Diary of the Nightby CalebHChaptersReunion - Chapter 2Reunion - Chapter 3Reunion - Chapter 4Reunion - Chapter 5Reunion - Chapter 6Reunion - Chapter 8Reunion - Chapter 9Reunion - Chapter 10Reunion - Chapter 12Reunion - Chapter 13Reunion - Chapter 14Reunion - Chapter 16Reunion - Chapter 17Reunion - Chapter 18Reunion - Chapter 19Reunion - Chapter 20Reunion - Chapter 21Reunion - Chapter 22Reunion - Chapter 23Reunion - Chapter 25Reunion - Chapter 26Reunion - Chapter 28Reunion - Chapter 30Reunion - Chapter 31Reunion - Chapter 32Reunion - Chapter 33Reunion - Chapter 34Reunion - Chapter 35Reunion - Chapter 37Reunion - Chapter 38Reunion - Chapter 39Reunion - Chapter 40Reunion - Chapter 42Reunion - Chapter 43Reunion - Chapter 44Reunion - Chapter 46Reunion - Chapter 48Reunion - Chapter 49Reunion - Chapter 51Reunion - Chapter 52Reunion - Chapter 53Reunion - Chapter 55Reunion - Chapter 57Reunion - Chapter 58Reunion - Chapter 59Reunion - Chapter 61Reunion - Chapter 63Reunion - Chapter 64Reunion - Chapter 65Reunion - Chapter 66Reunion - Chapter 67Reunion - Chapter 69Reunion - Interlude IReunion - Chapter 71Reunion - Chapter 72Reunion - Chapter 75Reunion - Chapter 76Reunion - Interlude IIReunion - Chapter 78Reunion - Chapter 80Reunion - Chapter 81Reunion - Chapter 82Reunion - Chapter 83Reunion - Chapter 84Reunion - Chapter 85Reunion - Interlude IIIReunion - Chapter 87Reunion - Chapter 90Reunion - Chapter 93Reunion - Chapter 95Reunion - Chapter 96Reunion - Chapter 97Reunion - Interlude IVReunion - Chapter 99Reunion - Chapter 101Reunion - Chapter 103War of Shadows - Chapter 105War of Shadows - Chapter 106War of Shadows - Chapter 107War of Shadows - Chapter 108War of Shadows - Chapter 109War of Shadows - Chapter 110War of Shadows - Interlude VWar of Shadows - Chapter 112War of Shadows - Chapter 113War of Shadows - Chapter 115War of Shadows - Chapter 116War of Shadows - Chapter 117War of Shadows - Chapter 119War of Shadows - Interlude VIWar of Shadows - Chapter 121War of Shadows - Chapter 122War of Shadows - Chapter 123War of Shadows - Chapter 125War of Shadows - Chapter 126Interlude VIIWar of Shadows - Chapter 129War of Shadows - Chapter 130War of Shadows - Chapter 132War of Shadows - Chapter 133War of Shadows - Interlude VIIIWar of Shadows - Chapter 136War of Shadows - Chapter 138War of Shadows - Interlude IXWar of Shadows - Chapter 140War of Shadows - Chapter 141War of Shadows - Interlude XWar of Shadows - Chapter 144War of Shadows - Chapter 145War of Shadows - Chapter 146War of Shadows - Chapter 148War of Shadows - Chapter 149War of Shadows - Chapter 151War of Shadows - Interlude XIWar of Shadows - Chapter 153The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 155The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 156The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 157The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 159The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 160The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 161The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 162The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 163The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XIIThe Unexpected Journey - Chapter 166The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 167The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 168The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 169The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 171The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XIII - Part 1The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XIII - Part 2The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XIII - Part 3The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XIII - part 4EpilogueReunion - Chapter 41Reunion - Chapter 45Reunion - Chapter 62Reunion - Chapter 68Reunion - Chapter 11Reunion - Chapter 36Reunion - Chapter 1Reunion - Chapter 7Reunion - Chapter 15Reunion - Chapter 24Reunion - Chapter 27Reunion - Chapter 29Reunion - Chapter 47Reunion - Chapter 50Reunion - Chapter 54Reunion - Chapter 56Reunion - Chapter 60Reunion - Chapter 73Reunion - Chapter 74Reunion - Chapter 79Reunion - Chapter 88Reunion - Chapter 89Reunion - Chapter 91Reunion - Chapter 92Reunion - Chapter 94War of Shadows - Chapter 143Reunion - Chapter 100Reunion - Chapter 102War of Shadows - Chapter 104War of Shadows - Chapter 114War of Shadows - Chapter 118War of Shadows - Chapter 124War of Shadows - Chapter 127War of Shadows - Chapter 131War of Shadows - Chapter 134War of Shadows - Chapter 137War of Shadows - Chapter 147War of Shadows - Chapter 150The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 154The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 158The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 164The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 170The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 172Reunion - Chapter 2C That was unfair. I… I know you have changed; how could you not? It has been a thousand years, everything is changed. Where there was once a capitol there is a forest. A thousand years; and I was a rock floating through the void all that time. Everything is changed but me. I am still hurting. All that pain and jealousy and anger were mere moments ago to me even if it was a thousand years for everypony else. I will not return to that nightmare, but I went there for a reason and that reason is still here. I drove you away and I locked you out in my pride. I will not do that again. It has been a thousand years and I have at least learned this one lesson. -L Author's Note Okay so you need at least 1000 words to publish so a good portion of what i have will go up immediately but I should be able to get it updated pretty often. Reunion - Chapter 3C Thank you for sending the astronomers to talk to me. It is heartening to see that some of your ponies started looking at the sky after the sun went down. Maybe I may do something in thanks to them once I start doing the nights again. When I am allowed. -L Reunion - Chapter 4C I understand, I do not need to hear you say it again. The elements took two torn halves of me and washed them and bound them back together. it will take some time for me to recover. We have known each other far too long, sister. There is no such thing as an unspoken word between us. I know what you did say and what you were too afraid to say. It is painful, Tia. I understand but still, it wounds me. -L Reunion - Chapter 5C They say progress is two steps forward, one step back; or at least they used to. Today is that step back. Do you remember that city in the north? We stopped watching it and that tyrant took over. Who would have thought there was a spell that would make the entire Crystal Empire a personal shield for him? Not me. I struck him into oblivion at the first opening, and the city and all its subjects joined him. it is no mystery why you do not trust me, there is far too much blood on my hoofs. -L Reunion - Chapter 6C When a pony claiming to be a councilor showed up I thought you were going to let me in your court. It seems the meaning of ‘councilor’ has drifted somewhat. (If any councilor is reading this, I will know and you will find out firsthoof if the rumors about Nightmare Moon eating ponies are true based on the method I chose to kill you) We had a long conversation after which he concluded that I have ‘issues’ and I concluded that he is wholly under qualified to help me through the guilt of destroying an entire city, having my mind taken over by the very darkest of my emotions and trying to destroy the world twice. -L Reunion - Chapter 8C No Tia, this is the same pile of manure you fed me a thousand years ago. It is impossible for you to have lived so long without learning to delegate. If you do not have time for me it is because you cannot be bothered to make time. -L Author's Note do we detect bitterness in thy writing, oh princess of the night? Reunion - Chapter 9C I am sorry. If I had to do that to you I would throw myself at every diversion I could too. Old habits do indeed die hard and I should have kept that in mind before I passed judgment. I do not mean to play the victim but I do not know what other part is left for me to play. I am reduced to a mere recluse without the benefit of knowing what recluses do to pass the time in this age. Please, just give me one night. It feels like my cutie mark is going to fall off my flank from misuse. -L Author's Note I really am trying not to go all Lunar Republic on this and make Celestia out to be the bad guy. Reunion - Chapter 10C Oh thank you sister! I cannot even begin to express my delight! It will be the most wonderful of nights. I will make sure your ponies love it, it will be endlessly beautiful. I shall look into these video games you suggested later but as for the present I have a night to prepare. -L Author's Note I may do some more with 'gamer Luna' in a little while I even have an OC in mind if i do but i have some other stuff mapped out for the time being. Reunion - Chapter 12When I awoke everypony told me I had been gone for a thousand years but it felt like nothing more than a deep slumber. Now I feel every lifetime it has been since I have had somepony to call ‘friend’. All that is left is a sister who refuses to trust me and ponies that are scores of generations removed from those I knew. A friend; maybe that is what I need to mend my breaking heart. -L Author's Note something isn't right with the wordcount on this story. I tallied up all the chapters before this one and got 1006 but the story page only says 800-something... whatever have the first diary chapter that's not actually a letter. Reunion - Chapter 13I tried talking with a guard today. I asked him to only call me Luna but he refused. I assured him I would not object to the lack of formality, I begged, I pleaded with him just to use my name. “The princess has ordered that you should be called princess, princess,” he finally said. It is nothing but a word they are told to call me. Celestia is still ‘The’ princess. I am only a hollow shell she has assigned a title to. I have no power and no authority yet they still insist on calling me ‘princess’. That word has become to me the worst of insults. -L Reunion - Chapter 14There is a simple truth. It is astounding and crushing to me in its own right and yet its use as a metaphor to describe my situation is uncannily accurate. I wonder have these little ponies learned it in a thousand years, do they know the shame of the night? Have a thousand years of progress revealed that my moon is nothing but a proxy, shining only when the sun gives it light? -L Reunion - Chapter 16Nostalgia is one of the few activities I am permitted in my gilded prison. I remember the castle of the very first unicorn king. I learned to read and do magic at Celestia’s hoofs, I was her first student. Who is this usurper? And so it slithers back into my heart; an old foe. An emotion I have stopped trusting myself to feel, jealousy. But what would I do with it? Would I steal a place my sister no longer trusts me to have from a pony who has done me no wrong? Jealousy is such a stupid petty thing when looked at critically. -L Reunion - Chapter 17I remember the first constellation I ever made. It was nothing but a foals hoof painting really. It was just a few stars in the rough shape of a unicorn. No galaxies, no nebulae, just stars. In the sky now it is nothing special but it will always hold a place of privilege in my heart. I still remember the night I put it in the sky. “Daddy, daddy look,” I said holding out my star-chart. “That’s nice, what is it?” he asked. “It’s you silly, come see,” I say dragging him to a window by his hoof. He follows as every parent being dragged by an exuberant foal follows. “Look, look,” I say pointing into the empty night. Joining the moon on her lonely vigil are nine infant stars blinking into existence. I looked at my father to see his smile. He was the first pony to ever smile at the night sky. No longer was the night a thing of fear; a necessary evil so that the world would not burn under the harsh sun. It could have life and light and beauty and I could give it. An eternal destiny from one smile. After the first ever stargaze father saw that I had a cutie mark. Celestia was so jealous. -L Reunion - Chapter 18Monoceros passed and every unicorn of note was at the castle before the sun set. It was harsh but the fledgling nation needed a king. One who would channel the power of all unicorns and direct the sun and moon in their course through the sky. He had no sons, only two daughters. The council deliberated at length but it was clear from the beginning they would choose his brother over his blank-flank eldest daughter. The dealings of court were never important to Celestia, she snuck out before the first hour was up. As the empty deliberations dragged on and on no unicorn noticed that the sun had already set without a king. As the sun set in the sky it rose on Celestia’s flank. The new king, our uncle, had to make do with raising the moon for his coronation. Though I had made many stars the night sky’s only adornment was its first; a foals crude portrait of her father. -L Author's Note now with a cover image, hope you guys like it. There actually is a constellation of a unicorn called Monoceros that i wikapedia-ed while writing this chapter so you can rest assured that I put a minute or so into researching to ensure that the astronomical data in this fic is correct. I've been trying to do a chapter a day and i guess it is technically thursday in New Mexico so I'll let you guys have this one early, hope you enjoy! Reunion - Chapter 19Uncle was not happy with Celestia; she was not even allowed to add her power when the heavens were manipulated. By the next century we were only estranged aunts to the royal family. We stayed for centuries gaining and sharing wisdom. For the pegasi I made Polaris to be a fixture of navigation. For the earth ponies I taught the moon her phases so they could plan their plantings and harvests. I tried to find new spells for the unicorns but my talent for creating magic was outshone by one unicorn. He came up with new spells faster than most unicorns could learn them and I was proud to call him teacher and friend. Princess Platinum would have nopony in the royal line more skilled at magic than her. We were exiled for the sake of her insecurity. We returned when the parasprites came and the harvest failed, offering what aid we could. I only saw my teacher and friends in passing before the windigoes came. We could only save a small group of refugees from each tribe before the rest were frozen. I hate remembering. There have been too many friends I have watched die and too many I could not be near in their final hour. I am immortal but I am not immune to death, I am its harshest victim. -L Author's Note it feels like it's been a while since i posted, mainly because yesterday's was at 3AM. so...yeah, have some more family history. Reunion - Chapter 20There is nothing to do. My memories are always there waiting but remembering countless friends dead is a punishment I would never dare inflict on another. -L Author's Note even by this story's standards this chapter is very short so i will publish two Reunion - Chapter 21I have her, a name and a cutie mark; Twilight Sparkle with a six pointed star on her flank. Does Celestia intend to make her into an alicorn? Is she to be my replacement, to guard the night as I once did? She will NOT! If Celestia thinks my madness contains the fullness of my power she is wrong. Nightmare Moon may lie defeated but I do not. I will have my night back and neither Celestia nor Twilight nor the power of harmony itself will stand in my way! -L Reunion - Chapter 22If only I could capture a moment in time and view it preserved forever, but alas one day long from now time will take the memory of Celestia’s face as I break down her door demanding what is mine by rights. We argued for quite some time over the subject. We did not get violent but we did get rather vocal with each other and the room is now in need of some new windows. -L Author's Note I was considering leaving y'all hanging with Luna on the warpath but updating and seeing the viewcounter go up makes my heart sing so have another chapter. Reunion - Chapter 23It seems I am to be “rewarded for good behavior” and am “permitted” to raise the moon and stars one night per week. Even in her concession Celestia insults me. I am permitted nothing; every night is mine by right! I am not trusted. I must remind myself of that from time to time. One night in seven is a start even if the wording of the decree was belittling. -L Author's Note Sunday must be the day to upload fanficitons. thank y'all for liking, favoriting, and commenting, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Reunion - Chapter 25A night pony appeared before Celestia today. According to the fragmented history I was able to glean from the few records I am allowed to see they have disappeared entirely from Equestria for a thousand years. He is here to see me and I hope that Celestia is not foolish enough to refuse him. They would dash themselves against Canterlot’s walls to free me just as they secluded themselves for a thousand years in my absence. -L Reunion - Chapter 26The utter foal! I am the night, the soft glow of the moon is mine, the shimmer of the stars is mine, and even the aurora of the north belongs to me! They belong to me and she would refuse me my ponies. They will come and make war on Equestria. From every shadow and on the swift wings of night they will come and rip out her guards pretty white throats. How many will they kill before they are stopped I wonder? The sheer weight of three tribes against them will overcome just as it did a thousand years ago but it will be a terrible cost to Equestria. I must admit part of me is tempted to let them make their war for my freedom but it is a selfish and petty thought. I will make peace where Celestia’s fervor in imprisoning me would make war. -L Reunion - Chapter 28They are dark, violent things my night ponies. But that is what Equestria needed them to be. Earth ponies would give growth, Pegasi would give water, and unicorns would give light and together they would make a nation. But it was a nation beset on all sides by feral wilds that would encroach on its borders and swallow it up were it not for the gift of the night ponies: death. I wish that the creatures of night were not all so tragically violent but that is how it was. I commanded some level of obedience from each of the monsters that attacked at night but as the nation grew I alone was not enough. In the night my ponies would deal death to every threat while I guarded dreams. In the day Celestia and her guard would bask in praise for our actions. -L Reunion - Chapter 30My last entry has raised my curiosity so today I looked into the conflicts that have happened in my absence. The guard has been involved in surprisingly few conflicts over the past thousand years. Having the pony who controls the raising and setting of the sun and moon as the ruler of your nation tends to lend one a political advantage. There have been a scattering of assassination attempts, none of which met any measure of success. It seems even a ruler as lighthearted as Celestia will have a few attempts made on her life, though if any would-be assassin made it past the guard they would find themselves very much unable to harm her. There have only been a few small border disputes which show a drastically decreasing number of casualties. Equestria has not even lost a soldier in battle for five centuries and the casualties report for the most recent skirmish only reports that a soldier took a pie to the face and recovered the next day. Curious I investigated just what sort of weapon a ‘pie’ was. It is the type usually baked with apples and eaten for dessert. Further investigation into the guards armament revealed that the number of ponies who can make a weapon intended to kill another can be counted on one hoof by not raising that hoof, that is to say there are none. What has become of Equestria? -L Author's Note thirty chapters WOO! Reunion - Chapter 31Murder rates are near nonexistent. Even the largest cities have averaged less than one suspicious death per year for the last century. I am led to believe a vast majority of these are accidental or victims of circumstance. Many smaller towns and provinces have none to report for their entire existence. It is the same with nearly every serious crime. Police forces are as near nonexistent as crimes, having no real purpose to serve. In the last thousand years it seems Celestia has succeeded in making Equestria into a utopia. War, violence, and crime are all things of the past. There is but one question: In this bright gleaming age sister made is there any place for me? -L Reunion - Chapter 32Me and sister have always been opposites; my night to her day, my cold wind to her warm breeze. While hers was always a throne of mercy and understanding mine was a throne of judgment. I would not tolerate unanswered crimes to pollute the kingdom I had fought for. What use is a judge when there is no crime? I was harsh, I will not pretend otherwise, but I was just. Whatever the crime I would never descend to giving the victim revenge but would give Equestria justice. But now there is no need for justice, in every corner Equestria has harmony. Perhaps it is a good thing that this student of my sister is to replace me. -L Reunion - Chapter 33Sister “suggests” I delay my return to my duties until after the upcoming holiday. I see no reason that my return should not coincide with the harvest feast, yet this was no suggestion. It was worded as such yet there was a hardness to her voice as she spoke. I am tempted to ignore her out of spite yet she has been present these last thousand years where I have not. Nopony will know better than her what the harvest feast has turned into and what the implications of the tradition have become. I think this once I will defer to her judgment. After all she is now over a thousand years my elder. -L Reunion - Chapter 34Mortals are such stupid, weak things. I watched from a balcony as sister’s subjects paraded around the city in all matter of costumes. They were exchanging sweets and candies. It seems to be some new take on the harvest festivals of old, though centered much more on the foals. If nothing else it served to distract me from the rather…grim thoughts I have been having of late. While standing at a balcony holding a chocolate I did have a dark thought though. I could have dropped the treat and killed everypony in the room by the time it hit the ground below. Who would miss these useless nobles. They lord their affluence over even one another with these social gatherings, what pony would miss them? Their conversation prattled on about nothing useful or productive only inflating their own egos. There was one, a stallion with three crowns as a cutie mark that seemed to be an exception. I overheard him talking of some charitable venture for the impoverished in Equestria and abroad. I shall see to it that he is well funded. Discretely of course; I may yet sit in judgment over these ponies, Faust forbid they know I have a heart. -L Reunion - Chapter 35Tonight is the night. After a thousand years the moon and stars were shepherded across the night by their true mistress. I agreed to put off my return for another week once Celestia explained to me what the ‘nightmare night’ celebration really was. Though I am eager to let ponies know that their princess of the night is no monster, returning to my ancient duty on such a holiday would only warrant more fear. But now this night is mine. Do the ponies notice? Celestia’s nights were passable. Better than that oaf Discord’s, thankfully short, nights. Celestia arranged a ceremony for my raising of the stars. She disappeared a half hour before it was to begin and the guard was doubled, then doubled again. At first I thought they were afraid that raising the stars surrounded by my night guard would reawaken my madness. As the moon crests the horizon musicians play a fanfare and the modest gathering of nobles before me gives a polite hoof stomp. Then night ponies begin parading into the courtyard. There are hundreds; far outnumbering my modest few guards. Whether from fear of the night ponies or disgust at their rough dress the nobles shrink back into a tight circle in the courtyard. When the last of the night ponies enter the courtyard my guard step forward and call out, “Vivas Nactus.” “Vivas Nactusss,” the crowd answers. Rather than loudly roar they hiss their response through their fangs. It is an old salute that fell out of use during my madness. It simply means ‘long live the night’. Even after I have been gone a thousand years, and even after how I used them these ponies still hail me. Truly I am unworthy of their loyalty. I fly down to the courtyard and prostrate myself. It is not a bow or kneeling, I spread my wings across the ground and lay my horn along the earth. It is a gesture of repentance inviting those who will not forgive me to damage my horn or step on my wings should they withhold their forgiveness. As I lay before these ponies I confess every mistreatment of their ancestors I can remember. The head of each family comes before me and declares me forgiven. I rise from the dirt weeping yet I have never been happier. I declare a feast to be held, the likes of which Canterlot has never seen, I call for wine, mead, ale, and cider to be brought up from the cellar. My celebrations have always been much more raucous than sister’s and they only ever end two ways. Either I am forced to replace much of the grand halls furniture or Celestia becomes very drunk very quickly and makes a fool of herself. Whatever may come this will surely be the best night since my return. -L Author's Note this chapter takes some ideas from Luna's Story by Aegis Shield. If you haven't read it i recommend it, it's a good read. Reunion - Chapter 37If I am to be denied all the responsibilities of my station then should I not revel in my irresponsibility? A foalhood is a fleeting and precious thing. Mine was far too short and far too long ago so I chose today to relive it to some extent. I am surprised Celestia lets me out of my gilded prison and she is surprised I feel that I must ask to be let out. Nevertheless there is a carnival and I intend to make the most of it. Even the grandest of carnivals I remember are outshone by this one. There is food and dancing and merriment everywhere I look. Even the group of guards, a mixture of my own and sister’s, around me cannot prevent foals from chasing each other under my hoofs as they scream with laughter. After a time the sound can be grating to the ear but I must admit it is heartwarming to hear such a joyful din once more. I am a mare of quiet pleasures and the press of the crowd, even stayed by my guards, becomes too much for me. I find a secluded bench and sit for a time. I merely watch as others enjoy the festivities. My warm cape hides the fact that I am an alicorn and braces me against the late fall chill. Though I may not revel in the merriment or take the center of attention like my sister I see my subjects happy and I am gladdened for it. As the sun sets lanterns of all kinds are lit. Many of them were not lit by fire but by some sort of magic. I do not sense any enchantment upon them only the flow of magic through them. I begin tracing the magic to its source and I am led to a solid structure lit up by so many of these magic lanterns that it shines like a beacon. Inside I recognize a young colt. I observed him earlier that day and he seemed to be shy and withdrawn but here he was the center of attention and was even making the occasional boast. One of the group around him would offer a challenge and they would put a few bits in the machine in front of them. It seemed to be some contest of skill which he usually won but even when he did not he seemed happy. There are several very complex spells placed on each of the machines. It is an alluring mix of magic and craftsponyship that even I am impressed by. I did not set hoof in this ‘arcade’ but I have resolved to investigate this new field of magic further. -L Author's Note I've been in a bit of a writing slump lately so after this chapter i may switch to weekly updates. I don't know yet so we'll see tomorrow. Reunion - Chapter 38Winter is by far my favorite season. With its soft chill and the entire world resting peacefully beneath a blanket of snow it is not unlike a months long night. The only facet of winter I hold no affection for is the clouds. In the day they are like a soft blanket gently shedding their downy snow but in the night they are simply in the way. The weather pegasi have come to a practice of setting a cloud cover and letting it do what it will over the winter months. This is understandable. The winter chill at altitude could be fatal to an unprotected pony so I will not begrudge my subjects their vacation. Yet the clouds hide my best work. There is something about walking a moonlit field in winter. The way the snow catches the light and the whole world seems to take a soft glow. It is a gentle purity that can soothe the soul. Perhaps there will be a break in the clouds and one of my subjects may find this beauty for themselves. I will yet bring the beauty of the night even if it is hidden away. -L Reunion - Chapter 39I am told that some of Equestria’s larger, more industrialized, cities remain active through the winter months. Canterlot is not among their number. To ease the boredom sister has proposed a snow battle between our guards. It is an interesting challenge. My guard is perhaps overtrained for this friendly mock battle. They have been trained for real combat and will constantly be holding themselves back. Celestia’s guard has a great advantage in numbers but her bloated force will be unwieldy in the castle courtyard. To engage head on will mean certain defeat but sister has far less tactical experience than me. Goading her force into a trap should be foals play. I will accept her challenge. even in defeat it will be something to do other than laze around the hearth. I enjoy reading and studying far more than other ponies but even so it has quickly become tedious. -L Reunion - Chapter 40Celestia allows me and my force an hour to prepare defenses and one of her lieutenants, Shining Armor, as an advisor. She believes my forces to be at a severe disadvantage. They are not but I am the author of the rules of war and I remember my first tenet: when your opponent makes a mistake, you let them. Shining Armor is as capable as any of Celestia’s guard. He has a specialty in large shield spells and has an unmatched talent for logistics. He is no tactician however. I intend no dishonor to the pony but his tactics range from the blatantly obvious (or honorable as he describes them) to the disastrously foolish. I listen to him berate my guerrilla strategies as we make our preparations. I know he possesses neither subtlety nor battlefield experience. Honor is defending your home and walking away from a battlefield with none of your soldiers lost. Simply lining my troops up and exchanging volleys as he suggests would lead to disaster. We are outmatched in both numbers and range. Celestia knows the terrain but not how to turn it to her advantage. She possesses flyers but they are more suited to flying sky chariots than aerial combat. My formal defenses are modest while snowy traps abound. My victory is all but won. -L Reunion - Chapter 42It is all but done. Sister believes herself to be on the cusp of victory but she only marches to her defeat. In the sky is a swirling mask of my guard. To her eyes it looks as if the battle for the sky is still being fought in earnest. None of her flyers made it back to report the defeat. Her guard has been bled off to half its former strength while mine have suffered no loss. There is a fort she believes to be my command post. Her guard marches to take it. my flyers pester them from the skies while I carry my ‘advisor’ over and behind the force. Does he still believe himself honorable as he is carried like a foal over his doomed comrades? My trap I set without the need for bait. Celestia believes she will find victory but she will be handed defeat instead. ‘Twill be a glorious triumph! -L Reunion - Chapter 43Celestia’s force storms the fort I built beneath eaves heavy with snow. A simple heat spell convinces them to release their burden. Celestia and her remaining guard are buried beneath the small avalanche. She is difficult to find in the snow but I am there when she uncovers her head nevertheless. Before she can concede defeat I take my victory by striking her with a snowball. Her guard laughs as they uncover themselves and smiles as they congratulate the night guard on their victory. My guard is well trained and does not break discipline while on the battlefield. As Celestia’s guard offers jovial surrender mine only watch stoically. Victory is mine and yet I still feel as if somehow I have lost. -L Author's Note I go away for a weekend to help my brother move and y'all give all the comments. Sorry for the late submission and I'm glad to see y'all enjoying and discussing my work. Reunion - Chapter 44The guard returns to the recently refurbished great hall. Officers in Celestia’s guard find their seats taken by the night ponies that struck them down. Celestia suggests that a mixing of the guard might be healthy but this is not for camaraderie’s sake. It is a declaration that the victorious night ponies are more worthy of the place of honor. A thousand years ago Celestia would have had to find another seat for months to come but such declarations of superiority would only be interpreted as a threat from me. I do take the honor of the first toast. When everypony has been served a mug of mulled cider I stand and the room falls silent. “To a battle well fought,” I declare and drain my mug in a single greedy swallow. Celestia alone openly scoffs at the display. I do not care; in drink, feast, and battle I am the night ponies’ superior and I will remind them how and when I see fit. Drinks and words begin to flow and an argument is escalated into a formal challenge. Immediately a ring is formed and the two contestants find themselves in the center. I fly over to act as referee and find a grinning night mare named Moon Shadow and a unicorn named Morning Star. The unicorn is bewildered at the turn of events so for his benefit I read off the rules. They are simple enough to be remembered while intoxicated to the point of blindness. No strikes to the wings(or horn as the case may be) and no biting. The fight continues until one yields or is incapable of doing so. Any severe wounds will be healed after the fight; I will not have my ponies killing one another to satisfy their pride. The challenge begins and Morning Star attempts to say that he will not strike a mare. He is cut off by a blow that gives my own jaw a sympathetic ache. Moon Shadow’s opening volley follows relentlessly with as many insults as hoofs thrown. To my surprise he is not defeated by the fierce attack and manages to push her away. From the look they give each other I am not certain whether they will resume fighting or start making love. It is only for a moment before they both resume the fight. Morning Star attempts to grapple his opponent. He tries to prove his physical dominance without causing any harm while Moon Shadow rains blows upon him. He only tightens his hold and brings his body closer to her to avoid the blows. He is too close for any of her limbs to land any blows so she bashes her head against his. It is an awkward angle and a few clumsy blows render both ponies unconscious. I declare the tie, call for a bucket of water to bring them to their senses, and return to my seat. Celestia gives me a disapproving look but I do not care; tonight belongs to the victors. -L Reunion - Chapter 46A ‘speech coach’ came to my chambers today. Apparently he makes a career out of teaching ponies what their parents should have taught them. I was tempted to see just how much damage the royal Canterlot voice could do to a pony as I threw him out but I have been gone for a very long time; perhaps I could use some help. If nothing else having him has broken the utter monotony of my life. Sister has been better but I am still only trusted with one night a week and merely a few pairs of night ponies as my guard. I have nothing at all to do. I sleep as long as I can but even my dreams have become dull. This speech coach is as incompetent as the ‘councilor’ Celestia sent to me some time ago. I understand that “tell me how to speak,” is a rather broad and open ended request so instead I simply asked that he sum up the changes of language rules over the past thousand years. He was woefully ill informed as to what exactly the language rules of a thousand years ago were; in fact the only rule he could come up was the nonsensical “Thee before thou except after thine”. I informed him that his ignorance had made this conversation an enormous waste of time and then I realized; I have done little else but waste time since my return. -L Author's Note so after my last note saying i was running out of ideas i sat down and wrote four chapters so daily updates for the foreseeable future. Reunion - Chapter 48Celestia had a way of seeing to the truth of every matter. In negotiations she was a force to be reckoned with. She always knew what each diplomat really wanted no matter how thickly the veiled the truth. She prevented as many wars as I won and even made a friend of the dragon king. She could see the true intent of a heart with a mere glance. I had so much pain and envy, so much anger and guilt. Why did she do nothing until it was too late? Where was she when I needed my big sister? -L Reunion - Chapter 49A thousand years. A thousand years and unicorns have yet to develop a spell to end these blasted emotions! My heart is at war with itself I feel betrayed and abandoned yet I am the traitor. Anger, guilt, and self-loathing are a poor mix of emotions. Every time I see sister I do not know if I should shout my condemnation or plead her forgiveness. I have begun to avoid her. -L Reunion - Chapter 51‘Speaking terms’ sister so eloquently put it. “True reconciliation will only come with time,” she says. Wounds fester over time if they are left untended. Healing injuries is far from pleasant and magic can only do so much. I find that ponies say time will heal when they mean that they can do nothing more. A wound may be cleaned and the dead flesh cut away but only time will tell if it is healing or infection that has taken root. This fevered gash has consumed me once already. Sister says time will heal. I have been given time without measure but that does not mean time is my ally. -L Author's Note 50+ chapters and 500+ views. thats awesome! Reunion - Chapter 52“Physician heal thyself.” It is an old saying, much older than even myself. I have forgotten its origin and its true meaning, so why does it come to mind? A surgeon plying his trade to himself is near suicidal at best and a doctor doing the same is no less foolish. And yet here I have sat trying to cure my own woes. Physician, heal thyself. Is it some half remembered teaching of a forgotten sage? Physician, heal thyself. Perhaps it is the parting phrase of an old joke. Physician, heal thyself. Perhaps an old taunt when slaying an enemy surgeon. Physician, heal thyself. I think it is the summation of some old mare’s tale; words of wisdom that mothers would cluck to their foals. Heal thyself. This will bother me to no end. But even as the old meaning is lost in time the phrase has been made new. I chant it to myself at times if only to remember that I must at least go out and see others from time to time. -L Author's Note So one of my friends convinced me to start reading homestuck... don't do that. Reunion - Chapter 53A thousand years is a great deal of time. There is a library full of literature that is completely new to me. There have been boundless advances in every field: mathematics, literature, sciences(studies of flora and fauna, studies of the material world, studies of magic), and even a whole new field of field of magic dealing in ‘electronics’. At least a decade will be needed if not more. A tutor may be required but I am hesitant to ask for one. The ponies Celestia has sent to me have been less than knowledgeable…I am hesitant to have her find me a teacher. I could find one myself if only I were more familiar with this modern world. Therein lies the problem. -L Reunion - Chapter 55My presence has been requested. It seems captain Sunshine is to take his long awaited retirement. He is a jolly sort, always telling tales of glory and battles long past. These tales mostly involve his ancestors instead of himself. He tells the tales well, though I must guess that it is his storytelling is aided by the flask of brandy that he is rarely seen without. I do not mean to say that he is a drunkard but he often wets his lips before regaling anypony with a story. His cheeks would take warm glow that matched the twinkle in his eye. A twinkle that would always leave when his gaze found me. He does not trust me. He has never treated me with anything less than courtesy and deference but there is steel in his gaze when he turns it on me. He alone regards me without fear or fawning obedience and for that he has my respect. -L Reunion - Chapter 57It seems I was wrong when I said that Celestia’s celebrations were dull. I daresay I will not forget this one in all of my days. To a casual observer it would appear as if nothing happened, but as is with most events of note one must see through the veils ponies place over themselves. Defiance is oft hidden behind a cordial bow or a polite smile. One must learn to see the hardness behind a smiling gaze and the strain in a bow. The body does not take kindly to bending one’s pride. The celebration proceeded much as I suspected it might. Many ponies, myself included, stiffly honored the Captain for his years of service. The herald walked to the center of the room and announced the arrival of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. The surprise in sister’s eyes was genuine but the smile that followed was not. As her mouth bent to warmly greet the new arrival her eyes asked why she had been disobeyed. “Greetings Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, I am surprised you made it all the way from Las Pegasus,” Celestia called out to the late arrival. ‘Why did you not stay where I sent you? Why have you disobeyed me?’ her gaze asked. I expect Cadenza to offer apology at the veiled reprimand but when she answers there is a hardness in her gaze. “Captain Sunshine guarded me as a foal; I would not miss his retirement party for the world,” her mouth said. ‘You do not own me,’ her eyes said. Rather than match stares with Celestia she introduces herself to me and finds a seat. She is yet another member of this extended family Celestia keeps. It seems there may yet be room in my heart for some affection towards them. -L Author's Note school starts for me this week so i think i will switch updates to a Monday and Friday schedule for the time being. enjoy. Reunion - Chapter 58Celestia is her usual self. It seems she cannot be content unless she is meddling in the affairs of another. I am not opposed to her idea and as time goes on it will become a necessity but she is a blind mare trying to paint a wall. She wants to begin including unicorns in the night guard. She offers me Shining Armor as the commanding officer for the new force. If nothing else he inspires obedience in those under him but I do not want him. He commands no respect from the night ponies and he will doubtlessly expect a rank similar to his own. The night guard is not large enough to make use of him or give him such a rank. Though Sister seeks to give him away he does not truly belong to Celestia or myself. His first loyalty is to another alicorn. -L Author's Note First chapter since school has started. I hope everyone's classes are going well and regular life is good for people not in college. Reunion - Chapter 59There is one pony alone in all of Celestia’s day guard that may be respected in the night guard: Morning Star. Sergeant Morning Star has a mediocre record with Celestia’s guard. He has shown remarkable personal discipline yet a poor adherence to his training. His superiors have regarded his tactics as unconventional and dishonorable. I take this to mean they are not entirely stupid and suicidal in nature. Celestia was not fazed by my rejection of Shining, or Captain Shining Armor as he will soon be called. She regarded the information with that half-smile she gets when she is scheming. It is a small, unreadable curve of her lips that has been my bane for centuries. My sister’s games are not always kind. She is planning something. I do not know what it could be but her plan has already been set in motion. I cannot help but believe that I have already played into her hoofs. -L Reunion - Chapter 61It seems I my abruptness at my last meeting with Cadence has put some distance between us. This is regrettable. Though it is true that the only thing I have in common with her is Celestia’s shadow, she is unpredictable enough that she may throw off Sister’s schemes. For that she has my respect. She is the only pony I have known since my return to be angry with me. Sister’s distrust is based more on what she feels about me than what she feels for me. She is afraid. She worries that an unkind word or a misplaced jest may cause the darkness to return. It is an odd complaint, to say that my sibling will not be angry with me. Yet everything she says to me is cold and detached. I am to be treated delicately until she decides that I can be trusted to withstand a harsh gaze or unkind word without shattering. Cadence’s anger is mostly unfounded and something of a petty sentiment to hold, yet I find it oddly… comforting. -L Author's Note happy labor day everyone, and if you didn't celebrate labor day then happy my birthday. have a chapter. Reunion - Chapter 63Normally I am content to let them have their shouting match outside of my door, but the stars will be guided through the night by my hoof this night and preparations require silence. Perhaps if these two share one another’s presence without their harsh words driving a wedge between them they will find a softer side to their passion. I have not yet discovered what Sister is scheming. She passes by my doorway with a knowing smile. It is both telling and secretive, and it has grown no less frustrating in the centuries since I have seen it. I have had my chambers searched multiple times and have searched them myself. No search has yielded anything that may be a piece in Celestia’s game. I fear I can only wait and see what Celestia’s scheme yields. -L Reunion - Chapter 64Winter has passed in only a blink of an eye. The seasons march on uncaring that some may miss the quiet and the stillness that winter imparted. I am to make my first public appearance in a few days (Sister tells me I attended a party shortly after my redemption but I have no memory of the event). It is the night pony’s spring festival. I must admit I am somewhat relieved that I will be among ponies that at least understand me; though the near-worship I receive from my ponies can grow tiresome. Sister regrets that I will not be able to attend the ‘Grand Galloping Gala’. I do not, a night among pompous nobles and reaching vassals would grate on my nerves more than I care to mention. Sister has even promised some “Special entertainment” but in my mind nothing can redeem a night spent among such elevated idiots. -L Author's Note In Equestria Girls it is implied that the Grand Galloping Gala is in the fall but then the timeline in relation to seasons makes even less sense so for the purpose of me not spending hours trying to figure it out we'll just say it's in the spring. Reunion - Chapter 65The night ponies living conditions are, in a word, meager. There are no earth ponies to put their magic into the crops and make them produce abundantly, There are no pegasi to control the weather and bring water to thirsty crops. There are no unicorns to craft necessities. Of every ten ponies I meet nine work in the fields to keep themselves fed. To field the army that marched on Canterlot the night ponies must have emptied every cave and field in the Foal Mountains, leaving behind only the very old and very young. Even after a thousand years my ponies stood ready to give everything for me. They constantly apologize, saying that their accommodations are unworthy of me. They are wrong; it is I that am unworthy of their faithfulness. -L Reunion - Chapter 66Moon Shadow and Morning Star are more important than even I knew. The night ponies deserve nothing less than the finery of Equestria. If it were within my power Celestia’s nobles and my ponies would trade places, yet it is not. The night ponies will not accept charity but they will work alongside one they regard as a friend. I long to give them the best of everything, yet they will not accept. If they came to regard other ponies as friends then they would be willing to work together to improve their station. But to end a thousand years of distrust and near enmity is a long and difficult journey. The first step lies with Moon Shadow and Morning Star. -L Author's Note Progress, they say is two steps forward... Reunion - Chapter 67~~It seems~~ ~~I know~~ ~~He made~~ ~~That drac~~ ~~There are~~ ~~What can~~ ~~how can~~ -L Author's Note one word: Discord Reunion - Chapter 69This is taking much longer than I thought it would. Just how old are you Lulu? I don’t think I like it as much in your head. Tia’s is much nicer; less battles, death and regret and more schemes. You really were a villain weren’t you? Oh stop screaming! Do I need to go to the sock drawer again? Yes. There. Poor Lulu, you managed to be a bigger threat to the world than me. You should have just asked me and I would have told you that ponies are so much more fun when they’re alive. There, there. Have a nice sock to dry your tears. Those nasty old elements really took it out of you didn’t they. I’m nothing if not a gracious guest, have a little gift from me. There that’s just how I remember you. Oh dear, it looks like Twilight and her little friends are at it again. I hate to be rude but I have to step out for a bit. Don’t you worry I’ll be back, this revenge is far too entertaining to pass up. ;D Author's Note Discord likes it in my head the most. He tells me that all the time, or maybe it's the me being crazy thing. Reunion - Interlude IMorning Star trudged down the corridor to the guard’s barracks. This day weighed heavily on the night guard’s mind and seemed to slow the world around him. The normal brisk efficiency of the guards around him was gone; it was like they were moving through molasses. Anypony outside of the royal alicorns and the night guard would say that Discord had been put back in his place before he could cause any harm. Nopony else had seen what he did to the Night Princess. He had changed her physical appearance but under normal circumstances everypony would have considered it something of an improvement. Her renewed body had not been seen outside of her chambers. Her meals came and went uneaten and the only sounds to make it out of her chambers were either enraged screams or heart wrenching sobs. Celestia alone understood what he had done to the Night Princess. “She needs time,” she said, but how much time? It had been nearly a full year since her return and her body had still been recovering. Through Morning Star’s mortal eyes everything she did was on a time scale beyond his reckoning. An alicorn “needing time” could take days or decades. The door eased open under Morning star’s magic, its well-greased hinges not making a sound. He made his way to his bed and stowed his armor in his hooflocker. He was tempted to crawl into the warm bed and not leave ever again. It seemed many of his fellow guardsponies had already decided to do just that. Nearly every bed had a pony on it; none were asleep. Everypony had a vacant stare. They were all trying to absorb and to cope with what had happened. Every one of them felt frustrated, helpless, and fearful. Morning Star was not surprised that the night ponies were more affected than the unicorns but he was surprised how much more effected they were. The unicorns were concerned and afraid but the night ponies seemed completely lost, as if in the snap of a draconequus’s claw the ground had disappeared beneath them. Reluctantly he tore himself away from the inviting bed and made his way back to the barracks common room. Maybe there he would find somepony with life in them. He opened the door to find a trail of armor discarded haphazardly across the floor and on the sofa her. When Moon Shadow looked up at him her eyes held none of their usual venom. Normally the slitted pupils narrowed and flashed angrily at him but now they were so wide that they were almost round. She tried to glare at him but the tears coming from her puffy red rimmed eyes and the sobs wracking her body made it impossible. Morning Star didn’t know why he sat down beside her. At a feast he had sat beside her and through some drunken slip of the tongue that he didn’t remember he had angered her enough to knock them both out. She had hated him ever since and being assigned dual command of the night guard’s first mixed squad did nothing to calm their tempers. “Go ahead and say it,” she spat angrily, “say I’m just a useless bat pony.” At those words a flood of memories struck Morning Star: a lost fight and far too much wine, a careless comparison that was less than flattering and, as he had seen, held enough truth to be deeply insulting. “I won’t” he said, looking into her eyes, “ever again.” A blush rose in her ashen cheeks as she turned her head. “Then just go away.” She said. “No,” the word escaped Morning Star’s lips before he even had time to think. She tried pushing him away with a hoof but her overwrought emotions had sapped all of her strength and she only succeeded in collapsing onto him. Morning Star caught her in his forelegs before she could fall to the ground. “I hate you,” She said as tears flowed. His only response was to hold her tighter as she sobbed into his fur. Author's Note What!? A real chapter? Get this out of my fic! seriously though, sappy much? sheesh, I may have to add a romance tag for this one. regular chapters will resume on Monday after the fourth wall has a chance to recover. Reunion - Chapter 71Regret does not suit a princess. How often would mother repeat the tired mantra to us? Mother never lived as long as we have, Mother never made as many mistakes as us. Mother never took a life, Mother never suffered defeat on the battlefield, Mother never fell to madness, Mother never tried to kill her sister. Regret does not suit a princess. It suits this princess. Had we known Discord would once again be free we would have expected this. He has ever been a most frustrating foe. Though his power is great he presents no mortal threat to Equestria, his war is waged in the mind. Discord’s Vengeance has lain us low, we fear. He did not violate our person other than to restore our body. The same can be said for our mind, yet some things should never be restored. Being forced to relive an eternal life is far from pleasant, especially so for our life. -L Author's Note Haha! I bet you thought you wouldn't see the royal 'we' in this fic, well you were right for seventy chapters so good guess. Depending on if my professors are merciful or not there might not be an update until Friday. Reunion - Chapter 72Discord: an all-powerful annoyance that brings about the means to his own demise even as he perpetuates his beloved chaos. It is fitting then, that he should be the one that brings the purpose of this tome full circle. We were born many centuries ago. Even with our renewed memory we still must admit with some embarrassment that we have lost count. We were born to the first unicorn king, Monoceros, by his second wife, a pegasus named Sky Dust. We are not Celestia’s twin and neither are we fully her sister. She was born to father’s first wife, an earth pony named Morning Glory. Our wings and horn was attributed to our mixed lineage, but as time wore on that proved to be false. We cannot say with certainty why we were born alicorn, or why we are any different from alicorns like this Princess Cadenza. It has been said that our longevity is due to our connection with the heavenly bodies, but the reciprocal could also be true, that fate has given us a talent as eternal as we are. Father was never ashamed of his ‘half-blood’ daughters. To him we were children of all three tribes, a symbol that would secure his lineage’s rule for all eternity. How right he was. -L Author's Note that wonderful moment when you find out an assignment is due a week later than you thought it was. Reunion - Chapter 75We tried. After every war an oak was felled and coal was brought up from the earth, a furnace was made and our weapons were cast into the crucible. How many times have we seen blades made into plows? Yet there was always another battle. Beasts came until it seemed nature itself was making war on Equestria. Equestria has many mythical beasts, we have slain nearly all of them when they were not distant myths but very present terrors. Even yet war found us. Servants of gods and demons alike came in their zeal to be honored by dying for their masters. Honor them we did. We cast their honored corpses upon their brethren as we honored them. We hunted their masters. Alters of bone and wood and clay and stone all fell. I have met many a god; few survived the experience. Some regard us as goddesses. We have no need for another title; to list them all would take the better part of a day. Why would we share a title with those we have slain so easily? Some begged for mercy, others attempted to fight. Any number of my guard could have killed them; a warrior that goes without challenge goes without skill. We do not desire to be counted a deity, why would we? We are the godkiller. -L Author's Note bit of a rush on this chapter so apologies for any crimes against the English language. onward to homework. Reunion - Chapter 76At first it was merely a few outlying settlements. We do not know how long his corruption was present before it came to our notice. The village leaders simply stopped responding to our missives and obeying our commands. Sister already thought our methods were overly harsh, so she decided to calm any rebellion in the area herself. Discord greeted her with his usual bombastic nature, throwing a parade, “From one ruler of Equestria to another.” It was generations before the field he stood on would ever be fit for crops. To combat Discord on any normal terms is an impossibility. He exists within the folds of the universe itself. He is where elements and energy are in flux and so he is never truly where he is. As Celestia turned the field to glass Discord tapped her shoulder and admonished her lack of decorum. It was the beginning of Discord's reign. -L Author's Note the Luna eclipsed chapter(s) should be coming up in around 1-2 weeks, so have fun learning a bit if history about Discord until then. Reunion - Interlude IIDry Wheat looked out over the field. Yesterday the old princess had burned every stalk of wheat and scorched the earth so badly that it may never grow a crop. Discord had told him not to worry so he didn’t. He had spent the whole day not doing anything and especially not worrying. It had been nice doing nothing. He always worked so hard but he didn’t have to anymore, Discord said so. He used to be an important pony, he made sure the village had bread to eat, and he always worked hard. His cutie mark even showed that. It was a plow being drug through the earth, a mark only fit for a hardworking pony. He had liked doing nothing though, a lot. Part of his mind still argued against the laziness that had overtaken him. Get up, it said. Ponies depend on you, it said. It was drowned out by a voice not his own, you’ve always worked so hard, surely you have earned some rest. The village can find its own food; you don’t need to do anything. “I don’t need to do anything,” he droned as his coat faded from brown to grey. He slowly repeated the mantra, lacking the will to do anything more. A flash of blue caught his attention outside the window. It took him a full thirty seconds to turn his head and focus on the night princess standing in his once bountiful field. She looked down at the scorched field with disdain, as if it were some crude attempt at magic by a rival rather than a display of power that rendered acres of land unusable. “this is why I handle the fighting Tia, you don’t know how to do anything but collateral damage,” she muttered. He shouldn’t have been able to hear her. It didn’t make sense. Discord said things didn’t need to make sense anymore. Discord was always right. He liked Discord. Down the path came the villagers, they had pots, pans, buckets and anything else that might make some sort of impromptu armor. They carried brooms and ladles and a sundry of other items that had no place in the fight to come. Odder yet than the adults were the foals riding their parents back, they were beating out a marching cadence in perfect rhythm on their parents impromptu helmets. Part of Dry Wheat wanted to go find his bucket and a mixing spoon and join them, part of him wanted to get the ponies off his field so he could start healing the scorched soil, most of him wanted to do nothing. He liked doing nothing. Discord let him do nothing. He liked Discord. “Welcome, welcome Princess Luna to the new Equestria,” Discord said from the front of the marching ponies. Had he been there before? Dry Wheat blinked lethargically as the answer to his unspoken question came automatically. Discord was always there. He liked Discord. “Who are you, what is the meaning of this?” Luna demanded. “This is my new Equestria, and I of course am Discord-“ KRAK—KRAK KA-KRAK As Discord spoke his name four lightning bolts struck him on the head. His fur stood on end and his skeleton showed through as his body spasmed uncontrollably. After just a moment too long he fell to the ground dead. It was a shame. He liked Discord. Luna did not take her eyes off of the mismatched body as she looked for any sign of life. “And the Oscar goes to…John De Lancie!” Luna turned towards the voice only to come face to face with the being she had just killed. Discord said some things that didn’t make sense. Its ok things don’t have to make sense. He liked Discord. Luna only lost a second to surprise before she threw Discord into the field. Nopony could pick out a single bolt from the fury that followed. As the column of lightning faded and thunder echoed in the valley Discord tapped Luna on the shoulder. “I’ll let you run away now,” Discord said. Luna scowled at Discord and at everything around her before she reluctantly took to the skies and flew away. Finally the villagers could be alone with Discord. They liked Discord. Author's Note I'm not sure that these are technically interludes but i'll keep titling these chapters that break diary format interludes until I figure out the real name for them. Reunion - Chapter 78There are laws at the foundation of everything. Every city, every nation has codes of conduct for how their citizens should behave. Carved into the very foundation stones of Equestria are the laws of our nation. Existence itself has laws that everything from the lowliest pebble to the highest of princesses must obey. They are always present and their authority cannot be negated. They define what is and is not possible for all, all except Discord. Celestia was driven off and I laughed. We went to face Discord assured that I would prove myself her better in battle; assured that all would be driven before us. We struck again and again. Our lightning left a pool of glass where Discord stood. Yet even as he was struck down he whispered his offer of retreat in our ear. We did not like it but we accepted. Much more than blind striking was needed to defeat an enemy who was not subject to the very laws of existence. We consulted the scholars and tacticians of Equestria; we found nothing but an old myth that could defeat Discord. As his reign spread our research took on desperate haste but still only the myth of harmony bore any fruit. It seemed fanciful to think that the very foundation stones of existence would be present in some long forgotten cave. As Discord took our seats of power we had no other option. -L Author's Note I'm picturing Discord's Equestria like a surrealist painting or something like that. It leaves you a bit confused and a bit scared. Reunion - Chapter 80Any beasts that saw fit to interrupt our journey became nothing more than an outlet for our frustration. Through forest and swamp we traveled to find a cave more ancient than the world it sat in. We cannot say for certain how long the journey lasted. We decided not to challenge Discord for control of the heavens until we had a way to fight him. The careful phases of the night we perfected over centuries were nothing more than a joke to him. The moon sprinted through her phases and constellations fought for prominence in the minutes-long night. He was a foal breaking priceless pottery just to see what sort of noise it would make as it shattered. The cave was almost boring. It could easily have been mistaken for any other cave because every other cave was patterned off of it. A few turns into the cave we met the elements. In a way they are thinking and in a way they are not. They are the foundation stones of this world and so every wisdom that will ever pass through this world is theirs. Yet they stay as nothing more than stones, no more thinking than any magical amulet would be. Harmony searched our every thought since our birth. Our memories flashed before us and we knew that they saw. After our every thought and deed had been weighed Harmony spoke. It was a voice if depth and power, like distant thunder; yet it was near and intimate as a whisper. “Honesty,” it spoke and we saw Celestia in a thousand negotiations, always seeing the truth. “Kindness,” it said and we saw Celestia’s mercy and understanding, we saw her every act of leniency to others. “Laughter,” we saw father smile at our stars, we saw a thousand celebrations of drink and merriment. “Generosity,” we saw our every night sky. A precious painting given to all who would look. “Loyalty,” we saw battle, terrible cries of rage and pain. Yet even through all this we did not turn away, we defended our ponies at every turn. “Magic,” We saw Celestia take the tribes, suspicious and mistrustful, and bind them into a nation. The visions faded and before us were a sword and a scepter, each inlaid with three brilliant jewels. We were given weapons to defeat Discord. -L Author's Note It's