove this stream of dark magic from Luna’s memoryscape, one pony had to become a conduit, connecting the two different planes. A pony had to act as a gate into the real world. This was a third spell, and then there was probably a fourth that should protect that pony - most likely Celestia herself - from the ill effects of the dark magic. All the spells Celestia had prepared were marvelous work, and Twilight did not know any way to improve on them, and Celestia was the most experienced spell caster in the whole of equestria, if not even on the whole world. If anypony was able to do this, it was her. Twilight smiled, and sat back on her haunches. They had to take it slow, and steady. But time shouldn’t be a problem, Spike could read all the comics he wanted at the canterlot comic store. She rolled up her own parchments and stuffed them in her saddlebags. This was exciting. Just from examining Celestia’s spells, she had learned so much. She could probably write a paper on the proper handling of dark magic! Celestia opened the door and walked in, just as Twilight finished packing her stuff. The princess smiled, but looked a bit weary around her eyes, somehow … older. Luna didn’t look much better. What were those meetings with the maretonian delegation all about anyways? They were always held in secret, only Cadence was included last time, and when the meeting ended, they didn’t look as weary as they looked now. “Were you able to check everything?” Celestia asked, a smile on her lips that seemed slightly forced. Twilight probably wouldn’t have noticed, if she hadn’t been her personal student for years. “Yes”, Twilight replied, “the way you constructed those shields, using higher order dynamics, and five dimensional harmonics … It’s a marvelous piece of work.” Celestia chuckled slightly. “I shall take that as confirmation.” Luna sighed, a smile on her lips. “Good. I think it is time for us to begin?” “Shouldn’t you rest first?” Twilight interjected. Celestia shook her head. “We think that this is very important, and should be resolved as soon as possible.” She stepped onto the magic circle that was drawn on the floor and settled down, her horn started to glow with the telltale signs of magic being cast. The crystal on the table reacted, and lit up, Celestia’s magic aura appearing around it. “Please, get into position, Twilight.” Luna stepped closer, and took position on the magic circle as well. Twilight got into position in the circle, her body forming an equilateral triangle with those of the other princesses. “W… what should I do?” “For now, observe. I trust you to do the right thing, should something go wrong.” Celestia smiled. Luna nodded. “Thank you, Twilight”, she said and took a deep breath. “Please close your eyes, I will pull you through the dreamscape, and into my memories …” Twilight closed her eyes just as Luna’s horn began to glow with her silvery white magic aura. She soon felt the familiar pull of sleep dragging her down … - [ § ] - Luna stood once more before the dark tree. She could feel the wrongness in the space around her. The hairs of her coat stood on end, and a shiver run down her spine. She tried to ignore the instinct to flee right away. The Princess of the Night was afraid. This tree scared her, more than everything she had faced in her life. She closed her eyes and reached out into the dreamscape; she opened the doors for her sister and Twilight. The young alicorn was the first to join her. Twilight’s ears laid back, her eyes had gotten smaller. “This is really creepy”, she said and forced a laugh. It showed how uncomfortable she was in the tree’s presence. Celestia joined them only a moment later, her horn still glowing, her magic connected this realm with the real world. “I am ready?” She announced. Twilight nodded slightly. Luna took a deep breath. “I am prepared.” “Then begin”, Celestia said, the glow of her horn became brighter. Luna reached out with her magic, a thin stream formed, connected to the center of the tree. Where the element of magic would be on the original. Black mist formed where the stream hit the center, spiraled around Luna’s silvery band of magic, and toward her. Before it could reach her horn, the black mist was intercepted by Celestia’s magic, pulling the blackness toward her. It touched Celestia’s horn, followed the ridges and then disappeared in the princess’ head. “It seems to be working”, Twilight whispered. Luna watched, as the tree’s branches slowly receded, and the tree in whole, began to shrink. It was a slow process, and it would probably take hours to complete. Hours in which neither her, nor her sister could let their concentration falter for just a moment. Time passed slowly while she deconstructed the memory. She saw bits and pieces of her old self float past; the faint memories of her time as Nightmare Moon assaulted her, but were drawn away before they could do any real harm. Her eyes teared over, and she closed them for just a moment. Luna just didn’t want to witness her own deeds once more. “Stop!” Twilight shouted. Luna opened her eyes. One of the dark “Elements” fell like an overripe fruit. She managed to tie off the stream she had created in the nick of time before it hit the ground. The “Element” evaporated into a vast cloud of dark smoke. She started to cough, her lungs burned. There was no way she could keep her concentration up. A strong headache prevented her from casting a protective shield. She fell to her knees, breathed in more of the black smoke. It invaded her whole body, her every sense. She felt as if she were burning, felt as if she would freeze over. The darkness was everywhere …