Deep within Griffon lands, going deep into a cave which towards the secret exit revealed a large castle in the center. Inside down the halls with the many rooms it has, the remnants of the Lunar Guard continue to patrol the hallways, the armor from a millenia ago still in use today. Two walked past the doors of the grand ballroom, which inside had an ecstatic Pinkie Pie jumping around cheerfully around the tables of sweets. The two guards inside with her stood idly by the door, staring ahead and trying to ignore the pink pony's antics, one of them being surrounded by silly string and the other having a cupcake on his head.
"Why so serious!? Loosen up and enjoy!" Yelled out Pinkie as she jumped out through the open doors that lead to the large garden where the rest of the mane six were.
Applejack was at the far end of the garden looking at the apple trees that she had never seen before, knocking some down and trying a few. She didn't know what kind of apples they were, but they were very tasty. Rainbow Dash, within the allowed perimeter, soared high along the tangled branches of the trees, trying to stay far away from the bat ponies that were instructed to follow her if she decided to fly. Though they weren't as fast as her, they were still able to keep up the stamina. Rarity sat on the table with an assortment of gems and others, examining them all as they looked much different from the ones she would find back home. Spike sat across her, mouth watering but waiting for Rarity to finish looking. Fluttershy, at the other end of the garden, rested by the river with a few daisies in her hair. Around her, the birds and other critters relaxed along with her. All of them were enjoying their stay, treating it all as if they were on vacation.
Except Twilight, who was not among them but instead at the library looking through all the books which she had not seen before. Some of the books she went through which she had back home did not match what she read. Most regarding history having different descriptions. She groaned as she heard Pinkie's laughter. She soon made her way out of the library and towards the grand ballroom. Through there, she went outside, seeing all her friends. "How can you all be so calm!?" Exclaimed Twilight. "Did you forget that we're prisoners!?"
"Oh come now Twilight, with how we are treated I really doubt we are at all," said Rarity, using her magic to raise up a gem and giving it to Spike.
"Uh-huh, then why can't we leave?" Questioned Twilight.
Rainbow Dash came down next to her, the guards that followed her flying elsewhere. "Don't know, but the guards here do know how to make a workout challenging."
"And the delicious sweets!" Pinkie said.
"You gotta try out the apples here!" Applejack yelled out from the distance.
Twilight groaned. "Girls! We need to find a way to escape this place so we can go back home!"
"Twilight Sparkle," called out a guard, she turning to face him. "The princess has granted your request of an audience. Follow me."
"About time," she said walking towards the guard. "I'll get to the bottom of this."
She followed not too far behind the guard that led her through the hallways of the castle, seeing the different artworks that the castle has to offer. The guard soon stopped in front of two large doors and turned to face her.
"You may enter the throne-room when ready," he said before walking away.
Twilight took a deep breath, calming herself and reminding her the objectives she needed to fulfill so she and her friends can leave this place. Who knows what could be happening in Equestria. With her magic, she slowly opened the door, walking inside gasping and seeing the glass artworks around her. The different colors being shined down from the light of the sun. Towards the end of the room revealed a glass artwork of a large moon, in the center it being Princess Luna with her wings open and eyes closed. And over above her was what looked to be a creature looking down at her, wearing what looked to be a bronze helmet. Below it all was a knelt down a petite creature in a dress, who in which stood up extending its dark-blue wings before closing it, turning around and revealing it to have the same eye color and hair like Luna's, and in contrast with all the blue, her skin was pale.
Twilight couldn't help but be in awe. "W-who are you?" She asked. The creature raised her hand, it glowing as her magic closed the large doors, startling Twilight. "How..."
"I believe you wished to have an audience with me." The creature lowered her hand, the other pushing back the braided part of her hair. "I am Selena Xenagoras, daughter of Sparta and Night." She walked towards Twilight, who was slowly backing away.
"Sparta? Night?" Twilight questioned. "Impossible. You cannot be the daughter of Princess Luna. She was banished to the moon for over a thousand years, not to mention that interspecies offspring is highly unlikely."
"Think through this, Twilight Sparkle. I believe you know more than you say," said Selena.
Twilight's flank touched the door, startling her as she thought back to what Selena said. The name Sparta kept being repeated. Sparta. Sparta. She thought hard through her past memories, soon remembering the story she read back when she was little. And the picture… Her eyes had widened. Why didn't I realize all this time!? "No, I don't believe it," she said.
"Denial of the truth only makes you more ignorant like Celestia before it unravels violently." Selena turned around and walked away from Twilight. "Before you, before my mother was banished, she and my father had me and my brother Deimos with the help of much magic. Aye, we look much like our father, us being human, but the alicorn characteristics blended in with our humanness." She again expanded her wings. "As you had just seen."
Twilight started to follow Selena, now wishing to understand what she was denying. Did Celestia, her teacher, her influence, teach her wrong? "So the magic…"
"From my mother. Deimos did not inherit such ability, instead being talented with the blade, just like our father," said Selena, looking up to the glass artwork with the large moon.
"Aniketos," started Twilight, "That was your father's name." She stood to the side of Selena.
Selena looked down to Twilight. "Aye. Though his strictfulness was tough, through living in this world of Equestria, he learned to be compassionate."
