It's gorgeous sunny day in the land of Equestria. Song birds sing their beautiful songs, while a beautiful field of flowers sways back and forth in the soft afternoon breeze. Under the shade of a small tree, a pale pink alicorn mare with a pastel colored mane and tail sighs contentedly as a butterfly lands on the end of snout. She lies on a red plain picnic blanket. A gold tiara sits beside a small picnic basket with the remains of picnic lunch. The alicorn chuckles softly as the butterfly is scared away by the soft snoring coming from a dark blue unicorn horse with a crimson mane and tail. A single light pink strip runs all the way through his mane and tail.
"Justice!" the Alicorn calls softly trying to wake-up the sleeping unicorn horse who is her picnic companion. Slowly the eyelids open, looking back at the Alicorn with a yawn were the most beautiful light blue eyes.
"I am sorry Celestia did I fall asleep on you," Justice inquiries apologetically yawning once again, shaking his head to wake-up after his latest assignment from a noble.
"Don't say you're sorry Justice, I know what my nobles are doing to you, and they are trying their best to keep us apart. So this relationship I have started with you will fall apart and everything will go back to normal...but I am not going to let that happen by a long shot. You are best thing that happened to me, next to getting my little sister back." Celestia understands as she reaches her front hoof out and touches Justice's hoof with her.
"Thank you, my dear Celestia, but these assignment your nobles are sending me on are getting more and more dangerous, I feel that your nobles are not trying to keep us apart....But trying to kill me, so I can never come back to you" As Justice's voice quivers, placing his chin onto Celestia's shoulders as a single tear runs down his cheek. It splashes on her eternal mane causing it to quickly flash on contact.
"Surely you jest my beloved....granted my nobles are trying to keep us apart. But they are far from trying to kill one of my personal guard unit's members and especially trying to kill my solar guard commander. It means being punished severely for his death and no noble wants that," Celestia said diplomatically as it didn't reassure Justice of his feelings towards her nobles trying to kill him.
"But please explain, why do you think that Justice?" Celestia was wondering. A dark blue magic aura encased the gold tiara lying on the picnic blanket and floats it into the air; before he places it gently onto Celestia's head behind her horn.
"Like this latest assignment.....I was ordered to scout a forsaking part of Everfree Forest," Justice explains as Celestia gasps, tossing Justice off her shoulders. She got to her feet, tossing the gold tiara with her magic, onto the ground away from her as the gold tiara begins to rust and falls to dust
"What wrong with you Celestia?" Justice says puzzled as he moves towards her. Celestia charges her horn and fires a beam that impacts just in front of Justice's front hoofs.
"Please Justice; I beg you don't move toward me, I don't what to hurt you!" Celestia's voice quavers as Justice moves an inch. He met by more powerful beam that causes him to use the unicorn fail safe magic a wink.
"NO!" Shrieks Celestia as Justice appears in front of her. He touches her front gold horseshoe with his hoofs. She quickly takes to the air and kicks her front horseshoes off her hoofs. Before they even touch the ground, the horseshoes rust and fall to dust and are taken away by a breeze.
"Celestia, What's going on?" inquired Justice yelling as Celestia begins to weep,
"You are cursed my beloved...that place you scouted is called Darkmore. Long ago a foul unicorn pony cursed that place. Any pony who enter that place is cursed. Anything they touch, ages quickly and falls to dust. But my beloved, there is still hope as long as you didn't find Darkmore castle the heart of the curse," Celestia says hopefully as Justice lowers his head.
"I am sorry Celestia, but I did. It was part of my assignment to find the ancient castle ruins," breaks Justice's voice as Celestia dissolve into tears.
"Who ever gave you the assignment has broken us up in the most dreadful way. We can never be together," Celestia said sadly as tears splashed on the ground under her.
"WHAT! Never be together, you say? Tia you will never let that happen! Have you been lying to me all this time? Do you not love me like you say? Am I just a pony to help you? I was so blind to think that Princess could love commoner like me" Justice was pushed to edge of indignation turning his back toward Celestia.
"Justice! Please I do love you, my heart has never lied to you, I would never use your love like that, I'd rather be unloved than living a lie. I refuse to see you as a commoner. You are a pony, same as me, and yes a princess can love a pony like you, more than you think," Celestia said heartfelt as she lands and folds her wings onto her back.
