Princess Morning Star
"Your Majesty Princess Celestia, the announced foreign delegate has arrived," an usher said. The delegate slowly walked into the throne room. As soon as royal guards spotted her, they immediately took their fighting positions. Four unicorns surrounded Princesses Celestia and Luna to protect them. Four pegasus guards were hovering above them. In every corner, mixed teams stood in combat stances. The unicorns aimed their horns at her. The pegasi of each team crouched ready to take off. She looked around. Her black mane waved in the air. She straddled away her front legs and spread her wings.
"Enough! Miss Midnight Mirage is our guest!" Princess Celestia called out, and the guards returned to their places.
Mirage came to the Princesses, "weird welcome."
"It is perfectly corresponding to your last visit!" The Princess of the Night replied.
"I must appreciate the way you've improved your defense. This time it would be harder for me to defeat your guards, but I am still able to do it. Obviously, someone has taught them a few obsolete techniques. By the way, I hope she is not around!"
"Who?" Princess Celestia asked.
"You know well who I mean! The traitress, Blackfeathers!"
"No. Miss Blackfeathers is not present. By the way, she is my close friend, so you should be polite when you talk about her!" Angry Princess Luna said.
"Fine. I am here, because Her Majesty Princess Morning Star has accepted your invitation to concert in Equestria. As her ponyguard I have to prevent every danger that could threaten her. So I need ten of your best pegasus guards to protect our convoy with the stage and all the technical stuff."
"A stage? I thought that she would sing in the Canterlot courtyard." Celestia wondered.
"This is going to be her first concert in your kingdom, so you don't know how it works. Her voice is magic, really magic. The ground slightly quivers, lights and flames fly in the air. It is a spectacular show, but it could damage the castle. When our experts choose a proper concert place, probably a desert, I must approve it. So I'll let you know in time. I also need someone to show me the castle and room for our Princess no later than tonight. This is all for now. Thank you for your attention, and I am looking forward to our further cooperation," Mirage said and walked away.
"When she is not trying to bind you and put a gag in your mouth, she is a fairly nice mare," Celestia smiled.
That night, B found this message on a tree in Everfree forest, 'Dear Miss Blackfeathers, come to my castle tomorrow right after sunset. Twilight Sparkle.'
The next evening, B entered the Castle of Friendship. "Why did you summon me, Princess Twilight?" She asked. But before Sparkle could answer, someone else had come in.
"I hope that it's really important," sounded from the door.
B turned back and saw Midnight Mirage.
"Traitress!" Mirage shouted.
"Dumb head!" B replied.
Mirage took her offensive stance. In a second B was standing in her defensive stance. They were watching every least motion of each other with their wings spread ready to attack.
"Stop it!" Twilight called out. "Blackfeathers, stop!"
B folded her wings, and walked off towards the door.
"Good, puppy, obey your Princess! Maybe you'll get a dainty!" Mirage mocked her.
"I did it for esteem to Princess Twilight, who had saved my life. But you don't even understand the meaning of the word 'esteem'!"
"Blackfeathers, don't go yet, please," the Princess of Friendship said, "I invited you both to end that senseless feud between you."
"I am working hard to protect my Princess Morning Star; and you are holding me up in vain!!" Angry Mirage shouted.
"I got a message from Celestia that you need some pegasus guards, and Blackfeathers could help you. The two of you would be invincible at night. It just takes to work together." Twilight smiled.
"I need pegasi for a daytime protection of our convoy, not another single nighttime chaser. And if I went mad and accepted your offer, it wouldn't be working. Our flight techniques are not synchronized. We could hurt one another, even unintentionally. So don't waste my time anymore! Bye!"
"Why do you hate her so much?" Twilight asked.
"She betrayed her country and dishonored our corps! Isn't that enough?!" Mirage said and left the castle.
"I appreciate your efforts, Princess Twilight, but you will never make friends of me and her."
The next day, Princess Morning Star arrived in Canterlot. The beautiful tall alicorn mare with a black mane and charming smile entered the throne room. All three Princesses nodded their heads.
"Welcome, Princess Morning Star. My name is Celestia, and this is my dear sister Luna. Excuse Princesses Cadance and Twilight, please. They have some urgent duties, but both of them will come here in two days."
"What a nice welcome," The black-maned alicorn smiled, "but call me Aurora, please. Morning Star is my formal name."
The sisters let Aurora have a rest in her room.
Later that day, the three alicorn ladies met up in a rose garden.
"May I ask you about your necklace?" Luna said.
"Do you like it?"
"Actually, those runic letters on it is what I have found interesting. We knew one pony who mastered runic magic. Her name was Eveningray. Maybe you know her too."
"I am sorry to disappoint you, but this is a gift from our Professor Blizzard. She came from the Kingdom of the Midnight Sun to teach us this ancient art. She must have had an incredible patience."
"And there is one thing that I don't understand. Why did you choose that rude Midnight Mirage to be your ponyguard?" Luna asked.
