Lessons in Innocence and Cognizance

by LordBarcha

A Lesson in Innocence

The smoke was the first indication that something was amiss. It poured over the mountains like some monstrous flood. In its wake, tongues of flame bit at the branches of Everfree. As the day wore on, they curled up through the branches of Everfree, heralding the fall of trees older than Equestria. Advancing inexorably toward Ponyville, only a group of royal guards stood in their way. As groups fought fires with buckets, others struggled to clear away underbrush to deprive the fire its fuel.

“Keep the bucket lines going!” Shining Armor cried, exhorting the soldiers to greater effort. His face, scarred and grizzled from long years of service was clenched in a grimace from the heat.

A roar cut through the crackling flames. Shining red scales tore through burning trees, scattering them like so much chaff. As the world ignited, Shining Armor still stood firm. Letting loose a cry that cowed even the dragon, he charged. Then, the fires engulfed him, obscuring him from sight.

A half hour later, the dragon fell. Later inspection would reveal Shining Armor’s spear lodged in its heart. His armor, badly scorched, and more importantly, empty, was recovered soon after.

---

Luna strode down the hall, humming a gentle lullaby under her breath. Candles flickered and went out as she passed, apparently extinguished by her mere presence. Stopping at a window, she stared out at the fading smoke. Under the tranquil silence of the night, it was almost possible to forget the tragedy of the morning. Silence and sleep would wash away their cares for now. A gentle smile played across her face. All was as it should be.

A splintering crash snapped her from her reverie. Alarmed, she galloped toward the source of the sound. Sounds of shattering glass, cracking wood, and smashed porcelain echoed down the hallways toward her. Turning a corner, she found a pair of alarmed guards. They bowed as she approached.

“Report,” she demanded curtly. Whatever it was, it had happened on her watch. Unforgivable.

“We were guarding the door, just as we always do,” the guard informed her, “Princess Celestia went in with Princess Cadence roughly twenty minutes ago. Celestia emerged ten minutes later and ordered us not to enter the room under any circumstances. The sounds began very recently.”

“I’m going in,” Luna announced, “Maintain a guarding stance and allow no one else entrance”

“With all due respect, we have no idea what is in that room!” the guard cautioned.

Pulling the door open, Luna chastised him, “You have your orders. Now follow them.”

With a dull thud, the door closed behind her. The room was dark, even to the night princess’ eyes. That shouldn’t be possible. Uneasiness dug its claws into her stomach.

“Are you there, Cadence?” she called gently, stepping forward.

“Leave me!” Cadence’s shriek barely sounded coherent. It carried a hint of familiar magic. The memory sent a shudder down her spine.

“What happened?” Luna asked cautiously, stepping further into the room. Deep, gasping sobs were her only answer. “He died, didn’t he?”, she asked. The weeping grew more intense, answering her question. Spiking wildly, the all too familiar magic coursed over her in waves.

A hint of fear tinged her voice, causing it to quiver slightly. Thankfully, she kept the stammer under control, “We need to talk. I’m sure no one wants another Nightmare, and I’m equally sure you don’t want to be that Nightmare.”

“Says Nightmare Moon.”

Luna’s hoof struck a puddle of something, causing her to slip. Frustrated at her blindness, she finally lit her horn. The puddle, which was slowly oozing outward, had stained her coat bright red. From atop the ruined bed, Cadence stared down at her, mane rippling wildly. Chunks of armor extended from her head, incomplete, but growing. In shock, Luna slipped again, extinguishing the light. This time, the stammering became uncontrollable,

“C-cadence. You cannot b-begin to understand how sorry I am. Please. You have to listen to m-me.”

“What do you want from me?” her voice slowly modulated down an octave. As rich as chocolate, but cold as ice. It sounded obscene, compared to the innocent, childish quality it once possessed.

Forcing back the fear, and the dark magic carried by the sound, she answered slowly, “ I want to help you.”

“Can you bring him back?” The question was acrid and bitter.

Though tempted to lie, she answered honestly, “no.”

“Can you kill me?”

“No.”

“Then what good are you?” Cadence snarled.

Suddenly, something clicked for Luna. She gently changed the subject, “It’s interesting. Do you know that after a few hundred years, an immortal gains the ability to view a soul?”

“No.” The bitterness had left Cadence’s voice slightly, replaced by curiosity.

