Of Law and Friendship

Of Law and Friendship
Circumstances

Celestia walked up and down in her private chambers. It couldn't be. It can't be. But what was she saying. She knew that the day would come, but it came so swiftly. The elements – they're just too powerful. Back in old days, when her mother gave the Elements of Harmony to her and Luna, she warned them. She warned them how dangerous this artifacts are: that their power corrupts, that their power can drive even the bravest ponies into madness. Of course they did. Old relics from an old, ancient age, a discordant age, relics, distributing the power to change whole creations. For the better – or for the worse. Oh, and they did. It was almost pathetic. A god fell to his own weapons.

It was no other pony than her mother who stole the elements and ended Discord's kingdom. But no, not the age of the elements. She never was able to destroy them and so she did the only thing she could do: she guarded them. She guarded them with her life, and as that came to an end after thousands of lifetimes, she gave this burden to her two children. How could she have done this?

Guard the possibly most powerful artifacts alone is one thing. Splitting up that burden up between two Alicorns, who were literally as different as day and night, was something complete different.

Over millennia the two sisters ruled together over the legacy of their mother. But with each day that passed, the two rulers separated further and further. Celestia, ruler of day, goddess of the sun itself, the birth-giving orb that illuminated the day for ponies since day zero, was always intended to keep them away from her kingdom. She didn't want to take any risks.

But Luna, ruler of the night and goddess of the moon and shadows of the night, had other plans. She wanted to use them – make the world even better. The night had still many daunts in it – daunts that the day hadn't to fear. But Celestia didn't understand. Oh, why didn't she? Why didn't she give at least a bit of that energy to her sister? But no, she didn't want to trust even her own blood when it came to the elements.

And so it came that Luna began to turn away from the kingdom. How could she give all her love and energy to a kingdom which didn't trust her? Or at least, the main-ruler of it didn't. But what's the difference? There was no trust for her. Well, then she had to make them trust her. That's how Nightmare Moon was born. She never would forget that day.

She sat in the throne-room as she did so many days before, carrying for her beloved kingdom as Luna charged in. She wasn't at sleep as she was usually at this time, and she wasn't Luna either. Her set of teeth was transformed to a lethal one, ready to bite even through the most muscular necks. Her necklace was replaced by a dark, shining armor and even her eyes changed from that pure, lovely eternal blue into sharp slits, green as the deadliest poison. But the most terrifying change was her voice – without any doubt. It was a loud one, claiming and cold.

“Give me the elements or die.” The words still rang in her ears.

Nightmare Moon threw all the solar-guards out of the throne-room, faster than Celestia thought it would even be possible. And then, Nightmare Moon engaged her own blood with a glowing horn, not even letting the tiniest room for any speaking.

Celestia had no choice. The only way to save her kingdom was to use the power that summoned this danger. Ah, that's only possible with a creation formed by Discord. Making ponies able to live a peaceful life, full of joy and free of any harm. But in the same moment, creating the biggest dangers for them, making life so valuable. What a shame.

It was that night, when a new shape was spotted at the moon. The folk named it the 'mare in the moon'. Oh, they had no idea how right they were with that.

It followed another period of piece, free from influences of the elements. But as anything, this wasn't supposed to last forever. The day came, when Celestia got another protege, a follow-up for Starswirl the Bearded. After his death she wasn't able to train another one for a long time, but with Twilight Sparkle's show at the test for a talented-class, that fact changed as so many did. She trained her as good as she could. Maybe a bit too good. Coincidence or not, it was just in the years of Twilight Sparkle's being where the thousand-years-prison for Nightmare Moon, or her sister Luna if you want it that way, ended. Celestia tried everything. But there simply wasn't any way to keep the shadow away. Nightmare Moon returned, as raging as she was when she was sent up to a cold, lonely prison.
Twilight, being the perfect royal protege she was, knew of the elements and their powers to recover ponies from total madness. She tried to find them, to get rid of Nightmare Moon and to save the world. Of course she didn't knew that Nightmare Moon was a mad-running goddess of the night, forgotten by the recordings to the blessing of Celestia herself. It was too painful. But she tried as hard as she could to save her world. Who could blame her for that? Well, Discord maybe, but he was standing still in his stone prison as he stood so many years now.