"Maybe sometimes she is too zealous. If you know her better, you will see she is so nice. In our kingdom princesses never choose their Nightguards. She has been assigned to me. When they introduced her to me, she seemed to be a pretty arrogant swell-head. I thought myself, 'this one should watch me?! No way!' That evening upon my everyday jogging, I tried to run away from her. If she had lost me out of her sight, she would have failed as my Personal Nightguard and would have been replaced. I was hoping that, after some time, the Nightguards would realize that watching me is impossible. So I galloped through a forest, but I still felt her around."
"Felt?" Tia wondered.
"Yes, I am able to sense presence of living creatures and sometimes even some plants in my near surroundings. When I couldn't escape her, I tried to fly out of her reach by crossing the sky until the morning light, but she was close all the time. I came back to my castle, looked out of a window, and glimpsed her for a moment. She was kneeling so exhausted in a shade. I realized that she would have rather laid down her life than failed. I was remorseful for what I had done, and sent her our most delicious food as my apology, but she didn't even touch it.
A few weeks later, I lost my earring. That made me sad, because it was a gift from my dear friend. That night during a rehearsal, I was only singing sad songs. The next morning my earring was on a desk by the door of my room. It was still wet. I must have lost it upon a flight over a lake, and she must have dived for it to bring it back to me.
When I was singing my new song named after her, my magic sense told me that she was near. Then I saw Mirage sitting on a tree branch next to my window, listening to me with her eyes closed. I have gotten used to her so much that I can hardly fall asleep when she is not around."
Blackfeathers visited Twilight again. "May I ask you a favour? If you have a message for Luna or Princess Celestia, I would like to deliver it."
"Why such a suspicious willingness?" Twilight asked.
"I want to see Princess Morning Star; her voice is magic! I can't walk around there with no reason; it would be awkward."
"I have no message for Celestia or Luna, but I need one book from Canterlot library, History of the Fourth Pre-Celestial Dynasty."
"Thank you." B galloped to the door with a big smile on her face.
While the three Princesses were talking in the garden, one box among gifts for Princess Morning Star from her Equestria fans moved.
Midnight Mirage was returning from her inspection of the concert place. Suddenly, she heard a sheep bleating coming out of a small cave. Mirage thought to herself, 'I have no time for some lost sheep.' The bleating sounded again. 'OK!' She flew into the cave. There was a lamb captured in a hollow. Mirage pulled it up. The lamb slipped out of her hooves and ran fast forward. On the way out, it tripped up, kicked a stone which unleashed an avalanche of boulders that entirely blocked the exit. "Fine! I'm buried alive!" The angry pegasus said. She felt a breeze in her face. 'There must be the way out.' She took an emergency candle out of her suit, struck a spark with her hoof and lit it.
At night, the princesses came back to the throne room. The guards gave them privacy, and stayed behind the door.
The moving box was now lying empty among the other gifts.
"Did she really turn him into a frog?" Cheerfully conversing Luna laughed.
Suddenly, Aurora became serious. "LET'S GET OUT! NOW!" She exclaimed, and pushed Celestia aside. A sharp quill flew by them, got stuck in the door and turned it into granite. The guards heard the noise, tried to get inside, but they weren't able to overcome the stone.
There was a stone goblin standing on every window sill. They shot the quills from their backs, and made granite of the window panes. Luna and Celestia took their guest between them to protect her. The sisters started to shoot at those little monsters. The freaks ran in different directions. Luna shot one in pieces. Aurora drew Celestia closer. Another quill missed Tia. Princess Celestia made a shield around the mares. The goblins put out several candles. The room became so gloomy that the Princesses could hardly see the assailants.
"On the right, below the flower pot!" Aurora called out. Luna aimed her horn in that direction, shot, and hit a nearing goblin. Celestia was keeping emitting energy for the shield. One more candle went out.
Aurora focused. "Right in front of you."
Luna shot, and there was one less the stone monster.
"LOOK OUT!" Aurora shouted. Two quills flew towards Celestia. The black-maned alicorn pulled her down. The first quill was stopped by the shield, but it changed its energetic structure. The second one got through it and flew over Tia. The shield collapsed.
Blackfeathers came to Canterlot. She noticed pegasus guards who were trying to break through the granite windows. Blackfeathers heard Luna's horn shots. She didn't hesitate, flew up the roof and swooped into a chimney. B fell out of the fireplace. She immediately broke one monster with her hooves. Thanks to her night sight she had a perfect view over the room of gloom. One freak was creeping behind Princess Luna. B flew across the room and crushed it.
"I'll take care of myself! Help our guest!" Luna shouted at her.
B was a little shocked by Luna's reaction, but she rushed to a corner, and got another stone monster. The last goblin cast its quill directly against Aurora. Blackfeathers couldn't push her aside. The Princess was too far from her; she couldn't make it in time. So she opted for another solution.
Aurora glimpsed her. "NO!"
Luna shot the last freak. She asked Celestia and Aurora whether they were all right. Then she saw Blackfeathers on the floor, "Get up, B. It's all over now." But the black mare was lying there motionless.