The two stood idly near each other, looking towards the glass. Twilight was trying to make sense of everything, what she had learned clashing with what is being said now. And the books she read here not helping to make her understand. "But why? Celestia would never do such an extreme act such as this without good reason. Or any reason at all."
"You mean her killing my father."
Twilight nodded. "Taking a life is not her."
Selena sighed, and with a flick of her finger, a door to the side began to open. "Follow me," she said, walking towards the opening.
Twilight followed close behind, walking down the steps as they went lower. Soon they reached the end, Selena opening the door and motioning her to enter first. She walked in, and there she saw the large stone room only being lit up by the torches that were placed on the side of the walls. There on both sides stood two statues of what looked to be humans, Twilight walking up to them and seeing the distinctions of the two. The left one looked to be of the opposite gender, the statue having her on both knees holding a spear with both hands. The right, it was in the same position, only he held the handle of the sword. Both looked down, which angled towards where they were buried. "They're not…"
"They're humans from after my father. The left, her name was Adallindis Isa, and to the right, Godwin Beaumont. They were sent to the Griffons after they were killed, as part of the agreement between Celestia and them to keep us humans a secret. Little did she know, Deimos would discover this and bring them here." She looked down again to Twilight. "Do you know who did this?"
"It couldn't have been Celestia. It just couldn't have." Twilight didn't want to believe it. What she wanted to accomplish before being here, was pushed away by much of what was being revealed to her. The books she read, the stories Celestia told her. Were they all meaningless?
"Adallindis was slain by Celestia after she was protecting Queen Chrysalis from fatal harm." She looked towards Godwin's statue. "Godwin was killed by Celestia's orders after he brought back, I believe, a 'Mi Amore Cadenza' to Canterlot after rescuing her from danger."
"I remember something about that. But it was my brother Shining Armor who rescued Cadence. My brother told me a creature was holding her captive and he-" She stopped mid-sentence, realizing what Selena was saying.
What Twilight had said surprised Selena, she not knowing that somepony else was involved. "Interesting…"
"No. No! My brother did not do this! He would never do this!" Twilight took a few steps back. "Do not change the topic to your lies and try to push it onto me! I demand you to release my friends and I from your captivity!"
"Do not let your mind be clouded from what is and isn't true Twilight Sparkle. If everything is a lie, how did all of this, how did I, come to exist?" Selena approached Twilight. "Search your feelings, clear your mind from Celestia's change of history."
"Shut up! I don't care! Just let us go!"
"I cannot!" Her voice boomed. "My brother instructed me to keep you six here. He did not answer why, but knew that you would have reacted fast to Celestia's aid without knowing the truth. So I made a false signal that required all of you in order to keep you safe from my brother's wrath."
"You are causing more harm than good than keeping us here!" Twilight slammed her hoof down. "By Tartarus, we're not your guests, we're your prisoners!"
"Would prisoners be allowed this much freedom given to them!? My brother had prepared dungeons for each one of you but I instructed that you all be given your own rooms, well made food, and much freedom to roam around the land here. How dare you spit on my attempt of hospitality for you and your friends."
"I demand you to let my friends and I go."
Selena sighed, knowing there was nothing to be done. "You and your friends will remain here until my brother's plan is complete. Guards!" Four guards appeared almost instantaneously, standing at attention. "Take our guest back to the library. She has much history to relearn."
"And for the others?" One of them asked.
"Let them be."
Twilight was surrounded by the four guards; she knew that their meeting was finished. "Princess Luna would not tolerate such a thing happening."
"Do not act as if my mother has returned from her banishment."
"And you too are also at fault for not knowing your history because Luna has returned. She has been in Equestria for years now!"
"Enough! Take her away!" The four guards started moving, escorting Twilight up the stairs and soon out the door, leaving Selena alone as she was not too far behind, walking back to the glass artwork. She looked up to it, pondering if what Twilight had said was true. "You no longer speak, mother. Is what Twilight said true?" She asked quietly, receiving no response.
Now in the library, Twilight yelled out in frustration. "This is such horseapples!" She yelled out, backhoofing a stack of books. She looked out the window, seeing her friends enjoying their time even though they were prisoners. It must be her magic making them so calm, she thought. She rested at her spot before leaving, surrounded by the many books she had gone through, the same she had gone through back in Equestria, but difference being it all first editions. And from her knowledge, were deemed to be lost in time. History of Equestria, Valor of the Lunar Guard, and many more historic books and folklore that had any reference of the Lunar Guard, the human Aniketos, and the detailed information about the Equestrian-Empire War from when Sombra threaten Equestria. Along with books about the Griffon-Empire War which had multiple references about Aniketos.
"It really can't be true. Nothing she said can be true." She said to herself, looking through a journal written by a Griffon named Garrett who fought along with the human. She did not know what to make of it, everything that she looked through. I don't want to believe it, she thought, but everything told her otherwise.
She got up and returned to the window, looking up seeing the shade of orange peeping through the tangled branches of the covered sky, she believed it to be sunset. She thought of her friends, her mind telling her that they don't need to know about this; this conflict of what was true and what was just a delusion. About Celestia's past, and about Shining Armor's involvement in one of her actions. Everything was brought into question. Oh brother, if what happened is true, she thought, Why? Why commit to such acts?