It was the first time in her life, when Celestia didn't know what to do. Her sister was free again – searching for the power of the Elements of Harmony and willing to kill everything in her way. Celestia could use the elements again, sending Luna back to the moon for another millennium. But that wasn't possible without involving outstanding, mortal ponies. And she didn't want that. The elements should stay covered, unknown to ponykind as long as possible. She didn't want to risk that. Not yet.

Another big mistake in her live.

On the fateful day of return, the goddess of the sun didn't came to a rather important celebration in a rather unimportant ville, simply called Ponyville. She was too busy. She had to guard the elements once again. With her life or even with the blood of her own family, when it had to be. But it wouldn't be necessary. Celestia wasn't a fool. After Luna was banished to the moon, she switched the location of her artifacts. She brought them to an old castle in the Everfree Forest. Discord's old residence.

And Nightmare Moon didn't know that. So while Celestia was busy in an empty chamber, which was once guarding the treasure of might, Nightmare Moon was sharp-minded. She knew that her sister wouldn't be that pathetic in her acting, letting them laying where they were as she was forced to go. So she did what a princess of the night possibly does best: she vanished into the shadows and let Twilight Sparkle do all the research work. What a lucky circumstance that this pony showed up just at her revelation. All she had to do was to give that pathetic, little, mortal pony a chance to find them and then deny her chance to banish her for another millennium. A good plan. What could a mortal do against a goddess all on her own?

But then, something happened that neither the Princess of the day nor the Princess of the night saw coming: Twilight Sparkle found a way to the elements, but with the help of five other mortal ponies – oh, both Princesses would have called them rather unimportant before that – she used them. Six ponies, each one mortal and rather pathetic in the comparison to Nightmare Moon, gained contact to the Elements of Harmony themselves. What was this? Embodiment of pure power? Celestia's mother failed to tell them about such a possibility. Maybe even she didn't know. Even if she was an old and wise Alicorn, the Elements always were something that she feared, never up to an investigation around them.

So however this was possible, it was. They used them, gained the powers of them and changed the mind of a goddess. Change the mind of a goddess. Imprison one is believable, but change one? Discord surely outperformed himself with this creation.

Even if Celestia was the goddess of the sun, she wasn't able to keep her mind clean at this moment. She was a goddess and immortal, sure, but compared to her mother she was still a rather young goddess. What was this all about? Why were mortals able to erase Nightmare Moon out of Luna's mind and she once wasn't? Why did Luna lay there, as young as she was and why were everything still that fine? She didn't care, her own blood, her little sister Luna, was save and not going to be away for another millennium again. Oh, she missed her lovely company. And she was there again.

She didn't want to ask any questions at this point. Maybe she should have. For sure she should. Countless were the hours where she thought about that day and Discord's last words, as her mother told them to her.

“Those who laugh now, feeling the joy of live, will see it. They will be gone, just as snow at spring.”

She didn't understand that sentence for a long time. She did search for answers, but never found anything that satisfied her mind.

In the end, however, satisfaction was nothing that she should have cared about at all. Maybe that was the big answer. With the youngest happenings, she understood everything. Why the elements were what they was. Why Luna once wanted them. Why something that peaceful and joyful had to be so vulnerable. It was as it always was. A new kingdom, built on the ruins of Discord's world. Always being influenced by his spirit to the very deep core. Life for joy, die for enjoyment.

It filled her mind with hatred. Why had this to be? The mortals hadn't anything to do with those old happenings. But Discord wouldn't spent a single through about that. Oh, how much she wished him to be at the place of Twilight now. Her mother was wrong. His punishment didn't hit the spot. It was too simple. He should burn, down, in the deepest circles of Tartarus. She was wrong. Life simply didn't need chaos and disorder to exist. She was wrong.

