7: Ethical Choices
The black sun ascends now over the horizon, Duskfall. The corrupting influence of the Sunlovers has finally bled into your domain. All of your security, all of your protection…it amounts to nothing. The purity of your community has been compromised by the irreverent fire-stained faces of the Sunlovers. They must be eliminated if the Nocturnian dream is to survive.
“ORDER.” Lord Duskfall’s voice blasted across the room like a cannon shot, echoing off of the walls. “This court shall come…to order.” The prisoners—THE SUNLOVERS—fidgeted on their cold stone seats and withered under his burning glare, which did not stray from their sun-bleached coats.
A pathetic, whining voice slipped out of the lips of one Sunlover. “Do…do we have any defense-?”
“SHUT UP.” Streams of fire pulsed through Duskfall’s veins as he looked down upon the atrocity below him. Terror glimmered openly in its wide eyes as he stared right through its hollow skin and into its soulless core. This beast is only one limb of the collective Sunloving hive-mind that purged its society of passion…this creature defies life itself in favor of the soulless shell of physical reality.
A shudder passed over him as he took a deep breath and shut his eyes, letting the inferno flow freely through his body and mind, harnessing his anger. He opened his eyes and glared once again at the Sunlover that dared to address him directly.
“Listen to me, you common Sun-beast,” snarled Duskfall, “you shall speak only when I tell you to. You shall not object unless a Pure Nocturn objects on your behalf.”
The violet-stained mare slowly nodded, eyes still shimmering with disgusting fear that radiated from every inch of her body.
A gray stallion sitting next to Duskfall leaned forward and raised an eyebrow questioningly. With a sigh, Duskfall conceded the floor and motioned for the stallion to speak.
Clearing his throat, the stallion launched into a memorized speech: “Allow me to explain the process of determination of your fate as per the regulations of the Nocturnian justice system. The Council of the Nocturna Lorem shall provide the case For your condemnation, as a violation of the core Nocturnian Ideals: Faith, Hope, and Purity. You are allowed to provide the case Against your condemnation based on these three Ideals when given a direct order to do so, but any Pure Nocturn who decides to provide a case for defense may do so at any time. In order for one side to determine your fate, they must provide an irrefutable argument for at least two of the three Ideals.”
Duskfall growled impatiently, watching the indifferent face of the stallion next to him and giving a sigh of relief once he finished. “Thank you, Lord Paradox. Can we begin the proceedings?”
“Yes. This trial is now in session.”
The Princess’s heart pounded mercilessly against her ears as she raced down another corridor. Her hooves clattered endlessly against the cold rock. Rays of blue light spilled from her horn onto the ground, stretching across the floor and setting the stone alight.
Suddenly she spotted a clearing in the midst of the unvarying darkness. A small cloud of dust rose from her hooves as she skidded to a stop in the middle of a clearing. She panted for breath once, twice, her eyes darting across the stone face of the wall in front of her, peering into the darkness in each hallway as the path split in twain in front of her and faded beyond the reach of her magical light.
Two doors stood in front of her, built from black and white, stamped with crescents of inverted colors. She unconsciously took a step backward, her shoulders slumping in humiliation.
Oh Princess, are you lost?
The air in front of her parted into shadows. From between them stepped the shimmering form of Lord Silent, grinning in the fiery blue glow of Luna’s horn. The Princess instantly loosed a bolt of fire which spiraled through the air towards her foe. It phased through him and then rebounded against the wall with an unearthly hiss. Luna’s eyes widened as she reflexively swirled her horn, and the light dissipated right before hitting her face.
And now you must choose, former Princess of the Night, to whom you shall give the gift of continued life. The door on your left leads to nightmares and the right to dreams. Your choice.
“I’ve had enough of your games, Silent. Tell me where you are hiding or I will blast apart both doors and come find you myself.”
THERE is your anger! Why have you hidden it away?!
Luna summoned a blinding light to the tip of her horn. Its aura flooded the corridor. Her eyes narrowed.
Now, do be careful, Princess…you would not want to cause the entire cave to collapse. Unless, of course, you desire to see Twilight Sparkle and Applejack crushed beneath the weight of your poor decisions.
A bead of sweat rolled down the Princess’s face, and then faded to a wisp of steam in the blaze of her anger and fear. “Where are they?”
