Once Luck Turns Into Habit

by Sinister Voice

Prologue: Inquisition

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony for all the land.

To do this, the eldest used her powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night.

One fateful day, the younger sister refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon.

Thus the land was shrouded in The Long Night and war broke out between the two sisters. Reluctantly, yet fearing for her subjects, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponykind:

The Elements of Harmony swirled around her, five glowing gems of different colors and the sixth atop her golden crown. The power in the air was almost palpable.

Clad in golden armor, Celestia looked across the ruined remains of the courtyard she stood in. On the other side, wearing an armor of silver and blue, stood the dark form of her sister Luna, Nightmare Moon.

“Oh I swear once I am finished with you dear sister I will hunt these traitors that brought you my Elements,” the dark Alicorn glared at her sister’s white form and the rainbow colored lights surrounding her and sneered: “As if you could use them on your own. You should feel it too, dear sister. This is not the same power they granted us, when we fought Discord. It is laughable.”

Celestia did not answer. It was obvious. The true might of the Elements could not be harnessed alone, without friendship in their bearers’ hearts and she could only guess what would happen if she tried to use them against Luna. She could feel it, they would not work. Not while she was alone, fighting her only true friend.

Then her eyes fell onto the moon, standing proud behind its mistress.

Tears left her eyes, slowly running down her cheeks before she closed her eyes and called onto the power of the Elements, feeding it into her own spell.

As she opened them again, a heartbeat later, they glowed a blending white, full of power.

“Goodbye Luna.”

Then the Elements began to glow brighter and brighter as well, swirling faster and faster around the white Alicorn. Nightmare Moon laughed and charged her horn with a bluish aura.

“You are a fool sister.”

Then the two unleashed their attacks. Two rays met in the middle of the ruined courtyard, one a dark blue, the other blending white and six smaller rays, the colors of the rainbow, spiralling around it.

For a moment the two powers clashed, fighting against each other, fighting to overwhelm and swallow the other.

Then the world went white.

---

From one of the towers a lone soldier had watched this final exchange between the two Alicorn sisters and as the light slowly ebbed down he blinked, trying to regain his vision.

Down there in the courtyard the sun princess stood. Broken.

Victorious but defeated.

Around her lay five big orbs of stone, each one bearing the cut out form of a gem. Her crown together with the sixth had completely vanished. The Elements of Harmony had turned into stone, unusable now that they had to use their power against one of their bearers. Neither sister would ever wield the forces of Harmony again.

On the other side of the courtyard, where Nightmare Moon had stood, only a darkened circle, where the spell had hit, remained.

In a moment he had run down the tower and approached the princess, still standing there. His eyes followed her gaze and fell on the moon, which, after several days in its zenith, was now slowly sinking towards the horizon.

Dark markings began to form on its surface, looking like the head of pony with a long, slender horn. The head of a regal Unicorn, or rather the head of an Alicorn, a dark princess, the head of Nightmare Moon.

Golden light flickered around Celestia’s horn and on the opposite horizon the sun rose, bringing an end to the Long Night. It’s rays glinting on the soldier’s golden armor.

“Your Majesty…”

“Blueblood? You are here… What of my sister’s followers?”

“Most have either laid down their weapons or had already defected to us… the only ones still loyal are the thestrals.”

“I see… Please Blueblood, would you see that they are taken care of?”

“Of course your Majesty,” he bowed and began to turn away.

“Oh, and Blueblood. Don’t be mistaken, all of them, defectors or not, are still loyal to my sister, Luna, just not to Nightmare Moon.”

“I understand your Highness… I will see that we catch the remaining followers of Nightmare Moon.”

“Yes, please do Blueblood,” she nodded slowly and then closed her eyes, sinking – almost falling to the ground.

While he left, Blueblood could swear he heard the sound of bitter sobbing, but he dared not to turn around again. His goddess had given him a command and he had to see to it. He needed to be strong for her when she could not. Even if he had to turn his own heart into stone.

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Several months later

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A tall Unicorn stallion slowly scaled the stairs leading up to the balconies overviewing one of the assembly halls underneath the Canterlot Royal Palace, his coat was white like freshly fallen snow and his mane and tail had greyed with age. Down there in the hall, standing in rank and file, waited the soldiers he had personally chosen, all of them stallions. Chosen because they were the most loyal. Both to the Princess and to him. Because they were the best of the best, willing to do what had to be done.

For a moment his gaze simply wandered over them; they all had already donned their gleaming golden armor – once reserved for the Sun’s Honor Guard, but this fit his intentions more than well.

Archduke Blueblood coughed slightly and ignited his tall and proud horn, a light blue sheen forming over his throat and mouth.
“Soldiers,” one word of his magically enhanced voice and they all stood at attention, “you are here today, because even years after our glorious ruler the Princess defeated the tyrant Nightmare Moon. Her servants and followers, the thestrals, forever branded as her minions, still hide in the shadows. They still plot and scheme to overthrow the Princess and free their dark queen to bring forth nighttime eternal,” he paused a moment, observing the reactions of the troops assembled in the hall. All of them stood still and at attention, but most of them slightly scowled or growled, ears and wings twitched ever so slightly and tails swished agitated and some even angrily pawed the ground.
“We have hunted them since their mistress’ defeat but they have become ever more wary of our eyes and our vigil. This, however, are only some of the Nightmare’s minions. Even more cunning are those that hide in our benevolent ruler’s protection, those that never openly sided with the darkness or worse those that apparently surrendered to us. Those we cannot distinguish from our neighbors. Be they friend or foe?”

