Prim Rose's Redemption

by Hope

Chapter 16

Prim took her position as the last guards took theirs, and she saw the first dignitaries lined up at the doorway. The two thrones remained empty, and for the moment she was the single pony in the room that controlled what happened.

She raised her banner and unrolled her scroll, looking to the first dignitary. She took a deep breath and stood tall to project her voice as far as possible, and then she struck the stone floor twice with a hoof.

“Presenting the Honorable Svelte Dressage, Mayor of Everfree City, Matron of the Oakheart house, humble servant of the crowns, caretaker of the Everfree Forest.”

She stood out as she was not only a zebra, but as tall and stately as Princess Luna. Her general bearing seemed that of a goddess just arrived upon Equus, unconcerned with the activities of the ponies around her, and imbued with a power all her own. She wore two golden neck bands and golden earrings, along with a wide variety of bangles and bracelets on her front hooves. Her eyes shone just as bright a gold as her jewelry, and on her back a forest green cape lay, with the Everfree crest sewed into it.

Prim had learned quickly that Svelte ran the city of Everfree because her people had an ancient claim to the place, but she had sanctioned the construction of the castle. She was the type of zebra that always spoke in prophecies and riddles, and Prim was thankful she didn’t have to spend too much time interacting with her. Not because she didn’t like her, but because Prim became stressed at just the thought of being caught up in some prophecy, or having to interpret complex rhymes.

Once Svelte was seated with her two assistants, Prim spoke again.

“Presenting the Honorable Spectra, Mayor of Canterlot, Watcher of the Canterhorn mountains, General of the pegasus Wonder guard, viscountess of the Cloudsdale weather farms.”

Spectra entered the hall in a march. The pegasus had a white coat and a colorful spray of rainbow hair for mane and tail, which faded to white at the tips. Her eyes were a deep green, and she did not look like a mayor. She clearly took her title as General more to heart than her other titles. She walked into the great hall in battle worn armor, well polished but covered in cuts and dents that were left as signs of battles survived. She wore a helmet as well, which tamed her prismatic mane into a crest, and she had a thin silk cloak in royal red that fluttered as she strode forward.

Due to being in the presence of royalty, Spectra carried no weapon, but her stride was confident enough to make it seem as though she was armed. She sat next to Svelte and her guard and assistant sat with her.

“Presenting the Honourable Sharp Wit, Mayor of Hoofnia, Baroness of the Ivory Tower collegiate of magic.”

Sharp Wit was a unicorn with a tan coat, faded teal mane, and burgundy eyes. Her horn was almost needle sharp, a sign of a unicorn that regularly casts powerful spells, and she wore a heavy purple cloak with the hood bunched up around her neck. She seemed almost like she was cold, walking in alone and pulling her cloak in around herself once she sat down.

Prim waited a moment to make sure there weren’t any assistants before she called the next mayor.

“Presenting the Honourable Sea Breeze, Mayor of Trothnacum, sister city to Hoofnia.”

Unlike the quiet and subdued unicorn, Sea Breeze literally pranced into the hall, followed by a single assistant. Breeze was a pegasus with a deep blue coat and spotty teal and grey mane, with turquoise eyes, unadorned with any clothing or symbols.

She smiled constantly and bounced several hoof widths off the ground with each step, her wings open. Every time she tapped off the ground, Sharp Wit flinched in annoyance, but she still offered a somewhat friendly if tired smile when Breeze settled in next to her.

“Presenting His Royal Highness, Prince Verdant Spring, Lord of the land, Duke to the Solar Court, Marquess of the great Plains, rightful heir to the Canterhorn mountains and Hoofnia.”

Everypony in the hall sat up a little straighter, and watched the hallways to the Solar wing of the castle. It only took a moment for Prince Spring to walk out. He wore a crown, a torc, and boots. Clearly Golden Sparkle had been coaching him in his walking, as he strode with the confidence and pose of a royal.

He walked up the stairs and took his throne, followed by his retinue of nine ponies, who then settled in around the back of the throne, ready to serve his every need. He then nodded to Prim ever so slightly, a signal she was grateful for. Prim took a deep breath and for her final announcement she gave her full energy to every word, knowing she was introducing the singular most important entity in the world, and the princess who trusted her to do her job properly.

“Presenting Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna of Equestria, Lady of the Moon, Sovereign of the Stars, Sole rightful ruler of the Badlands and the Whitetail woods!”

Princess Luna strode in immediately, followed by her retinue of a dozen. It took Prim by surprise that Luna was wearing the set of regalia that Prim had picked out for her on that painful night more than a week ago. Princess Luna sat, and also gave Prim a small nod.

Prim turned to face the gathered ponies.

