Movements of the Pastby RJ17BoyChaptersPrologueChapter 1: A StatementChapter 2: ReactionsPrologueThe ponies of Equestria gathered in the capitol city of Canterlot just outside of the white stone castle. With its towering heights, pure shades of white and its roll of holding the national government, few could question why it was the dominant feature of the city, perhaps even all of Equestria itself. Even the residence of the city, who see this building daily, still marvel at the engineering masterpiece their ancestors created. Word spread throughout the region that the princesses were holding a ceremony at the castle. However, no pony knew what the purpose of the ceremony was except that it had never been performed in centuries. Some speculated that Celestia would be stepping down from power, while others believed a new princess would be coronated. A few seemed to spread the idea that one of the princesses was having a child and that they would present the baby. In the end, most ponies seemed to agree that this ceremony was not going to happen again, even within the life of their great grandchildren. Behind the castle stood the rest of the mountain that the city was built upon. Very few cities were ever built aside a mountain, and none ever came close to the size of Canterlot. While the city would look splendid anywhere else, this distinct feature enhanced the beauty and dominance the city contained. In the rocky slope, two ponies were there undetected from the residence of Equestria observing the activity below them. One had a pair of binoculars in his hooves and was able to see the city with crisp detail as if he was in the city itself. He did so in confusion as to why everypony was so wound up. “Why are all them folks so excited?” he asked his colleague with a hint of a country accent in his voice as he lay on the rocks. “I don’t know” the stallion replied with a voice that sounded steady with a slight authoritative tone to it. He was standing on his hind hooves with his back against the rocks letting them carry most of his weight. He couldn’t see the city with the same amount of detail, but he had a relatively good idea as to what the area looked like. “Looks like their leaders are going to give some kind of speech or something” he speculated. “Probably going to be more propaganda to please the masses if you ask me, but I can’t say for sure.” “Yea” the other pony snickered. “They be tell’n lies to all them ponies ever since they’ve been in power. Wonder what lies they’ll say next.” “Wish I knew” the standing pony said as he shrugged. “Kinda wish I was in the crowd right know so I could hear the chatter. I can’t hear anything out here except for you and the wind.” “Now we both know why that can’t happen” the stallion explained. “The second you show your face, they’ll be takin’ ya to a place where you’ll never see the light of day again.” “Maybe” he replied indifferently. “Maybe no pony will know who I am. Maybe I can just walk right on into the city, get into the crowd and blend in like any other pony there. Hiding with the masses is the best way to get information… so I’ve been told.” His colleague put down his binoculars and gave him a concerned look. “Sounds like you’ve been questioning what boss has been tell’n ya. I told you, that’s not healthy for ya; it’ll get ya killed someday.” “I’m not blind friend” he said collectively. “I know how far I can push my luck without falling over the edge. This is just a small step; It’s not gonna harm me.” “Say that now and you’ll push it even farther next time” he retorted, “and if you don’t fall over then, you’ll keep pushin’ it until you do fall off the cliff. I’m tell’n ya, quit now before the effects become permanent.” The stallion chuckled. “Alright. I’ll stop, just so you won’t have to worry about me.” “Good” he said, though he didn’t sound convinced. “Now get those eyes back on the crowd” he ordered. “We don’t want something important to happen and we missed it because we were arguing.” The two ponies gazed back at the crowd. While the one stallion could only guess as to what was going on, the one with the binoculars had a clear view of the crowd as they waited for something to happen. Both of them could sense the crowd’s anticipation building up, even though their patience was slowly drifting away. Several minutes passed and the stallion with the binoculars decided to go “sight-seeing” to past the time. The other one watched for guards, though he believed the odds of getting caught were next to none. “Damn, those mares look good” the pony lying on the ground said as he caught a glimpse of high society ponies in his vision. “Oh brother” his partner said annoyingly realizing what his colleague was up to. “What?” he said childishly. “You wouldn’t be lookin’ at mares? We’ve been here too long without seeing anything exciting happen. Besides, they don’t compare to the beauty of the princesses. I’ve only seen them once before but oh, if I had the chance, I would definitely-” His partner smacked him aside his head before he could finish his thought. “Just because I know you well enough to know what you’re thinking” he stated, “doesn’t mean I want to hear those thoughts come out of your mouth.” The stallion rubbed the back of his head and was about to complain when they heard the faint sound of cheering coming from the city. Both of them knew that if they were able to hear sounds of the crowds from out here, something big was going on. The ponies quickly scanned the crowds and the castle to see what was happening. “What’s going on?” he standing pony asked as they continued to scan the area. “Give me a minute” his partner replied impatiently as he struggled to find the source of the commotion. His binoculars eventually found the castle terrace and saw the princesses addressing the crowd. However, he couldn’t help but notice something was… off, though he wasn’t sure why. “What did Firestone say about them princesses besides them havin’ wings and horns?” he asked his partner as he tried to figure out what was wrong. “Well,” he replied, “there’s the white one, Princess Celestia, who rules over Equestria by day and ‘raises’ the sun. There’s the dark blue one, Princess Luna, younger sister of Celestia who rules the kingdom at night and ‘raises’ the moon. And there’s the pink one, Princess Cadence. Intelligence is limited as to what she does, but she occasionally goes up north and has some ability to manipulate the power of love… if you can believe that.” The pony on the ground waited a moment anticipating him to say something else. “That’s it?” he asked as he realized the other pony had nothing else to say. “That’s a summary of it.” The stallion was still perplexed since the answer did nothing to resolve the issue. “Sure he didn’t mention anything ‘bout a purple one?” “What are you talking about?” he asked as he raised an eyebrow. “There’s a purple one at the end of the terrace” he explained, “talkin’ to the subjects right now. You know I haven’t been doin’ much spyin’ before, but she don’t match any of the ponies Firestone told us to look out for. The thing is, she has wings and a horn, but only the princesses are supposed to have them. Least that’s what I’ve been told.” “Let me see” he said as he took the binoculars from his country accent partner and began scanning the area. “She’s also wearing a fancy dress of some sort. Looks too complicated for my likin’. If ya ask me, no-pony should be wearin’ clothes unless they need’m for work. They look better that way.” “If you’re going to make this thought per-” his partner began to reply when he stopped in disbelief as he saw the purple coted mare his partner just described. “Well” he said curiously, “what do we have here?” “Don’t tell me ya think she looks good in that dress” he began to protest only to realize his partner wasn’t paying attention. “So, the princesses decided to create another one of their own?” the pony said to no one in particular. “This is going to make things… interesting back home.” “Good interesting” his partner asked, “er bad?” “I would think both” he replied playfully, “but we’ll have to wait and see.” There was a pause as the two processed what this event would lead to. The thought of a new princess was not new since the arrival of Princess Cadence and Luna happened within their lifetimes. However, unlike the previous princesses, this one didn’t seem like it had any build up leading towards it leaving both of them concerned. “Want me to take her out?” the country pony offered. “Ya know I can easily eliminate her without much effort. Even got the gear hidden at the base of the mountain.” The stallion contemplated the offer. He knew his partner well, but was he willing to risk their cover in order to do so? “I know you can kill her with ease” he replied, “but I don’t think now is the time to do it. Best to let things settle down and think it through so we don’t react too quickly and mess something up.” The stallion sighed deeply at the missed opportunity. He didn’t agree with the decision, but he understood why he made it. “So what do ya want to do?” “Get your gear and contact Firestone. He may not be at the top of command, but he’ll know how to handle the situation properly.” He nodded. “You comin’?” “In a bit. I want to be sure the princesses don’t have any other tricks up their snouts before we leave.” “Yes sir” he said as got up and started climbing down the side of the mountain. As his partner climbed, the other pony put down the binoculars and began to wonder why these events were the way they were. “I hope you thought this through princess” he said out loud, “because something tells me you just made a big mistake.” Author's Note Feel free to leave criticism in the comments down below. The only bad feedback you can give is when you have some to give and choose not to leave it. Chapter 1: A StatementIt has been three days since Twilight Sparkle’s coronation was held and in those three days, celebration occurred. Feasts were held with delicacies from all over Equestria lining across the room. Activities, ranging from dancing to games and gossip, went on throughout the castle. Fireworks went off every hour, illuminating the sky with an array of lights, leaving all who saw in awe. Ponies from all walks of life attended these events, forming bonds that would last a lifetime, so long as the universe permitted it. As for Twilight, not only did she attend these festivities with her friends, she learned some basic lessons on the royal courts and proper etiquette from the princesses themselves. She also attended a private flying lesson with the best flyers in Equestria: the Wonderbolts. Being a good friend, she allowed Rainbow Dash to attend this lesson and couldn’t help but snicker every time she freak out over hanging with her idols. Alas, these times were coming to an end, and the responsibilities of royalty would soon be putting Twilight to the test. It was dark out as the princesses stood near the back of the throne room in their elegant outfits. The room was littered with decorations, once enhancing its appearance, that now detract from the beauty of the grand room. The last of the guests had left moments ago and preparations for cleaning the castle were about to begin. