The War for the Sun & Moon

by Maxes Altho

Supplemental 2 - The Journal of Shining Star

The Journal of Shining Star
As read aloud by Chryssid, Last Son of Queen Chrysalis and companion to Shining Star

For the sake of clarity, thoughts voiced by Chryssid will be placed in brackets []

Opening thoughts by Chryssid:

I do not claim to know what will be contained within these pages. My ally Shining Star had been captured by one of the Queens and taken to the Empress. We presumed him dead until a television announcement proclaimed him to be the long lost Crown Prince. Then, a few days after, we received a message from an infiltrator deep within the Canterlot Fortress that yes, the announcement was true, Shining Star is the Crown Prince, and he was eagerly awaiting any help we could provide.

We could not get our assets into place until almost five weeks later. By then, it was almost too late for him. The Investigator Sweetie Belle, highest ranked among Queen Rarity’s forces, worked ceaselessly during that time to break into Shining Star’s mind and reveal his secrets, most notably the location of the base of the Warriors. For him to have held out that long…

This journal contains whatever he went through those five weeks. As is my duty, I shall report everything within.

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Day 5 since capture:

I’ve decided to start keeping track of what I do each day. Hopefully, if I succumb to madness, this journal will warn everypony just how depraved the Empress’s lapdogs are.
For the last three nights I’ve been having the same damn dream with different variations. On Day Two, we were escaping and were caught right outside the castle. Day Three, we dug under the castle and hid in the basement of a shop somewhere in Canterlot. Before we could get out, however, the owner came down, transformed into the Empress, and killed my friends. Last night, I didn’t have a nightmare which means either she let me have a night’s sleep or she’s planning her next move. I’m gonna go with the latter.
I would confront Sweetie Belle about it, but I know she would start questioning how I knew and that would lead right back to Aloe, and I’d rather not lose my only ally.

Today was the first day the Empress could actually spend ‘quality time’ with her ‘son’. Turns out ‘quality time’ means finding out just what I could do with my magic. Light ball, light blade, light and dark shields, light and dark beams, the Clapper, the light crusher (where I create a flat surface of light above something and give it the mass of a hydra, crushing anything under it), so on and so forth. I tried my hoof at shadow walking again, with limited success. I’m just so afraid of burning myself out again but I know I’ll need it for my eventual escape.

Speaking of needing it, I have to find a place to stash this. It’ll have to be someplace nopony would ever think to look for a small book. For now, I’m hiding it in the rafters of my room, but that won’t last forever. Those bitches will do anything to try and get an upper hoof.

Day 7:

I would have written yesterday, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of eyes watching me wherever I went. I wasn’t even safe in my own room.

Today was the public unveiling of me to the world. Yeah, the bitch gave the announcement last week, but today all the Queens flew in, so it became this grand event with a big parade through Canterlot and hoof waving. So, so much hoof waving; I can’t feel my leg, it was seriously way too much.
Just for posterity’s sake, I guess I should jot down a bit about the Queens outside of a public context. Somepony could analyze this, find out how to take them down. In order of threat level:

Queen Fluttershy: an imposing sight. In public, she remains stoic and heartless, not hesitating to order anypony (besides the other Queens or the Empress) around. I guess that comes from ten years of leading Equestria’s military against all our neighbors, pounding them into submission one by one. However, once behind closed doors, she fell head over heels for me. Apparently before the Fall, she ran an animal shelter, co-run by her rabbit, Angel Bunny. She holds a certain reverence for Twilight, and will follow her to the ends of the planet.

Empress Twilight Sparkle: I place the Empress just below a Queen because while the Empress is cunning, Fluttershy is ruthless. I was unable to get a good read on her, on how she is around her friends, because she is a planner. Every step, every breath, every word is planned out for maximum efficiency and purpose.

Queen Rainbow Dash: She is third not because of her prowess, but her resources. She commands the Shadowbolts, the most ruthless hunters in the Empire. While in public, she exudes an aura of confidence and badassery to match the toughest Minotaur. Once the doors closed behind us, she turned from Sonic Rainboom Extraordinaire to groveling dog at the Empress’s heels. Whatever twisted, foul magic made them the way they are, it turned the Element of Loyalty completely subservient to her Empress.

