January 16th, 1055AD

2:54 am

As time dragged on, making a minute seem like an eternity, Fade summed up everypony’s feelings with one eloquent statement.

“This sucks.”

“Totally,” Lightning Dust agreed, lying on her back and tossing a rubber ball up in the air and looping after each catch. “We should have just beaten the crap out of everypony.”

“I don’t think any of us could have handled the princesses,” Veil chimed in. “I don’t think we could handle one princess if we all attacked at once.”

Since Lightning Dust was hogging the ball, Veil entertained herself by seeing how much disgust and hopelessness she could put into her sighs. She gave her 24th sigh – seven out of ten.

Everybody else lounged around, permeating the area with bitterness and defeat. They had been left with their armor but no armaments and there was only so many times one could strip off the pieces and sort them out before it became monotonous. For now, they all remained armored, prepared in case something happened.

There was movement from the corner as Ebony got up and trotted forward. The tent they had been confined to was of unremarkable make; it was wide enough for all six of them to move around and tall enough for Lightning Dust to do her thing. A lantern hung from one of the metal poles keeping the material propped up.

Driven into the ground in the centre was a metal spike long as Ebony’s foreleg with a gemstone housed in a small receptacle. Seemingly innocuous at first glance, Ebony’s approach caused an unpleasant drone to fill the air and the space around the spike to shimmer like the surface of water.

“You can try it if you want,” From the back of the tent, Miasma spoke up in her usual monotone; she rubbed her foreleg, where a patch of fur had been burned black. “I wouldn’t suggest it, but maybe it doesn’t work on dead flesh.”

Ebony reached out, let her hoof hang inches from the shimmer, then pulled back. “N-no, I don’t think I want to.”

"You could try teleporting like Haze did," Lightning Dust suggested. "Yeah, he got zapped and 'ported back in, but we don't know if you would."

"That... doesn't seem like sound logic."

Fade snickered. "It's a pegasi thing, yeah? Back in Cloudsdale, there's an old saying that goes something like, 'we don't know that cloud will shock everypony if we don't try it with everypony.' Kinda explains why most pegasi know what a lightning bolt to the taint feels like, don't it?"

"Hm," Despondent, she turned back around and kicked at the dirt. “Maybe we can tunnel out?”

“Ponies don’t dig, we pull things,” Veil muttered. “And get thrown in some magic prison for daring to help search for survivors.”

“We should have just beaten the crap out of everypony.”

“Yeah, heard you the first time, Lightning.”

“We have to try something!” Ebony cried. “The Empress is in trouble; we should-”

“Boss won’t even help herself,” Fade grumbled, carefully watching the ball. “Didn’t say anything when they put those chains on her, didn’t say anything when we tried to Call, didn’t say anything when they told us we had to stay here, yeah?”

“She lost her friend.”

“Well…” Fade took his eyes off the ball and shrugged. “Okay, but that shouldn’t bother her, yeah? She’s… I mean, she’s Nightmare Moon, yeah?”

“What does that even mean?” Veil sighed, throwing her hooves into the air. “Seriously, what does her being who she is even mean anymore?”

Ebony grimaced. “The Empress is-”

“No, I have to say this,” Veil stood and started to pace, her wings flicking in agitation. “Nightmare Moon’s supposed to be evil, right? But she hasn’t killed a single pony to my knowledge. She hasn’t even hinted at doing the whole ‘eternal night’ thing that was supposed to be her entire shtick. What, did she just forget about it?”

“Do you want eternal night?” Ebony shot back. “You realize that will just kill all the plant life in Equestria?”

“I get that. And no, I don’t want eternal night. I think it’d be cool, but not practical,” Veil snorted. “But that annoys me because… well, at least if she was evil enough to bring about eternal night and kill ponies, then maybe she wouldn’t be freaking out so much over one mare. Maybe she could have actually commanded us like she usually did!”

Ebony’s temper flared, but Lightning Dust beat her before she could shout.

“Totally!” She tossed the ball aside. Fade dove after it. “I knew from the start that what’s-her-face would make Nightmare Moon soft, but she just kept on hanging out with her. She’s supposed to be all ‘power is everything,’ right? She’s supposed to be against friendship, right?”

“W-wait a second.”

“But now look at her: moping like a bitch and leaving us in the dirt,” Lightning Dust punched the ground, her face twisted in an ugly grimace. “I was supposed to get my revenge on that rainbow-headed cunt!”

“Would you two shut up!” Ebony snapped. “Veil, you told me you were having second thoughts about the Empress being a demon, but now you’re complaining she’s not evil enough?!”

Veil gaped, then bared her teeth in a snarl. “I- Ah told ya tha’ in private!”

“Lightning Dust, you’re only on this team because you want revenge on Rainbow Dash! You never cared about anything else! You don’t even care about your ‘coltfriend’ and he can’t even see it!”

“Hey!” Fade dropped the ball with an indignant snort. “Fuck you attacking me for?”

Ebony almost said more, but a voice interjected, firm and rich.

“Silence.”

From the corner where he had sat, seemingly meditating, Haze walked forward with his lips pressed into a disapproving scowl.

“The two of you…” He gestured to Veil and Lightning Dust. “Are lashing out because we were captured. Your frustration is understandable, but slander is not helping us in any way, shape, or form.”

Ebony was happy to have somepony on her side, but she wasn’t sure if his voice would make much headway. Sure enough, Veil waved him off with a sigh – that sound was really getting on her nerves – and Lightning Dust rolled her eyes.

“Well, corpse-breath over there just insulted my relationship, but I’ll ignore that since I’m such a nice pony. But to you, I say ‘piss off.’ Stop trying to find excuses – I think Nightmare Moon’s cool and badass, too, but I’m not so blindly devoted that I can’t call her out when she deserves it. You’re with me, right, babe?”

Fade blinked, suddenly finding himself on the spot. “Huh? I mean… yeah! It sucks to lose somepony close to you, but you still gotta think about other ponies, yeah?”

“I agree.” Haze replied.

Fade faltered, and Ebony blinked, surprised. “Wait, what?”

“Don't mistake my interference in this argument as a sign that I sympathize with the Empress regarding this... 'Vinyl' character,” He said the name with a sneer. "I disapproved of the Empress' fascination with that miscreant from the beginning. To think that she'd enter such a state of depression over a pony like that..." He snorted. "Really, she should be better than that."

