The Queen of the Dark Ch. I

"Negligence, she said. 'Negligence.' Can you believe it!?"

"This can't be happening!"

"Is it now permanent? The changelings are our neighbors now!? Really?"

"They invaded our home!"

"What 'compromise'!? Those monsters are incapable of change for good!"

"Oh, come on, they're just big bad bugs. Aren't we blowing it out of proportions?"

"Are you serious?"

"They are still counting all who were gone or lost because of them..."

"Have you seen what she looked like? Her coat was a mess. I never thought that the Princess could be like that."

"A mess is putting it mildly."

"Well, they were fighting..."

"Was that blood? I think I saw blood."

"Their screams were the stuff of nightmares..."

"So bright..."

"I couldn't see anything. And that heat..."

"Have you heard how she called herself 'Sol Invictus'?"

"The Princess was like a different person."

"Are we supposed to simply live with the 'lings now?"

"I'd better get my foals away from here before something even worse happens."

"The Princess cares about us."

"She cannot protect us!"

"This is blasphemous. She did protect us."

"She can't! She told so herself!"

"It is the same as when the changelings attacked us last time! The guard did nothing!"

"Haven't the Princess defeated her? They surrendered, right?"

"Did they surrender? Is this how surrendering looks to you?"

"H-how else could it look like?"

"Maybe she keeps the Princess captive, and that was her cry for help."

"I don't think so..."

"You wouldn't assume they really have an affair, do you?"

"An affair? With the Princess!?"

"Did you get a good look at the Princess? I think I saw a hugescar."

"That scar..." mused Luna aloud to herself.

The thoroughly shaken up city was covered with a chill shroud of terror. The fear shackled the ponies, and for a while, those shackles united them in their misery.

Funny how it worked sometimes.

As news began to spread, the rumors grew. There already were some wild speculations.

Luna was finding them disturbing and dangerous.

Appearing smaller than usual, she was making her way through the debris, carefully choosing the next spot to place silver-ordained hoofs. She stopped a few dozen steps short of the ruined edge. A billowing cloak was trying to escape her shoulders—thus far in vain.

The clockwork bird that led her here—a wholly mechanical thing of never before seen design—landed on the heap of rubble nearby and emitted a loud clicking sound. It was almost like laughter, produced by gears and cogs.

The wreckage of the destroyed tower remained down in the Industry District, with little fires of life surrounding it. The ponies were yet to begin to assess the damage, but as Luna could ascertain, a couple buildings were crushed and quite a few innocent lives were surely lost. 'What to do but to add them to the growing tally,' she thought grimly. Despite all the ache in her heat, it was only a drop in a bucket compared to the damage caused during past few days.

She breathed a gentle sigh, releasing the magic that tightly held her form. A white energy cocooned her for a brief moment, and her cloak broke into mist that quickly dissipated without a trace. Her form almost doubled in size, and Luna shook her head, sensing how the long ethereal mane began to cascade along the stream of cold wind.

The bird remained motionless. Luna turned to Starlight who was sticking by her side like a lost pet.
"'Tis time when a friend's helping hoof is especially required. You should have stayed with others," she said, trying to sound not too accusing.

"Well, they ah, my friends, yes, but also more like acquaintances?" offered Starlight with an uncertain smile. "It's complicated. I'm glad that they are not hurt, and that's good enough for now."

"Hm. You value solitude, then."

"We will find a way to fix everything, Princess," Starlight attempted to instill some confidence.

"Ah. The fool's hope," recognized Luna somberly. "Celestia would have liked it... 'Tis unfair to assume about her, but one might have an impression that my Sister is able to heed only those who pose a danger to her."

Starlight stumbled over her words. "Did she, um... had often made... strange... alliances?"

"I am unaware," replied Luna. "Thou might be better informed than me. Remember, I was present only during the past four years."

"No, I mean, before that. In the before-before times," clarified Starlight.

It was as if Luna had not heard her. The alicorn kept brooding, "That witch, the puppetmaster... That smug snake. This hardly makes any sense. She must have obtained more crucial leverage to maneuver into this position."

"I hope I'm not too bold, but what if they planned it together? They must share some history—"

"Stay thy tongue," warned Luna. Her ear twitched.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty!" gasped Starlight. "It's simply a lot to take in. First Twilight, and now this—"

The clockwork bird launched from its perch, and Luna turned to follow it. Its master, the aging wizard, appeared on the relatively intact town square.

"Starswirl the Bearded. About time," uttered the Princess.