As I stated, one door leads to me and the other to the courtroom where your friends are being tried for execution. The door on your right leads to the nightmare of reality and the left to the utopia of dreams. Can you tell the difference?
Luna’s face paled.
Good. You have realized that here, in my world, there is no difference. The nightmare is no more...
The stallion stepped backwards between two shadows and faded. His ghost of a smile remained for a split second after his body had faded into the air. Both doors vanished behind his absent form, and one door twice as large appeared in their place.
Luna’s eyebrows furrowed. “Illusions…” she murmured to no one in particular.
Finally, you realize the dishonest truth.
She took a deep breath and poured magic into her horn, then squeezed her eyes shut. All of the light from her horn swirled down through her horn and into her eyes. A small cry escaped her lips, but she grimaced and bore the rest of the stinging energy as it flooded her vision.
Her eyes glowed pure white as she opened them, and she blinked once before gazing across the wall now fully revealed. Three doors stood in front of her, one on her left, white with a black crescent, one on her right, black with a white crescent, and one wholly gray in between them. Luna peered past the veils of stone. The left corridor fell down into shimmering light, the center door led to a dead end almost immediately, and the right fell down with the left…but into darkness instead.
All time waited as the Princess stood alone, hesitating for an hour or a fraction of a second as her mind whirred with new thoughts. A cold breeze wafted through the corridor, gently brushing her shoulder.
Breaking the dead silence, Luna charged forward and kicked open the door on the right, jumping down the stairs and soaring through the freezing air as she fell through the levels of the Nocturnian Citadel, past the Heart and into the darkness that festered underneath.
Fool.
“Here is the plan. I will take you to Lord Silent’s lair, but then I must leave to free a friend of mine from the prison block who will help our cause. Distract Lord Silent as long as you can to prevent him from discovering my plan, and I will arrive shortly with my friend to assist. If we cannot defeat him together…” Beam’s voice faltered as he looked down into both pairs of shining eyes.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got a couple tricks up my sleeve,” said Spike, his voice a mask of confidence.
Beam nodded warily. “Alright. But I must warn you that Lord Silent has powers beyond comprehension. He will use illusions and deceptive magic to trick you, and if worse comes to worst, he may try to break into your mind. Are you sure that you two are up for this?”
After a moment, they both nodded.
“Lord Duskfall, may I make the first case For condemnation?”
Duskfall whirled to face the speaker, and he gave a sigh of resignation as he noticed the black-coated mare rising from her seat. “Of course.”
Lord Mystique smiled, closing her eyes and waiting for a moment before proceeding. Frame your argument around the concept that any information escaping the Citadel would initiate the end of our society. If you can establish that their survival would become such a catalyst, it forms a perfect case For execution on the basis of Hope.
“Look at me, Sunlovers,” she said, her voice a dark whisper. “If you are not dealt with immediately, and we allow you to escape, you will return to your nation telling tales of a city within the heart of the earth. The Equestrians will follow those tales directly to the Nocturnian Citadel…and once your Princess of Fire discovers us, she will attempt to finish the job that she started one thousand years ago. Your presence has ensured the destruction of our way of life and sealed our fate. Have you any response?”
“I reckon I do! That’s a bunch of—”
“Um, Applejack, I think I’ll handle this one,” said Twilight, cutting off her friend with a warning glance. She took a deep breath, and then turned towards the mare whose silhouette blended as a shadow against the wall. “Okay, first of all, Princess Celestia wouldn’t hold a grudge from a millennium ago. Not only is she a very kind pony, but she is also a ruler who has learned to let go of the past and make amends whenever possible.”
This pony has a close personal connection to the Princess of Fire. Make her admit it. “May I ask how you know this?” the mare asked.
“I’m her student.” As soon as the words passed her lips, Twilight winced. Her mistake reverberated across the walls of the room and through the ears of every single occupant.
Applejack quickly cut the silence: “So y’all better not let anything bad happen to me or my friend, because Princess Celestia wouldn’t be happy if she found out that y’all are responsible for anything bad happening to us.”
That fits perfectly within the framework of this case. Run with it. “Really? All the more reason, then, that we cannot let her discover this underground haven. We have hidden from her sun-blinded eye for one thousand years, so what is the likelihood that she could discover us now if we do not allow you to escape?”
“Well, I know for sure that she won’t rest until my friend and I are safe. She’ll come lookin’ for us.”
