• Published 11th Jun 2012
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Renaissance Pony - Dafaddah



In the late middle ages, Celestia foresees trouble for humanity and seeks help

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Shattered

Renaissance Pony

Chapter 19: Shattered

by Dafaddah

Globe spanning editorial team: Microshazm and SecondLaw


Princess Luna felt her heart break. She had just materialized near Sombra’s throne in the Crystal Palace. All around her on the white marble floor were bright splashes of blood and the corpses of ponies, many of whom wore the armour of her Thestral Guard.

Luna staggered forward. So small, and fragile, she thought.

In death, the ‘uniform aspect’ spell that maintained the illusion of midnight black coat, bat wings, serpent’s eyes, and predatory fangs had dissolved, leaving behind the brightly coloured coats and feathered wings of ordinary pegasi, splashed with crimson and ochre.

Slowly she advanced through the carnage, only turning from her path to avoid stepping on the bodies of the deceased. Here they lie because I put them in harm’s way.

Nonsense! said the hated voice inside her head. They knew what they were getting into! It is an honour to die for us!

Luna was too appalled to answer.

She rounded the dais on which sat the throne and caught a flash of light up ahead. In a corner of the great hall her sister and father stood facing each-other. Terrible energies roiled between them with tendrils of magefire lashing out and laying waste to the floor, ceiling, and columns around them.

She approached Sombra from behind. Over his back she could see Celestia’s familiar, beloved face. On it was an expression she hadn’t seen there in a long time: burning hate. That visage doesn’t become her, she thought sadly. She does not countenance hate.

The voice in her head was of a different opinion. She hates our father, it said. And she is going to kill him.

But I don’t want him to die! she told the voice. I wanted him to go away... and live. She now was close enough now to see that in addition to anger there was desperation in Celestia’s eyes.

She wants to kill him, resumed the voice, and then she’ll take the amulet for herself! Just as she is trying to take the Elements of Harmony away from us.

Luna froze. What a hateful thought, replied Luna. Celestia only wants what’s best for Equestria.

Yes, she always wants the best - for herself! it sneered. Why, do you think, she always takes precedence? Why did she take the day, and leave us the night? Why is it that all the important decisions are made in her court, and not in ours? The voice paused only a moment.

What she wants is to subject everypony to her will. The ponies crowd her court during the day, and leave ours empty at night. She decides on the fates of us all while we sleep, and leaves us to pass judgement on pickpockets and chastise the drunkenly at night. She calls us her equal, but of true power she leaves us only the dregs. The voice grew angrier with every accusation.

Luna had had enough. No! She isn’t like that! She loves me! And I love her! Through her tears Luna stared at the visage of her sister, grotesquely distorted by the heated air and thaumic waves of force that lay between them.

But the implacable voice wasn’t finished. She looks down on us! We are of no importance to her, just as we are of no importance to those ungrateful ponies who cheer each sunrise to see depart the hated night. The night that she left to us, which everypony abandons for peaceful slumber while we stand in lonely vigil.

Luna stumbled. It’s not power she wants, but Harmony, she replied. And she respects our voice as much as her own.

Then why is she here? asked voice triumphantly. She followed us here, despite saying that she would let us take care of our father. It is proof that she does not trust us. She wants to kill our father, and then take our amulet. Then she will have all the power! Then she will be able to take all the Elements of Harmony to herself, and discard us like some old plaything.

Luna flattened her ears on her head and closed her eyes. “Enough!” she said aloud in barely a whisper.

When she opened her eyes again her father had advanced closer still to Celestia, who was crouching low, as if under a crushing burden. Her magenta coloured shield seemed to be shrinking around her, as tentacles of deadly green energy coiled around it. Standing above her, a predatory grin of impending triumph split his muzzle. Somehow through the loud noises of the magefire battle he had heard her whispered objection, and glanced her way. His eyes were empty pools of green.

Why can’t I see my father's soul in this pony’s eyes? thought Luna. Why is it that I see only emptiness when I look into them? Where has he gone? Where’s my father?


"Where's my father?" wailed Luna. All the grownups looked at her strangely. Celestia, almost an adult herself, turned her face away and then galloped out of the sitting room. "He promised me he would be back for dinner. Why isn't he here?"

