20th day of Frostfall
454 Years after the Defeat of Discord by the Sisters

Luna barely contained her seething anger as she looked down from the balcony to where a limp form hung from the gallows. It had taken all of her self control to avoid screaming at her sister loudly enough to shake the city to its foundations.

“I didn’t know until it was too late,” Celestia muttered. She was turned away from the window, unable to look outside. “I should have expected her to make a move like this.”

“You are a fool,” Luna snapped. “And it cost the life of one of my soldiers.”

“It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t provoked her at court,” Celestia said, staring into a cooling cup of tea instead of at Luna. “The Duchess either orchestrated this or took advantage of it.”

“Of course she did!” Luna yelled, turning away from the scene in the courtyard to face her elder sister. “And you had the power to simply deny her, and refused to use it! You are as culpable in this murder as she is.”

“Murder?” Celestia muttered. “It was a legal execution, Luna.”

“There is nothing legal about executing a pony without fair trial.”

“Then you shouldn’t have pushed so hard to make it so!” Celestia said, standing to look down at Luna. “You pushed for the law that would allow branded thieves like him to be executed without question or trial, and now that it’s happened to somepony you care about, you want to make an exception!”

“So what, you let him die to try and prove some kind of point?” Luna demanded. “What is wrong with you? You allowed an innocent pony to die!”

“I’m not convinced he was innocent,” Celestia said. The teacup shattered as a blue aura ripped it from her golden grip and flung it across the room and onto a tapestry, the tea staining the image of the founding of Everfree on the five hills it was built around.

“Is this supposed to be some kind of power play for you, sister?” Luna asked, eyes narrow. “Or are you just a tool for the nobility to wield against me?”

“Luna, you know I wouldn’t play with lives like that. Ponies aren’t pawns to be used in a game.”

“Tell that to the pony you killed,” Luna spat. “His blood is on your hooves. This is not the end of this.” Luna stormed out of the room.

“You!” Pallas snarled, as she shoved ponies aside, forcing her way through the crowd in the royal court as she advanced on Golden Showers. “I’m going to shove your snout so far up your own ass that even Celestia couldn’t pull it out again!”

The Duchess paled, taking a step back as the huge thestral closed on her. Guards in golden armor stepped between them, shielding the smaller unicorn.

“Get out of the way,” Pallas growled.

“Please calm down, Ma’am,” one of the guards whispered.

“I’ll calm down after I’ve gotten my hooves on her,” Pallas said, glaring past the guards to Golden Showers. “She is a vile bucking egg-sucker who framed one of my soldiers for theft and had him executed so she could try and cover her dirty little hoofprints!”

“That’s a lie!” Duchess Showers gasped, looking appalled. “He was a thief and a liar and got what was coming to him!”

“Oh that’s it,” Pallas shook her head. “You’re going to beg me for mercy before this is done. I’m going to get justice for Zudah even if I have to beat it out of you!”

“Guards, escort her to a cell,” Golden Showers said. “I don’t have time to deal with commoners upset that one of their dirty little friends got what was coming to him. She’s obviously just as bad, with all these threats. Perhaps a few weeks in the dungeons will help her understand her place.”

One of the guards put a hoof on Pallas’ shoulder. Pallas raised her good wing, as if ready to strike with a blade she didn’t have.

“Belay that,” Morning Glory said, as he pushed past the watching crowd. “Pallas, for somepony with only one good wing, you’re a hard pony to catch.”

“Tell these soldiers to get out of the way,” Pallas said, glaring at them. “Before I have to hurt them.”

“Pallas, calm down,” Morning Glory said. “You know you can’t just strangle her. Here, anyway. It would cause a scene.” Pallas looked at Morning Glory and huffed, lowering her wing. “Good. I don’t like what’s happened either, but we need to handle things the right way.”

“I wasn’t aware court had started without me,” Luna said, as she walked in the room. The guard at the rear entrance was surprised, blowing a horn to announce her arrival far too late. Her sister arrived a moment later, Celestia getting her announcement on time now that the guards were alerted.