Now you are open to strike with a two-pronged offensive. First, expose her lack of knowledge about the Citadel’s protections, thus exposing her naïveté. Second, explain the full extent of my magical protections to intimidate her. “Tell me, Sunlover, how do you think we have hidden for one thousand years?”
“Um…”Applejack swallowed once. “Well, this place is really hard to find, unless you’re looking for it...”
“No, Sunlover. Over a thousand years, somepony would have found this Citadel if only by simple chance. However, a sorcerer within our ranks has cast protective spells over the entire Citadel area, protecting our utopia from any prying eyes. He is a master of illusions and could easily prevent the Princess of Fire from finding us as he has done for the last millennium.”
“Y’all can’t hide forever,” she replied.
Perfect setup for the argument of Hope against Fatalism. She has handed you the case on a silver platter. “So, Sunlover, you have based your defense on a fatalistic viewpoint? I expected as much. Naturally, then, it should be clear that Hope, as the irrefutable enemy of Fatalism, will support the case of the Nocturna Lorem. You have lost the first of three cases.” With a satisfied smile, the mare trotted back to her seat and melted into the black shadows of the cave.
Applejack’s face paled.
Deep within the dark halls of stone, a wisp of green fire vanished into the air, consuming a tiny roll of parchment pinched between two claws. Spike smiled and brushed his claws against each other while Apple Bloom looked on nervously.
“Are ya sure this’ll work?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”
In a castle atop a faraway mountain, the Princess of Fire frowned and picked up a tattered scroll with a flick of her horn.
Twilight shifted nervously on the cold stone, watching as the gray stallion rose from his seat.
“I will make the second case For condemnation of these Sunlovers,” rang out a flat monotone.
“Go ahead” said Lord Duskfall through clenched teeth.
Lord Paradox rose from his seat, walking stiffly to the edge of the Council podium. He cleared his throat once, and then looked down at the Sunlovers, waiting for a signal that did not come. The moment passed in silence.
Twilight frowned. She leaned over to Applejack and whispered, as quietly as possible, “What is he waiting for?”
Applejack shrugged.
Suddenly the monotone resumed. “I know for a fact that neither of you Sunlovers believes that the Nocturnian Dream will prevail. You both see no logical reason to put any stock in it whatsoever. You are unwilling to give it a chance.”
Twilight took a deep breath, making sure to take her time before responding. He is trying to set us up as violators of one of the three Ideals…what were they? Hope, Purity, and…what was the last one? Faith. He’s trying to portray us as faithless.
She gave herself another valuable second of silence to fit the pieces together and swallow a lump of nervousness before refuting his argument. “That makes no sense,” she began, relieved to hear the confidence in her own voice. “You’re saying that we didn’t give it a chance. But the thing is…we couldn’t! As soon as we arrived, we were captured. And,” she glared up at her motionless opponent, “once I was able to, I did give your dream a chance! Starlight and I went to the Heart, and I happily stayed there until your soldiers took me away.”
Lord Paradox fidgeted on his seat, still waiting for something that had not yet happened. A bead of sweat rolled down his expressionless face.
Suddenly Twilight’s eyes widened. “He’s waiting for Silent to help him…” she murmured, barely loud enough for Applejack to hear.
“But…your actions have shown that you had no faith in the Nocturnian System to deliver justice. You broke out of prison, against our orders.”
Twilight stood up and trotted forward, her mind whirling with intermixed anxiety and audacity. “Actually, that took a great deal of faith. Faith in myself. Faith in Starlight, who I now trust as a friend. Faith that if I did the right thing, I would be rewarded.” She sucked in a quick breath of air before continuing. “I think that you are the faithless one here. You have no faith that either of us are more than just ‘Sunlovers’. You are unwilling to trust us. We would have gladly contributed to your Dream if you just had a little bit of faith in us from the start. I don’t know what kind of twisted logic led you to the conclusion that we pose a danger to your society, but it’s clear that your paradoxical thinking has led you to the point that you would kill us without even giving us a chance.” She exhaled, suddenly nervous as she watched the stallion’s reaction.
After six excruciating seconds of silence, Lord Paradox sighed. “I concede the point. You have won the second of three cases.”
Twilight’s mind whirled in happy circles. “T-thank you,” she stuttered, and then trotted back to take her seat.
Applejack grinned and patted Twilight on the back. “That was a mighty fine speech ya made there, Twi,” she whispered. “Now we just hafta beat the maddest and ugliest of the bunch: Lord Madder-Than-A-Flaming-Timberwolf Duskfall.”