Ebony was stunned; she didn't think she'd hear Haze, of all ponies, criticize the Empress. "I don't understand."

Haze sighed. “Somepony of the Empress' status shouldn't let themselves be affected by the death of one pony, no matter what sort of relationship they had. I had faith that when Vinyl died, which I expected to be soon whether it be by the Empress' own hoof or by some other threat, she'd shrug it off and continue with her goals. Clearly that faith was misplaced.”

"Haze, I don't think it's fair to say that. What if that was your best friend?"

"I can tell you right now that if I had the position of the Empress, I would be careful not to allow attachments like that to form in the first place," Haze said firmly. "The Empress is supposed to set an image of an indomitable and unfettered force that is unswayed by interpersonal relationships."

Ebony's jaw clenched. "You're saying she's not allowed to feel sad?"

"Yes. Such things should be beneath her."

It seemed unfair that Nightmare Moon wasn't allowed to feel or have relationships just because of her position. Ebony saw time and time again that Nightmare Moon wasn't without emotion; putting aside her bouts of rage and hate, the Empress showed dark humour, dry wit, compassion, and joy - none of it seemed to interfere in getting what she wanted, and it showed Ebony that beneath all that mysterious smoke and cold eyes was a complex mare. Or, at least something very close to one. To have to hide or deny any of that just because of the image others wanted to see in you...

'But aren't I doing that?' Ebony thought. 'Much as I try to be what I think the Captain of the Eclipse should be, I still have these feelings of uncertainty that I bury away.' She wondered if Nightmare Moon ever hesitated in her decisions and simply hid it so well that nopony noticed.

“Looks like we can agree on something,” Veil added. “Ebony, I’m sorry-not-sorry to say that all you do is follow Nightmare Moon around like some lost puppy because you can’t get your head out of your ass long enough to get the hell over your mommy and daddy issues.”

As if a phantom syringe had plunged into her neck and injected pure fire, Ebony saw red and reflexively lit her horn. “Don’t you dare bring them up!”

“Why? You brought what I said to you up even though it was said in private!”

Ebony steamed on ahead before Veil’s words could hit anything vital. “Why does somepony like you even care that I did? I thought you hated everypony!”

“Well, I thought I could trust you of all…” Veil choked suddenly. “P-ponies…”

Ebony felt as if she had been slapped; a cold feeling nestled between her lungs. “What?”

The tent was quiet as Veil glared at her hooves to hide her face; Lightning Dust gave a low ‘ooh’ and settled down with intrigue written on her face.

“… You know how I feel about other ponies. They’re annoying, they’re loud, they buy way too hard into this ‘friendship’ crap and try to give it some deeper meaning when it’s just a big magic laser; it’s hard for me to find ponies that I can tolerate, let alone like enough to hang around with. You guys are the ones I kinda like.”

Veil looked up with a subdued glare.

“And I hate saying this crap, so me putting aside my general hate of ponies to hang out with you is my way of showing that you mean something. And me telling you…” She pointed at Ebony. “What I said when we were together that day, you had to know that it meant something, right?”

Ebony licked her lips – she’d be sweating if she still could. “Veil, I don’t know how you think. None of us do. You… I mean, I knew that what you said was personal, but I couldn’t know how much it meant because… um…”

She came up empty and started panicking as she tried to arrange her thoughts into words. Then, suddenly, Miasma interjected and touched Veil’s shoulder to get her attention.

“How are they supposed to know?” She asked. Veil blinked at her. “From your perspective, it might seem like what you’re doing, or rather what you’re not doing, is enough to show everypony that you’re comfortable with their presence, but I can tell you it’s not.”

She gestured to Fade.

“He’s my brother; we grew up together, long enough that he can tell what I’m feeling before I can even recognize it. But other ponies aren’t him; they’re not going to know what I’m feeling or showing, even when it feels like I’m being obvious. You can’t be angry at Ebony for not knowing how you’re feeling when the only emotion we can recognize from you is anger or disgust.”

Veil opened and closed her mouth a few times before catching Ebony’s eyes. “… Really? You couldn’t see it?”

Ebony carefully thought about her response. “It’s hard to tell, yes. I think I knew that you didn’t hate us as much as you did with everypony else, but to what extent? I didn’t know how to ask, so I just left you alone.”

“Yeah, same here,” Fade said. “You’re kinda like my sister, but I didn’t want to assume shit and get my head snapped off.”

“I just followed his league when I joined.” Lightning Dust shrugged.

“I didn’t know,” Veil murmured, scuffing the ground. “I really thought I was being obvious.”

Ebony wasn’t sure what to say. Now that she had calmed down, she felt terrible for what she said; she hadn’t been thinking, she just wanted to hurt Veil for insulting the Empress.

“I’m sorry.”

Veil grimaced. “I guess… I guess you’re right, though. I still think Nightmare Moon shouldn’t have just clocked out like that, but I think I’m mostly just pissed that we’re in this situation in the first place.”

“Hey, we all are,” Fade grumbled, rolling the ball back and forth with the tips of his wings. “This sucks. We’re supposed to be living the high life – that’s why we joined Nightmare Moon, right? To live easy with all the power at our hooves.”

“I wanted to serve the Empress.” Haze responded.

“I wanted revenge.” Lightning Dust said.

“I wanted to look out for my brother, no matter what he decided.” Miasma murmured.

“I wanted Equestria to stop being so darn soft.” Veil added.

“I just wanted a place to belong.” Ebony chimed in quietly.

The mood went from angry and tense to calm and quiet; everypony was avoiding one another’s gazes. Ebony’s perpetually-still heart was still hurting from Veil’s remark, but she knew she deserved that barb; she wasn’t going to dwell on those words, either – there were more important things to worry about, so she’d just push all that emotional baggage aside.

Haze suddenly chortled – it was an empty sound. “How odd that we are connected in deeper ways than those bond by blood… and yet we can still be so ignorant of one another.”

Veil shrugged. “Well, we are social outcasts.”

Ebony started slowly, “I think... that whatever we might think of the Empress for what happened and how she’s reacting to it, our opinion won’t change the fact that we’re imprisoned. I say we hold off on any conversation that doesn’t have to do with planning a way out. For now,” Ebony paused and gave everypony a chance to protest. “Okay. We can agree on that.”

