The Darkness Is My Light

Be still sad heart, and cease repining; Behind the clouds the Sun is shining;

Thy fate is the common fate of all, Into each life some rain must fall,

Some days must be dark and dreary.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

As Luna's cries and gasps for breath receded into a more calm and controlled state, Celestia asked if she wanted her to take the Night Shift as well, "You can stay here and regain yourself. You don't need to sleep, just get some rest and let me take of the Night for you this time." She finished with a faint, reassuring smile.

"N-no sister, I'll be fine," Night Maiden Luna began, "I wouldn't get any rest just sitting here, left to think of the past, I need to resume my schedule, to take my mind of things." She finished, her confidence growing near the end until she remembered, "And I can't let you take both shifts, again."

"No no, it's fine if you need me to Luna. We both know it wasn't your fault." She said, however feeling the most insignificant twinges of sadness and jealousy as she looked at her younger counterpart.

"Yes but...I can do this," Luna began with a with a whisper, "I need to, and it is my job as Princess of the Night." She strongly ended, her title and position reinvigorating her, "Are you ok though? You looked as if there was something disturbing you a second ago."

"Yes, I'm fine, and if you're absolutely sure than I will hold you no longer." Celestia finished happily now that the chill between them dissipated and as if she hadn't even felt her previous endeavor, "But if you do need me, I'll be in my quarters."

"Yes sister, have a good night." The smaller princess chimed as her sister left her room, shutting the door behind her. As Celestia walked through the halls and passed multiple guards wit brief exchanges of 'Princess' or 'Need anything?' Usually followed by a short bow, returned with either a curt nod or 'Thank you, no' she finally made her way back to her chambers and, after a stationed guard shut the door behind her, let her royal, indifferent and unsurprised façade fall and unwound. She relieved herself of her decorative jewelry and took off her golden shoes, setting her tiara onto a very accurate bust of herself, and lay back down onto her cloud woven mattress, she felt, worried. For herself, her sister, and what it could mean for her ponies. The last thing she thought before she drifted off to sleep was an infinitely comforting It's going to be all right.

"Come dear Tia, there is something I must show you." A young looking man with fair black hair and caring yet precise golden eyes wearing only a simple solid black robe and shoes called for Celestia, who was just a young looking mare by appearance, seeming just to be coming out of fillyhood.

"Yes Din, but why?" She answered with a tilt of her head with an innocent look that could fool an average being, but she was one of the older creatures on the planet, only rivaled by the man next to her and only by a few select dragons.

"Because I accept that my time here with you is growing shorter by the century and it is very possible for me to pass any generation now, but my experiences and knowledge shall not be lost with me, I just fear you may still be too young for this." Zasdin finished with a frown as he nervously looked between Celestia and something to her left.

"What are you looking at Din?" She asked as she saw nothing besides her.

A midnight blue Alicorn, no, a jet black monster, a loving princess and sister, a cruel, tempered tyrant.

"Your sister-to-be." He mumbled.

"What was that?" The filly asked, honestly having missed it, although she would come to interpret it in many different ways.

"Nothing of now, let us...go now" Din finished, still off from his foresight, although not uncommon for him, he still didn't tell her about it.

"Yes but you still haven't told me where?" The alabaster Alicorn asked as she trotted to keep up with Zasdin's longer strides. Normally He'd slow down for her, but now he seemed to be caught with something rather strenuous on his mind, "Zasdin, where are we going?" She repeated a little louder as he appeared to have not heard her the first time.

The use of his full name though is what caught him, "To the Labyrinth dear, we must go to the Labyrinth." He answered as he took a sharp turn to the left cutting through their castle's garden, giving her a clear view of its entrance.

"But why there?" She asked, however she was inwardly happy because they had spent many fun days playing in the Labyrinth. Playing tag or hide-and-seek, but it always made her feel a little lonely when he had to leave when they finished, sometimes she thought he noticed the small crease that formed on her when he called for her to let her know he had to go, he always was looking out for her.

"Because it is a strong source containing the energy I need to convey these things to you. You do remember the way to go do you not?" The man finished with a smile at the end.

"Yes of course, you made me study them for a month until I made it through in ten minutes." Child or no, she was not to be teased.

"And what, dear Tia, is the secret to this particular puzzle?"

"Easy, first you go the left then right, then every third right you go straight eighteen paces then go left again, turn around and go through the bu -"

"Ah, we're here." Zasdin cut her off as he finished cheating off her answers not knowing himself, "Now, are you sure you're ready for entire tomes and years upon lifetimes of knowledge? Because you are still very young and we can do this again in a generation or two."**

"I'm 539 Zasdin," Celestia deadpanned, "I think I'm entitled to learn about anything now." Forgetting about the chance of a game when he undermined her intelligence.

