Author's Note
Before you begin, this story is a... well, what if. What would have happened if Polaris had stayed where he was, and didn't love Luna? I need an evil laugh machine...
Prologue
Prologue
I did a lot over the course of the next year, helping the Princesses out with several problems. I continued my studies in magic, which took a weird turn when I discovered I’d forgotten most of what I’d learned before I’d gone to the Crystal Empire. After a while, though, I was able to enchant the armor of the Royal Guard, which made them all look the same. I thought it was a good idea, since it protected their identities. I worked with Starswirl on his many and varied ideas, including one to “Send you back in time”. We made very little progress on that one.
The whole time, the Doctor stayed close to me, always there help when I had a panic attack. The frequency of the attacks decreased, and I was soon able to stay calm enough to leave the castle. During this time, Luna and I would often go for walks along the edge of the city. Occasionally, Blue or May might join us, or even Celestia when she had the time. As time went on, Luna and I grew closer together as friends.
I noticed something strange. Luna had been fine when I’d gotten back, but she’d gradually grown more and more irritable. When I asked her what was wrong, she refused to answer, and acted like everything was fine. I dropped it, but I didn’t forget.
___________________________________________
Celestia and I were in the throne room, talking about Starswirl’s latest comical attempt at time travel. He’d managed, not to jump through time, but through the wall of his room, and had ended up having to teleport to safety to avoid dropping off of a cliff. Safety, it turned out, was right on top of the Captain of the Royal Guard. I knew how that felt, since I’d managed to do the same thing several times myself. The ensuing argument had been hilarious to watch, and the two of us were still suffering from minor giggling fits. During one of these, I heard the sound of a door slamming. I turned to see Luna emerging from behind her throne, shivering slightly as she glared down at me.
“Luna?” I started towards her.
“Not another step!” she declared.
“Luna?” I stopped and sat, surprised by her livid tone. “What is it?”
She ignored me, and turned her gaze on Celestia.
“Did you really expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious light?”
“What are you talking about?” I said. “Basking? What?” Today had been the Summer Sun Celebration, so that might explain what she meant. But basking hardly seemed like the right word.
“There can only be one princess in Equestria!” she yelled, walking up on to the balcony between the two thrones. “And that princess will be ME!”
She smashed the balcony’s front, her eyes glowing bright white with power. Behind her, cracks spread up the wall, followed by a dark shadow. The window above the thrones burst open, the shutters shattering into tiny fragments. The sun was revealed, shining it’s blindingly bright rays down on us. From below it, the moon appeared. It was dark and shadowy, not even a hint of white visible as it eclipsed the sun. The stars appeared in the sky, and darkness streamed from the fiery moon, surrounding Luna in a dark sphere. I backed away, but Celestia stood her ground. The sphere glowed from within, and the darkness gave way to an orange light.
The light faded, and Luna emerged from a smoking column. But she was different. She was as tall as Celestia, and her coat had become as black as the night sky. She opened her eyes, which now had slit-pupils, like a cat’s. They were no longer kind, but cold and hard, glittering with malice. She laughed, not her usual laugh, but a terrible and merciless laugh. One that knew how terrifying it was, and reveled in the fact. She blasted the ceiling, dislodging large chunks of the stone arches. I jumped out of the way of a falling piece, landing at Celestia’s hooves. She glanced down at me, then back at Luna. She emerged from the dust clouds, the stars shining down through what had been the roof. Celestia took off, her broad white wings stirring up a new cloud of grey dust. Luna unleashed a magical blast at Celestia, who dodged and returned to the ground. I jumped between them.
“Luna!” I yelled. “What are you doing?!”
“Luna!” said Celestia. “I will not fight you! You must lower the moon, it is your duty!”
“Luna?” Luna said. “I am Nightmare Moon.” My heart throbbed painfully. Why was she doing this? Why?
“I have but one royal duty now.” said Nightmare Moon. “To destroy you!”
She unleashed a blast at Celestia, who took off. I dodged to the side, avoiding the magical bolt. Celestia flew out through the hole in the ceiling.
“And where do you think you are going?” said Nightmare Moon.
I watched as she took off in pursuit of her sister. From outside, I heard the sound of magical chaos, and saw flashes of light arc across the sky. The magic was so powerful, the air around me tingled with electricity. Then above me, Celestia shouted in pain as one of the blasts made contact with her, blasting her from the sky. She landed with a loud thud in front of me. I ran forward, as above us, Nightmare Moon cackled with wicked glee. Celestia lay on the ground, unmoving. Then slowly, she forced herself to stand, gazing up at Nightmare Moon.
“Oh dear sister,” she said, “I am sorry, but you have given me no choice!” She looked over her shoulder at a spot on the floor.
“Celestia?” I asked. “What do you mean?”
