Fugue - Volume 1

"This situation seems oddly familiar."

Huey huffed in exasperation as he let his forehead rest against the doors that separated himself from Luna's bedchamber. He had assumed that the task of knocking would be easy, since he had done the same thing with Celestia less than twenty four hours ago. Sadly, he was mistaken as his nerves overwhelmed him, leaving him stranded on Luna's doorstep.

"Come on, Huey," He muttered to himself. "You've done this once before, just do it again."

His hand lifted, preparing to knock on the door, but suddenly faltered and dropped to his side.

"Damn it!" He scolded. "Just do it!"

With a sigh of frustration, he drew his head back and then smacked it against the door a few times in an attempt to knock some sense into himself. As he prepared himself for the fourth strike, the door suddenly opened. Due to his leaning against the door, Huey stumbled clumsily into the darkened room, his arms flailing wildly.

"What the!?" Huey exclaimed in shock as he lost his footing and fell, face first, onto the floor. Dazed and surprised, he lifted his head up and shook it vigorously to snatch back some of the consciousness he had knocked out of himself.

"WHAT IS THY BUSINESS IN OUR PRIVATE CHAMBERS!?" A female voice bellowed, the volume so high that the room shook. Huey's hands immediately scrambled to cover his ringing ears, that caused him to lose the support that had allowed him to shake his head. As a result, his face slammed into the floor again.

"WE SHALL NOT REPEAT OURSELVES, CREATURE!"

"I'm here to see you!" Huey shouted back weakly. "Please, stop shouting! I swear my ears are bleeding."

"WE DO NOT WISH TO RECEIVE VISITORS! LEAVE!"

"Luna, for the love of all that is sacred!" Huey begged as he staggered to his feet. "Stop shouting! I'm going to go deaf if you don't!"

"THOU DARE TO ORDER US TO CEASE THE USAGE OF THE ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE!?" Luna roared furiously. "WE SHALL TEACH THEE A LESSON IN HUMILITY AND RESPECT, VILE WHELP!"

Huey's eyes widened as his feet tingled, indicating that they had been encased in magic. His feet were hauled into the air, rendering him incapable of fighting back..

"Oh lord!" Huey yelped as he flailed helplessly in mid-air. "Put me down! I beg of you!"

"YOUR PLEAS MEAN NOTHING TO US!" The Princess of the Night declared. As the light from her horn, which provided the only source of illumination, began to flare aggressively, a new voice interrupted them.

"PUT HIM DOWN, SISTER!" Celestia bellowed authoritatively before it returned to her normal, motherly tone. "That is no way to treat the only human in Equestria."

"This creature is known to thee?" Luna exclaimed angrily, her voice no longer shaking the castle's foundations, but still loud by normal standards. "Then, pray, tell us what purpose it serves by invading the sanctity of our quarters!?"

"I sent him to introduce himself," Celestia explained. "I did not expect you to assault him without provocation!"

"Tis a lie!" Luna argued, as her magic shook the ensnared human roughly. "This beast rushed into my chambers without leave. We acted out of instinct to protect ourselves from harm!"

Celestia looked towards Huey with a look of surprise and concern.

"Is this true?"

"Not quite," Huey began weakly. "I lost my nerve when I arrived and was plucking up the courage to knock. However, my banging my head against the door to knock some bravery into me was clearly loud enough for Her Royal Highness to notice. The sudden opening of the door took me by surprise."

Celestia grimaced and shook her head.

"A simple mistake, nothing more, sister," She summarised. "Please, put him down."

"Very well," Luna replied after a moment of silence. Huey was turned the right way up and placed safely on the floor. After straightening his clothing, Huey cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion," He said to Luna solemnly. "If I may be so bold, I am Huey. The only human in Equestria. I wish to make your acquaintance, but not in such a raucous manner. I am sorry."

Silence fell over the room again, leaving Huey with a growing worry that Luna was still harbouring a great deal of anger towards him. Nervously, he glanced towards the silhouette of Celestia being caused by the light spilling through the door. Unable to see her expression, he fidgeted and spoke again.

"If you would rather that I leave, I can do that, Your Highness. I will not bear any malice towards you."

