Break your Fate

Chapter 2

Shining Armor's day wasn't very good.

And by the looks of it, it would turn even worse.

He has seen his son, sending a punch into the other stallions face. One part of him was proud, the punch was fast and precise, sending the stallion to the ground without giving him a chance to parry or dodge. The other part of him was surprised. He had taught his son never to use violence to solve ones problems. Until today he never did more than skirmish with a classmate. But this...

This was mayhem.

His trained instincts called out to him, practically screaming at him to search the culprit, to not let him get away.

His father instincts told him to give his son a headstart.

The guard in him won the battle.

Charging his horn with magic he focussed his energy on the pony he was looking for. And with a deep sigh he released the magic, disappearing in a flash.

~~~~~~~~

I've escaped the castle, simply running away from everything.

'It can't be true!' My mind screams as I rush through the streets. 'Meteor wasn't taken away! Mom and dad didn't send her away! She is in school and will come home soon!' The thoughts were desperate. For me there was no other option.

It didn't take me long to find back home, rushing at the door I slam the door open and rush in, ignoring the water that dripps down my coat I close the door, locking it.

'Calm. Breath.' Again, the voice of my dad. He taught me how to calm myself when I needed to be calm.

He taught me everything.

I close my eyes, taking slow and steady breaths, slowly calming my heartbeat.

A crack of magic forces me to open my eyes.

Right before me is my father. Shining Armor, captain of the royal guard.

And he looked sad.

"Simply because you're my son." He begins, his expression shows disappointment. "I'll ask you why." His voice misses the warmth I'm used to.

"He insulted Meteor and Princess Luna." I quickly explain.

"That doesn't give you the right to-"

"Is it true?" I interrupt him.

His eyes fill with sadness and anger.

"So it is true." I fall on my haunches. "Why?" I look up to him. "Why did you send her away?"

He takes his helmet off, slowly lowering it on the kitchen table.

"You remember the magical surges your sister had a few weeks ago?" I nod, they were pretty bad. "Well it looks like her magical abilities are too strong for her." He walks closer, sitting down next to me. "After that last surge Luna discovered her abilities and to help her, controlling and wielding such strong magic, she took her in. Meteor will learn to control her magic from the most powerful pony." He looks at me.

"Her magic is too strong for normal ponies like us. She may become a threat for all the ponies around her if she doesn't learn to control it."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask him, softly leaning against him. "It would have been much easier to understand and accept this. This way I learned it from the newspaper that my sister is gone."

"She isn't gone." He answers. "We still can see her, either at work or afterwards. We are still her family and no one has the right to keep her away from us."

I nod but don't answer.

"Now..." He sighs. "What did that stallion say that made you furious enough to dislocate his jaw?"

Even the thought about his defiling words, makes my anger rise again.

"He said...." I take a deep breath to calm myself. "That the only reason Meteor was allowed to move into the castle is that Luna is into fillies and needed a new one."

I look at him.

"Did he?" Dad raises a brow. "And you crushed his jaw for that?" I flatten my ears.

"I know it was-"

He pulls me into a rough hug.

"Good job." He states. My eyes widen.

"Good job?" I try to pull away from his iron grip but he's too strong. "What do you mean? I thought you didn't want me to use violence to solve problems."

"True. I don't want you to use violence." He moves away and slaps my muzzle.

I groan, the hit wasn't serious but hard enough to send a sting through my nose.

I rub my muzzle.

Dad pulls me back into the hug.

"But you did it to protect your sisters and Princess Luna's name." He backs away, standing up and lifting his helmet of the table.

"You know you will get punished for that?" He asks, dead serious. I flinch again and nod.

"Good. Now come. We go back to the castle." He lowers the helmet on his head.

"Will you teleport us?" I never liked teleportation. It always made me nauseous.

"Afraid I have to." His horn lights up and hoofcuffs appear around my hooves. His face showed the stern and trained expression of the captain of the royal guard.

The moment the helmet was on his head he turned from dad to captain of the royal guard, Shining Armor.

"You know your rights?" He asks. "Normally I'm forced to tell you but I'm sure you're already tired of my lecturing."

"Yeah I do." The hoofcuffs are loose, he isn't dead serious with this. But I know he has to do it.

"If you're asked, I told you your rights." He winks and smiles at me.

I return his smile.

"Here we go." He closes his eyes and I see that light around his horn get brighter.

I close my eyes.

I hear a cracking.

I open my eyes.

We're back in the castle, the front entrance.

"Follow me." He states, pulling softly on the cuffs. I follow him, even though the cuffs make it harder to move. Walking in cuffs through the most part of the castle was exhausting.

After another two minutes of walking we're back at the sparring field, looking at my comrades who were training with hoofs or other weapons.

Not slowing down he walks right on the field.

"Lower your hooves and weapons!" The teacher and lieutenant, Iron Hide, bellows. "Captain attendant!"

As told, all of them lower their weapons and turn around to us, raising their hooves to salute.

"At ease!" Dad bellows. My comrades lowering their hooves, and starting to whisper as they saw the cuffs around my hooves.

"As you all know, less than a hour ago, Crescent Light attacked Gold Heart, I'm looking for a few witnesses of the incident, to tell me what had happened."

Almost instantly Vivid Dream's hoof was in the air.

"Sir! I was the closest next to Crescent Light and Gold Heart, sir!"

"Very good Cadet." Dad answers. "Anypony else?" No answers.

"Good. Please follow me." He turns around to the others. "Continue!" He bellows.

Vivid looks at me and smiles.

I return her smile.

