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Principium et Finis: Original Version7,327 words
Principium Nocte3,200 words
Secundam Nocte2,812 words
Remissio, Insidiae, et Deceptio3,482 words
Enim Omnes2,869 words

Enim Omnes

(It's been a while, I know. Sorry for the delay, But I wanted to work on Rising Sun some. Please, enjoy, rate, and comment.)

Luna’s time in court finally came to an end, and you were at rigid attention as Luna stood up from her throne. With a subtle gesture you begin to follow her to her chambers. After yesterdays fiasco you were still worried about the book. Moonbeam had never lied to you before. Not even when she did something wrong. And there had been plenty of times when a well worded lie could have saved her quite a bit of trouble.

I’m going to have to get that book away from her. If only to show it to Celestia. How, though? Your mind was racing as you walked behind Luna. You passed the usual guards, and they gave you curt nods. Before long you arrived at Luna’s chambers and you both entered. Unlike usual, you didn’t head to some random object in Luna’s room. This time you walked amongst the bookshelves, looking for the tome from yesterday. You fail to find it, and soon you hear the sound of the balcony door opening.

You head to the opening, and watch as Luna begins to craft the night sky. The sky changes from the red of sunset to the deep blue of night in what looks like waves of blue. It looks as if the sky is an ocean, with waves of blue lapping on the red coast. You are transfixed by the beauty of the change. Unlike usual Luna is sprinkling the stars in the blue of night as it spreads across the sky. You are sad to see it end, and you applaud Luna as she returns to the balcony.

As she gracefully lands you manage to make out a small blush fading from her cheeks. “Princess, that was easily the most beautiful transition I have ever watched you perform.” Her blush returns, but you almost miss it against the blue of her fur.

“Thank you, Knight.” She heads to the bookshelves, and she begins browsing.

“Um, Princess? If I may be so bold as to ask a favor of you?”

“What is it that you require, Knight?” She looks to you with genuine curiosity in her eyes. In the ten years you’ve served as her personal guard you had only asked for things a few times. You know what you’re doing is right, but something deep down is telling you that something is wrong.

You shake off your doubts, and press forward. “Princess, I would like to have the book you received yesterday examined by Princess Celestia. I would rather be safe, and have it checked. If there is truly nothing amiss, then there is no problem. But if something is found, then I will have done my duty.” Luna looks at you, and you swear that for just a moment you saw a scowl flash across her face.

Before you can process what you saw, she replies. “Of course, Knight. I understand what you mean. Better safe, than sorry. Just give me a moment to get it.” She heads up to her bedroom, and you remain where you are.

Did I see a scowl on her face? She’s never scowled. She’s always been either blank, or happy. Well, other than that one time. You shudder at the thought of the only time you ever saw Luna truly angry. But I am doing what’s right. I’d be a terrible guard if I didn’t check this out.

True to her words, Luna returns with the book just a minute later. She places it on the table before you, and she gives a small smile. “Here you go. Be sure to bring it back, though. It is an interesting book, and I’d be loathe to let go of it.”

“Of course, m’lady. I will have it back as soon as Celestia is done with it.” With that said you grab the book, and offer a deep bow to Luna. You exit the room, and you make your way towards Celestia’s tower. You only rarely head there, so the halls are new to you.

The white marble is much the same, but the décor is vastly different. Luna favors more gothic style trappings. Celestia’s various accoutrements all seem to have an angelic glow to them. You pass by several paintings of sunrises, and you even pause to look at some. One catches your eye, and you find yourself looking at it for a few minutes.

It’s a painting of an eclipse, but not just any eclipse. It’s a full solar eclipse. The corona of the sun is clearly visible, and there are even some solar flares painted on the sun. You lose yourself in the intricate detail of the painting.

[img] http://javisjones.com/wp-content/gallery/colors-dec07-may08/solar_eclipse.jpg[/img]

As you look at the painting, you feel a presence approach from behind. You turn around, and are surprised to see Celestia herself. She’s also looking at the painting, and so you look back to it. Several minutes pass, and finally you can take the silence no longer.

“Princess, I have something I’d like to ask you.”

“And what would that be, Knight?” It doesn’t surprise you that she knows your name. Very little that either princess does surprises you.