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this” Cadence said, “but I’m glad that the celebrations are over.” “Are you kidding me?” Twilight said in disbelief. “I wish this celebration would last another day or two! I mean the food, the music, and the games. All of it was spectacular!” “Perhaps” Luna implied, “but it’s better to end an event on a high note rather than dragging it out and end on a sour one. Besides, most of our staff is exhausted after three days of work, and I think they deserve a break sooner rather than later.” “I suppose your right” Twilight conceded as staff entered the room and began cleaning. Most of the staff tried to look professional as they did their job, but it was clear to everypony that they were running on fumes. Twilight wanted to help and was about to volunteer when Celestia addressed her. “We’re so proud of you and what you’ve been able to accomplish” she said in an enthusiastic tone. “I’ve taught many students as I’ve ruled over these lands, and while many of them were superb, none were as good as you.” Twilight began to blush. Luna chuckled. “That’s nothing to be embarrassed about dear. To be deemed worthy of being a princess is an honor. The qualifications of such a title are high and very few are able to meet those requirements.” “I know” Twilight replied. “It’s just, the thought of… being a princess. It never came across my mind until you, Celestia, made me one.” “I see” Celestia acknowledged. “But that only makes you more worthy of being one.” Twilight looked at Celestia in confusion. “But-” “Ponies who do tasks in order to rise in the ranks” Celestia explained, “are not as worthy as those who do so out of selflessness. You may have done something’s because I asked you to yes, but you have done so many more for the sake knowledge and out of selflessness. While many stood idly by, you went out and did something.” A small smile broke on Twilight’s face. “But I’ve made so many mistakes, and I still don’t know nearly as much as you three do.” “As your former foal sitter” Cadence said, “I watched you grow up and learn so many things with joy and ease while others cringed and struggled. From what the others have told me, you still possess that same attitude. I think we can all agree that you should have no problem learning about the many new things you’ll encounter.” “Regarding your past mistakes” Luna said, “I wouldn’t worry too much about them. We’re all bound to make mistakes at some point or another. What’s important is not that you make a mistake or two, but that you’re learned from them.” “Your letters are proof that you are learning from your mistakes” Celestia said, “and so long as you continue to do so, you are worthy of your rank.” Twilight looked like she was about to cry. Their reassurance was comforting to her and while she didn’t feel fully worthy of her new position, she could understand why she was there. As the staff continued to clean the room, the massive golden doors opened revealing a royal guard. “Princess Celestia” she said as she galloped towards the princesses. Her sudden appearance caught almost everypony off-guard including the princesses. As the princesses turned their focus on the guard, she saluted them and said, “Ambassador Griffonsworth is here to speak with you.” “Really?” Celestia questioned. “She’s not supposed to come back for another six months. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing of course.” She looked at Twilight who was attempting to comprehend what the significance of an event like this was. “Perhaps we can test some of your societal skills and let you learn the art of diplomacy at the same time.” Twilight nodded in agreement. She then addressed the guard. “Send her in.” The guard shook her head. “She wishes to speak to you and you alone princess.” The princesses looked at each other with confusion at the request. Normally, diplomats would rather have the company of a small audience and other leaders, so such a request was unusual, especially from an ally. “Did she say why she wanted to speak to her alone?” Luna asked as the last of the cleaning staff slowly left the room. “No princess” the guard replied. “Just that she requires Celestia’s attention as soon as she’s available.” An uneasy feeling began to fill the air as the princesses tried to figure out what this could mean. “I see” Celestia said. “Where is she now?” “At the city entrance princess. We offered to escort her to the castle, but she insisted that she stay outside the city.” Such behavior was unusual from an ordinary citizen, but a high ranking official doing so was especially out of the ordinary. Celestia though about this for a moment. “Go on ahead and tell her I’ll be on my way.” “Yes princess” the guard replied. “Do you want your guards waiting for you?” Celestia shook her head. “That won’t be necessary.” The guard saluted her once again before heading out of the room. Silence filled the room as the princesses struggled to interpret what all of this was supposed to mean. Never before has a diplomat made such a request. Even diplomats from countries that have poor relationships with Equestria have not made such notions before. “Do you think she’s up to something?” Cadence asked as the silence dragged on. “She visited the Crystal Empire a few weeks ago and she wasn’t acting like this.” “I don’t think she’s up to anything mischievous” Celestia replied. “She’s helped improve our relationship with the Griffon Kingdom in recent years. It wouldn’t make sense for her to suddenly ruin the relationship she’s worked so hard to build up.” “Still” Luna said, “why would she want a private talk? If she wants to have an honest conversation, she should want to talk to all of us.” Celestia shrugged. “We’ll just have to ask her ourselves, or at least I need to ask her that.” The room once again fell silent as Celestia waited for any other comments from the princesses. When none came, she said, “Well, guess I better talk to her and see what she wants.” “Yea” Twilight said in a concerned voice. “Hope things go well.” Celestia chuckled. “Don’t worry about me. I may be over a thousand years old, but I can hold my own if I have to.” “*cough*Changelings*cough*” Cadence said as she remembered what happened to Celestia on the day of her wedding. Celestia acted as if she didn’t hear that. “Why don’t you two go over with Twilight some of the things we’ve taught her while I’m gone, you know, just to make sure she hasn’t forgotten anything?” Twilight shrugged. “I see no harm in it” she said. “Just don’t keep us waiting all night if you don’t have to” Luna inquired. “I don’t want to stay in here all night only to learn you did something other than talk politics with Griffonsworth.” Celestia laughed. “Not likely to happen.” She started to walk out of the room when she shouted, “Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone ok?” The golden doors closed shut behind her leaving behind the three princesses in the towering room. While the city was a dominant landmark by day, the moonlight made Canterlot a spectacle to behold. The city lights shined on the classic buildings allowing each structure to illuminate its own shade of color. While the view should have been chaotic, the colors somehow manage to organize together and create a beautiful collage that stimulated the eyes. The castle, however, was a separate jewel from the city. Even though little light was directed at the castle, it seemed to illuminate the city in its own magical light and could have been mistaken as being separate from the city entirely. Many have tried to recreate this feat, but no one was able to pull it off the same way the castle was able to. Celestia walked down the city streets as she recalled the history of the buildings around her. She has been impressed with how much change has happened over the years and can only imagine what changes will come in the following years. The city contains many memories as she recalls the various acts leading to kindness, deception, and sadness as she took each step. Occasionally, these thoughts become unbearable, but she learned how to cope with these emotions, and has acted like nothing has happened. The city entrance got closer and closer as one hoof walked in front of the other. All that was there was a wooden guard post on either side of the road, a crossing gate in front of each post, and a guard stationed inside. As she walked across the stone arch bridge just before the entrance, she saw a large feathered creature waiting by the gate. She could see that it had large yellow talons, a muscular body, a brown bag strapped around its shoulders, and massive wings on its back. While the feathers on its body were brown, the ones on its head were greyish white which showed that the creature was beginning to age. When the creature turned its head, it revealed a large yellow beak with brown eyes that were surrounded with yellow eyelids that were slightly darker than its beak. “Ambassador Griffonsworth” Celestia said to the creature as if it were an old friend she hadn’t seen in a while. “Princess Celestia” Griffonsworth replied in a similar fashion. Her voice had a slight grittiness to it that the princess was all too familiar with ever since she took over as diplomat for her country so many years ago. “I’m glad you could arrive so quickly on such short notice. Sorry I couldn’t give you a warning earlier. Everything happened on such short notice that I didn’t have time to send you a letter.” Celestia chuckled as they stood on opposite sides of the gate. “Don’t worry about it. A friend of mine is always welcomed no matter the circumstances.” “Thanks.” “Why don’t you come with me to the castle and talk over some tea and snacks?” Celestia insisted. “You must be tired after your long trip and it’s only appropriate that I treat you well.” Griffonsworth shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. I appreciate your hospitality, but I don’t plan on staying here very long. If anything, I’m taking way too long as it is right now.” Celestia looked surprised. “I see” she insisted despite the confusion surrounding her mind. “So, what business does the Griffon Kingdom have to discuss with Equestria?” “I’m not acting as ambassador for the Griffon Kingdom on this trip” Griffonsworth said catching the ruler of Equestria off-guard. “I act as ambassador- well, more like courier really- for the Fifth Legion.” “The Fifth Legion?” Celestia said in a curious tone. “That name sounds familiar.” As she tried to remember what they were, the griffon went into her bag and pulled out a scroll. “They told me to send you this ‘treaty’ and ask that you reply to it as soon as possible. I haven’t looked at it yet so I can’t give you my opinion on it.” Celestia enveloped the scroll with her magic and brought it towards herself. “I question the word ‘treaty’ since they also told me that you’re only options are to accept the terms on it or not. Nothing in-between will be considered.” Celestia opened the letter and read it out loud: Princess Celestia, It appears as though your actions have caused quite a stir amongst us in our small nation. Your ‘coronation’ of a new princess has caused our council to become infuriated with you including myself. In doing so, you’ve deliberately broken the treaty our nations signed and its terms that we’ve agreed to. We were more than reasonable when Princess Cadence was born and we were more than understanding when Princess Luna returned. This time, however, I saw no reason to be merciful when your newest purple princess was crowned a few days ago. Fortunately for you, our council has decided to give yourself a chance at redemption and correct the foolish mistake you’ve made. Their terms