We follow the hallways of the castle, the eyes of the guards follow us every step.

And then we're there.

The throne room.

"Dad why are we here?" I ask.

He turns around, a stern expression on his face.

"What did I teach you?" His voice was cold.

"Sorry." I flatten my ears, "Captain Shining Armor, why are we here, sir?"

"You attacked the son of a nobleman. This isn't done with a disciplinary enquiry." He turns around. "Princess Luna herself will hold court over this."

My eyes widen.

The heavy doors open.

The moment the doors open the whiny voice of Prince Blueblood could be heard, echoing through the throne room.

"He dislocated the jaw of my son! How dares a peasant like him to even touch my son?"

"Prince Blueblood." Princess Luna's voice was soft, even though I could hear the faint sound of annoyance in her voice. "I don't know the details right now, that's why we're here. So would you please keep your temper during the disciplinary hearing?" She looks down on him. "I promise you, that if the accusations are right, the perpetrator will be punished."

I feel a sting at my hopes, hearing this.

"Don't worry." Vivid whispers. I turn around and see a big smile on her face. "It's fine."

Hearing her voice, reassures me. It was like I could do everything, bad things and good things, as long as she was there to tell me that it's fine.

We walk into the throne room.

I see Luna's wary eyes, looking at me. I could even see a small hint of disappointment in her expression.

A few meters before the throne we stop, bowing deeply.

"My fellow subjects." We look up to her.

"Crescent Light." I stand up. "You are accused for mayhem. Your victim Gold Heart, the son of Prince Blueblood and Amethyst Gaze, was send to the hospital with a massive concussion and a dislocated jaw."

"Please explain what happened during the first class."

I'm nervous.

I open my mouth to answer but nothing comes out.

"Crescent Light." I look into Luna's eyes. "What happened?"

"Calm, my son." Dad whispers. "It's okay."

I nod and take a deep breath.

"I-I..." I start, stuttering.

"Calm yourself. It's okay." Luna looks at me.

I nod again.

"Well..." My voice didn't waver this time. "I went to school, I had overslept and was late. After I entered the sparring grounds I talked to Vivid Night, we talked about the..." My eyes widen and I look up to Princess Luna. "We talked about my sister moving into the castle."

Luna's expression changed instantly, from her disappointed and stern look to a apologetic.

"During that time, the bell was rung, telling us that the first class was over. After that, Gold Heart went up to us. Vivid Night asked him what he wanted but he insulted her, telling her that's he wasn't talking to her. He looked at me and asked me if it was true, which at that time I didn't knew that my sister had moved, so I asked him what he meant. After his explanation I got todays newspaper and red the article. I was angry. No one had told me. His reaction was to simply look down on me and, instead of consoling me, he insulted my sister and your highness, Princess Luna."

"What!?" Prince Blueblood snapped, looking at me with anger. "Watch your tongue! My son would never besmear the name of our Princess!"

"What did he say?" Luna's voice was calm. Blueblood turned around looking up to Luna.

"Princess you can't-"

"What, did he say?" Luna interrupted him, raising a hoof to silence him.

"He said... 'I can fully understand your reaction. I bet the only reason she was brought to Luna is because Luna is into fillies and needed a new...', I didn't let him finish his sentence." I see Luna's eyes widen.

"Ridiculous!" Prince Blublood snapped again. "My son would never even think about saying such words! His royal tongue isn't capable to do so."

"But he still did!" Vivid interrupted him. "I was right next to them."

"Obviously lies." Blueblood walks closer to Vivid. "And the only reason you lie for this... pony... is because my son hurt you during spar and you want a payback!"

"That's not true!" Vivid answered, looking up to the Princess. "I swear by my wings Princess. Gold Heart said these foul words."

"Again! Nothing but lies!" Blueblood turned around to look up to the Princess. "Princess, these two ponies are obviously united in their attempt to spill royal blood and walk away unpunished. This charade has gone on long enough. And I-"

"True, Prince Blueblood." Luna interrupted him, making him turn around, her eyes were burning with anger. "Not only did you try to usurp the throne. No you even corrupted your child with these foul thoughts." Luna raises from her cushion.

"Crescent Light." I bow deeply. "Acquittal." She stated simply.

"Princess Luna! You can't-" Prince Blublood looks up to her, a shocked expression on his face.

"I can't!?" Luna walks down the stairs of the throne. "What can't I? Judge this pony this way? Well Prince Blueblood, I have no reason to disbelief the words of these two ponies." Standing as tall as she was before Blueblood she looks down on him, intimidating.

"I have enough of you and your schemes. 17 years ago I overlooked your attempt to usurp, shrugged it off as panic reaction after my sister died. But this. This is something different. And I accept it as what it is. Your son, Gold Heart attempted to defile the name of Meteor Dust and myself. Crescent Light's doings, even if he did them in a fit of rage, were done to protect both. And with that he just proofed his loyalty." Luna looks back at my dad.

"Captain? What was the punishment for any attack against the royal sisters, their name or their person?"

"Defiling the royal name counts as high treason and will be treated as such. The punishment for this is either imprisonment, banishment or death by hanging." He answers.

"Thank you, Captain." She nods at him and looks back down on to Blueblood. "Prince Blueblood, considering that your son was already 'punished' by Crescent Light I will overlook this act of treason. But he is still in need of amendment. Prince Blueblood, your son Gold Heart is expelled from the academy of the royal guard, for the rest of his life." Her eyes wander over to me, sadness reflecting.

"Even though you did this to protect my and your sisters honor, you still did something wrong. Crescent Light, for your attack on your former comrade Gold Heart you will be expelled from school for 3 years." She stomps on the marble floor.

"Court closed."