She didn’t think that a spat like that could be glossed over so easily; it was like putting a cheap band-aid over a gushing wound; she was now less certain about where each of her friends stood in her life. Even Haze, whom she felt a kinship to with their common ground in a desire to serve the Empress, and Veil, whom had chosen to confide in her before anypony else, now seemed like distant figures.

... But then again, how well did she truly know them? If their goals and reasons for serving Nightmare Moon differed, then what did they have in common?

Ebony frowned and shook the mental clutter from her head. Until their circumstances were better, she'd hold off on pondering 'this' and 'that.' For now, it seemed like everypony was willing to cooperate, which was the main thing she should be concentrating on.

“I’d actually like an apology for what you said about Fade and me,” Lightning Dust said. “I mean, come on – I’m not a mare that strings her coltfriends along on some lie; if I was using him for sex, I’d be upfront about it.”

“Please don’t.” Miasma pleaded.

Ebony couldn’t argue with Lightning Dust; there had been no need for such a personal attack, especially since Fade was in the splash-zone. “I’m sorry – I just wanted to hurt you. And I’ve been trying to get over my issues with you since the Crystal Empire. Sorry.”

“Welll… I guess a few insults like that shouldn’t be enough to make me forget that you saved my life,” Lightning Dust smiled – it seemed genuine. “We’re cool. You cool, babe?”

“I’m cool.”

“We’re cool.”

Ebony was almost tempted to say ‘cool’ in response. “Th-thanks. So, does anyone have any ideas to get out of here?”

“You’re the boss for the time being, yeah?” Fade shrugged. “Kinda hoping that you’d be the one to get us out.”

“Really? Even though I was the one that suggested Miasma punch that thing?”

“She punches live wires to make them stop sparking, so it’s not like it was a bad idea.”

“Well, I’d actually like to give that tunnelling idea a try. We don’t have spells that could move dirt efficiently, but maybe Miasma could dig, and we could reinforce the tunnel with magic?”

“I’m game.” Miasma nodded.

“Ooh! Ooh!” Fade waved his hoof. “Let’s do that thing in the movies where somepony pretends they’re injured, then when somepony comes in to check, we jump ‘em!”

Ebony mulled it over. “I think they’d be a little smarter than that.”

Something rustled behind her. As she turned, wondering what it could be, her blood ran cold – colder – when she saw the tent flaps part.

“Agh!” Fade faceplanted and started writhing. “Fuck! Body’s turning against m-me! Nightmare Moon’s power is coursing outta control!”

“I have seen court jesters display more severity than you, fool.”

Ebony grimaced as Luna strolled up to the barrier with two other ponies in tow; she didn’t recognize either, but they were clad in the golden armor of the disbanded Royal Guard. Strange – she thought their gear had been reforged and repainted for the Eclipse.

Luna didn’t have the awe-inspiring stature of Celestia, but her imposing glare and sheer presence made her seem several stories tall when she only had a head over normal ponies. Still, Ebony was the Right Hoof of the Empress and the Captain of the Eclipse – she had to stand strong and firm.

“Where is the Empress?”

“Imprisoned, like you. Unharmed. For now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Her trial begins shortly,” Luna grabbed the sceptre and yanked it out like it was nothing, dispersing the magic barrier with a thrum of energy that Ebony felt in her teeth. “Your attendance is mandatory, for it is also where we will pass judgement unto you and your ilk.”

Ebony swallowed. “Oh…” Suddenly, it became much harder to stand strong and firm. “But-but what if we refuse?”

“The accused are to be physically present to stand trial – this is Equestrian Law. If you refuse to come, then I shall force you.”

Ebony silently gauged the lunar princess, then turned back to gauge her fellow Praetorian Guards.

Now, technically nothing was impossible, but-

“Say the word and I’ll whip up a tornado so fast her head will spin right off!” Lightning Dust called.

Ebony grimaced. She was tempted to take up Lightning Dust’s offer, to defy all expectations and somehow overpower Luna before successfully freeing the Empress; it was the ideal scenario for them, after all.

But the realist in her was no dreamer – it knew that the chances of them beating Luna – plus whatever else was waiting outside the tent – were so miniscule they may as well have been non-existent.

“We’ll come along.” She replied in a small voice.

She could feel the disappointment coming off her friends, but there was bitter understanding in their expressions, too; she was thankful for that.

“That is the right choice,” Luna gestured to the entrance. “Follow me.”

Lightning Dust grumbled. “What, no chains? No cuffs? No obsidian rings?”

“No need,” Luna shrugged as she turned and started walking. “Because I am here.”

“Ooh, edgy.”

Edgy but true, Ebony thought as she reluctantly trudged after the princess, relieved that, at the very least, she was able to get out of that confined space.

Luna pulled back the flaps and Ebony followed her outside. She was surprised to see that she was smack dab in the middle of a dozen other tents where previously there had been none; a large number of ponies hurried about between them, though she noted that the majority were heading in the direction Luna was going.

She looked up into the full round face of the moon casting its brilliant white light. Under the lunar rays, Ebony felt a surge of power, but was it enough to make a difference?

“Where’d all these guys come from?” Fade asked, glancing about. “Did that sceptre thing slow down time, or what?”

“Once word that Nightmare Moon had been defeated, the city’s ponies felt safe to ignore her earlier decree and come out of their abodes. What you see is Canterlot’s relief forces – firefighters, doctors, weather pegasi,” Luna said. “Though there is still much to be done, they have lightened the burden of search and rescue enough for us to pause and deal with a pressing matter.”

“Us.” Ebony murmured.

Ahead, ponies had gathered en masse around a tent of significant size. The backdrop of Canterlot Castle made for a grim sight – the ruined infrastructure was illuminated by the moon’s glow, drawing the eye to just how extensive the damage was.

The castle had grown on Ebony somewhat – to see it in such a state was disheartening.

“Make way! Make way for the princess!” One of the guards cried. “And the accused!”

‘Was it really necessary to call attention to us?’

Ebony felt the brunt of the crowd’s glares as she marched through the gap that Luna cleared by way of her eerie majesty and stoic yet weighty stare. No one was booing outright, but she was fully expecting a salvo of rotten produce to hit the back of her head. Fortunately, she made it through unsullied.