up for debate about which elements Celestia and Luna took or whether they shared in all six of them but this is a best fit for my interpretation of them. Reunion - Chapter 81The sword is far from an efficient weapon for ponies. But I must admit it holds an elegance. It can attack and defend at once. In the same motion an enemy’s blow can be turned and countered. Spears and maces may be wielded by amateurs but should they wield a sword they would be as likely to harm themselves as their enemy. It is a master’s weapon. Celestia was ever the master of manipulation. She would pull her threads and others leapt to her will, believing it their own. She did not take kindly to being defeated by Discord. He defied her and with his perversion of free will brought others to do the same. She did not allow me to attack outright. We walked into our former throne room and Discord welcomed us as he would prodigal daughters. At first it was diverting to watch them argue. Discord’s pompous irreverence clashed amusingly with Celestia’s regal decorum. Of course a conversation could only continue so long before Discord attempted his usual antics. With a snap of his claw he did nothing. He looked at the claw in confusion then at our new weapons. He knew them. In an instant fear showed on his face before he set his features. It is an expression we know well; the desperate look of one who can no longer run and instead must turn and fight. He spoke again to buy time but we saw through the guise. The sword did not leave behind a headless draconequus instead a statue of solid stone. -L Author's Note well the worlds greatest evil has been defeated so now we can get on to more important things like candy and such Reunion - Chapter 82Luna, Sister please. Equestria has languished for a thousand years in your absence. Do not force your subject to suffer without you any longer. I’m sorry it had to come to this but I have heard nothing from your room except for cries of pain and anger. You cannot lock yourself away writing about battles long since won in this book. I know what Discord did to you was painful. I left you an adorkable teenage filly, all knees and joints, and I came back to a mare being forced to relive ancient pains. Please Luna stop stalking the castle and just go out for one night. If not for yourself then for your guard. They are breaking for you, each one. They see your pain as an accusation of failure; we both know they never could have stopped Discord. A thousand years ago you were like this and I did nothing. I sat on my throne hoping another week would see you feeling better. I failed. As a princess I failed and as a sister I failed. I will not fail again. You must get out of those dank chambers Luna. Go and see your subjects, let them lift your spirits. If you will not take my words then take your own, “Physician heal thyself.” C Author's Note I've had this chapter written in my head for a week now but every time I sat down to write it it just wouldn't come out. Reunion - Chapter 83Only you, Celestia, would believe invading our chambers, invading our privacy and writing in our diary would be akin to taking action. You did fail and we were made to suffer for thy shortcomings. We will not dwell on such dark memories though. Instead of the night of our fall we shall remember the night of our redemption. There stood thy student alone and afraid before us. The elements lay shattered at our hoofs and we stood where our throne had once been. We had won. We had given in to every dark desire a ‘good pony’ was taught to resist and to lock away in their heart and we stood validated in power. For that brief moment our victory was complete. There was nothing thy apprentice or anypony could do to end the eternal night. The glory and bitterness of the moment was cut short by the other element bearers. One by one the elements were reclaimed. Honesty to the orange earth mare, Applejack the farmer. Kindness to the shy pegasus, Fluttershy who cares for animals. Laughter to the pink mare, Pinkie Pie who went from weeping to throwing me a party in the blink of an eye. Ironic, that Discord in his revenge restored a memory I so regret losing. Generosity to the beautiful unicorn, Rarity the seamstress. Loyalty to the brazen pegasus. We had forgotten what it looked like. When it abandoned us more than a thousand years ago we ceased to concern ourself with the hypocrisy of Rainbow Dash’s new necklace. And finally Twilight. What did you do to this filly sister? Often I must calm her troubled dreams as this same scene plays out in her mind. Only it is not us she sees on the dais. It is not our victorious sneer that plagues her night; no it is your disappointed frown. What have you done to her that she fears disappointing you more than the very death of Equestria? Once I was jealous of her place at you hoofs now I cannot help but pity her. We go. Not for ourself but for the mare who sees you in her nightmares. -L Reunion - Chapter 84Hi. I’m Pinkie Pie. I’m a chicken. Not a real chicken, silly, I’m just dressed as one. BA-BAACK! I mean really, who ever heard of a chicken that could write. I mean I’m sure Fluttershy could teach a chicken to write since she’s like super great with animals but then the chicken would only write chickeney things. BA-BAACK! And who would want to read about clucking all day? Until they got to the part where Fluttershy stared them for being naughty. But then that would just be like, “Nice pegasus angry. Must obey,” or whatever animals are thinking when Fluttershy stares them. BA-BAACK! It must be like what we thought Zecora did when we thought she was an evil enchantress and Applejack got all tiny and cute but I couldn’t tell her because my tongue was all ginormous and I had to get Fluttershy to talk for me except she didn’t want to because her voice was all deep and not Fluttershy-ey. But now Its starting to look like Fluttershy is the evil enchantress who puts you in trances. I should go ask her if she really is an evil enchantress just to be sure. But she reeeaaally doesn’t like Nightmare Night and she might stare me to get me to go away but then I’d know what chickens think when they get stared. BA-BAACK! Then I’ll be in their heads and I can be the chicken-ey-est chicken there ever was. Except Scootaloo, but she’s being a werewolf tonight. Were wolf? Oh right there in the Scootaloo costume silly. BA-BAACK! Ooooo oooo oo oo! Look it’s Pri- wait you can’t look you don’t have lookers. Wait a minute, how do you know what’s going on if you can’t see? Who told you?! Oh right me. BA-BAACK! Anyway, look(Not you look we already talked about that) It’s Princess Luna and she’s not all sorry-I-tried-to-destroy-the-world-ey pants anymore. She’s not really all meany-McMeaners anymore either. She’s more just scary pants now which is weird because she’s not even wearing pants. She did have this awesome cape that turned into bats and flew away but no pants to be found. Except the scary ones. BA-BAACK! I hope she’s not like she was when she was all sorry-I-tried-to-destroy-the-world-ey pants because she fell asleep like five minutes after the party started and then Princess Celestia and Twilight spent like an hour talking about all the kinds of exhausted she was when they could have just said she was tired and kept going with the party but they didn’t and it was soooo boooooring. She was more fun when she was all meanie-McMeaners I mean sure she wanted eternal night and was laughing at us but at least she was laughing. But now she’s here to scare us and it’s gonna be even more fun without anypony being mean. I mean why else would she come in her spikey chariot with her only-a-little-bit-less-spikey guards and be all shoutey and stuff? This is gonna be so much fun! BA-BAACK! :P Author's Note The whole time i was writing this chapter i kept thinking what if Pinkie was doing one of these chicken impersonations also don't worry this is far from the last Nightmare Night chapter. I actually have three or four more planned so we'll be on the subject for a while yet. Reunion - Chapter 85Should ~~we~~ I put my diary on public display so that all of Equestria may view it? Perhaps Twilight will keep it in her library for all to see. Even with Pinkie Pie’s “Pinkie Promise” that she did not read a word(even the ones she wrote)~~we~~ I am still frustrated with how often ~~our~~ my diary finds itself in another’s hoofs. It does not help that they see fit to add their own thoughts and this is compounded by the permanence spell Discord has placed over it. Nothing that is written may be erased and to destroy the book would cause untold collateral damage. ~~We~~ I am not sure that ~~we may~~ BAH! Perhaps if a certain sister of mine or a castle full of servants, guards, and staff had informed me that Discord’s work had reverted my linguistic habits so that they were as old as Canterlot itself(The old unicorn capitol, mind you, I am several times older than the current capitol.) I may have been able to remedy the situation long before I made a foal of myself in front of my subjects. Even now in all my frustration the presence of these ponies soothes ~~us~~ me. It is a balm that seems to cure every wound. It was these ponies who freed me. They are but children still, yet it was these who took up The Elements. They freed me from ~~our~~ my madness where Sister could only imprison me. Pinkie Pie offers her friendship without reserve, in her own way she was the first to offer it to me. Is such constant exuberance truly in her nature or is it merely a façade hiding a much darker truth? I do not know which truth I fear more. The darkness such a mask would hide would destroy this mare in the end, but for to truly be so full of life and innocence… I fear for her, for all of them. I have seen so much evil; I have been the cause of most of it. Ironic that I should want to protect the fillies that defeated me so easily. They defeated two of the greatest evils Equestria has ever known; their friendship has cleansed me of a madness that brought Equestria to the brink of self-destruction. Yet I cannot help but fear what a dark turn of events may do to them. Celestia will be happy to know that Twilight remained loyal to her despite my best offer, it is a shame that such a prodigy will be wasted on a teacher who only sees fit to give lessons by proxy. -L Author's Note whew... Sorry this chapter took so long Life is really catching up to me right now and school is not really helping me find more free time. I really don't know when I'll be able to write the next chapter. hopefully it will be worth the wait. *Now with edit's thanks for the catches guys and sorry it took so long for me to get around to fixing them. Reunion - Interlude IIISwish. Of course he would be sweeping the floors, why not? Certainly a degree in electronic sciences wouldn’t merit some more fulfilling work. Swish. Forget dustpans this pile of trash would need a shovel. Swish. The theme music and sound effects of an arcade game stirred Cross Circuit out of his broom-enabled grumbling. There sat Button Mash pummeling some poor NPC into oblivion. Cross Circuit opened his mouth to inform the young colt that the arcade was closed but gave up before he even opened his mouth. It was a scolding he’d given often to the young colt, one that never merited more than a grunt from the engrossed gamer. Cross’s horn lit up and the machine’s system clock sped up in response. Poor Button didn’t even see the fatality coming. “What!? Aww come on!” Button screamed as he reached to put another token in the machine. Cross blocked the slot before Button could put the token in. His eyes followed the hoof up until they found Cross’s face. “It’s three hours past your curfew. I know that because your mother has come and told me when to kick you out three times already. Go home Button,” Cross Circuit said sternly. “Aww, but the game cheated!” “Says the pony who beat my high score,” Cross Circuit muttered under his breath. “There’s no way it could have countered that fast! You’ve gotta let me try again,” Button argued. “…five times,” Cross muttered. “Button,” he said aloud, “If I let you stay here any longer your mom will kill me, go home and hope she’ll let both of us off because it’s a holiday.” “Fine,” the dejected button mash said as he left. Cross returned to his sweeping and grumbling. He had graduated from a modestly sized university in the outskirts of Manehatten a little over 2 years ago and had been lucky enough to get a job at the Ponyville arcade. The peaceful village suited his quite personality even if it did mean his job entailed more than just working with electronics. Swish. “Grumble grumble…darn foal’s gonna get me killed.” Swish. “Darn foals leaving candy wrappers everywhere.” Swish. Cross Circuit didn’t mind foals but did they really have to be so foalish all the time? The entire arcade looked like a battle-zone, discarded candy wrappers made a pile that warranted a shovel instead of dustpan. Swish. With the top layer of candy wrappers gathered Cross could begin working on all the dust and sticky soda spills. Swish. “Oof.” Cross regarded the hoof with a look long since perfected by ponies in the service industry. It told the hoof, “buck off we’re closed,” without risking career ending vocalization. As annoying as its presence was it was a nice hoof. The ornate horseshoe wasn’t plastic or fake. The silvery blue metal was the real deal. Cross could appreciate a well-made costume even if the Nightmare Moon vibe screamed “too soon.” Cross found the sun as bothersome as any self-respecting code monkey(1) did. It didn’t help that his bedroom window faced east. But when it didn’t rise and Celestia went missing he realized something: getting woken up by the sun shining in his eyes, grumbling, turning over and falling back asleep was the most comfortable routine in his life, even for just a day he missed it. His eyes traced up the leg the hoof was attached to. There were few stallions that could match the size of this leg, but none could match the look of it, it was large but not out of proportion; it held a powerful yet distinctly feminine build. His eyes continued upward taking in the polished obsidian vestments, wings, and ethereal mane of night princess’s regal form. Continuing to her face they found her regarding him with a neutral frown. His eyes immediately returned to her hooves as he did a double take of the pony before him. Fancy shoes: check. Jeweled necklace thingy: check. Wings: check. Ghosty mane and tail: check Horn: check. Crown: check. Yep, I’m screwed, might as well die with some dignity. Cross Circuit had always hoped he might meet some noble or another, he even practiced his courtly speaking when nopony was around, but daydreaming about having tea with a count or a duke did absolutely nothing to prepare him for seeing a princess while sweeping the floor. For one thing he never accounted for the broom when he practiced bowing. After confirming that it was indeed Nightmare Moon come to devour him for only pretending to give a candy offering and eating it instead (a truly ridiculous thing to die for, he didn’t even like candy that much) he decided that accepting his fate would be much less effort all around than running through town screaming for mercy. His fearful bow was cut short by his face running into the broomstick still in his magical grasp. After rubbing the sore spot he decided that dying with dignity was overrated and looking pitiful and pleading for mercy was really the way to go. Collapsing on the floor and trembling like a filly seemed appropriate. His fearful gaze once again found the night princess’s face; it did not hold the mercy he was hoping for. Neither did it hold the terrible grin he was expecting. Instead she looked mildly annoyed like… well like she had just walked into an arcade and the pony sweeping up hit himself on the head with a broom and flopped on the floor in front of her like an idiot. “C-can I h-help you?” he asked in a voice that completed his impression of a frightened filly. “Pray tell, art thou the proprietor of this ‘arcade’ establishment?” Her voice was definitely that of a princess, it was unquestionably refined and dignified, although the volume hovered somewhere between ‘painful’ and ‘deafening.’ As the princess looked down at him expectantly Cross Circuit realized he had failed to pick out any words from the overabundance of noise that was the princess speaking. “Um…beg pardon?” he asked hesitantly. As she looked away and grumbled to herself Cross Circuit realized two things: 1. The princess, like him, grumbled when she was not entirely pleased with a particular turn of events. 2. SWEET CELESTIA’S SILKEN BEARD he had something in common with a princess! “Do you work here,” the princess finally said at a much more reasonable volume. “Yes, Your Highness.” “Good, I wish to know how these work,” she said gesturing to the arcade machines around her. “Yes, Your Highness.” Both ponies looked expectantly at one another for a few moments before Cross realized that the princess was waiting on him. “Er… there is a machine disassembled for maintenance in the shop, would looking at it be an acceptable starting point Your Highness?” he asked hesitantly. the only answer he got was a flat stare. Oh…right…she doesn’t know. “Er…yes…one moment please.” He took a moment to dust himself off and cough nervously before making his way to a door marked “employees only.” Cross had never been a particularly skilled magic user but the flurry of levitation he used to hastily straighten up his work space would have landed him in any magic academy in Equestria. He took a moment to nod at the workroom, sparkling more from the fading magic aura than any sort of cleanliness, and went to retrieve the princess. She had the tact not to comment on the highly audible cleanliness that had just occurred and only raised an eyebrow at the disassembled machine on the work table. “This machine has a blown out power transformer. It is a common problem with older machines, they were built with less efficient power systems in mind,” Cross explained. From the mess of crystals and wires within the machine he pulled out the faulty part. It did not have the same translucent color as the other crystals instead it was a foggy white that darkened to yellow around a single black mark on one side. Cross pulled a replacement crystal out of a cabinet behind him and began explaining what each crystalline part did as he connected them to the new transformer crystal. “Every computer,” he said, “from this old thing to the Numerical Wind Tunnel(2) in Canterlot uses these same basic components. “Now unless you have any questions, Your Highness…” a slight shake of the princess’s head told him to continue, “Good then that’s hardware covered. Now comes the fun part,” he said plugging the machine, “Software.” A dashed vertical line appeared on the display with a blocky zero on either side. Two short vertical lines were on the two edges of the screen and between them were the words “insert bit to play.” “Care for a game Your Highness?” Cross asked with a bit ready to go in the slot. “Perhaps you should explain how the game is played before we start,” she replied. “Oh it’s as simple as can be; you control the bumper on the right with this joystick. If I let the ball get past me you get a point, if I get the ball past you I get a point.” “You say that like I will only score by your error,” the princess said with a hint of challenge in her voice. “Well I have been doing this for quite a while.” With feigned innocence the princess asked “Playing these games or taking mares into your work room?” Cross’s cheeks went from their usual dark mint color to a deep red and he found himself very much unable to breathe for some time. When he finally recovered enough to mumble an embarrassed reply and look at the machine in front of him again he found the princess with a smile that tried to look innocent and the scoreboard showing that she was now in the lead. “Oh so that’s how it’s going to be?” he asked wryly. The Princess’s only response was a smirk as the next volley began. As the game continued Cross thought up several forms of retaliation all of which would land him in some form of banishment. He was punished for his lack of attention as the princess scored yet another point on him. To her credit she had held her own remarkably well against a more experienced opponent and as the game point neared she was only trailing by a point. Cross Circuit was in the middle of trying to score the final point when a dark wing wrapped around his head effectively blinding him. He was only released once the point had been lost, he was now tied with the princess on the final point of the game. Unfortunately for Cross his competitive side overrode his better senses at this point and midway through the next volley he swung his hindquarters into the princess’s hoping to distract her long enough to win. Cross’s build could charitably be describes as academic and so when he tried to bump an alicorn with a very significant height and weight advantage he only ended up bouncing off of her. As he stumbled to regain his balance he looked to the display and saw the ball making it past his bumper. He had lost. “Huzzah! We are victorious!” Cross couldn’t help but smile at the princess looking down at him with a smug grin. They exchanged smiles for a few moments before the princess’s grin turned to a confused frown. “We- I am confused. You have lost but you still seem so glad, why?” Cross took a moment to consider the question, he had just been beaten by a pony who had obviously never played any sort of game before, a total n00b by any definition of the word. He should be raging against his loss and her less than sporting tactics but despite that he had enjoyed himself. It was not every day you got to play with a princess. He had expected her to follow all the rules and lose but he had to admit, being proven wrong was much more fun. “I enjoyed it,” he finally said, “It’s not every day you get to play video games with a princess, even if she does cheat a little.” “I did what was necessary to win,” she replied defensively, “It is a concept that few seem to grasp.” Cross bowed low before speaking, “My apologies, Princess. I did not mean to offend you, but might I make a suggestion?” After a stiff nod from the princess Cross continued, “Do not develop a strong interest in these games if you are so concerned with winning you cannot enjoy a game where you are not. I have seen ponies work themselves into a rage against opponents that are simply more skilled than them and there is no point to it, there is no consequence to losing worth being so upset. If you cannot enjoy losing the enjoyment you get from winning will not be worth it.” There was an eerie stillness to the room as The Princess considered his words. Cross dared not rise or even look at the alicorn before him until her voice broke the silence. “Very well, we request that you teach us how to lose,” she said summoning a sizable bag of bits. Cross couldn’t keep the devilish smirk off his face or the challenge out of his eyes when he replied. “Gladly,” he said. The night flew by as he and the princess played every nearly machine in the arcade. They would still playfully try to distract one another during crucial points in the games (even the ones where they were not competing) but each attempt and each game always ended with a smile from both ponies. The pink rays of dawn brought a close to the night’s revelry. “I am afraid I must leave, my sister will be wondering where I am,” The Princess said. She left him with a still very full bag of bits as compensation and climbed into the scariest looking chariot Cross had ever seen pulled by the scariest looking ponies Cross had ever seen. With a short run and a few flaps of their leathery wings they were gone. As they faded into the horizon Cross whispered to himself, “Goodbye Princess… wait, what was her name?” Author's Note HA! And you thought I was dead! or something. I probably won't update again until after thanksgiving but it will be normal chapters that don't take a whole friggin month to write so hopefully resuming somewhat normal stuff soon. (1) Code monkey is a sort of insult/term of endearment for programmers, I couldn't think of a ponified version of it but I figured it would work well enough as is (2) the Numerical Wind Tunnel was the fastest supercomputer in the world until around 1994 so it's my way of sorta-dating the technological progression of electronics in Equestria. I've got this big long headcannon about electronics but it's pretty unneccesary and sorta technical so I'll probably put it in a blog post and link it here later. Cross Circuit is a really weird character to write because he's about 2/3 based on me. The tone of this interlude feels really different to me and I'm not sure if i like it or not. I'm pretty sure it's because this is where my near absolute refusal to take myself seriously meets my inability to write comedy. I did mean for certain parts to be funny but i'm pretty sure some of them will just fall flat on their face.(buh dum tss) I sorta planned on Cross Circuit being a side character but I'm gonna have to see how this chapter goes over with everyone so tell me what you think. Do you want to see more or less of Cross Circuit? I'm thinking of changing the tags on this story but I'm really not sure what i'm gonna change them to. The reason for the dark tag is this story is centered on Luna and my interpretation of her is pretty dark. I hope to have at least some developement in her character so she won't be just 'dark' but I'm not really sure what other tags fit this story, what do y'all think? Reunion - Chapter 87Mortals are odd things. ~~We~~ I have lived years beyond count yet in their fleeting lifetimes they can find wisdom that must be shown to one such as me. It is a humbling request to ask a child to teach you, even more so to ask a child to teach you to lose. These games are like nothing I have known. There is no consequence to them yet they inspire passion and competition in those that play them. In my madness I lost many battles. In hindsight I am thankful that I did, that the suns still rises to shed light and life on Equestria, yet my losses meant death to those who were most loyal to me. Even as I am thankful for my loss I resent my defeat for the sake of those who died. To lose at these games is refreshing in a way. ~~We~~ I do not always sit comfortably at the center of attention. For centuries my every failure has had consequences that reach across Equestria yet in these games I can lose and it does not matter. These games do not recognize thrones or authority; to them I am merely a player. There is no pretense and no expectation, it is not required that I be excellent and set an example, it is not even required that I am victorious. It is a comfort to know that failure can go without consequence. -L Author's Note ***sorta spoilers for episode 1&2*** So apparently the cannon timeline is at 1 year in now...yeah....and I thought it didn't make any sense before. hopefully the writers building a season long adventure arc and establishing a timeline means they're going to stick with it a bit more instead of skipping around the seasons for the sake of episode plots. So that's this fic's first official break from cannon, the timeline just isn't right. ***actual episode 1&2 spoilers*** So right now i'm thinking the flashback where we see Luna transform into Nightmare Moon is after some time of civil war otherwise shoutout to Tyrantlestia for banishing her sister for a thousand years after two minutes of rebellion. Celestia and Luna getting the elements didn't quite go how I wrote it but for a total shot in the dark I thought I was pretty close granted I had nothing on the whole tree of harmony thing but here are some of the things I got right: Celestia and Luna don't have the elements before Discord and it's his reign of chaos that makes them need to go get them. Celestia and Luna are wearing their crowns in every flashback suggesting that discord's reign is an interruption to theirs. I can't really pick out the other five but Celestia did have magic so i got that one right. Overall i think my speculation was pretty close to what's been established in the premier. sorry for the weird hovertext stuff I tried to format it as two big blocks of text but these the [ spoilers ] thing is silly and will only do one line of text at a time. Reunion - Chapter 90It is unnerving; last I recall working in my study I could not hear myself think for the guards arguing outside. Now it seems they have run out of insults to hurl at one another and the silence, as they say, is deafening. I bid them to attend me and go to the gardens. We walk in the moonlight for a few minutes. They are a few paces behind me, closer together than two guards would normally walk yet still not close enough. When we come to a fountain I command them to stay until I retrieve them or until their watch comes to an end. I move out of sight then double back to watch what they do. The night is elegant and beautiful, one of my best since my return. It is not the stars that fill his eyes. I am not jealous when he finds more beauty in the mare falling asleep on her hoofs than he does in my night sky. From the look of her it has been days since she last had a restful sleep. “Are you alright?” he asks. She shivers at the autumn chill as she answers, “Yeah I’m…I just haven’t been able to get to sleep lately.” “That’s not like you, what’s wrong?” She shivers as she blushes and looks down. “Please, can we not talk about it?” He does not talk. He walks over to her and puts a hoof around her shoulder. After a few moments she leans back into his embrace. It takes only minutes for her to fall asleep and I know that nothing more will happen between them tonight. I leave them there, with the dawn they will return to the barracks but I can only hope that something will be different between them. -L Reunion - Chapter 93I would have hoped that the element of Generosity would have better sense than to look up to these selfish twits Celestia calls nobles. Bah! They are a degradation to the word. I regret ever letting my order of knighthood be associated with these arrogant fops. They fought with might and bravery unmatched. It is on the foundation of their actions that Equestria stands secure. These nobles are an insult to their titles. They are not worthy heirs to my knights. Why does Rarity admire them so? Harmony itself cared nothing for titles and nobility. Among my saviors are a field laborer and a weather pony. Should any of the bearers ask to be rewarded I would see to it myself that they want for nothing. They are honorable ponies content in their relative poverty and she would rather be among this den of petty thieves? I know… I have experienced how easily generosity can fade to jealousy. These petty foals will drag her down; they will crush her and they will abandon her. Celestia has done her no favors housing her in the castle. She is now in the gaze of these nobles and she is a sheep among wolves. She belongs in Ponyville not among this filth. -L Author's Note So i went through and re-wrote the first twenty or so chapters, hopefully they fit the 'Luna voice' I've developed a lot better. Reunion - Chapter 95It seems I have underestimated Rarity to some degree. I knew she was making a dress for Twilight but I did not expect something so plain. I expected an impractical riot of colors that seems to be the height of fashion in Celestia’s court yet what she made was simple and practical. It is perfect for a pony so… academic as Twilight. It may seem a simple gesture but amongst these ponies there is no such thing. A dress is not simply a dress it is a statement about the pony wearing it and in this case the pony who made it. Rarity risked all the popularity and position she had gained these past few days to give her friend something she would truly appreciate rather than something that would increase her own popularity. A few well-placed words and Twilight’s dress goes from being a ‘commoner’s’ attire to the height of fashion and Rarity is flooded with orders for them. If these nobles truly are so weak willed perhaps this Fancy Pants can be recruited to discourage some of their more grating habits. -L Author's Note I probably won't update again until next Monday, I've been out of town visiting people and i don't always have an internet connection. Reunion - Chapter 96How idle I must have become, that the trivialities of a passing visitor merit so much of my attention. The only purpose I have found for myself in this age waits on others. Perhaps…perhaps the castle can acquire some of these ‘video games’ I so enjoyed in Ponyville. -L Author's Note Sorry about the wait. I've been having some serious writers block as far as the next few chapters I want. On the plus side I did write ahead a little bit so hopefully once I'm through the next few chapters things will pick up some. Reunion - Chapter 97The cost of this endeavor is simply staggering. The machines themselves are costly enough but installing the wiring necessary to run them, even to a single wing of the castle, is enough to burden the royal treasury. Surely there must be a way to generate the power required by these machines from within the castle. I set the blazing stars in the night sky by my own power. Providing the energy necessary for a few machines should merit no challenge yet I have no means to do this. This problem should be easily solved yet I have no way to approach it. There must be something. Perhaps another visit to that Ponyville Arcade is in order. -L Author's Note NO WINDOWS I DON"T WANT YOU TO UPDATE!! Reunion - Interlude IV“Another day, another bit,” Cross Circuit said as he locked the door to the Ponyville arcade. Behind him he heard the clatter of hooves and cartwheels against the packed earth coming to a stop. There was only one pony he could think of that would be riding around in a chariot in the middle of the night: The ruler of the night, the sister of Celestia, the former Nightmare Moon, her Highness Princess… something. He really had meant to find out what her name was but it had always just seemed an awkward thing to ask. Thankfully she had an abundance of titles he could use before it became apparent that he didn’t know her name. “Good evening your Highness,” He said as he turned and bowed to the alicorn sitting regally in her dark chariot. “Good evening my subject,” she said in return as she dismounted the chariot. Cross Circuit arched an eyebrow at the unicorn in dark armor and the third bat-pony-night-pegasus-guard-thing that followed after her. The unicorn regarded everything around him with a neutral frown while the bat-mare looked back at Cross with a dangerous gleam in her eye. “I am seeking to have a few gaming machines installed in Canterlot Castle and thought it best to consult with you before I made my decision,” The Princess said breaking the silence. “Of course, you Highness, step inside,” Cross said before unlocking the arcade’s front door and opening it for the princess. The two guards bustled through the door and began examining the room before Cross had the door opened completely. Cross gave a questioning look to the Princess but on seeing her neutral expression shrugged off the odd behavior. It seemed this was standard practice when dealing with royalty. After receiving the all clear from her guards the Princess made her way into the arcade followed by Cross. “You’re more than welcome to turn on the lights you know,” he said as he flipped a few switches near the front door. The nocturnal ponies inside flinched as their eyes adjusted to the light. Cross noticed the bat-pegasus mare’s slitted pupils dilate in wonder as game displays activated one by one and title music began to play. The other ponies in the room watched with half hidden smiles as she cautiously approached the nearest machine. With a tentative hoof she touched the joystick in front of her. She jumped back as the screen in front of her flashed from its title sequence to black with white text reading, “insert bit(s) to play”. “Is this really what unicorn magic can do,” she wondered aloud. “It’s a bit of everypony’s magic, really,” Cross said. “The crystals and minerals are grown by earth ponies, the programs are enchanted onto them by unicorns and the whole thing is powered by pegasus lightning.” “Oh,” the bat mare said, downcast. Cross looked at the princess trying to figure out the mare’s rapid change in mood. The Princess’ features quickly settled into a neutral mask but for a moment Cross thought he saw a flash of guilt across her face. Confused cross looked at the unicorn guard only to find a stern frown. “I’m sorry if I said anything to offend you,” he said turning back to the bat mare. “It’s nothing,” she said turning away. Cross gave the unicorn guard a helpless look but only received a shrug in return. If he did understand why his fellow guard was upset he didn’t know how to cheer her up. Cross looked to the Princess, hoping to find some clue of how to cheer the distraught guard, but she still wore her neutral mask. He considered going outside and asking the two other bat pegasi strapped to the chariot for some advise but the would likely be about as much help as the others had been. “You had some questions for me, your Majesty,” Cross finally said breaking the awkward silence. “Yes, perhaps we should discuss them in your office,” the Princess said, already headed to the back area. Cross nodded and followed. His “office” was at least more presentable than it had been the last time the Princess had seen it. The last few weeks of pre-winter chill had kept parts from overheating and all but a few of the arcade’s usual patrons at home. Come to think of it, it’s been a while since a few of these games have even been played. As he passed by the counter Cross pulled a small bag of bits out and turned to the two guards. “I am sorry that I’ve upset you,” he said levitating the bag over to them, “Please play some games on me.” The bat-pegasus caught the bag with a sad smile. She was still far from happy but Cross hoped that he had at least lesson her dour mood. Cross turned back to find the Princess watching from the back room with a small smile of her own. As he approached she summoned a scroll with and laid it out on the work table. “Canterlot castle has none of the equipment or infrastructure necessary for gaming machines. I received an estimate and although a thousand year’s interest has left my own accounts overflowing I thought it unwise to spend such a large sum without consulting somepony more knowledgeable than myself.” “I’m flattered Princess,” Cross said as he looked over the document, “But I’m not really the pony to ask about this sort of thi…” Cross couldn’t believe his eyes, the first sub-total alone was more money than he’d ever dreamed of. There were more zeroes behind one of the numbers than bits he had made this week. These kinds of numbers he had only seen with statistics spanning years of production and hundreds of ponies yet here before him was a princess asking his advice on a single decision that involved this amount of money. “Ahem,” the princess cleared her throat and shifted the scroll on the table. Cross picked his jaw up off of the table and wiped a line of drool off his chin before looking up at the Princess sheepishly. “I’m sorry Princess, that number is staggering. There is no way installing wires should cost half of this, not even in Canterlot.” “Then it is as I thought,” The Princess said, “Is there some less expensive way to accomplish this?” “You could build a generating station and fund it for a century with less than this!” (“Get him!”) “Just as I thought,” The princess said excitedly, “If that is your recommendation I will have construction started at once.” (“Get him!”) “Wait, Princess,” Cross tried but the Princess seemed caught up in her train of thought. (“Get him!”) “Powering one machine, even an arcade of machines will be nothing for me,” The princess continued, (“Get him!”) “I raise the moon each night, (“Get him!”) I awaken the stars to paint the sky, (“Get him!”) and it was our power an age ago!” The Princess said rearing up onto her hind legs. “Get him, get him, get’mget’mget’mAHHHH!!!” A mare’s voice yelled from the main room accompanied by the furious din of horseshoes franticly tapping on plate armor. Cross exchanged a quizzical glance with The Princess who stood as if she were about to order ponies to charge into battle in all but the confused look on her face. Outside in the main room of the arcade the unicorn guard stood at an arcade machine furiously mashing buttons and hiding behind him was the bat-pegasus mare yelling incoherent encouragement and nervously tapping on his armored back. “Will you stop that,” He hissed over his shoulder. As he turned back he caught sight of Cross and The Princess looking at him and his fellow guard. With drilled precision he turned and saluted, dropping the bat-pegasus off of his hindquarters and removing the pony-shield from between her and the terrifying animated dragons. “AAAAAEEEEE!” The mare screeched from the floor as she backed into the next row of arcade machines. “Sergeants report!” The Princess barked cutting off the mare’s screech. The mare rushed to her hooves and gave a still trembling salute as her companion spoke, “Played a game called ‘Canterlot Defender’ Mistress, seemed appropriate.” “And.” “Apologies for the noise, we got a little more immersed than we should have. Won’t happen again.” “See that it does not,” The Princess said as the stern look on her face faded to a bemused smirk. “You may continue to avail yourself of the arcade but see that you do not make nuisances of yourselves.” “Yes Mistress,” they said in unison. As Cross and The Princess turned back to the work table he had to stifle a chuckle at bat-pegasus’s antics. “It’s like she’s never seen a video game before,” he thought aloud. “Excuse the interruption,” The Princess said. “Now, where were we?” “Ah, I was going to tell you how inefficient unicorn magic was at powering electronics. A team of unicorns has maintained a constant powered circuit for three hours before but they were all exhausted for days after. It would be much better to have some pegasi from your guard charge a crystal with lightning and use that as a power source.” “I see,” The Princess said she examined the scroll on the table, “Can you speak as to how much these crystals might cost?” “They are not cheap by any means,” Cross said, “Rock farms have trouble keeping up with demand so when there are components for power converters on the open market they can go for hundreds of bits but that’s nothing compared to this,” he finished, gesturing to the huge numbers on the scroll. “I see your point.” “Actually I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t already one in Canterlot, castles are supposed to be self-sufficient aren’t they?” “In theory yes,” The Princess said with a dry chuckle, “but Celestia was never very skilled with tactics. Just look at what their playing,” She said gesturing to the guards hunched over an arcade machine, “centuries ago the one who defended the nation was not the one who appeased dragons but the one who slayed them. I doubt the castle could survive a month of siege. I shall look but I am not hopeful, now what else may be required to power these machines?” Cross sat there with his jaw slightly agape. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard, sure she was a princess but nopony said anything like that. “Ahem.” Perhaps it was just some cultural relic from a thousand years ago. She was doing well adapting to the new world but it would take years to iron out all her mannerisms so she could blend in. “Ahem!” Then again she was the Alicorn Ruler of the Night; she didn’t blend in, she shaped the world around her. Still was this something that Cross wanted to see his world shaped into? “AHEM!” With an eloquent “Bwah,” Cross was pulled out of his thoughts The Princess’s cough inches from his face and none too gentle prodding of her hoof. “Are you well?” The Princess asked. “I’m sorry it’s just that well…” Cross said blushing, “nopony ever does that.” “Does what?” “Criticizes Princess Celestia, or even questions her judgment really. The only thing I’ve heard about her that wasn’t praise was some colt talking about an article in some gossip magazine.” The Princess regarded Cross with the same neutral mask she so often wore but he could sense a sternness that had not been there before. Even when barking orders to her guards like a drill sergeant she seemed less cut-from-stone. “It is good that I am back,” She eventually said in a low voice. “A ruler that walks without being questioned walks on the road to tyranny. Celestia has ever been skilled at portraying an air of perfection but any ruler will err, even one as kind as Celestia. If nopony remembers her mistakes it is because she has seen to it that they forget. “When I return to Canterlot Celestia will be brought to account for every bit given to appease an enemy, for every inch of territory not fought for, and for every year of this past millennium my little ponies have suffered in solitude for her tendency to sweep her mistakes under the rug! At least I have the bravery to put mine in the grave.” Cross wondered at her words for a moment. “My little ponies” she had said. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the bat-pegasus mare cautiously examining another arcade machine. “It’s like she’s never seen a video game before,” he repeated again to himself. The Princess’s ponies, solitude, the bat-like wings, the slitted pupils, the fangs; it all made sense. In his few prior experiences with the royal guard they had stood stoically waiting to react to anything but these night guard did not wait. They watched him from before he even knew they had come, they searched out the darkness daring anything to be a threat, their sleek, dark armor did not gleam in the sunlight, boldly declaring this place guarded from all threats, it searched out the shadows, seeing but unseen, ending any threat before it had a chance to act. These were nothing like Equestrian guards because they were not. “Your guards, they aren’t from Equestria are they?” “Not as you know it,” The Princess replied, the previous steel in her voice replaced by a quiet sadness. “My night ponies were once Equestria’s army. An entire tribe that devoted itself to protecting the other three from all threats because I bid them to. And for a thousand years they exiled themselves because I was exiled. For a thousand years of prosperity and progress Celestia left them behind.” “They- they’re a new tribe? I thought those wings were just some disguise or enchantment on the armor. I-I had no idea.” “Then we hid well,” Cross heard a mare’s voice say behind him. “We belong only to the night. Our loyalty and our lives are ever yours. Vivas noctuss!” the ba-night pony (Cross mentally corrected himself) hissed with a salute. Cross looked back at The Princess expecting to see her heartened by the show of loyalty but instead found her visibly saddened. “An alicorn knows the land they rule,” she said. “Celestia did not find you because she did not look. When I return to the castle I will have words with her but for now I have been wanting to play these games again for some time, would you be willing to play a few with me?” The Princess asked as a gleam of excitement broke through the gloom of her sad expression. “I thought you would never ask.” Cross said with a sure grin. Author's Note Bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh. Writing an especially long chapter(for me) and having writers block through most of the process is no fun.hopefully after this I can get stuff written in something resembling a timely manner and not have any big breaks in a story that publishes short, frequent chapters. I tried some stuff with word sizing in this so let me know what you think. and yes the two guards are Moon Shadow and Morning Star I'm not throwing any more background OCs in this thing. *In defense of Celestia* I was a bit hard on Celestia in this chapter and although I plan on giving her a bit of a defense in the next few I have a difficult balance to maintain here. Luna needs to be a balancing point for Celestia somewhere along the line but in the show Celestia and especially her governing decisions are presented as infallible. I don't mean to go after Celestia like this but I need for her pedestal to be a bit shorter so she fits into my characterization of her...if that makes any sense to anyone besides me. But don't you worry Celestia fans, she has her reasons. Reunion - Chapter 99Of all the methods of governance Celestia has brought to Equestria I must commend her bureaucracy above all others. Not a bit in a thousand years has been left unaccounted for. Where my way to more explicit histories has been barred nopony thinks spending ledgers worthy of redaction. There has not been as much lost to the coffers of my enemies as I would have guessed. I suspect the game my guard played where they were throwing jewels away to dissuade dragon after dragon may have been somewhat of an exaggeration yet the losses of Equestria to Celestia’s pacifism have struck several blows to our nation. I stand amazed at the progress that has been made in this past millennium yet I wonder how much more could have been made if Celestia had not crippled the nation with the burden of her appeasements. I had never thought my sister a coward. She is a stranger to battle, yes, but in her own way I thought her brave. Now that it is laid out before me how much she has spent to avoid battle when I am not there to defend her I see her fear. She was too afraid to face her enemies and she was too afraid to seek out my Night Ponies. It seems that once again I find myself alone in Equestria. I am the only one willing to hold the great Princess Celestia to account for her cowardice. -L Author's Note I feel like I should be a lot busier than I am right now. I don't know if I'm just being super productive or if I've got a lot of stuff that I'm just completely forgetting about. anyways yes another chapter that's being ridiculously hard on Celestia but don't you worry, next chapter we see that the sun still has some fire in her I'd say this is early winter of season 2 in my attempt-to-make-sense-of-the-canon-timeline timeline and I wouldn't count on there being too much content for the winter because I'm sorta excited for the upcoming spring of wedding bells and bugs (Late spring really but who's counting). Reunion - Chapter 101So Celestia has some fire in her veins yet. How long has it been since she has wounded me through intent and not through negligence and neglect? In truth I am more apprehensive than wounded. It is hours since I would normally be asleep yet I can only await when Celestia’s court comes to a close. The last of her petitioners will walk out, she will dismiss her guard and attempt to soundproof the room. She will descend from her throne and meet me in the middle of the room; we will both remove our crowns for what is to come is not between princesses but sisters. We will fight as only sisters can fight and the mountain beneath us will tremble at our fury and all of Canterlot will feel our displeasure through the ground beneath them. As our argument draws to a crescendo Equestria will quake to its farthest reaches and everypony will feel the mutual fury of the immortal sisters that govern it. I find it difficult to wait, this conversation is much more than a thousand years overdue, yet it is these final few hours that are the hardest. -L Reunion - Chapter 103“YOUR TAIL’S JUST A BLOB!!” Celestia shouts as she brings her hoofs down on the stone beneath her. My sister’s beauty has been compared to that of a swan. Long shapely limbs, pure and white, ever moving with grace and charm. If she is a swan right now that swan has been turned on its back and is flailing about desperately trying to right itself. Her uncut main and tail are in disarray around her the gentle ethereal wind they ever waft on has turned to something of a cyclone. Her long limbs flail about awkwardly in her anger. It is a rarity to find an event so grand that Celestia will dress for the occasion but nopony, save me, has ever seen her so exposed. In all fairness my appearance is no better but at the sight of Celestia stamping her hoofs in anger and name calling like a filly in the middle of a tantrum I cannot help but laugh. It starts out as a snorting giggle that is only increased by the look of confusion and anger she gives me. Soon the sound of my full bellied laugh is accompanied by Celestia’s giggles. As bright and burning as it was moments before, our anger gives way to mirth just as powerful. I collapse to the floor, no longer able to support myself as laughter wracks my body. Celestia is soon to join me. “You looked silly Tia,” I say after laughter has faded to sporadic fits of giggling. “Not as silly as you, Lulu,” she tells me in return. I smile up at the marble ceiling for a time. Every grievance I had had with my sister for more than a thousand years had been aired this day yet even as our anger had faded and the reasons behind it had run out we were still here, together. We had ripped every piece of verbal armor off of one another. In our mutual anger we exposed every dark secret and sought to use them against one another. Now with nothing left between us I have never felt myself closer to Celestia. “I missed you,” She says as she wraps her hoofs around me. I missed you too. -L Author's Note I planned for the last 3 chapters to be all in one chapter but that didn't quite work out. I still wanted all of the resolution to this fight between Celestia and Luna to be released at once so that's why I'm doing this all at once. anyways happy reading War of Shadows - Chapter 105Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.War of Shadows - Chapter 106You know Luna, you are absolutely adorable doing your little dream tricks and making your little speeches as a filly. C Luna stared at the open book before her. It was far from the first time somepony else had written in her diary. It was far from the first time Celestia had written in her diary but it was the first time in a very long while she had been addressed in such a gushingly teasing tone. Try as she might Luna could not keep a sullen pout from her face as she reread the short entry. “I am not adorable, I am the night.” Author's Note ...my attempt at comedy everybody. War of Shadows - Chapter 107Prophecies are frustratingly vague at best and prone to misinterpretation at worst. A thousand years after the prophesy of the return of Nightmane Moon was given I had all of Equestria on watch for what horror would be unleashed. A century later I was imprisoned in the moon. Canterlot surrounded by a dark angry cloud. There is no clear threat this prophecy speaks of but I can feel the malevolence of the swarm and know it means harm to me and my subjects. I would have Canterlot prepared. I would have the city bristling with enough weapons and magic to slay ten thousand dragons but Celestia will not allow it. She cites a thousand years of peace as defense for her pacifism but she knows nothing. The world watched our bloody civil war in terror. Word spread to the four corners of how the paradise of Equestria had savagely bloodied itself. How I had bloodied it. For centuries we were feared and for centuries Celestia’s platitudes staved off the advances of our enemies but this prophesy speaks of a very near day when a conqueror will set their eyes on nothing less than the whole of Equestria. If Celestia will not allow me to train her guard in earnest then I must ensure that my own stands doubly ready for the coming storm. -L War of Shadows - Chapter 108Cadenza is no help. She is as enamored with peace as Celestia ever was. Capitan Armor took a more moderate view but he is still skeptical. I will have no help in convincing Celestia of the coming threat. Even now I can feel it, this creeping darkness, coming closer every day. It may be slowed by winter but it is not deterred. It will come, Canterlot will be assaulted and I am surrounded by ponies to blind to do anything about it. Very well, the princess of the night has not forgotten her long absent subjects. Equestria will have an army to stand against this threat with or without Celestia’s approval. -L Author's Note Finding time to write updates is easy when you decide not to go to class!(Don't worry it's a bunch of crossover from other classes I've taken) War of Shadows - Chapter 109Celestia was disappointed when I told her I was wintering with the night ponies. With our disagreement she fears our reconciliation will be a short one. I attempted to reassure her but she will still find the time to worry and fret over me every moment before I leave. She has spent centuries mothering an entire nation and now I find being the center of such attentions to be a daunting prospect. If she tries to tuck me in or read me a bedtime story she will find out for herself what it is like to be imprisoned in the moon. -L War of Shadows - Chapter 110I will not deny Celestia her break. She has worked hard for the past millennia and she is deserving of some rest. It appears I am found worthy of taking up some of her more mundane work while she is… otherwise occupied. I can go for some time without sleep and so for a time I did not mind her near constant vigil over me. Now I find myself yawning and blinking away sleep with the rest of Celestia’s staff as I sit and await some matter of justice important enough for a princess’s ear. My departure cannot come soon enough. -L War of Shadows - Interlude VPrincess Luna did not approve of the resplendent golden plate armor that Celestia’s guard wore for a number of reasons. On most of these I agreed with but they did have something going for them, they were at least comfortable. Not that the dark armor of Luna’s guard was uncomfortable but a guard standing before the throne room fidgeting nervously looked and felt that much less ridiculous in gold. At least I think so. “You may enter,” The white earth pony attendant said between yawns. The two night ponies strained against the massive doors as they slowly creaked open. Normally two unicorns would be manning the doors but there were only a few in Princess Luna’s guard and they were all nearly exhausted from their near constant training. Sitting the throne was Princess Luna, in all her regal beauty, dozing off. I marched to the throne with his noisiest parade march, hoping it would wake the princess. Thankfully by the time he reached the throne she was yawning awake and grumbling about Princess Celestia’s overly plush throne. “Has the dawn come already?” She asked. “No Princess, it is only three hours past midnight. I was actually hoping I could ask you something that was…er…personal,” I finish lamely as I rub the back of my neck with a hoof. Princess Luna raised an eyebrow in surprise before rising to her feet. “Walk with me,” She commanded softly. The soft clip clop of our shod hooves was the only noise between us as we made our way to the castle gardens. The bright, moonlit night illuminated the gardens in a soft glow as we made our way through the hedges and statues. Stopping before the statue of Discord Luna regarded the twisted draconequus coolly. “Er…Princess?” I ventured breaking the silence. “You had a question for me?” “Yes, umm, what exactly is the night guard’s policy on…fraternization?” I ask trying to keep my voice steady. “It’s forbidden while on duty of course but nothing was ever explicitly stated about what we are allowed to…” “…You want to know if it is permissible for you to court Moon Shadow.” “Yes,” I say, embarrassed to have my intentions seen through so easily. “The night ponies, like myself, have been isolated for a thousand years. As unswerving as their loyalty to me has been, so has their loyalty to tradition. I have done what I can to reintegrate myself with this new world but a culture does not change so readily as a single pony. “Courting a night pony is not so simple as obtaining their affections. You must have the approval of her parents and her entire clan.” The Princess had told me what I would have to do but in all that she hadn’t answered my question. “Does that mean I have your approval?” I ask. “Remove your helmet,” she commands. It is uncommon for a guard to be given permission to break uniform in front of a Princess, even less common for them to be commanded to. But if there is one statement to be made about Princess Luna it is that her guard is not Princess Celestia’s guard. It’s not that the day guard was untrained, but compared to the savage pragmatism of the night guard they would serve only as a distraction. It was only the hope that these differences extended from tactics and into policy that brought me to ask. With these thoughts going through my mind I remove my helmet. “A thousand years ago the night ponies led the charge in my rebellion and they paid with their lives. Even in my madness they followed me without question. They are my children and the degree to which I am indebted to them cannot be understated. Should you bring harm to one of my ponies you will face the fury of the night. But you will not do that. I chose you for my guard because you are the best and you will show the fullness of that excellence in the way you treat the child of mine you seek to court. “And with that,” the Princess said abruptly, “Go with my blessing,” I was too shocked at the Princess’s sudden change in tone that I didn’t notice her leaning down to bless my forehead with a kiss. “She is a lucky mare,” The Princess says before walking away. Ugh, this is so boring. Flying was usually so much fun. The feeling of air under your wings, the complete freedom of being able to go wherever you pleased, it was incredible. Formation flying however was without a doubt the single dullest thing in existence. Going to Canterlot hadn’t been nearly so dull. The entire army flew with a nervous energy. We had seen the night overtake the day. Our Princess was back and she needed our help. We flew with a single purpose, battle. We were vigilant, we spotted the pegasus long before he spotted us. Even then we took him down expecting an ambush. The damn fool nearly got himself killed before he let us know he was a messenger. He was lucky command wanted him alive. After that he led us into the capitol and we met her. I had lived my whole life being told legends about the sun hag and our night princess but what I saw brought them all into question. She stood taller than any of us but next to her sister she just looked small and weak. She didn’t move like the seasoned warrior we had been told of. She moved like a filly that had just hit her growth, unused to her body and afraid of breaking everything she touched. The general kept the army at the ready for when she would need them but how we saw her just wasn’t the same. Then the first day of training happened. To get the measure of us she faced the whole guard and put every one of us in the infirmary. Suddenly those legends went from doubtful fantasies to drastic understatements. When unicorns got added to the force she started training with magic. She spent a whole night just holding us down. We spent hours straining against her magic, completely helpless. And then Discord happened. We really were helpless then. He had us so mixed up that we forgot we even were ponies. None of us could stop him when he went for the princess we were sworn to protect. She was everything to us and we let him get to her. If it wasn’t for Morning I-I’m not sure how I would have pulled through that failure. Morning Star, he’s so damn stubborn and infuriating. He wouldn’t even hit me back when we fought; it was a bigger insult than what he called me before. But… he didn’t mean it like that, did he? He wasn’t mean he was just stupid and… handsome. Gah, father would kill me if he caught me saying that! The clan would definitely never go for it, purity of the bloodline and all that. Just, if only… Bleh, We’d be there already if we didn’t have to slow down for the supply train. I guess it gives The Princess enough time to take a detour and visit her friend in Ponyville. What was his name again? “Good afternoon auntie,” Cadence said in a sing-song I-know-something-that-you-don’t voice. Behind her the gilded door swung open and Shining Armor strode in. “Good afternoon Princess Celestia, Cady.” There was a moment of silence as Shining’s cheeks turned beet red. Too late he tried to cover the faux pas with a coughing fit. “Excuse me, Princess Cadenza,” He said clearing his throat. “Good evening Capitan Armor,” I say stifling a giggle, “what do you have to report?” “Princess Luna’s caravan has broken camp and left our borders, they should reach the night ponies before midnight.” “Oh really?” Cadence said in that same tone of voice. She was mature and levelheaded as they came until she found a piece of truly noteworthy gossip. From how she was acting now she must have had something involving Luna’s trip that was monumental. “Yes Princess,” Shining said, still blushing. As bad as Cadence was at keeping her own secret she would keep Luna’s (save some playful needling). Considering that Cadence was made an alicorn as something of a contingency plan for Nighmare Moon’s return and how Luna felt about Equestria’s nobility, the fact that one would seek to tease the other meant their relationship was going better than hoped. “Now if you’ll excuse us I believe the Capitan was about to escort me back to my chambers,” Cadence said as she fluttered her eyebrows at her ‘secret’ coltfriend. Once the door closed behind them I could only sigh ruefully and return to the business of ruling a nation. Author's Note Fun fact: I had gotten through the first part of this before realizing that it was in first person, as you can see I decided to just go with it. also interludes are now have roman numerals for fancyness War of Shadows - Chapter 112It is jarring to go from the plush decadence of Canterlot’s royal palace to the sparse utility of the night ponies’ war rooms. Canterlot is built as grandly as possible to display the power and opulence of Equestria. These rooms are hidden deep in caves to hide from the tyrant sun. The natural rock is shaped only as much as is necessary to make the space usable. Some rooms have vaulted ceilings that rise beyond sight while others I can barely enter for my height. Through all this the largest and most useful cavern has been unused. It is empty save a throne carved from pure obsidian. My new throne room is inaugurated with a feast. The night ponies’ meager store is bolstered by what I have brought from Equestria. Tomorrow the rest of the wagons will be unpacked and we will begin preparations for war. -L War of Shadows - Chapter 113I had forgotten how enjoyable a flight can be. Without the chariot escort and unencumbered by the trappings of royalty I feel free in a way I have