The War Diaries of Countess Sweet Bun, New Lunar Republic

by CountDerpy

Betrayal: Entry 169-171

There has been no war without atrocity. War is atrocity, pure and simple: only greed, nationalism and faith help us pretend otherwise.

MICHAEL MARSHALL

Blood of Angels

---

This wait is killing me.

How do you prepare yourself to talk to the ruler of an entire nation during the height of a war preparation? Every creature is so on edge right now, or at least they would be if most of them hadn’t seemed more excited than they had ever been. The halls are brimming with activity. Letters fly by at light speed, soldiers in full armor run around like children ready for a day of play. Some are polishing their weapons, repairing guns or practicing defensive spells. Even the commanders are out in force.

Red Flux is looking as menacing as ever. Even back in my guard days they were known as quite the force, a being of sheer will and focus unmatched by any in the Guard. I fear them, but I respect them greatly for their service. The Red General, a name I gave them as a play on the Night Guard’s name of Red Menace, was less of a sign of respect now but more of a truth.

Grey was also running about. They are one of the most trusted of Celestia’s Advisory Council, practically nobility in function without the title to force them to actually deal with the rest of the nobility. I had talked to them several times during functions I catered and just around the palace on my various trips through the halls. They were a good soul, well spoken and thoughtful. Seeing them in a panicked state is upsetting, a smile better suits someone like them. I wonder how Lightpoint is doing as well, he is another of Celestia's close advisors. Poor stallion must have his mind racing a million miles a second trying to sort through this mess. At least I know Celestia is well and safe with folks like them around.

Getting an audience with the Princess in this state took about as much effort as I expected, I wasn’t the only other noble trying to speak with her. Luckily, while my title doesn’t carry weight with it enough to supersede military protections, Celestia’s appetite for sweets is a much better way through. I made sure to bring a box of muffins and a small cake with me when I left the bakery, now it’s just the waiting game.

I can hear the various guards talking about the attack. A small group of Night Guards had broken through the enchantments guarding Celestia by force and stormed her chambers. Two of her personal guards had been killed in the small skirmish. In the hours since then, most of the Night Guard had vanished, Princess Luna was nowhere to be seen as well. The ones who hadn’t fled were captured and taken to the dungeons.

If they knew I had served under Luna, would they lock me away as well? Would they even let me see Celestia? My loyalties lie in both, but when I can hear them talk about my brethren as traitors who should be captured or worse, my breath catches. I know most of these creatures roaming the halls, at least in passing. Would they kill me? Would Grey, the wondrous soul they are, call me a traitor as well?

In a way they aren’t wrong. The risk to my life with that knowledge over my head is too large for me to ignore. I had intended originally to just speak with her as a friend, make sure she was safe and contest the invocation of my oath. Now another path is in my mind. I need to find Luna, try to talk her out of whatever madness has her in it’s grips. But to do so I will have to do something very few had ever dared to try with the Royals, not even Princess Twilight would do so lightly.

The part of my Oath I have given to Celestia, I need break it.

May the Sisters have mercy on my soul.

-Diary of Countess Sweet Bun, Entry 169. Hour 9 of the War.

---

Celestia is a mare I have looked up to as an equal to her sister, as a brilliant and kind ruler, and as a close and true friend over the years. I could never wish to hurt her even in my darkest of nightmares. Yet today I have.

Forgive me if I wax poetically this time. I feel like I will have a lot of empty time on my hooves for the foreseeable future.

The Hall of Storied Glass had been turned from a tranquil stretch of marble leading to the thrones into a sort of impromptu situation room. Generals barked their words of troop deployment and strategies to one another, advisors scrambled to comb through every form of legal documentation and triple checking it all. At the head of it all, Celestia sat silently upon the throne. Gone was the royal regalia that glinted softly in the fair sunlight, in its place was golden armor turning every bit of light into a dazzling sunbeam. The only thing darkening it was her face. No smile, none of the softness I had experienced from her even in her frustrations. It was stern, sharp and pained.

I had been led to the throne by two guards, helping to part the sea of frantic activity. I was expecting some sort of reaction to my arrival, a friendly smile at least no matter how small it may have been.

“Speak, Countess. As you can see, the situation is quite dire at the moment and my time to talk is short.”
I could tell she didn’t intend for it to be said harshly, but the gravity of the situation required it of her. I passed along my offering of sweets to her, and she graciously accepted it with the same stern look never leaving her face.