are quite simple: get your new princess and undo the coronation so that she is no longer an ‘alicorn’ anymore. If you fail to agree to these requirements, then the council will declare war against your faction. You should still have a copy of that treaty so we see no reason why you’ve forgotten what terms we’ve agreed to. We expect a response from ambassador Griffonsworth within the week. Failure to respond will give the impression that you’ve rejected our terms and the consequences will be such. From Equestria’s Fifth “Forgotten” Legion, President Rosewood Celestia stared at the paper in disbelief as the name brought back memories that lay dormant in the back of her mind. “Wait, THAT Fifth Legion!?” she said not wanting her thoughts to be true. Her griffon friend shrugged. “I only know of the four legions your country possesses. We griffons have a fifth legion, but it protects our capital city and other important griffons. From what I can tell, this is either a terror group that has formed into a small city, or it has something to do with your legions in a time before my own.” “It’s the latter one I can assure you” she replied reassuringly. “How did you find them anyway?” The griffon smiled. “A friend of mine told me that the woods south of the Macintosh Hills are a good place to go hunting and perform other aerial maneuvers. She asked if I could map out the area for her when I told her I was going to explore the area for myself. I agreed and I just happened to encounter the legion and their city near the edge of the forest. I went over and got some supplies when they gave me a diplomatic task. I thought it was easy so I took it and now I’m here.” Celestia seemed satisfied with that answer. “I see...” “Funny how things turn out don’t you think?” They both laughed at the remark. Neither party spoke as they waited for the other to speak up. Both sides wanted to ask questions, though they were unsure if the other knew the answer or was willing to give it. Knowing the silence wasn’t going to press issues any further, Ambassador Griffonsworth spoke. “So, what do you want me to say to them?” she asked in a serious manner. Celestia pondered this question for a while. She was somewhat familiar with the old legion and some of their characteristics, but lots of time had passed since then and she was unsure what the new legion was willing and capable of accomplishing. “Tell them” Celestia finally said, “that if they are serious about what they said, bring their own ambassador; only then can we discuss this further.” Griffonsworth raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure about this? They’ll probably take that response as a no and go on from there.” Celestia sighed. “If that’s the way they’ll respond, so be it. We’ll have time to prepare before they get here and we’re by no means helpless.” Griffonsworth nodded. “I’ll give them your response then.” “Are you sure you don’t want to stay the night here Griffonsworth?” Celestia asked cautiously. “It’s getting late and we are more than willing to house you for the night.” Griffonsworth shook her head. “I’ve become a little restless as I’ve aged. I prefer to go out and explore the landscape more and more rather than stay in a place for a long time.” “I understand.” “Don’t worry about the fifth legion. I have to go back to the Griffon Kingdom and tell them what’s going on and gather a few things anyway. You’ll have about two days before I speak to them again so you’ll have time to get your legions ready.” “Thanks” Celestia said gratefully to the griffon. Again, there was silence as they both tried to find an excuse to delay the inevitable. “Well” the griffon ambassador said, “better get a move on before my wings get the better of me.” Celestia chuckled. “Yes. We wouldn’t want them to cause you any harm now would we?” Griffonsworth chuckled. “It was nice seeing you once again. Hopefully, we can meet up when the circumstances are not so hostile.” “Yes, that would be nice.” “I’ll see you in a few days” Griffonsworth said as she took off for her homeland. “You too” Celestia said as she watched her friend fly out into the distance. Chapter 2: ReactionsThe thoughts running through Celestia’s mind were not those of which actions need to be taken. She already had a plan set up for situations like this. All she had to do was gather some legionnaires from the Equestrian Armed Forces (EAF), and post them on their side of the Macintosh Hills. The EAF has a total of four legions under its control: the First, Second, Third and Fourth Legions. The First Legion is permanently stationed at Canterlot guarding the city and its inhabitance. It is the smallest of the four legions- usually no more than a few hundred ponies are assigned to it at a time- but they have the best soldiers in the EAF, making them a force to be reckoned with. The Second Legion consisted solely of pegasi and holds the majority of the EAF’s air power. Usually, they are assigned around Cloudsdale and other areas vital to Equestria’s weather production, though they are rather small when compared to the Third and Fourth Legions. The Third and Fourth Legions are scattered across the rest of Equestria in small divisions, performing basic police work and other mundane tasks. Each legion has thousands of ponies of all kinds at its disposal, which makes up for the lack of any specialized skills the legions have as a whole. Since she had plenty of legionnaires available, all she had to do was gather some of the ponies from each legion, excluding the First, and form a temporary legion. They would then be placed at the border and deal with any threats until the situation was settled. ‘The odds of them seeing any action are slim’ she thought, ‘but it is better to be safe than sorry and show what the might of Equestria has in store for anyone who threatens us.’ Before this could be done, however, she had to discuss this with the council, since they were the ones who could authorize the formation of a new legion. This would not be hard to press, so long as she had the support of her sister and Princess Cadence. While persuading them is usually easy, there is a complication to these circumstances since the princesses, and most of Equestria, knew next to nothing about the Fifth Legion. Also, since Twilight was now a princess, she had the right to know what the state of the country was and what it planned to do. However, she did not want to reveal to her that the threat being made to the country was directly related to her. This could easily cause a rift between them, which was not what she wanted to do, especially so soon after her coronation. Finding a way around these circumstances was all Celestia could think of as she walked back to the castle. As she walked through the castle halls, she dropped the scroll the griffon gave her since she believed it would cause more harm than good if the others saw it. Thoughts soon came rushing through her head about not asking her friend for more information about the Fifth Legion and how stupid it was to forget something that simple; but would she know anything that she herself did not already know? She shoved those thoughts aside as soon as she found the room where the other princesses were and used her magic to open the large golden doors. As Celestia entered the room, the others ended their discussion and gave their attention to her. When the doors closed behind her, Cadence was the first to speak. “So how was it?” she asked with concern. “What did Griffonsworth have to say?” “She had nothing to say” Celestia replied, “but she spoke on behalf of a country that was not the Griffon Kingdom.” “Really?” Luna said. “That’s unusual for diplomats to do something like that. Who did she speak for? The dragons? The Saddle Arabians?” “A country I’m sure none of you have heard of, and that I know little about myself.” She paused for a moment to let the thought sink into their heads. “Well” Luna insisted, “who is it?” “A country that calls themselves the Fifth Legion.” “The Fifth Legion?” Cadence questioned. “More specifically, Equestria’s Fifth ‘Forgotten’ Legion.” “What!?” Twilight exclaimed. “That’s an unusual name for a country” Luna commented. “Sounds more appropriate for-” “A terror group?” Celestia interrupted. Luna nodded. “I can understand that; but trust me when I say they aren’t one.” “Did Griffonsworth say so?” Cadence asked. “Well, no. In fact, she thought they might have been a terror group themselves-” “So why did she take the job?” Twilight intruded. “She said it was an easy job to do. Probably got paid well too, but if she was certain they were a terror group, I doubt she would’ve taken the job.” “But how do you know they aren’t one?” “Because I’ve dealt with them before.” The other three looked at each other, dumbfounded as to what Celestia said. “What do you mean ‘dealt with them before?’” the princess of the night said cautiously, wanting Celestia to think about her response before saying something. “I mean, I’ve talked to them before.” Again, silence fell upon the room. Luna had a feeling Celestia was hiding something, and she had a hunch as to what it was. “You wouldn’t happen to know how-” Luna proclaimed before the doors opened, cutting her sentence short. “Princess Celestia” the guard said as he entered the room. Celestia turned around. “Yes? What is it?” They soon noticed that the guard had a scroll levitated in his own field of magic. “You dropped this in the hall” he said handing the scroll over to her. Celestia quickly realized that it was the same scroll Griffonsworth gave her, the same one she tried to get rid of so the other princesses couldn’t read it. For a brief moment, Celestia panicked as she tried to determine what the best course of action was. On the one hoof, she could accept the scroll so that the others would not suspect she had something to hide; but that also meant that the others had a chance to see what the scroll contained, something Celestia did not want Twilight to see just yet. The opposite could be said for both if she rejected the letter. Also, she was not familiar with this guard- probably a new recruit- meaning she did not know how he would react to her objections and that he was probably not going to recognize any signals she tried to send him so that she could get out of the situation. But that moment only lasted as long as it took to blink. “Oh yes” she said as calmly as possible, “this letter is mine; clumsy me. Send it to my quarters; I don’t need it right now.” As she spoke, Luna noticed that the letter had an insignia stamped on it that she did not recognize. “Where is that symbol from?” she asked as she used her magic to take the scroll away from the guard. Celestia swiped for it with her hoof, but she just missed it. “Luna!” she complained as the scroll flew on by to her sister. “As a ruler of Equestria” Luna proclaimed, “I have the right to know what the state of affairs are in our country.” She opened it and began reading it to herself, causing Celestia to become nervous. As she read on, she glanced up at her sister with a surprised expression on her face, and then glanced back to the parchment. Her gaze then went to Twilight, same expression as before, and then went back to the scroll, then back to Celestia, then back to the letter. Twilight’s curiosity got the better of her as Luna gave her a second glance. “What does it say?” she asked as her magic enveloped the letter. Celestia prepared for the worse as she knew the scrolls contents