No you aren't! "Um, I don't think you are, but that isn't what I'm here to tell you about." He finished with an uncomfortable shuffle.

"What do you mean? Then what did you bring me here for?" The naïve little girl asked, tired of waiting.

"To teach you, my history." He answered as he knelt down to her level and placed a callused hand onto Celestia's forehead, with his thumb to the left of her horn and the rest of his digits to the right, "I just hope you never have to use it."

"Use wh -" Times of war flashed into her mind, times of death became singed to her vision, times of suffering was engraved into her memory, times of persecution was felt as she felt claustrophobia encapsulating her thoughts, illness, plagues, famine, fire, ash, gold to dust, oceans to sand, kings to myths, empires rise and empires fall, but he was there to watch it all. She felt waves upon crashing wave as a barrage of emotions not hers thundered in her mind, disgust, regret, hate, sadness, jealousy, rage, loneliness, hopelessness, and helplessness. As she watched all these things happen as memories flooded her mind of wars, injustices, murder, and sickness, she was hopeless as well to prevent, powerless to change, to soothe, to comfort, to look away. Before he was finished however she collapsed, unconscious from the strain her psych had been put under.

"Celestia! Oh no, I knew you were too young for this still." Din spoke to no one as he picked her up in a fireman's lift and brought her to their castle, a large stony structure in the middle of a grand clearing in the middle of an expansive forest that they called The Saltus.

I am a lord, the king of Earth as a whole. No. I'm Celestia, the sole princess of Equestria, the growing nation that has recovered greatly from Discord's rule. She shivered a bit as she remembered having to face down Discord on her own while Zasdin was away making deals with foreign countries and ensuring peace from the outside while a war was being held within his residing country, He hasn't left our borders ever since. She thought as another chill came over her as she remembered him obliterating the demon's statue, but not before thawing out his head to give him an unfa- well it amazed the Ponies he even gave him a trial.

"Discord, demon of Chaos and the bane of any settled peoples, do you accept your punishment after causing senseless destruction, pain, and death because, and I quote, 'it was a joke, I was only having a bit of fun'? Zasdin raged as the air around him began distorting and refracting menacing images, terrifying the already petrified demon.

"N-no! I mean I did do some of that stuff but I didn't mean anything by it! I swear I didn't know it got that bad! I'm sorry! Just please don't do it, I'm SORRY!

"I don't know why you are apologizing to me. I wasn't even here. But as the world's mediator, I am bound by the sanctity of my position to rebuttal any form of murder with the death of the offender. Unless of course it was in self-defense?" The man asked with a most savage and sarcastic grin, "But are you saying you were assaulted by various creatures last reported either missing or seen running away? In terror?"

"OK! I got carried away and lost myself! I can fix it! Just let me go!" Discord begged, crying and trying to break free of his stone prison with only his head.

"No! It is *not** ok! I will not stand for purposeless killing any more! It is not sport! You have one last chance to explain yourself before I ultimately destroy you! I will make you wish you were still trapped in stone!" Zasdin ordered as he too remembered a time when he enjoyed such the sport.*

"I already do -" Discord began but was cut off before he could say anymore.

"Is that your defense?"

Discord's eyes bulged and he gulped fearing what he just heard as the crowd present for his sentence all shouted their approval after enduring his rule their entire lives, "No! What I meant to say was -"

"- You had only one chance, and your verdict has been reached unanimously, you are found as guilty. Goodbye Discord." The judge and executioner delivered with an indifferent inflection in his voice, before freezing Discord's head in stone again before he started to even comprehend or register what had just happen, "At least he will die in his sleep." But that was only for the spectating ponies, diamond dogs, griffins, and even dragons that had shown up, because while they can be furious with him, none but the dragons would truly cheer for death, and even the dragons would be hesitant. But Din had had time and experience. Who was he to hesitate when it came to a demon of chaos when compared to the many innocents he had slaughtered with 'orders' as his only excuse? He always said that was a different life, not really him, but he knew better than to fall for sweet illusions and blissful lies. But Discord just seemed so genuinely...ignorant. He had no idea of what true chaos was, only the fundamentals. The natural laws of the universe. He was like a child, as was the rest of this planet's inhabitants.

'No! Nononononono! Please STOP! I know you can hear me! Please please! You don't have to do this! I'll be better, I'll fix everything! I know you can hear me Zasdin!'

