Students of Heaven

by Gentian

4 - Vae Victis

4 - Vae Victis

Canterlot
Present Day

I haven't heard from Sunset in a long time.

When Twilight returned to Equestria, she told me what happened; my dear little Sunset had actually used the crown. She put it on her head, summoned its power, and was consumed by it. As everypony knows, magic responds to emotion, and intent, and the magic of the crown injected its awesome power into her burning fury. Bluntly, it responded to her rage and malice, crudely searing away whatever might have remained of her Equestrian harmony, and remaking her in the image of those terrible passions.

But of course, her seed failed to sprout, as I knew it would

The Element of Magic is part of Twilight. It's attuned to her. It connects to her, as it once did to me. It is a part of her, not merely a tool to be used and then put away by anypony who fancies. Her crown is the Element's external manifestation, but it can only reach it's true power on her brow. For Sunset, it's nothing more than an artifact. A powerful one, yes, but one which responds slowly to her will, and crudely. For her, it is merely a prosthesis, for Twilight, it is...a graft.

The seed of apotheosis, my divine gift, will only fruit from the realized potential of the pony to whom I give it. Even Twilight, perfectly aligned with the Element of Magic though she was, remained a unicorn after receiving it; it waited for her own quickening, her own duende to bring it to life, and Sunset's is no different. Despite the incredible infusion of magical potential it brought, the crown does not belong to her, and Sunset, on her own merits, is not ready; a unicorn she remained beneath the twisting of her flesh, and while she might have been able to fight unicorn Twilight and win, no mere unicorn is the match of an Alicorn.

Twilight said that after her defeat, she had left Sunset in the hands of some humans. The very ones, in fact, whom she had terrorized for so long. It seemed an odd thing for her to do, cruel even; an indirect vengeance both far out of her character, and unbecoming one of her station. Then she said those humans are also that world's bearers of The Elements, so I let her judgment stand. Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, and most of all, Kindness are just what Sunset needs now. I was surprised there had been no Element of Magic, but Sunset could do without that for now.

But where is she?

Shortly after Twilight returned, Sunset sent me a single letter. Two little words: “I'm sorry.” Then, no matter what I said, or how I tried to engage, she refused me. Eventually I stopped, thinking she would come to me when she was ready. Now, it seems she is. Our book dances and glows atop my desk, so I open it and begin to read.

Oh no.

My poor Sunset Shimmer. To say nothing of the natives of that world. The sirens have found them. It must be the sirens. Probably attracted to, or maybe even awoken by the surge of Equestrian magic.

If the portal were open, I could take care of this myself. I never did wholly approve of Starswirl's solution of banishment; it was incomplete, leaving open the possibility for the sirens to return, and worse, it inflicted their evil upon whichever world had been unfortunate enough to receive them. I would never have allowed such an action, but by the time I learned of it, the deed had already been done, and I could not undo it because Starswirl didn't know to where in the infinite multiverse he had sent them.

But now, I do. I finally know where, and when they are; this is the perfect opportunity to put an end to their menace. I can easily force the portal open. But to my regret Sunset has asked for Twilight's help, not mine. Perhaps that's for the best? With the portal closed, Twilight won't be in any danger, and if it comes to it, I can cross over, and stop the Beasts of Song once and for all.

But only if I must.

Equestria needs me, Twilight needs the experience, and Sunset needs a friend, not a mother-figure.

However, first things must come first; Twilight needs to know that she is needed. I could just tell her what's happened, but since she's unable to open the portal herself, she'll also require some way to talk Sunset through her new crucible. This book will fulfill both functions admirably. Later, I'll send her a letter if necessary, but I doubt it will be; when she reads the message, she'll recognize the sirens as surely as I did, and the requisite link to Sunset will already be in her hooves.

How unfortunate, the message hadn't come a few hours earlier; I'd sent a large number of books to Twilight as gifts. That would have been a convenient way to get it to her. They'd left the castle only this morning, and are probably there, or nearly so, by now. Maybe they can still serve?

My eyes remain open, but my sight leaves them far behind, as I cast it along the route to Ponyville. Nothing. Maybe they've already arrived in her castle? Through its smooth, gleaming walls I delve. Past the wards and spells meant to keep out farsight and teleportation. My faithful student improves all the time; they're much better than before, but still trivial for me to bypass.

There she is, at the round table, among her books and letters. When she's focused like this, I could teleport it right in front of her and she wouldn't notice. She hasn't even sensed my presence, though I've made no attempt to hide it. Indeed, I would also prefer to give her the chance to solve this problem herself; she needs the experience, after all. What to do?

There! My shipment of books is arriving. When he left, the courier was given instructions to deliver them to Twilight herself, so they'll be heading right to the table-room. Those will catch her attention if anything will! Effortlessly, I reactivate the book's message-alert, while beginning the teleportation spell, and the buzzing, glowing tome vanishes from my chambers with a soft pop.

Good luck, Twilight.