"No," Luna finally replied. "If my sister sent you, she must be convinced that you are of sound character. We hath total trust in her judgement."

Huey smiled slightly at the compliment and bowed.

"I am honoured, truly," He replied solemnly. "I also wish to apologise to you, Princess Celestia. My intrusion, undoubtedly, interrupted you during your duties."

"It is quite alright," She replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "The sudden shouting surprised me, yes, but nothing urgent was interrupted. If you'll excuse me, I will leave."

When Luna failed to respond, Huey looked at Celestia. While he was unable to actually see her features, he could sense that the silence had upset her. It was clear that The Lunar Princess' anti-social behaviour was more prevalent than expected. Celestia nodded her head silently before leaving the room. The door was swiftly shut by Luna's magic, leaving Huey in the darkness. Silence swiftly encased the room, Huey too nervous to speak, while the princess within was not in the mood for conversation.

"So," Huey stammered after a minute had passed. "Um... M-My name's Huey."

"Thou hath already divulged thy personage, Human," Luna interrupted bluntly. "We do not wish to have our time wasted."

"I'm sorry!" Huey blurted out weakly. "I'm a little nervous."

"Thou know our dark and repugnant past?" Luna guessed. "Hath thee knowledge of our misdeed against ponykind?"

"I do," Huey admitted. "However, that's not why I'm nervous!"

"Then tell us why you are nervous!" She ordered. "If our past does not turn thy stomach and freeze thy blood, thou art braver than thee give yourself credit for."

"Well, this may sound silly, but," Huey began hesitantly. "It's because you are a princess."

"Our position perturbs thee?" Luna asked in surprise. "Do tell us why that is so!"

"You're powerful!" Huey elaborated, his hands clasped together. "You are a monarch, a ruler of Equestria..."

The human was swiftly cut off by a bout of laughter. Frowning, Huey witnessed a pair of eyes suddenly appear through the inky blackness. How he was able to see them without any light source, he could not say, but the sight was disturbing due to the apparent lack of a body the eyes were attached to.

"Thou clearly jests!" Luna declared after her laughter subsided. "We hath no position in Equestria anymore. We are merely a discarded remnant of a time long since discarded to the annals of time and history. My dear sister is the sole ruler of Equestria, as it should have always been."

"Why do you say that?" Huey asked. "You have just as much of a right to rule as your sibling, surely!"

"No, Human, our tyrannical actions hath caused my right to rule to be forfeit for over one thousand years." Luna countered. "While we hath been freed from the chains that compelled us to act so horrifically, we are still capable of falling victim to the dark again."

"Ah, so that's it," Huey mused. "You can't forgive yourself, even though everyone else has."

"Tis true," Luna admitted authoritatively. "The citizens of Equestria should not be forced to accommodate a princess that may attempt to enslave them. They may have found it in their hearts to forgive us for our transgressions, but I refuse to do so."

"Why?" The human enquired. "Surely, by accepting that you made a mistake in the past, and vowing to never repeat it, you can find it in yourself to stand by your sister once more?"

"Because if we were to let go of the past, we may let down our guard and allow the dark forces that corrupted us to return. You cannot seriously suggest we allow such a possibility to exist?"

"I'm not saying that you should let go," Huey countered. "I'm saying that you should not allow the past to dictate what you will do in the future. I'm not going to whitewash what happened, you became a monster. However, you are not a monster now, Your Highness. You are, once again, your true self. What you decide to do now, and in the future, will be your decision alone, and not the darkness you refer to."

Huey smiled internally as Luna failed to respond instantly, indicating that he had made a logical breakthrough that she needed time to mull over.

"Our decision is to isolate ourselves from the world," Luna declared. "Nothing should be left to chance! If Nightmare Moon were to return..."

The princess fell silent, the outcome she was alluding to obvious to Huey. She would not allow herself a normal life again. Luna had opted for self-imposed isolation to protect Equestria's residents. Huey sighed as he began to pace the room.

"You understand the risks then?" Huey probed. "You understand that what you are suggesting will require mental stamina that is unheard of!"

"My desire to protect others will not fail me."