Queen Pinkie Pie: fourth because of a combination of her resources and power. Resources: that giant airship she brought me here on? It has a massive cannon mounted on the underside which she uses, and I quote, ‘to give all the ponies who deserve it my special brand of Pinkie Pie Happy Magic!’ from what I’ve heard, her ‘happy magic’ is really a twisted substance that controls the emotion centers of the brain, making any pony under its effects more than happy (almost orgasmic) to follow any order given by her. Power: she has this strange sense that tells her when something is about to happen. I was weirded out the first time her tail shook and everypony ducked under a table until it stopped, when a sneaky reporter pony fell from the ceiling! He was escorted out, and the Empress gave me the quick rundown on the Pinkie Sense. She gets these little twitches and twinges and springs sometimes that only she can decode, that tell her what is going to happen, such as something falling from the sky. I would say more on the matter, but I missed a Pinkie Sense Signal and got hit with a door.

Queen Applejack: raw power. She holds the Empire’s industries under her hoof. 90% of all Equestria’s factories are in Fillydelphia, where she rules, so she has the most resource of any bitch on this list. She also has the most physical power. That reporter? When he dropped, Applejack picked him up, asked if he was okay, then bucked him through the nearest window and all the way down the mountain. Never be within range of her back hooves.

Queen Rarity: most dangerous if you are captured, like me. She may seem all glitz and glam, but that hides a devious center. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants which, currently, is the location of the Warrior’s base on silver platter, probably with my head on it as well. However, her mind magic only really works if she can get control of the pony. A large group will be able to do the most good against her.

Two other things. Aloe is in cahoots in the rumor mill with the two ponies in charge of Sweetie Belle’s beauty. She said Sweetie is going to try something new tonight. I shudder to think what it could be. The other thing is I may have found a place for this journal. I was wandering the castle yesterday, trying to get rid of the eyes, and happened upon a bunch of old storerooms. I found an old dusty statue of Princess Celestia raising the sun, and a small alcove behind the plaque in the marble. I will try sending a blank page to the spot by shadow-walk tonight, see if it works.

Day 8:

[The quillwork in the first half of this entry is much worse than either of the previous. Shining must have been rushed to try and get the content down as fast as possible. Either that, or this is the first sign of mental instability.]

Oh fuck. Oh fuck fuck fuck! I am so far beyond fucked, that ‘I’m fucked’ isn’t even in the same universe! I have about two minutes before those two come in to pretty me up. I almost want to tell them to go fuck themselves, but

Oh Goddesses. Just threw up a little. Okay, Shining, why are you writing? The dream, focus on the dream.

I woke up strapped to an examination table in a room filled with all sorts of shiny pointy objects. Sweetie Belle was there, which was a first for my dreams. She was examining all the tools and telling me that since she could not coerce me to give up what I knew willingly, she would have to resort to more drastic measures. She picked up a dragon claw knife (don’t ask me how I knew that) and stepped up to the table. She ran the dull edge around my neck, saying that if I wanted to avoid a lot of pain, I could just tell her where the Warriors are, and she would stop. I think I spit in her face, and she dug the tip of the knife into my back leg, just above the hoof, and dragged it upwards. Oh sweet and merciful Celestia, the pain was unbearable. I was writhing on the table, trying to avoid that blade, but she just smiled and cut open my other back leg. I was bleeding everywhere, and through the haze, she was telling me she didn’t cut all that deep, wanted me to watch what came next. She rotated the table so it was more perpendicular to the ground, and showed me Pulse chained to the wall. She cocked her head and gave me a big goofy smile, like she was happy to be there. Sweetie Belle stroked Pulse’s mane and told me that when she had been captured she may have wandered in front of one of Pinkie’s party cannons, and asked if I wanted to be happy too. When I didn’t respond (due to the pain), she sighed and picked up a large metal stick covered in spikes and barbs and other pointy stuff. She then shoved the stick up Pulse’s

Oh Luna, threw up again. That thing must have been killing her on the inside, but the pink bitch’s magic made it so she only felt joy at those sensations. I know because she was screaming in an almost orgasmic bliss. Sweetie placed the blade at my shoulder, and said it was my last chance. When I screamed in her face she flayed open my front leg while twisting that vile stick, tearing Pulse apart from the inside.