The Everfree Forest
c1000 years ago

The trees in this part of the forest are the remains of one of Luna's gardens. Apples trees, olive trees, cork trees, and every other kind of tree, or herb that will grow in this part of my world, and several that would not, kept alive only by Luna's careful attentions, once grew here. It was her prize. She used it as a source of materials for her magical and alchemical studies, as fodder for her craft-wine hobby, and as she aged, and sleep became less important for her, a pleasant place to spend her days. Many of them are dead now, abandoned by the Princess of the Night as she became increasingly withdrawn over the past century.

Through the trees, widely spaced in the uneven ground, I watch the moon sink below the horizon, though Luna herself is nowhere to be seen. That's not unusual. We raise and lower our celestial bodies dawn after dawn, and dusk after dusk without ever laying eyes on one another, and have for some time.

Silence.

That, however, is strange. Even at dawn there is always some kind of noise to be heard: singing birds, rustling animals, ponies at work, something. Especially here in the forest. Moments ago, I am certain there was, but as the moon vanished, so too did the forest's sounds.

I feel a chill up my spine and know Luna is watching me. She sometimes does, using farsight to spy on me without having to actually share my presence. No, not spy; she knows I know when she watches. Observe, would be a more apposite term. I do not mind, but it is so very quiet; I wish she would speak with me. Dutifully, I raise the sun, and turn to head back toward our castle.

Though I have absolutely no need to sleep, I will usually indulge in its luxury. Last night, I did not want to, and spent it in the forest, instead, watching Luna's sky. She'd become more and more upset over the last hundred years. Nopony seemed to appreciate her efforts, or so she thought, and one night, she'd simply stopped. She still raised and lowered the moon, but there was no more beauty. No more soul.

I was expecting yet another dull night with wan moon, and faint, sickly stars, and it was, at first. Then, near midnight, I sensed her watching me, and shortly thereafter the sky exploded in light and color. The moon blazed like a beacon, and the stars flared, literally flared up, bursting across the sky in hues and intensities I had never seen before. She even brought comets, and hung them in the night like great, milky eyes.

I stayed out and watched it all; after so much effort, I wanted her to know that I, at least appreciated her new found spark. “Thank you sister, that was beautiful.”

Silence.

__________________________________

I'm not even at the gate yet, and I know that something is terribly wrong. None of the guards are at their posts, none of the daily delivery-wagons are awaiting inspection. None of the coopers, or bakers, or gardeners, or any of the other numerous staff are at their tasks, and that silence; not even an insect disturbs it.

I rush through the gate, the sound of my hooves echoing from my walls. Where is everypony? “Hello?” Silence. Thunderous silence. I can still feel the chill that tells me Luna is watching. Why doesn't she say something?

“Luna,” I ask. “Do you know what's happened?”

No answer. “Luna? Sister?” Why doesn't she answer?

I spread my wings and fly to the the servant's buildings. I open the door and gasp in disbelief. Sitting at the duty desk is a guard, softly snoring with his head lolled back. How dare he sleep on duty!

“Guard!” I say in my booming royal voice. “Wake up!” He doesn't budge.

With head high, eyes narrowed, and ears pressed back, I trot over, but my anger abates with each step: his sleep is far from peaceful. His eyes are red and swollen, tears streak his fur, and sweat rolls down his body while muffled screams punctuate awful, foal-like whimpers. “Guard?” I say, shaking him with my wings. Still, he doesn't awaken.

“Luna, what's going on?” This time she answers, but I almost wish she hadn't.

“Hm-hm-hm-hm-hmmmm,” her soft laughter drifts through the air. “Oh, he's having the most marvelous dreams ssssister.” The way she hisses out that last word chills me to my core. “They all are, sleeping, and dreaming until mine night cometh again.”

“What have you done?”

“We sent the guards home, and lay them to bed. In fact,” her disembodied voice rises playfully, “everything on this planet that can sleep, is!”

“Why? Let them go!”

“Hahahahahaha! Oh, sister, thou used to love our jokes. How often did thee say thou adored our sense of humor?”

I looked at the guard, shivering and weeping in his sleep. “This...” I gestured to him. “This is funny to you?”

“No, Celestia, this is the set-up. The punchline shall begin when thee cometh to us.”

Come to her? Has she forgotten who I am? What I am? “I will not play your game, sister. Release them at once, then, I will speak to you.”

Without warning, the guard thrashes violently, and a high, keening wail erupts all around me; they're screaming! All of them: every pony, every animal, every insect. Mad, piercing shrieks shattering the dawn's quiet. Howls born from the deepest insanity, and mind-breaking terror. On and on, echoing and reverberating, assaulting me from all sides, and then, as quickly as it began, they fall silent. Luna's voice speaks again.

“Thou will, of course because thou cares for them, and wishes us to stop, dost thou not, sister?”

This...this can't be happening! She can't mean this! My sister! My sister! How could she do this? Tears well in my eyes, but I don't care. “Luna,” I manage to sob.

“Well, sister? Come and stop us. Thy surely knoweth where we are.”

“Luna, please...”

“No! Come to us. Now is not the time for fear. That comes later.”