“This peasant is defaming me in court!” Duchess Golden Showers declared. “I demand that she be removed from this court and thrown in prison for such slander!”

“Luna, if you can’t control your soldiers…” Celestia frowned. Luna’s ears folded back as she bit back a retort.

“Princess Celestia, things are already calmed down,” Morning Glory said. “And Centurion Pallas Athene’s accusations have some merit.”

“Do they?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, she really is a vile bucking egg-sucker,” Pallas grumbled.

“I will not stand for such words to be spoken to me!” Duchess Golden Showers screamed, shoving a guard aside and slapping Pallas across the face. Pallas slowly turned to look at her, her head turning like a machine. Golden Showers seemed to realize her mistake as Pallas’ glare was turned on her again, retreating back behind the guards.

“I see,” Luna said. “Centurion Pallas Athene! Do you accept her challenge?”

“Her-“ Pallas frowned. She caught a look from Luna, and nodded. “Yes.”

“Excellent,” Luna nodded. “A duel will quickly put an end to this.”

“A duel?!” Golden Showers gasped. “But I can’t fight!”

“You are of course welcome to have a champion fight in your place,” Luna said.

“Sister, I’m not sure a duel is really the best course of action…” Celestia said quietly.

“Nonsense, sister. You’re the one who so kindly reminded me that the law must be followed, no matter the consequences,” Luna kept her voice even. “Duchess Golden Showers slapped my Centurion in open court. This is clearly a challenge to a duel, as stated in the accords. It will also help to satisfy this question of honor. Regardless of who wins, the matter will be dropped.”

“I refuse to fight against a brute like her!” Golden Showers yelled.

“Then you concede the duel,” Luna said. “And as summary judgment, you will be stripped of your title and escorted out of the city.”

“What?!” Golden Showers screamed. “You can’t do that!”

“I can and will,” Luna said. “Given the nature of the accusation and your refusal to answer it, I feel it is only just.”

“Luna!” Celestia hissed, through clenched teeth. “This is not the time or place.”

“F-fine! Then I withdraw my concession. I will need… time to find a champion.” Golden Showers looked around the room, as if considering her options.

“You have until…” Luna considered. “High noon is most appropriate for a duel, I should think. Since this is a public matter, a public venue should do nicely as well. The courtyard, I think. Assemble there once you have your champion, and we will begin.”

Golden Showers looked uncomfortable. She bowed and ran from the room, Luna and Pallas glaring at her as she left.

“A duel?” Celestia hissed, as she paced around her sister. “Why, Luna? You know the law was never intended for that! It was supposed to provide a way to settle petty squabbles by two feuding parties, not to be used as trial by combat!”

“And yet the law allows it to be used as such,” Luna said. “She started this and you allowed it to get to this point. I will end it, the same way I ended the war.”

“With violence,” Celestia said, displeased.

“A wise pony once said that if violence is not your last resort, you have failed to resort to enough of it,” Luna replied.

“A wiser pony said that his greatest victory was a war not fought,” Celestia retorted. “What do you hope to do, Luna? The matter will be dropped either way. If she wins, there will never be justice for what she did. If she loses, you will have stripped her of her title without due process. And either way, the nobility will correctly see this as you being vindictive.”

“Perhaps it will serve as a warning for others, then,” Luna said. “I will not back down, sister. She has challenged me and I will answer. When she is run out of the city in a veil of laments and tears only then will I be satisfied she has learned her lesson.”

“Luna…” Celestia sighed. “Please. You just got back. You could use this opportunity to make friends and allies among the nobility. Don’t use it just to make more enemies to fight. As petty or awful as you might think they are, they’re ponies. They’re your subjects. You’re supposed to protect them and help guide them.”

“They hardly consider themselves my subjects,” Luna whispered darkly.

“They’ll come around,” Celestia smiled, sadly. “You know this happens in cycles. Before Discord, how many still blamed me for claiming the throne and called me a warlord when they thought I wasn’t looking? Back then, they looked to you for wisdom and succor. Eventually it will change again.”