"Oh, I do not doubt that," Huey admitted. "However, what you seem to forget is that you're not a goddess. You have a mind like everyone else, that can experience a full range of emotions. Have you considered what will happen to you, if you decide to hide yourself away for the next ten years? Hundred years? Maybe another thousand years?"

"We have experienced a thousand years of solitude already, Human," Luna spat. "We can clearly handle another thousand."

"Ah, but that was different!" Huey countered. "You were still very much under the influence of Nightmare Moon. The real you was suppressed, buried beneath the hatred, the bitterness and jealousy. Nightmare Moon... She had an axe to grind. A desire that burned so bright that she would wait a billion years, if it meant she could escape and wreak havoc across the land."

"You speak as if you're a scholar regarding Nightmare Moon!" Luna remarked angrily. "What possible experience could you have of the evil that is The Mare In The Moon!?"

"Because I witnessed her defeat!" Huey suddenly yelled. He gasped, the sudden burst of aggression shocking himself deeply.

"You... Witnessed it?" Luna asked in confusion. "How?"

"Your sister showed me her memory of the event," Huey explained calmly. "I saw everything with my own eyes. The anger, the hatred, the physical incarnation of evil appear before me and attempt to strike down Celestia. I experienced every moment of it."

"But why? Why would my sister show you?"

"Because she felt just as guilty as you do," Huey replied sadly. "She has spent the last thousand years torturing herself mentally, due to what happened. Your sister could not accept that what happened was out of her control. She was adamant that she could have done more to save you, to tear you away from the malignancy that had corrupted you. You are not the only one who has regrets, because of this."

Huey breathed a heavy sigh as Luna considered the information he had presented. He felt a small twinge of guilt as he realised he had revealed what was, in his view, information Celestia had told him in confidence. Huey smacked his forehead angrily as punishment.

"Tia..."

Huey looked over at the pair of eyes, the new name confusing him for a moment before he deduced that it was a contraction of Celestia.

"She has been suffering just as much as you, Your Highness," Huey reaffirmed. "She has spent so much time blaming herself for what happened. Could she have done more to prevent it? Could she have done more to save you when you became Nightmare Moon? Could she have ended your exile early? Celestia was wracked with self-doubt and guilt, and she was struggling to cope."

"Struggling?"

"Yes, Princess," Huey stated. "Neither of you are paragons of mental fortitude. You may be confident now, but the self-hatred will eat you alive. I dare say that it will drive you insane. Which then raises the question of; when that inevitably insanity finally envelopes you, who will stop Nightmare Moon returning then?"

"We..." Luna stuttered. "We cannot allow that to happen! Nightmare Moon must never return!"

"No one's disagreeing with you about that. However, I am saying that the way you're trying to achieve that is counter-productive. You are merely prolonging the inevitable by doing this. Think back, Your Highness! All the emotions you experienced that allowed Nightmare Moon to exist, they were negative emotions. Hatred, jealousy, anger... They are still there, only they are directed at someone else... Yourself. Don't you see? The anger and hatred stemming from what happened could be the seeds that will see Nightmare Moon return stronger than ever!"

Luna's eyes looked away, expressing a clear hint of despair.

"Then there is no hope."

"That's not true!" Huey argued passionately. "There is always hope, even if you are certain that there isn't. I can't begin to imagine how guilty you must feel right now, but I beg you to reconsider your current course of action."

"What course of action could there possibly be other than incarceration?" Luna queried incredulously. "I am Nightmare Moon, Bringer of Eternal Night, Destroyer of Lives."

Huey sighed heavily and began pacing the room. The princess was stubborn, totally adamant that they were in need of punishment for their past transgressions. Was it possible to convince her that she was totally innocent? Did a path lay ahead that could show Luna that she had been forgiven for "her" actions? Huey rubbed his temples in frustration, while glancing at the solitary pair of eyes that watched him intently.

"Punishment," Huey stated bluntly. "That's what you wish to have, is it? Punishment?"

"Yes."

"A thousand years in exile isn't enough for you?"

"No, it is not."

"Well, have you considered..." Huey began hesitantly, as his mind whirled with suggestions. "Community service?"