Mother stepped forward, kneeled and put a wing around her. "Oh, Luna my little one. I fear that your father may be gone for quite some time." Although she was smiling, Luna could see the tracks of tears on the fur of mother's face. The sight made her feel wobbly deep inside.

"How long?" she asked, pawing the rug with a tiny hoof.

Mother looked very sad. "Perhaps a very long long time, dear. This is one of those grown..." there was a shout near the door, "...up things." Her mother rose, a worried look on her muzzle.

"Mooncake!" said the deep voice of a stallion. Luna's heart leapt for joy as her father pushed his way into the room. Uncle Vigilance followed her father in, flaring his wings as his horn began to glow.

"Stop it!” shouted her mother. Luna looked up at all the angry adult faces, eyes round with fear. They all stood away from father, as if he were a stranger.

Luna ran to him and wrapped her forelegs around his. “You came back! I knew you would!” She smiled up at him, relieved. Although she was younger than Celestia, she still knew all about the ‘troubles’ in the Alicorn tribe. She had heard the whispers all afternoon that her father had left the Sept of Harmony, and she knew that when ponies left they usually never came back.

"What are you doing here, Strife?" said her mother, sounding very sad.

Who's Strife? wondered Luna, looking at into her father's face. He was no longer smiling. Suddenly she understood.

Don't answer, she thought. If you don't answer then it wasn't you she was calling Strife, and it's somepony else who's joined Discord.

"I've come to keep a promise I made to my daughter," he said.

He answered. Luna felt the shock of coldness inside. It started right below her heart, and spread in icy fingers outwards through her withers and her barrel, and then to her neck, ears and face. She started to cry.

Her father lowered his head so that his face was closer to hers. "I'm sorry, Mooncake. We won't be able to see each other for awhile." He also sounded very sad.

"But you still look like a pony!" She knew that when ponies changed septs they often changed body shape as well. Luna held on tight to her father’s legs. Maybe if she did that she could prevent his transformation to the Sept of Chaos, and then he could stay.

She glanced over her withers at his face. Luna saw something that she had never seen there before: regret.

“I just wanted you to know that I kept my promise, Mooncake." He titled his head and smiled sadly. "And now I have some other promises I must keep, and that means I can't stay with you." Gently he pulled his legs from her grasp. "No matter what happens," he glanced up at her mother then back towards her, "I will always love you."

He rose back to his full height and nodded to mother. "Good bye to you both. Cordelia, I..."

Luna saw mother turn her head away. Father took a deep breath and nodded again. "Thank you.” With a last glance at Luna, he rushed from the room.

Luna touched a hoof to her chest, the warmth of his leg was still on her coat. He's gone! Luna jumped towards the door. Uncle Vigilance caught her in his magical embrace. Mother rushed up, taking her into a fierce hug, which she fought to no avail. "Father!" she wailed. "Please, come back."

He never did.


Luna stared into her father's eyes, searching for any sign of her sire in those empty pools of green. The moment seemed to last an eternity. The father I knew isn’t there.

Luna poured her entire will into a burst of power that engulfed both her father and her sister. She felt his surprise as he was immobilised and then his dismay as the Alicorn Amulet was ripped from his chest and burst from the bubble of energy, finally coming to land on the floor next to the throne. Luna saw the green haze clear from her father’s eyes. Just for a moment, she read shame and regret in his expression.

In the sudden quiet she saw his mouth move, and heard a single whispered word: “Moon...”

A beam of emerald light shot from the Alicorn Amulet, striking her father’s face. The rest of what he was going to say died on his lips as the whites of his eyes began showing spots of green. His expression changed into a sneer of primal rage. The green beam persisted. Luna felt the amulet pouring its power into her father.

In the energy bubble, Celestia had regained all fours, her head was low and her forelegs trembled. “I must finish him now, Luna, before he receives the full power of the amulet!” she shouted from the other side of the force bubble. There was no mistaking the intent in her expression.

“No! Celestia, please... I... no,” she begged her sister.

“I must, Luna.” Celestia looked desperate. “There is no time.”

Luna stood frozen in indecision. She felt the strength of her binding spell weaken, even as her father absorbed more power from the amulet. And still she felt the amulet calling to her.