Ebony took in the scene in front of her and her muscles locked up.

Against the right side of the tent, the Element bearers stood side-by-side with Zecora at the end and a group of stone-faced and stalwart griffons; stallions in golden armor kept watch with cold glares; Sunset Shimmer took up a corner on the left side, looking ready to set fire to something.

Celestia loomed front and centre, her face set in an uncomfortably passive stare; it didn’t so much as twitch when they entered. “Did you have any trouble?”

Luna shook her head. “No,” A pause, then she lit her horn. “I will bring her here now.”

Ebony blinked as Luna vanished in a flash of light. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed that the two guards accompanying Luna had taken position by the entrance, ensuring nopony came in. Or out.

A few of the other guards moved to corral them over to the left side of the tent like cattle. Ebony noticed her friends’ grimaces, but not one of them was in any position to resist; the guards were nopony special but there were others carrying much bigger sticks than them keeping watch.

“Anypony got any ideas?” Fade ‘asked,’ his mental tether weak and laden with doubt. “We can probably take on those Element mares, maybe, but not with these other bozos here, no way in Tartarus.”

“We can teleport without that sceptre containing us.” Haze suggested.

Ebony swallowed as Celestia’s eyes singed the air between them. “I don’t think that’d be a good idea.”

Lightning Dust suddenly snickered and shot an ugly sneer over at the Element bearers. "Rainbow Dash, how you feeling? Still sore?"

Rainbow Dash snorted. "Fuck off."

"Rude. Just concerned, you know? I feel bad considering how much stronger I am than you now."

"You're the one getting punished, not me. Just like in the Academy, huh?"

"Cunt."

"Enough." Celestia snapped.

Both mares settled, and Lightning Dust sighed. "Kinda hoping she'd come at me."

"That joy would be short-lived, I assure you." Haze 'said.'

"Worth it, I bet."

Suddenly, an invisible force rolled over Ebony as Luna returned in another flash of light. She wasn’t alone.

“Let us proceed.” Luna commanded, stepping away from Nightmare Moon.

Ebony bit her bottom lip, anxiety playing havoc on her insides. “Empress?”

Nightmare Moon’s head dipped to the ground as if it weighed several tonnes. Her mane no longer writhed and glittered with abyssal space but hung limply to hide her face, a veil of black mixed with indigo streaks that seemed to shift and blend like an optical illusion – it would have been fascinating if Ebony wasn’t so unsettled.

“Empress, please answer me!”

There was nothing wrong with Nightmare Moon. Physically, at least. Her body bore no cuts, no bruises, and no black fog seeped out of her pores – she was completely fine save for some iron shackles around her legs and wings. Yet, Ebony could not remember the Empress looking so small and unassuming; it just wasn’t right for somepony like her to be so vulnerable.

“Empress, please – I don’t know what to do. I’m trying to think of a way out of this, but I just can’t! Please tell me how to help you!”

Ebony was barely paying attention as Celestia spoke.

“First, I wish to thank everyone for gathering so quickly. It’s important that we deal with this sooner rather than later.”

“We could deal with it sooner if we just take her out right here and now,” Sunset Shimmer said. “Seriously, just let me summon up a firestorm and you’ll have a pile of ashes in barely a minute.”

“This trial is not only for the sake of fairness and goodwill, but to discuss the best possible means of meting out punishment,” Luna replied. “We cannot judge Nightmare Moon like a normal pony. That is why we have Zecora for insight,” She gestured to the zebra, who nodded in acknowledgement. “I am not denying that incendiary procedures hold no merit, but ‘tis better to have her input beforehoof.”

Ebony swallowed. ‘I really hate fire.’

Sunset shrugged. “You were ready to kill her not even twenty hours ago. From what I can tell, you’re only doing this because you want to keep the moral high ground. Look, I’m just saying that in my opinion, this whole court thing is totally unnecessary.”

“We all want to see justice,” Celestia said. “I would like to think that, without the heat of battle, we understand the difference between taking a life in that scenario and taking a life in cold blood. A court is the most civil means to go about it, just as it has been for centuries. Furthermore, it is only fair that we allow the opportunity for the accused to speak. We are all in agreement with that, too, aren’t we?”

She addressed everyone with that question. Ebony noted that among the Element bearers, only Twilight didn’t immediately nod; in fact, she looked astoundingly bitter and upset. Granted, she suffered more compared to everyone else, so her attitude was understandable.

“I hate to agree with her, but this is an opportunity to plead our case,” Haze informed them all. “We should take it.”

“And what?” Fade asked. “Odds’re still stacked against us, yeah?”

“Would you rather they not even let us speak in the first place? Their sense of morality grants us time; we should try to figure out how to use it to our advantage if the Empress will not.”

“I think so, too,” Ebony chimed in. "But neither of us are lawyers."

"Normally, we'd be granted one, but I suppose the state of things has made it difficult to secure one," Haze shifted in place. "I would speak on behalf of you all. I am not well-versed in this field, I admit, but I've more knowledge than the rest of you. No offense."

"No, you're right. You should do the talking."

"Can't do any worse than me." Lightning Dust added.

"Do your best, dude." Fade cheered.

After waiting for a response that never came, Celestia nodded. “Very well,” She made a motion like she was reaching for something – a stack of papers that might have been in front of her, maybe? – before putting her hoof back down and clearing her throat instead. “There is… demand circulating through the city. Though they mourn all that has been lost, they demand that justice be carried out unto those that have threatened them.

“We lack the means to carry out judgement on the humans, but it is not only humans that have caused strife.”

Celestia cast her gaze on Nightmare Moon; it was as if two miniature suns were poised to melt flesh and blacken bones once more.

“Nightmare Moon – you sought to overthrow Equestria’s diarchy a thousand years ago. To accomplish this treasonous act, you coerced my sister under the guise of wanting to help with her woes when you had ulterior motives, and then forcibly taking control of her body; this breaches the Second Act of the Discordance Legislation.

“Furthermore, once you had taken over, you incited the masses into anarchy and sought to disrupt the natural balance of Equestria by perpetuating an endless night, endangering not only fauna and flora, but the lives of everyone in Equestria. Many, including myself, opposed you. You responded to this with violence; violence which resulted in many deaths.”