"Community service?" Luna repeated inquisitively. "Pray, elaborate on what this entails."

"Well, it's a form of punishment," Huey explained. "It adheres to the concept of restorative justice. Where an individual guilty of a crime is punished by being required to engage in tasks that help those they have wronged."

"Hmmm..." Luna hummed thoughtfully. "Your suggestion appeals to us, human."

"I was hoping you'd say something along those lines. One could argue that such a form of punishment is more appropriate here since it means that you will using your considerable power for good, instead of locking yourself away forever."

Huey gazed at Luna, hoping his suggestion would pry her out of her extensive inertia. However, the course of action he had leapt into left a deep pain in his heart. He was, for all intents and purposes, manipulating Luna, by using her guilt and self-loathing to convince her of the need to engage in her royal duties as "atonement" for sins that he knew were not hers. Sadly, he did not feel confident in his ability to change her perception of the part she believed she played in the events of a thousand years ago. It was cruel, totally devoid of morality, but Huey rationalised that Luna was more likely to recover from her guilt if she was tricked into engaging in normal life to allow her to "forgive herself", instead of being allowed to fester in a whirlpool of emotion forever.

"Thy words convey much truth, human," Luna finally replied. "But we would not know where to begin with this new path."

"That's okay," Huey said comfortingly. "You won't be doing this on your own. You will have others guiding and assisting you along the way."

"That brings us much comfort," Luna admitted. "But what shall our first step be?"

The human paused for a moment before he reached out with a hand for the alicorn to take.

"May I suggest that you and I go for a walk?"

"What for?"

"Simple, Your Highness," Huey replied. "To allow the staff to see and become accustomed to their new princess."

For a moment, Huey was afraid that his reason would not be accepted, but the concerns evaporated when a hoof gently grasped his hand. Tenderly and with all due respect, he guided Luna off her bed and towards the door that lead to the rest of the castle. Upon reaching it, Luna tugged on his hand.

"We can't do it," Luna hissed. "We... We are afraid."

Huey immediately gave her hoof a gentle squeeze.

"Your Highness, I will be by your side every step of the way. If it helps, we can go somewhere more quiet first to allow you to get used to being out in the open and so forth."

"I'd like that."

Huey's ears pricked up at the sudden usage of I, instead of we. He was not fully aware of the reason for Luna's unusual method of speech, but its sudden disappearance was startling. Filing away the incident for the purpose of discussing it with Celestia later, Huey opened the door. His hand immediately reached up to cover his eyes, the light proving to be far brighter than expected. However, he was quick to recover from the shock, allowing him to step outside of the room. He then looked back, patiently waiting for Luna, who had opted to remain inside her bedroom, to follow.

"Is it safe?" Luna whispered. Huey glanced in both directions to check if anypony was in the area. Noticing that they were alone, he nodded. Suddenly, a blue mist emerged from the bed chamber. It was similar in consistency to that of Celestia's mane when it took on its public, ethereal form, but it was not as colourful. Instead, it had stars scattered throughout what could be mistaken for a snippet of the night sky.

Huey watched as the mist began to thicken and coalesce into the shape of a pony. The general shape was unmistakably that of an alicorn, featuring the same slender legs and body that Celestia sported, however it was not as tall as her, for it struck a middle ground between the average equine and the sun goddess. With the shape now in place, the mist solidified into flesh, hair and bone, turning what was once a shapeless cloud into a living, breathing equine.

Standing before him, her gaze fixed to the ground, was Luna. Her mane and tail were a light azure blue, while her coat colour was a much darker shade. Much to Huey's confusion, the princess' cutie mark was much more elaborate than the others he had seen. Unlike everyone else, who merely sported a symbol, Luna had what could only be described as a sizeable ink blot splattered across her backside, accompanied by a waning moon. Swiftly brushing the asinine queries aside, he gestured towards the end of the corridor.

"Shall we?" He asked politely. Luna nodded nervously before gingerly following her human chaperone down the corridor.

"Is there anywhere in particular you would like to go?" Huey asked quietly. Luna shook her head in return, which caused the human to grimace.

"Well, um..." He began slowly. "What about a wander in the royal gardens? I've yet to go there and the fresh air might do some good for both of us."