“The Lunar court is now in session, Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna presiding.”

“Thank you, Lady Rose,” Luna said gently. “We hath assembled all of thee to discuss the recent catastrophe. As thou hast surely witnessed, our sister, Celestia, is not present.”

Princess Luna paused, letting the shuffling and murmured speech die down.

“Six nights prior, our sister grew weary of the pressures of the governance of our fine nation. One great burden she had been forced to carry was a petition.”

Spectra and her guards tensed, while Sea Breeze’s smile faded a little. Luna watched the slight shift in mood, and watched a few of the noble’s guards look nervously at the night guards along the outer walls.

“For those of thee that may not have been informed… A petition was created by Diamond Blade eight months before this day, suggesting… nay, demanding that all settlements within our domain be reaffirmed into the Solar Court, and all related taxes to be redirected. This petition was then refined to propose that our ability to rule was in question. To insist on our removal from power.”

“Thou had left us no choice!” Spectra shouted, stepping forward boldly.

Princess Luna stared at the mare until Spectra backed away slightly, returning to her position. Princess Luna nodded, approving of Spectra being put back in her place.

“Our ability to rule hath been called into question. In a kind world, we would turn to our sister for confirmation, and discuss our deficiencies. But this is no longer possible. Under the great pressure of the nation and the conflict within, she has abdicated her throne.”

“No!”

Again, it was Spectra, lunging forward and flaring her wings out aggressively.

“No, ‘tis a lie! It must be a lie!” she screamed.

It only took a quick gesture from Princess Luna and ten night guards stepped forward, surrounding Spectra with their weapons held at the ready.

But most remarkable was Prince Spring, who looked shocked but had tears running down his cheeks.

“Hold,” he said. “Please, Mayor Spectra, hold…”

He struggled for the words while Spectra slowly calmed herself, and the guards relaxed.

“I would not have believed it either,” Spring said mournfully. “I do not wish to believe it. But I saw her fire in the sky. I saw the sun rising before it’s time… Before even that, we spent nights speaking of the pressures she was experiencing, of the weight an entire nation creates upon its leader. It had seemed hypothetical at the time, and something she was carrying well, but clearly she was not.”

He stood, and several ponies shuffled nervously. It wasn’t protocol for a diarch to stand until the end of court.

“We all failed Princess Celestia!” he said much more firmly, bringing his pain into a speech. “We all failed to uphold the harmony Equestria was built on, and we all owe her a strong nation to return to, when she returns. We must be better. We must stop questioning Princess Luna for not being the same as her sister, because in her own way she is a princess. She is our princess, and I have already declared her fit to rule.”

The surprise silence lasted long enough for Prince Spring to sit and nod to Luna, letting Luna resume her speech in a quiet room.

“We were forced by the circumstances to utilize the elements of harmony,” Princess Luna said as she used her horn to illuminate the six stone spheres that were embedded in the castle floor, and newly framed with circles of smaller white granite stones that seemed to highlight them. The few that had fallen in the middle of the room had been moved to the sides, so that the hall was still clear.

“The elements hath bound our sister within the sun, and through study of the magical power being expended to keep her there, the imprisonment may last as long as one thousand years.”

Gasps rolled through the hall, and Prim found her careful poise broken as she put a hoof to her mouth, trying to hide her horror. Even she had thought Princess Celestia may return in her lifetime, or not at all. Such a great imprisonment seemed almost cruel to her.

“We shall endeavor to find a method of retrieving her before that time, but the Elements of Harmony are more powerful than ourself or our sister, clearly. So, with Princess Celestia having abdicated the solar throne, a new diarch was required to secure the freedom of Equestria. Having discovered that Verdant Spring had become her consort, his position was affirmed as Prince, and he now claims the solar throne, in keeping with the diarchy we hath constructed. In this way, we seek to begin a new age of Equestria. An age of ponies,” she said, signifying the end of the “age of alicorns” that had begun when Celestia and Luna rose to power.

She gestured to Prince Spring.

“Thus, we officially recognize Prince Verdant Spring on this night, and with his ascension to the throne, and his decree, we are free from the burden of the petition that had been proposed.”

Princess Luna then looked directly at Spectra.

“As of this night, the laws of Equestria shall change to reflect the lack of propriety and humility that the nobles have displayed. From this night on, any citizen of Equestria may write petitions, not solely the nobles. Any petition shall be provided to both courts, with no exceptions. Petitions questioning the ability of a diarch to rule must be filed as a formal protest with evidence and presence in court. No longer shall the nobility retain the right of privacy when matters of state are concerned. No longer shall the nobility be permitted to reap the hard earned wealth of their fellow ponies in unlimited amount, all nobility shall be limited to a tax equal to a tenth of the earnings in their domain, and shall provide evidence this has not been exceeded. We hereby strike down the rights of eminent domain, summary judgement, and to muster a private army.”