would upset the new princess. The guard then realized his mistake and quietly exited the room. Twilight’s jaw dropped as she realized what the letter was saying and how she was involved with this predicament. “I… But… You…” she struggled to say as her mind was suddenly engulfed with emotions. “Twilight” Celestia tried to say calmly without tearing up. “I can-” “You USED ME!?!?” Twilight exclaimed in a mixture of surprise, sadness and anger directed at her mentor. Her scream left her panting with anger as the others stared at her with disbelief at her reaction, particularly Princess Cadence. “All this time, I thought you cared about my well-being, but you actually did all of it for THIS!?!?” she exclaimed as her thoughts ran wild and could only be calmed with words she wanted the princess to say. “No Twilight, I-” Celestia tried to explain only to be interrupted by Twilight’s accusations. “I thought you were better than this” she said as tears filled up her eyes. “I thought you were better than Chrysalis, Sombra and the others. But this…” “What is going on?” Cadence said in concern for Twilight’s state. “Twilight, let me-” she tried to grasp the letter with her magic, but the new princess thought it was Celestia trying to take it from her. Twilight engulfed the letter in flames as her anger towards the princess of the day grew, quickly turning the parchment into a pile of ash. At the same time, she dashed out of the room, tears balling from her eyes, as she wanted to stay away from the source of her anger. “Twilight please…” Celestia begged as Twilight slammed the doors shut behind her, leaving an echo in the room. As it slowly faded away, silence replaced it, along with an uneasy feeling in the stomachs of the remaining princesses. Never have they seen her act like this before, which brought feelings of concern and, for Cadence, confusion into their minds. After a few tense moments, Celestia began to follow her, wanting to apologize and explain everything. “No Celestia” Cadence ordered knowing what the princess was up to. “Not now.” Celestia turned to her and wanted to protest, but she never got the chance as Cadence kept talking. “I’ve dealt with many foals while I was a foal sitter; the last thing you want to do is try to explain something to them when they lose control of their emotions. Give her some time to think about this; only then can you approach her.” Celestia nodded as a tear rolled down her cheek. “But can someone here please explain why she’s having an emotional breakdown?” Luna quickly realized her sister was not in any shape to explain the situation. She went over to Cadence and whispered in her ear what was going on as best as she could. “I see” Cadence stated, wishing she had a solution to the problem. The theme of silence came back to the room, extracting time away from them, while offering nothing in return. As Celestia collected herself, she thought of what she would say to the others. “I know all of this looks bad” she explained. “I know this doesn’t make sense to either of you, but don’t worry about it. I take full responsibility for the situation at hand; neither of you knew what was going on so don’t blame yourselves for what transpired today. I have a lot of explaining to do, both to you and Equestria, and I will do so, as soon as Twilight is willing to speak to us again. I don’t want to give that speech any more than I have to, and I want to be sure everypony gets the same information from me. Is that fair enough for you?” Cadence gave a nodding approval, but the princess of the night had something on her mind. “I just have one question” Luna said inquisitively. “Go ahead” Celestia replied. “When you were considering making Twilight a princess, did you put ‘them’ into account?” Celestia thought about it for a moment trying to see what her mind was going through during that period of time. “I” she began to say, unsure of how to word her answer. “I don’t know.” Her response surprised Luna, not so much as to what she said, but how she said it. She could read her sister well, but her response seemed to indicate that she wasn’t telling the truth, but neither was she telling a lie. Despite her curiosity, she decided to let it go for now; in due time, she would get the knowledge she needed, and understand everything. “Very well” she said hesitantly, unsure as to where to take this conversation next. “Why don’t you two head for bed?” she insisted as the night went on. “I have other tasks I need to attend to, and I don’t want this situation to get any worse than it already is.” “Sounds good” Cadence said as she gave an obnoxious yawn. “Agreed” Celestia said, relieved that the situation, at least for now, was about to end. Luna smiled. “Glad we can agree on something” she said as they headed for the doorway. “I’ll see you at sunrise.” “See you then” Celestia and Cadence said simultaneously. “Jinx.” They chuckled as the doors closed behind them and they went their separate ways. Twilight slammed the door to her quarters behind her as her emotions continued to run rampant. Tears of anger and sorrow still filled her eyes as she struggled to cope with her mentor’s deception. She threw her hoof guards and crown blindly across the room as if wanting to discard a gift an abusive friend gave to her. Her body still felt encased with betrayal, lies, and deception and every second seemed to inject more of this poison into her mind. Instinctively, she removed the dress from her body disregarding any damage the fabric received from her actions. While she felt relieved from the release of pressure, sorrow still filled her heart. She got on top of her bed and clinched the pink covers as she curled up into a ball and tried to cry her pain away. ‘Why me?’ she though. ‘Why did she do all of this to me? Why did she make me so good, just to use me this bad?’ Other questioning thoughts flowed through her head as she struggled to gather the information and make a picture out of it. As time calmed her down a little, she got off of her bed and looked into the mirror overhanging her dark wooden dresser. ‘What do you see in the mirror?’ she thought to herself as she interpreted what the mirror was saying to her. She learned from Cadence that if you’re feeling down, look into a mirror. Your mind may tell you that you’re weak, but your reflection tells a different story; it tells you how strong you really are, what you are capable of, and sometimes gives you the answer to your questions. She had done this several times throughout her life and even if it didn’t fully heal her wounds, it made her feel a lot better. This time, however, the damage was already too severe; too severe for a minor exercise like this to fix. While she saw parts of herself stay strong, she saw others parts become weak. She remembered herself as a pony proud of her accomplishments; now she was ashamed and felt unworthy of such deeds. The love her princess had given her was now replaced with emptiness and misguidance. She turned away unable to bear the burden she was given. What she wanted most was an answer. What she wanted was a way to understand this complicated mess. What she wanted to do, was think. … but not here. Here, the area was tainted, too polluted to process this event thoroughly and properly. She thought about going to Ponyville to talk with her friends, but that area would be corrupted too. A moment went by and she realized that Celestia’s influence was strong in every place she could think of- including the Crystal Empire- which meant she could not properly analyze her ordeal with her. She looked up and through her tears, she noticed her window. When she visualized it, she saw it not as a means of observing Canterlot and Equestria, but as a gateway from her ordeal; a portal to a land that would allow her to complete the task she had, both properly and efficiently. With that thought in her mind, she opened the window, closed her eyes, spread opened her wings… and jumped. For a second, she felt like her wings weren’t there. For a second, she panicked and wished she thought about this some more. For a second, she thought the last thing she would see was the ground as it would rush towards her if she opened her eyes. But when the next second came, she felt her wings lift her in the air and take her towards Luna’s night. When she opened her eyes, the ground was rushing like a river below her and the sensations of flying took over her body. She felt free for a moment, free of the burdens the day had brought to her, free of the responsibilities she had placed on herself, free from the influence of the princesses themselves. The sensation was wonderful; very rarely was she ever as happy as she was now. She couldn’t believe that the thought of being away from the princesses and doing something that they themselves did not teach her would be just as euphoric- if not more- than anything else she had experienced in her life. But the past was not willing to let her go so easily, as its thoughts brought her back to reality. Once again, she felt sad, but not nearly as sad as before. She was grateful for this, which brought another tear to her cheek. With this new found will, she closed her eyes once again and allowed the sky to take her where it wished. She did not know where she was headed; she did not care. She did not know what the land below her did; she did not care. She had no idea how long she was flying in the night sky; but she could not care. Only when her wings told her that they were near their limit did she open her eyes and come back to the world. Below her, the ground stood offering what it could to the princess. To the right, extensive woodlands, stretching as far as her eyes allowed. To the left, a massive clearing, having nothing but small hills and grass, with woodlands starting on the far ends of her vision. She was grateful she had those lessons with the Wonderbolts as she used those skill to land in the clearing a few yards away from the woods. When she walked, the realization came to her that she was actually lost. If a stranger came up and asked her where she was, odds were that she couldn’t tell them where she was. Whether this was good or not would be determined later on. She looked towards the sky and noticed some clouds floating around, unsure if they were able or willing to drop rain down below. ‘The odds are not likely’ she thought, ‘but they are there.’ She decided to sleep in the woods in case the rain decided to appear or if Celestia decided to send some guards out searching for her. About fifteen feet in, she decided that it was adequate for the moment. When she searched for animals and found none, she used her magic to gather leaves, twigs and other objects to make a layer between her and the forest floor. Once the layer was sufficient, she curled up and thought about how stupid she was for doing something like this. ‘I’ll worry about it later’ she decided. ‘For now, I’ll enjoy the moment until it is gone. When tomorrow comes, I will worry.’ With that thought, she absorbed the pureness the woods gave her, the likes of which she had never felt before. A tear rolled down as the land greeted her as one of their own. It was the last thing she did before she closed her eyes, and lost herself in sleep. Author's Note Its one thing to write down an idea, its another to write the details. After finals week, which for me is in two weeks, I hope I can write at least a chapter a week. Thanks for the likes and favorites. Its nice to know that you're enjoying the story.
