A New Starting Point

by Lunar Flarion

Chapter 26: Truth and Lies

---At the Royal Vampony Castle---

Prim had read through every book, every scroll, every piece of paper that had been in the Royal Archives that pertained to the history of the Solar Empire, all of which painted another small piece of a larger picture to what it was. She learned about the Elements, or at least what she had read pertaining to her research. Each time she got a book, she went back to Flare’s old room and read on. The Paradox blaster seemed to be interested as well in the scrolls and books and seemed to read alongside Prim. Every time she came back to the room, even with a book of something not related to the topic of study, the skull still seemed interested in what she had brought. At some points, Prim had even thought of bringing the blaster with her to the library, but the idea was immediately squashed by the ever-present guards that roamed the halls at night. Though this didn’t mean she hadn’t tried, though she also learned that said skull was rather noisy and had a rather itchy trigger... hoof? Blast? Something, but, she had to cut it short not just due to the guards, but the fact that the skull was startled by a mouse and nearly blasted the wall to the next town over.

Prim sighed as she slammed the book shut. The skull gave a small whirl and whine as it appeared to have been reading it. Prim looked at the skull with a deadpan expression. The skull looked back with an annoyed glance, the glowing eye seemed to have a slight bit sliced off the top as if it was making up for the lack of eyebrows. The two stared at each other for a short moment, then Prim gave a snort as she realized that she was staring at a skull that was floating that had laser beams. The skull gave a sharp bark and nudged her shoulder playfully.

“I can’t get over that I’ve made friends with a flying skull,” Prim chuckled.

The blaster agreed with a sharp whirl and a happy-ish looking glance. Truly, they had gotten speaking down very well, one could even say, ‘down to the bone’? Bad jokes aside, Prim got off of the bed and grabbed the book. Once she made sure it was secure in her wing and comfortable to move with, she exited the room and went to the library, right back down to the Archives. Her hooves echoed off the crystal walls, once again she walked past two guards at their post, these ones wore the old armor but carried the serrated spears. She smiled and waved, earning a salute back from the guards. Once she entered the library, she turned the books in and went down to the Archives.

“They need to make this place more friendly...” Prim muttered as she walked down the staircase. The air felt stiff, heavy, and cold, these didn’t sit well with Prim. The entryway at the end of the staircase was illuminated by a torch she had hung up on the wall. The reason being that it provided both warmth and made it to were Prim didn’t need to use her night vision to find a book.

She went forward and found a bookshelf that contained the history of this kingdom and the old empire. She saw a book that seemed to be of interest, labeled “The Fall of the Solar Monarch”. She stood on her hind legs and reached up to grab the book. The shelf wobbled a bit but Prim had grabbed the book with her hoof. She was so focused on the book, she barely heard the thump of a heavy object on the other side of the bookshelf.

“What was that?” Prim questioned aloud. She placed the book on her back and went around the bookshelf to find the source of the noise. There, laying on the floor was a hardback book laying open, the pages hugged the floor. She walked over and picked the book up. She blew on it, which made the dust fly off of the book’s cover. Her eyes widened at the cover.

“Our Dear Daughters”

She flipped the book over and saw a picture of a young Midnight wearing armor, besides her was a younger Night and her. A memory came forward, this was when Midnight joined the guard! She remembered she was still a filly. She also remembered the joy of the sight of her biggest sister in the armor, at that age, she looked so cool! Prim smiled back on the memory. With the happy memory now present, she started to look through the book and started from the beginning. She saw filly Midnight and Night they looked a little different but all around the same. Then she got to her pictures... and something was wrong.

---In the Razorwood Forest---

“Tell me again how far away this “magical land” is?” Flare asked as he jumped over a fallen log. Ever since the dragon had shown himself and told Flare to follow him, he had been rather confused. The dragon went on about some land that most can’t see, where he lives with others of a forgotten past... or whatever that actually means. The forest scenery had changed slightly, the leaves of the trees seemed to carry a rather faint cyan glow. It was easy to miss, but on second glance, you could easily see it. The dragon, named Sithis, had told him some stories about the place they were going to, how it was a lost city, a forgotten home. One thing that made Flare question the dragon’s sanity was when he told of a magical alicorn that raised the moon every night. Truly, Flare had seen many things in his life as well as heard many things, but that was just plain silly. Though Sithis argued on in favor of it, and soon the two had an argument of whether gravity was the actual helper in this case or was it a mare of high power moving the moon across the sky.

“From where you stood, it is a three-day trip,” Sithis replied,” We are almost there.”

“Alright,” Flare nodded, then asked,” So, why me?”

“I told you,” Sithis looked back at him,” It is not for me to say, that is for the Moon Mother to explain.”

Flare gave a deadpan expression at the name. Sithis grumbled,” I know that the family you stayed with didn’t mention her much, but still, you at least have to have heard of her!”

“I have,” Flare admitted,” Doesn’t mean I know who she is.”

Sithis opened his mouth to counter, but closed it and thought for a moment. He shrugged and replied,” She is the one who finds lost souls and allows them to live in a city she had created. She is old, much older than you or the royal family.”

“Hm... so she is kinda a big deal?” Flare asked, now this had caught his interest.