not been for a very long time. The untended air of the Everfree offers challenge and excitement with every gust. Despite the dangers of flying in wild airspace there is a soft stillness to my flight. The soft roar of thousands of trees swaying in the wind, the rosy glow of the sun in the east. How long will it be before I may experience this moment’s peace again? -L War of Shadows - Chapter 115When Canterlot Celebrates Hearth’s warming as a season of unity and friendship the Night Ponies celebrate the fact that they have survived the bulk of another winter, that spring will soon come to bring warmth and food. Equestria celebrates with opulence and plenty and my little ponies must count every grain to make sure they will last to see spring again. Whatever is not needed is made into a meagre feast. It weighs on my heart to see them struggle so and yet it soars to see them laugh and dine before my throne. How many will not celebrate this feast again next year? In a few week’s time we march forth to encircle Equestria in our protection. Once the threat has been turned away and destroyed how empty will this cavern seem without the ones who have died in battle? Celestia thinks me a warmonger, she thinks I take joy in being surrounded by death on the battlefield. She has not seen me fly from one end of a battle to another to deflect a death blow. She has not seen how I weep when I am not fast enough. -L Author's Note and finals are officially over Hopefully with school out of the way until August I can get some more writing done! War of Shadows - Chapter 116“Why armies?” It is a simple question. In terms of power it would take thousands attacking as one to bring me harm and even then I would endure. For a time I stood alone to defend Equestria. I risked myself before all others but I am only one. One may be distracted, one may be tricked where many would not be. A small raiding party fell before me while a city burned behind me. One stood in defense where I was not able. Aegis stood as a wall between my ponies and those who would bring them harm. He was the first knight. I offered him a boon, anything he wished. A unicorn mare, a daughter of a noble family was his only desire. An earth pony commoner like him was not permitted to court her and he longed only for that chance. To simply dissolve the tradition that kept them apart was my first attempt. The nobles refused. The debate escalated until I threatened to dissolve the houses as a whole. When Celestia openly sided with the nobles I knew I was outmatched. And so if the pompous arrogance of the nobles could not be tamed I made Aegis a noble. Landless and without wealth or influence , he was a noble in name only but to those so concerned with appearances a name was enough. -L War of Shadows - Chapter 117I go to meet with General Night Watch but I pause outside the war room to listen. “Please, father you must listen,” a mare begs. “I am a general and your commanding officer; you should address me as such,” Night Watch answers coldly. “I am in the royal guard. The Princess is my commanding officer. I didn’t come to ask ‘the general’ something I came to ask my father.” “As your general and as your father I say no! Perhaps he is loyal to The Princess over the sun-hag but still his blood will not taint our line. We are pure! We have held strong for a thousand years because we are pure. I will not be the one to let that end.” “You would do well not to insult my sister,” I say as I open the door, “she has ears everywhere and I have ever been…protective of her.” “My apologies,” he says in a deep bow, “I did not realize you were near.” “Tell me general,” I begin, “Am I tainted? My sire was a unicorn; the very first of unicorn kings no less. Even now, centuries after he has turned to dust his blood runs strong in my veins. As does my mother’s, a pegasus. In fact it may be argued that I am more unicorn than night pony. It was from my father’s side that I first saw members of your tribe. Your ancestors came and bowed low before his throne, begging for a place in his kingdom, to be under his guidance and protection. “It was at my request that he said yes and when I stood in defense of Equestria your ancestors remembered the debt they owed and pledged themselves to me along with ponies from all other tribes. “I am the night and you are my children but not by birth, it is because we have chosen one another. The purity of the night ponies is not in their blood but in their unswerving loyalty to me. A loyalty Moon Shadow has shown since her birth and a loyalty that Morning Star has shown since he vowed himself to me. He may not have wings or fangs but he is a child of the night. You have done well to keep the night ponies as one for a thousand years but now you must trust me.” Night Watch opens his mouth as if to speak but words seem to fail him. I do not need to hear his voice to know the doubt written across his downturned face. “You have held faith for a millennium,” I say softly, trying to find that motherly tone that is so easy for Celestia, “So long and with such fervor that you have lost sight of what your faith was in. I am back child. I will not lead you astray and I will not abandon you.” “But you did,” He says, “A thousand years ago you led an army that did not return and now you are here, a legend from my foalhood, asking me to forsake all I know and follow you. But you did abandon us and you led us astray.” “Come here child.” It is not often that Celestia or myself will touch another other than in greeting. But I must confess that it is for my own comfort as much as his that I draw him into an embrace. “I was wrong and so very, very foolish. My actions have no defense and I can only beg forgiveness from the children my madness had left behind. But it is not for myself that I ask. Equestria, my sister, your fellow ponies need you. “Equestria has stood without the tribe that protects it for too long. We beg you to return to us.” He wraps trembling hoofs around me and for a time he returns the embrace. Once his shaking has quieted I release him. He gives me a quiet thanks before turning to Moon Shadow. “If he hurts you I’ll kill him.” It gives me hope. Perhaps once this threat has ended the night ponies will find a place in the new Equestria. -L Author's Note I know what you are thinking now read the next chapter before you start getting any crazy ideas. War of Shadows - Chapter 119A few defiant tufts of cloud are all that is left of the Night Ponies’ last winter storm. They shine palely against the last traces of sunlight in the west as stars make themselves known in my night sky. The weather has begun to warm and the last vestiges of winter promise to be clear and dry. It is a perfect night for armies to march. The long trail of my forces stretches out beneath my flight, marked by light spells the unicorns are using. Moonlight glints off of armor and blades while enchantments give their own light. Unicorns and Earth Ponies start up a song as they march, some humorous ditty about ants marching. For a few verses some night ponies even join in before it fades into an uneasy silence. I do not like the tactics I must employ. I wait, patrolling Equestria’s borders, for the enemy to act. I have ceded the initiative and that alone is enough to make me uneasy. I only know that eventually the enemy will find its way to Canterlot. I can only hope that they are foolish and show their hoof in enough time for me to act. -L War of Shadows - Interlude VIMorning Star shifted uncomfortably in his hiding spot. The clearing before him hadn’t seen any movement other than his shifting since he started his watch hours ago. “There’s my little ant.” A few weeks ago Morning Star would have jumped out of his skin but being constantly snuck up on had gotten him used to disembodied voices. “I was hoping you wouldn’t recognize that,” he groused. Warmth against his side told him that Moon Shadow had settled next to him. “Aww, worried I’ll think less of you if you march to nursery rhymes?” She cooed from her place next to him. “You know you’re not supposed to be here while I’m on duty,” Morning Star said, trying to change the subject. “We’re deployed. We’re always on duty.” Morning Star murmured a noncommittal response. A twig snap brought the comfortable stillness of the clearing to an end. A dark creature stepped through the undergrowth, seemingly unaware of the tension it had created. The creature ambled through the clearing, pausing from time to time to taste the air. Morning Star tensed as the creature got closer. He felt Moon Shadow do the same as she readied her weapons beside him. “Now!” He shouted when the creature was only a few strides away. The silence exploded into a cacophony of hoofsteps, wing beats, and chittering buzz as Morning Star and Moon Shadow burst out from their hiding place and the creature leapt into the air. Morning Star attempted to grasp the creature in his magic but it seemed to slip out as if it were coated in grease. Gritting his teeth Morning Star tried once again to grapple the creature with his magic. Morning Star could feel the creature struggling and slipping from his grasp but his attempt had delayed it enough. Moon Shadow shredded the creature’s buzzing wing with her steel claws. The rent wings gave a few beats as the creature fell gracelessly back into the clearing. It hit the ground with a dull thud and was already back up by the time Morning Star hit it with an overcharged stun spell. “What the hay is that thing?” Moon Shadow asked as she landed. In response Morning Star lit up the clearing with a light spell. Before him lay an approximately equine creature. It had a pair of insect-like wings that lay shredded against its back. Its black skin resembled the shell of a beetle more than the fur of a pony. The insect-like appearance was completed by its pale blue compound eyes and curved horn. Nudging the pockmarked hoof with his own Morning Star said, “It looks like we found the subject of The Princess’s vision.” ☾ ☾ ☾ “This show of aggression will not go unanswered, you will remove your forces from our borders immediately or you will suffer the consequences!” The dark griffon’s plumage stood on end with his indignation as he paced before the throne. “Come ambassador do not let your anger guide you into burning bridges we have worked so hard to build.” Celestia sat her throne, cool and impassive as always as she gently chided the enraged griffon. “It is not my anger that guides me but your troops on my border!” The grand doors to the throne room crashed open revealing the dark form of Princess Luna. “If you have concerns regarding the movement of Equestria’s army then you are addressing the wrong pony.” For the barest moment the neutral mask slipped from Celestia’s face as her eyes narrowed. What have you done, Luna? “Who are you to address me?!” the ambassador shouted, “Should I come and grovel at the hooves of Celestia’s brat of a sister?” “Celestia,” Luna said with a smirk, “the ambassador and I will need some privacy.” Celestia made her way to the doors as a tense silence fell over the room. “Mind your words, Luna,” Celestia whispered as she passed by. “He is already on the edge of breaking off ties.” In response Luna eyed the ambassador with an aggressive grin. As Celestia made her way out of the throne room Luna turned her back on the still-fuming ambassador and stood at the base of the throne dais. The closing of the doors served as a prelude for Luna. “The sun rises in the east every day. It track’s the same course through the sky every day. From east to west its journey never changes. That is Celestia. She may be skilled at putting on an appearance for diplomacy’s sake but it is ever the same appearance. “The moon may wax and wane. She may hide her face or she may shine with a glory that drowns out the stars. I have found that my own appearance may likewise change.” When Luna turned back to the ambassador her pupils were slitted like that of a dragon and her mouth was filled with fangs. Her half spread wings now bore a leathery membrane that came to an aggressive point at the end. “Who am I to address you, you ask. My dear ambassador you forget your own history. Surely a mere thousand years is not enough for the learned griffons to forget how they address me.” The ambassador shifted uneasily as Luna stalked forward. “Allow me to remind you. I am not Celestia’s sister, neither am I Nightmare Moon. You do not call me Princess Luna as you petition my throne.” The ambassador fought a losing battle against his fear. The Princess stood over him, her eyes gleamed aggressively and her fangs flashed as they bit at the words escaping her mouth. “You grovel and beg for mercy from the Demon of Bloodridge Eerie.” “N-no! That is only a legend!” “How long ago was it that Equestria thought the same of Nightmare Moon?” Luna asked with a bark of cruel laugh. “I will not be intimidated!” the griffon said as he drew himself up. “Ah the pride of griffons. Few things in this world are so stubbornly unchanging. I can still remember it breaking like an egg underneath my hoof,” Luna said as she examined her horseshoe with a wistful grin showing her fangs. “You’re lying!” the griffon shouted desperately. “Think, ambassador. Celestia and I alone among ponies could have been there to live the truth of this legend. Would Celestia descend from her gilded throne and allow herself to become a monster, or was it somepony…darker; a night to her day?” The ambassador tried to backpedal away from the mare again but as he stepped his paw brushed against the doors to the throne room. The Night Princess advanced on him until he was pinned between her and the doors. “No!” The ambassador shouted as he drew himself up onto his hind legs. Though it led him to be taller than Luna he only felt more exposed with his back completely against the wall. “Read the surrender signed all those years ago; read every treaty signed since, as I have. You will find that Equestria is well within its rights to garrison its borders and has done nothing to constitute aggressive action. Your objections are nothing but the clucking of a disquiet hen.” Luna turned and made her way back to the throne. “Oh and ambassador,” she said over her shoulder, “Perhaps I am lying, perhaps I found some dusty old legend and fashioned myself after it. But before you make any decision to break the hard won peace between us you should find the nearest eerie. See the cubs running about underhoof and flying overhead. See the fathers working to support their families and the mothers sitting proudly on their eggs, and ask yourself: what if I’m not lying.” Author's Note Bleeeeeeeeeg! when did summers get so busy? Sorry i didn't have this out earlier guys I just got back from a church conference and the internet suuuucked. War of Shadows - Chapter 121Ebonfeather. Celestia tells me that is his name and wonders how I could dissuade his anger without knowing his name. His name does not matter, only that he knows mine. Celestia does not approve. It is a quarrel older than Equestria and I find myself interrupting her to ask if she really wants to pursue an argument we know neither will win. With a begrudging chuckle she relents saying there is little use after Ebonfeather has found confirmation of my claims in the library. She has never lied, nor has she allowed history to lie; she claims that our mistakes are recorded alongside everypony else’s. They are hidden in metaphor and song but they are there for those with eyes to see them. I wonder of her student, Twilight. In her short time she has studied nearly every book in the library. She is intelligent and talented, but is she wise; does she have eyes to see Celestia’s mistakes and my own? -L Author's Note So I've been (trying at) playing that new "The Forest" game. I think I would like it alot better if my computer was fast enough and I didn't have such bad luck with spawns. War of Shadows - Chapter 122They secret the creature to me in the dead of night. Nopony in Canterlot save my guard know of it. It is so heavily sedated that I think it dead at first. Unicorns watch over it at all times, spells to stun and kill at the ready. It is with a proud smile that I survey the prisoner before me. Gone is the near-pacifism of Celestia’s guard. They have truly become fangs of the night. For the first time in a very long while I am glad of Celestia’s mercy. The castle dungeons are deserted and I will risk neither detection nor interruption. The dark spells that reach into another’s mind are subject to the strictest taboo. Failure may strip the very identity from the victim. The creature’s mind is plain, disappointingly so. There are vague details about its scouting mission and two thoughts: feed, obey. So it is to be a mindless hoard. I am disappointed that it does not possess more cunning, more pride. There is a satisfaction in seeing an enemy’s cunning turned against them and their pride broken. A mindless horde of insects will offer no such challenge. -L War of Shadows - Chapter 123They are not insects. The body structure is some crude approximation of a pony; they have four legs, not six. The chitinous plates this specimen has in place of skin is as hard and durable as most mundane armors and has a resistance to magic second only to dragon scales. It seems to possess some underlying enchantment that sloughs off all others. I shall have a team examine these properties further but for now the dissection must wait. I have some proof for my sister. -L Author's Note I was going to write a nice little note thanking you guys for 2000 views but then you went and got this story featured! Thanks to everyone who has been reading and commenting. A very special thanks to those who have been helping me catch typos I feel like my writing has gotten much better since I’ve started and hopefully it’ll only get better. War of Shadows - Chapter 125Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.War of Shadows - Chapter 126It seems the magical nature of the creatures exoskeleton is a means if disguise. It was discovered more by accident than purpose. In the last week we had discovered only that it was imbedded with some sort of illusion spell. As we prepared to dissect the creature an assistant brushed a hoof across it and the creature became a perfect copy. Weather this is some cadaveric reaction or I mistook the creature for dead I do not know. It is currently locked away in isolation as we wait to see if there is any lasting effect of the transformation. Well placed members of the castle staff, guard, and denizens of Canterlot proper have been informed to look for suspicious behavior. These creatures may be able to take on another’s appearance but there is much more to each one of my subjects than the color of their tail. -L Author's Note I may not get another chapter posted for a while, my laptops fan is crapped out. I have a new one on the way but looking further into it the line of laptops is bad about overheating so it looks like it's gonna be a recurring thing. Interlude VII“Are you sure about this Cadence? I can always send a few pegasus guards with you,” Shining Armor asked his marefriend as he removed his captain’s helmet. “For the last time, YES, Shiny. I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t catch me trailing her as is and, well, that armor isn’t exactly subtle,” Cadence said as she tapped Shining’s golden plate mail. “But why do you need to follow her?” Cadence sighed and rolled her eyes at her coltfriend’s overprotectiveness. “Because she needs my help. Look don’t tell anypony but my aunt said that her and Luna never had any romantic relationships before. She would have no clue what to do on a midnight rendezvous even without being stuck a thousand years in the past.” “Then why don’t you just talk to her before she leaves?” Cadence couldn’t keep a devious grin from her face as she answered, “I may want to see her make a fool of herself as payback for snubbing a certain coltfriend of mine.” “THAT!?” Shining quieted himself after a glare from Cadence. “Cadence that post would have been a step down and I would never have seen you. She did me a favor passing me over,” he continued in a harsh whisper. “But she wasn’t a bit nice about it and you’re not the only one that gets to be overprotective,” Cadence said in a tone that meant this discussion was over. “Fine,” Shining said with a defeated sigh, “just be careful okay?” “I will,” Cadence promised. She gave Shining a quick kiss before she took off to follow the night princess. Shining watched the pink alicorn until he could no longer see her from the castle battlements. “Coward,” he berated himself as he pulled an engagement ring from his armor, “You should have just asked her but you always have to hesitate don’t you. You big dumb idiot.” Shining gave a dejected sigh and leaned his head against the cool stone of the battlement. “It’s just moving so fast, it seems like just yesterday she was Twiley’s foalsitter.” Shining gasped as he remembered a letter sitting on his desk, buried and nearly forgotten under the mountain of paperwork his position came with. He had meant to tell his little sister about everything that had happened but he could never find the right words. Now he was about to propose to her foalsitter and only real friend(except him) growing up and he hadn’t even figured out how to tell her they were dating, or that he had been promoted, or anything from the last two years of his life. Determined he pushed himself off the wall and made his way to his office. It may take all his off time this week but he would finish that letter to his sister. *** Luna had flown high and steady only a few miles of her journey. Cadence had used the opportunity to think about Shining. His nervous behavior, that little telltale box he thought she didn’t see in his armor. She already knew her answer, she nearly squealed it again and again every time he looked like he was reaching for it, but she would wait for him to ask. Cadence was panicking. Once out of sight from Canterlot Luna shot off with a burst of speed Cadence had never seen. Now Cadence was stuck over the blurry line between the Whitetail Woods and the Everfree Forest trying to spot a midnight blue alicorn in a midnight sky. Something hit her wing from below. It broke off easily leaving a patch of numbness behind but as she broke off one five more struck her leaving patches of unresponsive muscle. She couldn’t flap; she couldn’t stay in the air. “HELP!” she cried out before crashing through the forest canopy. The soft earth of the forest floor could only do so much to cushion her fall. In the corner of her fading vision she saw a flash of green fire the she saw…herself? No that wasn’t possible. “Ah Princess Cadenza,” her doppelganger spoke in a voice that buzzed and hummed like a hive of angry bees, “Don’t you worry I have a feeling your life will become just perfect.” Author's Note This was actually written months ago. One of the first things that popped into my head once I got this version of Luna established was to see how she would react to the changelings. As you can probably guess Chrysalis doesn't let that letter make it off his desk except on it's way to the trash can. War of Shadows - Chapter 129To fly a circuit of Equestria would be an achievement for a mortal pony. To do so in one day would demonstrate a skill and strength in flight that hasn’t been seen in centuries. To do so every day would be more strain than a mortal body could bear. I am no mortal. I catch fitful bouts of sleep in long glides or in Canterlot when another has taken my watch. Between sunrises I only have a few hours of sleep to keep me but in times of crises I have gone weeks without sleep, for the time being this is maintainable. Events seem to hasten wherever I am not. Days in Canterlot are filled with preparations for the wedding of Princess Cadenza and Capitan Armor. They are to be wed within the month. The first day I made my circuit one of the only ponies I would consider myself to have a familial tie with got engaged. It seems I am destined to miss the wedding as well. I fear the changing that was captured was no scout but one who was lagging behind. Ponies everywhere are on the lookout for strange behavior but for now we can only wait. Should an army appear I will destroy it, should these creatures attempt to infiltrate Equestria, I alone have knowledge of the army that encircles Equestria, of the noose that will close around their necks. -L Author's Note Happy Independance day to everyone in the states and happy July 4th to everyone else because friendship! War of Shadows - Chapter 130Day after day I fly and day after day there is nothing. I must admit that I am impressed that Captain Armor can maintain a large shield over Canterlot constantly. It is an impressive ability but I fear that if Canterlot is assaulted the shield will only last minutes after being maintained for so long. I suggest that he save his strength for when it is needed but he does not agree. It is not a practical decision to make but it is the way of Celestia’s guard. They are bold and brazen in everything they do. The golden armor is more a show of force than a means of protection; and so they cast a shield over an entire city for little more purpose than to show the world they can. Celestia has finally agreed to arm them. Only the simplest of weapons will do. It may be a matter of days before the enemy is at our gates and we will need competent guards. Clubs are the weapons of thieves and thugs. They are simple to use but, while the sight of Celestia’s guard milling about with such unrefined an arsenal would be amusing, Celestia will never agree to a weapon that degrades their noble image. Spears at least appear refined. They are easy to produce and train with and Celestia’s court will harken them more towards a battalion of charging lancers than outlaws. The wedding plans continue to sprint forward. Celestia tells me that Princess Cadenza’s talent involves romance but I do not know to what extent. As her matrimony draws near she seems a mare possessed. One begins to wonder if Captain Armor is truly so busied with his new rank or if he flees to his office as respite from her exuberance. -L Author's Note I have a new story out called A Dragon's Duty if any of you are interested in checking it out. I finally got the new part in the mail and my computers all better now War of Shadows - Chapter 132In truth we should count our blessings. In the entire underworld there is only a single prisoner missing. His brother we still call friend but that will not stay Tirek’s hand when he decides to strike. I was ready to hunt him down while he is still weak. The time for Celestia’s merciful judgments on the wretch is long past and Equestria’s executioner aches to ply her trade. For hours Celestia sits where the fell centaur once was imprisoned. Though her eyes look at nothing and no words escape her mouth, her eyes and lips do not stop moving. How many years of Equestria’s future she planned in that time, I cannot say. When she has finished we return to Canterlot. She will not divulge her plans to me, she merely asks me if she can use an artifact I have stored away. It is one of the few pieces of Father’s fallen kingdom to survive. Star Swirl the Bearded never did have a chance to finish his greatest work, but I still hold the remembrance of my teacher and friend dear. -L War of Shadows - Chapter 133“If you see him, pretend you don’t,” She tells me. It is difficult to restrain myself. I already scour Equestria’s borders for one hidden enemy. To not “accidentally” bump into Tirek and “let the situation get out of hoof” while he is still weak from imprisonment is a demonstration in the trust I have for Celestia. She has a plan to defeat him and unfortunately it depends on him living to meet his doom. The spellbook is an easier matter. The wards on it will last another ten thousand years but such ancient items enchanted with such powerful magic have a way of attracting magical creatures. The cave I placed it in has no doubt become an infested dungeon. It will take some time to clear and I cannot distract myself from this war, retrieving the spellbook will simply have to wait. -L Author's Note yaay 2500 views! Thanks guys. War of Shadows - Interlude VIIICalm and serene the night princess made her way down the hallway. Amidst the chaos and confusion after the changeling invasion she was an island of calm. Her deliberate, measured steps carried her down the crowded hallway and gave ponies ample time to move from her path. They flowed around her like water around a stone. She was the very essence of mental and physical stability. It was of course a complete farce. A complex set of illusions affixed to her person to give the appearance of calm. If any unicorn were to dare the heresy (and defensive enchantments upon her person) of sensing the magic placed upon the dark alicorn it would have been clear to them that she was beyond furious. Nevertheless nearby unicorns could not help but notice the sympathetic tingle in their horn as she passed by. They assumed it was just the magical nature of the alicorn becoming more prevalent during such a stressful time. None of them noticed her guards passing by under cover of invisibility spells A door to her right gently opened and she stepped in before closing it with her magic. Inside were ponies of note and significance from Canterlot and beyond. Two princesses and a prince, the entire command staff of the day guard, the chief steward and several other servants, and the bearers of the elements of harmony all stood before her giving the same questioning look. Why have I been ordered here? It asked. In response Luna let the invisibility spells around her fade. No longer concealed a dozen armed night guards surrounded the room. Their deep purple armor and golden eyes had the same menacing look but the claws on their hoofs and weapons sheathed at their side gave them a lethal and malevolent look. The illusions were next. Celestia alone understood the significance of Luna removing the mask of illusions she had developed. This was not to be a place of decorum. Courtly order and proceedings would hold no sway. As the illusions dissolved away so did her stoic expression. An angry grimace covered her face and she was tense, her ears constantly swiveled listening for any threat, and her eyes looked darkly around the room. Her pupils now bore a slight angle at the top and bottom. “When faced with defeat,” she began, “it is tempting to let anger rule and assign blame. That is not why I am here, but we must learn from our mistakes lest we face defeat again.” “What defeat, we kicked their tails right off of this mountain!” Rainbow Dash said as she threw a few punches. “Ah, Loyalty,” Luna said with a sneer that revealed fangs, “You always were the first to fight and the last to understand. Think. Changelings would be better served infiltrating Equestria, scattered across every city, every village, not invading in an army. Guile not force is where they are strongest. And we have played right into Chrysalis’s hooves. She even convinced Equestria that it had repelled the invasion, I have not faced an enemy so cunning in a dozen centuries.” “What are you talking about? The changelings are gone,” Rainbow answered back. “From Canterlot perhaps,” Luna said with a dark chuckle. “And gone, not dead.” “Luna, I have to agree with Rainbow on this. The Changelings have been driven off,” Celestia said. “They have eyes but they cannot see”, Luna muttered to herself before she spoke aloud. “Why did they attack Canterlot? Why not take the industrial centers at Manehatten or Baltimare and make us field an army without the proper equipment? Why not burn every acre of farmland they can and force us to choose whether we let our citizens starve or march an army on an empty stomach? Why would they try and take the fortified capitol that contained only a symbolic seat of power? This attack makes no sense because it was never meant to be an attack. “It was a cover and a distribution method. Everypony was so relieved to see the changelings gone but did anypony ever stop to ask where they landed? Prince Shining may be the most accomplished shield caster of this generation and Princess Cadenza may be an alicorn but even together they could not throw an army beyond Equestria’s borders. "And so they landed, scattered across Equestria, in every city and every village in the perfect position to bring this nation down from the inside. Make no mistake this war has just begun!” The room exploded into a cacophony of shouts and protests. Amidst all this Celestia and Luna sat silently meeting each other’s gaze. The implications of what Luna had said went farther than anypony knew, in times of war Luna was given all authority in Equestria. The only catch was that Celestia had to agree that Equestria was at war. So there they sat, with a single sentence Celestia could make Luna more powerful than even herself. There was a chance that Chrysalis had just been a fool to attack Canterlot but Luna seemed convinced otherwise. A single sentence and the thousand years of peace would be brought to a close. Celestia had worked hard for that peace but she hadn’t forgotten the signs of war. Outside citizens walked in twos and threes. They peered around every corner and checked for danger. The castle stirred with motion like a disturbed anthill and the city struggled to regain a sense of normalcy. Beyond a nation was shaken and fearful at what the future may hold. “Luna,” at a single utterance from Celestia the room fell silent. “War is…is it really necessary?” “That is for you to decide. You know better than any other what I will do with your approval. While you are deliberating remember. Remember when you were forced to curb your attack on Chrysalis for fear of harming your subjects, remember when you were imprisoned and helpless as those insects ran through our capitol unopposed, remember how helpless the rest of Equestria is to endure such an assault, and I think you will find that it is necessary. You may leave.” Celestia, along with the rest of the room, rose to her hooves and started towards the door. Luna’s voice rang out over the growing din of ponies getting up to leave, “This may be something of a public venue for me to converse with my sister, nevertheless it was her and her alone I was addressing; I am far from done with the rest of you.” Celestia slipped out of the door as Luna began unravelling the mistakes of what was coming to be called the Wedding Invasion. A last glimpse showed Celestia her subjects looking at Luna in confusion at the exchange that had taken place and at Luna’s being the sole voice of authority. Celestia closed the door and retreated through the scurrying mass of ponies to her quarters. They parted before her and her guard, retreating to the walls and bowing as she passed. She regarded this custom with mixed feelings. She basked in the affection behind their deference, yet to impose such an inconvenience at her mere passing did not sit well with her. On a less hectic day she would return each greeting and perhaps chat with a few of her ponies in the hallway but today she had no time for such pleasantries. She walked tall and proud through the hallway, dwarfing even her golden armored guard. She held her head high and flared her wings slightly. Luna was so proud of that image of a monster she projected to other nations but in times like this Celestia had her own image to project. Proud and fearless, she was a monarch who saw the challenges ahead and knew she would overcome. She was one whom the old would respect and the young would fight for, would die for. And just like that, with the soft click of her door closing behind her, her ‘war face’ fell. She hated it. The biggest lie in the history of Equestria was that in times of war she was not afraid and helpless. She had power mind you. A few words and the nobility gave fortunes to whatever she wanted, a flick of her horn and armies turned to dust. Armies; two of them, one of her enemies and one…not. These thoughts occupied Celestia for hours as she gazed out her window into the courtyard. Luna must have finished her meeting because she had nearly every unicorn in the guard learning Twilight’s anti-changeling spell. Twilight made a good teacher as she stood before the assembled unicorns. Within minutes Luna had dismissed her and summoned her guard’s work since the invasion. A dozen changelings, some very roughed up, were released into the courtyard. Some immediately took on new forms to try and blend with the crowd others took to the sky. While those on the ground were revealed by spells Luna ensured that the flyers would never fly again. A look of grim concentration took over her features as she maimed the fleeing changelings. For all her power Celestia always felt that Luna was a truer alicorn than her; Luna seemed to have a double portion of the night ponies’ gift for dealing death while Celestia had none of it. Luna seemed not to feel anything as precise spells shot out from her horn. In the few fight’s Celestia had been in she had lost herself to the heat of the moment and decimated everything around her. Luckily nopony had been nearby to be hurt but Celestia feared what might happen if she ever tried to fight alongside an army, much less lead one. No she could only put on her brave princess face and prance around, raising money and giving pretty speeches to armies that always returned smaller. She could only sit on her plot, afraid for the ponies on the frontline and helpless to do anything about it while the war raged on. She hated war, Sun and Stars how she hated war, but when faced with a race that wanted nothing but to feed on her ponies what could she do about it? How could she fend off these monsters but to release her own self-proclaimed monster on them? For hours she wrestled with these thoughts, pacing restlessly in her chambers until the courtyard below cleared out and Luna alone remained with the bloody corpses of the changelings. In a flash Celestia teleported down to her sister. Even amongst the carnage she stood tall and dignified. Her next words would set the fate of her nation for months, if not years, to come and she refused to speak them in defeat. She would speak as one who was brave and strong, one who possessed untold wisdom and knowledge. One who was worth dying for. “It is war." Author's Note War of Shadows - Chapter 136If it is to be a war it is to be a war of shadows. Chrysalis thinks she may hide in the shadows and darkened alleys of Equestria but darkness is my domain. She will not see me until I kill her; she will not know me until I slit her throat. She thinks she may steal my ponies away and hide in the night but the fangs of the night already close around her neck. Celestia asks how we should tell Equestria that it is at war. We will not. Chrysalis thinks herself safe behind the guise of her defeat. As much as Prince Armor told her while under her spell he never knew the true extent of the forces surrounding Equestria, and so Chrysalis does not know that her forces are already surrounded and cut off. He is eager to fight, Equestria’s new prince. I understand that he desires vengeance but his talents are better served elsewhere. The Night Ponies, both those afield and those who could not fight, will be in need of provisions. Prince Armor shall see to it that they get them and that neither Chrysalis nor Equestria knows. -L War of Shadows - Chapter 138It seems I have been mistaken; Equestria does have a standing military. If only I knew stunt fliers and entertainers stood ready to defend their nation I would have never disturbed my Night Ponies. I’m sure a single airshow would have the changelings routed from our borders! If “captain” Spitfire wants to see me I will find some time. Perhaps she has realized which princess she truly owes her service to and wishes to pay homage. -L Author's Note I'm going to publish this chapter and the next chapter right now because I've had them written for days and I just haven't found time to publish them. War of Shadows - Interlude IXFor the first time in over a month the throne room was occupied after sunset. It had been much longer than a month since the Night Princess had even entered the room instead of sending a guard to keep watch for any petitioner. There had been very few. Only the most brazen nobles sought a decision from Princess Luna while Princess Celestia still held open court and with very few exceptions they were seeking a more favorable ruling than Princess Celestia had already given. As a rule they were excused almost as soon as they had entered the door and night court only lasted longer than ten minutes if a member of the Astronomer’s Guild were present. Since the recent wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and the newly crowned Prince Shining Armor even the lip service of stationing guards in the throne room during night had fell out of practice. Night Court was strictly by appointment only and before this night nopony had needed an appointment. Captain Spitfire knew all of this. She was the ranking officer of Equestria’s standing army. Even if it was an army of a dozen stunt fliers and some ground support ponies it was no less an important position and Spitfire made sure she was in the know about what was happening in Canterlot. That’s why Spitfire knew enough steel and food to reequip the royal guard five times over and feed them for a decade had gone into Canterlot and promptly disappeared. Any other pony may have chocked it up to an oddity of the castles economy but another suspicion had entered Spitfires mind and it could not be shaken. Somepony was either gearing up for or in the middle of a military operation well beyond the scope of the royal guard. Political tensions were almost nonexistent. Nightmare Moon had been stripped away from Celestia’s sister and Princess Luna had returned, Discord had been defeated, and the changelings had been soundly beaten so why the buck was Canterlot gearing up for war? She had requested a private audience with Princess Celestia to discuss that question only to be redirected to this appointment. The throne room was all moonlight and shadows when she entered. The golden accents around the room seemed almost silver in the moonlight and the crimson carpet seemed a dark shade of maroon. Spitfire’s eyes began adjusting to the darkness as she walked to the throne and she began to see guards in dark armor silhouetted against the walls. The daised throne rose up towards the shadowy sealing and Spitfire could only make out the barest details of the dark form sitting on it. “Capitan Spitfire,” A regal voice rang out from the throne. Spitfire jumped to attention and saluted. “Princess Luna,” She said. She had only seen the Princess in passing and had never heard her speak but there was no doubt about who was on the throne. “Sister tells me you have some concerns regarding military action Equestria has taken.” “That is correct Princess.” “I’m afraid she was mistaken in sending you to me. I have been busied trying to recover a thousand years of lost history and it is only by your appointment that I learned Equestria has a standing army.” Spitfire frowned; she knew when she was being given the runaround. “We both know that isn’t true, Princess. I am a member of the military and I would appreciate your candor.” “And should Equestria face enemies that can be defeated by a barrel roll you will have it.” “We faced down a berserk dragon before. We may not have finished it off but we bought time for those who did. We may not have much battlefield experience but in a fight the Wonderbolts will do a lot more than stand around in armor and look pretty.” The Princess’s dark chuckle echoed around the room, undercut by the hissing laughter of her guards. Spitfire had heard it said that laughter was a form of approval but this seemed more akin to intimidation. Spitfire couldn’t help but wonder how much of Nightmare Moon the Elements of Harmony had stripped away from Princess Luna and how much they had left in her. The spell struck without warning, robbing Spitfire of breath and sending pins and needles through her extremities as if she had spent a night somehow sleeping on every limb at once. Spitfire remained standing through sheer force of will. Her legs trembled weakly below her and her mouth gulped at the air trying desperately to get her lungs to cooperate. Thankfully the sensation was not lasting and she could breathe somewhat normally by the time Princess Luna came down from the throne. “My apologies,” She said. “That spell is not a comfortable one to be subjected to but you will come to realize that confirming your identity was a necessary precaution. What I am about to tell you is held in the strictest confidence. I have neither the inclination nor the resources to assign you a personal guard because you could not keep your muzzle out of the business of your betters so congratulations are in order; you are now a full member of my army.” “Princess Celestia commissioned me, it’s her orders I obey,” Spitfire said indignantly. Her knees still trembled weakly from the spell but she stood tall before the dark princess. A whisper of a steel blade against its scabbard and she felt its edge against her neck. She was surrounded by leathery wings, pointed fangs, and eyes with cruel gleams in them. “There is no place among us for servants of the sun-hag! Shall death steal her secrets back, Mistress?” one of them asked. “That will not be necessary, return to your posts,” the Princess said coolly. “And Corporal, Celestia and I may have had our differences but I still care deeply for my sister. You will bear this in mind as well as the great respect she deserves next time you address her.” As the cowed guards silently returned to their dark posts Princess Luna fixed her slitted gaze back on Spitfire. “You will find that in military matters Celestia defers to my authority. As a member of Equestria’s military you have no higher orders than mine. Now tell me Captain, what happened to the changelings?” Spitfire gave an involuntary shudder as she wondered once again how much of the Nightmare was left in the princess before her. She managed to drive most of the shakiness out of her voice before answering, “They were driven off. Princess Cadence and Prince Armor used a spell to send them away from Canterlot.” “Anypony in Equestria could tell me as much. What happened to them after Canterlot?” “Nothing has been heard of them, they must have fled from Equestria. At least that’s what everypony thinks,” Spitfire ventured. “You disappoint me Captain,” the Princess said with an unamused snort. “You assume that Chrysalis would just retreat back to her lair and lick her wounds, or perhaps that she would give up after a single defeat.” “Forgive me Princess; you seem to know so why don’t you tell me where they are.” “In a word: everywhere. Canterlot continues to be clear of them but it is only a matter of time before they think it is safe to come back. These military operations you have discovered are by my order. My army works in secret to exterminate the changelings. We are yet undiscovered and for the moment you will be my guest in the palace until your training is complete. Afterwards you will join the army in the field. I will not risk you getting captured and tipping our hoof.” “N-now hold on a minute, how do I know what your saying is true? For all I know this is some sort of coup.” Spitfire could almost feel the blades back on her neck. Loyalty to Princess Celestia was not a popular sentiment and the guards had shown no hesitation in demonstrating that. Princess Luna only smirked in response and summoned a scroll. Spitfire immediately recognized Princess Celestia’s signature and seal at the bottom. After spending a few minutes deciphering the flowing script Spitfire had concluded that Princess Luna had far underplayed her authority. “Alright,” She resigned, bringing herself up into a salute. “What are your orders Princess?” Author's Note War of Shadows - Chapter 140For all my displeasure with Spitfire I must confess that she exceeds my expectations. To become as skilled a flier as she is requires discipline. To be a master of any craft requires as much. Yet to go from master to soldier requires humility and dedication as well. She goes through the rigors of training under my guard without complaint. I am equally surprised to find that she knows some offensive combat techniques. It seems the standing army has been less affected by Celestia’s pacifism. She is competent in a fight but it takes much more than personal skill to be effective in a battle. She must fight as the ponies beside her fight or she becomes a weak point in the lines. It is my hope that she never finds need for her training. The noose tightens day by day. Soon I will have Chrysalis and this war of secrets and shadows can draw to a close. -L Author's Note things are finally starting to get settled in at school, looks like this is going to be a fun year. War of Shadows - Chapter 141As my lines draw nearer the center of Equestria I fear for the keeping of this war’s secret. Larger cities make it easier to lose a target in the crowd and no doubt they mean larger infestations of changelings. In open battle I have no doubt that my army could overcome any swarm of changelings, no matter how large, but defeating them in stealth will not be so easy. This infestation will be much more difficult to root out if the changelings see us coming. Celestia’s guard trains with the weapons I have given them. They hope that the changelings will be foolish enough to invade Canterlot again. I find it strange that ponies who normally balk at violence are so eager for revenge when their pride is slighted. -L War of Shadows - Interlude XMorning Star couldn’t help the smile that played across his face. Waking up in an actual bed, actually in the morning was more than refreshing after nearly two months in the field. Even the vibrant bustle of the Manehattan street he stood on was bracing. Moon Shadow forced back a yawn beside him. The bright morning sun was not her most flattering light and the accompanying grumpy mood wasn’t ideal but he couldn’t help but find her beautiful. She came and shared his bed late in the night and so when he woke up bright and early she ended up losing a lot of sleep. They both agreed that making time to be together was worth losing some sleep. And besides, she’s cute when she’s all frumpy. All told this was already a great day and it wasn’t even noon. In fact there was only one thing that could make today better. “Ahem.” The slight cough from the gray Earth Pony drew Moon Shadow’s attention while Morning Star forced his gaze to linger on her; after all he was under her spell. “What is it?” she hissed. “Not here. The alley,” the Earth Pony said lowly. He led the way and Moon Shadow followed. Morning Star walked a length behind with a love-struck look on his face. The part he played excused his less than subtle admiration of his marefriend’s figure. It’s important to enjoy what you do after all. After turning into a darkened alley Moon Shadow came to a stop facing the Earth Pony. Morning Star bumped into her and let loose a drunken giggle. “Your disguise is awful,” the Earth Pony said abruptly. “Have you ever seen a pegasus with wings like that? Your coats too dark, your ears are too hairy, your eyes are all wrong and did you even try to do anything about your fangs?” Morning Star couldn’t help but widen his smile. Changelings were nearly completely unaware of Night Ponies and so when they saw one they assumed it was only a bad disguise. It happened by accident at first. They stood watch outside a small village on Equestria’s outskirts and wondered how they could clear it without the Night Ponies tipping off the Changelings. Moon Shadow hid under a cloak until a “Unicorn” walked up to her and told her that her fangs were showing. She panicked and blurted out the first thing that came to mind, what was now standard procedure for the entire army. “I have a message from the Queen,” Moon Shadow said as she kicked Morning Star in the shin to bring him out of his thoughts. The Earth Pony’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked sharply at Morning Star. “How important is it?” he asked tensely. “Every Changeling in the city must hear it,” Moon Shadow said as Morning Star smiled dumbly. “Very well,” the Earth Pony said after a pause. “We have secured a warehouse, number 13, We will be assembled there at midnight tonight to hear your message. Find a cloak or something, we worked hard to make sure that ponies here do not suspect a thing and I will not have you tipping them off.” The Earth Pony turned and exited the alley. Once he had disappeared back onto the bustling street Morning Star let out a breath he had been holding. “They’re getting smarter.” “You’re getting careless. You aren’t supposed to have any thoughts to get lost in. Your world is only me, remember?” She asked as she looked up at him. Morning Star couldn’t help but kiss her. After a moment he parted their lips just a hair and whispered, “Who else would I be reminiscing about?” “Come on,” She said shoving him roughly off. “We’ve got to set up for our biggest raid yet and I need to actually get some sleep before tonight.” The two made their way out of the city. Even hidden under a cloak Moon Shadow received stares but the Unicorn stallion walking protectively beside her ensured that they only were stares. A dark wooded path outside the city meandered until it faded from existence. A few hundred yards beyond that end was a hidden campsite. Only a pony intimately familiar with the area would have known that bushes concealed stockpiled arms and rations, that the strange shapes hidden in the foliage were hammocks where Night Ponies slept. “Warehouse 13. There’s going to be a lot of them,” Moon Shadow said to the seemingly empty clearing. A rope with a loop tied around it descended from the treetops. With a resigned grumble Morning Star looped the rope around his chest. It pinched and pressed uncomfortably against his ribcage as he was drawn up into the treetops. He settled on the branch and closed his eyes. The rope silently snaked its way up into the leafy treetops. If anypony wandered by they would only see a strange but harmless unicorn napping in a tree. Morning Star shifted restlessly but did not move from his perch. The sun made its slow way across the sky. Sleep eventually found the unicorn well after it had reached its zenith at noon. He was jostled awake and into the harsh afternoon light. “It’s almost time. Get ready,” one of his comrades said gruffly. He gingerly lowered himself to the ground. Any pretense of stealth had been abandoned as the small army of Night Ponies armed themselves. The soft clank of armored plates and the creaks of the straps connecting them filled the air. Morning Star looked around the clearing as he strapped his barding on. The Night Ponies looked out of place, like dark blotches against the forest floor in the bright afternoon light. He knew that when night fell they would be in their element but right now they seemed painfully out of place. Once his armor had been donned Morning Star took up his namesake. He had not had need to use the spiked mace yet. The groups of changelings had been small and isolated but there were bound to be hundreds in Manehattan. He would find need for a weapon tonight. As Morning Star drew up courage for the battle to come the Night Ponies seemed to hold themselves back, as if the strict discipline of Princess Luna’s army was the only thing keeping them from charging the enemy this instant. Sunset found the Night Ponies milling around in nervous anticipation. Once the sun had set and the moon took its rightful place they nearly galloped towards the city. Once they reached the outskirts of the city most of them took to the skies. Even the large flight was nearly invisible against the night sky. Morning Star, Moon Shadow and the few other Night Ponies who stayed with them made their way through the city under heavy cloaks. It was slow going getting to the Seaside warehouses on hoof. After what seemed like hours they had finally arrived at the doors. Once the signal was given they would breach the doors and attack the changelings from the ground while the rest of the night ponies attacked from the skies. Moon Shadow pounded on the doors. They opened a crack and the same earth pony from that morning poked his head out. He eyed Moon Shadow suspiciously, scowling at her armor. “I can’t imagine why the Queen would send a messenger so incompetent as you. Come say your message and leave before you get us all caught.” “The message is simple,” Moon Shadow said smiling, “die.” From the shadows Morning Star struck the Changeling across his head. The rest of the Night Ponies with them forced the door open and streamed into the warehouse. Inside nearly a thousand disguised changelings sat shocked as Night Ponies crashed through the windows. The changeling’s surprise lasted only a few moments before they exploded into a flurry of movement. Some turned to fight but most tried to run. The windows were small enough that the ponies that entered them could cut off any who tried to flee but the large double doors were a much easier escape path. For nearly a full two minute the ground team struck out at the writhing swarm with impunity before they turned to the doors. In a single motion every Changeling turned towards the open doors with their unblinking stares. “Uh oh,” was all Morning Star had time to say before the Changelings charged. He stepped forward and with a battlecry summoned a shield around him and his companions. The first twenty Changelings dashed themselves against the shield but such a large spell under such strain required much more power than Morning Star could muster. With the sound of breaking glass the shield shattered and Changelings poured through. The ground team could do little more than get out of the way. They struck at the mass of Changelings as it passed through but could do nothing to stem the tide. “Get them in the skies! Let none escape!” A Night Pony cried out. Those who had attacked through the windows flew back into the night sky to attack the changelings in the air. The ground team followed after the last of the changelings ran leaving Morning Star, the only non-flyer, alone. He swiveled his head, looking around the room of dead and dying changelings with an almost dazed expression. “Well crap!” Author's Note I did say there was going to be more of these interludes for War of Shadows. War of Shadows - Chapter 144Everything must be a scandal with these nobles. It cannot be that my guard simply reports to me. No! It must be news of some sordid affair. They will not rest until they uncover enough gossip to occupy their next gathering. They are closer to the truth than they know. Too close I fear for these ponies least of all can be trusted with it. A lie may placate them. Something to distract from the truth until I have Chrysalis’s head and secrecy no longer matters. I’ve no skill in the machinations of court. Any deceit I put forward would be transparent at best. It irks my pride to ask for help but Celestia’s word will go unquestioned while mine will raise only suspicion. -L War of Shadows - Chapter 145It is at times like these when envy claws at my heart. Celestia is a master plying her craft and a joy to watch. Every word and inflection is designed to be believable. Every muscle is disciplined so that no errant twitch will ever give her away as she explains why my guard report to me in such a public fashion. The explanation matters not, only that she has said it. She is the mother of this nation and it will always take her word. I am its defender and it is high time I plied my own bloody craft. -L War of Shadows - Chapter 146We have just finished disposing of the bodies from Baltimare. The unicorns are skittish in battle. They are so afraid of killing they are little more than a liability in combat. Those spells have their uses, as well as their little ploy to draw the changelings out but I would still rather a pony who won’t hesitate to slit a throat when the need arises. On a personal note it seems my daughter’s taste in stallions will see to it that I become used to these sun lovers. I’m happy for her, I really am. I just wish she didn’t make swallowing my pride part of being a supportive father. The Princess has ordered another raid tonight, one of the smaller settlements outlying the large city. I am relieved that it will not be such a large infestation. These changelings are learning. The infestation in Baltimare actually managed to put up a fight and we have a few wounded. Nothing serious, thank the Moon. Yet for the first time this extermination begins to feel like a war. Princess end this quickly. -Gen. Night Watch War of Shadows - Chapter 148Had I not seen it with my own eyes I would count the retelling as blasphemy. To see the Princess moving and striking through combat, as awkward as a foal just learning to walk. Yet once the raid is finished and the scouts begin following the survivor she seems to find herself again. “I learned that from battling with my sister,” the Princess tells us. It is difficult to understand, the Princess takes every opportunity to demean Princess Celestia and yet if any of us attempt to echo her barbs we are met with the Princess’s ire. We seek to honor her with our mimicry but it seems some paths only the gods may tread. I dare to ask the Princess why she fought so poorly. She intends to misinform Chrysalis, to have her think that a pampered weakling is the one fighting her. Even now after the wanton slaughter of changelings this past month the Princess seeks every advantage over Chrysalis. May the Moon guide the scouts, if they find Chrysalis’s lair this could all be over in a week’s time. -Gen. Night Watch War of Shadows - Chapter 149Events have turned better than I could have hoped. Not only have I found Chrysalis, she has drawn her changelings back to her. I cannot say how long she will wait before she retreats from Equestria’s borders. I must ensure that it is far too long. Already my night ponies move to surround the Everfree where she hides. She will not escape without harassment. If I move quickly enough she will not escape at all. -L War of Shadows - Chapter 151Prince Armor has studied well under Celestia’s tutelage. I should find his meddling more tiresome that I do. As I go to engage Chrysalis’s forces the entirety of Celestia’s guard is arrayed before me and insisting to march under my banner. They have armed themselves with far more than the spears I had given them. Lances, blades and bows shine in the morning sun along with the determination in each pony’s eye. I could tell them to return to their posts and engage the battle with only my own forces but they would follow. Their leader has stoked their desire for revenge until it blazes hot before me. They have trained themselves to be much more than the gilded shields the changelings fought weeks ago. Even so their unannounced arrival on a battlefield will lead to more casualties than relying on their untested skill. I cannot deny them and so I must account for them in my battle plans. -L War of Shadows - Interlude XIThe river of gold stretched through the Everfree Forest. It flowed through the dense undergrowth and left a broad path in its wake that a modest supply train was pulled along. Closer inspection revealed a living river of ponies in golden barding. Unicorns with spears, bows, and crossbows. Pegasi with curved blades along the leading edges of their wings. Earth ponies with hammers and flails in their mouths and others with lances couched into their armor. The scouts were terrified of Celestia’s guard’s revenge coming from the west. Chrysalis was more afraid of the forest to the east. No scout had returned. No ‘all clear’, nothing. The best hidden look out points in the east had been taken out without a sound while the river of golden armor flowed in from the west. In the middle Chrysalis and her Changelings were trapped. As the sun set a battle line began forming to the west. The sun’s orange rays glinted off the polished armor making the west look like a blazing inferno about to descend and destroy. And yet the east sat unnaturally still as if frozen. A cold breath of wind chased a chill through Chrysalis. Fire in the west, Ice to the east. The Changelings could try to run but they would either be cut down while they fled or hunted doggedly until they died from exhaustion. They had to stand and fight. No matter how slim, it was their only chance. As the sun descended grand speeches were made in the west. The army roared their battle cries and thrust their weapons into the air, adding sparks to the fire. The east sat frozen. The hive buzzed in response. The few hundreds that had returned outnumbered the ponies but Chrysalis still feared Canterlot’s revenge. The Changelings she had were less than half of what she came with. She had expected a few losses and perhaps a few to be discovered. It was only after a dozen flew back from Manehattan and told her of ponies like bats who carried death with them that she recalled her swarm. Less than half returned. It was supposed to be easy, fool the Sun Princess, blinded by her own brightness, and feed off of the love of Equestria for centuries. That damned Luna and those things she called guards had ruined everything and killed countless changelings. The fire in the west came to embers as the sun fell below the horizon, still battle cries thundered from the massed formation. The moon exploded into the sky with a cruel brilliance. Fire and ice fought to meet. ☾ ☾ ☾ The night guard had nothing that could match the power of a charge by earth pony lancers. While the night guard to the east struggled to gain leverage over their enemies the day guard ripped through the changeling lines. Arrows and bolts rained in from both sides breaking on the Changelings’ hard chitin or piercing through gaps in the natural armor. Within an hour lines on the west had completely dissolved into a furious melee while lines on the east strained to the breaking point before the weight and skill of the night guard. In the skies changelings fared no better. They were more stable in a hover but that only served to make them easier targets for the raking attacks of Pegasi and Night Ponies. On the eastern lines Chrysalis saw Luna. Chrysalis went to her changelings to rally a group of them them against a weak point in the night guard lines but as they charged Luna's magic took hold of half of them. They died midstep. Luna summoned swords to her side and the rest were cut down soon after. Chrysalis scrambled back into her lines to call a retreat while the weak point rallied behind Luna and became the center for the night guard's advance. again and again Chrysalis tried to rally her troops against the night guard only to have the advance cut to pieces by Luna. Every time she watched Chrysalis fall back into the mass of changelings with the same even gaze. As the night drew on the changelings fell back again and again, redrawing their defensive line tighter around the cave where they hid. By the end of the first watch the skies belonged entirely to ponies. By the end of the second archers had to cease fire for fear of hitting their own while aiming at the thinned changeling line. As the third watch drew in Chrysalis looked around in panic. The battle was not going well at all. The skies had ceased raining changelings who’s wings had been ripped apart for there were none left, the ground was covered in dead and dying. Her own power was nearly completely drained already, she was yet a formidable opponent but she could do little to turn the slaughter back to a battle. She called another retreat. Less than twenty changelings responded while the rest remained trapped in losing skirmishes. This was all that was left of a swarm of thousands. All because of that monster. At first she was nothing more than an oddity, so guarded was Luna’s mind that Chrysalis could sense no emotion yet her face betrayed her feelings much more readily than her sister’s. She was supposed to be nothing more than a reformed villain, weak and powerless before the mighty Celestia. That was before Chrysalis had seen Luna wade through her swarm and kill with impunity. Now she waited, holed up in a cave like vermin, for her exterminator to arrive. The Night Princess would not come alone; she would bring the whole of her army if she could fit them. Chrysalis had gleaned at least that much from the short battle. Luna was brilliant, she did not take risks and she did not relent. She would not ease up or scale back her attack until Chrysalis was completely crushed and she would not show mercy. The sound of hoofsteps marked her approaching demise and Chrysalis only had time to hope that some of her children had escaped this fate before the battle was met again. Dark armored ponies tore into the last of the changelings and the dark princess met the queen. There was no trading of words, no exchange of monologues, there was only pain. Blades and beams of pure magic ripped apart the air between them. Some were blocked, dodged, or deflected with magic, leaving deep gouges in the stone, while others were not. Chrysalis saw Luna walk forward calmly. Her draconic eyes swept over the cavern again and again looking for a counterattack that would never come. With each gap in Chrysalis’s defense Luna made her pay in flesh. A wing, her tail, another hole in her leg. Chrysalis felt herself being cut apart piece by piece. With a last desperate cry Chrysalis poured the last of her magic into a beam. It struck uselessly against the ground as Luna dodged. Chrysalis’s legs could no longer hold her. Her body trembled on the ground as she gave great heaving breaths. The dark shadow of Luna’s form fell over her. A sneer from the Night Princess revealed a row of pointed fangs. In a last desperate attempt Chrysalis cried out, “Just because we are not like your precious ponies you would exterminate us rather than let us be. What did we do to you? We did not kill or maim, we only sought to live. We were trying to run awaAH-” Chrysalis’ speech cut off to a strangled yelp as Luna’s hoof shut off her windpipe. “I once tried to destroy the world because I was jealous of my older sister. Do not think that the pittance of guilt you may dredge up is enough to sway me,” Luna said as she leaned into Chrysalis’ insect like neck. Her world faded to black. ☼ ☼ ☼ Chrysalis’ eyes reluctantly opened. She was surrounded by ponies in golden and black armor. Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies stood side by side with those monsters to peer curiously at her. Chrysalis could only peer back at them as they seemed to levitate by. The pressure on her leg increased and the world spun around her. Pain lanced through her body as she came to a stop. Shining Armor glared down at her in the predawn light. “You wanted revenge on this wretched creature. I give her to you so that you may take it. Consider this a belated wedding gift,” Luna’s voice said. Chrysalis weakly craned her neck. Luna was a few steps off giving Shining Armor a calculating look. Gone were her fangs, leathery wings, and slitted pupils. It seemed that particular look was reserved only for her enemies. Shining closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. The sun crested the trees behind him and he arched his back slightly as if to absorb its warmth. “Celestia’s sun rises on friend and enemy alike,” he intoned. “It offers no accommodation for friend nor judgment for enemy. Only it’s merciful light for all.” His eyes opened into a burning glare. “As captain of her royal guard it is my duty to see to it that only those who would live as a friends of Equestria live to see it set. If you will not finish her off then I will but do not pretend that killing something half dead will satisfy my honor.” Chrysalis could almost feel the cruel smile that played on Luna’s lips. “If it is a fight you want then you shall have it.” Luna’s power poured into Chrysalis. It did not heal her wounds. It only offered strength enough for a desperate fight before she met her end. Chrysalis rose weakly. If this was to be her end she would meet it standing up. Her first attack met Shining’s shield. She deflected his counter but it set her well off balance and she did not see his follow up coming. Armored hooves crashed into her chest staggering her and robbing her of breath. She desperately deflected an attack from her left only to be blindsided by a wall of force coming from the right. Her head spun and she struggled to stay upright. She sent off a desperate attack only for it to strike ineffectually against Shining’s shield. His counter crashed down unimpeded, crushing her into the ground. She tried to rise but another attack slammed into her. A third took her legs out from under her. Shining’s magic pinned her to the ground and she could only watch as he approached her with a spear hovering beside him. He rested it over her heart. “Cadence wouldn’t want this,” he said. “The only reason you live is because Cadence wouldn’t want me to kill you.” “Peace, forgiveness, mercy,” Luna said as she put a hoof on Shining’s shoulder. “They are the marks of my sister’s throne and they are the banners she would have you raise. You and Cadenza have learned them well. Leave death for those born of darkness.” The last thing Chrysalis saw was the purple aura of Shining’s magic on the spear being overtaken by the blue of Luna’s and the spear plunging downward. Author's Note I always feel like I should include more notes but nothing in particular comes to mind at the moment so I'll do notes on the entire war of shadows arc so far. When I first imagined the changeling war it was actually much different. Chrysalis had just sorta stumbled ass backwards into putting herself in a good position after Canterlot and Luna was pissed at nearly everyone for letting her. I even edited it more recently to give the day guard a more prominent role in the final battle. I'm going to go ahead and publish this now because most of what I have to say is pretty spoilery for next chapter. War of Shadows - Chapter 153I watched your parade. From the city gates to the castle entrance your victorious army stretched. Side by side our guards marched under your victorious banner and in the center of it all you were there. To your right was our nation’s new prince and to your left the grisly trophy that was once Queen Chrysalis. You cleaned her up no doubt, wiped away the blood and put the corpse in a time bubble so that it wouldn’t decay. After all trophies are best seen and not smelled. Those that look close can still see the splintered spear coming out of her chest. Despite what you may think of me I am not ashamed of how our subjects cheered at the proof of her death, I am not ashamed of you. Yet I must wonder if it were any other city but Canterlot, so eager for vengeance for the sake of their bruised pride, would you have been greeted by anything but a stunned silence. As distasteful as I find it, war is necessary. You have done well. When your chariot finally reaches the castle you leap off to me. I cannot honestly recall the last time I have been on the receiving end of an embrace. From the shocked expressions around the courtyard I glean that our subjects cannot either. “Our subjects are safe, may peace see them to prosperity,” you whisper in my ear. The soldiers, as they are now, wait patiently at the banquet hall for you to lead them in. I did not skimp. The finest feast Equestria has seen in centuries is laid out for the victors to enjoy. I hope you will excuse me for not joining you, I know how much you want to see my moderation overcome by drink, but the parade is not finished. The supply train rolls carefully in and the soft moans of the wounded fill the courtyard. A former guard of mine, Morning Star I believe, stands wide-eyed and helpless to the side as the infirmary staff bears the wounded inside. I follow. Again and again he braves the wrath of the nurses to hover fretfully over a stretcher. An hour passes and still they do not see to the small still form that fills it. I do not know why I hid when you entered. The nurses find somewhere else to be and Morning Star falls into a fitful sleep where he sits beside the cot. You walk amongst the wounded and the tragic dead. Believing yourself unseen you pause to bless each with a kiss on the forehead. Morning Star stirs when you when you approach the cot he watches over. You pull back the sheet revealing one of the few night ponies. She stretches and tries to rise. Before you stop her I see a bandaged leg come out from under the sheets. She will be lucky to walk again. Outside we hear the bumps and rumble of furniture being carried through the castle. A green Unicorn I do not recognize looks in. I can see the realization on his face, perhaps this was not the best place to ask directions. Before he can return to the hallway he catches your eye. It is a sister’s place to laugh as you try to summon one you so obviously know without advertising that you do not know his name. Do not whip your head around so quickly, you may injure yourself. “Come, subject,” I call to him. “What is your name?” “Cross Circuit, Princess Celestia,” he says bowing low. “Cross Circuit this is my sister, Luna.” Ah, I see he does not know your name either. “Luna this is Cross Circuit.” The night pony cannot help but laugh either it seems. “Moon Shadow,” she says as she leans up to bump hooves with the unicorn. A grimace of pain halts the gesture and Morning Star comes awake with a start. Unasked and unmindful of anypony else in the room he helps her settle back into the cot. “This is Morning Star,” She says, the pain still driving an edge in her voice. He looks up in a daze, seeing everypony else for the first time. “Morning Star, that’s Cross Circuit.” “Heh, so that’s your name.” For a few moments silence falls over the room. “I guess I should give my resignation now,” Moon Shadow says breaking it, “I won’t be much use in a fight anymore.” “I’m afraid that won’t be acceptable. Your training is far too precious to be wasted upon a mere injury.” For the briefest of moments I think you cruel. “To a pony your comrades simply let me win and my new arcade will not be a place of unearned victories.” Your laughter is the first to break the tension. I take my leave as the rest join in. For a moment I feel a taste of the jealousy that brought you so low. I am a stranger among my subjects who know me only by my crown. The same subjects who laugh and share the warmth of friendship with you. You will go with them and enjoy your new toy. You will laugh and play far past the time you should have been abed. Tomorrow you will be overtired and grumpy like the child you have earned the right to pretend you are. I love you sister, and seeing you among friends I come to realize that I have never been more proud of you. Please, please know that. The Crystal Empire has returned. I have already sent Shining and Cadence to defeat the slaver king. You are not to follow, I will not lose you to his darkness again. C Author's Note This, this is where it all began. Almost a year and a half ago I watched the opener to season three and saw that Celestia did not trust Luna. Even after three years Celestia didn’t trust her own sister and so I set out writing a version of Luna that would make that fact not only understandable but expected. The story changed and evolved as I wrote it and I am glad it did. It is very much better than the story I originally intended (reunion would have lasted beyond this point with increasingly petty bickering with war of shadows being nothing more than a few side stories). Now something that would have struggled to make it 40 chapters before floundering and dying is past 150 chapters and 4000 views. (Arguably they don’t count as full chapters as they are tiny but the point still stands) Now for some less general notes. This is one of those times I am tempted to hide behind the dark tag as a shield against criticism but let’s try not to do that, shall we? Luna’s already stated that she doubts she’ll get all of the changelings. Even in the final battle some stragglers could easily have slipped off into the forest. Luna never knew if this was all of the changelings or an excursion sent into Equestria to get food. That being said even if every changeling in history was on that battlefield Luna would have killed them all. Anything that counts itself as Equestria’s enemy she kills. Genocide may not have been what she accomplished, but it is what she meant. This may seem a bit contrary but I don’t want to write Luna as a one dimensional killer. Being someone who was merciless and very proud of that and then being subject to another’s mercy has affected her and in the next few chapters we will begin to see how much. Before I post the next chapter I will post a spoilerific blog post for those of you who are on the fence about whether you want to keep reading or not. I don’t actually have any written plans for what comes next so I’ll just list the next few ideas I had and you can decide whether or not you want to keep reading. The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 155“Self-doubt does not fit a princess.” I can still hear Celestia’s words echoing in my ears even as I fly. To my right a carriage holds those who will join me on this quest. To my left another carries a burden I would be rid of. Celestia will have need of her student soon. Even now I cannot help but feel I race the inevitable letter to Ponyville. Prince Shining Armor has proven himself in my eyes but he is still no match for Sombra. Princess Cadenza is powerful in her own write but she has neither the skill nor the determination to fight as Sombra must be fought. Even together it will only be a matter of time before they fall. Celestia does not trust me to repeat my last acts before madness overtook me so the task will fall to Twilight. I have need of her first, there is a burden I would be rid of and my heart trusts none other to bear it. I cannot say why I did not tell Celestia. More than any other she deserves to know so why does the thought of telling her fill me with such apprehension? Twilight Sparkle is not unused to royalty simply dropping in. She rises from her studies into a cordial bow. After an exchange of pleasantries she compliments me on my speech. The less said about (or in) the Royal Canterlot Voice the better. ‘Twas a ridiculous custom in its own time and I have come to regret partaking a thousand fold. I was a fool for binding Twilight in an oath. Her life is far more important than any secret I care to keep and her word is worthy of much more trust than I showed. Luckily it was not too late to release her and she saw the spells as a mere curiosity. Finally I explain my purpose and reveal my burden. Twilight gasps as black cloth parts to reveal Chrysalis, frozen in time. She bites back bile when she sees the broken spearhead in her chest, the point only a hairsbreadth from her heart. On the battlefield when I wrest the spear from her brother’s grasp I saw Twilight as I had seen her those years ago. She floated into the air as the glory and power of Harmony wreathed her and her friends. She struck and instead of the destruction my crimes warranted she brought healing to my very soul. Whether it was by her decision or by her nature she had mercy on me, and try as I might I could not ignore that. When Twilight does break the spell she will have that choice to make again. Chrysalis can still recover but she will be helpless for a very long time. Live or die, it is Twilight’s decision now. -L Author's Note so getting soundly beaten into the ground twice and stabbed with a spear that just misses your heart would probably kill just about anything but for the sake of explanation let's say Chrysalis's magic kept her alive. Voodoo to be precise. The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 156 Twilight Sparkle This—this is weird. I’m not used to keeping anything like this secret. Especially not from Spike. Princess Luna made me swear, with every swear I’ve ever heard and a whole lot that I hadn’t. I never knew promises could be supplemented with magic like that. It’s a fascinating but Princess Luna made me promise not to look into it. Something about the oath-breaker’s curse. When I asked her what it was she looked scared. She started doing a lot of dispellings. It was fascinating seeing her work. The abjuration matrices were so ancient I had only read about them. Some even involved chanting! This is only the fifth time I’ve ever seen a spell with vocal components done. It’s so amazing to see how speaking can affect the magic being cast, how words can bend the energy in a way horns and matrices can’t even begin to and--and I’m gushing again, aren’t I? I nearly lost my dinner when I saw Chrysalis. There was a lot less blood than there should have been, I guess I have Princess Luna to thank for that. Even just thinking about that splintered spear coming out of her makes me queasy. I—I’m a bad pony. Once I’d gotten over the sight I couldn’t help but think about it. She hurt so many ponies, she would have left Equestria as nothing but a husk with all the love sucked out of it! How could I not think about it!? How could I? I spent the last two years saving the world with the power of friendship and harmony and the first time killing is easier it’s all I could think about? What if we had just decided to kill Nightmare Moon? Princess Celestia would still be inconsolable and we couldn’t have survived Discord and everything else without her. What if Nightmare Moon had decided to just kill us? Princess Luna took down Chrysalis and from the look of her it was a pretty one-sided fight. Why didn’t Nightmare Moon just kill us? I put the best protection spells I could around Chrysalis and hid her in the basement. The library could explode and fall on top of her and she wouldn’t even feel it and if I get any more ideas it will at least take me some time to undo. ~~Your faith~~ Twilight Sparkle Author's Note Bit of a snafoo with the chapter orders yesterday so sorry to anyone who read the last two chapters and was confused it's fixed now though. This is another one of the chapters where I couldn't think of any good reason why it should end up in Luna's diary so it's just here. There's actually going to be quite a few of these coming along. I'm toying with the idea of this quest to go get Starswirl's book being recorded by everyone except Luna. I'm still not sure how I'm going to answer that question of Twilight's. It's definitely one that I should address because it's a gaping hole in this interpretation of Luna but everything I've come up with so far just seems really forced. Anyway it will be answered eventually I'm just not sure how yet. The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 157 Cross Circuit We’re going on an adventure! We set up camp outside of Ponyville. I never knew tents could be so lavished. I think they’re actually called pavilions or something like that but it’s a tent bigger than my apartment(better AC system too). I guess this is the advantage with hanging out with royalty. I was expecting it to just be Princess Luna(totally knew her name the whole time…no I didn’t) and Morning Star. I don’t know why she asked Moon Shadow to come. Don’t get me wrong the mare can still go from friendly to terrifying in half a stupid comment, but she’s not going to be much for walking with that leg. I still don’t even know what could do that to a pony. So there they were, the totally OP spellcaster, the fighter-turned-nurse, and the, uh, handicapable rogue and in walks Big Mac carrying a big old sledge. The barbarian whose version of raging is a stern lecture, now the party is complete! Of course Bon Bon and Lyra would show up right after I wrote that. The alchemist and the…Cavalier I suppose, although that just raises more questions that I don’t want answers to. I guess that makes me the bard. Crap. It’s going to be the same two songs on ukulele the whole trip. -Cross Circuit Author's Note So I did some thinking on the drive to school this morning and it allowed me to get a better idea of how the next arc is going to go. That's actually a bit of a bad habit of mine I spend way more time thinking about what's next than I do actually doing what's in front of me so if this arc doesn't get out in a timely manner I apologize for that. The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 159 Bon Bon I don’t know how Lyra managed to sleep in later than the princess of night owls but she owes me for packing the rest of this trip. I guess I can’t blame her too much, even Big Mac is looking tired. I may not be a farmer but I’m earth pony enough to know how early they usually get up. The guards don’t seem to mind. Either they’re used to zero sleep or they just don’t sleep. Either way they had been waiting on us for a good half-hour by the time I threw Lyra’s sleeping flank in the chariot. I swear that mare’s lucky I love her so much because I’d kill her if I didn’t. BB Author's Note I've fixed it and now everyones happy! So I'm just going to leave that like it is because having 3 formatting tags just for 2 words of text amuses me. So I've decided that there will be some Luna chapters in this arc but for the most part I want this story to be told from a different perspective and I've enjoyed doing entries for other characters. I don't expect this arc to be very long at all so if you want something with a bit more Luna that will be coming soon. For these first however many chapters I'm just going to do one by every character to kinda establish the cast for this arc. The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 160 Lyra Somepony needs to tell Bonnie that trying to be all grumpy while she’s falling asleep in the chariot doesn’t really work. Or it works really well at being freaking adorable but something tells me that’s not what she was going for. I guess everypony’s a bit sleepy at this point. Waking up two hours before the crack of dawn will do that to a pony. If only everypony else had gone with my tactic of just saying “nope” to that and sleeping through it, it wouldn’t be me and the guards flying these things awake. If it wasn’t for the mare sleeping on the unicorn in the other chariot I’d say these ponies don’t sleep but now it looks like the drivers are just really good at going without. Either that or there’s a coffee IV somewhere in that armor and they are mammoth jerks for not sharing. Anyways it’s about lunch time and Bonnie’s not telling me where she packed the snacks so let’s see if I can find anything to eat. Lyra The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 161Why must we drag these civilians and wounded around? This quest would already be done with if we took a single squad instead of this group. Moon Shadow should be recovering in the infirmary not traipsing through whatever Faust-forsaken dungeon we end up in! “I am trying a new way.” That is all the princess will tell me. I was supposed to be one of her closest servants, her confidant. Yet she keeps her own council as to what this “new way” is and why it involves such unnecessary risks. I should trust the princess more. She has shown me a strength and a power I had never imagined, she has led me to nothing but victory. But now she looks so unsure, like she doesn’t know where to take her next step. If we were just getting some artifact it would be done. There is something else the princess wants to find and I hope she does. The Dragonlands are a bad place to be lost. Morning Star Author's Note I like the idea of a character who gets more wordy when their angry. The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 162The edge of Equestria was never something I thought I would see. The soft green grass turned to blackened soot over two lengths like, like we just reached the line at the edge of a map. Here there be dragons. “Say your goodbyes. This is the last we will see of green fields and fair skies,” the mistress tells us. She and the earth ponies lean down and eat some of the grass. They lay down in the field and close their eyes. I can’t really say what they were saying goodbye to. It’s not like we’re leaving the earth or anything like that. There’s even some plants over the border, they’re just a bit singed. The princess leaves her crown with one of the chariots while the farmer converts another into a supply cart. Morning Star tries to tell him to leave both harnesses on so he can help pull it and we finally get to hear the farmer speak. “Nope.” Wasn’t that exciting. MS Author's Note A question of grammar: should sarcastically saying "wasn't that exciting" merit a question mark or not? I think not but I could very easily be wrong about that. The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 163My guard insists on walking as we make to leave. She is capable of an awkward hobble but her stubborn insistence would only slow us down and destroy any chance of a full recovery. I am about to order her into the cart when Macintosh comes up behind her. With a practiced ease he lifts her onto his back and into the cart. I do not hear her cry in pain but in surprise and anger. He looks to me as he yokes himself to the cart and at my assent he begins walking as she hurls insults at him. The rest of us walk along in a stunned silence as she offers up barb after barb. I can only see his ears but he does not seem to react. With the enduring patience of stone he weathers her vocabulary until she falls silent and spent. I should not be so surprised at his patience. Celestia has told me of his sisters and his ancestry. I should have known that stubborn and often angry mares are something of a specialty of the Apple stallions. -L The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XII“Luna listen to me!” Celestia’s shout rang across the throne room. “I will not allow you to spill any pony blood. These are our friends and I will not have your wanton slaughter visited upon them.” “Then you would have them conquer us just to avoid hurting them? I had never thought you such a simpering weakling!” Luna’s reply came back. “Luna there is another way. If you--” Celestia said only to be cut off. “--Your politics and diplomacy have failed. Sombra will not be spared the sword because he was a favorite of thy court.” “And what of the ponies, our brothers and sisters, he has enslaved to his mad designs, will you kill them when it can be avoided?” “Very well, o master of a thousand tactics, tell me how might I defeat this army without destroying it? You who sat secure in your keep, tell me what have I been doing wrong as I routed every enemy?” Luna asked with an angry glare. Celestia did not speak for a moment as she wrestled her anger back under control. “Slaves march because they fear the lash,” she finally said. “You can reach into their minds, you can make them fear you more than the lash.” “No.” “Luna it is the only way! They are ponies and I am responsible for their lives!” “It is not. I would put a thousand armies of slaves to the sword before I would do as you ask. I would tear the moon and stars from the sky before I would do that. I would die before I betray my sacred duty. “I have bathed in the blood of my enemies and my fallen subjects. I can assure thee whatever gore you may find on thy hooves will not harm thee. I will not desecrate this one holy thing because you find the alternative distasteful!” “You must!” “I am the guardian of dreams. I must not betray that duty whatever the wars of the waking world may bring!” “ENOUGH!” Celestia shouted as she slammed her hooves on the ground. Great, gusting wing beats carried her to the apex of the small arch between the thrones. “I am the elder and you will do as I command!” Luna’s spit sizzled under the heat of Celestia’s anger as the door closed behind the night princess. ☾ ☽ Celestia paused in front of the pavilion. The sneering guards parted to allow her through. Ever since she had announced she was accompanying her sister on this campaign the night ponies had treated her with open disdain. Luna had done nothing to stop them. Inside attendants scrambled to stow battle plans and intelligence that should not have been necessary. “Leave us.” At Celestia’s words the room cleared, leaving only the two princesses. “You are trying to conduct a war behind my back.” “Your front would have me betray everything I stand for.” “Since I cannot trust you to obey when I am not looking you will do it tonight, now. I will accompany you to the city and we will fight Sombra together.” “If it is what the elder sister wishes,” Luna replied, her voice dripping with venom. This is for your own good. Celestia tasted the words on her lips. She wanted her sister to be accepted and loved by all ponies. She wanted to be rid of the image of a monster Luna held on to like a security blanket but it had been a week of arguing and outright begging to get her to even give lip-service to this agreement, any sign of hesitation now and this war would end in a massacre. “Do it.” The room darkened until the only sign of light was Luna’s horn. The horn grew brighter as the spell charged but the darkness grew more dense as if it were trying to snuff out the light. With a flash of light the spell released. Celestia blinked her eyes in shock at the sudden light. For a moment she thought she had seen a mare as tall as her and as black as night. “His defenses will be down, let us go and end this.” ☾ ☽ Of all the victory parades Celestia had witnessed this one was by far the most somber. There were no shouts of joy as Equestria mourned its former ally. Luna sat perfectly still beside her. She had not spoken since leaving the pavilion a week ago. Further back an angry chant broke out as the crowd blamed the night ponies for the loss. Celestia raised a hoof to restrain her sister but she didn’t seem to even notice. The cart finally arrived in the castle courtyard. Luna finally broke her silence as they made their way inside, “I am a princess without equal: I have neither brother nor sister. Tomorrow we will have words regarding our places in Equestria.” ☾ ☽ Luna let out a groan as she came awake. Her bedroll was wrapped snugly around her forelegs and her mane had done a full circuit around her neck. A cold sweat matted her coat. There was nopony to protect her from her nightmares. Even less so from her memories. It took a minute of awkward thrashing and the delicate application of magic to extract herself from her bedding and return herself to looking vaguely presentable. She looked up through the bare branches overhead. From the position of the sun she surmised that it was somewhere in the third watch. The bare stand of trees was the one sign that there was once life in the barren and rocky landscape that made up the current domain of dragons and former domain of ponies. Right now she wished that the small creek that had once run through this place would return and allow her to wash herself. The water barrel called to her from the supply cart. She longed to wash the taste of the restless day’s sleep out of her mouth but water would soon become a precious resource. The raucous snores of a pony trying too hard to sound like she was asleep reached Luna’s ear. Luna turned her head to find Lyra standing stiffly by the tree where she had been standing sentry giving an exaggerated head movement with every fake snore. “You truly are terrible at that.” A single eye opened and scanned around the camp before it found Luna. “Terrible at what?” Lyra asked in a conspiratorial whisper. Luna chuckled quietly as she made her way through the sleeping ponies. They seemed restless enough sleeping through the day and travelling at night, her treading on them surely wouldn’t help. She settled in beside Lyra as Macintosh let out a tremendous snore and shifted in his bedroll. “I’ve lived in Ponyville for years and I’ve heard more out of him tonight than I ever had,” Lyra said. After a pause she continued, “You and him both talk in your sleep you know. At first I thought you were chatting with each other but then he started cursing at Applejack and you started cursing at your sister. I thought I should wake you two up but I sorta lost my nerve.” Luna looked away for a time, regarding the barren landscape with a blank expression. “Understand that Macintosh cares for his sister deeply.” “I know,” Lyra said, “Sometimes nightmares just happen. They don’t really mean anything, just our fears and insecurities get the best of us. “They did not used to,” Luna said as she scuffed a hoof against the dirt beneath her. “Dreams were to be a pleasant thing where fear and uncertainty only showed themselves as a demonstration of how easily they might be overcome. Once nightmares were only a brief correction not a lasting terror. Once the night was gentle and kind, lulling even the most restless of foals to sleep.” “What changed?” Lyra asked. “I did. An army of slaves marched and so I reached into their dreams and made them fear me more than the lash. I flew through their lines and they parted before me like water. They dared not even reassemble for those that followed. Celestia and I struck down the tyrant that ruled them and he dragged his entire kingdom with him. To this day Equestria counts the fall of the Crystal Empire as its greatest defeat but I can only remember it as the day I became a nightmare.” “What happened next?” “We returned home. I threw off any comfort Celestia tried to offer and went to the Elements of Harmony. Loyalty held none of its nature for me anymore, it held no use for a broken mare. Laughter did not even offer a parting smile as it faded in my hooves. Generosity gave a single day for me to weep until I had more tears before it too rejected me.” Luna blinked at the suddenly-blurry landscape, realizing that tears were making their way down her face. “The next day,” Luna felt her throat closing up with an unvoiced sob but she pressed on, “The next day I told Celestia that if she would not respect me as an equal she would bow to me as a conqueror. I took my army and began to sack lands and cities as some form of punishment for perceived slights. I became the dark truth behind the legend of Nightmare Moon.” Luna brought her gaze up from the ground. From the corner of her eye she caught a flash of green before something soft and warm collided with her side with a soft pomf. A pair of hooves wrapped themselves gently around her neck as she leaned her tearstained face against Lyra’s shoulder. It was not easy taking comfort from a pony half her size but it would be rude to refuse a gift so freely given. Author's Note Even I think this is a bit short but I'm not really sure what to do about it. Characterization was the word of the day for this one. Writing Celestia and Luna days away from NMM then turning around and writing current Luna and Lyra was a was a pretty big challenge but I think I pulled it off to an extent at least. The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 166Mare talk. I’ve heard of it but Moon Shadow isn’t exactly one to gossip over a hooficure. It isn’t like I think the princess shouldn’t have a pony to talk to but seeing her like that just didn’t seem right. I guess you would call Cross Circuit her friend but that seems more of an eccentricity than anything else. Let the princess have her little arcade and it’s keeper to help her relax, you know what I mean? Seeing her sitting with the harpist giggling over some joke and with eyes red from crying she looked like she could have been any mare in Equestria. I’ve spent years guarding and fighting for her but I’ve never seen her look like—like she’s a pony before a princess. Morning Star Author's Note short one but I'm back. Sorry for the wait The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 167That mare could give Granny Smith a run for her bits with a stubborn streak like that. I don’t know what gets into a mare’s head that she won’t let herself be helped. She went and got her leg half bit off defending crown and country from Faust knows what the least I could do is carry for a ways, but the way she tells it you’d think I’d spat in her face. Course AJ’s the same way. She falls in a cellar she’s digging herself out. Don’t matter if I’m standing there yelling that the stairs are right behind her, she’s gonna do it the hard way just to show everypony she can. Damn stubborn mares ain’t got a lick of sense. One of them dragons spots us and comes calling I reckon they’ll be saying the same about me. I may look a tough customer with that old sledge but the liveliest thing I ever used it on was a wobbly fence post. Mac The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 168Fine, I admit it, you’ve talked me out of my secret, you stupid book. I’m jealous. It’s not like I could ever get her to accept help. Why in Tartarus does she let the farmer carry her around in that cart when she won’t even let me pay for her dinner? I’ve seen how strong she is. She even saved my life a few times. She doesn’t have anything to prove to me. Why the farmer and not me? What’s so special about him? I shouldn’t be like this, he’s pulling everypony’s weight but I just wish she would let me pull hers. Morning Star The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 169Aaaand we’re stiiill walking. Couldn’t ponies keep buried artifacts and grand adventures closer to home? My hooves are getting sore. Oh, maybe we could have just ridden those chariots the whole way, or maybe the princess could just load us all in the cart and fly is there. She's supposed to be super strong isn't she? Lyra The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 171I forget that when the sun goes down these ~~sunlovers~~ ponies might as well not have eyes. They still stroll through the fields and have their friendly little talks. They really do have no idea do they? I know the princess sees it. She’s been leading us straight to it since before moonrise. She’s probably been seeing it since we crossed the border. There’s only one thing that can make that much black smoke and we’ll reach it well before dawn. They may stay up all day having their chats with the princess but a single glance is all the conversation we need. ‘Don’t tell them,’ it says ‘it will only frighten them.’ With a small gesture I ask about Morning who is talking Cross and Lyra through some spells. She stares at him for a moment and ponders. Finally her head gives a barely perceivable shake. ‘He doesn’t need to know either.’ MS The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XIII - Part 1Seven ponies looked each other in the eyes and exchanged nods. As one they entered the gaping tunnel that dug its way under the ruin. Above them, up the summit of the barren mountain to the very peak was a broken turret that had once served as a look-out point. Thick black smoke billowed out of the shattered stones in great waves as a dragon slept beneath. By hornlight the made their way through the twisting and ever narrowing passageway. They had started six abreast with the seventh riding in a cart pulled by Big Macintosh but as the tunnel narrowed they moved into a single file. “How long have we been walking?” Cross Circuit asked, breaking the silence that had settled over the group. “Two and a half hours. It will be dawn soon.” Everypony looked back over their shoulders at Moon Shadow. She gave a halfhearted shrug. “I’m used to spending time in caves.” One by one the group turned forward and resumed their walking. “So where is this one leading to?” Cross Circuit asked. “Oh you know, up, down, left, right. Maybe even back to Canterlot.” “Really?” A tiny rock struck Cross on the head. “No! I don’t magically know where every cave in the world leads.” “The cellars,” Luna said, cutting off the two, “or the dungeons beneath them. I cannot say for certain; it has been a very long time since I have lived here.” “How long?” Lyra asked. “Perhaps a historian could tell you,” Luna said with a sardonic laugh. “I am afraid living the millennia between then and now has blurred them together. Celestia and I were exiled years before hearth’s warming ever took place and when the windegoes struck we only stayed long enough to gather what ponies would follow. That was among the last days that ponies walked this place.” “What happened to the ones that stayed?” Cross Circuit asked. Those ahead of Cross turned and gave him a blank stare. “Oh, right.” As he walked Cross couldn’t help but feel a creeping cold along his spine as the party made its way deeper into the tunnel. “What happened to the windegoes then?” “If there is any justice in this world they were burnt to ashes when the dragons took this land from them.” Cross cringed. “That’s pretty harsh.” “They drove ponies to the brink of extinction and rendered my home barren and unlivable. It is justified.” “Still, you sort of have to feel sorry for them. They had to feed off the coldness in somepony’s heart. That can’t be an easy way to live. It’s kinda like those changelings that attacked Canterlot, they weren’t malicious as much as they were desperate.” “And you would hold their station in their defense? Justice is blind, it sees neither wealth nor poverty. A ponies station, no matter how great or small is no excuse before the guilt of her actions.” “But that’s just it, they’re not ponies. As far as we know they never knew enough to have a choice or saw that there could be a better way. All I’m saying is that it’s unfortunate that all they knew was hate and darkness.” “If you ever find yourself facing a changeling you’re pretty little philosophy will be the first thing to go,” Moon Shadow said from the back. Cross gave a shrug. “I don’t doubt it. Pacifism is easy when you’ve never been in a fight in the first place. I guess I have you guys to thank for that.” “Don’t mention it. We give up our morals so you don’t have to.” “Vivas nactus,” Moon Shadow and Morning Star said together. Cross looked back at the two guards as he walked. He heard Lyra mumble a translation to herself before he ran into something. “Oh, sorry Princess I wasn’t watching… Princess?” Luna seemed not to have noticed. She stood rigid looking into the distance. “Princess Luna?” Cross tried again. She gave her head a slight shake and looked down at him. “It—it is nothing. We should be more silent, this is not the place to debate philosophy.” It was good and stuck, Big Mac concluded. They’d been tromping in the caves for about three hours and had made a near complete circle around the ruin by Miss Shadow’s reckoning. Really it was surprising they hadn’t found a place the cart couldn’t go right in the cave’s mouth. He could pull it free, he reckoned. But he didn’t quite see ripping the axil off and pulling a sled all the way back to Equestria as much of a solution. Plus Granny’d chew his ear off if she knew he’d done that to somepony’s wagon. The tunnel was a mite cramped for her to use her wings and putting any weight on that leg wouldn’t do anypony any good. There was nothing for it but to carry her until she got to where she could get around on her own. He backed the cart out to where it wasn’t so cramped and unhitched himself. Big Mac still felt that there was something improper about picking up a mare without so much as a ‘how do you do?’ but he had learned a long time ago that giving them any warning made the whole process more trouble than it needed to be. She settles onto his back with nothing more than a frustrated sigh. Big Mac gently centered her weight on his back, thankful for her compliance and deciding it was more likely due to the princess’s command than anything else. Big Mac stepped to the side and allowed the rest of the group to unload the more necessary supplies from the cart. Morning Star came up to him. “I should be the one to carry her,” he said tensely. Big Mac brought a hoof up and lightly tapped it on the unicorn’s armor. “Nope.” Morning Star opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Moon Shadow. “It’s fine,” she said. “Can you get my bedroll? We’re going to be making camp soon and I don’t want to sleep on stone.” “Fine,” Morning Star growled as he stomped his way to the cart. A bundle of unused saddlebags was found in a corner of the cart. Morning Star grumbled to himself as he triplepacked one for himself and Moon Shadow and Big Mac. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Princess Luna. Out of respect he internalized his grumbling as he settled the bursting saddlebags across his back and began packing another set for the princess. With a twist of his neck he slung them across his back only to pause when he did not feel their weight. He glanced up again to see them settle on Princess Luna’s back. Morning Star bit his tongue and gave a terse nod to the party. Wordlessly Luna resumed their march deeper into the mountain. As she continued on the tunnel became increasingly narrow until she had to hold her wings uncomfortably along her back to avoid scraping them against the walls. The ponies behind her mumbled claustrophobically as Morning Star’s overstuffed bags scraped against the walls. The tunnel ahead seemed to narrow further for a few yards(meters) until it came to a black opening that even Luna could not see beyond. While she could she drew a deep breath and moved forward. She exhaled as the tunnel began brushing against her saddle bag. By the time she reached the opening her lungs ached at being so empty and when she finally squeezed through the last crack her saddlebags caught and fell off her rump. She cleared them out of the path for Lyra, Bon Bon, and Cross. Once they had made it into the chamber Luna turned to see Macintosh and Morning Star eying the opening doubtfully. Morning Star’s bags had already become a nuisance and although Macintosh’s frame was little wider than Luna’s his broader build and the mare on his back would make the opening a very tight fit. Morning Star floated his bags through the tunnel and after a few minutes he followed with his armor held before him. It seemed to work until the last moment when his shoulders wedged against the opening. He grunted and strained against the rock but he seemed unable to get himself out. “Exhale,” Luna commanded. He seemed to go through a fit of panicked breathing as he tried to force air out of lungs that only wanted to breathe in. Finally he regained control of himself and forced a long, ragged breath out. His chest and shoulders narrowed just enough for him to slip free and he quickly settled into the lengthy process of donning his armor. Big Mac eyed the opening with barely concealed panic. “Nope.” His bass voice echoed through the cavern. “Just shut up and get through there,” Moon Shadow hissed from his back. Big Mac gave a violent shake of his head. “Don’t add up,” he said. “Hole’s too small, I’m too big.” “Farmer,” Moon shadow said, trying to stop the stallion’s shaking. “Farmer!” she tried again. “Macintosh!” she finally shouted. “You will fit, I promise.” He gave a frustrated snort but took a small step forward. Slowly he made his way towards the opening until he felt stone walls against both of his shoulders. He shook his head in short jerking motions and took rapid shallow breaths. Moon Shadow put a hoof on his shoulders and ran it up through his mane. “You’ll be fine,” she whispered in his ear, “just a few more steps.” Slowly Mac started taking deeper breaths until he finally took another small step forward. Mac inched forward feeling every crag and crack in the stone walls as they closed on his shoulders like a vice. His head peeked out of opening into the large cavern that the rest of his party stood in. He saw their mouths moving, giving him words of encouragement but he could only hear the panicked rush of blood through his ears. He could feel the walls against his chest. They constricted tighter with every inch until Mac couldn’t move forward or breathe. He could feel the mare on his back, her weight incessantly driving him forward but he couldn’t move anymore. She was whispering something in his ear but her words were far away and muddled, as if he was hearing from underwater. The darkness of the cave seemed to intensify as blackness encroached on his vision. He felt the mare shift on his back then a sharp pain in his side drove what air was left out of his lungs. His shoulders slid against the walls and he fell forward out into the open air. He lay on the dusty and cracked stone gasping at the air. Once he could lift his head without it swimming he looked at the rest of the group. Morning Star was hovering over Moon Shadow fretfully with straps and buckles hanging from his half-donned armor. From the state of the wrappings he could tell that her leg had jolted painfully during the fall but hadn’t taken any serious damage. The rest of the party hovered curiously around Princess Luna. She had her eyes closed and was slowly moving her head back and forth as her glowing horn distilled it’s light into a small pile of glowing orbs. Big Mac rose to his hooves and walked over to where Moon Shadow lay. When he reached her a hoof shot out and struck him in the gut. “Breathe out when I tell you to or next time I won’t be so gentle.” “Eeyup,” Big Mac coughed out. The hoof hooked around the bottom of his pulling harness as Moon Shadow used it to climb to her hooves. She started towards the others grouped around the princess. Mac gave Morning Star a confused shrug only to be met with a stern glare. Morning did an about face and caught up to Moon Shadow. With every step he hovered over her only to get swatted away. Mac hung back for a moment in confusion. He should have been more careful with Moon Shadow but Morning Star seemed to be more concerned with his own jealousy. He trotted to catch up to the pair as the joined the rest of the group. Once Princess Luna saw that they were all assembled she turned to them. With a dramatic flare of her horn she scattered the glowing orbs throughout the cavern. Some of the stately flagstones remained vaguely square while the once-intricate mosaic was nothing but colored dust. Behind the group a high arch spanned over the crack the group had entered through. Rusted and crumbling remains large hinges gave testament to the mighty oaken door that had once filled the archway. The vaulted ceiling disappeared into darkness overhead. There were a few last vestiges of plaster clinging to the few interior walls that still stood. A small stack of stones suggested that there had once been a stairway and a balcony looking over the grand entrance but only ruins remained. In the center of the room was a statue. The stallion depicted stood only a hairsbreadth shorter than Big Mac with only a slightly narrower frame. Its rear legs seemed about to crumble into dust and the body had lost any definition to erosion. Beneath a broken horn and a simple band of stone the stallion’s face was untouched. He had a youthful and vigorous face with a masculine beard covering his jawline. His mouth was set in a stern, flat line that hinted at a challenging smirk near the corners. His eyes held a far-off and slightly wild look. “My companions, who have followed me through dread and discomfort, my little—my friends, I welcome you to the Fortress of Canterlot the once-throne of the great unicorn kings and the place of my birth.” As Luna spoke the party looked around in wonder at the few structures that still remained. Lyra and Cross began an excited discussion about what the castle may have looked like when it was still inhabited. Lyra went on at length about what myths, forgotten in time, the murals and tapestries might have depicted while Cross looked at the scattered bricks and stones and ventured how the huge cavern might have been several rooms separated by interior walls that had collapsed and worn away. At Luna’s command the rest of the party began clearing a place to make camp. Most of the time was spent finding a place that was not under any of the long and delicate stalactites hanging from the ceiling or near any of the unstable walls that still stood. After judging a suitable location they cleared any debris and small rocks then laid out the bedrolls. Mac stared up into the shadowy ceiling as he listened to the talking voices, shuffling legs, and other sounds of wakefulness faded into rhythmic breathing. All he could hear was an occasional shuffle from Princess Luna as she kept watch and the half-light of the cavern was completely relaxing. Still Mac couldn’t sleep. He slowly rolled to his stomach and rose to his hooves. He carefully made his way through the sleeping ponies to the princess. She stood in front of the statue with a pensive frown on her face. “Don’t feel right, does it?” he asked her softly. “looking down at him is just wrong ain’t it?” “Am I truly so transparent?” “Nope,” Mac said with a shrug. “I suppose I got a way of getting a sense of what ponies are thinking.” “Truly? What am I thinking now?” “You don’t believe me,” Mac said with a blush. “No, I am thinking that such a skill is not surprising for one who has the quiet contemplation of a philosopher.” “I’m just a farmer.” “And thus the greatest and most noble philosophies are spoken to empty fields and lost to hearts too humble to proclaim what they have found.” “Really princess, I’m just a farmer.” “That does not make your thoughts any less valuable. You have more to offer the world than your strength before the plow.” “I saw the sunrise change when you got back. I was always up and fed before the sun. “Burning Daylight,” Granny’d always say if I was a might stubborn about getting out of bed. Didn’t much bother her if daylight hadn’t near come. I was always dragging myself out to the fields while the sun was dragging itself up into the sky. It always seemed every bit as tired as I was, always fighting to keep itself from going back to bed. The mist would always hang around wherever it pleased. Like it knew the sun needed another few gulps of coffee before it’d be up to chasing it off. “Then you came back. I was out trudging to the field like always and the sun rose fresh as a daisy and clear as a bell. It’s like when you’re doing music, you feel something bigger than you can put into notes and words and this sunrise felt so happy it could cry. “You changed your sister’s life just by coming back to it. Them that matter don’t need much more than a strong back from me. Applejack just needs me to stick around and listen to her once she’s done being stubborn. Applebloom just needs me to remember how to toss her in the deep parts of the swimming hole. Granny just needs me to carry her up the stairs when she’s not feeling up to it and keep quiet about it so Applejack doesn’t worry. Ain’t none of them that need me to think up something pretty to say.” “Then perhaps it is you that needs these things. A poet’s heart longs for verse, a singer’s for melody, and yours would have depth and eloquence of thought. But enough of this,” Luna said as she settled onto her stomach. “You were right. Looking up at him is much more familiar. How did you know?” “You said you were born here. I figured you grew up looking up at this here statue.” “Your guess is very near the truth.” Luna took her gaze from the statue and saw Big Mac standing beside her. She scowled and patted the ground beside her with a wing. “Please, join me. I left my crown in Equestria, there is no need to stand on ceremony.” Mac gave a slow shrug and settled beside the princess. “This statue was not built until I had nearly outgrown it. He is so much younger than I ever knew him to be in life. His eyes are not right. They were always filled with pride but it was tempered by wisdom and love. It is hard to believe that this stallion grew to be my father.” “Your pa!?” Mac’s head whipped around to the sleeping ponies to ensure that none of them were woken up by his outburst. “Yes,” Luna said with a smile. “If Celestia and I are sisters then we must have some lineage to share. How else would we have come to be?” “I suppose I just thought you always were.” “Oh come now, we are not nearly that old,” Luna teased. “Nope,” Mac said with a chuckle. Silence settled between the two. Luna began to examine the statue more closely. As well preserved as the face was the rest of the statue was unrecognizable. Her father had been a solidly built stallion with a thick chest and strong legs. The statue seemed delicate, like one misplaced breath would tear the whole thing to pieces. As correct as it was looking up at her father’s image she was reminded that this was not her father. “Settler’s eyes,” Mac said beside her. “Pardon?” “It’s that look a pony gets in their eyes, when they spend too much time looking at land that needs taming and not enough time looking at home. It’s that look he has in his eyes,” Mac said, gesturing to the statue. “How are you familiar with this ‘settler’s eyes’ condition?” “Granny may have accused me of having it once or twice when I was clearing some new fields.” Luna chortled. “Forgive me but you do not strike me as one who would be affected by mere field labor. Surely it was something more.” “That wasn’t an easy time for us,” Mac said looking away. “Ponies have gotten used to not asking why our folks ain’t around. Parents don’t leave the family farm for no good reason but death don’t much care for asking nicely when it asks. “Applebloom was just a baby, wailing up a storm. Granny was trying to keep it all together. Applejack had run off to Manehatten and I ran off to that field. It takes about all the off time you’ll get in a season to get a new field ready for planting. I did it in a week and I about killed myself getting there. Granny finally told me that I could march into the Everfree and clear it until there was nothing left or I could bring in enough of a harvest to keep us going through winter.” “What did you do?” Luna asked. “I turned around, started looking toward home again. I realized I had a family to take care of and a heck of a lot more than just me that I was needing to take care of.” “Your family is very fortunate to have you.” “Nope. They need Pa still. I’m the lucky one, that they can get by with just me.” “You said the sunrise changed when I returned. If it was your sister and not mine who raised the sun I wonder if you would truly see how important you are to her.” “I reckon she’d drop it on my head next time we get sore at each other,” Mac said with a chuckle. “Elder siblings are vexing,” Luna said, laughing along with Mac, “Heavens know that I have wanted to throttle Celestia before. That does not mean that I have no love for her, or that I do not admire her. She is so much of what I wish I could have been. She is gentle and kind in her actions yet she is unshakable and resolute in her decisions. She inspires love and loyalty simply by being herself. For all these thousands of years she has been my big sister, so I point out her flaws and draw out their corrections just to convince myself that I am her equal.” “Probably don’t help that she’s so tall.” “It simply is not fair! It is as if she flies about with weights attached to her hooves to stretch her legs.” “Eeyup,” Mac chuckled. “The Ponytones let Rarity drag us to the spa after practice one day. After what I saw ponies do to get looking how they want in there, attaching weights seems downright reasonable.” “Aye,” Luna said with a laugh. “Bathing in filth was once what foals did to give their mother’s fits now those mothers find it relaxing.” “When it ain’t their floors it’s being tracked all over I reckon they might.” Big Mac finished the statement with a tremendous yawn. “Pardon,” he said. “Perhaps you should return to your bedroll. Tomorrow will not be easy and you will need your rest.” “Eeyup,” Mac said as he rose tiredly to his hooves. “Macintosh?” His head turned back in answer to his call. “Thank you.” Mac settled down onto his bedroll. “Eeyup,” he said as sleep finally overtook him. The next day found the pony’s crude campsite buzzing with activity. It all started with Moon Shadow triple checking her armor and sharpening the metal claws that would attach to her front hooves. Morning Star stood beside her idly adjusting the straps to his armor and saddlebags, and hefting the spiked club that was his namesake. Loud pops issued from Big Mac as he stretched his limbs and checked his sledge. Once he was satisfied the head was securely attached to the haft he gave it a few practice swings. Luna stood aside giving her wings a few worm-up flaps while Cross, Lyra, and Bon Bon scratched their heads. “What do you think they’re getting ready for?” Cross asked. “Trouble,” Bon Bon replied flatly. “Well duh,” Lyra said. “We’ve been expecting trouble since the border, why are we just now getting ready for it?” “Because we’re just now going into the dragon’s den,” Bon Bon said. Her two companions gave her shocked looks. “What, that wasn’t obvious? We go to the place where dragons come from and then go underground, what else do you expect to find?” “I was thinking a few giant spiders and maybe a slime,” Cross said. “Well dungeons always do end up with some sort of big bug in them, but why the slime?” Lyra asked. “I don’t know. I’ve just always wanted to see one.” “Why did Princess Luna have to drag Ponyville’s two biggest geeks on this trip?” Bon Bon grumbled. “Pshhh. Says our DM,” Lyra teased back. “Only because you wouldn’t stop complaining about not being able to play any characters,” Bon Bon said. “Something that I’m sure you’re coming to realize,” Lyra said. “I’ve made more characters putting NPC’s on your stupid pirate ship than I ever did as a player!” Bon Bon’s shout echoed through the cavern causing the ponies who were not in the conversation to sharply turn their heads and stare. Blushing furiously Bon Bon hid her face in Lyra’s mane. “I hate you and I hate the things you make me say,” she whispered. “Love you too Bonnie.” After only a few more minutes of preparation the party was ready to move. Moon Shadow took her place on Big Mac’s back with less than the usual amount of grumbling and the others slung saddlebags stuffed with provisions across their back. “Stay quiet,” Luna said. “We do not know what horrors we may encounter and I would prefer that we know of them before they know of us.” In silence the group nodded their heads and followed after Luna. A single arched hallway had survived the test of time. Luna slowly led the party dim hornlight barely reached the cracked stone walls. A few recessed statues of long-forgotten royalty and long destroyed tapestries were could be seen as they made their way through the corridor. As they went on the air began to warm. Moon Shadow shifted uncomfortably as she felt the warming air stir. In and out it moved in a slow cadence, like the breathing of the earth itself. For minutes they carried on until the air was so hot that sweat poured from her brow and the moving of the air was so prominent she could almost feel the air moving her mane. They passed under one final archway and the tunnel opened up unto a huge chamber that dwarfed the previous one and even humbled the great throne room in Canterlot. Spreading her wings Luna signaled those behind her to halt. She peered into the darkness beyond the meagre hornlight. “Wait here,” She said in the barest whisper. “Moon Shadow take to the air and be ready to serve as a distraction should my strike fail but do not take undo risk. You have suffered enough wounds in my name for a lifetime.” With that Luna extinguished her horn and disappeared into the darkness. From his back Big Mac could feel the weight lessen rhythmically as the mare silently beat her wings. Just as it seemed about to disappear it settled back down with a frustrated sigh punctuated by a muttered curse. Again the weight began lifting and again it failed. “Toss me,” she whispered in his ear. “Wut?” “I need you to toss me. The air’s too hot for a flat take off and I can’t jump so I need you to toss me.” “Eeyup.” “Even think about telling a soul and I’ll kill you.” “Eeyup.” Big Mac shuffled just out of the light. Balancing on his hind legs he took Moon Shadow in his forehooves. He had plenty of experience throwing hay bales without the benefit of a rope and so when Moon Shadow shot like a bullet into the air she had to stifle a startled yelp before she took a more controlled flight. Fifty paces, Luna thought to herself. I have brought them naught but fifty paces away from this dragon and I have not even told them. Slowly she began making her way through the darkness towards the sleeping dragon. It was truly massive with its huge bronze scales nearly as bit as a pony. Its head was as large as most houses with a fang-filled maw easily big enough to devour all the ponies present. Its crimson horns pierced the air above it and formed a savage crown. Forty paces. It was bigger than any dragon she had ever slain before. Its massive wings could cover a village in darkness and no doubt its fire could turn anything to ash. She would need to be within five paces. At such massive levels of power the laws of magic began to bend and the spell she planned to use would lose almost all precision. Thirty-five paces. If Moon Shadow was afraid she showed no hesitation as she made her way around the cavern. She was recklessly brave and loyal beyond doubt. Thirty paces. Luna felt a creeping itch at the back of her head. She dared not pause and bring a hoof up to scratch. Still it brought a feeling of familiarity. Twenty-five paces. With every step the itch grew. Luna set her teeth on edge as if grinding them would do something to relieve her of the itch. As the itch grew so did the feeling of familiarity. Splashes of green filled the edges of her vision. Twenty paces. The itching burned into the back of her skull. She tilted her head back and worked her jaw in a vain attempt to relieve it. Her vision swam with images of a pleasant green pasture. Fifteen Paces. The burning itch spread until the back of her neck felt as if a predator was about to bite on it. Before her the green field abruptly ended at a cliff. She knew this cliff. Ten