Celestia let out angry cry. It was no use. She could rage as long as she wanted, nothing would change. She had to meet her protege face to face. In fact, she didn't see Twilight for some days now. Not since the judgment had fallen and Twilight was given into Luna's hooves as it was tradition in those cases.

The days that followed passed rather quickly. There was too much to be done and nopony in the higher positions of power had actually much time to think about the events. But than the day came when Luna called for Celestia. It was three days in the past, when one of the loyal palace-stallions came to her chambers with the message that said the prisoner was ready now to enter the last state of punishment. And that Celestia's presence was needed. Both leaders had to be present for this. It was what the law said.

She sent the stallion back, with a message for Luna this time. She wanted the prisoner to be able to talk - technically, at least.

But she couldn't. The pain was too big. For three days she didn't left this room by now. But it was time. She had to. To guard the creation sometimes meant to harm the same.

Burn Discord, burn..

With that last thought, she went to the exit of her private chambers. A rather big door, golden, and usual guarded by two of the bravest guards in whole of Equestria. But not today. There was no need to guard the Princess. Not today. And besides, she wanted to be alone. No pony had to hear her angry monologues.

She left her chambers, turning to the right where a slightly darker corridor was leading to a circular staircase and which she didn't use for a while now. Why should she? It let to a deeper dungeon, used for those who deserved a harder punishment than others. It laid deep down in the earth, guarded once by heavy doors and several guards. But those times passed. Peace made them useless, no one needed to be imprisoned in these ways nowadays. Well, not to the last happenings at least.

Celestia hesitated a second, but cleared her mind as fast as the hesitation arrived. She had to do this.

She made the first step, away from her chambers and the shiny stairs, leading down to a little preparation-room of the throne-hall itself. She stepped forward, coming closer to her dark descend.

The old circular staircase was rather little, not giving much space for many ponies to walk down. Of course not. This corridor was only to be used by her and Luna.

She made her first steps down the stairs and were greeted by the shine of the soul-lamps. It made her stop in her tracks instantly. She didn't came here for such a long time that she nearly forgot about these. Prisoners who were unlucky enough in the old days to end up in these corridors didn't went to eternity with the end of they punishment. Or they did, to be technically exact. However, before they could enter it, another part of punishment was waiting for them. Their souls, their pure energy of being, weren't given free with death. It was captured and attached to a enchanted rod, giving light to the environment for a really long time. Gaining light by the restless burning of rotten souls. You listened closely to hear silent screams from the lamps. Perfect to fight bad moods.

Celestia shook her head. This wasn't the time for getting distracted by old circumstances. She simply had to ignore them. And she was good when it came to this sort of action.

Celestia continued her walk, crossing several soul-lamps. No time for distractions. Not today.

As she went deeper, getting more and more stairs behind her, another sort of silent screams reached her ears, too loud for soul-lamps.

She knew too good who sent them. There were only two ponies around here, and only one of them had a reason to scream.

She walked further. The screams grew louder with every hoofstep and the count of soul-lamps did fall slightly, causing the whole place becoming darker. She welcomed the shadows. There was no need to see things in a clear vision right now.

Before she finished her thoughts, a big and heavy door came into vision. It looked neglected. The door was made of heavy oak and a little, rusty doorknob made of copper was attached to it.

So this was it, she was there.

Over it, a metal-sign was attached to the cold stone-wall. "Isn't mortality the best evidence of life?"
She remembered that sign. After Luna was banished to the moon, things were getting harder for her. With only one princess, there were only one to administrate the punishments. She attached this here to have something that lighted up her mood. She really liked the sounding of the words.

However, this didn't worked today.

Celestia shook her head and placed a hoof at the door. It never was locked. What for?