With each declaration, the mayors seemed more uncertain, but Spectra was nearly on the floor by the end of it, hanging her head and looking away. Svelte seemed the least affected, calmly listening with only the slightest nervous shuffle when the right of eminent domain was struck down.

Prince Spring listened, and seemed nervous as he realized just how much he did not know about the sweeping changes Princess Luna was making. Meanwhile Prim just smirked, pleased to imagine that the noble she’d shoved under the bathwater so long ago would be losing all of her unfair advantages in life.

“Why not just take away our titles as well? Thou hast put some strange stallion upon the throne, and stripped us of so much,” Spectra said grimly.

This time, it was Golden Sparkle who hobbled forward. She waited for Princess Luna to nod to her before speaking.

“Prince Spring is not a stranger to those of us that knew Her Highness more personally than as some political tool, or some holy symbol to be called upon. He was her consort, and beloved. His position here is one in keeping with the honor of Princess Celestia’s post.”

“Thank you,” Spring said with a sad smile.

“‘Tis what Her Highness would have wished,” Sparkle said, before limping back to her corner.

There was a pause before Luna smiled, looking down at Spectra.

“No more outbursts? Comments? Snide remarks regarding our name? Thou wert most creative in the use of ‘lunatic’ if we do remember properly.”

Spectra sat up, doing her best to seem calm, and shook her head.

“We shall continue then. Prince Spring, the court falls to thee.”

Spring pulled a scroll from where it had been hidden besides him, and began reading from it.

“Upon discussing the following matters with the royal scribes and advisors, we must make the following declarations. Firstly, all of our holdings in Hoofnia are now inherited by our eldest sister to remove any appearance of a royal estate beyond this castle. Second, as right of ascension has not been established for a mortal pony in our position, we are establishing ascension by appointment, with a default of direct family. Third, we are establishing a group hereupon known as the Sol council, to monitor the movement of the sun, ensure that Princess Luna's absence would not result in the fall of Equestria, to seek a way to return Princess Celestia to us, and to carry on the good work she had championed.”

He then settled back into his seat and looked to Princess Luna, who turned her attention to the nobles before her.

“We hath spoken long enough, and now it is time for us to hear from thee. We grant Svelte Dressage the floor.”

The zebra stepped forward and looked to Spring.

"Your Highness, I don’t believe we have met. I am Svelte Dressage, and we shall meet often, I shall bet. The great forest has suffered from the fire and fighting. What aid is offered to soothe the wild's ire and blighting?"

It took a moment for Prince Spring to understand the question, but when he did he looked to Princess Luna, who pondered it as well. After a bit the princess had a reply.

"Wouldst thy forest gain solace from a new growth of trees? Brought from the mountains as saplings and seeds?"

It was clear that Svelte enjoyed Princess Luna's attempts to match her rhyming speech, and she nodded.

"To bring in new life and varied species, will offer a gift to any forest as old as these."

Svelte then bowed and backed to her spot to sit. Next, mayor Spectra stepped up and looked to Prince Spring. She struggled and then looked away.

“it is my wish that His royal Highness serves a long and gracious reign. May Equestria bloom beneath his hoof.”

She then bowed and returned to her position, gaze despondent, and ears laid back as though she was cowering.

Next to step forward was Sharp Wit. The older unicorn looking around the room with a vague air of distaste. She then turned her gaze on Prince Spring.

“Your Highness. I do believe thou wert born in my city, wert thou not?”

He blushed slightly at the personal matter of her query as he nodded. “I was.”

“If I detect even a hint of favoritism towards Hoofnia’s interests in thy ruling, we shall share stern words, young stallion.”

“I would not dare to abuse the power I have been given,” Spring replied with a bit of a smile.

Wit nodded briskly. “Well then, I request for a day of memory to be established at thy leisure, to preserve the memory and respect for Princess Celestia into the future, so that when she returns she may return to ponies that know her. I trust this request will not be opposed?”

She turned her gaze to Princess Luna, who just nodded.

“We shall do so, Mayor Wit,” Prince Spring said.

Wit returned to where she had been standing, and Sea Breeze flew forward to land and bow low.

“Princess Luna, Prince Spring, your highnesses. As it has been and as it shall be, Trothnacum swears it’s fealty to the diarchy. Never shall we waver. In the past I have spoken freely in the presence of royalty and I see no reason to change that habit now. Princess Luna, Thou hast never been a ruler of Equestria, thou hast been a ruler of the ponies of Equestria. While it is a beautiful thing, thou must be both. Thou must care for the mechanizations of governance as surely as the emotions of thy people. Let me offer myself first of thy subjects as a potential friend and ally in this new age. Dark times have found us in the past and may find us again soon, but nonetheless, we must find joy and laughter where we can. Call upon me if thou hast any need for a friend, and I shall find a way to thee.”