paces. Not a predator, she realized. Eyes were on her, watching for what she would do. She fought off whatever madness made these hallucinations to no avail. The image of the cliff burned itself over the scene of the massive dragon before her. She knew this cliff, she had spent a millennium dancing on its edge. Five paces. It was not some great judging host but six ponies, six friends. Her heart raged against her with all the fear and doubt it could muster as she lowered her horn and charged her spell. She looked over the cliff, like a curious filly peering at what was beyond. There was a boundless black void of water that reflected the cliff edge and her image. Familiar slitted eyes stared back up at her. Behind the black alicorn banners of every color flew and armies of every kind marched onto the field. As the spell charged her evil smile grew wider and wider. Luna knew this cliff, she had spent millennia dancing at the edge of sanity while she dealt out death and darkness. Luna closed her eyes. She tried to block it out, the blinding, searing, itching pain of her friends seeing what she was about to do, the warm grassy pasture that gave way to a dark abyss, the frantic thumping of her heart. She tried to block everything save spell charged in her horn. It crackled and sparked with energy like a dog tugging at its leash. It would be easy to simply let the spell run its course and kill the beast. It would have been easy for her to end Chrysalis’s existence. It would have been easy for Celestia to mourn her death and lock her in the moon for eternity. It tugged at her horn, begging for release. The spell made with only one purpose strained against her hesitation and hummed angrily with power. It would be not just easy, the spell fought for release and she strained to maintain her hold. Through her closed eyes she could still see the cliff. The reflection of Nightmare cackled madly as she tore through assembled lines, leaving only gore in her wake. She saw her other self moving away towards settlements, camps, caves, nests; homes. “Wait.” The spell on her horn ceased its struggling, Nightmare turned her head to regard her with curious eyes, and even the slow breathing of the great dragon seemed to pause. “I—I am trying a new way.” Nightmare turned fully to face her and settled onto her stomach, ignoring the fleeing survivors behind her. A small fanged smirk adorned her face. The spell began to fade away. Luna felt electric tingles all along her body as the power was reabsorbed. She slowly backed away towards the circle of light with her friends. With each step across the rubble covered floor she felt her legs tremble weakly and threaten to give out beneath her. The final step a rock shifted beneath her hoof and she tumbled forward. “Princess, are you okay,” Morning Star asked as he rushed over to help her up. “I—I am…I do not…I—it is not important.” “What happened?” Moon Shadow growled as she landed gracelessly beside her. Luna felt her voice catch as she tried to answer. She could only curl up and shake her head. Bon Bon roughly made her way through the gathered ponies, a scrap of cloth in her hoof. As she reached up to wipe Luna’s tearstained face she flinched away, curling even tighter into herself. “Hey, hey. It’s okay,” Bon Bon cooed gently as she reached for Luna. When Luna accepted the touch Bun Bon moved a pace closer and began wiping the princess’s cheeks like a mother would a foals. “There, are you feeling a bit better now?” Luna nodded dumbly. “Let’s get you to your hooves so you can tell us what happened.” Once again Luna nodded. She took Morning Star’s offered hoof and used it to heave herself back up. “I have deceived you,” she finally said. “There is a sleeping dragon in this very room. I meant to slay the beast in secret but I—I could not.” “You couldn’t!?” Moon Shadow hissed, “What are we supposed to do now?” Morning Star shushed her, giving a nervous glance over his shoulder. “Go around,” Mac said, “best let sleeping dragons lie.” “We cannot,” Luna said. “We have been extremely lucky it has not already awoken. Once we reach the prize we seek it will wake and we will be trapped. Whatever may come it must be dealt with here.” “What do you suggest?” Moon asked. “I...” Luna trailed off. “What?” “I cannot believe I am going to suggest this. I will wake it and speak to it.” “Pahahahaha!” Cross burst out laughing. “I’m sorry but that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Bon Bon gave his shin a very unsubtle kick. “Not to agree with a complete ass but aren’t dragons a bit… well they don’t exactly rise and shine do they?” “They be somewhat bestial,” Luna coughed, “But Celestia’s and my name carry some weight among them for…varying reasons. I hope that I can reason with it.” “What if you can’t?” Moon challenged. “Then I will cover your escape. The beast can chase us back to Equestria if it wishes but I will make it regret every mile.” “Should we be calling him that?” Lyra asked. “We want to reason with him and we’re all ‘the beast’ that, and ‘that monster’ this. Maybe we should try a bit more positive thinking.” “Well we don’t know that it’s a ‘he’ either,” Cross said. “Well making a wrong assumption still isn’t as bad as calling someone an ‘it’, that’s just dehumanizing.” “That’s just what?” Morning asked. With a sigh Bon Bon answered, “It means you’re implying it can’t think for itself or that its life doesn’t matter, like one of the animals griffons use for meat or something. Don’t ask where she got the word from.” “Did it look like a boy or a girl?” Cross asked, looking to Luna. “Dragons are less…apparent about this sort of thing once they reach maturity,” Luna answered. “So we’re back to ‘it’,” Lyra said with a thoughtful frown. “We need more gender neutral pronouns.” “Not necessarily more, just more without bad implications,” Cross ventured. “Can we shut up about gender neutral pronouns and please talk about what we’re going to do with the dragon!” Moon half shouted. “We’re going to talk to it about getting, uh, whatever we’re getting. We’re just working on the best way to say ‘hi’,” Cross said. “Howdy usually works for me,” Big Mac said. “I suppose I could improvise,” Luna said. “It is decided then?” She looked around the circle. One by one they nodded their heads until she got to Moon Shadow. She gave a frustrated shake of her head but waved a hoof dismissively. She turned towards the dragon to consider the best way to wake it. “Wait, what are we looking for exactly?” Lyra asked behind her. “What, we’ve just referred to it as ‘the thing we’re looking for’ this whole trip and I can’t be the only one who doesn’t actually know what it is.” “Eeyup,” Big Mac said before a chorus of agreements. “It is the journal of Starswirl the Bearded,” Luna said with a smile. “I shall endeavor to be more specific in the future.” “Magic journal with beard hair in it, gotcha.” Luna turned back towards the dragon. She had come to recognize Bon Bon’s corrections by sound alone and couldn’t help but let her smile widen. She began casting a spell very different from her earlier one. The chamber began to slowly illuminate as her magic took effect. Before long dark silhouettes began to gain distinction and the dragon became clearly visible. The spell finally came to an end, leaving the chamber nearly as bright as day. The dragon took one massive, slow breath in and let it out, its eyes still firmly shut. “Are you sure we can’t just go around? He doesn’t seem to be waking up for anything,” Morning Star asked. “We cannot, as soon as the least part of a dragon’s hoard is touched they will wake to face the thieves.” “Is there another way to wake a dragon that doesn’t involve it immediately wanting to kill us?” “If there is it escapes me. We have already made enough noise to wake the dead and they are not known to appreciate prodding.” “Could we move like, one coin or something so it knows we’re not trying to get anything valuable from it?” Cross asked. “Perhaps,” Luna said after a pause. “It may just as likely take it as an insult.” She looked back over her shoulder. There were three smaller tunnels leading off beside the one they had entered through. When she was young they would have been servant’s passages leading through the fortress. With a nod of her head she gestured to them. “You should prepare to flee, this-“ she cut herself off with a bark of nervous laughter, “-this will not go well.” As her friends backed away Luna scanned the dragon’s hoard. After a moment she levitated out a single copper coin. She held it between her and the Dragon’s eye for a moment until it moved away, revealing a slitted golden pupil. Author's Note And finally here's part one of...more than one, right in time for midterms. I'd like to get another chapter for my other fic published before I get Part 2 rolling but hopefully I'll bust that out pretty quick. I was tempted to let the Big Mac and Luna scene go on for a while. Once those two characters start talking I really like how they interact. Even as it is this is still the longest single chapter I've ever written. Who wants to guess the dragon's name? The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XIII - Part 2A rushing wind filled the chamber as the great beast’s lungs expanded. It reversed sending heated and arid air back in the ponies faces. “I am Smaug. I am desolation. I am king of this place.” With every word the dragon raised itself higher until it towered over them, the great canopy of its stretched wings blotted out any view of the chamber’s ceiling. “Who dares approach my throne?” Luna took a single step forward. She had to crane her neck uncomfortably to look at Smaug’s face and his sheer presence was enough to give her some pause. “I am Princess Luna of Equestria.” “Do not try and hide your name before me Dreamslayer!” the earth shook and dust fell from the ceiling at Smaug’s outburst. “You were supposed to be gone, the dark undying sister was supposed to have learned what it meant to live and die by the sword. Why are you here?” “I have come to retrieve an artifact Equestria has need of. If you would part with it you would be reimbursed handsomely and counted as a friend of ponies for centuries to come.” “You insult me! I will not barter away my hoard and I would never count myself a friend to anything, especially not your filthy mortal spawn! Begone and let me return to my slumber or bathe in my fire.” “If you will not respect my offer then you will respect my claim,” Luna said as she squared her shoulders. “This is a pony fortress and everything here is mine by right. I am Luna, daughter of High King Monoceros, the only king I recognize under this mountain, and you will return my property.” Smaugs deep chuckle pulsed through the cavern, as much a physical force as a sound. It resonated in the ponies’ chests, forcing their hearts to beat in time with his amusement. “I thought it was your sister who commanded the fires of dawn. As a token of my…amusement at such brazen words you may keep the pittance you woke me with and the lives of your cohorts. I shall not offer such generous terms twice.” “Please, I would beg of you—“ “The Dreamslayer would beg, now that is a sight worthy of a dragon’s reward,” Smaug said with a smirk. Luna’s eyes widened with surprise. “You are unused to this. Begging is done from one’s knees Dreamslayer.” Luna’s hoof ground into the rock beneath her. She turned her head to regard the ponies behind her. Most cowered back towards the tunnels leading out. Their wide white eyes pointed up towards the impossibly huge dragon. Her guards stood before them, Morning Star nervously shifted his weight while his eyes darted around, watching Smaug’s limbs for any movement. Moon Shadow favored her injured leg beside him. Her lips curled back in anger revealing her fangs, and her slitted eyes met Luna’s a level glare that screamed for death. Luna closed her eyes slowly. How often had she condemned ponies in her mind for refusing to bend their stubborn pride? The solution was obvious, swallow her pride and bend her knees. Let the dragon have his amusement in exchange for a peaceful resolution. Her body rebelled, her heart hammered in her chest. Her hooves ground the stone beneath them, looking for grip for the charge that was to come. She could feel her clenched teeth seeking to elongate into fangs and her closed eyes trying to shape themselves into slitted pupils as a more aggressive form sought to overtake her. She took deep, gasping breaths as she fought once again for control over her body. Slowly she forced her chest lower. One by one her front legs folded to their knees. “I beg you…” “…You kneel but you are not humbled,” Smaug said bringing his face lower. “You can do better than this Dreamslayer.” Luna stifled a frustrated sigh. “I beg you--” She started again in a threatening growl. “Ah, ah, ahh. That does not sound like a demure princess making a request to a dragon.” “I beg you,” Luna tried again, “please let me take the journal.” Smaug hummed, bringing a claw up to scratch his chin. “It is a start, perhaps you should try some flattery.” Luna said nothing for a moment as she clenched her teeth to fight back her anger. “Please,” She finally said, “O great dragon, I call upon your boundless generosity and ask that you allow me only a small trinket of your great hoard.” “You come before my throne,” Smaug said. “Yes.” “Where I am king.” “Yes.” “Where I am the greatest king to have ever reigned.” “Yes,” Luna growled through clenched teeth. A deep thrumming filled the chamber. It slowly built on itself until Smaug’s chuckle weighed down on the ponies like a physical force. “Has the Dawnfire truly broken you so?” Smaug asked smugly as he brought his huge head down to hover over the ponies. “I am amused but I am not fulfilled. Let us see what may be offered by your companions.” Smaug brought his snout over Big Mac and sniffed. “This one is earth, toil, and sweat,” he said as Mac flinched away from his scalding breath. Between Morning Star and Moon Shadow he said, “These are blood and steel. Favorites of yours Dreamslayer?” “This one,” He said over Cross, “I do not recognize this scent, it is like magic but diluted. Bah.” His head moved until it was hovering over Lyra and Bon Bon. “Ahh, Music, and plenty. Excellent,” He said turning back to Luna. “Their flesh will break my fast and you will have what it is you seek.” A wave of magic slammed into Smaug’s neck, sending his head back until it crashed against the wall. As dust rained down Luna’s voice rose up like a terrible banshee’s call. “You will not touch my friends wyrm.” Her magic gripped Smaug by the throat again and dragged his head across the cavern until it slammed into the opposite wall. Rocks rained down causing the ponies to scatter. A second slam caused the entrance tunnel to cave in before Smaug’s claw came up and ripped Luna’s magical grip away. “ENOUGH!!” he thundered, causing even more debris to rain down from the ceiling. “Your insult to my generosity will cost you your life!” Luna’s blue magic sprang up in an instant creating a ramp that Smaug’s fire glanced off of and into the air. Morning Star stepped up beside her to lend his strength to the shield only to get roughly pushed back. “He is mine alone!” Luna shouted out. Morning Star hesitated for a split second. One look at the magma boiling outside of Luna’s shield was enough for him to realize this fight was beyond him. Big Mac grunted in pain as yet another rock bounced off of his back. He stood stubbornly over Bon Bon as rocks rained down. He could feel the earth shifting around them. Their exit had closed but the stone’s seemed to whisper to him to be patient. Lyra and Cross held each other tightly. A shield of their combined magic flickered weakly above them as more rocks slammed down around them. Moon Shadow shouted once again, but she couldn’t be heard over the roaring dragon or the falling rocks. She could see a small dent in the farmer’s back that was telling of at least one broken rib but he still stood over the smaller pony who was too scared to move. It would have been noble if it weren’t so stupid. She tried shouting at them once again to get to the walls where less rocks fell but she seemed to accomplish nothing. She saw Morning silhouetted against Smaug’s fire and Luna’s shield running back to them. He held his head up high, trying to dodge rocks as he made his way to the farmer. “Get them to the wall!” she shouted to him. His head turned towards her and for a moment Moon thought she had finally been heard. Then he charged towards her, his horn glowing to form an unneeded shield above her. She tried to wave him off but he would not be deterred. Even a rock crashing down on his hindquarters only caused him to miss a step. “You bucking moron!” Moon screamed at him. “I’m safe, go get them.” She said pointing at Mac and Bon Bon. Morning turned his head to the two just as a loud crack split the cavern. To his right an entire wall seemed to collapse in on itself. Dust billowed out in a great wave but powerful updrafts from the dragonfire caught the black cloud and pulled it away revealing another craggy entrance. After nearly a full minute of spewing fire Luna saw Smaug pause to take a breath. She turned to glimpse behind her, praying that her friends had survived whatever collapse had occurred while she deflected the dragonfire. Six ponies gaped at a pile of rubble where the entrance once stood. It peaked at the second level of the old castle and provided a crude staircase to a passageway that had been revealed. “Fly you fools!” she cried out as she charged towards Smaug. Cross and Lyra were the first to react. With speed born of panic they scrambled up the pile of rubble. Mac and Bon Bon followed close behind with Mac favoring one of his forelegs. Morning Star stepped in place for a moment. His head pivoted between the escape and the fight before an armored hoof connected with the back of it. “She ordered us to get out, we’d just be in the way,” Moon Shadow shouted. “Fine,” Morning Star growled in return. He started towards the exit only to get stopped by a sharp tug at his tail. A rock as big as his head slammed down in front of him. “Hug the wall unless you really want that helmet to cup the other way.” Morning gave a slight nod and began to make his way towards the exit. Moon Shadow followed behind him using a wing to help support herself on the wall. Once they reached the mound of rubble leading up to the exit Morning Star began climbing with Moon Shadow following behind. About halfway up he turned around to see Moon Shadow struggling to clamber over the first large rock. He berated himself for leaving her behind as he made his way down to her. He offered her a hoof only to get it slapped away. “Go on I’ll catch up.” “I’m not leaving you!” he said back as he moved to support her. “I don’t need your help!” she shouted as she pushed him away. Overbalanced from the push she fell back down the pile of rubble and lost whatever progress she had made. Morning Star leapt down to her side and checked fretfully on her wounded leg. “Are you alright?” “I’m fine,” she growled. “Get out of here, I’ll catch up.” “No,” Morning said. “I’m not letting you get yourself killed.” The cave lit up slightly with the dark golden aura of his magic as it wrapped itself around Moon Shadow. “You put me down you arrogant bonehead!” Moon Shadow protested as she floated gently towards the exit. Morning Star’s face was a stony mask as he made his way up the pile of rubble. “You listen to me you pinheaded, stickbrained idiot!” Moon Shadow’s ranting echoed harshly off of the walls of the exit tunnel as she glared daggers at the unicorn still holding her. Morning Star caught sight of Big Mac looking back at them. He couldn’t tell if the tension in his face came from overhearing Moon Shadow or from wounds he had taken from falling rocks. Both their eyes turned fearfully up as a muffled boom sounded behind them and an ominous rumbling started above them. Even Moon Shadow paused her tirade nervously a second before the ceiling fell. Author's Note Sorry for the delay, sorry for the shortness, sorry for not thinking of a third thing to apologise for. I wanted this chapter to be much longer but with graduation looming I just haven't had the time or energy to do much writing. The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XIII - Part 3They ran. Lyra and Cross didn’t pause to flinch at the roaring of the tunnel collapsing, they didn’t even stop to think of what had happened to the others, they simply ran until their lungs burned and their legs ached, until they could not breathe the musty air and their legs gave out beneath them. They collapsed onto each other, a panting mess of limbs on the worn stone floor. “Do…you…think…they…made…it?” Cross asked, struggling to speak. “They,” Lyra began only to get cut off by a coughing fit. “They made it. They have to.” Cross opened his mouth to ask how she knew but something in her voice made him pause. Her wide white eyes almost glowed in his hornlight. Her narrowed panicked pupils and the desperate assurance in her voice was all the answer he needed. She closed her eyes and drew in a few shaky breaths. “What do we do?” she asked. “I can’t hear the collapse anymore. Maybe we could dig our way back to the others.” A pained expression crossed Lyra’s face. “I can’t even begin to move that much rock. Unless you’re secretly Ponyville’s other magic prodigy I don’t think we’ll be able to do much.” “I…” I can barely lift the broom some nights. “I don’t think I’ll be much help.” “We should check it out just in case,” Lyra said as she rose to her hooves. “The cave in may not have been as bad as it sounded.” “Yeah,” Cross said, unconvinced. Lyra didn’t seem to hear him as she made her way back through the corridor. As they traced back their steps Cross and Lyra could hear the mountain fortress rumbling forebodingly. From time to time a stream of sand would rain down from cracks in the ceiling. Neither of them trusted their sense of direction enough to find a way around and so they made do with stepping lightly under them. “How far did we run?” Cross finally asked after what seemed like an hour of walking. “Not much further. I thought I recognized that bust that sorta looked like a pear two turns back.” Another impact sent the mountain shaking around them. The two unicorns huddled into one another until the rumbling calmed. “C’mon,” Lyra said. “The sooner we find the others and get out of here the better.” “Right,” Cross said as they started off together. Within minutes they had found the collapse. The passageway was completely filled with rocks and debris. Cracks spider webbing out leaked dust ominously. As soon as she saw it Lyra ran to the base and began frantically clearing away rocks. Cross came up behind her and laid a hoof across her back. “Hey, I thought we agreed we couldn’t do this on our own.” “I have to get to her! I have to find Bon Bon!” Lyra shouted back manically as more debris filled in whatever progress she had made. Another impact shook the mountain and opened up the cracks overhead, sending a few hoof sized stones down along with a fresh cloud of dust. “We’re going to get buried if we stay here! Let’s go! We can find another way around.” “NO! I have to find her!” Lyra shouted back. An entire section of ceiling between two cracks fell in behind the pair. Rubble piled on top of it threatening to close them off and bury them in. “I have to find her,” Lyra repeated to herself as she fruitlessly dug at the growing pile. Cross groaned in frustration as the pile behind them grew. “Crazy mare come ON!” he said as he wrapped his magic around her and began pulling her to safety. She flailed in the air, trying to find some purchase to fight his hold with. Cross backed out, taking one heavy step at a time as the screaming mare in his grasp fought him. After a minute of trudging Cross was panting hoarsely as sweat dripped from his face. His flickering hold on Lyra threatened to give out at any moment. With a massive ‘BOOM’ the tunnel completely collapsed behind them. Cross dropped to his knees. His spent magic dissolved around Lyra, dropping her mere inches to the ground. Cross laid his head against the cool stone beneath him. He could taste the dirt in grit coming into his mouth with every inhale but he couldn’t muster up the energy to even turn his head. His horn felt like a tuning fork somepony had hit with a sledgehammer. In between throbbing pulses it hummed painfully. “Get up,” Lyra’s voice cut coldly. “We’re going around the stupid tunnel. We’re going to find that stupid book. We’re going to find everypony and kick that stupid dragon’s butt, then we’re getting out from under this stupid mountain. Morning Star knew what was coming long before the hoof met his face. Smack! “Don’t you EVER try anything like that again or I’ll break off that horn and kill you with it.” Broken leg or no his marefriend could make good on the threat. “Don’t you ever even think about picking me up without my permission again you—you ass!” “So what did you want me to do, leave you there to die?!” Morning shouted back. “I want you to let me do it on my own! I don’t need to be coddled and I sure as hell don’t need to be carried.” “You do though.” Morning Star realized in the pitch black that silence could express more anger than shouting. Even an earthshattering boom of the princess’s fight and the dust that rained down after seemed to fade into the background of Moon Shadow’s angry oppressive silence. “Moon I didn’t mean it that way.” “It was three words. How else could you mean it?” she spat. “Moony I…” “…Don’t,” She cut in, “talk to me.” Morning Star sat in silence. They were lucky to have survived the cave in. An alcove housing some long broken statue had been enough to save them but counting his blessings was the last thing on Morning Star’s mind. He didn’t even bother to flinch when another impact caused the wall behind him to give way. He turned his head slowly only to find more inky blackness. His horn glowed faintly, illuminating a pile of rubble spilling into a long gallery below. Moon shadow stood at the bottom, her wings folding against her sides. Compared to her soundless, graceful glide his own descent was deafening. By the time he had made it down she was halfway through the gallery. Morning trotted past ruined portraits and molding tapestries to catch up. “Moon, I’m sorry,” He said. “I’m sorry I’m not like Macintosh, I’m sorry I don’t have whatever it is that makes you trust him.” “The farmer is nothing,” she said. “He doesn’t fight, he doesn’t forge. He only grows food for those who do. He’s nothing important enough for me to care what he thinks. I don’t love him.” “Oh,” Morning said, missing a step and almost tripping beside her. “Well I don’t love him either.” There was a clank of a shod hoof against Morning Star’s helmet followed by a quick kiss in the dark. Tchk tchk Big Mac brought a hoof to his head grumpily. Applebloom was trying to light something with Grampa’s old flint again. Tchk tchk Luckily the old relic barely sparked anymore or he might be building a whole new farmhouse. Celestia knows they’ve been going through barns like matchsticks. Tchk tchk Mac rolled to his stomach. Why ain’t I in my bed? He was used to going to sleep late and wore out and waking up early wore out but this was the worst he remembered. He felt like he’d been chewed up and spit out a dozen times over. His ribs hurt almost as bad as when he’d lost that bet over who had to wear Granny’s girdle. It was all going just fine until he remembered he had to breathe, then something had to give. AJ may brag up and down that he was the strongest worker this side of anywhere but he learned something important that day: never underestimate Granny’s girdle. Tchk tchk With a groan of effort he rose to his hooves. Tired as he was Applebloom still needed him. Hopefully getting a light may quit her shaking like a leaf with all this thunder. Tchk tchk THOOOOOMMM Mac gave another groan. With how the house was rattling beneath him there was one hum dinger of a storm right above them. That meant checking over every orchard and field in the morning and spending the rest of the day cleaning up whatever mess the storm left to them. Tchk tchk tchk tchk Applebloom was scared. He could tell by the panicked strikes, desperately trying to get some light in this pitch black. Why ain’t I seeing any lightning? “Here,” He said taking the flint from Applebloom’s hoof. She’s growing like a weed. One strike brought enough sparks to see the lantern. In another it was lit. He nearly dropped the lantern his head hurt so bad. “Mac, you need to lay down, your bleeding.” That ain’t no filly’s voice. Mac examined his hoof. It ached well enough but there was only one little drop of blood. “Ain’t nothing but a scratch, guess I got the plow a mite too sharp.” Another drop landed on his hoof. He brought his hoof up to rub his aching head only to feel something wet and sticky matting his mane. He pulled his hoof away covered in half-dried blood. Then the dizziness hit. “Aw shit,” he said before falling over. Author's Note I graduated! The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XIII - part 4With a ponderous wave of her horn Luna turned another blow. She had learned quickly that simply dodging the titanic dragon’s strokes would bring the mountain down on top of everypony’s heads and so she set about the arduous process of absorbing or stopping every blow. Even so every footstep seemed to bring the ancient fortress to the brink of collapse. As Luna took stock of her dwindling magic reserves she regretted her delicate company. With a sharp yank Bon Bon tied off the knot. She ran her tongue against her teeth, trying to get the unpleasant sensation of cotton fibers and the coppery taste of blood out of her mouth. Macintosh had not been carrying a saddlebag and her canteen would barely be enough for him. The mountain shook beneath them with a distant rumble. “Bon Bon?” Mac’s voice had always been slow and deliberate. It carried a rumbling depth and a solid assurance. You always knew that he had spent far longer thinking than he did speaking. To hear it call out, so small and frightened shook Bon Bon. “It’s okay Macintosh I’m here.” One of her bloody hooves stroked his face as she prayed that it was just the lantern light that made him look so pale. He weakly brought a hoof up to touch his bandaged head. “How’d you learn to fix up ponies?” Bon Bon shook her head and let out a relieved chuckle. “Lyra wanted me to play a healer that didn’t use magic one time. I learned it all for some stupid game.” “Saved my skin. Don’t seem that stupid to me.” “You’ve clearly never played in costume.” Mac let out a light chuckle in response. His eyes turned away from Bon Bon as the conversation lulled. “Pardon,” he said after a yawn. Bon Bon stiffened. “Whoa there buster,” she said. “You just had a concussion, you can’t be falling asleep or you might not ever wake up.” Mac rolled stiffly to his stomach and began pushing himself up. “What are you doing?” Bon Bon asked sternly. “Work helps me wake up,” Mac said between clenched teeth as he strained to rise. “It does no favors for broken ribs, now you lay yourself down this instant.” Mac settled to the ground with an enormous sigh. “What do you suggest then?” “I can’t be that bad to talk to,” Bon Bon scowled. The mountain seemed to punctuate her statement by rumbling ominously. “I didn’t mean anything by it, it’s just I ain’t much of a talker. Don’t hardly know where I’d begin.” “The beginning,” Bon Bon said. “What was Ponyville like when you were young?” Mac stared at the lantern for a few moments to let his thoughts collect. “Smaller,” he began, “Weren’t a third as many houses and it seemed like the Everfree came right up to town square. The schoolhouse wasn’t even thought of back then. A grumpy old widow named Mrs. Wormwood taught us right there in the library. She’d do her best to convince you otherwise but she had a heart bigger than most. She wouldn’t take any nonsense. Fighting, cussing, or interrupting meant you’d go to the balcony and cut Mrs. Wormwood a switch,” Mac let out a distant chuckle. “Couple of times I got her riled up enough she gave it back to me right there in sight of the whole town.” Bon Bon gasped. “Public punishment is just cruel.” “Aw it ain’t nothing. Boys are gonna be boys and she did her level best to straighten us up. I reckon with how I’m colored switching me in earshot was the best way for her to let my parents know I’d been acting up.” “What were they like?” Bon Bon’s hooves shot to her mouth the instant it stopped moving. It was an unspoken taboo within Ponyville to talk about the apple family’s missing generation. The parents were no longer around and the children didn’t talk about them, that was all anypony needed to know. “I’m sorry,” she squeaked. “You can talk about something else if you want.” The mountain rumbled like a distant storm as Mac drew on the ground with a hoof. “Pa was big, bigger’n me maybe. Hard to know when you only ever looked up to him. He could talk your ear clean off if you’d let him. He’d talk from breakfast to dinner and hit his second wind before dessert. Before I was old enough for school I’d ride around on his back while he’d work and I’d just listen to him talk. “Ma wasn’t quiet but next to him she looked it. She was our family’s doctor. I reckon you read the same book on bandaging concussions as her.” Mac chuckled at Bon Bon’s surprised expression. “This ain’t my first rodeo,” he said. “She never could get Granny to let her run the kitchen for longer than enough time to make a quick snack. Only time Pa’d quit talking is when those two mares got after it. Once they were done you never saw a more friendly pair. They had their own way of being family I suppose.” This time the mountain’s rumbling seemed to be right on top of them, sending dust from the ceiling and a few stray bricks from the walls. “Come on,” Mac said straining to his hooves. “We need to find someplace else to be. The rest of the story ain’t happy anyhow.” “Well what do you think?” Morning Star glared at the gallery before him one more time. There were a few brick walls leaning dangerously that told it had once been part of the mountain fortress but behind them countless openings lead to any number of places. An errant footfall or strike from the fight above helpfully closed off a few of them. Moon Shadow shook her head beside him. “There’s too many,” she said. “None lead out, one or two back to the dragon but I can’t tell which ones. We’d be better off just picking one at random and hoping we get lucky. Morning Star stifled a laugh. “What?” Moon demanded. “It’s nothing, just something I overheard the others saying about that game of theirs. It might apply here but it’s just…silly.” “Any port in a storm,” Moon said. “Systematically to the left it is then.” “I don’t… Does this help?” Cross asked in an awed tone as the two unicorns gazed upwards at the seemingly endless shelves. “Well we are looking for a book,” Lyra replied. “We’re not exactly short on those anymore,” Cross groused as he gestured to the arrayed shelves. “Look at it this way, we’ve found the haystack, now we just need to find the needle,” Lyra said over her shoulder as she started through the shelves. “I thought finding the needle was supposed to be the hard part,” Cross grumbled as he walked to the nearest shelf. Cross brightened his horn and squinted at the dust covered books in front of him. He took a second to fill his lungs before blowing the dust off of the nearest spine. Cross blinked as the Spine, binding, and a considerable portion of the pages turned to dust and blew away as well. “Uhhh, Lyra,” he called out. “What is it this time,” her voice called back to him. “Are the books holding together any better further in?” “What do you mean?” she asked. “Touch one.” “…Oh…” “So new plan?” he asked. “Hold on,” She called out. After hearing the clip-clop of trotting hooves echo around the library for a few moments Cross saw her appear from between two shelves. “What did you have in mind?” Lyra asked more quietly. “I was going to follow your lead.” “Gee thanks,” Lyra deadpanned. “At this rate we might as well domino the shelves and pick up anything that still looks like a book.” “Wait that’s it!” Cross exclaimed. “You have to know I was kidding,” Lyra said with a frustrated sigh. “No not that. This journal is supposed to be magic out the wazoo isn’t it?” “That really depends on what a wazoo is.” “Anyway it’s the only thing on these shelves with anything resembling a magic charge. Don’t you see it’s a one in a sea of zeroes,” Cross said with a laugh. “So we just use a detection spell?” “Better!” Cross said excitedly. “We use several area based detection spells in combination with math!” “Math?” “Math!” Lyra closed her eyes and brought a hoof up to her face. “Cross,” she said after a pause “you are the biggest geek I know.” “It’s over here!” Cross called out already trotting off with his horn glowing. “Wait up!” Lyra said as she ran after Cross. “Log N algorithms filly. Deal with it.” Cross called back smugly. “A broom closet?” Moon shadow asked angrily. “Yep,” came Morning Star’s frustrated reply. “The only door in this whole place that still looks like a door.” “Yep.” “And it leads to a broom closet.” “Yep.” “I hate this place.” “Yep.” THOOOOMM! The world turned a hazy brown around Big Mac as dust filled the air around them. “Do you think,” Bon Bon said amidst a coughing fit, “that this mountain can have much more dust in it?” “Nope,” Mac coughed in reply. He worked his tongue around his mouth, grimacing at the distasteful feel of grit and mud. “It’s getting hot again. I think we may have looped back to the throne room.” “Eeyup.” “We should turn back and get out of danger.” “Nope,” Mac said shaking his head. “Why not?” Bob Bon demanded. “We’re in danger anyways. Least this way I know where the hell I am.” Bon Bon paused for a moment. “Fine what do you want to do?” “Find the princess and a safe corner to hunker down in. I’m about sick of that dragon stepping on my head and I wanna see him get whupped.” Bon Bon looked ahead nervously. “Just don’t try and interfere, that dragon is way out of our league.” “Eeyup,” Mac said stepping forward. “Right or left?” Moon Shadow asked knowing the answer that was to come. Thoom! They both knew the drill at this point. Close their eyes and breathe through a fetlock until the dust settled again. “Looks like we don’t get to choose after all,” Morning Star said. “Wait,” Moon said. “There’s warm air coming from ahead. A passage back to the throne room must have opened up.” “Let’s hope that was the dragon falling over dead then.” “Yeah,” Moon said, “Let’s hope.” “I still can’t believe this is it,” Cross said as he examined the journal. “And you’re sure that’s it?” Lyra asked as they walked through the library. “This thing has enough magic on it to keep it preserved for another however many thousand years. Plus the stars and swirls are a dead giveaway.” “But couldn’t it be a decoy?” Lyra asked as they passed under a final arched doorway. “It’s possible but why would this Starswirl guy—yaaah!” Cross said, yelping as he passed through the arched entrance to the library. “Are you okay?” Lyra asked. “I’m –gyaah- I’m, I’m fine.” Cross said bringing a hoof up to his horn. With his levitation spell cut off the journal fell to the ground. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing it’s just somepony really, really powerful enchanted these supports.” “Well yeah, I can sorta feel it in my horn too but it’s not that bad.” “I spend all day looking at electronics. It’s all super low powered spells and so I’ve developed some hypersensitivity. Let’s just get out from under this and it’ll be fine.” “Faust Cross how do you function if passive enchantments are enough to hurt you?” Lyra asked as she picked up the journal. “It comes and goes. I don’t think I helped it any with my little trick there. But I have an inhibitor ring back home if it ever gets too bad.” As they moved away Cross gave a sigh of relief. “We may want to check that journal,” he said. “I thought you said it was real.” “If this Starswirl guy can do that making a few dummy journals would have been no problem.” “Alright, how should we check it?” Lyra asked. “Just read the first few pages I guess.” “Oh,” Lyra said after opening the cover. “There’s a note. It’s addressed to the princesses or “whoever they get to come and find this for them”. “What does it say?” “A bunch of things,” Lyra said evasively after taking some time to read. “A lot of it is sort of, uh, old timey vulgar and a bit, uh a bit racist.” “A bit what?” Cross asked almost laughing. “Yeah, uh,” Lyra said blushing, “It turns out those pageants were right about how the tribes hated each other before Hearthswarming. It’s a lot cuter when it’s just foals pretending to bicker.” “Oh I have to see this now,” Cross said trying to take the book from Lyra’s grasp. “Cross, no!” Lyra said sternly. “This isn’t funny, this isn’t amusing, this isn’t interesting. It’s some old sh-shithead spewing out as much hate and filth as he can after he’s dead! If it didn’t have a part for the princesses I would burn it right now.” “Okay, fine,” Cross said relenting. “I think this way leads back to the throne.” “Let’s hurry up and find the others. I think what you have might be contagious because holding this book is making me sick.” Smaug looked down pompously from his throne of treasure. “You have spent yourself Dreamslayer. And for what, these weaklings you call friend? You are a coward but I never thought you such a fool.” Luna could give no response as she panted for breath. Sweat and tears ran in rivulets down her muzzle as she raised her head. She had enough power to defend one last attack but Smaug barely even seemed winded. “Very well then, die a fools death,” Smaug said as he brought his head down and unleashed a torrent of fire. Luna’s shield flickered weakly, nearly invisibly before the inferno it held at bay. With every breath she took she let it in slightly, hoping to make it smaller and redouble its strength but even as it shrank cracks spider webbed through it. Slowly Luna’s shield broke before the power of dragonfire. “Nope!” The word rang through the cavern, over the roar of fire, over the breaking shield and for a moment after everything was still. *crack* The sledgehammer slammed down onto the crown of horns atop Smaug’s head breaking one off. It skidded across the cavern floor coming to a stop at Luna’s hooves moments before Bon Bon placed herself between the princess and the dragon. “Keep behind me, princess,” she said. Luna never heard the words. She was trapped by the horn in front of her and the simple band of gold that wrapped around it. It had been countless years but Luna still recognized her father’s crown. “Insolent mortals!” smaug roared, shaking the mountain around him with his fury. “Protect the princess!” a voice behind Luna called. A golden shield sprung up between her and the dragon as Moon Shadow came to a stilted landing beside her. “We should retreat,” Moon shouted. “You will all die here!” Smaug roared again. His tail lashed out violently against the walls of the cavern. “The library is the best place to hold up,” Luna heard Cross’s voice say to her right. “Until he burns us out?” somepony shouted back as Mac rejoined the line protecting Luna. “You will all taste my fury!” Luna laughed. Amidst the shouting of the ponies and the roaring of the dragon and the rumbling of the mountain Luna laughed until all was silent, save her. “I understand it now,” She said laughing. “How six children could stand before the night incarnate and be victorious; how they could bring even Discord to ruin.” She rose to her hooves, leaning heavily on those around her as she stepped forward. “How many years have I kept myself blind to it all? Thank you, my friends, for helping me see. The bonds between us are stronger than any of us can hope to be. They did not defeat me for themselves but for each other. It was those bonds that Discord sought to break, yet he only showed how strong, how pure they truly were.” Luna turned to Smaug with a triumphant smirk. “You fight for your gold, your pride, yourself and so you have lost.” Luna’s horn ignited as magic flooded to her, more than she even thought possible. Luna could still feel her own depleted reserves as more and more power gathered. Yet it did not struggle against her control as it should, the spell waited patiently for her command. The magic didn’t come from here alone. It couldn’t have come from her. another burst of laughter bubbled out. She was surrounded by friends and friendship was magic, what more could she need. “For my friends, because of my friends who would not abandon me, even as they face down death…I defeat thee.” Magic latched onto Smaug’s neck and plunged his head through the cavern walls. For those around Luna their world went white as they were teleported outside of the mountain, beneath the sunlight. As they blinked and gathered their bearings a nearby cliff face exploded outward. Smaug careened forwards amidst the debris, still dragged by Luna’s magic until his head crashed into a giant, half buried boulder. Luna spread her wings and took to the air. Smaug’s battered form stretched from the crumbling cliff nearly seventy yards to the bolder. His proud crown of crimson horns lay shattered around his head. Each one bearing a band of gold, stolen from a king’s grave. “For my father, and all my kin whose graves you have desecrated I name thee Gravestealer.” For a moment Smaug’s eyes seemed to gain some focus back as the mountain fortress behind him collapsed in on itself he let loose a pained howl. His golden eyes seemed to glow even in the daylight as the howl rose in pitch and volume. Longer and longer it carried on until the once-mountain had settled into a broad and jagged hill. Still the giant dragon howled. Finally Gravestealer fell limp. His unconscious form thumped onto the ground as Luna turned to her companions, her horn still glowing. Once again their world went white. EpiloguePonyville was by all accounts a place where strange things happened. Some blamed the exuberant and infectious pioneering spirit of the town’s founding families, others blamed its proximity to the wilder places in Equestria. There was even some cheerful animosity towards the town’s librarian who along with her friends sometimes served as a lightning rod and a foil for the town’s strange happenings, and other times the cause. Still all agreed that Ponyville was by far the most likely place in Equestria to see something truly strange happen. So much so that it had become routine for the town’s residents. Businesses set aside an afternoon a week to deal with whatever was happening in Ponyville this time. And so in the late afternoon as the market square began closing down a group of filthy and roadsore ponies, two wearing the dark armor of the night guard and an alicorn swaying on her hooves with exhaustion, suddenly appearing hardly raised an eyebrow. In fact Pinkie Pie sparing them only a friendly wave and a cheerful “hello” as she passed by with her party cannon raised far more questions about the visitors than their sudden appearance. Most onlookers counted it a better impression for their small town when they approached the Apple family’s market stand. Right up until Applejack punched one of them. Big Mac checked over his teeth one by one with his tongue. After confirming that his molars would be in working order for the first home cooked meal he would have in weeks he looked back at his sister. “Every time?” she asked accusingly. “Is it like that every time I go off? Applebloom’s scared eyes before bed and Granny waiting up on the porch every night. Does that happen every time I go somewhere?” Without a word Mac wrapped his sister in a hug. She didn’t seem to notice the dirt caking his coat until he looked more brown than red, or the way he winced slightly at every breath, or even the loose and filthy bandages wrapped around his head. Luna, who was being all but carried by Bon Bon and Morning Star gave a weak gesture to the other ponies, telling them to turn away from the sibling’s moment. The circle of ponies stared stiffly outward as the sniffling behind them slowly faded. After collecting herself Applejack spoke to the rest of the group. “I reckon y’all are going to be needing some dinner and a place to sleep.” Luna turned back to the pair with a tired smile, noticing that a patch of dirt seemed to have migrated from Macintosh’s chest to his sister’s face. “Any hospitality you could offer would be most appreciated.” Within the particularly peculiar population of Ponyville was an elderly mare named Granny Smith. As anypony would expect she suffered any number of ailments and maladies from her extreme old age but one sickness Macintosh alone knew about. The symptoms appeared only at the most opportune times, such as the early mornings or late nights when just she and her grandson were up. Or when he had brought home not one but four mares. Never mind that there were two stallions as well, never mind that one of those stallions and one of those mares seemed to have a claim on each other, never mind that another mare was so far above her grandson’s station that she was, in a very real sense, in orbit, or even that the other two mares seemed to be joined at the hip. Granny Smith wasted no time considering such trivial little problems as she set about preparing a generous spread for her future granddaughter-in-law and mother of her future great-grandbabies. Whichever one she happened to be. With a proud smile and appraising eye she surveyed the dinner table. Everypony dived into the food with gusto. Her two granddaughters sat immediately to her left. Past them the two ponies who had come in armor sat. Every minute or so the stallion would look up from his plate and correct his posture before looking around the room and deciding that manners had taken a back seat to hunger. Directly across from Granny sat Luna. Granny resisted the urge to click her tongue disapprovingly. Those fancy meals they served in Canterlot must have been nothing but garnish the way she was scarfing down food. Everypony had hardly just sat down and she was already reaching out to fill her third plate. Granny idly slapped Applejack's hoof away from the plate of apple fritters. "Save some for the guests." Farthest away on her right was her grandson Macintosh. He still shivered slightly from his prolonged shower under the well spigot. At her insistence the bandage had been removed and his hair was glued into a handsome part with a half of a can of pomade. the bandages criss crossing his chest had been hidden by a dress shirt and vest.From time to time he would bring a hoof up to brush the dangling ends of his bolo tie away from his meal. Next were the remaining two mares. The unicorn sat closest to Macintosh ravenously tearing into anything within reach that might be considered food. The earth pony ate at a relatively sedate pace and seemed more intent on sampling every dish than eating everything within reach. Finally the scrawny unicorn sat to Granny Smith’s right. After one heaping plateful his eating seemed to have slowed to a near stop as he leaned back in his chair and nibbled on a biscuit slathered in apple butter. Granny snatched the plate of apple fritters away from her granddaughter’s reaching hoof and piled a few onto his plate. “Get a few more of these in you sonny. You ain’t hardly had enough to feed a bird.” The colt hemmed and hawed for a few moments before accepting the treat with a grateful smile and taking a large bite out of it. Granny took a moment to smile proudly around the room. If it took two helpings or ten nopony ever left her table hungry. Talk around the table was light at best. Applejack had skipped lunch and Applebloom didn’t seem to know who to start chatting with first. Everypony else’s mouths were too busy with chewing. Granny still beamed proudly at her crowded dinner table, the way these ponies were digging in was all the compliment to her cooking she would ever need. Not that a granddaughter-in-law who thought the world of her would be a bad thing, mind you. A belch from her left caused her to turn. The unicorn, Morning something-or-other, was blushing red as a tomato. “I beg your pardon Madame Smith.” “Don’t you think anything of it. And it’s Granny Smith, I ain’t nopony’s madame.” A smaller belch from Applebloom drew her ire. “You mind your manners at the dinner table missy!” “How come he can burp and I can’t?” Applebloom pouted. *Braaaaaaaap* Luna triumphantly slammed an empty mug down on the table. She gave a challenging smirk to Morning Star before realizing herself. A quick scan of the table made her realize that her side was notably absent of food except for the crumbs spilled over her plate. “Our—er my apologies. Our travels have left me hungry but I did not mean to abuse your hospitality with my gluttony.” “Oh fiddle faddle,” Granny said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Any mare that can work up an appetite like that is always going to be welcome in the Apple family,” she added with a not-at-all subtle wink to Big Mac. “You are indeed gracious, Matron Smith.” “I ain’t no matron neither! Ain’t nopony gets to call me anything but Granny from my own dinner table.” Luna opened her mouth as if to protest for a moment. “I…yes Granny.” “Now you get used to calling me that. I have a feeling this won’t be the last time Macintosh brings you around to dinner.” At the mention of his name everypony tuned to look at the big red stallion. He had done an impressive job of hiding the majority of his large frame beneath the table despite his broken rib, with only the upper part of his neck and head showing. His cheeks glowed a vivid red that seemed to leave objects around him tinted red. “You’ll ruin your back sitting crooked like that.” Granny chided. “Granny,” Applejack struggled to say while holding back laughter, “I think he’s had enough.” “Good thinking AJ, I reckon it’s time we gave these ponies dessert!” Granny said before disappearing into the kitchen. The whole table held their breath for a few moments before letting it out in a burst of uproarious laughter. Luckily for Big Mac’s sake Granny seemed to think she had done enough for the time being. It was an opinion helped somewhat by Lyra and Luna insisting on feeding Mac fork-fulls of their pie with no small amount of teasing giggles. As dinner was finally winding down Big Mac was the first to excuse himself, gathering up the scant leftovers and storing them in the icebox. his clothes were quickly returned back to his closet and the dishes found their way to soaking in the sink. He would take care of them later, for the moment he had something more important to tend to. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his sister for the task. Granny had taught them both how it was done and she just lacked a few years’ experience on him. Granny, if she could get around better, would be able to do it in her sleep. It wasn’t that Mac thought the ponies around him couldn’t, or even that he thought they didn’t while he was gone. It was his place. Somepony might get the idea that he was being the protector of the farm looking out for any blight or pest that may be setting in. He didn’t rightly know why he walked around the farm every night, it had always just seemed right to him. All day every day was spent trying to get more if what he wanted from the land around him. More fruit, tastier apples, a better harvest. It only seemed polite to take some time to listen to the land. The east fields seemed to rub up against him like a cat waiting to get it’s back scratched. Mac made a mental note to plow the field soon to kill the weeds present and turn the soil in anticipation of planting winter wheat. His rib would keep him out for a while yet but he could already breathe deeper and more easily. The south fields were a might anxious like always. It wasn’t any bad kind of nervous. They sat between the Acres and Ponyville and always wondered which would take to using them first. For now the green little meadow was a nice enough place for anypony who just wanted somewhere quiet to be. The west fields were thirsty again. Corn was a thirsty crop. He made a note to talk to the weather team soon. He circled around to the north orchard. These trees were always a bit bratty. They spent all day looking down their trunks at the trees in whitetail who didn’t have a pony to look after them. They always wanted more rain but not too much more rain. Enough to give their leaves that nice sheen but not enough to get them muddy. Finally he turned to the center orchard. These were the trees his grandad had planted. They were the forbearers of all of Ponyville. Like a patient old dog they had gotten used to letting foals clamber all over them, give them funny names, even dress them up. They had a quiet strength that never needed much. The rain had been good, some fertilizer wouldn’t hurt but they didn’t think they needed it. Mac paused and let out a trembling sigh. He was home. He stayed there for a minute with his eyes closed just listening to everything around him. He let the soft whisper of the leaves and the singing of the crickets wash over him as he committed every aspect of it to memory, from the gentle breeze softly swaying the trees to the soft songs of crickets. Even Leaferton’s soft asking of why there was a mare hiding in his branches. “Miss Shadow,” Mac said aloud. There was a quiet gasp. “Farmer,” Moon Shadow replied as she stepped out of hiding. “Anything I can help you with?” “Where is the bunkhouse?” “The what now?” Mac asked. “The bunkhouse, or does your hired help live in Ponyville?” Mac chuckled softly. “Don’t have any hired help.” Moon glared suspiciously at him. “That’s impossible.” “It’s a bit much during harvest but nothing me and AJ can’t handle.” “Is this some sort of joke, farmer? It would take at least twenty ponies to harvest everything that is grown here. Do you mean to tell me that you and your sister can do all of that work?” “Eeyup.” “That is impossible,” Moon seethed. “You can’t fly up to the higher fruit, you would spend more time moving ladders than you would picking fruit.” Mac couldn’t help a small grin as he eyed the trees around him. Applebuck season was still at least a month away but a nearby Gala tree was already ripe. “Come here,” he said as he led her beneath it. “See that apple at the top?” She nodded, curious to see what he was doing. “Catch.” With a quick flick of his leg the apple fell from the tree. In her surprise Moon shadow nearly missed the falling fruit. “I’m a bit more partial to honeycrisp than I am to gala apples but there still ain’t nothing like an apple right off the tree. Especially if it’s from sweet apple acres.” Moon Shadow gaped at the apple in her hooves. “How did you do that?” she finally demanded. “It’s called applebucking, It’s sort of a family trick.” “Can you do more than one?” she asked, gesturing up to the apples. “Eeyup.” “Can you show me how?” Mac gave her a questioning look. Moon Shadow suddenly found that she couldn’t meet his gaze. “Wh-when I was a filly I would act up. My father would send me to work in the fields. He wanted to show me how it was for those who couldn’t fight. He wanted to show that even the general’s daughter would get out of field work if she didn’t obey. “It was…pitiful compared to what you have here. We only just grew enough to survive. I don’t know what you do here but if I can bring it back home it could change the way night ponies live forever.” “Can’t.” “Don’t worry about my leg, it’ll be fine. Just show me please Macintosh.” “I can’t.” “Please this is bigger than some family thing. It could help a lot of ponies.” “It ain’t that. You ain’t an earth pony. I could show you a few tricks to maybe help things along but it sounds like what you need more than anything is a few earth pony farms to loosen your belts up a might.” “So that’s it. I’m not the right race so I can’t do anything. How can you expect me to accept that?” With a weary sigh Mac laid down beneath the tree. “Y’all are all fighters you know that? I saw a unicorn help with the harvest once. She must’ve pulled every apple from twenty trees all at once. She piled them all into baskets, already halfway organized for Granny at the cider press. “She could’ve done fifty trees if she just gave them a little pull off the branches towards the basket and let Granny do her job. She had to control everything and make sure it was just how she wanted. She just ended up fighting what the world wanted to do anyways.” Moon opened her mouth to speak but Mac held up a hoof to silence her. “I’ve got a big family, cousins everywhere you can think to look and it’s getting bigger every year. Braeburn, stubborn fool that he is, moved out to the desert and started a whole new town just so he could grow apples for it. “You don’t need to be the one to teach your kin how to farm. I’ll put the word out that Princess Luna might have some land that needs tending that’s by a town already built and watch Braeburn eat his hat. “I got a big family. It’s full of the kind of crazy stubborn fool that builds a whole town in the middle of the desert just so they can have a new place to farm, and it’s always getting bigger. It’s the way the world’s wanting to work anyways. You don’t need to fight it, just give it a bit of a nudge in the right direction.” “Do you really think that will draw your family in?” Moon asked. “You saw how I acted towards you, it will only be worse for them.” Mac gave an amused snort. “Like I said. The families full of crazy stubborn fools, and ponies that know how to deal with them. Now c’mon let’s get back to the house before Granny starts making assumptions.” Mac gave an aggravated groan as soon as he stepped hoof onto the porch. Granny stood in the doorway grinning like the cat that ate the canary. “You’re sleeping in the barn Mac,” she said. “I reckon you’ll need to get some after all the excitement you’ve had today. Now come her little missy,” Granny said as she led Moon Shadow into the house. “Why don’t you tell Granny how you take care of them wings. I’ve got a feeling I might need to know here pretty soon.” Luna looked around the bedroom. Simple seemed to be the right word for it. An uncrowded bookshelf in one corner and a bed with a nightstand in the other. One door opened to a modestly stocked closet and the other went into the upstairs hallway. Granny Smith had all but forced her to take her grandson’s room and Luna idly wondered if the mare had ‘forgotten’ to let her grandson know. A light knock drew her attention to Lyra standing at the doorway. Her magic held Starswirl’s journal beside her head. “Please come in,” Luna smiled. Lyra’s frown deepened. “I want you to take this from me,” she said as she gestured with the journal. “I don’t want to ever have to think about it ever again.” “Lyra, what is the matter?” “Read the letter that’s in there. I don’t know who this Starswirl guy is or why this journal’s so important but… but it wasn’t worth it if that is the kind of pony that wrote it,” Lyra said turning to leave. “Lyra wait,” Luna said. She pulled out the letter in question. She had hoped that being trapped in a hopeless situation might bring out the best in her old friend but that seemed to be far from true. The letter crumpled up and turned to ash in her magic’s grasp. “Starswirl was a bigoted old fool who died alone and friendless among ponies he thought himself better than. I wish I could say that he was the exception but he was merely a more outspoken voice of the hatred that ruled that day. He was a brilliant spellcrafter who demanded the same from everypony around him. Despite all of this he was still a friend to me, even if I am the only pony who will remember him as a friend.” “What are you trying to say? That he was some big softie beneath all of that hate?” “No,” Luna said. “He was thoroughly unpleasant. Even worse he felt that his talents justified his behavior. I was his friend because I was one of the few who could stand his presence and because I thought that he needed one. He was still a pony, like you or I. For that reason alone I ask you to remember him kindly.” “Why are you trying to defend him?” Lyra demanded. Luna looked away. “Because if he deserves to be despised, how much more so do I?” Lyra could hear the soft clatter of dishes being put away and the silent murmur of ponies talking throughout the house as she tried to think of something to say. “Luna,” Lyra finally said, “we went with you…I went with you because I thought you were somepony worth giving a second chance. Nopony is holding what you did against you half as much as you are.” Luna stubbornly looked away. “I had hoped that this adventure would help me to forget. It reminded me of the pony I once was, young, naïve, and innocent. It reminded me how strong and brave and loyal and…and good ponies could be. It reminded me of how guilty I am for killing so many for nothing more than my own petty desires. If you had seen all the wrong I have done you would not be so quick to offer forgiveness.” “Maybe not. Maybe I would hate the thought of your name just like Starswirl. But I don’t know everything you’ve done wrong. I just know that I still believe you are a good pony and you are worth forgiving.” Luna excused herself and brushed past the green mare, barely hearing her ask that Luna “think about it”. She had to restrain herself from slamming the door as she rushed into the cool night. Her moon hung bright and full in the sky, even drowning out some of the stars nearest to it. She looked back at the farmhouse. It was colored blue in the half-light with a merry golden glow coming from the windows. It was a picture of laughter and family and simple pleasures that she had no part in. “You’re wrong,” she whispered before plunging into the dark orchard. She didn’t know where she was going. She simply ran, barely dodging low-hanging branches as she went. Gradually she slowed. Nopony was chasing her and she didn’t know where she was heading to. She stopped in a clearing, a pile of turned earth at its center told of a tree that had once been there. She collapsed onto her stomach with reluctant tears still in her eyes. She took in one quaking breath after another as slowly her emotions righted themselves. The Moon’s soft glow drew her gaze upwards. For a moment she almost wished she were back on it. The howling voice of her madness would drown out all others and leave no room for guilt. She could do no harm and damage no lives from the celestial prison. She could be like the moon itself. Aloof and unmarked by the world below, seen and not felt. She shook her head violently as if to dislodge the thought. “Princess,” Morning Star’s voice behind her spoke. She stiffened, giving off a false aura of regal aloofness from behind. “Morning Star.” She heard the slight rustle of his weight shifting. Luna took one last shuddering breath. “You wish to speak?” “I want to