For a last time, she faced one of the soul-lamps which were located on the right side of the door. It screamed silently at her, suffering in a restless burning of pain and longing.

“Oh, shut up thou fool. This is what thou deserve and we do not think about releasing thee.”

Silently, she hoped for a little sign of reaction. A little moan, anything! But no, only more screaming.
With another sigh, Celestia pushed open the door slowly and entered the halls which were empty and unused for the longest time now.

She looked around. The screams were louder now, not filtered by the heavy oak-wood anymore, but she still wasn't able to see, or hear, where they came from. Not that this was a big problem. She knew these gray, stony halls as good as every other part of her castle, regardless of how long she didn't visit them.

Her ears perked around. If she only found out which of the three corridors she had to follow, everything would become incredibly easier. Or at least she would be able to find the subject of interest.

It didn't took long. Three corridors and an endless wave of screams isn't a combination that makes it too hard to locate ponies. She headed for the middle one, the longest corridor of the three. Oh, this was really supposed to create screams. Good, old times...

Celestia lost herself in a wave of memories as she walked through the gray corridor, made of harsh stones and supplying empty cells on both sides. After a while, the last cell came into view. It was the biggest, closing the corridor in its length. The heavy door stood open, and the screams flowed freely out, right into Celestia's ears.

Whatever was in her mind at this point, it has vanished by now. No other thought should lay in her mind, nothing besides this should pull her concentration away.

"Stop the whimpering, foal! Don't thou see it's useless? Don't thou see, that not even your mentor is carrying for you anymore? She didn't come here for so long now, and without her I am not allowed to stop this. What a shame!"

Celestia finally reached the cell, containing the pony of interest and her keeper.

Twilight Sparkle laid on a stone table, what was in fact more like an altar than a table, chained and covered in her own blood. Her horn was missing. Celestia didn't know what exactly happened in the past days, but the wounds and the very fresh scars on Twilight's body told her the story. The screams weren't faked, that much was clear.

On her left side stood Luna, facing the tortured mare with a glare of pure hatred and a surgical lancet in her right hoof. Her necklace was missing. The royal jewelery was replaced by a horn, penetrated and bound at a long leather strap which connected it to Luna's neck.

It was quiet obvious that none of the both had spotted her yet, as Luna set the lancet down at the shaking mare's skin, making her cry without any further actions. Luna bowed her head a bit more down and cut slightly and cautious into the soft skin. Blood flew across the steel, and another scream filled the halls. Luna was very careful indeed, only cutting off a little piece of skin, letting the flesh unharmed – for now. She hasn't done that for a long time now, but still remembered all the tricks.

“Luna,” Celestia said in a rather determined voice.

The Princess of the night finished her cut, getting a tiny piece of skin off Twilight's flesh and cleaned her knife with a little, bloody paper. “Ah, sister. You're finally here. We began to think that you couldn't make it.”

“I did. And I see that you have started the ritual already. Didn't I say that you shall wait until I spoke to her?”

Luna turned away from Twilight to face Celestia. “Sure you did, but as far as we can remember, this is supposed to mean one, maybe two hours. Not three days.”

“It's supposed to mean that we both have to be present, no matter how long it takes.”

“Please allow us to ask,” Luna said, “what was it exactly that hold you back so long? Did the other bearers of the elements made problems?”

Celestia waved her head no, “you know that the punishment is completely in your hooves this time. It's just, I.. had to order my mind again.”

Luna laid her lancet back onto a little table and walked away from her prey, to the side of Celestia, ready to leave.
“Well, then. Do you little talk and call us when you have finished. We can't wait to get this over with.”
Celestia didn't look at her little sister, instead she made her first step into the direction of blood and pain.
“Don't worry, it won't take long.”
Luna smiled in approval, “Good. We wait outside then.”
“So it shall be.”
Luna left. Her big sister would need some time to talk to her protege. Even when she has done what she did, Celestia still is her teacher, her boss and what's more important: her second mother. With all the hatred burning inside her, she was still able to understand her sister at some point. Must be a side-effect of these darn elements.