“Perhaps,” Luna sighed. “But it is a difficult burden to bear, especially when we work at cross purposes.”

“I know,” Celestia said softly. “Luna, I don’t want this to come between us.”

“It would be easier if I knew the truth of the matter,” Luna said. “I’m sorry. It’s only been five years, yet it feels like we’ve grown apart more than ever.”

“This is never going to work,” Pallas said, flexing her wing. A set of Solar Guard issue wingblades had been strapped to her. “They’re designed for pegasus wings, not thestral. They don’t move correctly and the joints are in the wrong places.”

“You can borrow mine,” Quel shrugged. “As long as you don’t snap them. I saw what you did with your last set.” They’d gone to the castle quartermaster to get something appropriate for Pallas, which was proving difficult for reasons beyond her unusual size.

“A minotaur did that, not me,” Pallas said.

“You need something sturdier,” boomed a deep voice from across the room. The two turned to see a black, ominous shape looming in the shadows. It stepped into the light with the sound of jangling metal, the shadows peeling away to reveal draconian armor. A hoof reached up to open the visor.

“Hungry Ghost, what are you doing here?” Quel asked, frowning. “I thought you and the rest of the Dragoons were busy getting your beaks wet in private, or whatever it is you do when you’re alone.”

“Even so, news does reach me from time to time,” Hungry Ghost stated. “Pallas Athene, you need a weapon. These blades are insufficient. I would offer you mine for a time, though I do expect them to be returned.”

“Tartarus knows I need something better than these toothpicks,” Pallas said, tugging at the straps on the wingblade and pulling it free, tossing the light weapon aside.

Hungry Ghost shrugged his shoulders with a sound of steel scraping against steel. The blades and the straps securing them came free from both wings at the same time, clanging to the ground with a sound like a dull, ominous bell.

“Those aren’t wingblades,” Quel muttered. “They’re more like slabs of iron. They’re too big and heavy.”

“Lunar Titanium,” Hungry Ghost corrected. Pallas lifted one of the blades. The surface was blackened by charcoal and ashes, but she could see the finish on the edge of the blade, a dull silvery metal like a silver mirror with a thick layer of dust caked over it.

“It’s lighter than it looks,” Pallas muttered. She started to put one on.

“Wear both,” Hungry Ghost said firmly. “You will need the counterbalance, even if your wing is weakened.”

“If you say so,” Pallas said. Quel went to help her, his eyes bugging out as he felt the weight.

“Lighter than it looks my flank! You’re lucky these didn’t break through the floor!” Quel struggled to lift it before Pallas took it from him and started carefully strapping it to her injured wing.

“I don’t see how you’re supposed to fight with those.”

“You’re supposed to fight well,” Hungry Ghost retorted. “Their names are Wavelength and False Oasis. I have asked them to serve you as well as they have served me, until I return for them.”

“You… asked?” Pallas blinked. She shared a confused look with Quel.

“They’re centuries old and steeped in ancient magic,” Hungry Ghost explained. “Asking is wise when dealing with such artifacts. Now, if you will excuse me, I believe I will have a flight around the city. It’s rare that I have a chance to relax.”

“You might want to lose the armor,” Quel snorted. “Otherwise the Solar Guard is going to think there’s a dragon attacking the city.”

“It might be interesting to see how they would handle a dragon,” Hungry Ghost smiled.

“Just… try to stay out of trouble, okay?” Quel sighed. “I know I can’t give you orders, but the Princess is dealing with a lot already.”

“I will be… around,” Hungry Ghost said, turning to leave. He paused in the doorway. “Centurion Athene. I expect you to put up a real fight.”

“Yes, sir,” Pallas said. She stretched out her wing, the edge of the blade sliding outwards. “Thanks for letting me-” She looked up, only to find he was already gone. “…Borrow these.”

“You sure you can fight in those?” Quel asked.

“Yeah,” Pallas nodded. “They feel good. Let’s get out there and see what that vapid egg-sucker has managed to dredge up to fight for her.”