PrologueThe ponies of Equestria gathered in the capitol city of Canterlot just outside of the white stone castle. With its towering heights, pure shades of white and its roll of holding the national government, few could question why it was the dominant feature of the city, perhaps even all of Equestria itself. Even the residence of the city, who see this building daily, still marvel at the engineering masterpiece their ancestors created. Word spread throughout the region that the princesses were holding a ceremony at the castle. However, no pony knew what the purpose of the ceremony was except that it had never been performed in centuries. Some speculated that Celestia would be stepping down from power, while others believed a new princess would be coronated. A few seemed to spread the idea that one of the princesses was having a child and that they would present the baby. In the end, most ponies seemed to agree that this ceremony was not going to happen again, even within the life of their great grandchildren. Behind the castle stood the rest of the mountain that the city was built upon. Very few cities were ever built aside a mountain, and none ever came close to the size of Canterlot. While the city would look splendid anywhere else, this distinct feature enhanced the beauty and dominance the city contained. In the rocky slope, two ponies were there undetected from the residence of Equestria observing the activity below them. One had a pair of binoculars in his hooves and was able to see the city with crisp detail as if he was in the city itself. He did so in confusion as to why everypony was so wound up. “Why are all them folks so excited?” he asked his colleague with a hint of a country accent in his voice as he lay on the rocks. “I don’t know” the stallion replied with a voice that sounded steady with a slight authoritative tone to it. He was standing on his hind hooves with his back against the rocks letting them carry most of his weight. He couldn’t see the city with the same amount of detail, but he had a relatively good idea as to what the area looked like. “Looks like their leaders are going to give some kind of speech or something” he speculated. “Probably going to be more propaganda to please the masses if you ask me, but I can’t say for sure.” “Yea” the other pony snickered. “They be tell’n lies to all them ponies ever since they’ve been in power. Wonder what lies they’ll say next.” “Wish I knew” the standing pony said as he shrugged. “Kinda wish I was in the crowd right know so I could hear the chatter. I can’t hear anything out here except for you and the wind.” “Now we both know why that can’t happen” the stallion explained. “The second you show your face, they’ll be takin’ ya to a place where you’ll never see the light of day again.” “Maybe” he replied indifferently. “Maybe no pony will know who I am. Maybe I can just walk right on into the city, get into the crowd and blend in like any other pony there. Hiding with the masses is the best way to get information… so I’ve been told.” His colleague put down his binoculars and gave him a concerned look. “Sounds like you’ve been questioning what boss has been tell’n ya. I told you, that’s not healthy for ya; it’ll get ya killed someday.” “I’m not blind friend” he said collectively. “I know how far I can push my luck without falling over the edge. This is just a small step; It’s not gonna harm me.” “Say that now and you’ll push it even farther next time” he retorted, “and if you don’t fall over then, you’ll keep pushin’ it until you do fall off the cliff. I’m tell’n ya, quit now before the effects become permanent.” The stallion chuckled. “Alright. I’ll stop, just so you won’t have to worry about me.” “Good” he said, though he didn’t sound convinced. “Now get those eyes back on the crowd” he ordered. “We don’t want something important to happen and we missed it because we were arguing.” The two ponies gazed back at the crowd. While the one stallion could only guess as to what was going on, the one with the binoculars had a clear view of the crowd as they waited for something to happen. Both of them could sense the crowd’s anticipation building up, even though their patience was slowly drifting away. Several minutes passed and the stallion with the binoculars decided to go “sight-seeing” to past the time. The other one watched for guards, though he believed the odds of getting caught were next to none. “Damn, those mares look good” the pony lying on the ground said as he caught a glimpse of high society ponies in his vision. “Oh brother” his partner said annoyingly realizing what his colleague was up to. “What?” he said childishly. “You wouldn’t be lookin’ at mares? We’ve been here too long without seeing anything exciting happen. Besides, they don’t compare to the beauty of the princesses. I’ve only seen them once before but oh, if I had the chance, I would definitely-” His partner smacked him aside his head before he could finish his thought. “Just because I know you well enough to know what you’re thinking” he stated, “doesn’t mean I want to hear those thoughts come out of your mouth.” The stallion rubbed the back of his head and was about to complain when they heard the faint sound of cheering coming from the city. Both of them knew that if they were able to hear sounds of the crowds from out here, something big was going on. The ponies quickly scanned the crowds and the castle to see what was happening. “What’s going on?” he standing pony asked as they continued to scan the area. “Give me a minute” his partner replied impatiently as he struggled to find the source of the commotion. His binoculars eventually found the castle terrace and saw the princesses addressing the crowd. However, he couldn’t help but notice something was… off, though he wasn’t sure why. “What did Firestone say about them princesses besides them havin’ wings and horns?” he asked his partner as he tried to figure out what was wrong. “Well,” he replied, “there’s the white one, Princess Celestia, who rules over Equestria by day and ‘raises’ the sun. There’s the dark blue one, Princess Luna, younger sister of Celestia who rules the kingdom at night and ‘raises’ the moon. And there’s the pink one, Princess Cadence. Intelligence is limited as to what she does, but she occasionally goes up north and has some ability to manipulate the power of love… if you can believe that.” The pony on the ground waited a moment anticipating him to say something else. “That’s it?” he asked as he realized the other pony had nothing else to say. “That’s a summary of it.” The stallion was still perplexed since the answer did nothing to resolve the issue. “Sure he didn’t mention anything ‘bout a purple one?” “What are you talking about?” he asked as he raised an eyebrow. “There’s a purple one at the end of the terrace” he explained, “talkin’ to the subjects right now. You know I haven’t been doin’ much spyin’ before, but she don’t match any of the ponies Firestone told us to look out for. The thing is, she has wings and a horn, but only the princesses are supposed to have them. Least that’s what I’ve been told.” “Let me see” he said as he took the binoculars from his country accent partner and began scanning the area. “She’s also wearing a fancy dress of some sort. Looks too complicated for my likin’. If ya ask me, no-pony should be wearin’ clothes unless they need’m for work. They look better that way.” “If you’re going to make this thought per-” his partner began to reply when he stopped in disbelief as he saw the purple coted mare his partner just described. “Well” he said curiously, “what do we have here?” “Don’t tell me ya think she looks good in that dress” he began to protest only to realize his partner wasn’t paying attention. “So, the princesses decided to create another one of their own?” the pony said to no one in particular. “This is going to make things… interesting back home.” “Good interesting” his partner asked, “er bad?” “I would think both” he replied playfully, “but we’ll have to wait and see.” There was a pause as the two processed what this event would lead to. The thought of a new princess was not new since the arrival of Princess Cadence and Luna happened within their lifetimes. However, unlike the previous princesses, this one didn’t seem like it had any build up leading towards it leaving both of them concerned. “Want me to take her out?” the country pony offered. “Ya know I can easily eliminate her without much effort. Even got the gear hidden at the base of the mountain.” The stallion contemplated the offer. He knew his partner well, but was he willing to risk their cover in order to do so? “I know you can kill her with ease” he replied, “but I don’t think now is the time to do it. Best to let things settle down and think it through so we don’t react too quickly and mess something up.” The stallion sighed deeply at the missed opportunity. He didn’t agree with the decision, but he understood why he made it. “So what do ya want to do?” “Get your gear and contact Firestone. He may not be at the top of command, but he’ll know how to handle the situation properly.” He nodded. “You comin’?” “In a bit. I want to be sure the princesses don’t have any other tricks up their snouts before we leave.” “Yes sir” he said as got up and started climbing down the side of the mountain. As his partner climbed, the other pony put down the binoculars and began to wonder why these events were the way they were. “I hope you thought this through princess” he said out loud, “because something tells me you just made a big mistake.” Author's Note Feel free to leave criticism in the comments down below. The only bad feedback you can give is when you have some to give and choose not to leave it.