“A very big deal,” Sithis snorted out some smoke,” She is the only reason I’m even able to be talking to you, that and her mother’s blessing.”

“Mother’s blessing?” Flare asked.

“Yes, her mother was powerful and with her final breath, she created a sanctuary for creatures like me and my own family. As well as others ever since the Solar Empire faded.”

“For a name that seems rather friendly, the ruler wasn’t that kind, was she?” Flare questioned as he looked off into the woods.

“She once was, but she was corrupted by something that was unknown,” Sithis replied,” A virus that contorted her way of thinking.”

“Hm,” Flare hummed,” So this virus made her a bloodthirsty monster?”

Sithis growled,” Do not speak ill of the dead, for they can’t bite back.”

“Where I’m from, the dead does bite back... most of the time...” Flare countered.

“I keep forgetting that you aren’t one of this world,” Sithis raised a claw and facepalmed.

“You make it sound like I’m an alien,” Flare said with a chuckle.

“Anyways,” Sithis went back to his normal self,” She is long gone, though I wished it didn’t have to lead to that option.”

Flare sighed as he looked down at the path. Everything had been a blur that past three days, his stories were ones of an old place with the Sun and Moon in harmony, then something happened to the Solar Monarch, which he now just found out was a virus of some sort. This lead to a period which Sithis barely talked about, which finally lead to the creation of the Night Kingdom, but some details had been left out, Flare was sure of it. Flare suspected that Sithis was lying about something.

“We are nearing the entrance,” Sithis said as his speed increased.

“Alright!” Flare replied as he trotted to catch up with the dragon.

---Back at the Castle---

Prim’s eyes narrowed as she looked through the book once again. The pictures of her looked like her, but something was off, she had red eyes in the pictures, much like her family, but she doesn’t recall having them. From what her mother told her, she was born with pink eyes, not red. The longer she stared at the picture the more it confused her. Her mother had said that, but the pictures show the opposite. Also, why was this in the Archives? More importantly in a place, no pony would think to look? She stared long and hard and tried to find the reasoning for the story mix up. Maybe it was just the camera they used? It was a weak argument to her, but it still brought her a little comfort. Maybe... maybe she could ask Night? Maybe she had the answers to this problem.

The skull hovered above her and looked down at the pictures. It too showed visible confusion because of the pictures. It looked back and forth between Prim and the book, then finally growled and floated off to a corner in the room. This didn’t distract Prim too much, but the questions did. Finally, having enough of the confusion, she decided to grab the book and head off to Night’s room for answers. Her hoofsteps echoed throughout the halls as she passed by the many rooms. Her mind had drifted on as she walked she still tried to find answers, even though she knew she would be heading, hopefully, towards them.

---

Prim knocked on the door to Night’s room. Inside she heard her sister’s voice shout out,” Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Prim replied.

“Oh! Come in!” Night shouted

Prim turned the handle, opened the door, and headed inside. Night’s room was painted a dark purple, her bed was up against the wall and her desk was covered in papers and pencils. Night was a rather busy mare at some points, but today she seemed to have gotten an easy day. Right now, Night laid on her bed whilst holding a pillow, her glasses perched upon her nose as she looked at Prim. Prim walked in and shut the door behind her, then walked over to her sister’s bed with the book on her back.

“Hey, whatcha got there?” Night asked as she noticed the book.

“A book with some of our baby pictures,” Prim responded.

Night’s eye twitched a bit when Prim said that. With a calm and quiet tone,” Where did you find it?”

“I found it in the Archives,” Prim answered truthfully,” It was on top of a bookshelf for some reason.”

“Alright,” Night said with a fake smile,” So...”

Prim grabbed the book and opened it to her baby pictures, wit ha gentle hoof she laid the book down and pointed at her eyes. She asked as clear as day,” What happened to my eyes? Why are they red here?”

“I... um...” Night stuttered as a bead of sweat ran down her brow,” I... don’t know why, sorry...”

“You obviously know something,” Prim replied sharply,” You don’t normally stutter and you aren’t the best liar out there.”

“Shoot...” Night muttered under her breath,” L-listen... I wasn’t there when it happened, go ask Midnight, she can give you the full story.”

Prim’s eyes narrowed,” Tell me what you know, now.”

Night’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks, but she sighed and gave in, “ You went to the hospital after something bad had happened to you... I don’t know what happened, but I do know that the magical medicine used to help you was what turned your eyes pink.”

Prim was shocked, something bad had happened to her that she was hospitalized because of it? She needed to get to the bottom of this, and the only other pony was Midnight or her parents, but she knew that Midnight most likely wasn’t busy at the moment. Though it was still true that she didn’t like Midnight’s decision to banish Flare, she was still her sister and she still loved her dearly. With new goals in place, Prim thanked Night, grabbed the book, and went on her way to the Tactics Room, most likely Midnight would be in there working on paperwork or something.

Her hooves carried her quickly to the room. She didn’t even knock as she entered the room. Prim saw Midnight sitting at her desk with a quill in her hoof and a confused look on Midnight’s face.

“Uh...” Midnight looked at Prim with a small smile,” Heya... do you need something, sis?”