"If you are telling the truth Celestia and you do love me, then please help me! Don't back away from me, I can't fight this on my own. I can feel something has changed, deep inside of me," Justice said worried and fearful as Celestia tears-up again.
"It's the first sign that a curse is taking hold of you!," Commented Celestia.
"What?," Exclaims Justice, puzzled
"When the curse takes over you completely, you will become a wraith pony....(a pony that feeds off the life force of any living being that crosses it path)....I can never die...I am willing to be endless supply for you, because I love you Justice," Celestia says lovingly as Justice's mouth tightens into a stubborn line.
"NO! Celestia! You will not become an endless supply for me!" Justice screams in exasperation at the thought of feeding off his princess, if he becames a wraith pony.
"What?" Says Celestia as her eyes widen with alarm.
"I have faithfully served you with honor and asked nothing in return. Now I must ask you, my beloved Celestia, to do something that might kill you. I want you to destroy me if I change into wraith pony. It will be better for Equestria and other ponies if I die. I don't want to become a hunter, I don't want to hurt my sun princess or moon princess or my family." Says justice in a lifeless monotone. He drops his head as tears soak his snout.
"What you are asking of me is impossible", Celestia says hurting as her eyes mist over,
"Impossible? Why? Do you want me to live like this, stealing the life forces of the ponies you swore to protect?....Change those ponies that I drain into wraith ponies themselves....If that's your reason, then you are not the princess I thought you were," Justice says coldly as he slowly begins to lose his substance. He transforms into black, vague pony-shaped clouds starting from the end of his tail traveling. Two glowing red eyes were looking back at Celestia. A menacing laugh escapes the dead lips of Celestia's former and beloved Solar guard Commander Justice Silverlight.
"Good bye, Justice,........." Celestia speaks softly as single tear runs down her cheek. Broken hearted, she fires her most powerful beam at the creature. It destroys the creature where it stood. With the painful deed done, Celestia allows herself to breakdown. This strong willed Alicorn princess becomes choked up with emotion, once again, being forced to stop someone she loved to save her ponies. But this time there's no way to get him back, like she did to get back her sister Luna.
“I am sorry Celestia” a hooded unicorn regretfully said watching the whole scene from the top of a small hill. As the scene ends, the unicorn drops his head and walks back down the other side of the hill out of the view of Princess Celestia.
“Is it done?” said a younger female voice, inquiry as a dark purple Alicorn mare with translucent bordered dark blue mane and tail lands in front of the hooded unicorn. A black tiara sits in her mane behind her horn. Around her neck she had a black collar with a white crescent moon mark on the front. Standing before him was Princess Luna Celestia’s little sister and co-ruler of Equestria.
“Yes, your highness. But at what cost? This was the second time she had to stop someone she loved to save her ponies. As much as I want to protect Equestria it doesn’t sit right with me. Not at all.” The hooded unicorn’s voice was as cold as death. The hood floats off his head, revealing the face of Solar guard commander Justice Silverlight. A wounded look was in his eyes.
“It shouldn’t sit right with you!....,” Princess Luna exclaims boldly
“Because you are a good pony and loyal to the Princesses and Equestria you have gained the Princess of night friendship. Not many ponies can say they are friends with Princess Luna.” explains Luna as she sits down in front of Justice, who sits down in front of her, dropping his head as a single tear splashes on the ground.
“Was there no other way than to have Celestia destroy wraith pony that looks like me? You did sense how much it hurt her to have to stop someone she loved for the second time!” Justice said sadly as a frozen breeze encircle his warm heart.
“I am truly sorry, Justice,” Luna says apologetically.
“But there was no other way. My magic was barely able to stop it and your magic kept you alive till you got back to the palace. As weak as you were, you had enough mind to seek me out for help. Unfortunately the only way to save your life, Justice, was to make the wraith pony a solid pony and the only form I could use was yours. I never guessed that wraith pony had most of your active memories or, why else would it head straight to Celestia, the most powerful Alicorn princess to try to feed off her?”, explains Luna as Justice didn’t feel any better about hurting Celestia that way.