“Luna received this tome as a gift yesterday. My sister claims to have overheard a conversation between two ponies in the maze that would indicate that this book is a threat. I was hoping, m’lady, that you would take the time to examine it, and see if there is any basis to the threat.” Celestia levitates the book off your back, and she motions for you to follow.

Through the windows you pass, you catch a glimpse of Celestia’s tower. It is taller than Luna’s, and it has even more decorations. Atop the tower is a large rotating effigy of the sun. With only half as many buttresses as Luna’s tower, Celestia’s looked more welcoming. Before long you found yourself before the massive doors that led to Celestia’s study.

With a casual spell the massive doors parted, granting access to you and Celestia. She entered, and you followed. You had always been of the opinion that Luna had a very nicely decorated study. It had a good assortment of bits and baubles, and enough bookshelves to give the feeling of a true study.

Celestia’s study was far more grand than you could’ve imagined. There were dozens of bookshelves, all stuffed with tomes and scrolls. You cast your gaze around the room, taking in all there is to see, and yet you still miss parts of it.

Celestia seats herself on one of the large chairs in the room, and you stand a respectful distance away. The book that was the source of your suspicion is slowly lifted in a shimmering white aura. Celestia’s eyes narrow, and the book slowly rotates under her intense scrutiny. After a few minutes Celestia’s horn glows more brightly. The aura around the book glows brighter as well.

You spend almost an hour watching Celestia perform her work on the book. Finally she places it back on the table.

“I have seen nothing out of place in the book. Other than the latent magical energies of a spell written on paper, there is nothing.” She levitates the book towards you, and you place it on your back.

“Are you certain, Princess? Should something befall Luna I fear that so much could go wrong. You are the only being who could stand against her. Out of all of Equestria, you are the only pony who would be able to stop Luna.” You pause, realizing just what you are saying. “Princess, would you be able to stop Luna, if something went wrong? I don’t mean kill her, but to go about stopping your own sister?”

Celestia looks away from you, and you wait for a response. “I don’t know, Knight. I have often wondered what would happen if one of us turned on the other. We have been together for longer than I care to remember, but we have never truly fought with each other. There have been disagreements, but never any actual fights.”

You nod your head. “I understand, Princess.”

“Do you? Can you? Can you understand what it is that Luna and I do? We hold the entire planet in our hooves. We have so much power, and yet we are forced to hold back, to protect the ponies of Equestria. I fear that one day one of us will snap.” She seems to be looking into the distance, without actually seeing anything around her. You just stand back, and watch, unsure of what to do in this situation.

She suddenly looks at you. “Oh my. I really shouldn’t trouble you with my worries. Take the tome back to my sister. As far as I can tell it is safe.” You bow, and turn to head from the room. Before you can exit, though, you hear Celestia’s voice once more. It is softly spoken, and you aren’t quite sure that it was even said at all. “Keep Luna safe, Knight. For all of us.”

You slowly head back to Luna’s tower, wondering just what Celestia’s warning was related to. Surely she had been only speaking hypothetically. You give a sharp shake of your head. Celestia wouldn’t have said that the tome was safe if it wasn’t. I need to trust that she knows what she’s doing. The whole situation has thrown you for a loop, and you are too distracted by your thoughts to really pay attention to where you are going.

This distraction proved to be your undoing, as you soon found yourself lost in the halls of the palace. While you were confident that you would be able to get where you needed to go, the fact that you were on a quest for Luna added weight to your situation. The halls all looked the same, and so you had no real reference with which to find your way. Soon, though, you found yourself in a large hall, and in the middle of the room rested the most precious artifacts in the whole kingdom.

There, sitting on an intricately carved marble pedestal, were the Elements of Harmony. You knew that there were hundreds of magical wards protecting them, but you cautiously approached anyway. Few ponies had ever seen the elements, up close, or even from a distance. Each one represented one facet of true harmony, and they each held an unmistakable beauty.

You bowed your head, in respect for their place in history, and you turned away from them, eager to return to Luna, and return the musty old tome. You wandered the halls for a short time, before you found yourself in familiar territory. Quickly, having recognized where you were, you made your way to Luna’s quarters.

You entered her study, and you found her sitting in one of her chairs, reading some other tome from her collection. As you entered, her eyes snapped up, and looked at you. Her eyes seemed to lack the same spark that used to be there, but as she looked at you the small spark seemed to return slowly.