Celestia will fail! said the voice in her head. And you will lose both her and the amulet to our father, for he will kill her.

She felt along her link to her sister, and knew for a fact that Celestia no longer had the reserves to defeat her father, who with every second that passed was only getting stronger. She knew then that she had run out of options. And that she, Luna, had to choose.

With a scream of agony, she made her choice.


Harvey banked his Tri-plane to give some room to the four Thestral Guards flying up towards him. They corrected their flight to continue coming straight at his craft. Then he got that funny feeling in his mane down near the back of his neck that usually meant trouble (or that some good looking filly was nearby). He peered at the oncoming guardponies, and pulled a sudden juke upwards. The Thestrals passed only a few leg lengths below the craft. He did not miss the fact that they had drawn their swords.

Scanning quickly around he noted only five of the Tri-planes. A glance downwards showed one of the crafts in a slow corkscrew to the ground. A moment later two parachutes opened and a pegasus could be seen winging his way upwards. Another glance back upwards showed two black spots clinging to the top wing of one of the other Tri-planes while hacking at them using their swords.

“Speck!” called Harvey. “Those Thestrals are hostile! Fire on them at will!”

The unicorn’s jaw dropped in dismay. “What? But those ponies wear spell resistant armour! I don’t know if I have anything that can get through to them.”

Harvey felt something he usually only ever experienced on the ground: butterflies in his stomach. It was obvious that the Thestrals, despite not having offensive magic, were smaller and more manoeuvrable than the Tri-planes. And there were a lot more of them. The only real advantage the larger craft had was mass, and that was a liability in the air. Or is it? thought Harvey.

“Plow!” he shouted to his engineer earth-pony. “Give it everything you’ve got. We need altitude.”

The thin pony’s hooves were a blur on the pedals. The Tri-plane surged upwards.


Iron Anvil led the rescue party back up to the roof of the palace annex building, where the three Air-screws awaited. He distributed six rescued ponies to each of the three crafts. While they were settling their passengers into place he looked up just in time to see the Thestrals begin to engage the Tri-planes. His eyes narrowed in anger, and he gestured for the pegasi and unicorns to join him next to his own craft.

“It looks like our pals up top are getting more resistance than we expected. Unicorns, consider any pony not from the Express a potential threat. Better leave while our ponies keep them occupied. Also, I’m sending my passengers onto your Air-screws. You take off immediately for Equestria. My team will retrieve our downed crewponies.”

The other ponies saluted and went back to their craft. Anvil sent out three of his passengers to each Air-screw. He watched in silence as the screws slowly spun up to flight speed, the thwacking sound rose in pitch as the machines took to the air and began to fly away.

Shortly after they were airborne two of the Thestrals began to swoop down towards them. As he expected the unicorns on each of the flying machines began to fire magical projectiles at the approaching flyers. He watched in alarm as the magic ordnance was absorbed or deflected by the Thestrals' armour with no apparent effect.

“Fillygree,” he said to his unicorn artificer. “Why isn’t the magic working?”

“They’re Luna’s Thestrals, Anvil. She’s enchanted their armour to resist magic.”

The Thestrals got ever closer to rising Air-screws. One made a pass at one of the Air-screws, the glint of his sword clearly visible. But what the heavy craft lacked in speed they made up for in solidity. The Thestral had only time for a few swords strokes before being blown off by a blast of magic. The respite was short lived. Moments later he was back and the sword flashed again as he started hacking away at the door. The craft were still close enough that Anvil could hear the screams of frightened passengers.


Starswirl saw the huge doors that had been left open. He had never been in the Crystal Palace's Throne Room and had chosen to teleport to a place with which he was familiar. With Clover at his side, he entered the huge room.

In the distance he saw the flashes of thaumic discharges. He and Clover picked up the pace and arrived just in time to see Luna encompass both Celestia and Sombra in a ball of force. He also saw the amulet that flew from Sombra to land on floor nearby, a green tendril of energy snaking from it to the immobile unicorn.

Starswirl’s gaze was pulled towards the amulet as if his muzzle was on a string. He tried to tear his gaze away, and only with the greatest effort was able to glance at his student, whose head was facing the same way.

“Maestro!” said Clover, struggling to resist the sudden attraction. “What is it?”