The bird landed on his back, looking strikingly out of place with its polished appearance. The mage was far more worn out than Luna could ever remember: his clothes tattered and dirty; his sunken blue eyes devoid of any warmth. The famous bell-laden hat was missing half of the ornamentation.
He seemed shriveled, sullen, and lost. But, everyone lately looked like that, so Luna decided not to grant him any special treatment.
"Have you heard the speech?" she asked.

"To my great displeasure," cawed Starswirl in response.

"When did Celestia ever consider what others think of her actions?" Luna immediately lamented, taking some weight off of her chest. "She is so irresponsible and rash! It is so like her to make a decision and then to place others before an accomplished fact!"

"That's what the power does, Your Majesty. Inevitably, it gets to ponies' heads," tactfully replied Starswirl.

Luna barely squinted her eyes. "Indeed," she acknowledged. "I must be away, so make haste. Why have you made your summon?"

"You won't stay?" asked Starlight.

"I am afraid not, Starlight Glimmer. I have unresolved duties in Northern Equestria that I must attend to. Our common enemy has compromised the night tribe and may be coiled to strike from more than one direction. I must make sure that their efforts are in vain."

"Hold on—what tribe!? Night tribe?"

"The night pony tribe," affirmed Luna and shot a proud glare at Starswirl. "The circumstances were changed! I am not going to conceal their existence any longer. 'Tis time for Equestria to discover in them her stalwart allies!"

"You do this while our kingdom gets manipulated into dictatorship!?" spat Starswirl.

"I do not have to justify my actions to you, Starswirl," noted Luna.

"Is this your gratitude for being safeguarded in my Tower and nurtured back to health?" Starswirl wasn't giving up.

"Ai. No charity to be found in your deeds, per usual." Luna creased her brow. "Your service to the Princess of the Night is appreciated, but the days when I was a mere student and had to follow thy command are long gone. My ponies need me, and their needs won't be neglected."

"After all that Equestria had done for you, you turn away from it?... From your sister?... Hmph. I suppose we are better off without you."

"I have had my fill with thine insinuations!" exclaimed Luna, and her eyes flashed white. "I will confront my Sister at my own pace, but I know what you expect: for me to oppose her, or moreso, to meet her in combat. Neither of this will happen. You know nothing of sisterly bonds! Our real enemy is the witch, and our actions must be aimed at dismantling her efforts! This is how we will weaken her presence and rescue both Celestia and Twilight!"

"When you put it this way, I could not agree more," grumbled Starswirl, dissatisfied. "I see that your mind is set. Do whatever you will, but if you may take any parting words of wisdom, be aware: you will never defeat the Dark with more Dark."

"And you beware as well, Starswirl: do not lay a hoof on my Sister, lest next time we will meet as adversaries," replied Luna through her teeth.

"Wait!" interjected Starlight. "You said that you're going to the North? Would you be somewhere near Crystal Empire?"

"I intend to make a visit, yes," said Luna with a strain in her voice.

"Please, can you take me with you?" pleaded Starlight. Hey eyes cautiously shifted towards Starswirl as if in a way to commune: 'do not leave me with him'.

"I suppose," replied Luna tersely.

"Do you resign from my offer of tutelage?" asked Starswirl.

"Well, y-yes." Starlight turned to face him. "I'm sorry, Master Starswirl, but with the Tower gone, I don't expect that things will, uh... pan out between us."

"As of now, much of it is lost, but it can be recovered," noticed Starswirl, his voice remarkably unenthused.

"A-anyway," Starlight drawled awkwardly, "we have to share the news with Her Majesty Princess Cadance. Maybe we both can act as a voice of reason to her..."

"Hmph." Starswirl lifted his foreleg to make a stroke against his beard, but then had given up on a halfway. "I won't be opposed to this decision."

"You're not mad at me, are you?" Starlight frowned, her ears drooping down.

"You have demolished Discord's statue," said Starswirl, staring. "Why?"

'What?' Luna blinked. 'Have I misheard? I must have misheard.'

"It, um-m-m... It appeared to have made a sudden movement, so..." Starlight mumbled with a nervous smile.

"Was it connected to Sunset Shimmer's disappearance?" pressed on Starswirl.

'...? Ah, that one. Indeed. Celestia's mystery student.'

"In part. She was near that statue and simply vanished before my eyes. I don't even know where she went. I think there was a hand of some sort?... The statue itself was stiff as a rock."

"Hm-m." Starswirl nodded. "I have no further questions. Our business is concluded."

Without hesitance, he turned away and proceeded to pedal to the destination unknown.