Lord Silent whirled around, a grin stretched across his jet-black face as he stared at the door to the peak of his tower. Two pairs of wide eyes stared at him, immobilized by magic and fear in equal regard.
Good evening, Spike and Apple Bloom. Both of you have made a tremendous mistake.
A cloud of glimmering indigo shimmered hazily around Lord Silent’s unicorn horn. Light blazed out, washing the room in energy. Silence fell over the room, muffling a whimper.
Yes, young filly, I know who you are. I know all…what was that, Spike?
“I called you a liar.”
Silent waited for several excruciating seconds as he glared straight through Spike’s fiery emerald eyes, which refused to yield. He turned away, gazing into a wall of stone.
Tell me, children…have you ever known sorrow in your lives?
Apple Bloom flinched. “Wha-huh?”
Any painful memories? Any cruel realities, any deadly truths, any wistful dreams?
I had many.
I believed that my friends and I could live here, forever, eternally happy. He turned to look at Apple Bloom out of the corner of his eye. I thought I could give my community—my family—a perfect home, where they could always have a perfect utopia to come back to if any troubles somehow entered their lives, and where no one would die before their time. His gaze shifted to Spike. I thought I could make a world where jealousy, greed, hate, and fear would not fester.
“What the hay are you talking about?!”
The stallion sighed, dropping both children onto the ground. I do not suppose you would be interested in my melodramatic troubles…but then again, spoke the voice as its owner turned around once again to the blank stone wall, such troubles are the reason we stand here tonight. I shall cut to the chase, if you so desire.
Spike’s fist slowly uncurled, leaving his claws dangling in open air.
You now face a choice. I hold the fate of your friends in my hooves, since they are currently facing a trial for execution deep in the bowels of the Citadel. I can save them…if you promise one thing.
Both eyes widened, staring at the Voice with no audible reply.
Promise that you will leave my family in peace.
“No,” Apple Bloom quietly responded. Spike shot her an urgent glare.
Excuse me? Silent whirled around, his horn glowing with brilliant indigo fire. Shadows vanished from the walls, scorched by the light.
“You took my sister and her friend prisoner, and you woulda taken me an’ my friend prisoner as well. I’m sorry, but I won’t let you do that to anypony anymore.” Apple Bloom’s voice quivered as she let the last words pass her lips.
Silence hung over the room as the Lord of the Realm glared down at the two. Fine then. If you refuse to give my friends and I the peace we deserve, then you shall face our wrath.
A cloud of pure blackness expanded out of Silent’s horn, rolling over the room like an all-consuming fog. The two children coughed and gagged at the smoke, red lines crisscrossing their eyes as they stared into the face of the abyss.
Suddenly a spear of brilliant light pierced the black followed by a wave of noise, and Silent gave a strangled cry. The fog dissipated before the blinding sunlight, revealing the pure-white form of the Princess of Fire standing with one hoof on Silent’s throat, bathed in light from the crumbling ceiling, and next to her stood Starlight, with a grin on her face and dusty rubble on her hooves.
“Now that two cases have been heard, it is time to decide the final case for the fate of the Sunlovers: Purity. Lord Duskfall, you may rise and make your case.”
“Thank you, Lord Paradox.” With a malevolent grin the stallion rose to his hooves, stretching for a brief moment before trotting purposefully to the front podium.
Twilight gulped.
“Our society has lived always on the rules of Purity. We have always kept a wary eye for any signs of Impurity and Corruption, such as the monsters that seek to attack us from without—the manticores, and the timber-wolves and any others that dwell within the caves—but also the monsters that seek to attack us from within. Any betrayers among any of the ranks of government, including the recently expelled Starlight of the Nocturna Lorem Guard, are immediately expelled. In order to keep our society free of disharmony, we need a Pure society, otherwise we would be constantly rocked by rebellion and discontent from change.”
Fidgeting on the cold stone, Twilight stared up at the Lord of the Council, her brain furiously recording his argument and simultaneously constructing a rebuttal based around this alien justice system.