ask you something but it’s sort of…personal I guess.” Despite herself Luna smiled. “If you want to ask for Moon Shadow’s hoof I think you already know my answer.” “I- What?” “Did you not take a ring while we were under the mountain?” “I did but that’s not—It’s—It would be too soon. I mean I do she’s –uh-“ Luna brightened inwardly. it was only a lucky guess but she still enjoyed appearing enigmatic. “-At ease,” she finally said, cutting off his rambling. “There are some who view a lengthy courting as a sign of respect and commitment. You need not worry yourself so.” “Thank you princess.” Luna ran a hood through the grass idly. It was calming to feel the well-tended land rise up to meet her. Almost like a pet enjoying its owner’s touch. “Come,” she said as she pat the ground beside her with a wing. Hesitantly he took his place beside her. Luna waited patiently for him to speak. His mouth moved as if to form words but he never gave them voice. “Out with it,” Luna commanded. “The question will not grow easier with time.” “Did you find it, princess?” Morning Star blurted. “The journal is secure. Lyra gave it to me when we last spoke.” “That’s not what I meant.” “The crown is just a summoning spell away.” “I wasn’t talking about that either. You could have just teleported there and gotten both those things by yourself. You took us for a reason. You took us so you could find something. Did you?” Luna found that the grass no longer offered the same comfort. “I don’t know,” she finally admitted. “The kindness and loyalty you all have shown me has meant more than words could say. Yet I am reminded that I do not deserve it. Perhaps I have done some good since my return but I am still evil. There is enough blood on my hooves to fill an ocean. Lyra tells me that I am a good pony worth forgiving but how can I believe her when I cannot even forgive myself? She acts like I can stand tall and declare my past behind me but I cannot even stand.” After a pause Morning Star spoke. “You would have liked my old drill sergeant. He was the meanest son of a bitch alive but you would have liked him. He was excellent at breaking ponies down and building guards from the pieces. “The first day of training he made us run laps. We were up an hour before dawn to be in uniform and saluting Princess Celestia as she raised the sun. Then we ran. We ran all day until none of us could move any more. If we ever slowed down he was on us. You might have even heard him yelling from the moon. We were never slowed down for long. “I was the first one to collapse. I tried to get up but I couldn’t. He made me crawl until I was stallion enough to get up. It was barely noon before I couldn’t crawl anymore either. I’ll never forget what he told me: When you can't run, you crawl, and when you can't crawl - when you can't do that...” “You find somepony to carry you,” Luna finished. “It is good to see that some traditions lived on. Though I fail to see where you are going with this.” “No matter what we kept moving forward. Forgiving yourself isn’t some easy way out. It’s never easy for anypony. It’s a way forward. No matter what you keep moving forward. Maybe you can’t run right now but you crawl Faustdammit, and when you can’t do that I’ll carry you myself!” The clearing rang with his last outburst. Even the crickets had paused their constant singing. “Forgive me princess. I did not mean to shout.” Luna studied the grass in front of her, willing it to offer some form comfort. “I know you still feel guilty about what you’ve done, I mean I still remember some of the stupid little things I did as a colt and I feel bad about them still, but you can’t let yourself get buried by it. You’ve become so much more than what that guilt lets you see.” Luna glared at the patch of green between her forelegs, silently demanding that it provide some release or outlet for her emotions, that it provide her with some answer to give the stallion beside her. “You’ve shown so much strength since I met you. The amount of courage it must take just to get out of bed and face the world again every day, I can’t say how much I admire you, how proud I am of you, Luna. Just keep moving forward and don’t be embarrassed to ask for help, you’ve already done more than any of us could.” Morning Star quietly excused himself and turned to leave Luna to her thoughts. “Wait,” she softly called. “Yes, Princess?” he answered. “Find Macintosh and ask him where the farm’s forge is.” “what do you need a forge for?” Morning Star asked. Luna stood and turned to face her guard. With a flick of magic her father’s crown appeared beside her. “A way forward,” she answered. Bon Bon grumbled to herself as she made her way out of the farmhouse. “Just got done with an adventure and now we just have to do a pick up campaign because somepony didn’t get to see a slime and it just can’t wait until tomorrow for whatever hoofing reason.” As she distanced herself from the farm Bon Bon looked back over her shoulder. She was already far out of earshot but not everypony was accounted for. sighing she decided to continue with a low wordless grumble as she made her way to Ponyville. She made her way through the sleepy village until she came to the modest apartment she shared with Lyra. She made her way to the basement. Beneath a box of miniatures that hadn’t been touched in years and behind an even older box of...she didn’t really remember anymore. There was a stack of plain looking boxes. Some of her stuff that had never gotten unpacked. At least that was the official story. The wooden bottom screeched as it slid against the concrete floor. The wall behind bore a raised panel. Once she had pressed a hoof to the panel a beam of light shot into her eye. She resisted the urge to blink and in a second it was gone. Officially her organization had been disbanded after the Tartarus incident. Unofficially… well unofficially Celestia had demanded complete deniability. A synthetic chime signalled an open audio line. “This is agent Sweetie Drops reporting in. Mission There and Back Again was a success - zero casualties, cover remains uncompromised. Will await further instruction.” Celestia shifted on the throne, sighing inwardly at herself as she attempted to tune into her subject’s words. Luna had been gone for far longer before. After waiting a thousand years for her sister to return Celestia had learned to be patient but as with everything else Luna was the exception. The month of cold silence Luna had given her two winters ago had been torture. Every day she had to stop herself from breaking down her door just to be with her again. Celestia still didn’t know if what she did was right. Even after it was said and done she was plagued with uncertainty. Luna needed to find a way to process what she was going through and ‘big sister’s’ help would surely have made Luna feel even more like she was just a shadow. Luna had needed to come to terms without her and so Celestia had given her some space. Celestia couldn’t help a familiar twinge of guilt. She was supposed to protect and guide her sister, not give her an inferiority complex and then leave her alone to deal with it. Celestia shifted uncomfortably. Uncertainty was an uncommon sensation for her and one reserved strictly for her sister. Cadence was the only pony to be nearly as much of a blind spot for her but even now it was Luna that worried her. Nevermind that Cadence was in the frozen north guarding a newly-returned empire from one of Luna’s and her former-friends-turned-enemies. Luna simply being away was enough to give her pause and reexamine actions years past. Celestia chided herself, she was only worried about the past because Luna had proven time and time again that she was in no present danger. Even if a dragon did decide to get in her way it would learn very quickly that “Dreamslayer” was far from the insult their king had meant it to be. Celestia visibly winced. “Dawnfire” was equally far from the compliment it was intended to convey. Still the fact that Luna hadn’t just flown over, grabbed the old book, and flown back in the same night put Celestia on edge. Her normally brutally pragmatic and driven sister seemed almost lost as she left. The doors at the end of the hall burst open and Luna was nearly a quarter of the way to her before Celestia had looked up. Luna certainly knew how to make an entrance. She was perpetually the general on her way to the command tent. She maintained a brisk pace wherever she went and rarely slowed for any reason. Celestia couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. Her sister was back. Luna worked her mouth nervously as the supplicant before her sister’s throne scrambled to make way. She did not remember the last time her mouth had felt this dry before. All too quickly she found herself before her sister’s throne all the grand speeches and gestures she had thought up on the flight to Canterlot fled her. “Luna I’m so happy to see you back and safe,” Celestia beamed as she descended her throne. “Sister,” Luna simply said as she moved to embrace her sibling. Celestia paused stiffly in her sister’s embrace a moment before returning it. “I brought something for you,” Luna said once they had separated. “Luna, you don’t need to bring me a gift every time you go somewhere.” with a quick spell Luna summoned a golden crown to her side. The weighty piece of jewellry had a thin band at the bottom that would rest against the head. Reaching up from the band high golden peaks reached up. Each peak overlapped those on either side of it forming a truss with small purple stones decorating the top of each peak. “Gifts do not carry this much weight,” Luna said solemnly. “Luna, what is this?” Celestia asked. Luna took a steadying breath before she began. “There was dragon in old Canterlot. He had raided all the crypts and treasuries in the mountain to fill his hoard. He filled the throne room with all the gold he could find. He put the stolen crowns of pony kings on his head and claimed to be the greatest among them. Gravestealer is his name now. I took father’s crown from among them and reforged it into this, your new crown.” “Luna, no,” Celestia gasped. “Celestia please,” Luna said. “We both know that you have earned this crown a thousand times over. I may be able to lead campaigns and battles but only you can truly rule Equestria. You remained a bastion of strength for our subjects even as I became little more than a bogeymare to them. You alone rule in their hearts, you alone are worthy to rule.” Celestia backpedaled shaking her head as she tripped up the raised dais. “No,” she said, “I won’t take it, I can’t!” Luna bit her lip and turned away. “‘Tis only a symbol,” she said. “It is long past time we acknowledge the truth that everypony already sees. You are Equestria’s paragon of virtue and nobility, the bright shining symbol of our peace. Pax Celestia.” “Luna, NO! Listen to me when I say it is a lie. How could I ever claim to be your greater when my student… I trained her to KILL you Luna.” Luna gave a derisive snort. “I hardly believe that of Twilight.” There were tears in Celestia’s eyes. “Not Twilight, Sunset. She was so powerful but never enough. I pushed her, stars forgive me how I pushed her but she never could have matched you. Your skill, your experience. No lone unicorn could have been good enough. So I taught her dark twisted things. If the elements ever had awakened for her - but how could they, she never knew friends or laughter, only that she was never powerful enough. “I finally saw it that dawn, after they had rejected her. I had broken her. I had taken a wonderful talented little filly and destroyed her for no better reason than I was afraid. I did not even have the decency to kill her. I sent her away to suffer the awful life I had given her. Just like you.” Luna’s hoof slammed into Celestia’s cheek, turning her head with the force of the blow. Celestia turned her head back ready to endure her sister’s fury. The dark hoof slammed into her again, driving her head down and pinning it against the plush carpet. Luna’s head lowered as she leaned into Celestia’s. A hot and angry breath ran against the solar mare’s ear. “Nightmare Moon,” Luna began in an angry whisper, “was the greatest mistake of my life. It will haunt me for generations to come and it has irreversibly changed the way the world sees me and the way I see myself. I will spend decades trying to atone for what I became but it is what I became. The consequences and the responsibility are mine. The choice was MINE! THE FAULT IS MINE!” A flick of magic cast the tiara from Celestia’s head before a cold ring seemed to clamp onto her skull as the crown Luna held was forced onto her head. Luna’s hoof lifted off of her sister’s head only to come crashing down before her eyes. “It will not do for Equestria’s queen to belittle those around her. Her subjects are much more than excuses for her to blame herself or products for whatever contrived negligence she may dredge up. You would do well to learn to see ponies as they are, not as you wish to make them.” Luna turned on her heels and began striding out of the throne room just as briskly as she had entered. Celestia raised herself onto an elbow. The unfamiliar weight of a new crown seemed ponderous on her head. She shook it slowly to clear her thoughts. Luna was already halfway across the room and moving fast. “Luna wait,” she called out but Luna ignored her. “Please, Luna,” Celestia called again. If anything Luna sped up as she barreled her way towards the door. Celestia grit her teeth as she rose, reminding herself that the symbolic gesture meant nothing. With a single flap she stood imperiously atop the throne. “I said stop.” The command rang throughout the throne room. Luna turned back with a triumphant smile on her lips. “As you command, my queen.” please just come back to me. “Approach.” Luna somberly marched back across the room. Once she had reached the foot of the throne she bowed low. Celestia descended the dais until she stood before her sister. please get up. “Rise,” she said. Luna rose to her hooves but her head was still bowed in deference. Celestia knew she was just doing it to drive home a point but it still stung. please look at me, Celestia silently begged. “Equestria still needs you.” “I can no longer be her sword.” “Damn it all Luna!” Celestia shouted as she stomped, “I didn’t say Equestria needed its sword or the Demon of Bloodridge Aerie or the Ripper of Kill Everything or whatever the fucking hell you call yourself now. It needs you. I need you. I need my sister.” Celestia threw the crown at Luna’s hooves. “After a thousand years I finally remember what it is like to have somepony that doesn’t live and die every time I take a breath, that doesn’t fall over themselves to serve me. And you want to run away again.” “I want to find a way forward!”Luna shouted, finally breaking her silence. “Tia the place I’m in is pain and guilt and suffering. It’s a demon staring back at me from the mirror telling me I’m going to be her again one day. How long was I on that path? How many decades, how many centuries?” Celestia blinked. “Luna,” she began hesitantly, “Oh my Luna. I’m so sorry. You wrote in that book of yours that there was no such thing as an unspoken word between us, That should have been true so long ago. Your soundproofing was never -never as good as you thought it was. I guess I was never as bad at getting through it as you thought. “I heard you, that night after the griffon wars. I heard you cry to the moon and the stars for forgiveness. I heard you name off every egg, every cub. Luna I heard you cry yourself to sleep for years after that night. You studied war like -like a mare possessed. You always did what you needed to but you needed less and less to take settlements after that didn’t you?” “What is your point?” “I was there Luna. I saw the first breath Nightmare Moon took and I did nothing. How can you call me a queen? I’m not even a good sister.” Celestia was quickly becoming familiar with the underside of her sister’s hoof. “What did I just tell you?” Luna hissed between clenched teeth. This time Celestia struck back. “How can you pretend me doing nothing never made a difference. I could have done something, anything other than hiding behind my “respect for your decisions” because I was afraid you would be angry with me. I could have helped and I didn’t, how can you say I’m not to blame for that? How can you say that that my biggest regret is nothing?!” “BECAUSE IT IS FORGIVEN!!”Luna’s shout rang through the castle, Causing tapestries to shift on their hooks and windows to rattle in their sills. It was only because the stained glass windows within the throne room had been magically reinforced that they didn’t shatter. “Do you respect my decisions so little that you cannot accept this? You are forgiven, Celestia. You are forgiven of every action and inaction. You are forgiven of everything and the moment you accept this you will be forgiven of being a mule about this as well.” Celestia shook her head, dislodging tears in the process. “No,” She insisted. “No, it cannot be that easy. You cannot simply say my guilt is gone, there must be more. You always insisted that justice be a balance, that each crime have a punishment and a penance.” “I put a spell on you that gave you nightmares for a thousand years, and you did not even fight it. You built Equestria up to be greater than it ever was alone. But if these are not great enough for you I have another penance for you: Give me an example. Show me what it is to forgive myself, Dawnfire.” Celestia felt her stomach turn at the word. She had endured negotiations over the dragons’ migration path that lasted weeks, and even when the king of dragons, who stood taller than mountains, had put his massive claw to her chest and burned the name onto her soul she didn’t feel nearly as sick as she did when hearing Luna say it. Luna’s features softened. “Tia, it has been thousands of years. It was past time to let this go long before I fell.” “Luna I cannot. They were my guards, they wore my armor and I failed them. I killed those who had sworn themselves to my protection. I killed those I set out to save.” “You made a mistake, you had a lapse in judgement and you lost control. You have held it against yourself for so long, it is not healthy. You need to let it go.” “How can I let it go? The saddle Arabians still count the glass crater as one of their wonders. The crater I made when I turned a dragon to ash along with everypony around for miles. How can I let it go when I still see the look of horror on the hostages’ face when they saw the fire coming. I killed them Luna, how can I ever forget that?” “Never,” Luna said breathlessly. “Never forget them. We owe them more than to forget. We owe them more than to pretend nothing has changed. We owe them more than to run away from the reasons we killed them. We took their lives and so we owe them ours. Every second, every breath is no longer our own. We must live better because we owe them nothing less.” “So what, are to live well and pretend that we are not murderers? It still sounds as if mortal lives do not matter.” “Not live well, live better. We are royalty surrounded by power and opulence any who claim we do not live well are fools, but we must live better. We must overcome the weaknesses that killed them. We must be better.” “Luna I will not believe that learning to fight will make me better.” “I do not expect you to,” Luna said as she looked away, “and perhaps even you are...correct. What you need to learn is control so that if you are left with no choice but to fight you will not fear for those around you.” “And what will you do?” Celestia asked. Luna gave a sardonic laugh. “I will learn just the opposite. I spent so long casting off and hiding every impulse that did not fit the warrior I sought to be. I will learn to be my uncensored self again.” “What does your uncensored self think of all of this?” Luna’s tear filled eyes finally met her sister’s. “I am so afraid,” she said as she buried herself in her sister’s embrace, not even noticing as her tiara slid off her head. “Every step I take I do not know if it is right or wrong. I do not know who it will hurt, who it will anger. I feel like the consequences for some unknown wrong are hanging over me and for each passing second they will only fall harder.” Celestia held Luna closer and shushed her reassuringly. Celestia was taken aback as Luna trembled in her arms. She could not remember the last time she had held her sister like this. Celestia stroked a hoof through her sister’s mane as she began to tremble sympathetically. “You will not face them alone,” Celestia whispered into Luna’s ear. “Never alone, never again.” For what seemed like hours the two sisters held each other. trembles seemed to race down one limb after another and just when one sister seemed to still the other would begin to quake. Neither knew when they had started crying, nor could they give a particular reason to the tears that stained one another’s coats. They only tightened their grip on one another in response to the warm dampness. Slowly the two began to stir. The endless quaking between them began to subside. The tears were reduced to the occasional wet sniffle. And slowly, ever so slowly, their grip on one another began to loosen. There was a mutual giggle as they finally saw one another’s face. what makeup they wore had been loosened by tears and rubbed into the other’s coat. Without crowns or makeup they were exposed and intimate as only family could be. Luna bent down. To one side was the crown she had forced on her sister and to the other was the tiara she had always worn. Luna took the tiara in her hooves and brought it up. “I went too far to name you queen,” Luna said as she placed the tiara on her sister’s head. “We were always to be his little princesses. But you will always have rights and authority that I do not. You alone can make another a ruler. It is by your magic that Cadenza received her alicornhood, and by your authority that her crown and mine hold meaning.” Luna brought the crown up from the floor and into her sister’s hooves. “This is the crown of Equestria’s first and greatest king, reforged for your head because in mine eyes you are the greater ruler. Place that crown on your head and you will be queen in all but name. I will count anypony you name as a prince or princess and I will obey your every word.” Celestia’s magic pulled Luna’s tiara up from the floor and switched her own for the crown. The familiar black obsidian found it’s way onto Luna’s head. “I name you Princess Luna of Equestria,” Celestia spoke grandly despite the empty hall. “I give you all the rights and authorities of this station. I give you all the responsibilities and duties of this station. Equestria shall dream freely, knowing that you will ever be our guide. Equestria shall feel secure knowing that you are our shield and it shall sleep easy knowing that you shall always guard the night.” Luna bowed her head, feeling the true weight of the crown. If war called she would fight, not as a monster but as a princess. If it came to it she would kill, not because it was the easy way, not because it made her enemies afraid, but because it was necessary. Because it was her duty to her sister and her nation. She would walk the dreamscape once more and banish whatever nightmares she found. She would face her greatest sin and she would atone. The night princess would not be known for the howling madness of Nightmare Moon or the brutality of Equestria’s sword or the Demon of Bloodridge Aerie or the Ripper of Kill Everything or - or whatever the fucking hell she had called herself then. Instead she would be known for the gentle serenity she brought, the cooling and unobtrusive light of the moon and stars, the soft stillness of a foal’s unharried sleep. Luna smiled to herself. It would not be easy, but it was at very last a version of herself that she wanted to be, that she could be. “Thank you,” Luna whispered. Luna felt the soft pressure of her sister’s muzzle pulling her’s up. “Come,” Celestia said with a soft smile. “I think it is time we had supper.” Luna settled heavily onto the silk covered cloud that served as her bed. With a tremendous yawn she turned to her belly and brought her head up. She was tired beyond reason. The flight from Ponyville had been draining and the conversation with her sister had been even more so. She had nearly fallen asleep into the lavished dinner she shared with her sister before excusing herself. She had made an attempt at giving the guards outside her chamber a friendly greeting but she doubted they had been able to make out the mumbled words. The moon had risen listlessly at her call and the stars twinkled softly like a pair of overtired eyes blinking to stave off sleep. She caught herself yawning again. She clenched her teeth against the temptation to sleep as she pulled out her diary. The book was worn and battered beyond it’s time. the deep blue cover was faded nearly grey and still smelled faintly of cotton candy and chocolate milk. She idly flipped through the first few pages. They were nothing more than passive-aggressive notes to her sister, expressing thoughts she didn’t want to say aloud but knew Celestia would read. She winced at the trustless bickering. These last few years had at very least healed her relationship with her sister and for that she was thankful. She flipped through, wincing at her temptation to let Equestria fall to war with the Night Ponies and giving a dry chuckle at the grumpy ramblings after her celebration of their return. It wasn’t everypony that could say the sun shone into their hungover eyes because their sister was being a brat. Luna chuckled to herself as she renewed her commitment to get her sister drunk. If only to see her rise the sun with a cloth wrapped around her eyes like some blind sage. Luna flipped through the book watching the blue of her favored ink change shape with each passage. Every once in a while a different color would flash for a page or two. From the yellow of Celestia to Pinkie Pie’s shockingly pink writings and even Discord’s impossibly mismatched letters. She frowned as she continued to flip through page after page. As far as she went she always found herself somewhere in the middle of the tome thanks to Discord’s spell. Finally she came to the last entry. It was hesitant and unsure, full of questions and uncertainty. Hindsight was an easy thing. Looking back her problems seemed so much smaller yet she knew she would say the same thing about today’s problems tomorrow. Looking back on herself she could see how wounded and broken she had become. Perhaps in a few year’s time she would look back and find herself a pitiable sight even now. Luna shook off the thought, she was better than she was, she had true friends now where she didn’t before. She was making progress and for the moment it was enough. Luna turned to the next page and brought a quill to hover above it. The page waited patiently to be filled with whatever thoughts she needed expressed but she found there were none. Luna hovered the quill for minutes trying to force anything into the page but nothing came to mind. With a sigh she set the book aside and readjusted herself on the bed. Her mind reached out, beyond the walls of her chamber, beyond the happy dreams of her two guards. Her mind reached out and out until it encompassed all of Equestria and slowly the nation’s dreams began to assemble before her. They each took the shape of doors before her. Rach door telling about the dream and dreamer alike. It was a language only she had ever truly known and now she found that she had fallen out of practice. Once a glance was all it took her to know if her intervention was required now she found herself pausing before each door for minutes trying to decypher what it was telling her. Her body’s tiredness pressed in on her, calling her to her own sleep and her own dreams. She paused before one door, obviously twisted with pain and jealousy that was all too familiar. She concentrated on the familiar weight of her crown, bringing it into focus. She had been given this responsibility and she would fulfill it. Author's Note Well here we are. This has definitely been an experience, I can’t even guess how many hours I’ve sat in front of my computer trying to get through one block or another. You can probably pick out the passages I enjoyed writing against the ones that kept me stumped from space. Any of you who read that blog post that I posted right after the end of War of Shadows will know that there are still a lot of plot points that I didn’t even touch yet. The original plan was to have this fic eventually catch up to cannon but even thinking about that is exhausting. I do intend to make a sequel but I’m not sure what it will look like. What I’m currently thinking is a series of one shots that sort of highlight the big stuff but I’m not sure yet and I doubt it will happen anytime soon. There are a few reasons that I ended this, like I said earlier even the idea of writing this out to current cannon felt exhausting and if I don’t enjoy writing something I don’t expect anyone to enjoy reading it. In reality this fic should have been marked complete a while ago and each section should have been it’s own fic, I just enjoyed seeing it hit the feature box every once in awhile. Finally I want to work on some other projects. I feel like I’ve been having ideas for new stories left and right and I can’t work on them because I need to finish this. Now that this is done I feel like I have that ability to make the CS Lewis crossover no one needed or expected or that Sunset/Luna shipfic or even just get another chapter out for Dragon’s Duty or any of those other stupid, fun ideas that make fanfiction a great medium. I don’t mean to sound like I’m complaining about doing this fic, it is something I chose to do and it has been an experience I would not trade for the world, but it is by far the single biggest project I’ve ever done and I can’t help but feel relieved to be out from under it. Anyways this is me signing off before I ramble any more. Thanks for sticking around and as always happy reading. -CalebH Reunion - Chapter 41Shining Armor advises me that no plan of battle survives contact with the enemy. I am not surprised given the simplistic strategies he seems to prefer. The battle is well met and my victory is yet assured. A third of my force has taken to the sky where they battle Celestia’s pegasi. My flyers are outnumbered but skill is prevailing and none have yet fallen. Soon the skies will be ours alone. The land battle goes similarly. My forces have been in a fighting retreat from the beginning. They goad Celestia’s guard into traps and pitfalls. Celestia’s forces are thinned as they make their way across the courtyard. My forces have kept to a mid-ranged fight. Should they move in too close training may overtake reason and the fighting become less lighthearted. At greater range the unicorns will have a clear advantage. A temporary ceasefire has been called. Some icicles hang dangerously above the fighting and should they be dislodged it may prove fatal. As they are cleared sister and I agree that the fighting should resume exactly as it was the moment before the ceasefire was called. I have no objections considering I am winning. -L Reunion - Chapter 45Celestia chastises me for drinking, she is a buzzing gnat easily ignored. She bemoans the state of the cellars, she is a mere annoyance. She claims the great hall is in disarray, it is grating to the ear yet I will endure. She complains that the night guard is too violent and I can no longer be in the same room as her. Leaving was an insult to Celestia yet if I had stayed and listened to her any longer my actions would have brought about another battle of the guard that involved much more blood than snow. She may bemoan my love of drink and my raucous celebrating. She is my elder sibling and an insatiable meddler; it is only expected of her. I will not stand to hear any criticism of my guard. After a thousand years they are the same. For a thousand years they kept their loyalty to me and even removed themselves from Equestria for me. Their loyalty to one another and to me is above reproach while she…in the end she chose her ponies over her sister. I ~~have forgiven~~ understand her decision but I cannot forget. -L Author's Note this may really be the last daily update I do. I meant to write more chapters today but I just sat around and read instead. hopefully I won't be lazy tomorrow and actually do something but the semester doesn't start until the 20th and I do love me some being lazy so no promises. enjoy and thanks for the ratings and comments! Reunion - Chapter 62Progress has been made. Whether it is towards success or failure I cannot say. By my order Morning Star and Moon Shadow have been stationed to guard my bedchamber. I approached the door for a momentary respite only to hear them shouting at one another. They have a passion for one another, that much is clear. An inexperienced eye may conclude that these ponies should be separated in the interest of safety but they would not know that passion has far more substance than mere affection. Yet these ponies regard each other with both passion and a veiled affection. These ponies hold no secrets from the Princess of the Night and the Seer of Dreams. -L Author's Note thanks for all the birthday wishes. Happy reading! Reunion - Chapter 68Dear Diary, My sincerest apologies but your usual author is indisposed at the moment. It seems she has had quite a bit of fun while I was stuck inside that statue. Somepony has been a very naughty princess. Oh dear, that yelling simply must stop. There. I’ve decided that Lulu and I need to have a little trip down memory lane, though with her it’s more of an extended vacation along the world history interstate. And there’s that screaming again. It’s a good thing Lulu has such a thing for socks, they come in really hoofey(get it hoofey) when ponies don’t want to stop yelling. Don’t tell anyone about her socks though the poor thing gets embarrassed. ;D Author's Note these non-standard chapters are pretty fun to write. I may start doing more of them. Reunion - Chapter 11C You are heartless. This is the most utterly cruel thing you have ever done to me. You give me hope only to dash it before my face based on my ‘subtext’. Let me spell it out clearly for you, I do not want to plunge the world into endless night. Without the sun everypony dies and as frustrating as you and your subjects may be at time I have caused more than my share of death. Leave me alone. Let me fade into the night that will not be mine again and die. At least in death I will not be able to harm another. When I write in this book you will not be allowed to read it. If you will not trust me then I will at least have my privacy from you. -L Author's Note aaand with that this fic is done with letter format onward to actual diary-ness! also if your wondering what subtext is being referred to here "It will be the most wonderful of nights. I will make sure your ponies love it, it will be endlessly beautiful." Reunion - Chapter 36Damn this blasted sun and its infernal brightness! I wish only to recover from the night’s revelry in peace and quiet yet I cannot even open mine eyes without it driving molten rays into them with dazzling vengeance. Celestia knows this, mind you, and she takes untold delight in torturing me through the after effects of drinking spirits. No doubt it was her who removed my curtains so that I would have to suffer the suns wrath. I must be a strange sight indeed hiding beneath a crude tent of blankets and sheets but I do what I must. Beside me is the expense report for last night’s festivities. Apparently the castle cellars only had a few casks of mead and ale but ‘beer’ and ‘whisky’ seem to have been more than suitable replacements given the amount consumed. It was not an especially destructive feast with just under half of the furniture used being damaged. I am also to pay for replacing a chandelier and a…cello? Oh yes the cello! One of the few memories I retain of last night. It took a few magical modifications but it made an excellent drinking horn. Note for the next feast I host: musical entertainment may be an issue. -L Author's Note hungover Luna is actually kinda fun to write Reunion - Chapter 1Dear C, I know you are reading this diary; I knew you would read it the moment you suggested I start keeping one again. Being made one with the moon is a novelty for a week at most. Little has happened that could make me forget you. You have not changed at all; at least I hope you have not. -L Author's Note If you've read my story A Crystal Shattered then you should know that I will be writing this fic with a different headcannon in mind so if some details or character interactions aren't the same this is why. I have about a dozen chapters for this written right now and i will try to publish them at least daily (if i remember). They will not all follow this letter format and will switch to a diary standpoint and get longer soon. I'm hoping the short chapter length of this story will help me to get them published with some sort of regularity once the ones i have written run out. Anyway, hope you enjoy and thanks for reading! Reunion - Chapter 7C I realize I never cared for your court but just about anything is better than wallowing in self-pity. And if this “Nephew” is such a cad then why do you not just remove him from the “family”. I swear, you are such a softy, you need to have some rumors involving dungeon throwing and banishment spread so your ponies will respect you. Also yes I do realize that by the time a “councilor” got enough experience to help me they would be dead of old age. But perhaps there is a certain alicorn guardian of the sun (and currently my moon) that could do more than a short lunch together and reading my diary. -L Author's Note don't worry dear reader, you will find out more about this "family" later Reunion - Chapter 15Imagine my surprise to wake up this afternoon to a sun blotted out by smoke. Either this new ‘Everfree Forest’ has caught ablaze or there is a dragon. Either way the nation is in danger. I look out the window and see the forest lush and green as always; it is a dragon. Dragons, I had heard they had moved into the former home of the pony tribes. Serves those blasted windagoes right. They froze the land only to burn under the withered fury of dragon fire, HA! But if dragons see fit to move near us we must send them a firm response. I go to talk with sister on her throne but I am turned away at the door. I finally squeeze an answer out of one of her guards. “Her student is handling it,” He says. Who is this student? My memory of my rescue is still…lacking. There are only scraps, an orange earth pony, a yellow pegasus. They are important but Celestia has cut me off from learning of them. There is already one ascended alicorn in Equestria (I am also not allowed to know anything of them) does Celestia mean to have another, is that who this student is? -L Author's Note First update-type-thing! This chapter does tie in a little with episode 7. I doubt i'll do many more blatant episode tie ins but we'll see. On the "ascended alicorn" thing i haven't written anything to explain it yet but i will. Thanks for the thumbs ups favorites and comments and i hope you enjoy reading. Reunion - Chapter 24Sister’s lack of trust is… understandable. Even I cannot impose such ignorance on myself as to believe otherwise. It is not just her I have betrayed but the whole of Equestria. As a sister she has pardoned me for my crimes but as a ruler even she cannot offer forgiveness so flippantly. She speaks for the whole of Equestria, thousands of ponies that remember me only for the day the sun did not rise. The position of princess is one of immense trust between me and the ponies I would rule. How can they trust me when all they know is stories of, among other atrocities, cannibalism to scare foals? How can I ask them to trust me when I know that these stories only mask a darker truth? I turned Equestria against itself. Tribe against tribe, city against city, and even brother against brother. There was a stallion, I do not even remember his name, I made him kill his brother in front of me to “prove his loyalty.” He knew that his life would end painfully if he did not. He was a single pony amidst a war, his loyalty was of no consequence. He killed his brother, not for justice or loyalty but for fear and in my madness I made him do it for nothing more than a momentary diversion after a lost battle. How many lives did I destroy? How many ponies have I worked unspeakable cruelty on without even remembering their names? A thousand thousands years’ imprisonment would not be enough to atone for my crime. I must be a petty sight indeed as I wallow in self-pity. I demand trust yet I have earned less than nothing. -L Author's Note hopefully this will help you to understand this version of Celestia a little better. keep in mind this is written from Luna's point of view and she sees her interactions with Celestia through the lens of their still damaged relationship. Reunion - Chapter 27It seems my foolish sister is only able to see reason after I have broken down the doors to her throne room and given testament to her foolishness. I am tempted to make the ritual part of my daily routine. Her guards bristle and prepare what spells they know as I bring tidings of death and war but only stand slack-jawed as I place the blame on Celestia’s head.To her credit she did bear the embarrassment with some dignity and once she saw her error was quick to admit it. Was she really so foolish as to believe the night ponies would take her denial lightly? On swift wings her guards fly out with letters bearing my seal. They are to the night ponies inviting a token force to be my personal guard in Canterlot. As dusk falls a guard returns with a dozen night ponies in dark armor. He approaches sister and whispers in her ear that they are merely the vanguard of the army he saw. I order one of my new guard to deliver a message to the general of the army. It thanks him for his loyalty and eagerness in defending me but that the time of bloodshed between me and my sister is long since over. It urges him to return his army to its home and know that I am well guarded by the soldiers he has sent. The guard, Night Shield, returns and announces that the army has turned back and is marching home. In secret he tells me that the night ponies are well trained and ready to take up arms should I need them to. -L Reunion - Chapter 29This ‘Prince’ Blueblood is an insufferable foal. Celestia has brought this idiot and everypony like him on herself. He serves no purpose to Equestria; I could have my new night guards find him and kill him and Equestria’s government would continue to prosper. I told her we should have just destroyed Princess Platinum’s line when we took over but no, “We don’t need to establish dominance Luna,” “Their technically related to us Luna,” “Killing your subjects just because they annoy you is wrong Luna”. Who is she to say I cannot kill? I have been Equestria’s sword and shield since long before it was even a nation while she; well aside from sending me to the moon I do not recall her ever raising a hoof in battle. I earned Equestria’s place in this world by my might in battle. I am the bloodied protector of this nation in a thousand battles! If Celestia wants to entertain a useless parasprite in her court that is her decision but she must learn not to object when he slights my honor and I respond by spilling his blood. “His blood is our blood,” She claimed. He is technically related to me and Celestia; he is our first cousin countless times removed. His ancestor, Princess Platinum, our first cousin countless-minus-forty-or-so times removed, had me and sister removed from the old royal line when she had us expelled from the unicorn kingdom. I hold him in no familial regard and if he ever offers me slight, intentional or no, again he will find himself begging Celestia to rescind her rules on killing. -L Author's Note I'm pretty sure i got the cousins removed thing right but i'll explain the family tree just in case: Celestia and Luna's father is Monoceros the first unicorn king. his brother took over after his death and unicorn royalty was descended from the brother's line to Princess Platinum. after Celestia and Luna took over equestria her line becomes "minor royalty" like prince Blueblood and the nobles. now the cousins thing, the common ancestor between the sisters and the minor royalty is the sister's grandparents so they are first cousins(great-grandparents = 2nd cousins great-great-grandparents = 3rd...) but because they are are a younger generation they are removed(1st cousin three times removed would be your first cousin's great-great grandchild(that's how cousin's removed works I'm pretty sure...i think)). the sisters are called 'aunt' because it shows a greater deference due to age and is less of a mouthful than first-cousin-several-dozen-times-removed. Reunion - Chapter 47I should be angry with her for invading my privacy yet she is the most ancient meddler in Equestria. To tease her and flaunt my victory I went so far as to write in my diary while she sat beside me. I sent it back to its hiding place with a teleportation spell that would bounce it across the castle before it reached its destination. It seems sister was able to trace it and has read (and undoubtedly copied) every word. Perhaps this entire mock battle was a feint to get me to reveal it to her, I cannot say with certainty. She pleads with me to forgive her but I will not. She asks as an elder sibling but where was the sibling I needed a thousand years ago? She always said that I meant the world to her, that there was nothing she would not do for me. She chose the world over me and by the time she saw what had happened she was too late to do anything. For centuries I was her sword and shield. I saved her and her ponies from every threat yet when I needed saving she condemned me instead. She flaunted her title of elder sister over me yet when the true responsibility of the station rested upon her shoulders she did not have the strength to bear it. Instead of my savior she was my judge. And yet…in her place I would have done nothing less. I cannot even be angry with her without this knowledge reminding me that my anger will never be justified. I deserve the punishment I received a thousand times over. Through force of arms I could always bring my enemies to their knees but she had a way of making them into her friends. I never told her how I envied that. I found my own way and ponies who would mock the day with me, if only to hide the pain at knowing we had no place in the light. -L Reunion - Chapter 50Celestia does not run. She is never anything other than exactly on time. If she arrives and everything is not ready then everypony else is late. If everything is ready and she has not arrived then everypony else is early. Celestia does not run she has no need to. She never breaks her even, regal gait which is only one facet of the air of decorum and regality that seems to seep from her pores in place of sweat. For most of winter I have avoided her. Seeing her inspired such turmoil in my heart that it had become physically painful. Seclusion comes easy to me, everypony fears me too much to dare break my solitude. I was left alone with only my restless heart for company. I approached Celestia’s chambers. I do not know what my intentions were only that that night my solitude would end. She saw me coming and she ran to me. Celestia does not run. Nothing rushes her, nothing brings her to break her gait. I have never seen anything in all my years so important as to bring her to run…or so I had thought. The pony that ran to me was not the mighty Princess Celestia, surrounded by thousands of years of pomp and circumstance. She is my sister, embracing me and crying into my mane because she cannot stand to see us torn apart. How many hundreds of years has it been since I felt I had I sister. Not a co-ruler, not a towering monolith that always casts its shadow on me, but a sister. -L Reunion - Chapter 54My studies are growing tiresome. I find my discipline waning. I wander the palace halls more and more frequently with no real place or purpose in mind. It seems I only want to remind myself that there is a world outside of my study. I do not fall asleep easily. I have too much unspent energy and have not made any noticeable progress in my studies. I go to sleep unfulfilled and with unspent energy. Lay restless in my bed for hours before sleep finds me. Some times I am impatient and do not wait for sleep to find me. I have been overzealous in my studies I think. After months of doing nothing else I can no longer stomach them. And yet as this thought occurs to me I wander into the kitchen and find myself incapable of even making myself a cup of tea. I cannot stand to be secluded within my study any longer yet there is no use for me anywhere else. -L Author's Note So tornado warning where i live... Only cloud in the whole stupid state...bloody whether. Reunion - Chapter 56It is to be a dry celebration without any drink stronger than tea (apart from the good captain’s flask of brandy). I feel that the night guard should come in full force for the celebration but I am hesitant to bring any more than the senior officers. The captain has been welcoming to the new guard despite his suspicions and I would show him my thanks. But this celebration is to be one of Celestia’s overly formal and dry gatherings and I fear the night ponies would only find themselves making social blunders. The officers have been briefed on etiquette should they need to stand guard at a formal event but even with this training I cannot be certain how they will react around Celestia’s tittering nobles. My officers, I hope, will have the wisdom not to call for a duel at every remark. Though I must admit seeing the nobles being forced to defend their flippant attitudes in a duel is an amusing prospect. -L Reunion - Chapter 60Princess Cadenza, or ‘Cadence’ as she insists I call her, has not taken kindly to my passing over of her beloved. I in turn ask when she last has seen him. Before her answer leaves her lips the new captain makes himself known at the door. I ask where Morning Star is and the captain reports that he is asleep. I excuse myself with a pointed look at ‘Cadence’. Her rejection of a title given to her offers more insult than she sees. She should count herself lucky that it is Celestia and not I that is her benefactor. Though in all fairness her forced humility is preferable to Bluebloods pompous uselessness and if she ever were to rule it would fade into confidence quickly. Barring the death of my sister and I or some nation rising up in need of a ruler she will have no such opportunity. It is too soon to offer a report with any depth on Morning Star. I have paired him and a few unicorns of his choosing with Moon Shadow’s squad. There is a fire between those two, if the two tribes should mix well in the night guard or if they should not, that fire will blaze brightly. In success or in failure the outcome will be anything but subtle. -L Author's Note 600 views and 60 chapters woohoo ! Don't you just love it when round numbers come together because I sure do. I'm not sure about the summarized dialogue in the first paragraph. It seems more like what someone (or somepony as the case may be) would actually put in their diary but i just don't like it. Also calculus is not as bad as i thought it would be so i will start updating more often. (monday and friday updates with one somewhere in between. I won't have a set day for that update so it will just be whenever i write it.) Reunion - Chapter 73Be happy, always. The last words mother ever spoke to us, her very last request. Mother, how we have failed thee. We thought our longevity would be limited, that we would only see a few extra decades before time inevitably claimed us. Those decades passed and we continued to grow in body and in power. We became stronger than the earth ponies, faster than the pegasi, more powerful than the unicorns, and more deadly than the night ponies. Celestia insisted on peace and propriety even while we prepared for war. Griffons descended from the northwest. They are powerfully savage things but a blade in the night still ended them. In the day their size and ferocity held the advantage but when the sun left the sky night ponies would kill with near impunity. A guard fell soundlessly before us. The black pool of his blood reflected the stars of my moonless night. As we walked through the aerie, blood and gore from his fellows dripped from us. Our purpose was clear, this was not defense, this was not justice, neither was it truly revenge. We would destroy the griffons ability and desire to be at enmity with us. Eggs and cubs were crushed under hoof. Fathers fought with desperate strength to defend their homes but claws and beaks fell to the blades and fangs of the night ponies. We burned the smithies and armories. We did not stop until the aerie was cleared. Total war. It was condemned and berated as immoral. We do not speak in morality, we speak in fact. After all this time, after a thousand years of my absence, after the barbarian tribes have united into a grand empire, after they increase their numbers and weapons still the griffons fear war with Equestria. And still Sister sleeps soundly, knowing that her ponies will never need fear a griffon assault. -L Author's Note that awkward moment when you click publish instead of edit... Reunion - Chapter 74Celestia did eventually learn the truth of my assault on the griffons. “We are not angry, merely disappointed,” she said. Hades take her disappointment; Tartarus has her enemies and my anger rests on the battlefield. She is too proud to admit that victory was won not with heroic charges against a superior force or by soldiers in that imbecilic golden armor, but by a princess who regarded the safety of her ponies above even her own morality. When the battle was put to song, it was the shields of the day before the walls of a mighty fortress, not the fangs of the night in a griffon aerie. Celestia stood as the hero in the light while we were only the villain in her shadow. -L Author's Note if your not interested in overly analyzing the show and headcannons and such just skip this. BronyCurious posted an analysis video defending the idea of ascended Celestia and Luna. while he does raise a few good points i disagree with most of them. He states that Faust is no longer in control of what is and is not cannon. I am in a D&D group that is based in the MLP world. It is a very customized version of the pathfinder rulebook that has admittedly led to some very overpowered characters. this group has changed DM's 3 times now but when questions of what is cannon come up the original DM gets final say. While the show has moved on from her original setting, or changed DM's, i still say that Faust still has a say in what is cannon for elements of the show that she created, such as Celestia and Luna. The crux of his argument was that saying Celestia and Luna were born alicorns degraded Twilight's ascention to a point where receiving a medal or an award would accomplish the same thing. I would like to bring up the point that medals and awards do not physically change the person receiving them. Quick question, what is the trait most often associated with leadership? Height. Twilight is now taller, her horn is longer and she is now something that Celestia and Luna could never be, an ascended alicorn. If they were too she would be a fool not to defer to their centuries of experience, she would still very much be Celestia's student and nothing would have changed. But now that Twilight is something different from Celestia and Luna, Cadence alone(barring another surprise alicorn) is her superior in this. The relationship between Twilight and Cadence is already established as one of mutual respect and friendship, not as master and student. Though Twilight still has much to learn she is no longer only a student, she has literally grown into her role as a leader. Reunion - Chapter 79As a joke Discord held elections. Celestia gave an impassioned plea but the army of ponies under Discord’s sway did not listen. “We like Discord,” They chanted after her every point. We had never seen sister speak so well or make such an impassioned plea yet still the mindless mass only responded with, “We like Discord.” Where mighty armies had failed Discord took Equestria from us without a single act of violence. Were we to slaughter the army of our own subjects marched against us? Our strength at arms and Sister’s skill with speech were powerless against his guile. We were given some time to gather belongings before our exile would take effect. As we gathered supplies for the journey Celestia sat in a stupor. In a week Discord took the nation we had spent centuries building. While we gathered weapons and armor to fend off wild beasts she struggled to gather her thoughts. In our own way we were as lost as her. We shouted at armorers to attend us when we had just seen them in the crowd at Discord’s feet. We became lost in the castle we designed. It was Discords doing. If he had not come and defeated us so easily we would never have stumbled on the tome, we would not have picked up the tome and it would have long since turned to dust on the shelf where it sat. Celestia brokenly followed me out of the city and did not show any sign of hope until We showed her the title, The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide. -L Author's Note had that last chapter just sitting there since Wednesday. I totally forgot to publish it. Reunion - Chapter 88How is it that these games still distract me? I have only played them once and yet they occupy my thoughts at every turn. I find my mind’s eye gazing at a display that isn’t there and my hooves reaching for phantasmal controls. Even sitting to dine with Celestia I find myself humming music from them. They are nothing more than a foal’s diversion yet with every minute I find my desire to play them rising. It is not as if there is anything else to distract me. Equestria does not trust me to resume my reign. There are no enemies to subjugate and our every border is secure. I still fear to enter the dreamscape. Once it was the most precious of my duties. Once it bound me to my subjects more closely than even Celestia, yet when I grew…dissatisfied with the affections of the waking world I turned it into a mighty weapon against those who remained loyal to Celestia. If I braved my greatest betrayal what would I find? I do not know which I fear more, to see the nightmares I let loose an age ago or to see that the dreamscape too has thrived in my absence and that there too I am relegated to scaring foals in jest. -L Reunion - Chapter 89Is it better to be loved or to be feared? It seems that within my family is represented either extreme. My mere presence causes ponies to prostrate themselves in fear. Passing through a crowd is never difficult for me because I am the only one in the crowd standing. Even that foal Blueblood does not dare approach me. Princess Cadenza is loved. She must employ a close guard when in public simply to avoid being trampled by petitioners and Blueblood seems to have no hesitation to belittle her. Though I envy Cadenza the love of the common ponies I must admit fear does have its uses. Bluebloods barbs about her relationship with a mere guardspony fell silent at my presence but accusations of her preference for “filthy commoners” did not. My grip cut off a most unmasculine scream as it tightened about his neck. He does not understand what it is to be royalty. He elevates himself above all yet the true purpose of royalty is to be a servant to all. In my recovery from Discord’s “gift” I must admit that I have been somewhat self-centered. My Night Ponies have earned far better from me. Once I acted to bring them into the fold and prosperity of Equestria starting with my personal guard, I can only hope that this gap in my vigilance will mean failure. -L Author's Note Well I'm more or less done with a pretty crazy semester so hopefully updates can pick up for a while at least, who knows i may get some time to go back and rewrite some older chapters that I'm not very happy with. Reunion - Chapter 91For as long as I can remember war has been the driving force of innovation. A powerful enemy will make invention a necessity. It is easy for a nation to become complacent in its power. The griffons had secured their power in brutality until they counted me among their enemies. I did not allow Equestria to suffer the same fate. Even as my armies marched from victory to victory I told tinkerers and inventers only news of defeat and death. Yet in my absence the opposite has proven to be true. My night ponies have spent a millennia preparing for war with Equestria while Equestria has spent the same time in near total peace. The night ponies are struggling, they exist apart from the other tribes and suffer from the loss. Crops do not produce so abundantly without an earth pony in the fiends, the weather is not so kind without a pegasus in the sky, and every day conveniences are not so easily produced and used without unicorns. In ages past all four tribes shaped the world around them and established what remains to be the greatest of all nations, alone the night ponies have been able to do nothing more than survive. Equestria has grown and changed without them. I would simply order them to acclimate to their allies of old but they still suspect me to be nothing more than a puppet and a prisoner to Celestia. These new technologies are changing everything and I will not allow my Night Ponies to be left behind any longer yet I cannot act directly. My guard the only Night Ponies in Equestria, it must fall to them to re-forge the broken alliances and friendships between tribes. It was Twilight Sparkle and her friendship that freed me from my madness, perhaps it will be friendship that reforms this splintered nation. -L Author's Note That's right it's winter break, which means updates may or may not be coming in the middle of the night because I have nothing better to do with my time and a ready supply of caffeine. Reunion - Chapter 92A thousand years ago nopony would have dared offer tours of one of Equestria’s fortresses, much less the home of its rulers. In truth I do not mind it. Some would say it is an invasion of privacy yet much of my life has always been public, even my chambers are cleaned from time to time by others. I do not mind but for the inconvenience of always having others underhoof. If I take a moment from my studies to stretch my legs I do not expect to be stopped and questioned by a group of foals. Celestia would have exchanged polite greetings with them and dismissed them in the respectful silence she commands. In a way I was glad they were not too fearful of me to speak, I have been a monster in the night for far too long. Yet as they asked question after question I was tempted to turn my teeth to fangs and bare them to frighten them off. There was one question that still stands out; a little filly asked me what my favorite time was. Most would assume that it was night but that is not correct. The night sky is my canvas; it is the grand symphony I conduct. I have poured so much of myself into the night that my terrestrial form will never hold as much power as Celestia’s. But night is not my favorite time. After balancing so many orbs in one sky and seeing Celestia raise the sun, it seems at first glance that she is just slinging it across the sky. Its beauty is not subtle but it is there, I know that if I were to raise or set the sun I could not put half the warmth and vitality into it that she does. Even so day is not my favorite time. Long ago it was called the time between times. When neither the moon nor the sun is in the sky, it is not day and it is not night. For those few brief moments we can forget the burdens of royalty and simply be sisters. -L Reunion - Chapter 94Why does she stay? She walks back to her tower too exhausted from feigned friendship with these nobles to fulfill her commitments to those who truly are her friends. Is she fooled by their mock charity? They do not bid on food and blankets for the poor but popularity and prestige for themselves. They are nothing but a façade, how has she not seen this truth? How is the Element of Generosity not physically ill amongst such self-centered ponies? Perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps I am unfair and hasty in my judgment of Celestia’s court. That is my deepest of hopes but it is not my expectation. They will live up to my every criticism. May Rarity find wisdom to see them for what they are and what she is becoming. May she find strength to return home and leave this den of thieves. -L Author's Note Looking back I'm a bit disappointed that we never see an interaction between Rarity and Luna because I think they have a lot in common, doubly so with the Nightmare Rarity comic arc, and it would be pretty interesting to see them interact. War of Shadows - Chapter 143“Keeping up appearances” Celestia calls it. If we are to convince Equestria that it is not at war then the castle is to operate as if it is not at war. Spitfire is my ‘athletic trainer’ as I have apparently grown fat and idle. Celestia relents that the doubled guard and inspection of travelers is still well justified but she retaliates by dragging me out among her nobles. The gilded meal is a dull affair. My sole reprieve is to sit in wonder at how nobles may endlessly blather on and avoid saying a word of importance. Celestia sits proudly at the head of the table. She glances at me from time to time. I know she is laughing inwardly at my disdain for this event. As we sit in our celebration of…something one of my guard approaches. This is one instance where Celestia’s guard has skill and experience without end. They may approach her and tell her novels worth of information without anypony noticing. My own it seems lack this discretion. Celestia along with Prince Armor and Princess Cadenza overhear that changelings have escaped from a raid in Manehattan. Telepathy is a fickle spell to attempt and dangerous to learn but under the guise of a sip of tea it serves to warn them of what should happen if they spill this secret. -L Reunion - Chapter 100~~The difference between us, Luna, is not that you fearlessly charge into battle while I sit secure. It is not that I delegate tasks while you take more direct control of your affairs. It is not even that we control different orbs in the heavens. No the difference between us is that for the last thousand years~~ I was here! Oh Faust, Luna I am so sorry. Please don’t read this. ~~As dragons flew over Equestria in their hundreds I was here. As enemies rallied their troops along our borders it was me who met them and through whatever means I could turned them away.