“Polaris.” she said. “I need you to help me.”
“What with?” The look on her face scared me. I’d never seen Celestia like this. I glanced back up at Nightmare Moon. “What’s wrong with Luna?”
“You heard her. She is not Luna. She is Nightmare Moon. I must protect the ponies of Equestria.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Do you know what the Elements of Harmony are?”
“Yes. Why?”
“They will only work if more than one pony helps to use them. I cannot do this myself.”
“Do what?”
“I must send her away. She is too dangerous.”
“Send her away? Where?”
“That does not matter.” she said, angry. “Will you help me?”
I hesitated, and then a loud crash sounded, and I whirled around. Nightmare Moon had landed in front of us.
“Stop this!” I shouted. “Luna, please!”
“And why should I do that?” she demanded. “What’s to stop me from ruling?”
“Luna…” I hesitated, then forced myself to talk. “Luna… please, I don’t want to do this. Don’t make me.”
She laughed derisively. “Please! As if you could stop me!”
She lashed out, her dark mane slashing at me, shards of darkness flying at me. I deflected them with a quickly conjured shield of golden energy. The kinetic force of the attack launched me backward across the room, crashing into a chunk of the now-destroyed ceiling. I tried to get to my hooves, but I crumpled, gasping as burning and freezing sensations ran through me. My magic had deflected the worst of the blow, but it still hurt… a lot.
“Sister!” shouted Celestia. “What are you doing?!”
“I have attended to one of the insignificant threats.” she said, advancing on Celestia. “And now for the other one.”
Celestia’s horn glowed, and behind her, a large section of the floor slid away, and a stone pedestal rose out of the ground. Five arms extended from the column, above each of which hovered a different colored crystal. They spun slowly on the spot, refracting the starlight across the room. Celestia flew to the top of the structure, magicking the five crystals to herself. From the spherical stone at the top, a sixth crystal emerged. It was carved into the shape of a six pointed star, similar to my cutie mark, but violet. It joined the others, orbiting around Celestia.
She flew high into the air, far above the castle, Nightmare Moon in pursuit. They faced each other, Celestia grim faced and determined, Nightmare Moon grinning evilly, completely confident. The two alicorns, dark and light, blasted each other with highly focused beams of magic. Luna’s glowed icy blue, and Celestia’s was a prismatic display of rainbow colors. The magic arced between them, crackling and giving off so much energy I was getting a headache. The part of the beam that was Nightmare Moon’s began to force Celestia’s back. Celestia’s forehead was beaded with sweat, the strain of holding back the attacking magic.
I remembered what Celestia had said. If the Elements of Harmony needed more than one pony to work, that would explain why she wasn’t succeeding in using them. I lifted my head, aiming my horn towards the conflict. I activated it, a golden aura sparkling around it. I could feel the magic above me stronger than ever, sending waves of power through the surrounding air. It was so powerful, it was disrupting my own magic, and I had to focus harder than usual to maintain it. I reached out, pushing through the interference, until I located the six crystals. If the Crystal Heart had been powerful, this was like plugging myself into six of them. Celestia must have felt my magic join hers, because her eyes widened.
“What is happening?” demanded Nightmare Moon, as the Elements lined themselves up. “No!”
The Elements released their magic, dumping it along the arcing magic, which crackled and flared brightly. A pulse ran through the magic, overwhelming Nightmare Moon’s hastily constructed defences. A multi-colored comet lanced upwards, flying higher and higher until it collided with the moon. A pattern of dark craters appeared, arranged into a formation that looked like the head of the dark alicorn who had been banished there.
My magic flared out, and my head thudded against the ceiling fragment. I slid to the floor, and my vision went black.
___________________________________________
Celestia landed on the ground next to Polaris, who’d fallen unconscious. She’d felt his magic brush against hers, and quickly joined forces with him to finish Nightmare Moon. The effort seemed to have drained him of energy, probably in combination with the strain of fighting off the magical power radiating from the energy arc that had formed between her and Nightmare Moon. She lifted him, setting him on her back. His front hooves dangled limply in front of where her wing met her shoulder, his hind legs doing the same behind.
She was about to take off, when the Tardis began to materialize next to her. When it had finished solidifying, the Doctor shoved the doors open. He gaped at the mess that had once been the throne room.
“What happened?” he asked. “Did I land in the wrong year?”
“No.” she said. “I will explain later. I need you to get him out of here. Take him to Canterlot, I will meet you there.”
He nodded, letting her levitate Polaris onto his back. He took him into the Tardis, and returned shortly.
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“I must get the other inhabitants out of the castle. It is no longer safe here.”
“Huh. I thought I picked up residual magical radiation.” He shrugged. “See you in Canterlot.”