"B?" As the Princess of the night came closer, she found the quill lying beside Blackfeathers. Luna sat down next to her friend. "B, you can't leave me now!" She looked at Aurora. "Do you feel her presence?"
Aurora hung her head down, "I am sorry."
At last the guards smashed the stone door down. In a minute, Midnight Mirage arrived at a gallop.
"Are you all right, Your Majesty?" She asked her Princess.
"I am unhurt, but this poor mare has laid down her life for mine."
Luna turned at her sister. "We have to take her to Zecora. She has the dark potion, and she will bring her back to life!"
"Luna, I don't think-- Yes, we'll take her to Zecora," Tia whispered.
Mirage couldn't believe what B had done.
Aurora remembered what Professor Blizzard had told her about the necklace,
'It hides an extraordinarily great power, you will know when its time comes, and at that moment you will know how to use it.'
'Finally, I understand,' Aurora thought to herself. She drew Mirage close to the left side of her body and told her, "you will only have a little time. Use it right!" She then spread her left wing, covered Mirage with it, lit her horn up and raised her magic voice. "There is no tomorrow in my heart."
As she spoke those words, a ruby stone with golden runes in her necklace shone. A crimson aura surrounded them. Peculiar vibrations spread through the air. Midnight Mirage caught sight of a fluttering firefly. It was slowing down until it stopped in the air. Mirage noticed that everything around stopped. A silence set in. She could hear her own breath and Aurora's heart beat. It lasted for a few seconds. After that all began to move backwards. Mirage realized, she would get the chance to save B.
'But what can I do? If I push her away, the quill will hit Princess Morning Star!' She thought. Then Mirage remembered the day she had earned her cutie mark. As the Nightguards cadet she had saved her instructor from a flying arrow. Aurora was keeping turning time back. It was so exhausting but she didn't remit. Midnight Mirage underneath her wing got ready to take off. The ruby stone in Aurora's necklace cracked. Normal time flow was restored.
Aurora raised her wing. "GO!"
Mirage rapidly flew up. Blackfeathers hovering in the way of the incoming projectile closed her eyes, expecting the hit. Mirage crossed the trajectory of the quill in front of B. It passed between Mirage's wings, through small turbulences she had made which changed the direction of its flight and it ended up in the ceiling.
Luna shot the last goblin. Blackfeathers was still waiting for the hit, but it wasn't coming. So she opened her eyes and beheld Midnight Mirage. Both the mares landed.
"When did you come here?" B Wondered.
Instead of answering, Mirage ran to her and hugged her. "Thank you for saving my princess."
Aurora bowed down before her.
"But I haven't..."
"Dear brave mare, even the intention counts," Aurora said.
The guards smashed the door down. Another Midnight Mirage rushed into the room. She was thunderstruck of seeing herself. The other one came to her. They touched their front hooves, and merged together in one again. Blackfeathers, Luna and Celestia were shocked.
"What has just happened here?" Luna asked, "and what were those stone things?"
"They are known as very dangerous stone goblins from Dark Mountains," Princess Morning Star explained, "we thought that they had disappeared a long time ago. Obviously, we were wrong. Apparently, they went after the ruby of my necklace, which would make them practically invincible. Somehow, they had known that I would be here today. So those little monsters had gotten into this box, and let the post pony deliver them here. The goblins must have been in a vegetative state, so that I wasn't able to sense their presence. And that matter about Midnight Mirage is a time paradox." Exhausted Aurora sat down.
"Do you feel well?" Tia asked her.
"I only need to have a rest, but I promise you, I will be ready for the concert."
Several weeks later, B came to Canterelot throne room. There was Midnight Mirage standing there along with the Princesses.
"Why did you call me, Princess Celestia?" B asked.
"Blackfeathers, come with me to Cheval Noir City, please," Mirage said, "I incited a new investigation of your case, and a new evidence has been found."
"How much stupid do you think I am?!" B rejoined.
"It's true. Upon my word of the Personal Nightguard I swear!" M.M. said.
"If something, we will come for you," Princess Luna added.
In the Supreme Court of the Southern Kingdom in Cheval Noir City, the judge said, "according to a record in this diary written by a witness who saw you fight against jackals on the night of the crime, it is clear that you couldn't be in two places at the same time. Therefore, I cancel the previous sentence, and my verdict is, NOT GUILTY."
On the way out of the court, Mirage turned to B, "now follow me to the palace."
The grand hall was full of ponies. All the Nightguards were there too. Princesses Bella Rosa, Celtic Dawn, Ponnie Fire, and Morning Star were waiting just for B. Princess Luna watched the ceremony from a balcony as a special guest.
Princess Morning Star bowed down to B, "my dear Blackfeathers, you proved your courage and willingness to lay your own life in order to save me. Now I have the privilege to bestow you the diamond star decoration."
"But I didn't save your life," B whispered.
"You did. You just can't remember it," Mirage standing beside her said. "You can return to your position at the Nightguards."
"Thank you, Mirage. I am flattered, but I'll stay in Equestria. It's my true home.
THE END