"W-wait!" called Starlight, but to no avail. She stood for a few seconds, watching the departing figure. "A-a-and there he goes. Could've at least pretend to bargain with me to stay. Old prick," she muttered within Luna's earshot, without real malice.

"Starlight Glimmer," said Luna. "You have destroyed Discord?"

"I don't know, but it sure looked that way." Starlight tensed up. "Is it a bad thing?"

"The importance of it is unknown to me," evenly replied Luna, attempting to calm the nervous mare. "It saddens me that the serpent might have perished so ignobly, but you did good. He had it coming. With him on the loose, the situation might have been completely unsalvageable."

Luna raised her muzzle to the starry sky. The time for her nightly ritual was long overdue. She thought that she had become accustomed to performing it without her Sister's presence… It seems that things really were changing, weren't they?…

Luna reached out to the Moon and felt its response, cold and distant, as always.

It was waiting for her.

It was almost as if it missed her as much as it could miss anyone.

...that lifeless shining rock.

'Here we both are. And here am I.'

All that was required from Luna was a mere nudge to allow it to come back onto the right course. Just a nudge. No more, no less... She spread her wings, her horn shone blue, and the Moon had slowly risen above the horizon.

It was such a familiar sight…

So much so, that for a briefest of moments, everything seemed normal again…

And, as she did sometimes, Luna wondered if her appreciation for the Moon was misplaced. Weren't you supposed to hate the place in which you were jailed for so long?...

It didn't mattered right now.

In this instant, Celestia was looking at it as well—Luna was sure of it. It was like their guiding signal that communicated from one sibling to another: 'I am okay'.

It lifted some of the burden of guilt from Luna's shoulders.

Starlight cleared her throat. "So-o-o... If I may speak freely... Starswirl seems like a pretty shifty guy, right?"

Luna was still engaged with her anxious ruminations. "He is a product of his era, of the times when Equestria was young, her dreams were simpler, and there were no loyal friends around. His methods might be blunt, but it is my belief that he means to do good."

"Got it," affirmed Starlight. "If I stick too long around him, I'll slip back into my old habits. I just know it."

"I see." Luna delicately cleared her throat. "Tell me. Do I appear capable?"

"I'm sorry? What answer do you expect to hear, Your Majesty?" asked Starlight respectfully.

"In the time of strife, it is the duty of a Princess... no—of an alicorn, to shoulder the world. To be a beacon of hope to which ponies of every ilk can flock." Luna's gaze went to the distant skyline. "Would you look at me and say that I can play the part?"

Starlight thought a bit about how to answer. "I've learned from my own example that even those who are in position of authority are not always right," she said. "Maybe it is a situation without apparent good choices."

'Am I fussing over having responsibilities? It seems that I am still gripped by self-pity...'

Luna nodded. "It reminds me of when we sent first Cadance, and then Twilight, to the freshly reemerged Crystal Empire." She smiled, allowing cheerful memories to distract her. "Everything was so full of unknowns back then. I kept pleading with Celestia, 'Allow me to go at least as an observer, so I can swoop in and protect them!'
"Eventually she gave me a very solemn look and said, 'There's nothing to be gained without some sacrifice. I believe in them, but my beliefs must be put under scrutiny. In the long run, our doubts will only hold them back. Have faith, Sister.'
"I had no other option but to comply, but at first I was very distraught. Twilight and Cadance are the next generation, they're family, we cannot ever allow to risk to lose them! 'Foolishness! Inadequacy!', I said to myself. How can she so dauntlessly throw her heart behind someone else!?
"But she did it again and again, and each time she demonstrated improbable, enormous restraint, abstaining from meddling in any way. Her reasons dawned on me only later. What if it was about something more than hoofholding others to victory?
"Celestia wanted to see proof. She wanted to challenge herself as much as others, as after all she is a pony of an astounding faith and she likes to test. Without these trials, 'twould be a complete adherence to a blind faith for her, which is like a... hollow hope, or a broken promise. Without holding the things you believe in to the fire of reality, you will only grow too rigid, and that is unacceptable for a Princess.
"'Tis was a lesson I had to learn through experience rather than wisdom. It finally cemented for me when I began to help ponies in the realm of sleep: I could guide them, but the final step, the conquering of one's doubts, the act of facing the nightmare, belonged to them. I always had to let go of control and be patient. I had to find courage to stand up to the risk of being incorrect, just as they did."

Luna remained silent for a while, and when Starlight already drew her breath to say something, the alicorn suddenly finished her thought.

"Yes. Undoubtedly. 'Twas the same courage that I saw in Celestia that day. In spite of all, she never was too scared of making a mistake. Neither shall be I."