Chapter 1: A StatementIt has been three days since Twilight Sparkle’s coronation was held and in those three days, celebration occurred. Feasts were held with delicacies from all over Equestria lining across the room. Activities, ranging from dancing to games and gossip, went on throughout the castle. Fireworks went off every hour, illuminating the sky with an array of lights, leaving all who saw in awe. Ponies from all walks of life attended these events, forming bonds that would last a lifetime, so long as the universe permitted it. As for Twilight, not only did she attend these festivities with her friends, she learned some basic lessons on the royal courts and proper etiquette from the princesses themselves. She also attended a private flying lesson with the best flyers in Equestria: the Wonderbolts. Being a good friend, she allowed Rainbow Dash to attend this lesson and couldn’t help but snicker every time she freak out over hanging with her idols. Alas, these times were coming to an end, and the responsibilities of royalty would soon be putting Twilight to the test. It was dark out as the princesses stood near the back of the throne room in their elegant outfits. The room was littered with decorations, once enhancing its appearance, that now detract from the beauty of the grand room. The last of the guests had left moments ago and preparations for cleaning the castle were about to begin. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this” Cadence said, “but I’m glad that the celebrations are over.” “Are you kidding me?” Twilight said in disbelief. “I wish this celebration would last another day or two! I mean the food, the music, and the games. All of it was spectacular!” “Perhaps” Luna implied, “but it’s better to end an event on a high note rather than dragging it out and end on a sour one. Besides, most of our staff is exhausted after three days of work, and I think they deserve a break sooner rather than later.” “I suppose your right” Twilight conceded as staff entered the room and began cleaning. Most of the staff tried to look professional as they did their job, but it was clear to everypony that they were running on fumes. Twilight wanted to help and was about to volunteer when Celestia addressed her. “We’re so proud of you and what you’ve been able to accomplish” she said in an enthusiastic tone. “I’ve taught many students as I’ve ruled over these lands, and while many of them were superb, none were as good as you.” Twilight began to blush. Luna chuckled. “That’s nothing to be embarrassed about dear. To be deemed worthy of being a princess is an honor. The qualifications of such a title are high and very few are able to meet those requirements.” “I know” Twilight replied. “It’s just, the thought of… being a princess. It never came across my mind until you, Celestia, made me one.” “I see” Celestia acknowledged. “But that only makes you more worthy of being one.” Twilight looked at Celestia in confusion. “But-” “Ponies who do tasks in order to rise in the ranks” Celestia explained, “are not as worthy as those who do so out of selflessness. You may have done something’s because I asked you to yes, but you have done so many more for the sake knowledge and out of selflessness. While many stood idly by, you went out and did something.” A small smile broke on Twilight’s face. “But I’ve made so many mistakes, and I still don’t know nearly as much as you three do.” “As your former foal sitter” Cadence said, “I watched you grow up and learn so many things with joy and ease while others cringed and struggled. From what the others have told me, you still possess that same attitude. I think we can all agree that you should have no problem learning about the many new things you’ll encounter.” “Regarding your past mistakes” Luna said, “I wouldn’t worry too much about them. We’re all bound to make mistakes at some point or another. What’s important is not that you make a mistake or two, but that you’re learned from them.” “Your letters are proof that you are learning from your mistakes” Celestia said, “and so long as you continue to do so, you are worthy of your rank.” Twilight looked like she was about to cry. Their reassurance was comforting to her and while she didn’t feel fully worthy of her new position, she could understand why she was there. As the staff continued to clean the room, the massive golden doors opened revealing a royal guard. “Princess Celestia” she said as she galloped towards the princesses. Her sudden appearance caught almost everypony off-guard including the princesses. As the princesses turned their focus on the guard, she saluted them and said, “Ambassador Griffonsworth is here to speak with you.” “Really?” Celestia questioned. “She’s not supposed to come back for another six months. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing of course.” She looked at Twilight who was attempting to comprehend what the significance of an event like this was. “Perhaps we can test some of your societal skills and let you learn the art of diplomacy at the same time.” Twilight nodded in agreement. She then addressed the guard. “Send her in.” The guard shook her head. “She wishes to speak to you and you alone princess.” The princesses looked at each other with confusion at the request. Normally, diplomats would rather have the company of a small audience and other leaders, so such a request was unusual, especially from an ally. “Did she say why she wanted to speak to her alone?” Luna asked as the last of the cleaning staff slowly left the room. “No princess” the guard replied. “Just that she requires Celestia’s attention as soon as she’s available.” An uneasy feeling began to fill the air as the princesses tried to figure out what this could mean. “I see” Celestia said. “Where is she now?” “At the city entrance princess. We offered to escort her to the castle, but she insisted that she stay outside the city.” Such behavior was unusual from an ordinary citizen, but a high ranking official doing so was especially out of the ordinary. Celestia though about this for a moment. “Go on ahead and tell her I’ll be on my way.” “Yes princess” the guard replied. “Do you want your guards waiting for you?” Celestia shook her head. “That won’t be necessary.” The guard saluted her once again before heading out of the room. Silence filled the room as the princesses struggled to interpret what all of this was supposed to mean. Never before has a diplomat made such a request. Even diplomats from countries that have poor relationships with Equestria have not made such notions before. “Do you think she’s up to something?” Cadence asked as the silence dragged on. “She visited the Crystal Empire a few weeks ago and she wasn’t acting like this.” “I don’t think she’s up to anything mischievous” Celestia replied. “She’s helped improve our relationship with the Griffon Kingdom in recent years. It wouldn’t make sense for her to suddenly ruin the relationship she’s worked so hard to build up.” “Still” Luna said, “why would she want a private talk? If she wants to have an honest conversation, she should want to talk to all of us.” Celestia shrugged. “We’ll just have to ask her ourselves, or at least I need to ask her that.” The room once again fell silent as Celestia waited for any other comments from the princesses. When none came, she said, “Well, guess I better talk to her and see what she wants.” “Yea” Twilight said in a concerned voice. “Hope things go well.” Celestia chuckled. “Don’t worry about me. I may be over a thousand years old, but I can hold my own if I have to.” “*cough*Changelings*cough*” Cadence said as she remembered what happened to Celestia on the day of her wedding. Celestia acted as if she didn’t hear that. “Why don’t you two go over with Twilight some of the things we’ve taught her while I’m gone, you know, just to make sure she hasn’t forgotten anything?” Twilight shrugged. “I see no harm in it” she said. “Just don’t keep us waiting all night if you don’t have to” Luna inquired. “I don’t want to stay in here all night only to learn you did something other than talk politics with Griffonsworth.” Celestia laughed. “Not likely to happen.” She started to walk out of the room when she shouted, “Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone ok?” The golden doors closed shut behind her leaving behind the three princesses in the towering room. While the city was a dominant landmark by day, the moonlight made Canterlot a spectacle to behold. The city lights shined on the classic buildings allowing each structure to illuminate its own shade of color. While the view should have been chaotic, the colors somehow manage to organize together and create a beautiful collage that stimulated the eyes. The castle, however, was a separate jewel from the city. Even though little light was directed at the castle, it seemed to illuminate the city in its own magical light and could have been mistaken as being separate from the city entirely. Many have tried to recreate this feat, but no one was able to pull it off the same way the castle was able to. Celestia walked down the city streets as she recalled the history of the buildings around her. She has been impressed with how much change has happened over the years and can only imagine what changes will come in the following years. The city contains many memories as she recalls the various acts leading to kindness, deception, and sadness as she took each step. Occasionally, these thoughts become unbearable, but she learned how to cope with these emotions, and has acted like nothing has happened. The city entrance got closer and closer as one hoof walked in front of the other. All that was there was a wooden guard post on either side of the road, a crossing gate in front of each post, and a guard stationed inside. As she walked across the stone arch bridge just before the entrance, she saw a large feathered creature waiting by the gate. She could see that it had large yellow talons, a muscular body, a brown bag strapped around its shoulders, and massive wings on its back. While the feathers on its body were brown, the ones on its head were greyish white which showed that the creature was beginning to age. When the creature turned its head, it revealed a large yellow beak with brown eyes that were surrounded with yellow eyelids that were slightly darker than its beak. “Ambassador Griffonsworth” Celestia said to the creature as if it were an old friend she hadn’t seen in a while. “Princess Celestia” Griffonsworth replied in a similar fashion. Her voice had a slight grittiness to it that the princess was all too familiar with ever since she took over as diplomat for her country so many years ago. “I’m glad you could arrive so quickly on such short notice. Sorry I couldn’t give you a warning earlier. Everything happened on such short notice that I didn’t have time to send you a letter.” Celestia chuckled as they stood on opposite sides of the gate. “Don’t worry about it. A friend of mine is always welcomed no matter the circumstances.” “Thanks.” “Why don’t you come with me to the castle and talk over some tea and snacks?” Celestia insisted. “You must be tired after your long trip and it’s only appropriate that I treat you well.” Griffonsworth shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. I appreciate your hospitality, but I don’t plan on staying here very long. If anything, I’m taking way too long as it is right now.” Celestia looked surprised. “I see” she insisted despite the confusion surrounding her mind. “So, what business does the Griffon Kingdom have to discuss with Equestria?” “I’m not acting as ambassador for the Griffon Kingdom on this trip” Griffonsworth said catching the ruler of Equestria off-guard. “I act as ambassador- well, more like courier really- for the Fifth Legion.” “The Fifth Legion?” Celestia said in a curious tone. “That name sounds familiar.” As she tried to remember what they were, the griffon went into her bag and pulled out a scroll. “They told me to send you this ‘treaty’ and ask that you reply to it as soon as possible. I haven’t looked at it yet so I can’t give you my opinion on it.” Celestia enveloped the scroll with her magic and brought it towards herself. “I question the word ‘treaty’ since they also told me that you’re only options are to accept the terms on it or not. Nothing in-between will be considered.” Celestia opened the letter and read it out loud: Princess Celestia, It appears as though your actions have caused quite a stir amongst us in our small nation. Your ‘coronation’ of a new princess has caused our council to become infuriated with you including myself. In doing so, you’ve deliberately broken the treaty our nations signed and its terms that we’ve agreed to. We were more than reasonable when Princess Cadence was born and we were more than understanding when Princess Luna returned. This time, however, I saw no reason to be merciful when your newest purple princess was crowned a few days ago. Fortunately for you, our council has decided to give yourself a chance at redemption and correct the foolish mistake you’ve made. Their terms are quite simple: get your new princess and