Decay

It happened roughly three years ago. On one night, the two guard ponies standing in the hallway next to the Princess’ chamber were alerted by a muffled, scream-like laughter. One of them rushed to the door to seek out what happened but couldn’t get in. Because of the previous threats and problems, Princess Celestia slept with a special magical field around her room. Apart from the pegasus pony trying to use his physical force, a unicorn guard attempted to override the field.

“Damned alicorn magic!” she yelled in anger.

She was right. The field made it unable for anyone to get in until it is disabled from inside. But Princess Celestia soon answered stating that everything is fine, she was just playing with her sister. And the guards believed it, why wouldn’t they? The two sisters, despite their age, were rather childish when together; and it was imperative that no one questions Princess Celestia’s statements.

To blindly follow those ranked above you.

It was a mistake, though. A Council meeting was scheduled on the next day and the Princesses didn’t show up. The High Council postponed the meeting across a few days, maybe even a week, believing that their leaders had some diplomatic errand to take care of quickly. But even as the days passed by, it became clearer that she is not returning soon. In the upcoming month, the High Council convened only to discuss pressing issues and to keep social stability across Equestria.

Nicholas was an enigma until then. A middle-aged, intimidating stallion rushed into the Indigo Halls on the day the Council was expected to elect a new leader for the ongoing state of emergency.

He lifted his brown hoof motioning his small group of troopers to guard the door and calmly stepped inside. In the middle of a vast debate, he stood up and started to speak.

“Distinguished Councillors, our nation’s future is at stake. She misses her Princess so much the unrest cannot be contained by you. I don’t want to say that you failed, but I must bring you a choice: in a negotiation, we come to an agreement and Equestria will have a new leader, a new face it longs for. Or… you can walk out on that door. My men –“ he really stressed that word “– await on the other side.”

The world was a lot worse than right now and his aspiration – or his ultimatum – convinced the conclave that the stabilisation of Equestria needed a new, albeit temporary central figure ponies can look up to. He was proclaimed Controller Supreme and took Celestia’s throne.

Sometimes a temporary choice is the most permanent one.

Azure Shard looked upon Andreas. From his narration, she recognised the face of Nicholas from the broadcasts.

“But he was only a press representative to the High Council.”

Andreas sighed and cleared her delusion, “Or that is what was told and what you believed.”

Despite previous doubt, Nicholas grew into a good enough leader. One thing he could never accomplish, though, was being as social as Celestia and Luna had been. While the Princesses were rather out-going and most of the ponies knew them even personally, Nicholas kept himself to a strict bureau code. Instead of usually being around citizens, going to parties, casually walking on the streets or even dancing in the middle of the Main Square, Nicholas sat in his impenetrable office revising reports and giving orders all day. This was the main reason the ponies of today are cautious: even though there is a leader who gives them stability, he takes toll from their slack.

Andreas moved his hat a little bit as he finished his tale, “And so the days, weeks, months and years passed…”

Azure shard, however, was not as calm as him.

“And you believe this all. You go by like everyone else! I need to get back and warn the others what is happening: that what Nicholas did was a ploy. He kidnapped Celestia and…”

“Don’t jump to quick conclusions. You can’t know for sure.”

“He will be interrogated and he will spit it up.”

Andreas grabbed her and tried to talk some sense into the hot-headed filly, “You go back. Warn the military, the military which is commanded by Nicholas. It will be warned by a young girl who heard a rumour that Nicholas kidnapped Princess Celestia… exactly where? At The Red Herring Bar?”

He let her go and took a step back, “You will just make a fool of yourself.”

“There must be something we can do,” she shook her head and pouted, “warn the High Council and demote Nicholas. He made himself a monarch… a regent… anything like that by taking an illegitimate path, by staging a coup. His whole reign can’t be accepted either.”

“You’ve read a few books on law, didn’t you?” he snickered, “Though, you will fail if you want to accuse him this way. It is simply impossible. Nicholas made his reign solid by getting the council to elect him out of free will. Or at least what was called free will. This right is untouchable from there.”

This answer wouldn’t have made Andreas pass his final exams back when he studied Law, but for Azure Shard, it was convincing enough.

Good enough, convincing enough.

“What should we do, then? Equestria is not saved; it will suffocate itself even if there’s a leader figure.”

“You are ambitious. I like it. I think you do so. Powerful, too. But there are some things you have to learn: self-control and knowledge are the most important ones. Knowledge is the biggest power after all.”

There were these two ponies wandering the streets of Hoofhammer as Andreas kept talking about the circumstances. He was a good student and a good mentor, eventually ending up in quite a position amongst the Loremasters. Azure Shard heard once or twice about this name, but didn’t really know who they were. It started as a club for history geeks but expanded into a faction of researchers across every field. A prominent colt savvy in the field of Law and Arcane, he gave his life for continuous research. While the High Council spent their days advising the Princesses on current events and study new spells, the Loremasters absorbed the past and correlation of the world. It was a place where unicorns could train to be the best mages.

In the past few years, however, they had gone dormant. It happened partially because of Nicholas. He didn’t like them, maybe even feared them. He was an earth pony against a circle of unicorns. A powerful earth pony, though… Partially, it happened because of something else. The Loremasters have discovered power in a magical element they deemed ineffective for decades. And now they were in need of Princess Celestia and bigger knowledge on said substance.

“Celestia’s disappearance is also a part of something bigger. We just need to observe it until the time is right. When it is, we will look into the order of today.”

Andreas slowed down and looked into her eyes, “I need help in this mission. I’m offering an adventure to you, a mission where you could improve yourself. I have to find a certain thing and I don’t think I could be able to do it alone. I believe we both win from this alliance.”

There were these two ponies in need of each other’s proficiency.

Azure thought about this for a while, but her temper wasn’t quite calm.

“It’s fine, really. Go on an adventure and what-not. I say nay. I want Princess Celestia back, Nicholas away. I want my homeland happy. I want this forlorn feeling gone…” she almost broke down from this overwhelming sadness. The state of the world really got her now.

Her eyes were able to see no longer. All she felt was a hoof put on her chin.

“Help me, help you. We will see this through. But first we need to get to Hourglass Sanctuary.”
Azure Shard kicked her wings open and got into a threatening stance, “I won’t go to anywhere with you, Sanctuary or not. I will go to Fort Sigma and arrange a battalion against this traitor –” she was relentless “– and if you try to stop me, you become a traitor too.”

Andreas pressed his hoof on her nose and explained in a calm tone, “It still isn’t your duty to jump to extremely quick conclusions and it is the duty of neither of us to judge who the traitor is and who isn’t.”

“I don’t give a single damn about the law. It’s clear what is to be done,” she smirked.

Andreas looked away on the street and saw a police officer approaching and motioning them to stay where they are.

“It is also not my duty to keep the Law. Someone else will…” Andreas smirked back.

There was a young pegasus mare in the city of Hoofhammer with her wings kicked open.

It is clear what is to be done…