It was then that I woke up. I tried to move but only one of my front legs would work. I craned my neck and saw red blood covering the sheets. I tried to escape, but Aloe and Lotus came out of nowhere and held me down, still bleeding out. Sweetie Belle sauntered onto the bed, holding the blade against my neck. I tried to tell her to stop, but she said it was too late for me to start listening. I felt the blade pierce my skin…

And woke up for real. No blood, no open wounds on my legs, no murderous white ponies with knives that could cut steel. I started to get out of that accursed bed, but stopped when a tingling in three of my legs started. I parted my coat on one of my back legs to find nothing there, but the itch persisted. I think that movie, the Maretrix? It was right on one thing. My mind believes it to be real, so my body does also. My body is trying to clot a wound that isn’t there.

That brings us to right now… and there be the knocking. I need to remain strong, show the witch she can’t affect me.

[The text after this point in this entry is still shaky, but much more legible. Probably an end-of-day entry, like the others have been.]

I’ve been forbidden from entering the city proper without an armed escort. Twilight and I were having a day on the town, going to various sights and stuff, even going to one of her favorite places, Donut Joe’s. We were enjoying the best pastries I’ve ever had when a brick sailed through the storefront window, followed by a flaming bottle. Twilight caught both in her magic, and with a stomp of her hoof, the street outside fell silent. We went outside to see she froze everypony out there, including a few ponies dressed in head-to-hoof black clothes. She unmasked them and asked if I knew any of them. Truthfully, I didn’t; none of these ponies were part of the Warriors. I think she believed me, but had them carted to her dungeons anyways, since they had tried to assault the Empress. We went straight back to the castle after that.

I can say the shadow-walk spell worked. The paper came back in one piece, so tonight I’m going to try with a book I got from the castle’s library that’s about the same size as this journal.

I just need to hold on. C and the others will come rescue me. Eventually.

[There are several torn out pages between this and the next entry. I took a moment to ask Shining about it; he said he does not remember doing so, so the pages were ripped out during his imprisonment.]

Day 12:

[The quillwriting has become shaky again, but not as severe as Day Eight. If he started breaking down this early, then I commend him on his resilience.]

Having every hair of fur burned from your body one by one. Being ripped to shreds by a pack of starving Timberwolves. Have the choice of slowly having all of your blood drained, pint by agonizing pint, or watch your friends suffer the same fate and be forced to drink their blood.

Sweetie Belle is trying her hardest to break me, the bi-wait, Mother says I am not to swear. Swearing is for sailorponies. I am not a sailorpony, I am the Crown Prince! Well, half the Prince. The other half is an orphan pony. Both had decent lives until whatever happened in that cave.

Mother wants to know what’s on my mind. I want to tell her, so so badly, that Lady Sweetie Belle is all that’s on my mind. That, and the secrets about the Warriors that I need to keep secret. Mother says I can trust her with all my secrets, but I keep seeing those green eyes everywhere. I want to tell Mother, but the Lady will do bad things to my friends if I let her know.

I had another meet up with Ms. Aloe last night. She sounded concerned for me, can’t imagine why. I love being with Mother! Ms. Aloe thinks I’m letting the Lady get into my head, letting her twist my perception of things. That got me thinking, what if Ms. Aloe, or somepony else, is watching me while the Lady isn’t? I must do some research into the ponies around me. I can’t have a spy for one of the Queens watching my every move!

Day 14, I think:

[If it was not apparent before, Shining is clearly starting to lose it. The quillwriting has been replaced by pencil writing, and as such is much less refined.]