~~ I can’t erase it or I would. I don’t know what I was thinking I was just so angry. ~~Do not pretend little sister that you are in a place to judge me much less one to call me out before my court. You have only made a fool of yourself and for once I cannot help but laugh along with my courtiers.~~ Please do not believe a word of it. ~~I have run out of patience for you sister. My decisions have not always been perfect but I was here to make them. Tell me what nation did you lead from the moon? What flock did you shepherd? Those you consider yours hid themselves away for you and proved their faith misplaced.~~ This was not me, this was some beast of fire and anger in my heart. ~~I went to them, time and time again I went to them but they spared no words for the sun-hag and had no desire for the gifts she brought. Look closely at the poverty of your tribe and know it is your fault.~~ ~~C~~ Forgive me sister. Author's Note 100 chapters yay! I want to thank everyone for all the thumbs ups, favorites and especially the comments. I am amazed and humbled that you all seem to like it so much. I really doubt I would have kept this fic going if it wasn't as well received as it has been so once again thank you. now on to notes on the actual chapter. I figured it was high time we heard Celestia's (relatively) uncensored say. How will Luna react? we'll just have to wait until next chapter to find out Reunion - Chapter 102Some days sleep will not come. I do not begrudge its absence only that time passes all the slower without it. I cannot help but wait at the doors to Celestia’s throne room even as the line of petitioners goes by me. I have already heard offers from ponies to have me take their place in line but I make this appointment at the end of the day for a reason. However this may end neither Celestia nor I will have any desire to go back to the business of ruling again. They fear me. I am not as skilled at reading a pony’s emotions as Celestia yet I cannot help but notice that each stallion places himself between me and his kin and each mother keeps her foal hushed and away from me. In jest I tried to reassure one mother that I only eat foals on Nightmare Night but she only seemed more afraid even as her filly giggled. Almost everypony has regarded my reform with suspicion. It is the foals alone that believe in their innocence that the monster in me is truly gone. One filly whose parents are not so wary wanders up to me. She hands me a small box and asks if I would like to play while I wait. To my surprise it is a video game condensed so that it fits in a filly’s hoofs. It must have been a strange sight indeed to see a princess and a filly talking excitedly and passing a virtual block stacking game back and forth. Eventually her parents came and groveled before me, begging forgiveness for their daughter. It took some time to convince them that I was not angry with them in the least. To say goodbye the filly wrapped her entire body around my muzzle in a hug and even her frightened parents laughed at the sight as I returned her to them. Even as my time came and I went to Celestia’s throne I had to remind myself to be angry with my sister and not smile at the memory. -L War of Shadows - Chapter 104Author's Note I've been thinking for a while on tags for this story and some of you have given me some great suggestions on what the tags for this story should be. The reason why I've retitled the previous chapters and finally changed the tags is because I feel that the first part(at least) of this story is complete. although this chapter and the next few chapters could fit into part 1 I feel that the previous chapter is the best ending I could give to part 1. The reason I'm doing this as parts of the same story instead of making it a sequel is because although the main arc between Celestia and Luna is resolved there is still a lot going on in the background that part 2 will pick up. As always if you have any suggestions or discussion on the story feel free to comment or even PM me if that's what your comfortable with. Enjoy! War of Shadows - Chapter 104 “I still have nightmares” she told me. I could never step into Celestia’s dreams. I must be welcomed by her to have any sort of power in her dreams. The nightmare I created for her was a desperate petty thing. I made it moments before my banishment, never expecting it to hold any power. To hold any sway in her mind she must have welcomed it. As some remembrance of me she welcomed a personal Tartarus I had crafted for her each night. My forays into the dreamscape have been an equivalent to eavesdropping since my banishment; glancing at a ponies mind to find the truth of their desires. As the sun sets and day fades Celestia prepares herself for bed and I prepare myself to battle the nightmare within her. -L War of Shadows - Chapter 114How long has it been since I set hoof in a blacksmith’s forge? Oak and coals burn hot and steel glows red as it awaits my shaping. The night pony smiths are capable but weapons of war require the touch of a master. Fire and steel, strength and magic; these are the song of the smithy. The finest steel Equestria can provide, the surest blow our hammers can strike, the mightiest magicks I can enchant slowly bring forth blades to rend flesh and spikes to punch through armor. Whatever enemies may bring my ponies will be ready to respond with death. -L Author's Note Shout out to the %i% function for letting me not have to keep track of chapter numbers War of Shadows - Chapter 118We hosted a lavished feast when she returned to us. With food and drink we celebrated long into the day…and I didn’t understand. They all but sang of how our mistress had returned and everypony went about their business with a spring in their step and I didn’t know why. We were still struggling to have enough; we still hid from the sun like bats. Nothing had changed but everypony acted as if the world had bent to their will alone. I understand now. Princess Luna held me like a mother holds a foal and apologized. Since then every burden seems lighter, every meal tastes better. Mistress isn’t quite the right word. It’s like a mother we never knew we had has finally come back to us. Moon Blossom told me I was smiling over her hay casserole. That would have been surprise enough but Morning Star was there too. That’s not completely fair. Once you get used to the piece of bone sticking out of his face and how bright his colors are he seems to be a good stallion. I’m not entirely sure why him and Moon Shadow are courting considering that most of what they do is bicker, but if she’s happy then I am too. It seems that the princess was right, it isn’t blood that binds us together, it’s her. -Gen. Night Watch Author's Note Usually I try to work it in somewhere that these sort of chapters are in Luna's diary somewhere but this one isn't so just don't worry about it. War of Shadows - Chapter 124Author's Note After reading some comments from last chapter and being in a particularly wacky mood I couldn't help but write up a bit of silliness that got stuck in my head, so here you have the non-cannon comedy version of this chapter. With a barely contained snicker Princess Luna eased the ornate doors to the throne room open. Her sister, the ever graceful Princess Celestia, sat the throne with a pair of unicorn guards watching the otherwise empty room. Stifling another snicker Luna drew breath and called out, “enemy at the gates! Defend the princess!” as she kicked the large double doors open. An instant later a peculiar black buglike creature streaked in over her head. If one looked closely they could see the fading blue aura of the night princess’s magic around it. With drilled speed the guard had a shield up around the throne. The creature’s hardened shell crashed into it but so great was the Night Princess’s throw that both the shell and the shield shattered. The outcome of this was that Princess Celestia, Ruler of the Sun, Bringer of the Day, Paragon of Beauty, Fount of Grace, and 353 Time National Equestria Cake Eating Champion, was covered hooves to horn in a sticky green ichor that was the remains of the first changeling discovered by Equestrians. The first thing to be noticed by the guards was what would come to be known as “that incinerated changeling smell”. (Significantly more potent than “that singed changeling smell” and surprisingly not quite as potent as “that burnt changeling smell”) As the green ichor burned away it revealed a coat of burnt copper and a mane of pure inferno and a pair of eyes glowing white with heat and anger. The fire mare opened her mouth and with the sound of an earthquake and an angry typhoon shouted “LUUUNAAA!!!” enough of that silliness on to the real chapter! War of Shadows - Chapter 124 I have said before and I will say again Celestia is graceful when presented proof against her claims; unnervingly so. I find myself questioning how far into the unknown future her schemes and machinations extend. As the creature exhales its last odorous breath in my grasp her guards blanch and turn away. They will have to grow used to the sights, sounds and smells of these creatures in death. As unpleasant as it may be it is much more bearable than that of their comrades. -L War of Shadows - Chapter 127Celestia organized a “family” dinner. The oaf Blueblood and my “niece” Princess Cadenza were in attendance, and of course as a point of privilege the captain of the guard was in attendance as well. They look well together. It is something of a communal joke as we pretend not to notice how close they are sitting and how close they have become. As training puts more and more strain on the captain he relies on her strength. Celestia leads the conversation with such skill that for a moment the illusion at we are a family gathered around a dinner tale seems real. As the matriarch of any household would she asks us “how was your day?” and “what do you plan on doing tomorrow?” as if this dinner was a daily occurrence. When my turn to be questioned comes I say that I am going to visit a friend in the countryside. I’ve no doubt Celestia knows this means I plan on visiting the arcade in Ponyville for one last taste of peace before I must devote myself to the upcoming war. I recognize the look Cadenza gets. I have seen it on Celestia’s face every time she finds something that may embarrass me. “I’m sure it will be a most enjoyable evening,” Cadenza tells me. Doubtless she must think this to be some tryst. Celestia at least tried to be subtle. -L Author's Note My computer seems to be able to handle typing stuff without getting too hot but games are out of the question and that makes me sad. War of Shadows - Chapter 131My temper is worn thin. This war has yet to begin and already it is going unfavorably. The borders are still clear; either they have been frightened away from what they thought was an easy conquest or they are already inside Equestria’s borders. I despise waiting. When one does not shape events around them they are shaped by them and this is doubly true for a nation. Cerberus has left his post. It was only for a short while but the denizens of Tartarus are not so foolish as to let this opportunity pass. There are enemies, powerful and more ancient than Equestria itself, that Celestia and I must account for. The underworld is not a place for mortals. Celestia’s guard insists on accompanying us but if protection was needed they would be far outmatched. Their place is to guard Equestria, this Celestia and I must do alone. -L Author's Note It took me a while to decide whether or not I would include Tirek. As epic as his battle with Twilight was it was difficult to figure out how my interpretation of Luna would act. That being said I've got something in mind for how it'll work out with Tirek that I'm happy with and hopefully when we get there you'll like it too. War of Shadows - Chapter 134The final preparations for Princess Cadenza’s wedding are all but finished. In truth the decision to be absent to her wedding is made easier by the host of guests. To pretend I don’t envy Celestia’s place at the head of every crowd would be an empty and useless sentiment, but as I watch with a calmer heart I know I do not have her poise when she is at the center of attention, even proceeding another pony’s wedding. I hope that my attendance at the reception will be sufficient. Princess Cadenza and Captain Armor are among the few I would count as peers. Celestia’s shadow has grown no less expansive and although our dealings have not been among the most amiable I do appreciate the company. The idea of marriage has changed nearly as much as its execution. Captain Armor has some prestige and wealth but nothing equaling the dowry of a princess. There is no money to be exchanged, no houses to be joined, and no power to be consolidated. Marriage for love was once considered an oddity or a blessing of fate for second sons and lower houses, now marriage for any other reason is considered blasphemy. -L Author's Note There's a town in New Mexico called Capitan and it keeps throwing off my spelling. Anyways I was tempted to throw in a lot more stuff about marriage in this chapter and get all political but after looking at what I had written- It was bad. Anyways this is it, the next chapter will be another interlude set the day after the wedding. War of Shadows - Chapter 137This extermination goes smoothly. The Night Ponies surrounded Equestria like a great noose and now it seems that all I must do is pull it tight. These changelings are somewhat more intelligent than I first summarized but not greatly so. They may steal a pony’s appearance but they are far from perfect actors. From what I am told disposing of them discreetly poses more of a challenge than finding them. Learning does not seem to be beyond them. If I allow this hunt to drag on they will become better at eluding capture. I must not let this happen but I there is little else I may do to hasten their demise. Some will elude capture. As thoroughly as Equestria may be searched there will be a scant few who were overlooked. As detestable as I find the idea of these insects feeding off of my ponies, they will do little harm if Chrysalis and the majority of her swarm are killed. I can only hope that she is hidden away, still full from Prince Armor’s misplaced affections. My Night Ponies are brave and strong but I would not knowingly risk their lives to end hers. Her death must be at my hooves. -L Author's Note I actually think I'll start updating more often once school starts. War of Shadows - Chapter 147We spent weeks being told how important secrecy is to this campaign. In a night the Princess plans to end that. We are to let one escape. The hope is that it will run back to Queen Chrysalis and we can find her. This war is draws to a close and I find my heart longing for home. Even the thought of Moon Blossom’s Casserole makes me salivate after all these field rations. I wonder how long it will be after we expose ourselves to find Chrysalis that I can see my wife again. Will anything have changed? It feels as if I have been gone a lifetime already. The fields have had nopony to work them all this time, how will we survive the winter on such a meagre harvest? Even if we do go to Equestria’s market with our soldier’s wages will they be enough? The Princess will see us through. I have been told that since my youth. She has led us well in war but will she sustain us in peace? Life is simpler when all you must worry about is ducking the next blow and returning with your own. It is simply a matter of being better trained and more alert than the enemy. A mistake will draw its own price in blood but as I turn my attention towards my tribe I see that my mistakes bear a much higher price. For a thousand years we endured in her name so that we could serve her again. May the stars give us strength to make it through another. -Gen. Night Watch War of Shadows - Chapter 150Cadence and I have been fighting again. It’s the training. She thinks I’m obsessed. She just doesn’t get it. I’m supposed to be the protector of those I love but I stood there and did nothing while Chrysalis hurt Celestia, hurt Twilight, hurt her! Now Luna’s got me as nothing more than a bureaucrat and a pencil pusher, signing papers and sending food to ponies cleaning up after me. I should be up there with them. This is my fight more than it is theirs, but NO! I just get to send food to Manehattan and let them screw it up, I get to watch everypony scramble and not be able to do a damn thing! Now she wants almost all the shipments around the Everfree Forest and she wants me to keep that hidden? Wait. This is the biggest concentration I’ve ever had to send. Bigger than Manehattan or Baltimare. The biggest battle this war’s seen and she wants to leave me out again? NO! I know her timetable better than she does. I know the rest of the guard feels the same way. They train just as hard as me, hoping that one day the changelings will come back. I’m done waiting though, today we take the fight to them! ~~Cap~~ Prince Shining Armor Author's Note This chapter was added after the following few chapters. Hopefully it'll make Celestia's guard's actions a bit more understandable. Apologies to anyone that reads this out of order. *There, God! I nearly gave myself a concussion facepalming when I finally saw the 'save chapter order' button. The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 154Sir Sombra. It is as we knew him best and it is as we best remember him. He was the best of both our worlds, the bravest and boldest of my knights and the most noble of your nobles. Who but us could be counted his better, in knowledge, in skill, in power, in morality? He was the master of whatever he put his hoof to. When dragons threatened our gleaming allies to the north and we pondered the cost of neutrality with the dragon king Bold Sir Sombra marched without second thought. When their fire finally overcame the Crystal Heart’s power Brave Sir Sombra stood the gap. When the wyrms shattered the Crystal Empire’s guard and consumed their rulers Mighty Sir Sombra finally drove the beasts off, never to return. When the Crystal Empire sat broken in the north who else but Noble Sir Sombra could rule and give them hope again? He did not learn that from me, sister. In months he rebuilt, within a year the Crystal Empire was at a height and prosperity it had never known. In ruling he was second only to you. And so we left him be, the Brave and Mighty, the Wise and Merciful, the Great Sombra, King in the North. Do not blindly offer me your forgiveness, sister. The dark paths he tread made Sombra powerful but he was still only a mortal. The darkness of Nightmare Moon was mine and mine alone. Do not belittle actions that affect me so by blaming them on another. It is with a sardonic humor that I read your parting statement. You suspect Sombra of influencing my fall and I suspect myself of influencing his. Who else but I could have brought low one who shone so brightly? Who else but the demon of Bloodridge Aerie, the Ripper of the Golden Plains, the Black Storm of the Eastern Sea, who else but Nightmare Moon could bring about such darkness? The cruel jest at the end of this story is that he gave me hope. He inspired me. He showed me a version of myself that was kind and caring where I could not have been. A version of myself that was much more like you. -L Author's Note Aaand I'm back. school has been just a bunch of BS but what really kept me was my other fic, A Dragon's Duty. I wanted to get the latest chapter of it up before I continued this story and inspiration has not been forthcoming. The title is a bit of a blatant nod to Tolkien and I'm okay with that. This arc isn't going to mirror the plot of 'The Hobbit' but I'm going to have fun putting little nods in from time to time. Anyways this is a bit of a transition chapter but the adventure will start soon enough. The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 158 Big Mac I ain’t entirely sure why I decided to tag along. I could’ve just let that dream be just a dream but the way she talked made me want something more. I used to think running the market stand was about as adventurous as I was likely to get. I suppose this one may even match AJ’s. Applebloom’s getting older and bigger, AJ’s got her friends willing to help out, the farm don’t hardly need me at the moment. Soldiers and a princess don’t hardly need me tagging along either but I don’t much feel like sitting around the farm. Granny’ll either not notice I was gone or spend the entire time worrying after me. Can’t say I know which is worse. She already had to bury a son. I’ll be damned if I make her bury a grandson. Princess Luna says we’re going to get something from the dragon lands. Says she knows where it’s at. I can’t hardly tell why she invited all us Ponyville ponies along for the ride. Her and those guards would be in and out quicker and safer. Don’t get me wrong now, I want to go. I wanna feel dirt ‘neath my hooves that ain’t about to be turned by a plow. Want to remember how it was camping with pa when it was just me and him against the whole wild outdoors. There’s a few more ponies than just me and pa but this particular neck of the outdoors has got a few more dragons so I figure it evens out. Mac Author's Note So hopefully the header helps clear up the who's point of view this chapter is from. This seemed to be the least intrusive way to do that and have it still be noticed. Sorry if the last few chapters have been confusing to anyone, after all the drama the end of War of Shadows stirred up this is the 'F it, their going on an adventure' portion of the show(not a great title so I went with the Hobbit reference). So sorry once again if anyone got lost along that transition. The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 164I always knew farm life wasn’t always easy but I was pretty amazed to see how good Big Mac was at handling a wounded and angry mare. I hope that more of that practice has come from all the animals they keep around than from his sisters but even then this sheds a whole new light on Applejack and his relationship. Moon Shadow struck me as being too fun-loving to say any of those things. Some of those insults I’d never heard before but from the look of it Big Mac still hasn’t heard them. When we stopped for a break he helped her down as gently as could be. He didn’t even flinch when she took the opportunity to step on his head. I’ve heard of being patient but this is just something else. I expected Princess Luna or Morning Star to step in and do something but he just seems glad it’s not him and she just looks at the two with an almost-smile. There seems to be some joke here that the rest of us aren’t getting. -Cross Circuit Author's Note So Thanksgiving was a thing. I cut down a tree, that was fun. The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 170Between Lyra’s complaining and Morning Star turning into a sourpuss every time he looks at Big Mac I’ve never been more ready to call it an early night. Or day or whatever. The princess volunteers to take the first watch. She says that she recognizes this place, that she used to…play here. It’s a dead field, whatever grass isn’t scorched black is brown and dead. The earth is hard and barren. How can she look at this wasteland like it’s a fond memory? Like I said the ground is hard as stone. Sleeping through the day is hard enough when you’re comfortable, this is impossible. It seems like I had just laid my head down and everypony else was asleep. I was watching the eastern sky while it turned pink. That’s when I started hearing a bunch of thumps behind me. At first I just thought it was Lyra(you think the stuff she does when she’s awake is weird) but when I turned over I saw Luna out in the field, jumping and kicking. I thought it was just some exercise or some training…something. She turned in a circle, throwing wild kicks in every direction. At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me then I saw it again on the next pass. She slowed to a stop, a huge grin plastered across her face. Something caught her eye. From a few paces away a white butterfly as big as my hoof flew towards her. She watched it with that same grin as it landed on the tip of her nose. It fluttered its wings gently, like it was welcoming her back before it took off into the predawn sky behind her. I remember turning back over and seeing Lyra beside me. “What’s up with her?” she asked. “She used to play here,” I said back before falling asleep. -BB The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 172I do not enjoy appearing hesitant. Perhaps there is some deeper explanation or perhaps my pride simply has a louder voice than I credit it for. I despise giving any appearance that is in the least unsure. The dragon sleeps. Only its snores would produce so much smoke and even then the beast must be massive. It would not see the first strike coming and if I strike well a second will not be needed. If the beast that has taken my former home does awake my power and skill will be sufficient to overcome it. Why do I hide its presence? These ponies have faced their fears every day that they have followed me. Why do I hide this one from them? Why do I hesitate? -L Author's Note The good news is that there is only one more chapter in the unexpected journey. The other good news is that the next chapter is going to be huge. The other other good news is that I've officially applied to graduate this may so I'm getting pretty pumped about that. The bad news is that I only have 1500 words written for the next chapter so it may be a while, or I may end up releasing it in parts. Knowing me probably both.
Reunion - Chapter 2C That was unfair. I… I know you have changed; how could you not? It has been a thousand years, everything is changed. Where there was once a capitol there is a forest. A thousand years; and I was a rock floating through the void all that time. Everything is changed but me. I am still hurting. All that pain and jealousy and anger were mere moments ago to me even if it was a thousand years for everypony else. I will not return to that nightmare, but I went there for a reason and that reason is still here. I drove you away and I locked you out in my pride. I will not do that again. It has been a thousand years and I have at least learned this one lesson. -L Author's Note Okay so you need at least 1000 words to publish so a good portion of what i have will go up immediately but I should be able to get it updated pretty often.
Reunion - Chapter 3C Thank you for sending the astronomers to talk to me. It is heartening to see that some of your ponies started looking at the sky after the sun went down. Maybe I may do something in thanks to them once I start doing the nights again. When I am allowed. -L
Reunion - Chapter 4C I understand, I do not need to hear you say it again. The elements took two torn halves of me and washed them and bound them back together. it will take some time for me to recover. We have known each other far too long, sister. There is no such thing as an unspoken word between us. I know what you did say and what you were too afraid to say. It is painful, Tia. I understand but still, it wounds me. -L
Reunion - Chapter 5C They say progress is two steps forward, one step back; or at least they used to. Today is that step back. Do you remember that city in the north? We stopped watching it and that tyrant took over. Who would have thought there was a spell that would make the entire Crystal Empire a personal shield for him? Not me. I struck him into oblivion at the first opening, and the city and all its subjects joined him. it is no mystery why you do not trust me, there is far too much blood on my hoofs. -L
Reunion - Chapter 6C When a pony claiming to be a councilor showed up I thought you were going to let me in your court. It seems the meaning of ‘councilor’ has drifted somewhat. (If any councilor is reading this, I will know and you will find out firsthoof if the rumors about Nightmare Moon eating ponies are true based on the method I chose to kill you) We had a long conversation after which he concluded that I have ‘issues’ and I concluded that he is wholly under qualified to help me through the guilt of destroying an entire city, having my mind taken over by the very darkest of my emotions and trying to destroy the world twice. -L
Reunion - Chapter 8C No Tia, this is the same pile of manure you fed me a thousand years ago. It is impossible for you to have lived so long without learning to delegate. If you do not have time for me it is because you cannot be bothered to make time. -L Author's Note do we detect bitterness in thy writing, oh princess of the night?
Reunion - Chapter 9C I am sorry. If I had to do that to you I would throw myself at every diversion I could too. Old habits do indeed die hard and I should have kept that in mind before I passed judgment. I do not mean to play the victim but I do not know what other part is left for me to play. I am reduced to a mere recluse without the benefit of knowing what recluses do to pass the time in this age. Please, just give me one night. It feels like my cutie mark is going to fall off my flank from misuse. -L Author's Note I really am trying not to go all Lunar Republic on this and make Celestia out to be the bad guy.
Reunion - Chapter 10C Oh thank you sister! I cannot even begin to express my delight! It will be the most wonderful of nights. I will make sure your ponies love it, it will be endlessly beautiful. I shall look into these video games you suggested later but as for the present I have a night to prepare. -L Author's Note I may do some more with 'gamer Luna' in a little while I even have an OC in mind if i do but i have some other stuff mapped out for the time being.
Reunion - Chapter 12When I awoke everypony told me I had been gone for a thousand years but it felt like nothing more than a deep slumber. Now I feel every lifetime it has been since I have had somepony to call ‘friend’. All that is left is a sister who refuses to trust me and ponies that are scores of generations removed from those I knew. A friend; maybe that is what I need to mend my breaking heart. -L Author's Note something isn't right with the wordcount on this story. I tallied up all the chapters before this one and got 1006 but the story page only says 800-something... whatever have the first diary chapter that's not actually a letter.
Reunion - Chapter 13I tried talking with a guard today. I asked him to only call me Luna but he refused. I assured him I would not object to the lack of formality, I begged, I pleaded with him just to use my name. “The princess has ordered that you should be called princess, princess,” he finally said. It is nothing but a word they are told to call me. Celestia is still ‘The’ princess. I am only a hollow shell she has assigned a title to. I have no power and no authority yet they still insist on calling me ‘princess’. That word has become to me the worst of insults. -L
Reunion - Chapter 14There is a simple truth. It is astounding and crushing to me in its own right and yet its use as a metaphor to describe my situation is uncannily accurate. I wonder have these little ponies learned it in a thousand years, do they know the shame of the night? Have a thousand years of progress revealed that my moon is nothing but a proxy, shining only when the sun gives it light? -L
Reunion - Chapter 16Nostalgia is one of the few activities I am permitted in my gilded prison. I remember the castle of the very first unicorn king. I learned to read and do magic at Celestia’s hoofs, I was her first student. Who is this usurper? And so it slithers back into my heart; an old foe. An emotion I have stopped trusting myself to feel, jealousy. But what would I do with it? Would I steal a place my sister no longer trusts me to have from a pony who has done me no wrong? Jealousy is such a stupid petty thing when looked at critically. -L
Reunion - Chapter 17I remember the first constellation I ever made. It was nothing but a foals hoof painting really. It was just a few stars in the rough shape of a unicorn. No galaxies, no nebulae, just stars. In the sky now it is nothing special but it will always hold a place of privilege in my heart. I still remember the night I put it in the sky. “Daddy, daddy look,” I said holding out my star-chart. “That’s nice, what is it?” he asked. “It’s you silly, come see,” I say dragging him to a window by his hoof. He follows as every parent being dragged by an exuberant foal follows. “Look, look,” I say pointing into the empty night. Joining the moon on her lonely vigil are nine infant stars blinking into existence. I looked at my father to see his smile. He was the first pony to ever smile at the night sky. No longer was the night a thing of fear; a necessary evil so that the world would not burn under the harsh sun. It could have life and light and beauty and I could give it. An eternal destiny from one smile. After the first ever stargaze father saw that I had a cutie mark. Celestia was so jealous. -L
Reunion - Chapter 18Monoceros passed and every unicorn of note was at the castle before the sun set. It was harsh but the fledgling nation needed a king. One who would channel the power of all unicorns and direct the sun and moon in their course through the sky. He had no sons, only two daughters. The council deliberated at length but it was clear from the beginning they would choose his brother over his blank-flank eldest daughter. The dealings of court were never important to Celestia, she snuck out before the first hour was up. As the empty deliberations dragged on and on no unicorn noticed that the sun had already set without a king. As the sun set in the sky it rose on Celestia’s flank. The new king, our uncle, had to make do with raising the moon for his coronation. Though I had made many stars the night sky’s only adornment was its first; a foals crude portrait of her father. -L Author's Note now with a cover image, hope you guys like it. There actually is a constellation of a unicorn called Monoceros that i wikapedia-ed while writing this chapter so you can rest assured that I put a minute or so into researching to ensure that the astronomical data in this fic is correct. I've been trying to do a chapter a day and i guess it is technically thursday in New Mexico so I'll let you guys have this one early, hope you enjoy!
Reunion - Chapter 19Uncle was not happy with Celestia; she was not even allowed to add her power when the heavens were manipulated. By the next century we were only estranged aunts to the royal family. We stayed for centuries gaining and sharing wisdom. For the pegasi I made Polaris to be a fixture of navigation. For the earth ponies I taught the moon her phases so they could plan their plantings and harvests. I tried to find new spells for the unicorns but my talent for creating magic was outshone by one unicorn. He came up with new spells faster than most unicorns could learn them and I was proud to call him teacher and friend. Princess Platinum would have nopony in the royal line more skilled at magic than her. We were exiled for the sake of her insecurity. We returned when the parasprites came and the harvest failed, offering what aid we could. I only saw my teacher and friends in passing before the windigoes came. We could only save a small group of refugees from each tribe before the rest were frozen. I hate remembering. There have been too many friends I have watched die and too many I could not be near in their final hour. I am immortal but I am not immune to death, I am its harshest victim. -L Author's Note it feels like it's been a while since i posted, mainly because yesterday's was at 3AM. so...yeah, have some more family history.
Reunion - Chapter 20There is nothing to do. My memories are always there waiting but remembering countless friends dead is a punishment I would never dare inflict on another. -L Author's Note even by this story's standards this chapter is very short so i will publish two
Reunion - Chapter 21I have her, a name and a cutie mark; Twilight Sparkle with a six pointed star on her flank. Does Celestia intend to make her into an alicorn? Is she to be my replacement, to guard the night as I once did? She will NOT! If Celestia thinks my madness contains the fullness of my power she is wrong. Nightmare Moon may lie defeated but I do not. I will have my night back and neither Celestia nor Twilight nor the power of harmony itself will stand in my way! -L
Reunion - Chapter 22If only I could capture a moment in time and view it preserved forever, but alas one day long from now time will take the memory of Celestia’s face as I break down her door demanding what is mine by rights. We argued for quite some time over the subject. We did not get violent but we did get rather vocal with each other and the room is now in need of some new windows. -L Author's Note I was considering leaving y'all hanging with Luna on the warpath but updating and seeing the viewcounter go up makes my heart sing so have another chapter.
Reunion - Chapter 23It seems I am to be “rewarded for good behavior” and am “permitted” to raise the moon and stars one night per week. Even in her concession Celestia insults me. I am permitted nothing; every night is mine by right! I am not trusted. I must remind myself of that from time to time. One night in seven is a start even if the wording of the decree was belittling. -L Author's Note Sunday must be the day to upload fanficitons. thank y'all for liking, favoriting, and commenting, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.
Reunion - Chapter 25A night pony appeared before Celestia today. According to the fragmented history I was able to glean from the few records I am allowed to see they have disappeared entirely from Equestria for a thousand years. He is here to see me and I hope that Celestia is not foolish enough to refuse him. They would dash themselves against Canterlot’s walls to free me just as they secluded themselves for a thousand years in my absence. -L
Reunion - Chapter 26The utter foal! I am the night, the soft glow of the moon is mine, the shimmer of the stars is mine, and even the aurora of the north belongs to me! They belong to me and she would refuse me my ponies. They will come and make war on Equestria. From every shadow and on the swift wings of night they will come and rip out her guards pretty white throats. How many will they kill before they are stopped I wonder? The sheer weight of three tribes against them will overcome just as it did a thousand years ago but it will be a terrible cost to Equestria. I must admit part of me is tempted to let them make their war for my freedom but it is a selfish and petty thought. I will make peace where Celestia’s fervor in imprisoning me would make war. -L
Reunion - Chapter 28They are dark, violent things my night ponies. But that is what Equestria needed them to be. Earth ponies would give growth, Pegasi would give water, and unicorns would give light and together they would make a nation. But it was a nation beset on all sides by feral wilds that would encroach on its borders and swallow it up were it not for the gift of the night ponies: death. I wish that the creatures of night were not all so tragically violent but that is how it was. I commanded some level of obedience from each of the monsters that attacked at night but as the nation grew I alone was not enough. In the night my ponies would deal death to every threat while I guarded dreams. In the day Celestia and her guard would bask in praise for our actions. -L
Reunion - Chapter 30My last entry has raised my curiosity so today I looked into the conflicts that have happened in my absence. The guard has been involved in surprisingly few conflicts over the past thousand years. Having the pony who controls the raising and setting of the sun and moon as the ruler of your nation tends to lend one a political advantage. There have been a scattering of assassination attempts, none of which met any measure of success. It seems even a ruler as lighthearted as Celestia will have a few attempts made on her life, though if any would-be assassin made it past the guard they would find themselves very much unable to harm her. There have only been a few small border disputes which show a drastically decreasing number of casualties. Equestria has not even lost a soldier in battle for five centuries and the casualties report for the most recent skirmish only reports that a soldier took a pie to the face and recovered the next day. Curious I investigated just what sort of weapon a ‘pie’ was. It is the type usually baked with apples and eaten for dessert. Further investigation into the guards armament revealed that the number of ponies who can make a weapon intended to kill another can be counted on one hoof by not raising that hoof, that is to say there are none. What has become of Equestria? -L Author's Note thirty chapters WOO!
Reunion - Chapter 31Murder rates are near nonexistent. Even the largest cities have averaged less than one suspicious death per year for the last century. I am led to believe a vast majority of these are accidental or victims of circumstance. Many smaller towns and provinces have none to report for their entire existence. It is the same with nearly every serious crime. Police forces are as near nonexistent as crimes, having no real purpose to serve. In the last thousand years it seems Celestia has succeeded in making Equestria into a utopia. War, violence, and crime are all things of the past. There is but one question: In this bright gleaming age sister made is there any place for me? -L
Reunion - Chapter 32Me and sister have always been opposites; my night to her day, my cold wind to her warm breeze. While hers was always a throne of mercy and understanding mine was a throne of judgment. I would not tolerate unanswered crimes to pollute the kingdom I had fought for. What use is a judge when there is no crime? I was harsh, I will not pretend otherwise, but I was just. Whatever the crime I would never descend to giving the victim revenge but would give Equestria justice. But now there is no need for justice, in every corner Equestria has harmony. Perhaps it is a good thing that this student of my sister is to replace me. -L
Reunion - Chapter 33Sister “suggests” I delay my return to my duties until after the upcoming holiday. I see no reason that my return should not coincide with the harvest feast, yet this was no suggestion. It was worded as such yet there was a hardness to her voice as she spoke. I am tempted to ignore her out of spite yet she has been present these last thousand years where I have not. Nopony will know better than her what the harvest feast has turned into and what the implications of the tradition have become. I think this once I will defer to her judgment. After all she is now over a thousand years my elder. -L
Reunion - Chapter 34Mortals are such stupid, weak things. I watched from a balcony as sister’s subjects paraded around the city in all matter of costumes. They were exchanging sweets and candies. It seems to be some new take on the harvest festivals of old, though centered much more on the foals. If nothing else it served to distract me from the rather…grim thoughts I have been having of late. While standing at a balcony holding a chocolate I did have a dark thought though. I could have dropped the treat and killed everypony in the room by the time it hit the ground below. Who would miss these useless nobles. They lord their affluence over even one another with these social gatherings, what pony would miss them? Their conversation prattled on about nothing useful or productive only inflating their own egos. There was one, a stallion with three crowns as a cutie mark that seemed to be an exception. I overheard him talking of some charitable venture for the impoverished in Equestria and abroad. I shall see to it that he is well funded. Discretely of course; I may yet sit in judgment over these ponies, Faust forbid they know I have a heart. -L
Reunion - Chapter 35Tonight is the night. After a thousand years the moon and stars were shepherded across the night by their true mistress. I agreed to put off my return for another week once Celestia explained to me what the ‘nightmare night’ celebration really was. Though I am eager to let ponies know that their princess of the night is no monster, returning to my ancient duty on such a holiday would only warrant more fear. But now this night is mine. Do the ponies notice? Celestia’s nights were passable. Better than that oaf Discord’s, thankfully short, nights. Celestia arranged a ceremony for my raising of the stars. She disappeared a half hour before it was to begin and the guard was doubled, then doubled again. At first I thought they were afraid that raising the stars surrounded by my night guard would reawaken my madness. As the moon crests the horizon musicians play a fanfare and the modest gathering of nobles before me gives a polite hoof stomp. Then night ponies begin parading into the courtyard. There are hundreds; far outnumbering my modest few guards. Whether from fear of the night ponies or disgust at their rough dress the nobles shrink back into a tight circle in the courtyard. When the last of the night ponies enter the courtyard my guard step forward and call out, “Vivas Nactus.” “Vivas Nactusss,” the crowd answers. Rather than loudly roar they hiss their response through their fangs. It is an old salute that fell out of use during my madness. It simply means ‘long live the night’. Even after I have been gone a thousand years, and even after how I used them these ponies still hail me. Truly I am unworthy of their loyalty. I fly down to the courtyard and prostrate myself. It is not a bow or kneeling, I spread my wings across the ground and lay my horn along the earth. It is a gesture of repentance inviting those who will not forgive me to damage my horn or step on my wings should they withhold their forgiveness. As I lay before these ponies I confess every mistreatment of their ancestors I can remember. The head of each family comes before me and declares me forgiven. I rise from the dirt weeping yet I have never been happier. I declare a feast to be held, the likes of which Canterlot has never seen, I call for wine, mead, ale, and cider to be brought up from the cellar. My celebrations have always been much more raucous than sister’s and they only ever end two ways. Either I am forced to replace much of the grand halls furniture or Celestia becomes very drunk very quickly and makes a fool of herself. Whatever may come this will surely be the best night since my return. -L Author's Note this chapter takes some ideas from Luna's Story by Aegis Shield. If you haven't read it i recommend it, it's a good read.
Reunion - Chapter 37If I am to be denied all the responsibilities of my station then should I not revel in my irresponsibility? A foalhood is a fleeting and precious thing. Mine was far too short and far too long ago so I chose today to relive it to some extent. I am surprised Celestia lets me out of my gilded prison and she is surprised I feel that I must ask to be let out. Nevertheless there is a carnival and I intend to make the most of it. Even the grandest of carnivals I remember are outshone by this one. There is food and dancing and merriment everywhere I look. Even the group of guards, a mixture of my own and sister’s, around me cannot prevent foals from chasing each other under my hoofs as they scream with laughter. After a time the sound can be grating to the ear but I must admit it is heartwarming to hear such a joyful din once more. I am a mare of quiet pleasures and the press of the crowd, even stayed by my guards, becomes too much for me. I find a secluded bench and sit for a time. I merely watch as others enjoy the festivities. My warm cape hides the fact that I am an alicorn and braces me against the late fall chill. Though I may not revel in the merriment or take the center of attention like my sister I see my subjects happy and I am gladdened for it. As the sun sets lanterns of all kinds are lit. Many of them were not lit by fire but by some sort of magic. I do not sense any enchantment upon them only the flow of magic through them. I begin tracing the magic to its source and I am led to a solid structure lit up by so many of these magic lanterns that it shines like a beacon. Inside I recognize a young colt. I observed him earlier that day and he seemed to be shy and withdrawn but here he was the center of attention and was even making the occasional boast. One of the group around him would offer a challenge and they would put a few bits in the machine in front of them. It seemed to be some contest of skill which he usually won but even when he did not he seemed happy. There are several very complex spells placed on each of the machines. It is an alluring mix of magic and craftsponyship that even I am impressed by. I did not set hoof in this ‘arcade’ but I have resolved to investigate this new field of magic further. -L Author's Note I've been in a bit of a writing slump lately so after this chapter i may switch to weekly updates. I don't know yet so we'll see tomorrow.
Reunion - Chapter 38Winter is by far my favorite season. With its soft chill and the entire world resting peacefully beneath a blanket of snow it is not unlike a months long night. The only facet of winter I hold no affection for is the clouds. In the day they are like a soft blanket gently shedding their downy snow but in the night they are simply in the way. The weather pegasi have come to a practice of setting a cloud cover and letting it do what it will over the winter months. This is understandable. The winter chill at altitude could be fatal to an unprotected pony so I will not begrudge my subjects their vacation. Yet the clouds hide my best work. There is something about walking a moonlit field in winter. The way the snow catches the light and the whole world seems to take a soft glow. It is a gentle purity that can soothe the soul. Perhaps there will be a break in the clouds and one of my subjects may find this beauty for themselves. I will yet bring the beauty of the night even if it is hidden away. -L
Reunion - Chapter 39I am told that some of Equestria’s larger, more industrialized, cities remain active through the winter months. Canterlot is not among their number. To ease the boredom sister has proposed a snow battle between our guards. It is an interesting challenge. My guard is perhaps overtrained for this friendly mock battle. They have been trained for real combat and will constantly be holding themselves back. Celestia’s guard has a great advantage in numbers but her bloated force will be unwieldy in the castle courtyard. To engage head on will mean certain defeat but sister has far less tactical experience than me. Goading her force into a trap should be foals play. I will accept her challenge. even in defeat it will be something to do other than laze around the hearth. I enjoy reading and studying far more than other ponies but even so it has quickly become tedious. -L
Reunion - Chapter 40Celestia allows me and my force an hour to prepare defenses and one of her lieutenants, Shining Armor, as an advisor. She believes my forces to be at a severe disadvantage. They are not but I am the author of the rules of war and I remember my first tenet: when your opponent makes a mistake, you let them. Shining Armor is as capable as any of Celestia’s guard. He has a specialty in large shield spells and has an unmatched talent for logistics. He is no tactician however. I intend no dishonor to the pony but his tactics range from the blatantly obvious (or honorable as he describes them) to the disastrously foolish. I listen to him berate my guerrilla strategies as we make our preparations. I know he possesses neither subtlety nor battlefield experience. Honor is defending your home and walking away from a battlefield with none of your soldiers lost. Simply lining my troops up and exchanging volleys as he suggests would lead to disaster. We are outmatched in both numbers and range. Celestia knows the terrain but not how to turn it to her advantage. She possesses flyers but they are more suited to flying sky chariots than aerial combat. My formal defenses are modest while snowy traps abound. My victory is all but won. -L
Reunion - Chapter 42It is all but done. Sister believes herself to be on the cusp of victory but she only marches to her defeat. In the sky is a swirling mask of my guard. To her eyes it looks as if the battle for the sky is still being fought in earnest. None of her flyers made it back to report the defeat. Her guard has been bled off to half its former strength while mine have suffered no loss. There is a fort she believes to be my command post. Her guard marches to take it. my flyers pester them from the skies while I carry my ‘advisor’ over and behind the force. Does he still believe himself honorable as he is carried like a foal over his doomed comrades? My trap I set without the need for bait. Celestia believes she will find victory but she will be handed defeat instead. ‘Twill be a glorious triumph! -L
Reunion - Chapter 43Celestia’s force storms the fort I built beneath eaves heavy with snow. A simple heat spell convinces them to release their burden. Celestia and her remaining guard are buried beneath the small avalanche. She is difficult to find in the snow but I am there when she uncovers her head nevertheless. Before she can concede defeat I take my victory by striking her with a snowball. Her guard laughs as they uncover themselves and smiles as they congratulate the night guard on their victory. My guard is well trained and does not break discipline while on the battlefield. As Celestia’s guard offers jovial surrender mine only watch stoically. Victory is mine and yet I still feel as if somehow I have lost. -L Author's Note I go away for a weekend to help my brother move and y'all give all the comments. Sorry for the late submission and I'm glad to see y'all enjoying and discussing my work.
Reunion - Chapter 44The guard returns to the recently refurbished great hall. Officers in Celestia’s guard find their seats taken by the night ponies that struck them down. Celestia suggests that a mixing of the guard might be healthy but this is not for camaraderie’s sake. It is a declaration that the victorious night ponies are more worthy of the place of honor. A thousand years ago Celestia would have had to find another seat for months to come but such declarations of superiority would only be interpreted as a threat from me. I do take the honor of the first toast. When everypony has been served a mug of mulled cider I stand and the room falls silent. “To a battle well fought,” I declare and drain my mug in a single greedy swallow. Celestia alone openly scoffs at the display. I do not care; in drink, feast, and battle I am the night ponies’ superior and I will remind them how and when I see fit. Drinks and words begin to flow and an argument is escalated into a formal challenge. Immediately a ring is formed and the two contestants find themselves in the center. I fly over to act as referee and find a grinning night mare named Moon Shadow and a unicorn named Morning Star. The unicorn is bewildered at the turn of events so for his benefit I read off the rules. They are simple enough to be remembered while intoxicated to the point of blindness. No strikes to the wings(or horn as the case may be) and no biting. The fight continues until one yields or is incapable of doing so. Any severe wounds will be healed after the fight; I will not have my ponies killing one another to satisfy their pride. The challenge begins and Morning Star attempts to say that he will not strike a mare. He is cut off by a blow that gives my own jaw a sympathetic ache. Moon Shadow’s opening volley follows relentlessly with as many insults as hoofs thrown. To my surprise he is not defeated by the fierce attack and manages to push her away. From the look they give each other I am not certain whether they will resume fighting or start making love. It is only for a moment before they both resume the fight. Morning Star attempts to grapple his opponent. He tries to prove his physical dominance without causing any harm while Moon Shadow rains blows upon him. He only tightens his hold and brings his body closer to her to avoid the blows. He is too close for any of her limbs to land any blows so she bashes her head against his. It is an awkward angle and a few clumsy blows render both ponies unconscious. I declare the tie, call for a bucket of water to bring them to their senses, and return to my seat. Celestia gives me a disapproving look but I do not care; tonight belongs to the victors. -L
Reunion - Chapter 46A ‘speech coach’ came to my chambers today. Apparently he makes a career out of teaching ponies what their parents should have taught them. I was tempted to see just how much damage the royal Canterlot voice could do to a pony as I threw him out but I have been gone for a very long time; perhaps I could use some help. If nothing else having him has broken the utter monotony of my life. Sister has been better but I am still only trusted with one night a week and merely a few pairs of night ponies as my guard. I have nothing at all to do. I sleep as long as I can but even my dreams have become dull. This speech coach is as incompetent as the ‘councilor’ Celestia sent to me some time ago. I understand that “tell me how to speak,” is a rather broad and open ended request so instead I simply asked that he sum up the changes of language rules over the past thousand years. He was woefully ill informed as to what exactly the language rules of a thousand years ago were; in fact the only rule he could come up was the nonsensical “Thee before thou except after thine”. I informed him that his ignorance had made this conversation an enormous waste of time and then I realized; I have done little else but waste time since my return. -L Author's Note so after my last note saying i was running out of ideas i sat down and wrote four chapters so daily updates for the foreseeable future.
Reunion - Chapter 48Celestia had a way of seeing to the truth of every matter. In negotiations she was a force to be reckoned with. She always knew what each diplomat really wanted no matter how thickly the veiled the truth. She prevented as many wars as I won and even made a friend of the dragon king. She could see the true intent of a heart with a mere glance. I had so much pain and envy, so much anger and guilt. Why did she do nothing until it was too late? Where was she when I needed my big sister? -L
Reunion - Chapter 49A thousand years. A thousand years and unicorns have yet to develop a spell to end these blasted emotions! My heart is at war with itself I feel betrayed and abandoned yet I am the traitor. Anger, guilt, and self-loathing are a poor mix of emotions. Every time I see sister I do not know if I should shout my condemnation or plead her forgiveness. I have begun to avoid her. -L
Reunion - Chapter 51‘Speaking terms’ sister so eloquently put it. “True reconciliation will only come with time,” she says. Wounds fester over time if they are left untended. Healing injuries is far from pleasant and magic can only do so much. I find that ponies say time will heal when they mean that they can do nothing more. A wound may be cleaned and the dead flesh cut away but only time will tell if it is healing or infection that has taken root. This fevered gash has consumed me once already. Sister says time will heal. I have been given time without measure but that does not mean time is my ally. -L Author's Note 50+ chapters and 500+ views. thats awesome!
Reunion - Chapter 52“Physician heal thyself.” It is an old saying, much older than even myself. I have forgotten its origin and its true meaning, so why does it come to mind? A surgeon plying his trade to himself is near suicidal at best and a doctor doing the same is no less foolish. And yet here I have sat trying to cure my own woes. Physician, heal thyself. Is it some half remembered teaching of a forgotten sage? Physician, heal thyself. Perhaps it is the parting phrase of an old joke. Physician, heal thyself. Perhaps an old taunt when slaying an enemy surgeon. Physician, heal thyself. I think it is the summation of some old mare’s tale; words of wisdom that mothers would cluck to their foals. Heal thyself. This will bother me to no end. But even as the old meaning is lost in time the phrase has been made new. I chant it to myself at times if only to remember that I must at least go out and see others from time to time. -L Author's Note So one of my friends convinced me to start reading homestuck... don't do that.
Reunion - Chapter 53A thousand years is a great deal of time. There is a library full of literature that is completely new to me. There have been boundless advances in every field: mathematics, literature, sciences(studies of flora and fauna, studies of the material world, studies of magic), and even a whole new field of field of magic dealing in ‘electronics’. At least a decade will be needed if not more. A tutor may be required but I am hesitant to ask for one. The ponies Celestia has sent to me have been less than knowledgeable…I am hesitant to have her find me a teacher. I could find one myself if only I were more familiar with this modern world. Therein lies the problem. -L
Reunion - Chapter 55My presence has been requested. It seems captain Sunshine is to take his long awaited retirement. He is a jolly sort, always telling tales of glory and battles long past. These tales mostly involve his ancestors instead of himself. He tells the tales well, though I must guess that it is his storytelling is aided by the flask of brandy that he is rarely seen without. I do not mean to say that he is a drunkard but he often wets his lips before regaling anypony with a story. His cheeks would take warm glow that matched the twinkle in his eye. A twinkle that would always leave when his gaze found me. He does not trust me. He has never treated me with anything less than courtesy and deference but there is steel in his gaze when he turns it on me. He alone regards me without fear or fawning obedience and for that he has my respect. -L
Reunion - Chapter 57It seems I was wrong when I said that Celestia’s celebrations were dull. I daresay I will not forget this one in all of my days. To a casual observer it would appear as if nothing happened, but as is with most events of note one must see through the veils ponies place over themselves. Defiance is oft hidden behind a cordial bow or a polite smile. One must learn to see the hardness behind a smiling gaze and the strain in a bow. The body does not take kindly to bending one’s pride. The celebration proceeded much as I suspected it might. Many ponies, myself included, stiffly honored the Captain for his years of service. The herald walked to the center of the room and announced the arrival of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. The surprise in sister’s eyes was genuine but the smile that followed was not. As her mouth bent to warmly greet the new arrival her eyes asked why she had been disobeyed. “Greetings Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, I am surprised you made it all the way from Las Pegasus,” Celestia called out to the late arrival. ‘Why did you not stay where I sent you? Why have you disobeyed me?’ her gaze asked. I expect Cadenza to offer apology at the veiled reprimand but when she answers there is a hardness in her gaze. “Captain Sunshine guarded me as a foal; I would not miss his retirement party for the world,” her mouth said. ‘You do not own me,’ her eyes said. Rather than match stares with Celestia she introduces herself to me and finds a seat. She is yet another member of this extended family Celestia keeps. It seems there may yet be room in my heart for some affection towards them. -L Author's Note school starts for me this week so i think i will switch updates to a Monday and Friday schedule for the time being. enjoy.
Reunion - Chapter 58Celestia is her usual self. It seems she cannot be content unless she is meddling in the affairs of another. I am not opposed to her idea and as time goes on it will become a necessity but she is a blind mare trying to paint a wall. She wants to begin including unicorns in the night guard. She offers me Shining Armor as the commanding officer for the new force. If nothing else he inspires obedience in those under him but I do not want him. He commands no respect from the night ponies and he will doubtlessly expect a rank similar to his own. The night guard is not large enough to make use of him or give him such a rank. Though Sister seeks to give him away he does not truly belong to Celestia or myself. His first loyalty is to another alicorn. -L Author's Note First chapter since school has started. I hope everyone's classes are going well and regular life is good for people not in college.
Reunion - Chapter 59There is one pony alone in all of Celestia’s day guard that may be respected in the night guard: Morning Star. Sergeant Morning Star has a mediocre record with Celestia’s guard. He has shown remarkable personal discipline yet a poor adherence to his training. His superiors have regarded his tactics as unconventional and dishonorable. I take this to mean they are not entirely stupid and suicidal in nature. Celestia was not fazed by my rejection of Shining, or Captain Shining Armor as he will soon be called. She regarded the information with that half-smile she gets when she is scheming. It is a small, unreadable curve of her lips that has been my bane for centuries. My sister’s games are not always kind. She is planning something. I do not know what it could be but her plan has already been set in motion. I cannot help but believe that I have already played into her hoofs. -L
Reunion - Chapter 61It seems I my abruptness at my last meeting with Cadence has put some distance between us. This is regrettable. Though it is true that the only thing I have in common with her is Celestia’s shadow, she is unpredictable enough that she may throw off Sister’s schemes. For that she has my respect. She is the only pony I have known since my return to be angry with me. Sister’s distrust is based more on what she feels about me than what she feels for me. She is afraid. She worries that an unkind word or a misplaced jest may cause the darkness to return. It is an odd complaint, to say that my sibling will not be angry with me. Yet everything she says to me is cold and detached. I am to be treated delicately until she decides that I can be trusted to withstand a harsh gaze or unkind word without shattering. Cadence’s anger is mostly unfounded and something of a petty sentiment to hold, yet I find it oddly… comforting. -L Author's Note happy labor day everyone, and if you didn't celebrate labor day then happy my birthday. have a chapter.