undo the coronation so that she is no longer an ‘alicorn’ anymore. If you fail to agree to these requirements, then the council will declare war against your faction. You should still have a copy of that treaty so we see no reason why you’ve forgotten what terms we’ve agreed to. We expect a response from ambassador Griffonsworth within the week. Failure to respond will give the impression that you’ve rejected our terms and the consequences will be such. From Equestria’s Fifth “Forgotten” Legion, President Rosewood Celestia stared at the paper in disbelief as the name brought back memories that lay dormant in the back of her mind. “Wait, THAT Fifth Legion!?” she said not wanting her thoughts to be true. Her griffon friend shrugged. “I only know of the four legions your country possesses. We griffons have a fifth legion, but it protects our capital city and other important griffons. From what I can tell, this is either a terror group that has formed into a small city, or it has something to do with your legions in a time before my own.” “It’s the latter one I can assure you” she replied reassuringly. “How did you find them anyway?” The griffon smiled. “A friend of mine told me that the woods south of the Macintosh Hills are a good place to go hunting and perform other aerial maneuvers. She asked if I could map out the area for her when I told her I was going to explore the area for myself. I agreed and I just happened to encounter the legion and their city near the edge of the forest. I went over and got some supplies when they gave me a diplomatic task. I thought it was easy so I took it and now I’m here.” Celestia seemed satisfied with that answer. “I see...” “Funny how things turn out don’t you think?” They both laughed at the remark. Neither party spoke as they waited for the other to speak up. Both sides wanted to ask questions, though they were unsure if the other knew the answer or was willing to give it. Knowing the silence wasn’t going to press issues any further, Ambassador Griffonsworth spoke. “So, what do you want me to say to them?” she asked in a serious manner. Celestia pondered this question for a while. She was somewhat familiar with the old legion and some of their characteristics, but lots of time had passed since then and she was unsure what the new legion was willing and capable of accomplishing. “Tell them” Celestia finally said, “that if they are serious about what they said, bring their own ambassador; only then can we discuss this further.” Griffonsworth raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure about this? They’ll probably take that response as a no and go on from there.” Celestia sighed. “If that’s the way they’ll respond, so be it. We’ll have time to prepare before they get here and we’re by no means helpless.” Griffonsworth nodded. “I’ll give them your response then.” “Are you sure you don’t want to stay the night here Griffonsworth?” Celestia asked cautiously. “It’s getting late and we are more than willing to house you for the night.” Griffonsworth shook her head. “I’ve become a little restless as I’ve aged. I prefer to go out and explore the landscape more and more rather than stay in a place for a long time.” “I understand.” “Don’t worry about the fifth legion. I have to go back to the Griffon Kingdom and tell them what’s going on and gather a few things anyway. You’ll have about two days before I speak to them again so you’ll have time to get your legions ready.” “Thanks” Celestia said gratefully to the griffon. Again, there was silence as they both tried to find an excuse to delay the inevitable. “Well” the griffon ambassador said, “better get a move on before my wings get the better of me.” Celestia chuckled. “Yes. We wouldn’t want them to cause you any harm now would we?” Griffonsworth chuckled. “It was nice seeing you once again. Hopefully, we can meet up when the circumstances are not so hostile.” “Yes, that would be nice.” “I’ll see you in a few days” Griffonsworth said as she took off for her homeland. “You too” Celestia said as she watched her friend fly out into the distance.
Chapter 2: ReactionsThe thoughts running through Celestia’s mind were not those of which actions need to be taken. She already had a plan set up for situations like this. All she had to do was gather some legionnaires from the Equestrian Armed Forces (EAF), and post them on their side of the Macintosh Hills. The EAF has a total of four legions under its control: the First, Second, Third and Fourth Legions. The First Legion is permanently stationed at Canterlot guarding the city and its inhabitance. It is the smallest of the four legions- usually no more than a few hundred ponies are assigned to it at a time- but they have the best soldiers in the EAF, making them a force to be reckoned with. The Second Legion consisted solely of pegasi and holds the majority of the EAF’s air power. Usually, they are assigned around Cloudsdale and other areas vital to Equestria’s weather production, though they are rather small when compared to the Third and Fourth Legions. The Third and Fourth Legions are scattered across the rest of Equestria in small divisions, performing basic police work and other mundane tasks. Each legion has thousands of ponies of all kinds at its disposal, which makes up for the lack of any specialized skills the legions have as a whole. Since she had plenty of legionnaires available, all she had to do was gather some of the ponies from each legion, excluding the First, and form a temporary legion. They would then be placed at the border and deal with any threats until the situation was settled. ‘The odds of them seeing any action are slim’ she thought, ‘but it is better to be safe than sorry and show what the might of Equestria has in store for anyone who threatens us.’ Before this could be done, however, she had to discuss this with the council, since they were the ones who could authorize the formation of a new legion. This would not be hard to press, so long as she had the support of her sister and Princess Cadence. While persuading them is usually easy, there is a complication to these circumstances since the princesses, and most of Equestria, knew next to nothing about the Fifth Legion. Also, since Twilight was now a princess, she had the right to know what the state of the country was and what it planned to do. However, she did not want to reveal to her that the threat being made to the country was directly related to her. This could easily cause a rift between them, which was not what she wanted to do, especially so soon after her coronation. Finding a way around these circumstances was all Celestia could think of as she walked back to the castle. As she walked through the castle halls, she dropped the scroll the griffon gave her since she believed it would cause more harm than good if the others saw it. Thoughts soon came rushing through her head about not asking her friend for more information about the Fifth Legion and how stupid it was to forget something that simple; but would she know anything that she herself did not already know? She shoved those thoughts aside as soon as she found the room where the other princesses were and used her magic to open the large golden doors. As Celestia entered the room, the others ended their discussion and gave their attention to her. When the doors closed behind her, Cadence was the first to speak. “So how was it?” she asked with concern. “What did Griffonsworth have to say?” “She had nothing to say” Celestia replied, “but she spoke on behalf of a country that was not the Griffon Kingdom.” “Really?” Luna said. “That’s unusual for diplomats to do something like that. Who did she speak for? The dragons? The Saddle Arabians?” “A country I’m sure none of you have heard of, and that I know little about myself.” She paused for a moment to let the thought sink into their heads. “Well” Luna insisted, “who is it?” “A country that calls themselves the Fifth Legion.” “The Fifth Legion?” Cadence questioned. “More specifically, Equestria’s Fifth ‘Forgotten’ Legion.” “What!?” Twilight exclaimed. “That’s an unusual name for a country” Luna commented. “Sounds more appropriate for-” “A terror group?” Celestia interrupted. Luna nodded. “I can understand that; but trust me when I say they aren’t one.” “Did Griffonsworth say so?” Cadence asked. “Well, no. In fact, she thought they might have been a terror group themselves-” “So why did she take the job?” Twilight intruded. “She said it was an easy job to do. Probably got paid well too, but if she was certain they were a terror group, I doubt she would’ve taken the job.” “But how do you know they aren’t one?” “Because I’ve dealt with them before.” The other three looked at each other, dumbfounded as to what Celestia said. “What do you mean ‘dealt with them before?’” the princess of the night said cautiously, wanting Celestia to think about her response before saying something. “I mean, I’ve talked to them before.” Again, silence fell upon the room. Luna had a feeling Celestia was hiding something, and she had a hunch as to what it was. “You wouldn’t happen to know how-” Luna proclaimed before the doors opened, cutting her sentence short. “Princess Celestia” the guard said as he entered the room. Celestia turned around. “Yes? What is it?” They soon noticed that the guard had a scroll levitated in his own field of magic. “You dropped this in the hall” he said handing the scroll over to her. Celestia quickly realized that it was the same scroll Griffonsworth gave her, the same one she tried to get rid of so the other princesses couldn’t read it. For a brief moment, Celestia panicked as she tried to determine what the best course of action was. On the one hoof, she could accept the scroll so that the others would not suspect she had something to hide; but that also meant that the others had a chance to see what the scroll contained, something Celestia did not want Twilight to see just yet. The opposite could be said for both if she rejected the letter. Also, she was not familiar with this guard- probably a new recruit- meaning she did not know how he would react to her objections and that he was probably not going to recognize any signals she tried to send him so that she could get out of the situation. But that moment only lasted as long as it took to blink. “Oh yes” she said as calmly as possible, “this letter is mine; clumsy me. Send it to my quarters; I don’t need it right now.” As she spoke, Luna noticed that the letter had an insignia stamped on it that she did not recognize. “Where is that symbol from?” she asked as she used her magic to take the scroll away from the guard. Celestia swiped for it with her hoof, but she just missed it. “Luna!” she complained as the scroll flew on by to her sister. “As a ruler of Equestria” Luna proclaimed, “I have the right to know what the state of affairs are in our country.” She opened it and began reading it to herself, causing Celestia to become nervous. As she read on, she glanced up at her sister with a surprised expression on her face, and then glanced back to the parchment. Her gaze then went to Twilight, same expression as before, and then went back to the scroll, then back to Celestia, then back to the letter. Twilight’s curiosity got the better of her as Luna gave her a second glance. “What does it say?” she asked as her magic enveloped the letter. Celestia prepared for the worse as she knew the scrolls contents would upset the new princess. The guard