I… Mother says I’m not allowed in the kitchens anymore. She raised her voice at me; she never does that. It’s not like I was doing anything wrong! All I was doing was hiding in a bag to spot any Queen spies. I saw a pony coming towards my bag, and I thought I had been found out. How was I supposed to know he was a cook, needing another cup of sugar?

I think somepony saw where I put my journal. I don’t know how, but I got that itching feeling when I brought you out today. In fear, I ate the last few entries. Note to self: paper does not taste as good as it feels, and quill ink tastes even worse, so in the event I have to hide evidence, I am going to pencil writing.

I think the spies aren’t going for me. The spies are watching Mother, trying to find where she slips up so the Queens can take over! Well, I won’t let them! Nopony’s gonna be trying to take down Mother while I’m around!

Day 16?

I’m not having nightmares anymore. Now, I am getting daymares. Could be just because I haven’t been sleeping well, but sometimes, when I close my eyes, I open them and see ponies trying to get me out, or a chamber with sharp tools lining the walls. I feel like I should recognize the ponies, but names escape me.

My investigation into the Queen spies hasn’t turned anything up yet. I suspect one of the Pegasus guards, Lotus Blossom, and this one purple-grey unicorn who likes to be in my room whenever I’m in it. I can see him now, sitting on another bed across the room, through a hole in the wall. He doesn’t let me into his room, though. Every time I get close, he gets close too and stops me. I’m starting to think—

Wait, that’s a mirror. By Celestia, I am going insane, aren’t I?

Is it Day 20?

I still can’t find any spies, no hidden bugs, nothing. I keep telling Mom the Queens are trying to undermine her, but she keeps blowing me off. I’ll show her. I’ll show them all once I bring them proof of nefarious activity!

In unrelated news, I’ve been banned from all the mare’s restrooms for the foreseeable future. I was just trying to find someplace nopony would ever find you. How was I supposed to know they were occupied?

In possibly spy-related news, we got a visitor to the castle today. A representative of Queen Applejack’s, a yellow Earth pony with red hair and a large bow. She seems to be friends with Lady Sweetie, so I know she’s alright. Lady Sweetie Belle is such a nice pony, always lending me a helping hoof always nearby in case I get another daymare.

[The next entry is nothing but gibberish. I fear by this point he is almost gone.]

Day… something.

Mom says I can’t go into the wine cellars anymore. At least I can say that out of all the bottles I looked at yesterday, there were no spies in them. In completely unrelated, I woke up with a splitting headache. Heh, splitting. It’s funny, you know, since I’m actually two split ponies? Yeah, they took the bodies, cut them in half, then put them back together to make me! It’s funny like that.

i keep getting daymares with nameless ponies getting tortured by green eyes. should i care for them? i feel like i should, but i cant imagine why. then, later they come for me wanting me to go with them but i don’t wanna go with them i wanna stay with Mom ive decided punctuation is overrated whats so great about a period anyways it means a full stop but i dont wanna stop ever ever ever i wanna stay with Mom forever and ever and ever i will find the spies i will make sure Mom stays safe but now i sleepy so i sleep good night good friend

Day 23:

What happened? I just subconsciously cast a shadow-walk spell and this journal dropped into my lap. I… I think this is my journal, given the childish “Keep out! No girlz allowed! Shining’s Secret Journal!” messages written on it. I… oh Celestia, what did Sweetie Belle do to me? I read through this; she warped my mind, caused me to forget my friends, all to try and kill those close to me. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: fuck that witch. And hey, since this is my day-to-day journal, I might as well write what happened today.

I woke up today with an abnormally clear mind, if the previous entries are anything to go by. Aloe and Lotus came in as usual, and at least Aloe was shocked by my calmer demeanor. I asked her how long Sweetie Belle had been skullfucking me.

Imagine my surprise when she said a little over three weeks.

Imagine my rage when I knew just where to find her.

Imagine her surprise when I burst into the dining hall and backhoofed her across the room, demanding to know just what she had been doing to me.

Imagine my surprise again when she didn’t even react, but got up, got in my face, and asked how I had blocked her access.