“Yes,” Prim replied, though she did so a little colder than she had hoped.

“Alright, come in and shut the door please,” Midnight said.

Prim did so and walked up to Midnight’s desk. The book felt heavier and Prim felt a pit in her stomach... like she was going to find out something she doesn’t want to.

“So, whatcha need?” Midnight said with a larger smile as she placed the quill back into the jar,” The guards' new armor isn’t bothering you too much, is it?”

“No, it’s not the armor,” Prim replied,” It’s this.”

With that, Prim grabbed the book with her wing and set it down in front of Midnight, right dead center of the desk. The simple fact that Midnight’s face held a small look of fear made Prim worry.

“Where did you-” Midnight started, yet Prim knew what she was going to ask.

“I found it in the Archives, on top of the first bookshelf,” Prim replied,” Though that isn’t what I wanted to know.”

Prim opened the book right to the baby pictures of her and her red eyes. Midnight’s face now showed, not just fear, but sadness and pain... why?

“Why do I have red eyes here,” Prim said, then pointed at her eyes,” But not here?”

Prim’s words felt like jagged pieces of glass that cut deep into Midnight’s heart. Midnight thought of lying to her, telling her that it was a trick of the camera, yet she knew that Prim must have already thought of it. What would have made it worse was the fact that Prim most likely went to Night for answers. She looked down and twiddled her hooves, not daring to look Prim in the eyes.

“Well?” Prim asked,” Night told me that something bad happened to me that sent me to the hospital and that the magical medicine did this to my eyes. So tell me, just what was this accident?”

“I-I...” Midnight stuttered, her mouth then closed as she held a hoof to it gently.

“Just tell me... please,” Prim’s voice turned gentle as she looked on at Midnight.

“A-alright,” Midnight replied shakingly,” I-I’ll tell you... but please, remember, this hurts me just as much as it will hurt you...”

“Alright,” Prim sighed calmly,” Alright.”

Midnight took a shaky breath, and began,” It happened when you were four or five. It was time for the annual rain, but you insisted on going outside and playing with your little toy friend, Pixie. So, being the protective sister I was, I told you no many times, but you won me over... we went outside in the rain and you happily ran around with Pixie. I watched you play with her and run around all happy, but when you got tired, you went over to a rock and sat on it and laid Pixie on the ground...”

Midnight choked up a bit, but continued,” I looked away for a second and then... I heard a loud boom, I looked back and you had been... been... been struck by lightning... I ran over and grabbed you and took you inside, I was scared, I was angry at myself for allowing that to happen to you... I took you to the medical room. The doctors hooked you up to so many machines I swore you looked to be more robotic than organic. Mom and dad were alerted as well as Night. They all came into the room terrified, mom was in tears and holding and brushing your mane, begging for you to be okay. I told them what had happened and dad told the doctors to use medical magic to help heal the wounds... They used it, and it had a side effect that made your eyes turn pink...”

Midnight stopped for a second as a tear ran down her cheek,” I-I... thought I lost you, I was so angry at myself that I shut myself away, I only ever came out to eat, drink, and to visit you and make sure you were okay. I was grounded, but I didn’t care in the slightest, I just...”

Prim held her hooves to her mouth as a few tears forced their way out and don her cheeks. Midnight had now stopped completely and sniffed, she was shaking. She got out of her chair and around the desk to Prim, who was still in shock. Without a warning, Midnight wrapped her hooves around Prim and pulled her into a hug. Her wings closed around them both as Prim slowly came out of her daze. She felt the shaking of her sister, she felt the anger of the lie, but the sadness and regret in her sister’s voice. All Prim could do was hug Midnight back. It started to piece itself together, she most likely had no recollection of what had happened and might have barely remembered anything from her foalhood, but instead of her family telling her the truth, which would most likely have scarred her even more, they instead told her that she was just born with it. Midnight let go with her hooves, but her wings still were wrapped around her.

“I never wanted to lie to you... I never wanted to at all...” Midnight wept softly,” B-but you barely remembered anything after you woke up, you didn’t know my name or dad’s name... we had to teach you most of the stuff you didn’t remember... that was when mom and dad hid the truth from you, they didn’t want you to be affected by it.”

This was too much for Prim, her body started to shake and her body felt cold. She tried to collect herself, which was harder than she would have liked it to be. Midnight still embraced her with her wings, but when she felt Prim start to shake, she embraced her once more with her hooves. The shock had started to get to her, but Midnight wouldn’t allow an accident, like her falling over and injuring herself, not after she had to tell the haunting memory again.

Once Prim stopped shaking, and felt relatively normal, she ended the hug and thanked Midnight for telling her the story. Though now, she just wanted to be alone... or with a skull that didn’t talk... either way, she just wanted to think to herself without too much noise. She got up and left the room, leaving behind a saddened Midnight and a book of her baby pictures. She found Flare’s old room and entered it, then locked the door behind her, she gently placed herself down onto the bed and curled up, then finally, she started to think... and this thinking made her start to cry... had her past been a lie? What other things did they lie about to her? Her cry had attracted the skull, who tried to console her with gentle nuzzles and ear nips.