Taking a deep breath, she spilled a secret a thousand years old, “When we look into the hearts of others, we occasionally find something unusual. The potential for immortality is something that you are born with. We merely wake up the skill. A few, like Celestia, discovered the trick on their own, but they are the minority.”

Cadence’s voice lightened again, “You say that like you’re not the first.”

“Evening Star, Iris Flare, and a dozen others came before us. They are vaguely remembered by other names in scraps of mythology. Empyrean is remembered as Nightmare Fury, The Pyre of Tartarus, and Hephaestus, to name only a few of his titles.” Luna continued.

“What happened to them?

Sighing, Luna finally reached the point, “They succumbed to the pain. Each had their own delusions, but the result was the same. Nightmare Fury turned a kingdom to glass. Nightmare Detritus rendered a once fertile plain so uninhabitable that anything alive within its borders turns to ash. The history books lie. Eternal night was not Nightmare Moon’s goal out of mere jealousy. It was an act with genocide as its intent.”

Cadence’s sharp gasp marked another spike of magic. Her voice grew harder, and somehow colder as she demanded, “Why would they do that? Why would you do that?”

Luna shuddered. She was gambling everything on this. If it failed, she would give a new Nightmare all of the justification it would ever need. “Because we came to view life as a curse. Each of us in turn began our own war to end it. Despair, desperation, and righteous fury were our reasons. I still shudder when I think of how wrong we were.”

“What other answer is there?” Cadence’s voice had lost the pulse of magic. Instead, her former, innocent tone had returned. The desperation that laced it was heartwrenching.

Luna suddenly felt every one of her years like a thousand pounds of lead, and an epiphany struck. Suddenly, the situation seemed to lose any scrap of severity. Unable to help herself any longer, she laughed. After a few seconds, she changed the subject again, “It’s amusing in a terrible way. All of the ones who could best use immortality are the ones who lack the potential to receive it.”

“Why do you say that?”

Pushing aside the maelstrom of anxiety and hilarity, she launched into the unknown, “Shining Armor was born a mortal, lived as a mortal, and was always fated to die as one. A single glance from these eyes confirmed that. However, he owned his life for only a short time. He himself chose to give up his life to the service of others for as long as he could still breathe. Even his death was an act of service, given to protect.”

“Why are you doing this?” Cadence asked, her voice cracking.

“To show you that there is a purpose. Living in a transient world is a burden, but we were given this burden for a reason. If you want to give up your life, give it up. However, give it to the ones who can’t help themselves. Serve them in ways that only you can. So do what your late husband did. Become what he was unable to become. Keep his legacy alive, because you are the only one who can.”

Instantly, the overpowering aura vanished. Something soft and wet struck her, clinging to her tightly. “Hold me,” it begged.

Drawing a trembling and sobbing Cadence into a gentle embrace, Luna whispered, “There, there. I will always be here. You can count on it.”

Author's Note:

Comments are appreciated. If there is any interest, I might actually make it a two-part piece. (Celestia and Twilight)

Comments

[Lunacorn]

That was one of the best fan fics I ever read! Please continue it!

[Bronzedragon]

An interesting take on immortality. It seems to settle out in four ways.

1. Reject all life and try to destroy it. The ones mentioned in the story
2. Push all others away and place value only in material things. Dragons
3. See mortals as playthings or servants, there only to serve your pleasures.
Discord and Sombra.
4. See others as having an almost infinite potential in infinite combinations and do
your best to nurture them and allow them to grow. Celestia, Luna and
now Cadence.

I think that this story is most certainly worth another chapter and maybe more.

[CometTail]

Wonderful, amazing, delightful, and beautiful, this story is so good and the grammar is really good too.This was amazingly written. Good description, You got an amazing story on your hands

[seki108]

A very heartfelt piece . I'm curious about the Twilight/Celestia take on this.

[ocbaker]

I thought you could have made it a bit longer and I REALLY REALLY want to know why Celestia just left her there.
I also think a follow up chapter would be neat to see what Cadence does with herself.

Was a good short read!

[AlaskaIsCold]

Make a second part!

[Runoratsu]

A little too rushed (as in "short", not as in "many errors"), I think, but it shows promise. The idea is good, as is the writing. Let's see where this goes…

[LordBarcha]

2510846>>2510757>>2509386>>2509325>>2508598>>2508052

As ordered, Part Two is in the final stages of editing. I believe I will have it up within twenty four hours (ish).