I don’t know how I—I dreamed last night! Not one of the witch’s nightmares, but a dream, like the one that started it all! I saw C, the griffon, and five ponies that must’ve been Epsilon wandering through sewer tunnels to find… somepony important. I think another of the six beings from the first dream. I think the most important part was the factories above. They need to go to Fillydelphia, without me.

Of course, I didn’t remember that at the time, so I told her the truth. I had no idea. Then, before things could come to blows, the Empress booted me out of the room. Of course, I had to grab a pastry from the table on my way out, as well as cast a shadow scout under a hanging curtain. I guess the purple witch didn’t think I would be that sane, because she never found the scout, so I heard everything.

What I did hear was unsettling, but some of it was good. Last night, when I dreamed, Sweetie Belle found my mind completely blocked from her influence. She couldn’t seem to explain my sudden sanity though, so Twilight demanded her to escalate the process and was giving the marshmallow bitch permission to use the twin souls against me. This was the ‘oh shit’ moment. If she gained a hoofhold against Shining Resolve and Bright Star, I’m as good as dead. There’s a major reason why it is illegal to screw with a pony’s soul; you can very easily remove what makes them a pony.

I needed to do some planning, and the one to help with that was Aloe. I found her and Lotus’s quarters eventually, totally not getting lost several times along the way, and thankfully caught her at a time when Lotus wasn’t around. I told her to get a message to our mutual friends, and I quote: “Tell my uncle there is another under the apple, and hurry up with the rescue. The witch is gonna get… personal.”

So, message aside, how was I going to keep my sanity? If she fucks over my soul, I’d become worse than the Forsaken, and I know the Empress wouldn’t want her ‘son’ becoming an animal. She wants control over me. From what I could tell when she spoke with my soul halves, she will want to crush Bright Star, and probably shove me out of the way so Shining Resolve can take my place. That leads me to believe that it will become easier to figure out if what I’m seeing is real or not; anytime I see either of the stallions, I know it will be fake. I almost want to talk to them, but I remember all too well what happened the last time, and I haven’t been able to figure out the spell Twilight used to blockade them within my mind.

I may have set up some other contingency plans, but I definitely don’t want to put them in writing. I snuck a bottle of booze into my room earlier. Here’s to getting out of this alive!

[I have spoken with Shining Star. He says he remembers every detail about that day; the two of us and the psychologist believe that the dream he had, which allowed us to rescue a Pegasus by the name of Quick Writ, acted as a reset of sorts. It healed his mind from the corruption of Sweetie Belle. Unfortunately, the calm did not last.]

Day 24:

What kind of fool am I? How can I think I stand a flea’s chance in a shampoo hurricane against that white witch?

I went to sleep last night and woke up in the same dungeon as the previous days. Hanging on the wall was Bright Star and Shining Resolve, and Sweetie with her back to me. She was contemplating how best to break the three of us. She started with sawing off my ho

Celestia darn it, gotta stop throwing up. She sawed off my horn, then forced me to try to use magic to stop her from cutting off their horns. I failed, and had to endure an even greater pain as it felt like my horn was getting cut off again and again. She would have tried more, but the pain forced me awake. I heard somepony, probably Bright Star, try to say something, but Sweetie Belle put the walls back up before I could make out what he said. I don’t think I’m gonna make it if she keeps this up.

Day 27:

Lady Sweetie Belle was so nice today. She introduced me to two friends only we could see. Their names are Bright Star and Shining Resolve. Both of them like me, which is good, so I’m sure Mom will approve. Shining won’t stop looking at me weird though, and Bright wants to get me alone for some reason. I want to tell him I don’t swing that way, but I think he already knows. I don’t wanna be with an orphan pony anyways, Shining’s a whole lot cooler, and knows a lot more. They’ll be staying in my room for now, but I don’t mind. I was getting bored of the other grey-purple unicorn anyways.

Day 28:

I had another dream last night. In it Bright Star was strapped to a table, and Shining Resolve was offering me a knife to hurt him with. I didn’t want to hurt my new friend, so I refused, and he started cutting off Bright’s hooves, which caused my hooves to hurt.