Celestia moved over the shaking, pain-screaming mare. Seeing Twilight that close showed her how terrible she really was treated in the last three days. Her horn was missing, as much she knew already. It looked like it was cut off very rugged. Luna really had to be rushing at this point, since it was a nearly holy tradition for her in old days to delete the race-specific special parts in an act of highly carefulness. Her body didn't seemed to be threatened any better. Parts of her skin were missing here and there, her entire body was blood-covered and deep cuts seemed to be made for a bit of extra-pain. But at least she still had all four hooves, her head, and - what's more important - her tongue.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said in a not less determined, but much softer voice.

However, she was only responded by a fearful, pain-filled moan. “Please! Stop it!”

“It's okay, Twilight. It's me, Celestia. I won't hurt you.” Celestia wanted to give a little touch to the poor mare, to signal that she really wouldn't hurt her, but she didn't found a single location at the little body that wasn't as much injured that it wouldn't hurt her even more. So she vanished that thought.

“P-princess?” Obviously, it wasn't needed. Twilight has always been a strong mare. Celestia was glad that she still recognized her.

“Yes, it's me. No harm to be taken now.” She said in the most conforming voice she was able to.

The mare looked at her mentor with the most regretful eyes she seen for a very, very long time.“P-please, can you please untie me?”

The smile Celestia tried to make up suddenly dropped to nothing. “I'm sorry Twi,” she began, “I cannot do this.”

Twilight's expression filled itself with nothing but pure terror. “But. But why, Princess?”

“Do you remember what you did?” Celestia simply asked, not sure how to handle this.

“W-well,” the terror in Twilight's eyes faded, only replaced by an empty stare, “Yes. But I didn't want to. Why, I-”

“Stop right there, my student. I know you didn't want to do such a thing. The elements are powerful, too powerful.”

“T-then free me. Please!” The mare wasn't talking in normal sentences anymore. It was more like a random mixture of shrieking and screaming. The wounds, they were too deep.

“No, Twilight. I really can't. The punishment is Luna's to be spoken as it was always done in cases of betray.”

“But I didn't betray you! I just wanted to help!”

“I know that. But that is it. You tried to use the elements on your own, facing the gate to Tartarus itself. The elements are powerful, yes. But they are called 'Elements of Harmony' for a reason. As much as I dislike it, they can't simply banish the evil out of the world. It always has to have a place somewhere. And what you did, well, did just created more trouble than even I expected you could cause in your lifetime.”

Celestia felt bad. So terrible bad. How could she simply talk in that way to her protege, to her close-to-be-daughter? It was ridiculous. But it had to be done.

“But,” Twilight collected her last bit of energy, “the seal of the gate is crumbling. You said it yourself! I just did..” Celestia almost could feel the pain in her very own chest. The pain, which must be living in Twilight's right now, “I... I wanted to renew it. Hold back the armies.”

“Yes, that may was your intention. But stealing the elements and bringing them into the range of the gate is an act of betrayal itself. Why didn't you simply asked?” Celestia wasn't sure anymore if she wanted to send all these rules to Tartarus herself as Discord once did or whether she really wanted to stay as strong as she tried to be.

“I'm sorry, Princess. It was just- I, the elements. I through it wouldn't be too-”

Celestia hushed her. “That doesn't matter anymore. You brought the elements without any permissions to the gates of Tartarus, causing the seals to get even weaker. Do you have-”

She couldn't do it. This wasn't anything that the poor mare deserved... sure, she broke one of the highest rules and sent the seals of Tartarus to the ground, but she only wanted to help.

“Do I have what?” For the first time since weeks, she heard Twilight's voice in a tone, free from all fear.

She never should have told the poor mare about the seal. Twilight feared the evil always too much. Since she became her personal student, Twilight was strong-minded to keep anything that was evil away from her world. Chaos in her works? Never to be found. Sleeping in entire darkness? Impossible! And now she had a weapon against the source of all evil. Where did that mare got her energy from?