He stepped back into the Tardis, shutting the doors behind him. The light on the top began to flash, and the Tardis dematerialized.
Chapter 2
“The Players assembled...”
My day began at 5:00 AM.
I woke up automatically, at the time I’d grown used too. Immediately, I climbed out of my bunk, stretching out my back and legs. Then I went to the showers.
The showers were located inside the main barracks, down the hall from the rooms. The walls were lined with shower heads, and covered in grey-white tiles. The whole thing was meticulously clean, and kept that way by whoever was on cleaning duty.
Again, I wasn’t alone. Several other guards of varying tribes occupied the space. My own coat was tawny gold, and my mane a dark shade of brown. Sometimes, I wished the camouflage spell didn’t last quite so long as it did. It took several hours for the effect to wear off, and until it did I looked exactly like every other guard. Grey coat, white mane.
If you were a captain, though, your armor was always better quality. The spell on those was either instantaneous, or if you were high enough rank, not even there.
I scrubbed myself down, then went to eat.
I got my breakfast in the mess hall, then sat down. Eventually, I was joined by Gilded Arrow, one of the only female guards.
“Morning.” she said.
“Guess so.” I said. “You hear about Captain Hoovesfield?”
"Yup.” she said, swallowing a mouthful of hay that was very un-ladylike in size. “Shame to see him retire.”
“Suppose he’s earned it though.”
“Definately.”
Then Stave sat down next to her.
“Hey.” he said. “‘sup Shield?”
“Hello, Stave.” said Gilded in a resigned tone. She didn’t like him, but he didn’t return her sentiment.
“Morning sugar.” he said, smiling toothily at her.
I restrained a groan. Stave was convinced that Gilded Arrow and he were perfect for each other. Gilded was forced to endure a series of advances, which were increasingly uncomfortable. And which Stave refused to acknowledge as pointless.
Trying to ignore Stave, Gilded ate her food. I followed suit, but Stave jabbered through the whole meal.
After I’d finished eating, I went to get my armor. It was simple enough to put it on, but difficulty arose in securing the straps. I didn’t dare use magic, since my accuracy was desiring improvement. Many of the buckles were in difficult to reach places, especially on the breastplate. When I put the helmet on, sliding my horn through the hole in the forehead, the spell imbued in the armor started working. It felt like a gentle brush of warm air across my fur. I watched as it dulled to a shade of grey, and knew my mane had lost all of its color.
Ready for duty, I went to my post. Today, the main hallway of the mansion.
_____ _____ _____
Guard duty was monotonous, dull, and boring.
As repetitive as that sounds, it was a very accurate way to describe it. Everyone knew the Guard was just a formality, but that didn’t stop us from doing the our best.
The day went by painfully slow. When the occupants of the house woke up, I’d already been in place for several hours. Training had prepared me for the stresses of standing in place that long, but over time even the most experienced guards got impatient with the endlessness of the job.
“Morning, Sterling.”
I jumped, instincts fighting against restraint. I whirled around, to find Polaris standing next to me.
“Sorry.” he said. “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”
I opened my mouth to speak, then shut it again. Guards weren’t supposed to speak unless necessary. And how did he even know it was me? All the guards looked the same.
Sensing my hesitation, he sighed. “You have permission to speak.”
“Uh… thank you.” I said. “Good morning, Polaris.”
He nodded. “It is. But I think it might rain later.”
“O-okay. Um… how did you know it was me? The armor’s spells-”
“Aren’t much challenge for the inventor.”
I stared at him. “Inventor?”
“Um… yeah?” He looked embarrassed. “It wasn’t my idea, but Celestia asked, so…”
He shrugged, then tapped my shoulder-plate. It clinked faintly when he touched it with his hoof.
“Here it is.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Well, I have to go now.” he said. “I guess I’ll see you later.”
I nodded, even though I had no way of knowing that. “Bye.”
The brown unicorn wandered away, in the general direction of the Princess’s chambers.
I mused over the conversation I’d just taken part in. Polaris had switched between cheerful, sad, bored, and cheerful so fast, my head hurt a little. But when I compared him to Starswirl, whom I’d met once, he was definitely more reserved.
He was a nice, if strange guy. And he’d used my name, which very few ponies did now. I was either “Private,” or “Guard,” or even “Shield” once in a while. But no one had called me Sterling since I’d joined the guard.
About ten minutes later, the rest of the old palace stirred to life. Soon, the hallways became busy roadways for the many members of the temporary government Celestia had set up in lieu of the former diarchy. Delegates to and from the other cities of Equestria. Administrators of Trade, the Mayor of Canterlot. I even glimpsed the Duke of Manehattan, talking to his secretary. An army of aides and couriers ran back and forth through the building, relaying the messages and paperwork entrusted to their care. And the main hallway was in the center, where everyone passed through on their way to somewhere else.