“Until their daggers sink into our necks.”

“We are surrounded by enemies. Enemies that hide in the shadows, enemies that hide in our own light. This has to end. Do you agree?” A wall of a single sound was his answer, as the soldiers gave the expected response. He smiled contentedly.

“With this and the power granted to me by her royal majesty, ruler of the sun and the moon, of Equestria and of all ponykind, the Princess, I declare myself as Equestria’s first Grand Inquisitor. You shall be my and my Inquisitors’ strong hoof of justice. My shining light in the fight against the dark. Not a beacon but a beam to dispel the shadow. The Order of the Blade of the Sun and her Solar Majesty, my Solar Blades.”

Again the response was deafening, all of them shouting and stomping their hooves.

“You will be one in body and soul, unified against our enemies, unified to protect Equestria and the Princess. You will be the Inquisitions executioners, showing one face, so as to instill the fear the darkness tries to sow into our hearts into theirs.” At first, even his magically amplified voice was barely loud enough to overpower the stallions’ cheering; they, however, quickly quieted down again as they heard his voice.

“A face they should remember well. Now, Solars, press the gems on your peytrals.”

Faintly smiling, he watched as they all obeyed his command, lifting their hooves up and pressing against the blue stars that were embedded there. The magic worked fast, in a wave motion all of their coats paled to white and their tails and manes turned vermillion. Even their features shifted, until they all looked the same. One face indeed. Of course they were still clearly showing their tribe’s features, wings, horn or lack of both, but otherwise they were almost indistinguishable, only their eyes remained their natural color.

“One face, one soul, one purpose.”

As they responded loud enough to be heard in the upper levels of the palace he left, signaling a group of ponies in vermillion robes, his inquisitors to take the stage. The Blades would be his hoof but the inquisitors were his eyes – an extension of his will.

---

Slowly Celestia turned from the tall window in her private study. Turned from the leaving Solar Blades, a flood of white, gold and flaming red pouring out of the palace’s gates. Turned to the stallion that bowed deeply in front of her. Like his “inquisitors” he had donned red robes. A gold trim the only difference, marking him as their leader. His old golden armor glinted underneath the cloth, bringing a small smile back to her muzzle.

“Rise, Blueblood,” she spoke, her voice as melodious as he remembered. She watched him as he rose. He had aged in the years since her sister’s banishment, his mane no longer golden blond, but she had not called him to reminisce.

“Did you know that they used a similar method in the Crystal Empire, to make their soldiers appear to be the same color, even giving those not of Crystal origin the same look?”

“Yes, your Majesty. I read about it years ago and had the spell recreated and modified. Is… is there a problem with this?”

She sighed slowly and shook her head, the aurora of colors that was her mane wafting in an unfelt breeze. “No, no problem Blueblood. So I guess their appearance is not chosen randomly as well.”

“It is not, Princess.”

“Most ponies have forgotten these tales, or at least forgotten that they were once history. Before they became bedtime stories. Told to let little foals’ fall asleep easier and to inspire their dreams.” Celestia sighed again and turned back to the window, where she could still see the Sunblades march.

“The face of Fate Lance, the Hero of Canterlot… and a distant relative of you.”

A small smile spread across his muzzle and he nodded. “Yes, I am aware, your Majesty. The great grandson of Princess Platinum, though he was not of the Blueblood line, he is held in very high regard in our family. A true paragon of ponykind.”

“As I understand, the popularity of his tale has turned him into somewhat of the ideal Canterlot Unicorn. The white coat of Princess Platinum’s descendants and his blue mane... it is now seen as a sign of superior talent and will, generosity and courage.” She shook her head again, though Blueblood could swear he heard the tiniest tinkle of laughter with the motion. “Neither his nor Platinum’s coat were really this pure white and your… what did you say their name was, Sunblades? Their tails and the crest on their helmets is the same red as your robes, not blue.”

“Ahh, yes. I thought it would serve you better, your Majesty, if their coloration would be closer associated with your sun.”

“I see.” For a moment, she looked back to him, regarding him with a curious look, before she spoke again: “I just hope you know what you are doing, Blueblood. That this is the right course of action. Maybe I really should take up court again.”

“Have no fear and trust me, Princess. Just leave this to me and Equestria to the Council of Nobles. Take your time to heal and to mourn. Please, your Majesty, just remain as the citizen’s beacon of hope. Be there for them and we will care for the country – for as long as we need to. After all, there is no higher honor than to serve you, especially in these troubled times.”

As Celestia finally turned back to him he bowed again.

“Thank you Blueblood and thank the other councillors too. This… the loss of my sister has been a lot harder than I ever could have feared. To lose her twice … all because of me,” she swallowed hard and turned again, as she felt wetness streak down the fur on her cheeks. “Please, nephew. Leave. I … I need some time to think.”

“Of course my Princess.” He rose again and turned to leave. At the door he gave her a last glance, before he closed the door. There she stood, looking as broken as on the day she had banished the Nightmare to the moon.

Uninjured, yet deeply wounded.

To see her like this again almost broke his heart but he had to remain strong. For her. So that, one day, she would return to her brilliant self, as ruler and princess of all of ponykind.

Author's Note:

Sooo this was a little second prologue to give a glimpse of the overall situation. This will continue in some interlude chapters which will appear irregularly. The Tale of Fate Lance will be its own story.

Alright, feel free to point out anything that caught your eye, good or bad, errors, and try to leave some feedback.