She bowed, and as though she hadn’t just made such a bold statement, she trotted back to her position with a bounce in her step and a smile.

Luna looked to Prim and raised one hoof slightly from her cushion, gesturing in a slashing motion that she was finished. Prim stood tall, and spoke to the whole hall again.

“Thus the first grand Lunar court is concluded.”

The assistants, guards, and scribes all left, as well as Spectra turning and walking away to follow her pair of guards. The remaining three mayors were escorted by the night guards to the Great Chamber, with Prim Rose waiting for the Princess and Prince to follow before taking up the rear.

She was not privy to the content of the meeting itself, so the doors were closed and she sat outside with the two pairs of royal guards.

“It all seems to have gone well,” Tao said with a nod to Prim.

“I’m grateful to thee that I was not asked me to run after Lady Spectra,” the day guard opposite of Tao said to Prim, as he chuckled. “She had seemed… averse to attending.”

Prim shrugged and looked over her scroll, realizing she hadn’t even known that Spectra was supposed to attend. Inadvertently she’d followed Sparkle’s advice and just continued onward. It wasn’t urgent, so it just happened. She seemed so calm that apparently the guards had assumed she was just unphased. It was a good feeling, being seen as unflappable.

“If Mayor Spectra does not wish to have a meal before returning to her city, we shall not delay her,” Prim said smoothly. “Though if I were to be flying all the way to the Canterhorn mountains, I’d wish for a meal first.”

The guards chuckled, and they all seemed to relax a bit. It was a rare moment when the two groups of guards interacted. Typically in the past the guards were split by the rising and setting of the sun, never interacting much. Prim let the silence stretch for a little while as she pondered a way to utilize the situation.

“I’d like to start rotating shifts,” Prim said thoughtfully.

The night guards tensed, but the day guards seemed curious.

“They can’t work during the day,” One of the day guards said incredulously, gesturing to the night guards. “How would that work?”

Before they could start an argument, Prim held up a hoof, and was pleased to see that they all waited for her to speak.

“I have spoken with Princess Luna many times about isolation in the last two months or so. She speaks often of how the night is treated as forbidden or somehow less than the day. This hurts the day as well, it presses more work into the solar court, it causes secrets and periods of time where one court has no oversight over the castle. We need to work together, and with Golden Sparkle injured, I would like us to all be able to fall under one schedule, one treasury, and one unified government,” she said, getting the night guards to calm down a little and contemplate the idea.

“How would they be able to work during the day?” the day guard asked more directly.

“First, please stop saying ‘they’ as though we are speaking of some group outside the walls. The night guards will be able to patrol given a number of accommodations, which I have been contemplating,” Prim said, when in reality she was coming up with them in the moment. “We could schedule the weather patrols to keep the castle grounds shaded. Not with heavy clouds, but shaded enough to allow them to function without pain. We could also deploy shaded covers across the skylights to allow patrols within the castle itself, in the same way that the lunar wing is shaded already.”

The night guards nodded eagerly, while it was the day guards’ turn to look nervous.

“So we’d always be in the darkness,” the day guard said nervously, getting a shake of the head from Prim.

“Think of it as a fog that burns away by midday and comes back in the afternoon. There is no need for a night guard to always be present, just for us to share our duties more completely. I would like night guards working in the morning and afternoon to mix with and get to know eachother. For example, while I know Captain Fury and most of the staff in the Lunar court, I do not know the names of the Solar court’s members beyond Golden Sparkle. What is the Solar captain’s name?”

The day guards seemed surprised, but one of them finally spoke.

“Braced Bridle is our captain. He was standing next to Golden Sparkle during court. Um, I’m Swifty Jaunt, and this is Hopeful Task,” he said as he gestured to the quieter mare day guard next to him.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Prim said, shaking their hooves. “This is Tao and Evenstar,” she said as an introduction.

In that moment, Prim reshaped the way the two guards functioned, and began the melding of the two courts, all while Princess Luna discussed the implications of her sister’s abandonment of Equestria with the most influential mayors in Equestria.

Comments

[Patchwork Dreams]

This is truly something unique, you know that? It's brilliantly written, and you can practically feel the love and effort that went into it. From the characters, to the worldbuilding, to even the tiny details like the usage of pounce, your care for this story shines through each line like the Moon herself. My only gripe is that it's not yet finished - but I can't imagine that that'll remain an issue, in the end.

Best of luck finishing it; I'm looking forward to it!