He took a deep breath. A longing swelled in his breast and a feeling that nothing else in the world but this amulet mattered. “It’s temptation, lad.” With a wrench he tore his gaze away to and resolutely fixed it on Clover.

“But Maestro. It... it calls to me.” The youngster took a step forward towards the bauble.

Starswirl rushed forward and tackled his student to the ground. Clover landed on his back with his teacher prone on top of him. He stared up at Starswirl, eyes huge with confusion and alarm. Glints of green swirled in their depths, and slowly dissipated as Starswirl held the young stallion’s head between his hooves. Both were breathing heavily.

“Lad!” He put every measure of conviction he possessed into voice. “This is a desire for power that will eat your soul. I have seen it wreck lives and lay low the virtuous too often in my previous life, a fate that I... I do not want you to share.”

Beneath him, Clover’s breathing calmed. He felt the lad relax and observed as the green lights in his eyes faded. His look of concern was replaced by a crooked grin.

“Well, Maestro, it’s been awhile since I was suitably embarrassed. I guess I was due.” His grin faded. “So what is that... thing?”

“That is the repository of Sombra’s power, lad. We need to destroy it before he can use it again to defeat the princesses. We must not look at it directly again. Do you think you can manage that?”

Clover nodded hesitantly. Starswirl picked himself up gingerly, carefully keeping his gaze on the battling ponies. Clover arose and did the same.

“Destroy it how, Maestro?”

“There’s only one force in Equestria powerful enough to unbind such an evil: the Elements of Harmony.” He took the six Elements from within pockets in his cloak. “Bring Princess Luna her Elements.” He gave the lad three of them. “I’ll bring these to Princess Celestia.” He held another two in his telekinetic grip, while placing the Element of Magic around his own neck.

He and Clover parted, each one moving towards his intended target. He was most of the way around the force bubble when he heard Luna scream in agony.


Harvey’s Tri-plane reached its apogee and began to dive back down towards the Palace far below. It was time to put into practice a most unusual manoeuvre for a pegasus. He withdrew his pegasus magic fully into himself, and the Tri-plane regained its full ground weight. Gravity tugged hard. The aircraft dove and gathered speed.

“Get ready,” he instructed Speck. They had a total of three spanners, a hammer, six water bottles, their three lunch-boxes and nothing else on the intentionally cargo-light Tri-plane.

As they dove, he viewed the situation below to plan the optimal path. It looked like another Tri-plane had been forced to land. The three still flying were being harassed by at least a dozen remaining Thestrals. Harvey carefully adjusted their trajectory. They would have only one pass at this.

The roared into the midst of the melee at ludicrously high speed. “Now!” shouted Harvey, and Speck lined up the ‘missiles’ above the Tri-plane’s top wing. Harvey used his pegasus magic finely adjust the passage of the craft.

The hammer crashed through a Thestral’s left wing. Immediately afterward, a spanner dented a black helmet and a lunch box and water bottle knocked two of the attackers off a Tri-plane. A final course change took Harvey’s craft straight through the thick of the Thestral’s formation, and another three were hit by projectiles.

A glance behind him showed over half a dozen Thestrals spiralling or plummeting to the ground. Harvey whooped in joy. Then he remembered that these were fellow pegasi, and supposed to be allies. They might even be ponies I know. His elation gone, he wondered why they had joined Sombra’s forces. As he banked around the Palace he saw another of the Tri-planes lose a wing and begin a spiral descent. He said a silent prayer for the safety of its crew.


The swords, thought Anvil with a wicked grin.

“Fillygree,” he asked the mare. “Can you do that thing you did to the door latch to a piece of metal far away?”

“Yes, Anvil” she replied. “As long as I can see it.”

“How about those Thestrals’ swords?” he gestured at the slowly moving Air-screws.

It was Iron’s experience that Fillygree was pretty quick on the uptake. He’d barely had the words out of his mouth when a bright light flashed into existence. A moment later he saw the Thestral’s sword falling. Its mate’s sword joined it a moment later. However, the Thestrals continued to cling to the Air-screws, which were now starting to gain speed.

“Now what?” said the unicorn, disappointed. “I can’t melt the tack on their uniforms.”

His smile became predatory.

