The Noblesse Oblige Part I

by Aquarian_Sage

Polish Roulette

Cranky had not been joking when he said that he’d feel sick after the pearl’s magic had worn off. Noble Heart turned to his other side, even though he knew it would do nothing for his land seasickness (a condition that Celestia had simply called vertigo).

“Truly life is kind if our most busy Lady still finds time to spare on you,” Princess Blueblood sighed after the queen left.

It had been six days since he had escaped from Castle Platinum with Cranky, and unsurprisingly his parents were in a tizzy after realizing he was gone. He hadn’t seen or written to them at all during his stay in Castle Canterlot with the queen, but from what he heard from the pegasus who had informed them that he was well out of their reach, their reactions had been delicious.

“My question still remains, colt. The apocalypse will soon be upon us. What will you do when darkness and nightmares rule the land?”

“Can’t Queen Celestia stop her?” he asked, voice hoarse from vomiting.

The princess shook her head. “Nay.”

Noble Heart tried to turn his head back to look at her, but this only exacerbated his dizziness, so he stopped.

When his stomach wasn’t threatening to heave anymore, he continued speaking with her.

“She beat her before. Why is now any different?”

“Did you not read the prophecy, colt? Queen Celestia was only able to defeat Nightmare Moon with the assistance of the Elements of Harmony, which have long since been lost. When Nightmare Moon returns, the queen has two options: duel or surrender. Should Queen Celestia duel her sister, she will most surely lose, and if she does, then Nightmare Moon will seal her away in the sun as penance, or simply kill her to eliminate her biggest threat.

Noble Heart felt a shudder run down. It was difficult to stomach that Celestia wasn’t as invincible as he thought.

“But if our queen surrenders, there is a greater chance that Nightmare Moon won’t kill her. Or she will simply kill her regardless, but Queen Celestia needs to minimize such a possibility, and it’s not because she’s a coward who whimpers at the sight of death.”

“Why?”

“What are your tutors teaching you nowadays?” Blueblood bemoaned. “Ever since she raised the sun by herself, Queen Celestia has been inexorably linked to our day star. Should she die, then the sun will die with her.”

Noble Heart felt sick to his stomach and he quickly rolled out of bed to vomit in the chamber pot.

“Likewise,” his aunt continued, ignoring his retching sounds, “should Queen Celestia kill her sister, the moon shall die. Alas, our poor Lady! Her heart has been broken since she sealed Nightmare Moon away on that fateful day almost one thousand years ago, but if she is forced to kill her, our Lady would not have the will to carry on!”

Noble Heart went to the water basin and rinsed out his mouth.

So if Celestia fought, she would die, taking the sun with her. If she fought and killed Nightmare Moon, the moon would die, and then the sun would die because Celestia wouldn’t be able to live with herself. If Celestia surrendered, Nightmare Moon would probably kill her, and again, there would be no sun. Or perhaps Nightmare Moon would be feeling magnanimous and simply seal Celestia away and bring about nighttime eternal, causing half of Equus to freeze while the other half boiled. But hey, at least the sun and moon would still be around.

He slumped back into bed, keeping his back to his aunt.

So basically they were all going to die no matter what happened.

Noble Heart buried his head in his pillow and groaned.

“Now do you see the severity of the situation, boy?”

He nodded.

“So what do you plan to do when the apocalypse comes?”

He reviewed all the possibilities. None seemed appealing to him in the slightest, but doomsday scenarios never did.

“I don’t know,” he finally answered her.

Silence reigned in the room.

The princess spoke at last. “Is that so?” she asked as she got up from her seat.

“It’s the end of the world, what else can I do?” he demanded.

Princess Blueblood slipped out the door without another word.

Author's Note:

Please point out any typos.

You know, typing this out, it made me realize that Nightmare Moon was quite possibly the worst villain the Mane 6 had ever faced. I mean sweet Jesus! If they lost, it wouldn't be chocolate milk rain or enslavement or changelingdom. They'd all be dead! An empty husk of a world with only a scorned god to jealously guard her crumbling buildings. At least with Discord, Sombra, and Chrysalis, they'd have have a chance of picking up the fight on a different day.

Comments

[The Great Derpsby]

Depends. One interpretation is indeed total extinction.

Another is what Lauren Faust explained, that Nightmare Moon intended to transform Equestria into a land of eternal evil. Think Pony Mordor, only without sunshine. That would be the greatest possible insult she could hurl at her older sister.