A royal guard has a unique perspective on all of this. It was my duty to protect all of these ponies, and ensure their safety before my own.
On top of all this, no one seemed to consider guards when having conversations. As such, I was privy to all manner of private conversations, hallway meetings, and brief chats. I’d never heard anything to cause alarm.
Not yet.
Towards the afternoon, a considerable change took place in the palace. Almost everypony disappeared into the meeting hall, directly adjoined to the entryway and main hallway. This meant Celestia’s court was in session. All manner of issues would be discussed, and knowing many of the court’s members, at least by reputation, it would be at least four hours before they came out.
During this time, I took my lunch break. I returned to the mess hall, and ate my meal. After an hour was up, I returned to my post.
_____ _____ _____
After the four hours I’d predicted were up, the doors opened, and everyone exited in a flash flood. I spotted the Duke of Manehattan and the Mayor of Canterlot, deep in conversation as they walked by my post. Then I spotted Polaris, who was conversing with Celestia. While I’d sort of expected it, it was still a surprise to see the stallion chatting happily with the monarch of Equestria. As they passed, he smiled at me. I gave a slight nod in his direction.
Hours later, when I got off duty, I returned to the barracks. After removing and cleaning my armor, and returning it to its place, I went to my room to relax. But this blissful attempt was foiled by Gilded Arrow.
“Oh, no you don’t.” she said. “You’re going to get out of this place for once.”
“I’d rather not.” I said. “Why don’t you ask Gareth? I’m sure he’d be happy to go with you.”
Gareth was a griffin, who’d come to Equestria on exchange from the Griffin Kingdoms. While many thought it to be merely a gesture on Celestia’s part, the silver griffin fulfilled his duties.
“I did.” she said. “He’s meeting us at the bar.”
“Gilded, you know full well I don’t drink.”
“Maybe so.” she said. “But you’re not hiding in your room, either.”
I grumbled, but when she threatened to order me to go - which she could, as a senior guard - I was forced to follow her.
She lead me to one of Canterlot’s higher-end bars, in the old quarter of the city. On the way, she took a delight in telling me about all of the “wonderful” things I missed out on when I “hid” in my room.
Inside, she practically escorted me to the bar, where the large griffin was waiting for us. Gareth was already on his second drink, the empty first glass on the polished wooden bar. He looked me over with his slit-pupiled eyes. I felt a little intimidated by his golden stare, but I held his gaze.
“Never expected to see you here.” He said. “I thought you didn’t drink, Shield.”
“I don’t.” I said.
“I made him come.” Gilded interjected. “He was going to hole up in his room, but I… insisted.”
“That so?” chuckled the griffin.
“Yes.” I said, a little defiantly.
“Bartender!” shouted Gilded. “Get me what my buddy’s having!”
The burly stallion complied, then looked over at me.
“What’ll it be?” he asked in a gruff voice.
“Just water.” I said. The barkeep looked a little offended, but he got me the water.
_____ _____ _____
In the end, I didn’t stay long. When Gilded got a little too drunk, I had to pull her off of me. I got up, thoroughly fed up by their behavior, and with the entire situation.
“Yer not leav’n already?” she asked, hiccuping a little.
“Yes, I am.” I said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I put a bit on the counter, then left them to their insobriety.
After the long trek back to the barracks, I did what I’d intended to do in the first place. I picked up my book, and laid down to read. I buried myself in the words contained between the covers, and did my best to block out the sounds of my room mates.
Nimbus had come in soon after me, and had climbed onto his bunk above mine. He didn’t say anything, which wasn’t unusual.
After him, both Dagger and Stave had come in. They made the usual amount of noise, making the room’s windows shudder a little in their frames. I made myself tolerate them, but it was a near thing when I was feeling as irritable as just then.
Gilded had probably thought she was doing a good thing, dragging me out of my comfort zone. In truth, I hadn’t been. I just didn’t like places like that.
“Hey, Shield!”
I sighed, and lowered my book.
“Yes?” I asked.
“How’d your first trip to the bar go?” asked Dagger, in what was supposed to be a normal voice. But it undermined by his grin.
“Fine.” I said.
I rolled over, turning my back to the pair of them.
“Oh, good.” he said.
“Its just.” said Stave. “I would’ve thought you’d be a bit more… drunk.”
I ignored them.
“Couldn’t hold your own against Gilded?”
“Something like that.”
I could hear them sniggering to themselves, but I just kept reading. Probably some joke about not being able to beat a mare, or something. But to my knowledge, none of them had been able to outdo her. So I brushed it off.
When it was time for the lights to go out, I put my book back in its place underneath the bed, where I kept my personal belongings. Then I pulled the covers over myself, and slowed my breathing.