“Their shoes, Fillygree!” shouted Iron. “Give those ponies a hot-hoof!”

The Air-screws were becoming more distant. Flillygree squinted for a moment, and a set of three lights winked on the furthest Air-Screw. The Thestral jumped off and power dived towards the fountain in the Palace square below. The other Thestral joined it mere seconds later.

“Heh, heh, heh!” laughed Anvil. “And here I was thinking I was good with molten metal!”

He saw two parachutes slowly falling into the Palace Square, and placed a hoof on Fillygree’s withers. “Time for a pickup. Let’s get going.”

It was only as they re-entered the Air-screw that he realized that this was the first time in his life that he had ever touched a unicorn in fellowship. He grinned. And not a bad looking unicorn at that!

The Air-screw took off.


Celestia was approaching the edge of exhaustion when she heard Luna scream. She had seen her sister approaching, but had been far too busy fighting for her life to make any gesture towards her. We... I. I waited too long, and now he’s grown too powerful. He hates me since the wars. He will kill me, and you, my little sister, will see it all happen before your very eyes.

Her eyes widened as she suddenly understood the terrible choice that faced Luna. It’s just as Sombra said, she thought. I always have let you do the dark deeds in my stead. Now, you watch me die or become a parricide!

She raised her head and saw the killing blast building from within her sister’s aura. This will rend your soul as surely as it kills your father.

And I will NOT allow this to happen to you!

In sudden inspiration Celestia poured the little reserve of power she had left into her sister, and subtly changed the spell that was forming as her sister cast it.

The beam from Luna’s horn struck Sombra head on. He roared in pain, and his image began to grow transparent.

Luna’s eyes grew wide in alarm, and then awareness. “Celestia! No!”

Sombra’s image seemed to solidify for a moment. At first he seemed surprised. Then he looked directly at Celestia with an evil grin on his muzzle. As he began to disappear again, he closed his eyes. There was a flash of green from the amulet to Sombra’s horn, followed by a momentary sense of disorientation. Then everything went black.


When Luna opened her eyes all she saw was a huge plain that looked as empty as she felt inside. It was still day, but the sky was completely overcast. In the diffuse grey light she couldn’t even tell where was the sun, or how late in the day it was. She shivered in the sudden cold.

Nearby, her sister was laboriously getting back up. Sister. Family. Father... I Luna felt her gorge rising, and turned away. For her, I was going to...

Upon the plain were scattered various ponies, some odd contraptions, and not much else except for one small amulet on the frozen ground nearby. The Alicorn Amulet, her father had called it. As she slowly clip-clopped up to it, dark splotches appeared on the ground between her forehooves. She stared down at the amulet and the splotches covered it as well. Her vision was blurry for some reason, but she could feel as well as see that it was much diminished. The amulet barely called to her, its aura a pale echo of its former burning heat.

This is her fault! She didn't want us to have it, accused the voice in her head. Luna ignored it and lightly tapped the amulet with her hoof. Glancing up she saw Starswirl's student Clover, looking confused, her Elements of Harmony hovering besides him. Her Elements. She felt the heat of anger in the pit of her stomach.

"How do you have my Elements of Harmony in your possession?" she growled at the stallion.

Clover shrank under her glare. "We took them from your room... Uh, but only when we realized you had lost your first fight with Sombra. We were going to use them..."

"Enough!" Interrupted Luna. Betrayed! Anger such as she had never known before coursed through her veins. Her awareness focused on one pony, her sister.

"You promised you would not touch them, Celestia."

Her sister's eyes widened at the accusation. "It was a measure in extremis, Luna, and only if you were captured or defeated. They were to be our last resort in order to destroy the amulet and defeat Sombra."

The periphery of Luna's vision seemed to go black, and she felt as if she was staring down a tunnel.

“You planned for this, all of you. And yet you did not care to disclose it to me.” She looked at her sister and the two mages each in turn. “Am I not to be trusted then?” The thought hurt more than Luna could have imagined.

You see! said the voice. She wants us to be powerless and alone. She has even given away our Elements. She hates us! insisted the voice.

Luna shivered. Without the Elements, what do I have left? she asked herself.

“Nothing!” answered the voice. “Nothing but the unloved night, a moon too few ever notice, and stars that nopony cares even to name.”