Veil’s presence tickled the hindpart of Ebony’s brain. “So, she did kill, huh? Wonder where that part went…”

Ebony gave her the mental version of a librarian’s shush.

“Then, when you returned from being banished to the moon, you proceeded to attempt everlasting night once more. You were thwarted again, yet somehow…”

Celestia paused, her face creasing into something like frustration.

“Somehow, you have a physical body body instead of being banished or imprisoned. We’ve speculated on the ‘why’ and ‘how,’ but we’ve no real answer. For the time being, we’ll set that aside.

“You endeavoured to sneak into the Royal Court under a false identity – Star Secret,” Celestia’s jaw tensed. “I was completely fooled. And you used that deceit to strike, injuring not only myself but almost the entirety of the Royal Guard. Afterwards, you disguised yourself as one of your own and vice versa to infiltrate Ponyville and kidnap three fillies – Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.”

“Heartless fiend!” Rarity suddenly shouted. She looked like she wanted to say more, but she calmed herself and settled for glaring icy daggers while Applejack patted her on the back soothingly.

Nightmare Moon’s left ear twitched.

Celestia continued. “Using them as leverage, you had the Element Bearers use the Elements of Harmony to imprison Discord. Despite resistance, you ultimately succeeded in wresting control of Canterlot from me and Luna.”

She paused to let her words sink in.

“You have committed many, many crimes; some of which would be grounds for immediate incarceration just on their own.”

Finally, Celestia turned to face Ebony and the others. Ebony swallowed and stood firm, challenging those scorching eyes.

“As for your accomplices, they, too, have many crimes to answer for,” She glanced at Nightmare Moon. “As of now, you may speak and plead your case.”

Nightmare Moon stirred.

She put her head up and her mane parted to show her face. Her eyes no longer held the burning drive and cunning wit Ebony was so accustomed to; they just looked dark and hollow.

“… I don’t understand what you mean by ‘plead my case,’” Her voice was empty and weak. “Do you want my thoughts on the crimes you accuse me of? Are you asking if I am guilty of them, or if I feel guilty?”

"We're giving you the opportunity to talk and tell us your side of the story."

"Why?"

"Because everyone here, even my sister, does not know who you are; even Zecora only knows what you are, not 'who.' If we can come to understand your motivations and drive, then perhaps we can all come to a satisfying conclusion."

"I can't say that I'd be satisfied with death."

"Perhaps it won't come to that. We are open to alternative solutions, Nightmare Moon; nobody else has to die, but that is up to you," She turned to face Ebony and the others again. "All of you."

Ebony felt the slightest bit of relief hearing that.

“What a waste of time,” Nightmare Moon sighed. “But I can't bring myself to particularly care enough to be rebellious, so get on with it."

It was Twilight that spoke next. She took a step forward, one of her hooves making a fragile tink against the ground as the tip of a crystal sprouting from beneath scraped the surface. She looked cleaner than when she was under Nightmare Moon’s control, but it was hard to look at the crystals jutting from her body like the quills of a porcupine and call her ‘healthy.’

“Every time I move, I can feel the crystals near my joints rub against bone and muscle. Sometimes, when I breathe, I can feel a shard being pressed between my lungs. All of this happened because you tried to make us immortal, so that we wouldn’t die, and the title of Element Bearer couldn’t be passed on. You wanted to keep us imprisoned forever.

“But then when your plan failed and I almost died, you kept me alive by infusing part of your magical composition with mine. I’d be tempted to ask how you did that if I wasn’t so nauseated by being in the same room with you. I don't know if my experience differs from what Princess Luna experienced, but having you in the back of my mind all the time? It... Every time you used your power over me, it was like something warm and barbed was pressing against the back of my neck. And the helplessness I felt whenever you ordered me to do something and I had no choice but to…”

She clenched her jaw and took a deep breath, waving off her friends when they tried to comfort her.

“I’m fine,” She fixed Nightmare Moon with a cold stare, her face scrubbed free of anger. “I really don’t want to be ruled by vengeance and hate. It doesn’t lead anywhere good. Instead, I’m going to look at this like one of my experiments: emotionless and analytical – the outcome will be decided by logic. I can promise that."

Her bottom lip quivered almost imperceptibly as she returned to her previous spot.

Nightmare Moon shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

To Twilight’s credit, she made good on her word and didn’t give much of a reaction, but her friends did, mostly Applejack and Rainbow Dash; they raised their voices and talked over one another, making a huge and noisy fuss for the seven seconds it took for Celestia to calm them down with gentle words and gestures.

Unfazed, Nightmare Moon continued. “I was confident that I had you all under lock and key. I knew enough about the Elements of Harmony that if a Bearer died, a new one was chosen. I was thinking in the long-term – some hundred years in the future – so I decided to make you biologically immortal to prevent this reincarnation.”

One of the griffons – Ebony recognized him as Marquees Aldo – cleared his throat. “I would like to inquire about this ‘reincarnation.’ From my understanding, the Elements of Harmony did not choose new Bearers until Nightmare Moon returned from her banishment. Furthermore, the princesses are not dead, so why did they change hosts?”

“Truthfully, even we do not fully understand the Elements of Harmony and their traits,” Luna replied. “The best explanation I can provide is that even though I was being possessed by this demon, the Elements still saw me as their Bearer and became inert when my presence was no longer felt on Equestria’s soil. Over the years, their power and the bonds that tethered them to my sister and I weakened, and it was Nightmare Moon’s act of destruction that served as the final act to sever the connection,” She gestured to the six Bearers. “The friendship between these six in such close proximity likely caused the Elements to connect.”

“So, you’re saying that Nightmare Moon’s attempt to destroy the Elements may have, in fact, been the cause of her defeat,” Aldo grunted. “Ironic.”

“Indeed,” Nightmare Moon murmured. “However, clearly my attempt failed. Even though I had Twilight vow that she not resist me during the operation in exchange for letting those three foals go, the crystals I imbued with magic failed to link; she entered anaphylactic shock and I was forced to link my essence with hers to save her life.”

“Incidentally, it was that act which forced us to spare your life, lest your essence fully corrupt her,” Luna added. “But she is free of it now, so there is no reason for us to stay our hoof.”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “You’re right. There isn’t.”