Duskfall shoved a hoof down to point accusingly at Twilight and Applejack, one of his eyes twitching and the other glaring with all of the force it could muster. “These two Sunloving beasts are worse than any of those things against which we have fought since the Nocturnian Revolution one thousand years ago, when we first rose against the Sunlovers! They are worse than the manticores, as they have penetrated our safe haven without our knowledge. They are worse than the corrupted ones within our very system—they are the ones who corrupted Starlight into pursuing their evil goals, trying to destroy our utopian society! It is for this reason that they must be condemned. Starlight is only the first of many, assuming we let these two live. They have corrupted the Purity of one of us…how long will it be before they corrupt the Purity of all of us?!” Heaving with passionate fury, Duskfall slowly sat back down at the podium of cold rock, his heavy gaze never leaving the eyes of the Sunlovers.
Noiseless panic clung to Twilight’s skin as she sat still, gaping up at Lord Duskfall while her brain furiously worked together a plan to refute Duskfall’s offensive. Precious seconds ticked away as her mind consistently drew up nothing.
“Well, Sunlovers? Do you have anything to say to defend your pathetic lives?!” snarled Duskfall, leaning over the podium and glaring at them with a tiny smile curling around the side of his face.
“I do.” The two words rang out across the empty space, and every head immediately swiveled to the back of the room to witness an incomprehensible sight. Dozens of jaws dropped and dozens more eyes widened at what lay before them.
A long shadow fell over the crowd, cast from the stalwart figure of Princess Luna as she marched into the room, her translucent mane stretching out behind her resolute face and her horn glowing fiery-blue, casting waves of light over the stone that ebbed and flowed like those of the great ocean. Her hoofsteps shattered the silence of her entrance as she trotted into the Council Room of the Nocturna Lorem.
With the noise of her hooves, the spell broke and everypony in the room snapped out of their momentary trance. Every knee bowed before the rightful Princess of the Night, even among the Lords of the Council. The Eye of the Nocturna Lorem stared down proudly as its true master returned, finally come to topple the throne of Lord Silent.
“P-Princess Luna!” Duskfall stuttered, his tongue tripping over itself as he stood to address the regent. “Have you returned to save us from the Sunlovers and fight back against the Princess of Fire, as in the times of old?”
“What are you doing with my subjects?” she demanded, casually ignoring his question.
“…what?”
She glared straight into Duskfall’s widening eyes. “I said, what are you doing with my subjects?”
“I…I apologize, Princess. I thought that they-”
“They are no threat, I assure you.” With that last statement, the Princess tore her gaze from the Lord of the Council and let it rest on her two little ponies, finally found here in the heart of the earth, safe despite everything they had been through. Her indignant expression faded into a warm smile. She ran to them, galloping across the stone and jumping to take them in a deep embrace, closing her eyes. Applejack and Twilight let out a deep sigh of relief and returned the Princess’s hug.
“I am so sorry that it took me this long to find you both. I thought you were dead!”
The three Lords shifted awkwardly on their seats.
“Don’t worry, my little ponies. It’s all over now. You’re safe.”
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- BlueEyedMelloon · 13k words · 48 1 · 1.9k views
- AnkhOmega · 42k words · 46 6 · 984 views
- Sparky Brony · 10k words · 50 4 · 2.3k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.093 seconds
Total duration
652 users online
915,636 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
That was very good. I liked it. Keep it up and I can't wait to finish it.
3504179
Now Princess Luna has returned the Children of the Night can be at peace with the Sunlovers.
Huh? What's happened? The story says complete, but you have yet to post the final chapter. May you provide an explanation, please?
4943769
I suppose it's high time I spilled the beans about that. The answer is frustratingly simple.
When I write, the tone of my work mirrors my mood. After writing what I planned as the penultimate chapter last December, I decided to wait until I felt happy so I could write a happy ending.
A week or two ago I gave up waiting.
Sorry, but that last chapter is truly the last. All of the loose threads left can probably be tied up by the readers themselves.
That was probably the last chapter of pony fanfiction I'll ever write, since I have determined that my presence is detrimental to the brony fandom. It's a shame, really...I was going to end this fic and my Elements of Disharmony fic with chapters of the same name, "Dawn."
(If anyone I know through FiMFiction is reading this comment, consider it a goodbye.)
5029227 Aww
I'm very sorry to hear that. It would have been super cool with the final chapter things for your stories, but I know it's your choice, not mine. I hope that your mood improves soon, and that you find something else to love and cherish. As a side note, you should probably change that "Complete" to a "Cancelled", because it isn't complete and it is not going to continue.
Have a good life, man.
5029227
Well that's quite disappointing