“But anyway back to business, I still have not figured out why you are resistant to the curse of Darkmore castle, like me. Your magic is not associated with night magic which is the core of the curse. Granted, you are from Federation of Dream Valley, a land we don’t know too much about and we will never know. The magic your unicorn can do from there is mysterious even to us Alicorns.” explains Luna as dark blue magic aura forms around a small rock next to Justice on the ground. Without difficulty, the rock is carved into the exact likeness of Princess Luna which he gives to Princess Luna.
“Before you passed out from the life force drain of the wraith pony that you brought back to the palace with you,….you said there’s something else going on at the ancient castle. Can you tell me what?” Princess Luna inquires as a chill runs up Justice’s spine. The memories of the ancient castle flood back into Justice’s head, but in a jumbled mess.
“I am sorry Luna, but all those memories are too muddled up to be any help to you.” Justice explains as Luna places her hoof onto his shoulder,
“Its fine Justice, you’ve been through a lot. Let’s get you home to rest and I’ll talk to Celestia about what happened”, says Luna politely as she walks Justice back to his stable in the city of Canterlot.
It’s been a week since Princess Celestia had to destroy her Solar Guard commander and boyfriend Justice Silverlight. He transforms into a wraith pony after being sent to scout a forsaken area of Everfree Forest called Darkmore. After the incident, Princess Celestia ordered the New Solar guard Commander, Anita Stormchaser, (Justice’s most loyal solar guard officer) to investigate which one of her nobles sent Justice to scout the forbidding area of the forest without the permission of the Princesses.
The beautiful mid-morning sun filters through the frosted glass windows into the Canterlot Royal Palace. In the corner of an illuminated medium sized room, sits a small wooden desk with piles of neatly kept papers waiting to be read and signed. Sitting on the balcony, overlooking the palace garden was an uneasy Princess Celestia. Since having to destroy Justice, new doubts have plagued her mind. What can she really do to punish the noble that sent Justice on that mission? Will it not cause more division between her and most of her nobles? Joining her on the balcony this morning is a beautiful white Pegasus mare with a purple mane and tail. Her wings were held tightly to her side with a white whirlwind cutie mark on her flank.
“Lady Stormchaser, what has your investigation turned up?” inquires Princess Celestia as she looks over her shoulder at the Pegasus,
“Not much your highness, whoever sent Justice on that assignment covered his or her tracks well. The assignment brief was clean….no marks….no magic residue. The only magic residue detected belongs to Justice himself and lot of it. I have gone through the assignment brief word for word. There is no indication that a noble wrote the assignment brief at all.” Lady Stormchaser explains as Celestia look at her quizzically,
“Please explain Lady Stormchaser?” Celestia inquires,
“As you know….when a noble writes a document they use words that indicate their high born rank. But when I read it over, it sounds more like it was written by a soldier or officer. It doesn’t make sense. No one in the royal military has any hate towards Lord Silverlight, as a matter of fact, every member of the royal military says Lord Silverlight is what a soldier should be and try to copy him.” explains Lady Stormchaser as Celestia senses a familiar magic aura on the other side of her office door. Outside the door in the hallway, listening through a crack in the door was Princess Luna, her face glazed with shock. She never figures that having Justice write his own assignment brief would be caught this early and in danger the plan.
“Lady Stormchaser are you trying to say, that Justice sent himself on that scouting mission…knowing full well that he could be cursed if he entered that area of the forest?” commented Celestia, pushing a note over to Lady Stormchaser that reads:
Luna is outside the door listening to us.
“It made sense your highness. Everyone in the royal military knows that you can’t enter that area of the forest without permission of both of the princesses. But if you make it sound like it’s a mission to scout the area, you only need one of the princess’s permission to enter the area.” Lady Stormchaser explains pushing the note back over to Celestia that reads:
Why?
“But why, Lady Stormchaser, risk your own life to enter that area of the forest….knowing that you could be cursed and lose your life?” inquiries Celestia pushing the note back over to Lady Stormchaser that reads:
Because she knows more than she’s telling us,
“It should be obvious your highness, I have known Justice for a long time now. He never does anything without a good reason and the best reason is because he wants to protect you.” Lady Stormchaser explains pushing the note back over to Celestia that reads:
If that’s so…then she might be able to answer a few questions I have. What should we do your highness?