I had to steady myself. I could feel the tears, the very embodiment of the pain in my soul for what I was about to do, welling up at the corners of my eyes. I did my best to fight them down, I knew at the time it was better to keep a brave and calm face in a room of soon to be enemies in name alone. And so I spoke, the words still clear as day in my head now as they were then.

“I have come before you to renounce my Oath of Loyalty to the Throne of the Sun.”

You could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed. I could feel every eye in the room drilling into me in shock and hate, as if I had stepped up to the throne and slapped her across the face. Even her stern expression faltered for a fleeting moment.

I steeled myself as I spoke on, ready at any moment for one of the guards to tackle me to the ground or place a blade to my neck. I made my words clear and concise, no one else in the room would care to hear about my worries for Luna so I left emotion out of it. I spoke of how my years of service to the Night would not allow me to fight for the Day, how my loyalty will always reside in Luna alone until the bitter end, and asked for forgiveness. All of it lies under a thin veneer of truth.

“Is this how you truly feel?” She asked. I just gave her a nod in reply, though it too was a lie. I could see something behind her eyes in that moment, they looked hurt and angry at my words, but it was the understanding behind them that stood out.

The room erupted into calls for my head, for being a traitor and having the gall to say it to the Princess’ face. Some even moved to draw their weapons before a voice that could shake mountains drowned them all out in a call for silence.

“Your words have been heard, Sweet Bun. I thank you for being forthcoming.” I watched her steady her breath, but it came out in a shudder of sadness, the desire for other words coming through. A quick glance to the angry faces around me would not let any other words leave her lips. “The crime for them, however, cannot be changed in a time like this. High Treason to the Throne. Guards, remand her to a cell in the dungeons. I will speak to her personally when a sentence has been decided. No word of this shall be spoken outside this Hall.”

And that’s how we wound up here, little book. Hooves and wings bound in iron cuffs and chains, I’m lucky to have enough freedom of movement to even write. The guards sneer at me and throw around terrible terrible names in my direction as they make their rounds. They don’t phase me, really. No, the pain I undoubtedly caused Celestia is what is eating at me like a carnivorous Parasprite.

I wasn’t lying when I considered her a friend. There had been many afternoons where we would talk while she tried out a new tea cake she requested. We shared stories, complained about the annoyances of nobility, and talked long about life in our humble nation. All it took to ruin it was a handful of words spoken at one of the toughest moments of her life, giving my loyalty to the sister that had by all accounts tried to have her killed.

I feel terrible about it, god awful. I can barely write without having to turn my eyes away from the page to keep the tears from staining it. Hurting a friend is never a good thing, even if in my heart it truly felt like the right thing to do. Luna needs me just as much if not more than Celestia does right now, she needs a friend to cut through all this madness. As much as I would cherish standing by Celestia’s side, the lengths that Luna went to to help me in the darkest moments of my life was the end of the discussion. She was there for me then, I needed to be there for her now.

It’s been hours now. I do not know when or if Celestia will come, I would not fault her for not coming to hand the news of my long term imprisonment or execution in person. If she does, I hope I get the chance to explain myself in a way I couldn’t around the noise of a war room. To truly apologize for the words I spoke.

I pray she will hear me out.

-Diary of Countess Sweet Bun, Entry 170. Hour 13 of the War.

---

I do not have much time, things are happening so quickly I can barely process them. Just a quick entry in case I do not reach my destination.

I’ve been flying for 4 hours now as fast as I can. Celestia herself let me out of the dungeons, told me to flee Canterlot as quickly as I could. I’ll have more time to explain when I reach my destination.

I’m heading to the Everfree Forest near Ponyville, I assume that’s where the rest of the Night Guard has fled too, and hopefully Luna herself.

Celestia declared a state of martial law under the old banner of the ancient Solar Empire. The streets and skies will soon be flooded with soldiers, I have to keep moving. 27 miles down and another 56 to go before I reach the Everfree, who knows how many more searching for signs of life.

If I happen to lose my life during this escape, please bury me somewhere warm and give this journal to Celestia.

-Diary of Countess Sweet Bun, Entry 171. Hour 19 of the War.

Author's Note:

Event Players Mentioned in these entries:

Red Flux - Red Flux
GreytheFirst - Grey
Toastypk - Lightpoint