And indeed he could, which is what paused him from instantly disintegrating the accused, "Evil never changes, it just takes on a different form." Din whispered, and as he said that he destroyed the last true pure entity of power. And as he did a single tear was shed, from Celestia. She could hear Discord as well, and knew very well he meant what he said, an inherent ability as a princess, to decipher the truth from the lies. But she could also tell that, while he did indeed mean it, he was Chaos in the flesh, scale, feather, and fur. And as such, he would have to break his promise eventually. And the longer he kept it shut, the more devastating it would be for the population.

So she steeled herself, 'It had to happen, Din has never been wrong in his judgments before. He didn't look as though he enjoyed it, he even hesitated.' She thought trying to comfort herself, 'Discord would have brought the world to its knees without meaning to at all, and that would crush the soft fellow. It's- it's best for us all.' She finished as Zasdin approached her.

"I'm sorry Tia, but it had to be done. I hope you can understand someday." He finished with a faltering smile, which seemed appropriate given what had just been resolved.

"Yes Din, I understand." She finished, his words confirming her beliefs that he wasn't a bad man, just a victim of circumstance. Only a victim of circumstance.

"Zas-"

"Oh thank God you're awake!" Zasdin shouted as Celestia awoke.

"What, what happened?" She knew what happened but just wanted to hear him say it, and if he'd leave anything out.

"W-well, I took you into the Labyrinth and, and tried to...pass on my life experiences to you in case something befell me."

"I know, I just wanted to hear you say it." She finished, her surroundings coming in clearer as she noticed she was in her room, she instinctively reached to her left for a glass of water but fell short.

"Oh I knew you`d want a drink when you woke up so I asked the kitchen staff to fix you an array of drinks, per your request."

"I'm fine, just a water would suffice."

"As you wish Tia, WATER!" Her protector shouted, resulting in a large pitcher of water hilariously overshadowing the miniscule glass next to it.

"Din! That could be a small pool!" Celestia laughed as it came parallel to her bed, the waiter pouring a glass, handing it to her, and then pulling another glass from underneath the cart, proceeding to fill that one as well.

"Thank you Pinch, but a separate glass really isn't necessary." She giggled as Din poked playfully at her sides, his attitude obviously happy now that she is feeling better.

"Nonsense dear, you know I love to watch as the glasses stack!" Zasdin answered for the smiling chef, Pinch happy that his princess had made it through whatever had ailed her, and double for their sentinel, who had refused to leave her side for days, "Are you fine now Celestia? Is this enough agua purificada for now?"

Celestia took a second to finish her glass, which made a convincing cover for her actually trying to understand what he meant, he sometimes liked to speak in La-tihn, but she still thought it was make-believe. But with water being the only thing relevant she simply put, "Yes thank you."

"And so polite! Yes, thank you Pinch, you may return to the kitchens if you wish, or take the rest of the day off!" The man happily suggested, "I can just make a quick something for us if we get hungry later on." He finished, attention back on the little filly lying on her bed. Pinch, not one to...to deny such a generous offer gladly took his leave. "Did you have any dreams Celly? You kept shifting in your sleep, and you wouldn't stop shivering."

"What? N-no I didn't dream anything, I had an empty sleep." She answered a little too quickly, "How long was I asleep?"

Din would've questioned further but she struck a nerve wit her question and he decided it wasn't anything to worry about, "Well, you made it much further than I expected, and I should have stopped sooner, but you seemed to be holding fine so I-I continued applying. It's not you fault at all Celestia, it's mine, I was putting too much pressure on you and I should have waited until you were older." He hastily finished with a nervous glance in the mirror, allowing him to see his bedraggled hair and new change of a light green cloak, bags having formed under his eyes from his prolonged nights fretting over Celestia's state.

"It's fine Din, but, but what were those...memories exactly? And whose?  Surely not, yours?" The recovered Alicorn prodded, already knowing the answers, but she was hoping to be wrong, at least this one time.

"They were, my memories, and my peoples history, but you only got a quarter through! Only the most memorable moments, and sadly, the more you would like to forget something, the more adamant it is to be remembered." He finished feeling that she could relate, "If you would like to try again, I would be able to syphon more precisely instead of just pushing it all over to you again."

"Yes, another time. But now, I would like to rest. May I? I'm awfully tired still." Celestia finished with a faked yawn.

"Yes yes, of course Tia, get all the rest you need. I'll take care of everything. Just recover soundly." He soothed as he moved for the door, "Sleep tight little princess, everything's going to be all right." And with that he quietly shut the door and left her to sleep. She however stayed awake, not tired, too alive. She had 1/4 of a lifetime to review, and she'd be damned if she wasn't a scholar at heart.