“I see you have returned, Knight. I trust you have brought me good news?” You smile, and take the book from your back, before bringing it over to her.

“Yes, m’lady. Even under the scrutiny of Princess Celestia, the book is clean of any trace of magic. I only did my duty, and I am pleased to see that it was ultimately unnecessary.” Luna returns your smile, and she places the book she was reading on the small table, and then she opens the new tome, eager to resume her reading. You stand at attention, waiting to do whatever it is that she may require of you.

“Is there anything you require, Princess?” You wait for a response, but when none is forthcoming, you remain where you are. You repeat yourself, and Luna looks up at you this time.

“No, Knight. I will busy myself with this book. You may go for the night. Thank you for your diligence.”

You bow, and head for the door. “Thank you, Princess. Have a pleasant evening.” She simply continues reading, as if she never even heard what you said. You look to the two guards outside her room. A nagging feeling passes through your gut, and despite the words of Princess Celestia, you feel compelled to keep your guard up.

“I want Luna’s quarters under constant watch. Nopony goes in, or out, without my leave. The princesses are both exceptions, but other than them, I want to know who sees the Princess. Am I clear?”

Both guards nod, and respond. “Yes, sir.” You smile, and relax somewhat.

“Something feels off, and I fear that our Princess may be caught up in the middle of it all. I pray that my suspicions are baseless, but if there is truly something amiss I want to know of it as soon as possible.”

You make your way down a few shorter halls, and to the quarters of Luna’s constant watch. The leader of this force reports directly to you, and he is at his desk, filling out some paperwork when you enter. He snaps to attention when you enter, and you calmly motion for him to return to his seat.

“Phalanx, I want you to double the guard for Luna’s outings, and her quarters. I suspect that something may be wrong, and I want to do everything in my power to stop it. No word is to spread of what I am doing. Especially not to the Princesses. Should they ask you directly, do not lie, but, also, do not volunteer information regarding this.”

“As you command, captain.” You take a seat opposite Phalanx, and he looks at you.

“I hope that what I am doing is right. I am going behind the Princess’ back, doubling the guard without her leave to do so. Phalanx, we’ve known each other for a few years, now. What do you think I should do?”

“Captain… Knight, you’ve always had a level head on your shoulders. I trust your judgment. If you think we need to exercise more caution, and increase the guard, so be it. And should your fears prove baseless, the cost to the treasury will be minimal.”

“And what if I’m right? What will we do if I’m right, and there is an attack against the princess?”

“Then you will have either saved her, or you will have done all you could. To suspect, and act is caution. To suspect, and stand idle is foolishness. Do what you think is right, Knight. Nopony will fault you for being wrong.”

“Thank you, Phalanx. I will be taking my leave, now. Should anything come about do not hesitate to summon me here.” You rise from the seat, and make your way home. The city is as quiet as always at this hour, and so you are able to get home quickly. You are the only one moving in the house, as it is deathly silent. You quietly make your way to Moonbeam’s room, and you gently open the door.

You see her lying in her bed, and you are about to close the door when you hear her gently call your name. You make your way to her, and you sit on the bed, careful not too crush her. “What do you need, Moonbeam?”

“I’m just glad you’re home. Did anything exciting happen today?” She’s still sleepy, but you are honestly glad to speak with her, if only briefly.

“Well, I expressed my concerns to Luna once more, and she allowed me to have the book examined. Celestia herself took the time to examine the book, and she said it was safe. I know that you, and your new friends, suspected something, but I am not so sure. I fear something may be happening, so I took some precautions to safeguard against something happening.”

“Thanks, big bro.” She gives you a small hug, and then she lies back down, clearly ready to sleep once more. You slowly stand, and make your way out of her room, and to your own.

I’m doing all I can to prevent threats to the Princess. Now, all I can hope is that it is enough. You slowly crawl into bed, and you look at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to claim you. Your dreams begin pleasant, but over the course of the night they turn less, and less, pleasant. A few times you wake, disturbed enough to be forced to wakefulness. True rest escapes you, and you sleep the night through in short bouts.

(I hope that this seems a bit more in character. If not, let me know what I've done wrong.)

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