“What you just said Lady Stormchaser has not helped me feel better about what I did, as a matter of fact, it made me feel worse. You just reinforced that I was the cause of Justice’s death.” Comments Celestia in a monotone voice as her body slouches and pushes the note back to Lady Stormchaser it reads:
Before you make me feel even worse than I am, let’s end this conversation, so you can follow Luna to find out whoever is behind this to get both our questions answered.
(Lady Stormchaser shakes her head)
“Well that’s all I have to report, Your highness. If I come up with any more leads I’ll report back to you. Farewell for now, your highness.” Lady Stormchaser says politely as she bows and leaves the office.
Celestia’s office door opens into the hallway of the royal palace and Lady Anita Stormchaser strolls out. She looks around a few times before heading toward the main entrance of the Canterlot Royal Palace to leave. Watching from the top of the hallway was Princess Luna. A moment later Celestia exits her office and heads towards the throne room in the opposite direction. With the two of them gone, Princess Luna lands and sighs in relief.
“Now I see why Justice, wants Lady Stormchaser to take over as the next Solar guard commander,” thinks Princess Luna. She is just as good as he is. The plan to wait for Justice’s younger sister Lady Seer Silverlight to break the spell that’s keeping Justice from remembering what is going on at the ancient castle. It will take longer than she thought to break.
“No, I can’t force it (shaking her head side to side)…it could destroy Justice’s mind, I will not allow that; my heart will not allow that! (a single tear runs down her cheek, splashing on the ground)” Princess Luna’s face turns pale as an opened gold locket floats out from underneath her collar surrounded by blue magic aura. Inside the locket was a small portrait of Lord Justice Silverlight in his solar guard dress jacket, taken after Justice was given the rank of solar guard commander by Celestia.
“Enough Luna….your sister captured Justice’s heart before you.” Luna is glum as she heads to the nearest exit to take to the sky and fly into the city of Canterlot. Watching from behind one of the many domes on top the royal palace was Anita Stormchaser. Once Princess Luna is far enough ahead, Anita spreads her wings and takes to the sky.
She tails Princess Luna through the sky of Canterlot for several minutes using the clouds spread about the sky to keep her from being seeing by Princess Luna. The pair passes over the Canterlot Market Square Ward, followed by Canterlot Trade Bazaars Ward. Anita watches as Princess Luna begins to descent and lands in the streets of Hope Ward.
A moment later, Anita lands and continues following Princess Luna thought the narrow streets of Hope Ward. The streets are packed by pony citizens going about their normal chores of living in the City of Canterlot. This makes it difficult to follow Luna on the ground and track her in the sky without being noticed. Anita pushes her way through the crowded streets of the ward, till the princess stops in front of a hoof shiner stand. For the next few minutes, Anita watches the princess getting her hoofs shined for her, till the pony finishes.
*POP!*
The loud pop sound panics the ponies’ citizens moving about the street causing chaos to break out in the area. Quickly Anita takes to the sky before she’s get swallowed up in the chaos of the panic.
“Solar guard! Calm the citizens! Moonbeam use your calming spell on them!” Anita orders as a platoon of solar guard personnel quickly arrive from a solar guard large outpost base in the Hope Ward. The unicorn mare quickly casts her spell over the area and everything returns to calm.
“Solar guard medic ponies tend to the injured, the rest of you begin moving the citizens out of this area.” directs Anita as the medic ponies’ move about the area tending to the large number of injured ponies. The other solar guard members begin to move the calm citizen out of the area until it is clear. Now emptied, Anita sets-up barriers around the area until a pony engineer arrives at the scene to make sure it is safe for the pony citizen to move through safely.
“Damn it! Luna slipped away!” Her face, flushed with indignation, as she slams her hoof on the ground,
“Calm down, Anita….I knew it wouldn’t be so easy to follow an Alicorn, especially Princess Luna. She’s one cunning princess of the night. My best course of action is to send a message to Celestia to meet me at the Solar Guard Outpost Station One here in the Hope Ward and try to figure out where her sister went.” comments Anita spreading her wings flying to Solar Guard Outpost Station One to send a message to Celestia.