Tense silence reigned after that. Nobody seemed sure how to respond to Nightmare Moon’s melancholy; it was just so out of place. Ebony couldn’t help but feel frustrated even though she could understand why her Empress was like this: she wanted to see her Empress’ indomitable will and drive again, not this display of sad submissiveness.

Celestia huffed. “Tell me something,” Nightmare Moon lazily lifted her head. “Why are you like this? Why do you care about the life of one single pony?”

Ebony held her breath. She watched as the Empress lowered her gaze to some invisible spot on the floor. Her lips parted to speak, but just as quickly closed.

Celestia pressed on. “You can’t answer?”

Ebony saw the flicker of something malevolent in Nightmare Moon’s eyes, but it failed to ignite; nothing more than a passing sensation.

“I was not the one at fault for her death,” Nightmare Moon snorted. “Well… perhaps I am in a way. I did not kill her directly, the humans did. You, too, are indirectly responsible. If you hadn’t attempted to take me out under the guise of a truce… if you hadn’t used that changeling to cover me with that infernal brew… then perhaps I’d have had the strength to save her.”

She suddenly held up her hoof, though it looked to be a monumental effort.

“But I was the one that insisted she stay at the castle. Maybe if I hadn’t, then she’d have been with her wife, far from the castle. But she wasn’t.”

Ebony saw something in her Empress’ face. More than that, she felt it. For just an instant, she felt a deep yawning hole in her chest that ached to be filled; that feeling was etched onto Nightmare Moon’s face for a brief instant.

Then, it was washed away, replaced with dull acceptance.

“… And I don’t regret my decision.”

Celestia and the others shared looks. “Nightmare Moon, do you regret all the pain you caused to take over Canterlot.”

“No.”

“Do you grieve the death of Vinyl Scratch?”

Nightmare Moon breathed in deeply. “Yes.”

“Do you wish she was still alive?”

“Yes.”

“Knowing that, how can you say that you don’t regret your decision to have her stay in the castle?”

“Because it is what I felt to be the best decision to keep her safe. To keep our friendship strong.”

The room seemed to hold its breath. The Empress had said it plainly, for everyone to hear:

Friendship.

Nightmare Moon raised her head.

“I can see it in your eyes. You’re wondering how someone can claim a genuine friendship when they have committed what you believe to be heinous acts?”

She shrugged.

“I have no words that could get you to understand my perspective. I feel it’s beyond your understanding. We are different creatures. But I can tell you this…

“I am a creature of ambition, born from ambition. What I want, I strive to get, no matter what. I use whatever is at my disposal to further my goals. Regret? I cannot regret doing something that brings me one step further to fulfilling my ambition. Even if ends up being the wrong decision, I do not regret it; even a mistake is better than non-action.”

She blinked, then licked her dry lips.

“Throughout these years that I have been back in Equestria, I have walked forward, refusing to look back because my desires are ahead of me, not behind. There were times when I began to doubt, where I became unsure of myself. Questions filled my mind: why did I have this body? Why did the Elements spare me? What if they had done something to me? Why did I feel such companionship with Vinyl? I hated her, truly despised her at times for what I felt to be her attempts at swaying me from my goals.

“But then she said once, ‘there’s not much point in complaining how you should be, not when the present is here and now.’ I took that to heart. Perhaps I have been changed in some way by the Elements, but it didn’t change the fact that I still had desires and dwelling on such things wasn’t going to help me fulfil them. Accepting Vinyl as a friend brought a great deal of risks and problems, but it soon became clear that I wanted to keep her. So, naturally, I started to think, ‘how can I keep her alive and happy?’”

Nightmare Moon’s gaze settled on something on the far side of the tent.

“I made choices that I felt would help keep her and our friendship alive. I saved her from the humans even though it put my own life at risk. I offered to heal the damage done to her horn in my own way. I kept her in the castle because I thought it was the safest place to be. It wasn’t. And now she’s dead because of that.

“At this point… I realize now that somewhere along the line, she became more important to me than keeping control of this city. Now that she’s gone… I have no purpose. I…”

She paused for a few seconds.

“I am conflicted. I can’t regret doing something that was for the sake of keeping what I wanted, but at the same time I want to do things differently, if I could. I want to deal with this, but I don’t know how to; I can’t find the drive to pull myself forward. My drive died along with Vinyl. If I have none of that, then what is left?"

No one spoke for a long time. Ebony wished that she could come up with the right words to say, or one of her friends could, but it seemed they were all at a loss; she couldn’t pick up any mental chatter, just a shared feeling of helplessness.

Celestia, meanwhile, stared at Nightmare Moon, her face muddled with disbelief and something almost like awe. “I didn’t expect that,” Her ears twitched in uncertainty. “Do you have anything else you wish to say?”

Nightmare Moon shook her head. “No.”

“Then if no one objects, I would like to hear from the Praetorian Guard.”

All of their eyes fell on Haze. He blinked, swallowed, then took a deep breath. "Apologies in advance if I bungle this up."

Standing before the princesses' stares, he said in a steady voice, "I shall speak on behalf of my associates and the Empress."

Nightmare Moon raised her eyebrows at him but said nothing.

"Celestia, you accused Nightmare Moon of a 'treasonous act,' which I find odd considering that Nightmare Moon is not a citizen of Equestria. Has she identification? Is she registered as a citizen?"

"No, she's a magical-based entity from Zebrica," Celestia responded. "Zecora informed us."

"How do we know that's true?"

"It's true." Nightmare Moon said.

Haze faltered and almost seemed like he wanted to glare at the Empress. "If that's the case, then I would like to ask Zecora if they bestow citizenship to these magical entities?"

Zecora frowned distastefully. Ebony stared, enthralled by the exotic wear she had on. "That, we do not; she is a demon, and we do not consort with that lot."

Haze paused for a bit. "A demon, you say?" He started to pace. "Interesting. So, can the accused in question be guilty of treason for a state she does not belong to?"

Celestia scowled. "Under Equestrian Law, no. However, it does not exempt her from terrorism."

"A different matter altogether," Haze waved her off. "The accused is not an Equestrian citizen, not even a citizen of any state, so you cannot accuse her of treason. I implore that this accusation be dropped."

Celestia and Luna shared a look before the latter grumbled, "Very well. But you and your associates are citizens of Equestria, so you can and are being accused of treason."