Luna made no attempt to respond. Huey sighed internally, the uncertainty within the princess clear for all to see.

"What about lunch?" He suggested. "Will a nice, quiet meal help?"

Once again, the mare beside him made no attempt to respond. Huey stopped, so that he could crouch down to speak directly to the princess.

"We can do this another time, if you don't feel comfortable?"

"Can we do this when night falls?" Luna asked, her tone was so nervous that the request was more akin to begging. Huey nodded in understanding and swiftly ushered her back into her bed chamber. The princess released a deep sigh of relief as her horn lit the candles in the room.

"You have our infinite gratitude, human," Luna murmured, while crawling back into bed. "We felt great distress outside the sanctuary of our quarters."

"I understand. It's been a long time and you are, undoubtedly, nervous. I am more than happy for you to take your time."

"We are grateful for your patience, even if we do not deserve it."

"That's not true!" Huey objected. "You deserve decent treatment."

"Even after what I did?"

"Yes! You wish to make up for what happened, right?" He asked, earning a nod from the forlorn princess. "Then you deserve to be treated as well as anyone else! If you did not wish to atone for your past, that would be completely different."

"Are we truly worthy of your generous treatment though?"

"I think you do," Huey stated firmly. "I have faith and trust in you."

"You... You trust me?" Luna repeated in surprise. Huey gazed back solemnly and nodded.

"I do," He reaffirmed. "You may not trust yourself, but I am confident in the judgement I've made about you."

"Time will tell us if your faith was misplaced, human," Luna murmured.

"Please, call me Huey. I don't know if you were waiting for me to give you permission, but I do not wish to be kept at a distance."

"You do not fear me?" Luna queried. "You are comfortable in exchanging pleasantries with... Me?"

"As I said before, I trust you, Your Highness." Huey reaffirmed, and sat on the edge of Luna's bed. "Absolute faith."

"But why? We cannot fathom why!"

"Because your sister believes in you," Huey explained. "And, in retrospect of the events after my tumultuous introduction, I do not believe you bear any malice towards anyone, apart from yourself."

"Tis true," Luna admitted. "We would not dare contemplate harming another."

"Then why should I be afraid?" Huey pressed. "You have acted only in self-defence and, even then, you did not truly harm me, merely disarmed me when you had reason to believe I was an intruder. You showed restraint, a quality that tells a great deal of a pony's character."

"Thy words show thou hath great skill in perception, Hum-Huey," Luna remarked thoughtfully, her slip of the tongue being swiftly corrected. "It is clear that we have a truly worthy individual to guide us on the path to salvation and redemption."

Huey smiled weakly in response and nodded solemnly. Luna watched silently, her expression devoid of any perceivable emotion. The differences in character between herself and Celestia ran much further than the skin-deep differences of mane, coat and cutie mark. Celestia exhibited the qualities of a benevolent monarch, more concerned about her subjects in perpetuity and showed it with the tone and actions that were blatantly maternal in motivation.

The sun princess was the embodiment of one who could be given the title of "mother of the nation". Her sister, on the other hand, was more reminiscent of a monarch of centuries past. Aloof and distant, yet still caring deeply for her subjects, Luna embodied a monarch who maintained the clear divide between royalty and peasantry. There was no doubt that she would, if she were the sole ruler of Equestria, act benevolently, however she would not be as open and caring as her sibling. Instead, she would be more akin to a statue, a stoic symbol of strength in the face of adversity that others can place absolute faith in, a princess who would rule fairly, but firmly. Huey smiled as he concluded that he was privy to an unsoiled snapshot of what must have been the methodology utilised by the two princess' a thousand years ago.

As co-rulers, it was highly probable that they sought to rule in a manner that was consistent, so as not cause concern via contradictory behaviour. However, with Luna's exile, Celestia had clearly evolved with the times, the role of ruler now including far more than just a distant symbol of strength that the average citizen pledged allegiance to. She was the guiding light of the kingdom, the mother of all foals, the pinnacle of care and compassion, her simplest actions alone had the power to influence everyone, who would undoubtedly wish to emulate what she stood for.

"We apologise if our lack of conversation bothers thee."