Tears are falling freely from my face, and I don't care to help it. How could she do this? Oh, my dear sister...

I can end it now, release them myself, but if she's already this far gone, that might drive her mad. It might even enrage her such that I'll have to...

No! I won't let myself consider that. I'll have to talk to her, to make her understand there's only one way this can end. That hers is only to choose where she stands when it does. “Oh my dear sister...”

She was right, too; I do know where she is: the suites behind our thrones, where we used to meet before going out and changing the sky together. A quick teleport, and there she is, standing before me wearing a cruel smile.

“See, sister? We said thou wouldst come.”

“Luna, what are...Why are you doing this?”

“Luna?” she smirks. “Are we not sisters?”

“Yes,” I nod. “We are sisters, Luna. Because I made it so.” Her smirk changes to a snarl. “Have you forgotten what I am? What I have done? I am a goddess! The creator of sun, and moon. I made the world. I gave life to it. I made you, -” I thrust my hoof toward her “- and made you everything that you are. Who are you to defy me?”

My poor, foalish Luna, so angry her face is a twisted, livid mask of frustrated rage. Why? Can't she hear my words? Can't she understand how hopeless her position is? Why doesn't she yield to me?

“We too, are a goddess!” she screeches. “Thou said so thyself! That one day we would be thy equal!”

“And you think that day has already come?”

“We are the night!” she bellows. “We are the NIGHT! We are the darkness! Weee are the bringer of dreams, and the source of fear!”

“Luna...”

“And they will love mine nights! If not for their beauty, then for their solace from the terrors of the day! They will cower in fear at the mere thought of the light!” Her horn glows, and every poor creature is screaming again, every throat on my planet shrieking itself raw, and bloody.

“They will love us, they will love ME!” Louder and louder they grow with each moment, their mad voices penetrating even the thick stone walls of our castle, and distorting insanely as they howl down its blackened corridors. “They will worship the peace I allow them only when my darkness falls!”

“Luna!”

“Shut up, Celestia! Now is the time for fear! Stop me if you can!”

Oh my dear sister! Oh, my poor, innocent ponies, and everything else that shares my world! This isn't working, and every moment I delay, they suffer. Oh, sister, please forgive me. I must save them from you, but I'm also saving you from yourself. One day, you'll understand. You must.

I call on my power, only a very, very little bit more than I'm used to. Suddenly, the screaming stops. Luna's face jerks towards me, wide-eyed with shock. I force down tears.

“No more of this, Luna. You can't hurt them anymore.” Her horn glows more brightly in response, then blazes, throwing out dazzling lights, and waves of sparks which bounce and burst against the stone. Her face contorts with effort and rage.

Easily countered. My sleeping children don't even stir from her renewed attack.

“NO!”

I calmly raise my snout. She glares at me with a hatred and malevolence I'd never have believed possible, then all at once, collapses to the floor, sobs gushing from her in uncontrolled torrents. Her tears, and moans, and shrill, sniveling keening wracks her frame from nose to tail. Oh, Luna. I'm so sorry it's come to this. Why didn't I realize you had fallen so far?

“Please, let this be the end of it, Luna. Please, my dear, precious sister.” With pity in my heart I turn and march from our suites. Under the arch, between our thrones, and down the stairs. Across the Great Hall, almost to the Grand Door, when her voice rings out behind me.

“Not another step!”

Oh sister, please, no. Please, please, no. I slowly turn to face her.

“Did you expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious light?”

Please, no.

“There can only be one princess in Equestria.”

Please, no.

“And that princess will be ME!” A frightful, cracking bang, as the stone dais shatters beneath her powerful hooves. A fissure shoots up the wall behind her, and it too crumbles away. Through the hole, I see my sun, shining in the clear blue sky...eclipsed!

Comments

[diablo4000]

Well Sunset aplogy said it al, all she coudl say, sure she read what she wrote to Celestia and every word, every cruel deed, and futre cruel deed she planned written by her own hand.
The disgust, the guilt, the sorrow she must of felt...the shame, how could she respond again after that.

And Luna’s descent into madness the cruelty and ruthless choices she made to torment their beloved subjects...uggh.

[Gentian]

8221334
Yeah, Sunset really painted herself into a corner with her actions. But you know, this is a pony story, and ponies are good at forgiving each other. Luna? Well, I wanted something which fit the dialogue in the show, and which was a plausible origin for the name "Nightmare." The official explanation of an evil spirit never sat well with me, and this one does both. Thanks for the read, and the comment!

[diablo4000]

8223594
Not about ponies forgiving each other, what i meant is the Guilt and sorrow she will have to deal with, as she be punishing herself most of all.
Be very hard to face and can tell or see her thinking Celestia so disgusted with her, she'll blind herself to Celestia trying to talk to her, she too ashame to respond back Celestia after she apologized.

[Gentian]

8223678
Yeah, I got that, and I'm it came through like that. What I meant in the comment was that the ponies/horse girls are forgiving, and they'll help her get to the point she can forgive herself.