“Do you,” Celestia hesitated, this wasn't something that she deserved, not at all, “Do you have the slightest idea what that means to Luna?”

Twilight's expression filled itself with confusion, as it did so many times before. Pain and confusion, one of the worst combinations Celestia knew.

“Luna,” she started, “was fighting the demons of this world through her entire life. As the to-be-princess of the night she had to deal with demons who lurked in the shadows since we were little foals. She always tried to fight them, but she never was able to make any significant progress. As time past, our mother gave us the elements of harmony. She warned us that they are really powerful, mighty enough to cast away every evil from the world – and every good, if they are used in a wrong way. She told us that it was our duty from this moment to guard them and keep the world save.

Luna saw a great chance in this to get rid of all the demons who harmed the night.”

Celestia's voice faded in the last sentence, and her eyes drifted away to a point that didn't exist.

“So she did use them to close Tartarus?” The mare asked.

“No. I didn't allowed her to do so. I thought it would be too much risk, since no one who was alive was able to tell what powers are sleeping in the elements. I know now that this was a bad idea, but I didn't saw the signs in these days.

Luna drifted away from me, further and further. She wanted to seal them away completely, to make the night as peaceful as the day was since the rebellion of our mother. I was too thickheaded. Until she turned into Nightmare Moon finally, becoming one of her so hated shadows herself. I didn't see the signs, and so I had no choice but to banish her to the moon. Else ways, she would possibly have crushed the old seal, also a work of our mother, spreading daemons all over Equestria. Twilight, please, believe me, I'm so so sorry.” Celestia wasn't able to keep eye contact to her anymore.

Twilight's view faded. She didn't know. She didn't want to.

“What will be with my friends?” She finally managed to say.

The white-coated goddess tried to force her brain back into action, “Well, they will be,” she hesitated to find a better saying, but it was no use, “informed. We will withdraw them any rights of being a bearer of the elements and they won't be physically harmed, you have my promise for that.”
For the last time, the pale mare smiled. “Thank you.”

“I'm so sorry, Twilight Sparkle. Goodbye.” Sometimes, immortality could be a real curse.

“Goodbye, Princess.” Twilight didn't saw the eyes of her mentor to say her farewells anymore.

Celestia reached the rusty iron-gate of the cell only seconds after Twilight spoke her last words. She didn't want to spend any further minute than needed in this merciless place.

“Luna,” she said in a voice, so little and regretful that no one would think that Celestia herself owned her.

The princess of the night raised from the cold stone-floor, happy to see her sister again.“Ah, so you finished finally. Can we do our final part now?”

“Isn't there a way to avoid this? She doesn’t deserve it.” It wasn't likely, but a last try couldn't hurt.

“We're sorry, sister. But we are bound by the law. She betrayed our kingdom and has to take the cost of it now.”

“But-”

“No but, sister. Not again. This time, I am right, and you have to follow. Or would you prefer to send a mortal to the moon?”

Celestia sighed heavily. It burned her feelings, but Luna was right. She couldn't allow herself to get downed by her emotions. The law has spoken and good intentions can't erase such a happening.

"Will you kill her?"

"I will follow the traditions of this dungeon."

“Fine then. I'm in my chambers if you need me.” Celestia said, leaving into the long, cold corridor already.

No more words were spoken. Making her way back to her chambers, she heard Twilight's screams begin again. But this time, they wouldn't last long. Why is this harmony so cold? It feels so wrong.
As the goddess of the sun reached the heavy oak door, she made up her mind. She made a decision,
to keep up with the being of goddess of the sun, the warm, life spending orb.
I will find a way to erase your pain, Twilight. I promise.
With that, the loudest scream filled the halls and a new sparkle was born.
I promise.

______________

Authors note:

Thanks for reading! If you think it's worth your time, then I would be really glad to get some feedback.