When I woke up, Bright was a bit smaller than yesterday, and Shining was taller. I didn’t ask why; Mommy says it’s rude to discriminate based on appearance. He was acting mean to Bright, so I tried to make them happy, and I think it worked. We played the whole day, it was fun.

Day 29:

Another dream of Shining hurting Bright. I shielded Bright with my own body, and got hurt instead, but it was worth it to not let a friend get hurt. Something is happening; Lady Sweetie Belle was all smiles today, and Mommy was happy about something. I guess somepony who’s been gone for a while is coming back to the castle tomorrow. I hope he wants to be my friend.

Day 30:

[The writing has changed. It was continually getting worse, more childish, but this is flowing like a script.]

This is Shining Resolve, keeping up the tradition that kept young Shining Star happy all that time I was trying to break out. The last dream finally broke Bright Star, allowing me to take over. Oh, Shining Star and Bright Star are still in my mind somewhere, locked away in their own dungeons. Mother says we might have to pull Shining Star out at some point, and I would be alright with that, as long as I come back.

Mother was so happy to see me return, even though I am trapped in a body not my own. No matter what she thinks, as long as I can roam free. There are certain… contingencies I must plan for.

I also regret announcing the fair Aloe is no longer among the free ponies, as well as the guard Small Fry. Somepony found incriminating evidence in their quarters, and were apprehended by the Royal Guard and imprisoned. I managed to plea with Mother to spare their lives for now, and I know she will do anything for her dear Crown Prince.

One last thing. I may be free, but I am no fool. I have to make some plans, and one of those plans requires the Warriors to remain standing. As such, I have not willingly revealed the location of the base to anypony. Lady Sweetie will no longer be monitoring my dreams, which is a plus. I felt every bit of pain she put him through.

Do not worry, Shining Star. Your body is in good hooves with me.

----------

I… I had no idea the pain Shining Star went through. For one being to hold complete sway over the mind of another… it is an appalling thought. Hopefully, someling can use this information someday to ban the practice of mind magic for good. I…

A small thunk is heard as something falls from the journal.

Hold on, what is this? A letter from Shining Resolve to… me? What would that xcatz want from me?

Chryssid,

I know you of all beings have no reason to trust me, but the situation is about to turn most dire. By my calculations, this letter will only appear in the journal after the Empress’s flow of magic has been cut off and Shining Star summons this journal (for the first time) after telling of the first nightmare by Lady Sweetie Belle. Given how I know my body and your reading speed, you have about two minutes before Shining Star stumbles into whatever room you are using in a drunken stupor, since he cannot come to terms yet with what the Lady did to him, and cannot hold liquor very well. Contained within these pages which you now hold are my writings of the five days I was in control of Shining Star. Hide this away, and do not speak of it until you have finished retelling the War. If Shining Star knew of this, he would most likely destroy it, and by extension, Equestria.

Keep it secret; keep it safe.

From one Prince to another,

Shining Resolve

Comments

[nioniosbbbb]

You have done so much for this fic but why oh why aren't you spreading this fic more?

[Maxes Altho]

5607239 what do you mean?

[nioniosbbbb]

5608123 This story as far as I see isn't on any groups. Unless I am blind.

[Maxes Altho]

5608127 its not. Can you suggest some? For this and tFoC. I forgot the reason RD Meets RR and D m RR got about 400 each was the groups they were featured in.

[Maxes Altho]

I put the stories into the Good Grammar Directory, and am thinking of Evil Twilight, Tyrant Sparkle, and Fallen Heroes groups. any other, non-mane six groups this could go into?

[nioniosbbbb]

5609303 I've done my share of adding as much as I considered this fic fitting. In any case go on and add them there.

[Maxes Altho]

5610245 Um... wow. 79... uh... I dont think you had to go that far.... not that I'm complaining

[nioniosbbbb]

5610390 sometimes thats never enough.

[Maxes Altho]

5612783 awesome, someone else who knows RvB. I van see that, but I was thinking a little more along the lines of new Kirk and Spock