At that same time, Princess Luna arrives at her destination, a two story simply made mansion house in the noble ward of Canterlot. As she passes through the main gateway into a small courtyard, solar guard soldiers (a mix of mares and horses) patrol the grounds in groups of three. (One unicorn, one Pegasus and one earth pony) wearing the same gold armor of the Canterlot royal guard, (except in place of sky blue small saddle blanket worn under the metal saddle was an emerald green saddle blanket that denote them members of the solar guard division) An emerald green glass star is worn on the chest of the armor as well.
Standing on the top landing of a staircase leading into the house, a pair of light blue eyes peeks through a pair of black rim glasses.
“Greeting your highness,” Says a polite dark blue mare with crimson red mane and tail. She has a rolled up scroll with the word law on her flank. On the front part of her body was a copy of her brother’s standard single breasted white solar guard jacket.
“Aaa….Lady Serena Silverlight, I see you received my message.” commented Princess Luna as she climbs up the staircase to join Justice’s older sister Serena on the landing,
“I did” responds Serena as she pushes the wooden front door to open for the Princess to enter first, as she follows. The front door opens onto a beautiful decorated foyer with several old tapestries hung on the walls. One tapestry that catches Princess Luna’s eye is a copy of a tapestry that hung in her and her sister old castle. The tapestry depicted the legend of the two pony sisters.
“Your message was vague at best…but you did say that you would be arriving…a bit later than you said in the message.” Serena commented, walking next to Princess Luna as two then continue down the foyer, pass the family room, dining room and Justice’s study,
“I am sorry for that Lady Silverlight, but I was being followed….” Princess Luna explains,
“Captain Anita Stormchaser?” Serena comments
“Yes, how did you know?” asks Princess Luna,
“Anita has been a close family friend since The Federation of Dream Valley. She most loyal to my brother Justice who trained her well…..” commented Serena,
“Too well, if you ask me, she follows me all the way from the Royal Palace to the Hope Ward, before I had to finally distract her with colt’s practical joke. But to make things worse, she figures out that Justice wrote his own assignment brief.” Princess Luna vexes climbing a second set of stairs to the second floor of the mansion.
The pair passes through an archway at the top of the second staircase into a short hallway. On either side of the hallway where fine wooden doors each leading into the families bed chambers and guest bed chambers. At the end of the hallway was a reinforced wooden door leading into a square shaped room. In each of the four corners stood a tall steel candlestick holder with four white lit candles. Lying in the middle of the room on a rug was Justice; his eyes were closed. As his horn flickered in a dark blue aura. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead as he tries to remember a forgotten memory.
In front of Justice also lying on a rug, was a slightly younger unicorn mare with a crimson red mane and tail. She had a white eye on her flank. On the front part of her body was a copy of her brother’s standard single breasted white solar guard Jacket. Her eyes were closed, as her horn glowed with deep ruby red colored magic aura. Suddenly the deep ruby red magic aura pops, forcing the younger mare to open her eyes, revealing a pair of weary light blue eyes.
“Seer! Why did you stop?” Justice testily opens his eyes,
“I had to, Justice….if I try to force it, it could put you in a coma.” Commented Seer,
“I don’t care! Force it! Put me in a coma!” says Justice, frustrated as Seer gets to her feet and flees to the back of the room and begins sobbing,
“Damn it! Some big brother I am…I forgot I left her alone for two years when she was a filly the first time. I fell into a coma because of Gem Cutter…Now I am telling her to put me in a coma again and who knows how long I’ll be in a coma this time….I might not come back this time.” Comments Justice as he walks to the back of the room where Seer sits in tears.
“I am sorry, Seer…..I am just so frustrated knowing that their threats against Celestia and I can’t do a thing about it…because my memory is being blocked by magic.” Justice feels sorry as he places his front hoof onto Seer’s shoulder, sitting down behind her.
“You are not the only one that wants to protect that Princess of yours….that’s why I agreed to help break the spell that is blocking your memory. Even though, my magic is not as developed as yours and Serena.” Seer explains as the door to the room is opened and Serena sticks her head into the room.
“Could you both take a break? Luna is here.” Serena comment,
“Sure thing, Serena” Justice replied,
“All right, Serena” Seer replied,