"Ah, well, that may be the case, but..." Haze faltered again.

"May I say something?" Twilight interjected, cold and dispassionate. "According to Article Four of the Discordance Legislation, any hostile entities that represent a threat to the safety of Equestria and its citizens are given a chance to reform provided they are supervised by a high-ranking official in the Equestrian Government and obey a certain set of rules and restrictions. The qualification for this is that the entity must display a certain level of sentience, reasoning, and morality."

Ebony hadn't heard of this Legislation, but from the name alone she guessed it was related to Discord. That must have been why Celestia decided to give him a chance for reformation. But wouldn't that chance be reneged by his second attempt to take over Equestria?

She Called. "Haze, don't you think it's unfair that both Discord and Nightmare Moon tried to take over twice, but Discord gets a chance to be redeemed?"

"Good eye." He responded.

"Zecora," Twilight continued, turning to face the shaman. "My friends told me about what Nightmare Moon is... a qandisa, right? Would you say that those types display sentience, reasoning, and morality?"

Zecora hummed. "Sentience? Yes. But reasoning and morality? She stands here, but none of that is clear to me."

"So, can we apply Article Four to the accused?" Twilight questioned. "If we can't, then we can't consider reformation as a solution."

Ebony realized that a cold and logical Twilight was infinitely more dangerous than a raging one.

"Objection!" Haze cried. "The accused has shown reasoning and morality; the former just by standing here! If she were incapable of reasoning, then she wouldn't be cooperating."

"That seems more like apathy to me." Twilight said.

"You are biased, so you are in no position to identify such a thing," Haze sniffed. "As for morality, then look no further than her..." He paused, hid a grimace. "Relationship with Vinyl Scratch. Does it look like she is faking emotional distress over her death?"

Ebony watched as they muttered among themselves. Even Zecora seemed less sure of herself. "Nice one, Haze!"

"Much appreciated," Haze continued talking, confidence renewed. "And may I just point out a similarity between the accused and the draconequus, Discord? Both parties are guilty of crimes, both attempted to take over Equestria, both are stateless, both are magical entities far beyond what we would consider equine... and yet you, Celestia, chose to give Discord a chance to reform. I ask why you are not providing the same chance for Nightmare Moon?"

Celestia flinched. "That's-"

"Could it be that this supposedly fair trial that you described earlier on is nothing but a farce to mask the fact that you've already decided how to punish the accused?"

"Ooh, tell her she's biased because of what happened to her sister!" Lightning Dust, surprisingly, interjected. "Make 'em angry; everyone loves it when the judges get angry!"

Haze pointed at the sisters. "Could it be that you are letting your personal feelings cloud your judgement?"

Rainbow Dash suddenly yelled in frustration. "What the hell is there to talk about?! Nightmare Moon's bad! She hurt lots of ponies! Just... just..." She waved her hooves as if to pantomime what she was feeling. "You know? Lock her up forever!"

"I concur!" Rarity chimed in.

"Boo! Down with the system!" Fade cried.

Ebony felt like she should also say something, but now everyone was shouting over one another; she didn't think adding her voice would help matters, not that she had anything to say that could further help their argument.

Meanwhile, Nightmare Moon still hadn't said anything, but she was looking around the room with what seemed to be the faintest trace of intrigue. It was significantly better than the hollow-eyed expression she had on before, and Ebony was tempted to try and reach out to-

"Quiet!!"

Celestia's voice was more wind than sound; Ebony stumbled and bumped into Veil, Haze skidded back a few feet, and everyone else - save Luna and Nightmare Moon, who merely had their mane tousled - flinched and covered their ears.

Once everyone had settled, Celestia cleared her throat and said, "There's something you're missing, Haze," She paused, then added, "Discord never killed anyone. Not a thousand years ago, not now. Nightmare Moon hasn't killed anyone today, not to my knowledge, but as I said before, she did in the past."

"What about the changeling?" One of the griffons, Aldo, said. Ebony jumped - he and the others were so still and quiet they seemed to blend in against the tent. "Mirage, correct? I have not heard from him."

"He will live, fortunately," Luna replied. "His carapace was cracked, which I am told is severe, but he will make a full recovery."

"Fortunate for you, too," Celestia informed Nightmare Moon. "Because he has citizenship. Back to what I was saying, the Discordance Legislation affords some leniency to those that haven't murdered Equestrian citizens; that's why my sister and I decided to give Discord a chance of reformation.

"But at the same time, those crimes bring up something startling," Celestia gestured to Nightmare Moon. "The Nightmare Moon back then and the Nightmare Moon now are two different creatures."

Ebony blinked, surprised. "I... did not expect that."

"Wonder where she's going with this." Miasma murmured.

"The Nightmare Moon before, the one that I and the new Element Bearers banished with the Elements of Harmony, the one that sought eternal night and killed many ponies in cold blood. The Nightmare Moon now, the one standing before us, has not sought that and, again, to my knowledge, has not killed anyone aside from the human invaders. Instead, she seeks to rule Equestria by force but has clearly made efforts to ensure the land does not fall into anarchy. While I do not agree with her methods in doing so, there is a very clear moral and intelluctual distinction between what would undoubtedly harm all life in Equestria..."

She spread her left wing.

"And what she has done now."

She spread her right wing, then folded them both against her side.

"Furthermore, there is concrete evidence that the Nightmare Moon of today has some understanding of compassion and morality, the evidence not only being her relationship with Vinyl but her decision to keep us alive. Imprisoned but alive. In contrast, I remember very clearly that the Nightmare Moon in the past was trying her utmost to kill me."

She paused for a little while, letting her words sink in.

"It is my opinion that I... that all of us have ignored something crucial."

Nightmare Moon slowly looked up at Celestia, something like astonishment in her eyes.

Celestia breathed in and licked her lips. "Nightmare Moon, I kept telling myself that for you, mercy wasn't possible because of my prior experience. What you did to my sister, and then my student... it made it easy to hate you and rationalize that it was the best decision to kill you. Now, I'm not so sure."

The Element Bearers exploded with outrage. Twilight, admirably, did not react too strongly aside from a slight narrowing of her eyes. Luna calmed them down, but it was clear in her gaze that she was also questioning Celestia's remark.