then realized his mistake and quietly exited the room. Twilight’s jaw dropped as she realized what the letter was saying and how she was involved with this predicament. “I… But… You…” she struggled to say as her mind was suddenly engulfed with emotions. “Twilight” Celestia tried to say calmly without tearing up. “I can-” “You USED ME!?!?” Twilight exclaimed in a mixture of surprise, sadness and anger directed at her mentor. Her scream left her panting with anger as the others stared at her with disbelief at her reaction, particularly Princess Cadence. “All this time, I thought you cared about my well-being, but you actually did all of it for THIS!?!?” she exclaimed as her thoughts ran wild and could only be calmed with words she wanted the princess to say. “No Twilight, I-” Celestia tried to explain only to be interrupted by Twilight’s accusations. “I thought you were better than this” she said as tears filled up her eyes. “I thought you were better than Chrysalis, Sombra and the others. But this…” “What is going on?” Cadence said in concern for Twilight’s state. “Twilight, let me-” she tried to grasp the letter with her magic, but the new princess thought it was Celestia trying to take it from her. Twilight engulfed the letter in flames as her anger towards the princess of the day grew, quickly turning the parchment into a pile of ash. At the same time, she dashed out of the room, tears balling from her eyes, as she wanted to stay away from the source of her anger. “Twilight please…” Celestia begged as Twilight slammed the doors shut behind her, leaving an echo in the room. As it slowly faded away, silence replaced it, along with an uneasy feeling in the stomachs of the remaining princesses. Never have they seen her act like this before, which brought feelings of concern and, for Cadence, confusion into their minds. After a few tense moments, Celestia began to follow her, wanting to apologize and explain everything. “No Celestia” Cadence ordered knowing what the princess was up to. “Not now.” Celestia turned to her and wanted to protest, but she never got the chance as Cadence kept talking. “I’ve dealt with many foals while I was a foal sitter; the last thing you want to do is try to explain something to them when they lose control of their emotions. Give her some time to think about this; only then can you approach her.” Celestia nodded as a tear rolled down her cheek. “But can someone here please explain why she’s having an emotional breakdown?” Luna quickly realized her sister was not in any shape to explain the situation. She went over to Cadence and whispered in her ear what was going on as best as she could. “I see” Cadence stated, wishing she had a solution to the problem. The theme of silence came back to the room, extracting time away from them, while offering nothing in return. As Celestia collected herself, she thought of what she would say to the others. “I know all of this looks bad” she explained. “I know this doesn’t make sense to either of you, but don’t worry about it. I take full responsibility for the situation at hand; neither of you knew what was going on so don’t blame yourselves for what transpired today. I have a lot of explaining to do, both to you and Equestria, and I will do so, as soon as Twilight is willing to speak to us again. I don’t want to give that speech any more than I have to, and I want to be sure everypony gets the same information from me. Is that fair enough for you?” Cadence gave a nodding approval, but the princess of the night had something on her mind. “I just have one question” Luna said inquisitively. “Go ahead” Celestia replied. “When you were considering making Twilight a princess, did you put ‘them’ into account?” Celestia thought about it for a moment trying to see what her mind was going through during that period of time. “I” she began to say, unsure of how to word her answer. “I don’t know.” Her response surprised Luna, not so much as to what she said, but how she said it. She could read her sister well, but her response seemed to indicate that she wasn’t telling the truth, but neither was she telling a lie. Despite her curiosity, she decided to let it go for now; in due time, she would get the knowledge she needed, and understand everything. “Very well” she said hesitantly, unsure as to where to take this conversation next. “Why don’t you two head for bed?” she insisted as the night went on. “I have other tasks I need to attend to, and I don’t want this situation to get any worse than it already is.” “Sounds good” Cadence said as she gave an obnoxious yawn. “Agreed” Celestia said, relieved that the situation, at least for now, was about to end. Luna smiled. “Glad we can agree on something” she said as they headed for the doorway. “I’ll see you at sunrise.” “See you then” Celestia and Cadence said simultaneously. “Jinx.” They chuckled as the doors closed behind them and they went their separate ways. Twilight slammed the door to her quarters behind her as her emotions continued to run rampant. Tears of anger and sorrow still filled her eyes as she struggled to cope with her mentor’s deception. She threw her hoof guards and crown blindly across the room as if wanting to discard a gift an abusive friend gave to her. Her body still felt encased with betrayal, lies, and deception and every second seemed to inject more of this poison into her mind. Instinctively, she removed the dress from her body disregarding any damage the fabric received from her actions. While she felt relieved from the release of pressure, sorrow still filled her heart. She got on top of her bed and clinched the pink covers as she curled up into a ball and tried to cry her pain away. ‘Why me?’ she though. ‘Why did she do all of this to me? Why did she make me so good, just to use me this bad?’ Other questioning thoughts flowed through her head as she struggled to gather the information and make a picture out of it. As time calmed her down a little, she got off of her bed and looked into the mirror overhanging her dark wooden dresser. ‘What do you see in the mirror?’ she thought to herself as she interpreted what the mirror was saying to her. She learned from Cadence that if you’re feeling down, look into a mirror. Your mind may tell you that you’re weak, but your reflection tells a different story; it tells you how strong you really are, what you are capable of, and sometimes gives you the answer to your questions. She had done this several times throughout her life and even if it didn’t fully heal her wounds, it made her feel a lot better. This time, however, the damage was already too severe; too severe for a minor exercise like this to fix. While she saw parts of herself stay strong, she saw others parts become weak. She remembered herself as a pony proud of her accomplishments; now she was ashamed and felt unworthy of such deeds. The love her princess had given her was now replaced with emptiness and misguidance. She turned away unable to bear the burden she was given. What she wanted most was an answer. What she wanted was a way to understand this complicated mess. What she wanted to do, was think. … but not here. Here, the area was tainted, too polluted to process this event thoroughly and properly. She thought about going to Ponyville to talk with her friends, but that area would be corrupted too. A moment went by and she realized that Celestia’s influence was strong in every place she could think of- including the Crystal Empire- which meant she could not properly analyze her ordeal with her. She looked up and through her tears, she noticed her window. When she visualized it, she saw it not as a means of observing Canterlot and Equestria, but as a gateway from her ordeal; a portal to a land that would allow her to complete the task she had, both properly and efficiently. With that thought in her mind, she opened the window, closed her eyes, spread opened her wings… and jumped. For a second, she felt like her wings weren’t there. For a second, she panicked and wished she thought about this some more. For a second, she thought the last thing she would see was the ground as it would rush towards her if she opened her eyes. But when the next second came, she felt her wings lift her in the air and take her towards Luna’s night. When she opened her eyes, the ground was rushing like a river below her and the sensations of flying took over her body. She felt free for a moment, free of the burdens the day had brought to her, free of the responsibilities she had placed on herself, free from the influence of the princesses themselves. The sensation was wonderful; very rarely was she ever as happy as she was now. She couldn’t believe that the thought of being away from the princesses and doing something that they themselves did not teach her would be just as euphoric- if not more- than anything else she had experienced in her life. But the past was not willing to let her go so easily, as its thoughts brought her back to reality. Once again, she felt sad, but not nearly as sad as before. She was grateful for this, which brought another tear to her cheek. With this new found will, she closed her eyes once again and allowed the sky to take her where it wished. She did not know where she was headed; she did not care. She did not know what the land below her did; she did not care. She had no idea how long she was flying in the night sky; but she could not care. Only when her wings told her that they were near their limit did she open her eyes and come back to the world. Below her, the ground stood offering what it could to the princess. To the right, extensive woodlands, stretching as far as her eyes allowed. To the left, a massive clearing, having nothing but small hills and grass, with woodlands starting on the far ends of her vision. She was grateful she had those lessons with the Wonderbolts as she used those skill to land in the clearing a few yards away from the woods. When she walked, the realization came to her that she was actually lost. If a stranger came up and asked her where she was, odds were that she couldn’t tell them where she was. Whether this was good or not would be determined later on. She looked towards the sky and noticed some clouds floating around, unsure if they were able or willing to drop rain down below. ‘The odds are not likely’ she thought, ‘but they are there.’ She decided to sleep in the woods in case the rain decided to appear or if Celestia decided to send some guards out searching for her. About fifteen feet in, she decided that it was adequate for the moment. When she searched for animals and found none, she used her magic to gather leaves, twigs and other objects to make a layer between her and the forest floor. Once the layer was sufficient, she curled up and thought about how stupid she was for doing something like this. ‘I’ll worry about it later’ she decided. ‘For now, I’ll enjoy the moment until it is gone. When tomorrow comes, I will worry.’ With that thought, she absorbed the pureness the woods gave her, the likes of which she had never felt before. A tear rolled down as the land greeted her as one of their own. It was the last thing she did before she closed her eyes, and lost herself in sleep. Author's Note Its one thing to write down an idea, its another to write the details. After finals week, which for me is in two weeks, I hope I can write at least a chapter a week. Thanks for the likes and favorites. Its nice to know that you're enjoying the story.