Huey shook his head slightly to dispel the thought process he had been mulling quietly over.

"Not at all, Your Highness," He replied honestly. "I must say that I am also at a loss for words. I am not entirely sure what you think would be an appropriate topic."

"Then show no fear and ask, Huey," Luna said with a careful wave of her hoof. "We hath no qualms with providing the answers you seek."

Huey clicked his tongue and looked away. The distant nature Luna exhibited made it hard to discern what could be appropriate. Unlike Celestia, who always exuded an aura of openness and understanding, Luna displayed what could be interpreted as a lack of patience for the mundane.

"Yourself," Huey suggested. "Tell me about yourself, Your Highness."

"M-Myself?" Luna repeated in surprise. "What could thou possibly wish to know? Thou art already knowledgeable in our past crimes against pony-kind."

"I am," Huey replied gently. "I also know that you ruled Equestria together with your sister for centuries before those events occurred. However, I have yet to hear anything in detail. I want to know about the REAL you, The TRUE Princess Luna, not Nightmare Moon."

Luna blinked, her gaze unwavering as she processed the unusual request. She then looked away, her expression softening into one of indifference and a hint of shame.

"We..." She began quietly. "We were the clear junior partner during those times, as it should be. Our duties were not as extensive as our dear sister's, yet we expected equal praise and recognition."

"What duties did you do?" Huey probed, his hand reaching out to softly stroke Luna's mane, which was just as soft and luscious as her sister's. Luna hummed softly, her eyes closing, while she leaned into the hand that caressed her.

"It was our duty to lower and raise the moon to herald the end and beginning of the night," Luna murmured. "We would also watch over the dreams of common ponies to protect them from the nightmares that may plague them."

"Those sound very important to me," Huey remarked. "Where I'm from, nothing protects us from nightmares, and the planet moves of its own accord, resulting in the appearance and disappearance of the sun occurs of its own accord."

"But our purpose is far from important," Luna countered, a hint of sadness invading her voice. "Our sister hath performed our function for over a thousand years without fault. Does that not mean we are nought, but a third wheel?"

"I don't think that's true," Huey replied, while his fingertips glided over the edge of Luna's ear. The princess purred softly, while her ear twitched and her eyelids fluttered involuntarily. "Your sister was not able to assume all of the responsibilities you had before your exile. Due to her needing to be awake during the day, she needs to sleep at night. If she is asleep, who guards the dreams of Equestria's citizens?"

"No one," Luna answered sadly. "Equestria has been deprived of that luxury for over a thousand years, because of our selfish actions."

"You have the power to guard their dreams again, Your Highness," Huey stated. "You are the only 'Guardian Of Dreams' in existence. Think of the good you can do in that capacity alone. Foals will never have to fear the advent of nighttime, because you will be their guardian that ensures happy dreams are permitted, while nightmares are chased away."

"We'd like that," Luna cooed. "We wish to protect our sister's subjects to atone for our misdeeds."

Huey hummed softly as a form of encouragement, while Luna yawned lightly.

"Have you been okay since your return, Your Highness?" Huey whispered. "Your sister and I have been worried."

"It is of little consequence," Luna replied softly. "We are not worthy of your concern."

"On the contrary," Huey countered. "Your welfare means a great deal to myself and Celestia. You are still an individual, one who we care about, regardless of what you believe you've done."

The human let his free hand curl round Luna's barrel to envelope her in an embrace. The princess made no attempt to disengage or deepen the physical contact, causing Huey to refrain from venturing further. Instead, he continued to gently pet her mane and ears, earning him another delighted coo.

"We won't be able to convince you otherwise, will we?" Luna enquired.

"Correct," Huey responded tenderly. "Celestia and I will always worry about you, no matter what happens."

"Thank you," Luna murmured. "We do not deserve it, but thank you, Huey."

"You're welcome, Your Highness."

"Luna..." The princess corrected with a heavy sigh. Huey nodded in understanding before giving her a gentle squeeze of reassurance.

"Luna." Huey repeated. However, the princess did not respond. Huey closed his eyes and focused on listening to her gentle breathing, indicating to him that she had fallen asleep in his arms.