"When you collapsed after finding Vinyl, it drove home to me that you really did care for her. All those interactions with her that Mirage relayed to us were genuine. And what you said about the Elements affecting you, about these feelings you've developed, and how you feel as if you've lost your drive, I think I'm beginning to understand you a little better."

Celestia took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly.

"Back then, I believe you were nothing but a single-minded demon driven by, essentially, what you were created for - domination. But now, you are something else, something that's only recently started to experience morality and empathy. It happened when you were blasted with the Elements a second time, didn't it?"

Nightmare Moon said nothing.

"Again, I have no idea why they didn't banish you as they did when I used them, or why you have a body of your own, but they didn't not affect you: they... well, it's like they tried to reform you. 'Tried' being the keyword here."

Nightmare Moon's shoulders tensed. "I hate that notion."

"But isn't this a good thing?" Celestia studied Nightmare Moon intensely. "If it's true, you have morality and empathy now; no longer are you just a single-minded demon. Now, you have the opportunity to reform when you otherwise wouldn't have had the capacity to."

"I don't want to be reformed!"

Nightmare Moon's voice rattled everyone; it wasn't gale-force wind like Celestia's, more like rolling thunder you could feel in your bones. Ebony shuddered as she saw her Empress' characteristic strength and will once more.

The Element Bearers flinched and prepared to leap into action. The Royal Guard moved in close with spears drawn. The griffons shifted anxiously; one of them, the sole female of the group, splayed her talon and summoned golden light that flickered over her hide. In the corner, Sunset Shimmer's mane seemed to writhe with blazing energy. Only Celestia, Luna, and Twilight remained unbothered by Nightmare Moon's snarling expression.

Gently, Twilight asked, "So, you do want something."

To Ebony's dismay, that one remark seemed to hit a weak point; Nightmare Moon deflated, like all the air was being let out. Her lips slid back to cover her teeth, her eyes went dark, and her muscles turned to semi-solid fluid. Once more, she was lifeless and haggard.

"I don't know anymore."

Celestia started to reply, but somepony entered the tent; a grey pegasus with odd eyes. Ebony felt a heavy surge of alarm coming from Veil as the unfamiliar mare walked up to the princesses.

"That mare..." Veil shuddered.

Ebony watched as one of the pegasus' eyes lazily wandered about and frowned. "What about her?"

"She was in that big fight earlier. Kicked my butt seven ways to Sunday."

"... We're looking at the same mare, right?"

"Don't let those derp eyes fool you; she's got a mean right hook."

She decided not to question it. She'd seen stranger things.

"... Yes, yes - go and tell them we'll be there shortly. Thank you," Celestia sent the pegasus off with that enigmatic response, then addressed the entire room. “Due to an unforeseen development, we shall have a small recess. Let the accused be placed back into isolation for their own safety and the safety of everyone else. We will reconvene in an hour.”

"This is rather sudden," Haze huffed. "Considering the gravitas of this trial, I would think that-"

"You shall have the chance to speak your mind once we return," Luna interjected with a stern scowl. "Do not waste your breath."

Haze's face soured with scorn, but he gave the slightest of nods. "As you say."

Ebony felt a lump of ice settle in her stomach when she saw Nightmare Moon not even twitch an eye as Luna walked over and lit her horn, wrapping them both in blue light. As they disappeared in a flash, Celestia and some guards herded her and her friends back to the tent’s entrance.

“Okay, so... what exactly happened back there?” Fade grumbled. "Like, everyone said a whole bunch of things, but I'm still lost.

"It seems that this whole scenario isn't as straightforward as we thought," Haze replied. "It's not a sentencing, thank goodness, but I can't call it a trial, not a proper one. We have no lawyers, no jury - some of that can be explained by the chaos of recent events, but even so..."

Ebony sensed his confusion. "Are you okay?"

"I'm quite irate at how the Empress has allowed herself to fall so low, but Celestia's behaviour concerns me; she seems almost desperate to prove that the Empress is capable of reformation."

As they approached the exit and the guards parted the tent flaps, the brief opening allowing a sudden wave of jeers and insults. Fade, being the first in front, was also the first to recieve the full brunt.

“Oh, great – the masses are riled up. Yeah, yeah, rabble fucking rabble to you, too.”

“However, I would just like to say that I think we did well considering the circumstances,” Haze said. “There were some... how does the expression go? There were some 'curveballs' thrown around, but don't let them shake you.”

Veil murmured, "Told ya she was a demon."

Ebony sighed. "Not now, please."

"We have an hour to regroup and discuss our next step," Haze said. "I was thinking that we may be able to claim that we were coerced into this situation much like how the Empress took control of Luna - that may elicit a sympathetic response. However, I would need some quality-acting from all of you."

"I'm good at that." Miasma droned.

"I... suppose? I can't tell if you're joking, that's for certain."

Ebony was the last one through the flaps. Before she left, she stole one last glance over her shoulder at where Nightmare Moon stood.

‘I know you’re still in there somewhere. Please fight back!’

Then, she walked out into the crowd and was splattered with a half-rotten tomato.

Author's Notes:

Note 1: The Discordance Legislation was established in 5 AD (After Discord) by the newly formed Equestrian Diarchy. The Legislation is a document that expressly forbids the application of magic in ways reminscent of Discord. The document also serves as a guide to address and deal with hostile entities of considerable magical aptitude, which may not possess the sentience, morality, and reasoning necessary for an official trial to take place under Equestrian Law.

For a citizen of Equestria to violate the Legislation is grounds for arrest and questioning, but judgement is not passed until a figure in a high enough position in the Equestrian Government (Princess, Royal Court Member, Mayor) is present to assess the situation and react appropriately.

In one case in a rural settlement, a Want it-Need it spell was cast on an inanimate object with no precautions and failsafes placed prior, and without the consent or knowledge of the general population. Princess Celestia addressed the issue personally:

"... due to the small-scale of the incident and the lack of injured parties, I have decided to pardon the perpetrator with a stern warning. The investigator, Blue Book, will refrain from further investigation and will return to his duties." - Excerpt from a letter written by Princess Celestia.

"... personal student does not grant leniency and freedom which can be abused by a naive mind." - Excerpt from a letter written by Blue Book, a high-ranking guard who investigates breaches of the Discordance Legislation.

"A mind you just so happen to be jealous of." - Full letter written by Princess Celestia.