Luna felt the muscles of her back tighten almost to the breaking point. And then she relaxed. The voice was right! she thought.

“We were going to kill him, our father, for her,” murmured Luna. “And this, this is how she repays us.” She picked up the enfeebled amulet, and clomped over to where the green coated unicorn stood, holding her Elements. She held it before the unicorn, who cringed at its sight, as if expecting it to bite him.

“If you want to destroy the amulet that badly...” she tossed it with a burst of royal magical power. It sailed up into the sky and was lost from sight even before it had reached the apogee of its trajectory. “...then go get it yourself.”

He stared after the departing object. Then she struck him in the muzzle with a hoof, hard enough to draw blood, but not to kill him. “And never, never again shall you touch our Elements.” Her superior telekinetic ability tore the gilded baubles away from his.

She turned and strode angrily back to where her sister and Starswirl had stood observing her brief interaction with Clover.

“Do you know, Starswirl, what my sister has done?” she asked of the mage.

“No, majesty. I was just asking her when you approached,” he replied, looking troubled. He should be troubled, thought Luna.

“I chose my sister’s life above that of my own father.” She saw Starswirl wince and glance at Celestia. Even now, he doubts us. She sighed.

“And then, when I was compelled to act or see Celestia die, she grew weak, not I. She changed my spell even as I cast it. Thus all it did was seal my father in the eternal ice of the frozen north. Make no mistake, such a prison will not hold him forever.” She sat heavily onto her haunches and looked down at her forehooves. “It was all for nothing.” Her tears started to fall in earnest. “I was going to kill him. Now he will live with the knowledge that I betrayed him. And it was all... for nothing.”

She saw Celestia approaching and hurriedly scuttled back, causing her sister to freeze in mid-step. There was pain in her expression.

But not pain like ours, said the voice. Not enough to match ours. Not nearly enough!

“Who teleported us here?” asked Starswirl into the embarrassed silence. “And where are we?”

Luna laughed and sobbed in the same breath. “We have not moved, mage. What you see here is what remains of the Crystal Empire.”

“But, the city, all the ponies...” His ears dropped in dismay.

“Gone,” whispered Luna. “When Celestia changed my spell it gave my father time. He could not avoid his incarceration, but he could take revenge. My father placed a curse upon this place and all its ponies. A temporal displacement. They may return a thousand days from now, or a thousand years, who knows when?” She fixed her gaze on Celestia. “As will he.” Celestia began to weep silently.

Luna closed her eyes a moment. When she opened them again she could see that Starswirl had gone to reassure Celestia. He nuzzled her sister, as if she was some innocent waif.

“Luna,” said Celestia, “I couldn’t let you do it! I could not let you kill your own father. It would have damaged you. I... we... would have lost you.”

“Lost me? Instead, we have lost an entire nation.” Luna laughed bitterly. “This is just one more in an endless series of delayed decision making and disastrous compromises, Celestia. What are you going to trade away next, Equestria itself? Your scruples are ever stronger than your will to act, so you fell short when I," Luna blinked, "when Equestria needed you to act."

Luna stood in sudden resolution. She knew what she had to do. Yes, we know what needs be done! chortled the voice.

Finally, voice, we seem to have a common cause, thought Luna. At least for now I’ll have peace in my head!

The ponies nearby regarded her. She drew herself to her full height. She subvocalized the spell that activated the midnight dark uniform she wore as defender of the realm. The dark accoutrements somehow made her feel better, stronger, more her own mare than just Celestia’s younger sister.

“Things in Equestria cannot continue thus any longer,” said Luna, her conviction lending her strength. “Sister, I have lost confidence in you, in your decisions, and in your court of the day. The time has finally come for us to part ways. Our diarchy is dissolved. I, Princess Luna, will present Equestria an alternative to your rule, and our little ponies will have to make their own choice.” She paused a moment. “Just as I had to choose.”

The betrayal in Celestia’s face was evident. Now you know how we have felt these many years. You left us little choice in the matter. This is one more sacrifice we must make for the good of Equestria.

“Good bye, Celestia,” she bowed to her sister. “When we meet again, it will be under the rule of the Night.” Luna spread her wings and leapt into the darkening sky.