Reunion - Chapter 63Normally I am content to let them have their shouting match outside of my door, but the stars will be guided through the night by my hoof this night and preparations require silence. Perhaps if these two share one another’s presence without their harsh words driving a wedge between them they will find a softer side to their passion. I have not yet discovered what Sister is scheming. She passes by my doorway with a knowing smile. It is both telling and secretive, and it has grown no less frustrating in the centuries since I have seen it. I have had my chambers searched multiple times and have searched them myself. No search has yielded anything that may be a piece in Celestia’s game. I fear I can only wait and see what Celestia’s scheme yields. -L
Reunion - Chapter 64Winter has passed in only a blink of an eye. The seasons march on uncaring that some may miss the quiet and the stillness that winter imparted. I am to make my first public appearance in a few days (Sister tells me I attended a party shortly after my redemption but I have no memory of the event). It is the night pony’s spring festival. I must admit I am somewhat relieved that I will be among ponies that at least understand me; though the near-worship I receive from my ponies can grow tiresome. Sister regrets that I will not be able to attend the ‘Grand Galloping Gala’. I do not, a night among pompous nobles and reaching vassals would grate on my nerves more than I care to mention. Sister has even promised some “Special entertainment” but in my mind nothing can redeem a night spent among such elevated idiots. -L Author's Note In Equestria Girls it is implied that the Grand Galloping Gala is in the fall but then the timeline in relation to seasons makes even less sense so for the purpose of me not spending hours trying to figure it out we'll just say it's in the spring.
Reunion - Chapter 65The night ponies living conditions are, in a word, meager. There are no earth ponies to put their magic into the crops and make them produce abundantly, There are no pegasi to control the weather and bring water to thirsty crops. There are no unicorns to craft necessities. Of every ten ponies I meet nine work in the fields to keep themselves fed. To field the army that marched on Canterlot the night ponies must have emptied every cave and field in the Foal Mountains, leaving behind only the very old and very young. Even after a thousand years my ponies stood ready to give everything for me. They constantly apologize, saying that their accommodations are unworthy of me. They are wrong; it is I that am unworthy of their faithfulness. -L
Reunion - Chapter 66Moon Shadow and Morning Star are more important than even I knew. The night ponies deserve nothing less than the finery of Equestria. If it were within my power Celestia’s nobles and my ponies would trade places, yet it is not. The night ponies will not accept charity but they will work alongside one they regard as a friend. I long to give them the best of everything, yet they will not accept. If they came to regard other ponies as friends then they would be willing to work together to improve their station. But to end a thousand years of distrust and near enmity is a long and difficult journey. The first step lies with Moon Shadow and Morning Star. -L Author's Note Progress, they say is two steps forward...
Reunion - Chapter 67~~It seems~~ ~~I know~~ ~~He made~~ ~~That drac~~ ~~There are~~ ~~What can~~ ~~how can~~ -L Author's Note one word: Discord
Reunion - Chapter 69This is taking much longer than I thought it would. Just how old are you Lulu? I don’t think I like it as much in your head. Tia’s is much nicer; less battles, death and regret and more schemes. You really were a villain weren’t you? Oh stop screaming! Do I need to go to the sock drawer again? Yes. There. Poor Lulu, you managed to be a bigger threat to the world than me. You should have just asked me and I would have told you that ponies are so much more fun when they’re alive. There, there. Have a nice sock to dry your tears. Those nasty old elements really took it out of you didn’t they. I’m nothing if not a gracious guest, have a little gift from me. There that’s just how I remember you. Oh dear, it looks like Twilight and her little friends are at it again. I hate to be rude but I have to step out for a bit. Don’t you worry I’ll be back, this revenge is far too entertaining to pass up. ;D Author's Note Discord likes it in my head the most. He tells me that all the time, or maybe it's the me being crazy thing.
Reunion - Interlude IMorning Star trudged down the corridor to the guard’s barracks. This day weighed heavily on the night guard’s mind and seemed to slow the world around him. The normal brisk efficiency of the guards around him was gone; it was like they were moving through molasses. Anypony outside of the royal alicorns and the night guard would say that Discord had been put back in his place before he could cause any harm. Nopony else had seen what he did to the Night Princess. He had changed her physical appearance but under normal circumstances everypony would have considered it something of an improvement. Her renewed body had not been seen outside of her chambers. Her meals came and went uneaten and the only sounds to make it out of her chambers were either enraged screams or heart wrenching sobs. Celestia alone understood what he had done to the Night Princess. “She needs time,” she said, but how much time? It had been nearly a full year since her return and her body had still been recovering. Through Morning Star’s mortal eyes everything she did was on a time scale beyond his reckoning. An alicorn “needing time” could take days or decades. The door eased open under Morning star’s magic, its well-greased hinges not making a sound. He made his way to his bed and stowed his armor in his hooflocker. He was tempted to crawl into the warm bed and not leave ever again. It seemed many of his fellow guardsponies had already decided to do just that. Nearly every bed had a pony on it; none were asleep. Everypony had a vacant stare. They were all trying to absorb and to cope with what had happened. Every one of them felt frustrated, helpless, and fearful. Morning Star was not surprised that the night ponies were more affected than the unicorns but he was surprised how much more effected they were. The unicorns were concerned and afraid but the night ponies seemed completely lost, as if in the snap of a draconequus’s claw the ground had disappeared beneath them. Reluctantly he tore himself away from the inviting bed and made his way back to the barracks common room. Maybe there he would find somepony with life in them. He opened the door to find a trail of armor discarded haphazardly across the floor and on the sofa her. When Moon Shadow looked up at him her eyes held none of their usual venom. Normally the slitted pupils narrowed and flashed angrily at him but now they were so wide that they were almost round. She tried to glare at him but the tears coming from her puffy red rimmed eyes and the sobs wracking her body made it impossible. Morning Star didn’t know why he sat down beside her. At a feast he had sat beside her and through some drunken slip of the tongue that he didn’t remember he had angered her enough to knock them both out. She had hated him ever since and being assigned dual command of the night guard’s first mixed squad did nothing to calm their tempers. “Go ahead and say it,” she spat angrily, “say I’m just a useless bat pony.” At those words a flood of memories struck Morning Star: a lost fight and far too much wine, a careless comparison that was less than flattering and, as he had seen, held enough truth to be deeply insulting. “I won’t” he said, looking into her eyes, “ever again.” A blush rose in her ashen cheeks as she turned her head. “Then just go away.” She said. “No,” the word escaped Morning Star’s lips before he even had time to think. She tried pushing him away with a hoof but her overwrought emotions had sapped all of her strength and she only succeeded in collapsing onto him. Morning Star caught her in his forelegs before she could fall to the ground. “I hate you,” She said as tears flowed. His only response was to hold her tighter as she sobbed into his fur. Author's Note What!? A real chapter? Get this out of my fic! seriously though, sappy much? sheesh, I may have to add a romance tag for this one. regular chapters will resume on Monday after the fourth wall has a chance to recover.
Reunion - Chapter 71Regret does not suit a princess. How often would mother repeat the tired mantra to us? Mother never lived as long as we have, Mother never made as many mistakes as us. Mother never took a life, Mother never suffered defeat on the battlefield, Mother never fell to madness, Mother never tried to kill her sister. Regret does not suit a princess. It suits this princess. Had we known Discord would once again be free we would have expected this. He has ever been a most frustrating foe. Though his power is great he presents no mortal threat to Equestria, his war is waged in the mind. Discord’s Vengeance has lain us low, we fear. He did not violate our person other than to restore our body. The same can be said for our mind, yet some things should never be restored. Being forced to relive an eternal life is far from pleasant, especially so for our life. -L Author's Note Haha! I bet you thought you wouldn't see the royal 'we' in this fic, well you were right for seventy chapters so good guess. Depending on if my professors are merciful or not there might not be an update until Friday.
Reunion - Chapter 72Discord: an all-powerful annoyance that brings about the means to his own demise even as he perpetuates his beloved chaos. It is fitting then, that he should be the one that brings the purpose of this tome full circle. We were born many centuries ago. Even with our renewed memory we still must admit with some embarrassment that we have lost count. We were born to the first unicorn king, Monoceros, by his second wife, a pegasus named Sky Dust. We are not Celestia’s twin and neither are we fully her sister. She was born to father’s first wife, an earth pony named Morning Glory. Our wings and horn was attributed to our mixed lineage, but as time wore on that proved to be false. We cannot say with certainty why we were born alicorn, or why we are any different from alicorns like this Princess Cadenza. It has been said that our longevity is due to our connection with the heavenly bodies, but the reciprocal could also be true, that fate has given us a talent as eternal as we are. Father was never ashamed of his ‘half-blood’ daughters. To him we were children of all three tribes, a symbol that would secure his lineage’s rule for all eternity. How right he was. -L Author's Note that wonderful moment when you find out an assignment is due a week later than you thought it was.
Reunion - Chapter 75We tried. After every war an oak was felled and coal was brought up from the earth, a furnace was made and our weapons were cast into the crucible. How many times have we seen blades made into plows? Yet there was always another battle. Beasts came until it seemed nature itself was making war on Equestria. Equestria has many mythical beasts, we have slain nearly all of them when they were not distant myths but very present terrors. Even yet war found us. Servants of gods and demons alike came in their zeal to be honored by dying for their masters. Honor them we did. We cast their honored corpses upon their brethren as we honored them. We hunted their masters. Alters of bone and wood and clay and stone all fell. I have met many a god; few survived the experience. Some regard us as goddesses. We have no need for another title; to list them all would take the better part of a day. Why would we share a title with those we have slain so easily? Some begged for mercy, others attempted to fight. Any number of my guard could have killed them; a warrior that goes without challenge goes without skill. We do not desire to be counted a deity, why would we? We are the godkiller. -L Author's Note bit of a rush on this chapter so apologies for any crimes against the English language. onward to homework.
Reunion - Chapter 76At first it was merely a few outlying settlements. We do not know how long his corruption was present before it came to our notice. The village leaders simply stopped responding to our missives and obeying our commands. Sister already thought our methods were overly harsh, so she decided to calm any rebellion in the area herself. Discord greeted her with his usual bombastic nature, throwing a parade, “From one ruler of Equestria to another.” It was generations before the field he stood on would ever be fit for crops. To combat Discord on any normal terms is an impossibility. He exists within the folds of the universe itself. He is where elements and energy are in flux and so he is never truly where he is. As Celestia turned the field to glass Discord tapped her shoulder and admonished her lack of decorum. It was the beginning of Discord's reign. -L Author's Note the Luna eclipsed chapter(s) should be coming up in around 1-2 weeks, so have fun learning a bit if history about Discord until then.
Reunion - Interlude IIDry Wheat looked out over the field. Yesterday the old princess had burned every stalk of wheat and scorched the earth so badly that it may never grow a crop. Discord had told him not to worry so he didn’t. He had spent the whole day not doing anything and especially not worrying. It had been nice doing nothing. He always worked so hard but he didn’t have to anymore, Discord said so. He used to be an important pony, he made sure the village had bread to eat, and he always worked hard. His cutie mark even showed that. It was a plow being drug through the earth, a mark only fit for a hardworking pony. He had liked doing nothing though, a lot. Part of his mind still argued against the laziness that had overtaken him. Get up, it said. Ponies depend on you, it said. It was drowned out by a voice not his own, you’ve always worked so hard, surely you have earned some rest. The village can find its own food; you don’t need to do anything. “I don’t need to do anything,” he droned as his coat faded from brown to grey. He slowly repeated the mantra, lacking the will to do anything more. A flash of blue caught his attention outside the window. It took him a full thirty seconds to turn his head and focus on the night princess standing in his once bountiful field. She looked down at the scorched field with disdain, as if it were some crude attempt at magic by a rival rather than a display of power that rendered acres of land unusable. “this is why I handle the fighting Tia, you don’t know how to do anything but collateral damage,” she muttered. He shouldn’t have been able to hear her. It didn’t make sense. Discord said things didn’t need to make sense anymore. Discord was always right. He liked Discord. Down the path came the villagers, they had pots, pans, buckets and anything else that might make some sort of impromptu armor. They carried brooms and ladles and a sundry of other items that had no place in the fight to come. Odder yet than the adults were the foals riding their parents back, they were beating out a marching cadence in perfect rhythm on their parents impromptu helmets. Part of Dry Wheat wanted to go find his bucket and a mixing spoon and join them, part of him wanted to get the ponies off his field so he could start healing the scorched soil, most of him wanted to do nothing. He liked doing nothing. Discord let him do nothing. He liked Discord. “Welcome, welcome Princess Luna to the new Equestria,” Discord said from the front of the marching ponies. Had he been there before? Dry Wheat blinked lethargically as the answer to his unspoken question came automatically. Discord was always there. He liked Discord. “Who are you, what is the meaning of this?” Luna demanded. “This is my new Equestria, and I of course am Discord-“ KRAK—KRAK KA-KRAK As Discord spoke his name four lightning bolts struck him on the head. His fur stood on end and his skeleton showed through as his body spasmed uncontrollably. After just a moment too long he fell to the ground dead. It was a shame. He liked Discord. Luna did not take her eyes off of the mismatched body as she looked for any sign of life. “And the Oscar goes to…John De Lancie!” Luna turned towards the voice only to come face to face with the being she had just killed. Discord said some things that didn’t make sense. Its ok things don’t have to make sense. He liked Discord. Luna only lost a second to surprise before she threw Discord into the field. Nopony could pick out a single bolt from the fury that followed. As the column of lightning faded and thunder echoed in the valley Discord tapped Luna on the shoulder. “I’ll let you run away now,” Discord said. Luna scowled at Discord and at everything around her before she reluctantly took to the skies and flew away. Finally the villagers could be alone with Discord. They liked Discord. Author's Note I'm not sure that these are technically interludes but i'll keep titling these chapters that break diary format interludes until I figure out the real name for them.
Reunion - Chapter 78There are laws at the foundation of everything. Every city, every nation has codes of conduct for how their citizens should behave. Carved into the very foundation stones of Equestria are the laws of our nation. Existence itself has laws that everything from the lowliest pebble to the highest of princesses must obey. They are always present and their authority cannot be negated. They define what is and is not possible for all, all except Discord. Celestia was driven off and I laughed. We went to face Discord assured that I would prove myself her better in battle; assured that all would be driven before us. We struck again and again. Our lightning left a pool of glass where Discord stood. Yet even as he was struck down he whispered his offer of retreat in our ear. We did not like it but we accepted. Much more than blind striking was needed to defeat an enemy who was not subject to the very laws of existence. We consulted the scholars and tacticians of Equestria; we found nothing but an old myth that could defeat Discord. As his reign spread our research took on desperate haste but still only the myth of harmony bore any fruit. It seemed fanciful to think that the very foundation stones of existence would be present in some long forgotten cave. As Discord took our seats of power we had no other option. -L Author's Note I'm picturing Discord's Equestria like a surrealist painting or something like that. It leaves you a bit confused and a bit scared.
Reunion - Chapter 80Any beasts that saw fit to interrupt our journey became nothing more than an outlet for our frustration. Through forest and swamp we traveled to find a cave more ancient than the world it sat in. We cannot say for certain how long the journey lasted. We decided not to challenge Discord for control of the heavens until we had a way to fight him. The careful phases of the night we perfected over centuries were nothing more than a joke to him. The moon sprinted through her phases and constellations fought for prominence in the minutes-long night. He was a foal breaking priceless pottery just to see what sort of noise it would make as it shattered. The cave was almost boring. It could easily have been mistaken for any other cave because every other cave was patterned off of it. A few turns into the cave we met the elements. In a way they are thinking and in a way they are not. They are the foundation stones of this world and so every wisdom that will ever pass through this world is theirs. Yet they stay as nothing more than stones, no more thinking than any magical amulet would be. Harmony searched our every thought since our birth. Our memories flashed before us and we knew that they saw. After our every thought and deed had been weighed Harmony spoke. It was a voice if depth and power, like distant thunder; yet it was near and intimate as a whisper. “Honesty,” it spoke and we saw Celestia in a thousand negotiations, always seeing the truth. “Kindness,” it said and we saw Celestia’s mercy and understanding, we saw her every act of leniency to others. “Laughter,” we saw father smile at our stars, we saw a thousand celebrations of drink and merriment. “Generosity,” we saw our every night sky. A precious painting given to all who would look. “Loyalty,” we saw battle, terrible cries of rage and pain. Yet even through all this we did not turn away, we defended our ponies at every turn. “Magic,” We saw Celestia take the tribes, suspicious and mistrustful, and bind them into a nation. The visions faded and before us were a sword and a scepter, each inlaid with three brilliant jewels. We were given weapons to defeat Discord. -L Author's Note It's up for debate about which elements Celestia and Luna took or whether they shared in all six of them but this is a best fit for my interpretation of them.
Reunion - Chapter 81The sword is far from an efficient weapon for ponies. But I must admit it holds an elegance. It can attack and defend at once. In the same motion an enemy’s blow can be turned and countered. Spears and maces may be wielded by amateurs but should they wield a sword they would be as likely to harm themselves as their enemy. It is a master’s weapon. Celestia was ever the master of manipulation. She would pull her threads and others leapt to her will, believing it their own. She did not take kindly to being defeated by Discord. He defied her and with his perversion of free will brought others to do the same. She did not allow me to attack outright. We walked into our former throne room and Discord welcomed us as he would prodigal daughters. At first it was diverting to watch them argue. Discord’s pompous irreverence clashed amusingly with Celestia’s regal decorum. Of course a conversation could only continue so long before Discord attempted his usual antics. With a snap of his claw he did nothing. He looked at the claw in confusion then at our new weapons. He knew them. In an instant fear showed on his face before he set his features. It is an expression we know well; the desperate look of one who can no longer run and instead must turn and fight. He spoke again to buy time but we saw through the guise. The sword did not leave behind a headless draconequus instead a statue of solid stone. -L Author's Note well the worlds greatest evil has been defeated so now we can get on to more important things like candy and such
Reunion - Chapter 82Luna, Sister please. Equestria has languished for a thousand years in your absence. Do not force your subject to suffer without you any longer. I’m sorry it had to come to this but I have heard nothing from your room except for cries of pain and anger. You cannot lock yourself away writing about battles long since won in this book. I know what Discord did to you was painful. I left you an adorkable teenage filly, all knees and joints, and I came back to a mare being forced to relive ancient pains. Please Luna stop stalking the castle and just go out for one night. If not for yourself then for your guard. They are breaking for you, each one. They see your pain as an accusation of failure; we both know they never could have stopped Discord. A thousand years ago you were like this and I did nothing. I sat on my throne hoping another week would see you feeling better. I failed. As a princess I failed and as a sister I failed. I will not fail again. You must get out of those dank chambers Luna. Go and see your subjects, let them lift your spirits. If you will not take my words then take your own, “Physician heal thyself.” C Author's Note I've had this chapter written in my head for a week now but every time I sat down to write it it just wouldn't come out.
Reunion - Chapter 83Only you, Celestia, would believe invading our chambers, invading our privacy and writing in our diary would be akin to taking action. You did fail and we were made to suffer for thy shortcomings. We will not dwell on such dark memories though. Instead of the night of our fall we shall remember the night of our redemption. There stood thy student alone and afraid before us. The elements lay shattered at our hoofs and we stood where our throne had once been. We had won. We had given in to every dark desire a ‘good pony’ was taught to resist and to lock away in their heart and we stood validated in power. For that brief moment our victory was complete. There was nothing thy apprentice or anypony could do to end the eternal night. The glory and bitterness of the moment was cut short by the other element bearers. One by one the elements were reclaimed. Honesty to the orange earth mare, Applejack the farmer. Kindness to the shy pegasus, Fluttershy who cares for animals. Laughter to the pink mare, Pinkie Pie who went from weeping to throwing me a party in the blink of an eye. Ironic, that Discord in his revenge restored a memory I so regret losing. Generosity to the beautiful unicorn, Rarity the seamstress. Loyalty to the brazen pegasus. We had forgotten what it looked like. When it abandoned us more than a thousand years ago we ceased to concern ourself with the hypocrisy of Rainbow Dash’s new necklace. And finally Twilight. What did you do to this filly sister? Often I must calm her troubled dreams as this same scene plays out in her mind. Only it is not us she sees on the dais. It is not our victorious sneer that plagues her night; no it is your disappointed frown. What have you done to her that she fears disappointing you more than the very death of Equestria? Once I was jealous of her place at you hoofs now I cannot help but pity her. We go. Not for ourself but for the mare who sees you in her nightmares. -L
Reunion - Chapter 84Hi. I’m Pinkie Pie. I’m a chicken. Not a real chicken, silly, I’m just dressed as one. BA-BAACK! I mean really, who ever heard of a chicken that could write. I mean I’m sure Fluttershy could teach a chicken to write since she’s like super great with animals but then the chicken would only write chickeney things. BA-BAACK! And who would want to read about clucking all day? Until they got to the part where Fluttershy stared them for being naughty. But then that would just be like, “Nice pegasus angry. Must obey,” or whatever animals are thinking when Fluttershy stares them. BA-BAACK! It must be like what we thought Zecora did when we thought she was an evil enchantress and Applejack got all tiny and cute but I couldn’t tell her because my tongue was all ginormous and I had to get Fluttershy to talk for me except she didn’t want to because her voice was all deep and not Fluttershy-ey. But now Its starting to look like Fluttershy is the evil enchantress who puts you in trances. I should go ask her if she really is an evil enchantress just to be sure. But she reeeaaally doesn’t like Nightmare Night and she might stare me to get me to go away but then I’d know what chickens think when they get stared. BA-BAACK! Then I’ll be in their heads and I can be the chicken-ey-est chicken there ever was. Except Scootaloo, but she’s being a werewolf tonight. Were wolf? Oh right there in the Scootaloo costume silly. BA-BAACK! Ooooo oooo oo oo! Look it’s Pri- wait you can’t look you don’t have lookers. Wait a minute, how do you know what’s going on if you can’t see? Who told you?! Oh right me. BA-BAACK! Anyway, look(Not you look we already talked about that) It’s Princess Luna and she’s not all sorry-I-tried-to-destroy-the-world-ey pants anymore. She’s not really all meany-McMeaners anymore either. She’s more just scary pants now which is weird because she’s not even wearing pants. She did have this awesome cape that turned into bats and flew away but no pants to be found. Except the scary ones. BA-BAACK! I hope she’s not like she was when she was all sorry-I-tried-to-destroy-the-world-ey pants because she fell asleep like five minutes after the party started and then Princess Celestia and Twilight spent like an hour talking about all the kinds of exhausted she was when they could have just said she was tired and kept going with the party but they didn’t and it was soooo boooooring. She was more fun when she was all meanie-McMeaners I mean sure she wanted eternal night and was laughing at us but at least she was laughing. But now she’s here to scare us and it’s gonna be even more fun without anypony being mean. I mean why else would she come in her spikey chariot with her only-a-little-bit-less-spikey guards and be all shoutey and stuff? This is gonna be so much fun! BA-BAACK! :P Author's Note The whole time i was writing this chapter i kept thinking what if Pinkie was doing one of these chicken impersonations also don't worry this is far from the last Nightmare Night chapter. I actually have three or four more planned so we'll be on the subject for a while yet.
Reunion - Chapter 85Should ~~we~~ I put my diary on public display so that all of Equestria may view it? Perhaps Twilight will keep it in her library for all to see. Even with Pinkie Pie’s “Pinkie Promise” that she did not read a word(even the ones she wrote)~~we~~ I am still frustrated with how often ~~our~~ my diary finds itself in another’s hoofs. It does not help that they see fit to add their own thoughts and this is compounded by the permanence spell Discord has placed over it. Nothing that is written may be erased and to destroy the book would cause untold collateral damage. ~~We~~ I am not sure that ~~we may~~ BAH! Perhaps if a certain sister of mine or a castle full of servants, guards, and staff had informed me that Discord’s work had reverted my linguistic habits so that they were as old as Canterlot itself(The old unicorn capitol, mind you, I am several times older than the current capitol.) I may have been able to remedy the situation long before I made a foal of myself in front of my subjects. Even now in all my frustration the presence of these ponies soothes ~~us~~ me. It is a balm that seems to cure every wound. It was these ponies who freed me. They are but children still, yet it was these who took up The Elements. They freed me from ~~our~~ my madness where Sister could only imprison me. Pinkie Pie offers her friendship without reserve, in her own way she was the first to offer it to me. Is such constant exuberance truly in her nature or is it merely a façade hiding a much darker truth? I do not know which truth I fear more. The darkness such a mask would hide would destroy this mare in the end, but for to truly be so full of life and innocence… I fear for her, for all of them. I have seen so much evil; I have been the cause of most of it. Ironic that I should want to protect the fillies that defeated me so easily. They defeated two of the greatest evils Equestria has ever known; their friendship has cleansed me of a madness that brought Equestria to the brink of self-destruction. Yet I cannot help but fear what a dark turn of events may do to them. Celestia will be happy to know that Twilight remained loyal to her despite my best offer, it is a shame that such a prodigy will be wasted on a teacher who only sees fit to give lessons by proxy. -L Author's Note whew... Sorry this chapter took so long Life is really catching up to me right now and school is not really helping me find more free time. I really don't know when I'll be able to write the next chapter. hopefully it will be worth the wait. *Now with edit's thanks for the catches guys and sorry it took so long for me to get around to fixing them.
Reunion - Interlude IIISwish. Of course he would be sweeping the floors, why not? Certainly a degree in electronic sciences wouldn’t merit some more fulfilling work. Swish. Forget dustpans this pile of trash would need a shovel. Swish. The theme music and sound effects of an arcade game stirred Cross Circuit out of his broom-enabled grumbling. There sat Button Mash pummeling some poor NPC into oblivion. Cross Circuit opened his mouth to inform the young colt that the arcade was closed but gave up before he even opened his mouth. It was a scolding he’d given often to the young colt, one that never merited more than a grunt from the engrossed gamer. Cross’s horn lit up and the machine’s system clock sped up in response. Poor Button didn’t even see the fatality coming. “What!? Aww come on!” Button screamed as he reached to put another token in the machine. Cross blocked the slot before Button could put the token in. His eyes followed the hoof up until they found Cross’s face. “It’s three hours past your curfew. I know that because your mother has come and told me when to kick you out three times already. Go home Button,” Cross Circuit said sternly. “Aww, but the game cheated!” “Says the pony who beat my high score,” Cross Circuit muttered under his breath. “There’s no way it could have countered that fast! You’ve gotta let me try again,” Button argued. “…five times,” Cross muttered. “Button,” he said aloud, “If I let you stay here any longer your mom will kill me, go home and hope she’ll let both of us off because it’s a holiday.” “Fine,” the dejected button mash said as he left. Cross returned to his sweeping and grumbling. He had graduated from a modestly sized university in the outskirts of Manehatten a little over 2 years ago and had been lucky enough to get a job at the Ponyville arcade. The peaceful village suited his quite personality even if it did mean his job entailed more than just working with electronics. Swish. “Grumble grumble…darn foal’s gonna get me killed.” Swish. “Darn foals leaving candy wrappers everywhere.” Swish. Cross Circuit didn’t mind foals but did they really have to be so foalish all the time? The entire arcade looked like a battle-zone, discarded candy wrappers made a pile that warranted a shovel instead of dustpan. Swish. With the top layer of candy wrappers gathered Cross could begin working on all the dust and sticky soda spills. Swish. “Oof.” Cross regarded the hoof with a look long since perfected by ponies in the service industry. It told the hoof, “buck off we’re closed,” without risking career ending vocalization. As annoying as its presence was it was a nice hoof. The ornate horseshoe wasn’t plastic or fake. The silvery blue metal was the real deal. Cross could appreciate a well-made costume even if the Nightmare Moon vibe screamed “too soon.” Cross found the sun as bothersome as any self-respecting code monkey(1) did. It didn’t help that his bedroom window faced east. But when it didn’t rise and Celestia went missing he realized something: getting woken up by the sun shining in his eyes, grumbling, turning over and falling back asleep was the most comfortable routine in his life, even for just a day he missed it. His eyes traced up the leg the hoof was attached to. There were few stallions that could match the size of this leg, but none could match the look of it, it was large but not out of proportion; it held a powerful yet distinctly feminine build. His eyes continued upward taking in the polished obsidian vestments, wings, and ethereal mane of night princess’s regal form. Continuing to her face they found her regarding him with a neutral frown. His eyes immediately returned to her hooves as he did a double take of the pony before him. Fancy shoes: check. Jeweled necklace thingy: check. Wings: check. Ghosty mane and tail: check Horn: check. Crown: check. Yep, I’m screwed, might as well die with some dignity. Cross Circuit had always hoped he might meet some noble or another, he even practiced his courtly speaking when nopony was around, but daydreaming about having tea with a count or a duke did absolutely nothing to prepare him for seeing a princess while sweeping the floor. For one thing he never accounted for the broom when he practiced bowing. After confirming that it was indeed Nightmare Moon come to devour him for only pretending to give a candy offering and eating it instead (a truly ridiculous thing to die for, he didn’t even like candy that much) he decided that accepting his fate would be much less effort all around than running through town screaming for mercy. His fearful bow was cut short by his face running into the broomstick still in his magical grasp. After rubbing the sore spot he decided that dying with dignity was overrated and looking pitiful and pleading for mercy was really the way to go. Collapsing on the floor and trembling like a filly seemed appropriate. His fearful gaze once again found the night princess’s face; it did not hold the mercy he was hoping for. Neither did it hold the terrible grin he was expecting. Instead she looked mildly annoyed like… well like she had just walked into an arcade and the pony sweeping up hit himself on the head with a broom and flopped on the floor in front of her like an idiot. “C-can I h-help you?” he asked in a voice that completed his impression of a frightened filly. “Pray tell, art thou the proprietor of this ‘arcade’ establishment?” Her voice was definitely that of a princess, it was unquestionably refined and dignified, although the volume hovered somewhere between ‘painful’ and ‘deafening.’ As the princess looked down at him expectantly Cross Circuit realized he had failed to pick out any words from the overabundance of noise that was the princess speaking. “Um…beg pardon?” he asked hesitantly. As she looked away and grumbled to herself Cross Circuit realized two things: 1. The princess, like him, grumbled when she was not entirely pleased with a particular turn of events. 2. SWEET CELESTIA’S SILKEN BEARD he had something in common with a princess! “Do you work here,” the princess finally said at a much more reasonable volume. “Yes, Your Highness.” “Good, I wish to know how these work,” she said gesturing to the arcade machines around her. “Yes, Your Highness.” Both ponies looked expectantly at one another for a few moments before Cross realized that the princess was waiting on him. “Er… there is a machine disassembled for maintenance in the shop, would looking at it be an acceptable starting point Your Highness?” he asked hesitantly. the only answer he got was a flat stare. Oh…right…she doesn’t know. “Er…yes…one moment please.” He took a moment to dust himself off and cough nervously before making his way to a door marked “employees only.” Cross had never been a particularly skilled magic user but the flurry of levitation he used to hastily straighten up his work space would have landed him in any magic academy in Equestria. He took a moment to nod at the workroom, sparkling more from the fading magic aura than any sort of cleanliness, and went to retrieve the princess. She had the tact not to comment on the highly audible cleanliness that had just occurred and only raised an eyebrow at the disassembled machine on the work table. “This machine has a blown out power transformer. It is a common problem with older machines, they were built with less efficient power systems in mind,” Cross explained. From the mess of crystals and wires within the machine he pulled out the faulty part. It did not have the same translucent color as the other crystals instead it was a foggy white that darkened to yellow around a single black mark on one side. Cross pulled a replacement crystal out of a cabinet behind him and began explaining what each crystalline part did as he connected them to the new transformer crystal. “Every computer,” he said, “from this old thing to the Numerical Wind Tunnel(2) in Canterlot uses these same basic components. “Now unless you have any questions, Your Highness…” a slight shake of the princess’s head told him to continue, “Good then that’s hardware covered. Now comes the fun part,” he said plugging the machine, “Software.” A dashed vertical line appeared on the display with a blocky zero on either side. Two short vertical lines were on the two edges of the screen and between them were the words “insert bit to play.” “Care for a game Your Highness?” Cross asked with a bit ready to go in the slot. “Perhaps you should explain how the game is played before we start,” she replied. “Oh it’s as simple as can be; you control the bumper on the right with this joystick. If I let the ball get past me you get a point, if I get the ball past you I get a point.” “You say that like I will only score by your error,” the princess said with a hint of challenge in her voice. “Well I have been doing this for quite a while.” With feigned innocence the princess asked “Playing these games or taking mares into your work room?” Cross’s cheeks went from their usual dark mint color to a deep red and he found himself very much unable to breathe for some time. When he finally recovered enough to mumble an embarrassed reply and look at the machine in front of him again he found the princess with a smile that tried to look innocent and the scoreboard showing that she was now in the lead. “Oh so that’s how it’s going to be?” he asked wryly. The Princess’s only response was a smirk as the next volley began. As the game continued Cross thought up several forms of retaliation all of which would land him in some form of banishment. He was punished for his lack of attention as the princess scored yet another point on him. To her credit she had held her own remarkably well against a more experienced opponent and as the game point neared she was only trailing by a point. Cross Circuit was in the middle of trying to score the final point when a dark wing wrapped around his head effectively blinding him. He was only released once the point had been lost, he was now tied with the princess on the final point of the game. Unfortunately for Cross his competitive side overrode his better senses at this point and midway through the next volley he swung his hindquarters into the princess’s hoping to distract her long enough to win. Cross’s build could charitably be describes as academic and so when he tried to bump an alicorn with a very significant height and weight advantage he only ended up bouncing off of her. As he stumbled to regain his balance he looked to the display and saw the ball making it past his bumper. He had lost. “Huzzah! We are victorious!” Cross couldn’t help but smile at the princess looking down at him with a smug grin. They exchanged smiles for a few moments before the princess’s grin turned to a confused frown. “We- I am confused. You have lost but you still seem so glad, why?” Cross took a moment to consider the question, he had just been beaten by a pony who had obviously never played any sort of game before, a total n00b by any definition of the word. He should be raging against his loss and her less than sporting tactics but despite that he had enjoyed himself. It was not every day you got to play with a princess. He had expected her to follow all the rules and lose but he had to admit, being proven wrong was much more fun. “I enjoyed it,” he finally said, “It’s not every day you get to play video games with a princess, even if she does cheat a little.” “I did what was necessary to win,” she replied defensively, “It is a concept that few seem to grasp.” Cross bowed low before speaking, “My apologies, Princess. I did not mean to offend you, but might I make a suggestion?” After a stiff nod from the princess Cross continued, “Do not develop a strong interest in these games if you are so concerned with winning you cannot enjoy a game where you are not. I have seen ponies work themselves into a rage against opponents that are simply more skilled than them and there is no point to it, there is no consequence to losing worth being so upset. If you cannot enjoy losing the enjoyment you get from winning will not be worth it.” There was an eerie stillness to the room as The Princess considered his words. Cross dared not rise or even look at the alicorn before him until her voice broke the silence. “Very well, we request that you teach us how to lose,” she said summoning a sizable bag of bits. Cross couldn’t keep the devilish smirk off his face or the challenge out of his eyes when he replied. “Gladly,” he said. The night flew by as he and the princess played every nearly machine in the arcade. They would still playfully try to distract one another during crucial points in the games (even the ones where they were not competing) but each attempt and each game always ended with a smile from both ponies. The pink rays of dawn brought a close to the night’s revelry. “I am afraid I must leave, my sister will be wondering where I am,” The Princess said. She left him with a still very full bag of bits as compensation and climbed into the scariest looking chariot Cross had ever seen pulled by the scariest looking ponies Cross had ever seen. With a short run and a few flaps of their leathery wings they were gone. As they faded into the horizon Cross whispered to himself, “Goodbye Princess… wait, what was her name?” Author's Note HA! And you thought I was dead! or something. I probably won't update again until after thanksgiving but it will be normal chapters that don't take a whole friggin month to write so hopefully resuming somewhat normal stuff soon. (1) Code monkey is a sort of insult/term of endearment for programmers, I couldn't think of a ponified version of it but I figured it would work well enough as is (2) the Numerical Wind Tunnel was the fastest supercomputer in the world until around 1994 so it's my way of sorta-dating the technological progression of electronics in Equestria. I've got this big long headcannon about electronics but it's pretty unneccesary and sorta technical so I'll probably put it in a blog post and link it here later. Cross Circuit is a really weird character to write because he's about 2/3 based on me. The tone of this interlude feels really different to me and I'm not sure if i like it or not. I'm pretty sure it's because this is where my near absolute refusal to take myself seriously meets my inability to write comedy. I did mean for certain parts to be funny but i'm pretty sure some of them will just fall flat on their face.(buh dum tss) I sorta planned on Cross Circuit being a side character but I'm gonna have to see how this chapter goes over with everyone so tell me what you think. Do you want to see more or less of Cross Circuit? I'm thinking of changing the tags on this story but I'm really not sure what i'm gonna change them to. The reason for the dark tag is this story is centered on Luna and my interpretation of her is pretty dark. I hope to have at least some developement in her character so she won't be just 'dark' but I'm not really sure what other tags fit this story, what do y'all think?
Reunion - Chapter 87Mortals are odd things. ~~We~~ I have lived years beyond count yet in their fleeting lifetimes they can find wisdom that must be shown to one such as me. It is a humbling request to ask a child to teach you, even more so to ask a child to teach you to lose. These games are like nothing I have known. There is no consequence to them yet they inspire passion and competition in those that play them. In my madness I lost many battles. In hindsight I am thankful that I did, that the suns still rises to shed light and life on Equestria, yet my losses meant death to those who were most loyal to me. Even as I am thankful for my loss I resent my defeat for the sake of those who died. To lose at these games is refreshing in a way. ~~We~~ I do not always sit comfortably at the center of attention. For centuries my every failure has had consequences that reach across Equestria yet in these games I can lose and it does not matter. These games do not recognize thrones or authority; to them I am merely a player. There is no pretense and no expectation, it is not required that I be excellent and set an example, it is not even required that I am victorious. It is a comfort to know that failure can go without consequence. -L Author's Note ***sorta spoilers for episode 1&2*** So apparently the cannon timeline is at 1 year in now...yeah....and I thought it didn't make any sense before. hopefully the writers building a season long adventure arc and establishing a timeline means they're going to stick with it a bit more instead of skipping around the seasons for the sake of episode plots. So that's this fic's first official break from cannon, the timeline just isn't right. ***actual episode 1&2 spoilers*** So right now i'm thinking the flashback where we see Luna transform into Nightmare Moon is after some time of civil war otherwise shoutout to Tyrantlestia for banishing her sister for a thousand years after two minutes of rebellion. Celestia and Luna getting the elements didn't quite go how I wrote it but for a total shot in the dark I thought I was pretty close granted I had nothing on the whole tree of harmony thing but here are some of the things I got right: Celestia and Luna don't have the elements before Discord and it's his reign of chaos that makes them need to go get them. Celestia and Luna are wearing their crowns in every flashback suggesting that discord's reign is an interruption to theirs. I can't really pick out the other five but Celestia did have magic so i got that one right. Overall i think my speculation was pretty close to what's been established in the premier. sorry for the weird hovertext stuff I tried to format it as two big blocks of text but these the [ spoilers ] thing is silly and will only do one line of text at a time.
Reunion - Chapter 90It is unnerving; last I recall working in my study I could not hear myself think for the guards arguing outside. Now it seems they have run out of insults to hurl at one another and the silence, as they say, is deafening. I bid them to attend me and go to the gardens. We walk in the moonlight for a few minutes. They are a few paces behind me, closer together than two guards would normally walk yet still not close enough. When we come to a fountain I command them to stay until I retrieve them or until their watch comes to an end. I move out of sight then double back to watch what they do. The night is elegant and beautiful, one of my best since my return. It is not the stars that fill his eyes. I am not jealous when he finds more beauty in the mare falling asleep on her hoofs than he does in my night sky. From the look of her it has been days since she last had a restful sleep. “Are you alright?” he asks. She shivers at the autumn chill as she answers, “Yeah I’m…I just haven’t been able to get to sleep lately.” “That’s not like you, what’s wrong?” She shivers as she blushes and looks down. “Please, can we not talk about it?” He does not talk. He walks over to her and puts a hoof around her shoulder. After a few moments she leans back into his embrace. It takes only minutes for her to fall asleep and I know that nothing more will happen between them tonight. I leave them there, with the dawn they will return to the barracks but I can only hope that something will be different between them. -L
Reunion - Chapter 93I would have hoped that the element of Generosity would have better sense than to look up to these selfish twits Celestia calls nobles. Bah! They are a degradation to the word. I regret ever letting my order of knighthood be associated with these arrogant fops. They fought with might and bravery unmatched. It is on the foundation of their actions that Equestria stands secure. These nobles are an insult to their titles. They are not worthy heirs to my knights. Why does Rarity admire them so? Harmony itself cared nothing for titles and nobility. Among my saviors are a field laborer and a weather pony. Should any of the bearers ask to be rewarded I would see to it myself that they want for nothing. They are honorable ponies content in their relative poverty and she would rather be among this den of petty thieves? I know… I have experienced how easily generosity can fade to jealousy. These petty foals will drag her down; they will crush her and they will abandon her. Celestia has done her no favors housing her in the castle. She is now in the gaze of these nobles and she is a sheep among wolves. She belongs in Ponyville not among this filth. -L Author's Note So i went through and re-wrote the first twenty or so chapters, hopefully they fit the 'Luna voice' I've developed a lot better.
Reunion - Chapter 95It seems I have underestimated Rarity to some degree. I knew she was making a dress for Twilight but I did not expect something so plain. I expected an impractical riot of colors that seems to be the height of fashion in Celestia’s court yet what she made was simple and practical. It is perfect for a pony so… academic as Twilight. It may seem a simple gesture but amongst these ponies there is no such thing. A dress is not simply a dress it is a statement about the pony wearing it and in this case the pony who made it. Rarity risked all the popularity and position she had gained these past few days to give her friend something she would truly appreciate rather than something that would increase her own popularity. A few well-placed words and Twilight’s dress goes from being a ‘commoner’s’ attire to the height of fashion and Rarity is flooded with orders for them. If these nobles truly are so weak willed perhaps this Fancy Pants can be recruited to discourage some of their more grating habits. -L Author's Note I probably won't update again until next Monday, I've been out of town visiting people and i don't always have an internet connection.
Reunion - Chapter 96How idle I must have become, that the trivialities of a passing visitor merit so much of my attention. The only purpose I have found for myself in this age waits on others. Perhaps…perhaps the castle can acquire some of these ‘video games’ I so enjoyed in Ponyville. -L Author's Note Sorry about the wait. I've been having some serious writers block as far as the next few chapters I want. On the plus side I did write ahead a little bit so hopefully once I'm through the next few chapters things will pick up some.
Reunion - Chapter 97The cost of this endeavor is simply staggering. The machines themselves are costly enough but installing the wiring necessary to run them, even to a single wing of the castle, is enough to burden the royal treasury. Surely there must be a way to generate the power required by these machines from within the castle. I set the blazing stars in the night sky by my own power. Providing the energy necessary for a few machines should merit no challenge yet I have no means to do this. This problem should be easily solved yet I have no way to approach it. There must be something. Perhaps another visit to that Ponyville Arcade is in order. -L Author's Note NO WINDOWS I DON"T WANT YOU TO UPDATE!!
Reunion - Interlude IV“Another day, another bit,” Cross Circuit said as he locked the door to the Ponyville arcade. Behind him he heard the clatter of hooves and cartwheels against the packed earth coming to a stop. There was only one pony he could think of that would be riding around in a chariot in the middle of the night: The ruler of the night, the sister of Celestia, the former Nightmare Moon, her Highness Princess… something. He really had meant to find out what her name was but it had always just seemed an awkward thing to ask. Thankfully she had an abundance of titles he could use before it became apparent that he didn’t know her name. “Good evening your Highness,” He said as he turned and bowed to the alicorn sitting regally in her dark chariot. “Good evening my subject,” she said in return as she dismounted the chariot. Cross Circuit arched an eyebrow at the unicorn in dark armor and the third bat-pony-night-pegasus-guard-thing that followed after her. The unicorn regarded everything around him with a neutral frown while the bat-mare looked back at Cross with a dangerous gleam in her eye. “I am seeking to have a few gaming machines installed in Canterlot Castle and thought it best to consult with you before I made my decision,” The Princess said breaking the silence. “Of course, you Highness, step inside,” Cross said before unlocking the arcade’s front door and opening it for the princess. The two guards bustled through the door and began examining the room before Cross had the door opened completely. Cross gave a questioning look to the Princess but on seeing her neutral expression shrugged off the odd behavior. It seemed this was standard practice when dealing with royalty. After receiving the all clear from her guards the Princess made her way into the arcade followed by Cross. “You’re more than welcome to turn on the lights you know,” he said as he flipped a few switches near the front door. The nocturnal ponies inside flinched as their eyes adjusted to the light. Cross noticed the bat-pegasus mare’s slitted pupils dilate in wonder as game displays activated one by one and title music began to play. The other ponies in the room watched with half hidden smiles as she cautiously approached the nearest machine. With a tentative hoof she touched the joystick in front of her. She jumped back as the screen in front of her flashed from its title sequence to black with white text reading, “insert bit(s) to play”. “Is this really what unicorn magic can do,” she wondered aloud. “It’s a bit of everypony’s magic, really,” Cross said. “The crystals and minerals are grown by earth ponies, the programs are enchanted onto them by unicorns and the whole thing is powered by pegasus lightning.” “Oh,” the bat mare said, downcast. Cross looked at the princess trying to figure out the mare’s rapid change in mood. The Princess’ features quickly settled into a neutral mask but for a moment Cross thought he saw a flash of guilt across her face. Confused cross looked at the unicorn guard only to find a stern frown. “I’m sorry if I said anything to offend you,” he said turning back to the bat mare. “It’s nothing,” she said turning away. Cross gave the unicorn guard a helpless look but only received a shrug in return. If he did understand why his fellow guard was upset he didn’t know how to cheer her up. Cross looked to the Princess, hoping to find some clue of how to cheer the distraught guard, but she still wore her neutral mask. He considered going outside and asking the two other bat pegasi strapped to the chariot for some advise but the would likely be about as much help as the others had been. “You had some questions for me, your Majesty,” Cross finally said breaking the awkward silence. “Yes, perhaps we should discuss them in your office,” the Princess said, already headed to the back area. Cross nodded and followed. His “office” was at least more presentable than it had been the last time the Princess had seen it. The last few weeks of pre-winter chill had kept parts from overheating and all but a few of the arcade’s usual patrons at home. Come to think of it, it’s been a while since a few of these games have even been played. As he passed by the counter Cross pulled a small bag of bits out and turned to the two guards. “I am sorry that I’ve upset you,” he said levitating the bag over to them, “Please play some games on me.” The bat-pegasus caught the bag with a sad smile. She was still far from happy but Cross hoped that he had at least lesson her dour mood. Cross turned back to find the Princess watching from the back room with a small smile of her own. As he approached she summoned a scroll with and laid it out on the work table. “Canterlot castle has none of the equipment or infrastructure necessary for gaming machines. I received an estimate and although a thousand year’s interest has left my own accounts overflowing I thought it unwise to spend such a large sum without consulting somepony more knowledgeable than myself.” “I’m flattered Princess,” Cross said as he looked over the document, “But I’m not really the pony to ask about this sort of thi…” Cross couldn’t believe his eyes, the first sub-total alone was more money than he’d ever dreamed of. There were more zeroes behind one of the numbers than bits he had made this week. These kinds of numbers he had only seen with statistics spanning years of production and hundreds of ponies yet here before him was a princess asking his advice on a single decision that involved this amount of money. “Ahem,” the princess cleared her throat and shifted the scroll on the table. Cross picked his jaw up off of the table and wiped a line of drool off his chin before looking up at the Princess sheepishly. “I’m sorry Princess, that number is staggering. There is no way installing wires should cost half of this, not even in Canterlot.” “Then it is as I thought,” The Princess said, “Is there some less expensive way to accomplish this?” “You could build a generating station and fund it for a century with less than this!” (“Get him!”) “Just as I thought,” The princess said excitedly, “If that is your recommendation I will have construction started at once.” (“Get him!”) “Wait, Princess,” Cross tried but the Princess seemed caught up in her train of thought. (“Get him!”) “Powering one machine, even an arcade of machines will be nothing for me,” The princess continued, (“Get him!”) “I raise the moon each night, (“Get him!”) I awaken the stars to paint the sky, (“Get him!”) and it was our power an age ago!” The Princess said rearing up onto her hind legs. “Get him, get him, get’mget’mget’mAHHHH!!!” A mare’s voice yelled from the main room accompanied by the furious din of horseshoes franticly tapping on plate armor. Cross exchanged a quizzical glance with The Princess who stood as if she were about to order ponies to charge into battle in all but the confused look on her face. Outside in the main room of the arcade the unicorn guard stood at an arcade machine furiously mashing buttons and hiding behind him was the bat-pegasus mare yelling incoherent encouragement and nervously tapping on his armored back. “Will you stop that,” He hissed over his shoulder. As he turned back he caught sight of Cross and The Princess looking at him and his fellow guard. With drilled precision he turned and saluted, dropping the bat-pegasus off of his hindquarters and removing the pony-shield from between her and the terrifying animated dragons. “AAAAAEEEEE!” The mare screeched from the floor as she backed into the next row of arcade machines. “Sergeants report!” The Princess barked cutting off the mare’s screech. The mare rushed to her hooves and gave a still trembling salute as her companion spoke, “Played a game called ‘Canterlot Defender’ Mistress, seemed appropriate.” “And.” “Apologies for the noise, we got a little more immersed than we should have. Won’t happen again.” “See that it does not,” The Princess said as the stern look on her face faded to a bemused smirk. “You may continue to avail yourself of the arcade but see that you do not make nuisances of yourselves.” “Yes Mistress,” they said in unison. As Cross and The Princess turned back to the work table he had to stifle a chuckle at bat-pegasus’s antics. “It’s like she’s never seen a video game before,” he thought aloud. “Excuse the interruption,” The Princess said. “Now, where were we?” “Ah, I was going to tell you how inefficient unicorn magic was at powering electronics. A team of unicorns has maintained a constant powered circuit for three hours before but they were all exhausted for days after. It would be much better to have some pegasi from your guard charge a crystal with lightning and use that as a power source.” “I see,” The Princess said she examined the scroll on the table, “Can you speak as to how much these crystals might cost?” “They are not cheap by any means,” Cross said, “Rock farms have trouble keeping up with demand so when there are components for power converters on the open market they can go for hundreds of bits but that’s nothing compared to this,” he finished, gesturing to the huge numbers on the scroll. “I see your point.” “Actually I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t already one in Canterlot, castles are supposed to be self-sufficient aren’t they?” “In theory yes,” The Princess said with a dry chuckle, “but Celestia was never very skilled with tactics. Just look at what their playing,” She said gesturing to the guards hunched over an arcade machine, “centuries ago the one who defended the nation was not the one who appeased dragons but the one who slayed them. I doubt the castle could survive a month of siege. I shall look but I am not hopeful, now what else may be required to power these machines?” Cross sat there with his jaw slightly agape. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard, sure she was a princess but nopony said anything like that. “Ahem.” Perhaps it was just some cultural relic from a thousand years ago. She was doing well adapting to the new world but it would take years to iron out all her mannerisms so she could blend in. “Ahem!” Then again she was the Alicorn Ruler of the Night; she didn’t blend in, she shaped the world around her. Still was this something that Cross wanted to see his world shaped into? “AHEM!” With an eloquent “Bwah,” Cross was pulled out of his thoughts The Princess’s cough inches from his face and none too gentle prodding of her hoof. “Are you well?” The Princess asked. “I’m sorry it’s just that well…” Cross said blushing, “nopony ever does that.” “Does what?” “Criticizes Princess Celestia, or even questions her judgment really. The only thing I’ve heard about her that wasn’t praise was some colt talking about an article in some gossip magazine.” The Princess regarded Cross with the same neutral mask she so often wore but he could sense a sternness that had not been there before. Even when barking orders to her guards like a drill sergeant she seemed less cut-from-stone. “It is good that I am back,” She eventually said in a low voice. “A ruler that walks without being questioned walks on the road to tyranny. Celestia has ever been skilled at portraying an air of perfection but any ruler will err, even one as kind as Celestia. If nopony remembers her mistakes it is because she has seen to it that they forget. “When I return to Canterlot Celestia will be brought to account for every bit given to appease an enemy, for every inch of territory not fought for, and for every year of this past millennium my little ponies have suffered in solitude for her tendency to sweep her mistakes under the rug! At least I have the bravery to put mine in the grave.” Cross wondered at her words for a moment. “My little ponies” she had said. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the bat-pegasus mare cautiously examining another arcade machine. “It’s like she’s never seen a video game before,” he repeated again to himself. The Princess’s ponies, solitude, the bat-like wings, the slitted pupils, the fangs; it all made sense. In his few prior experiences with the royal guard they had stood stoically waiting to react to anything but these night guard did not wait. They watched him from before he even knew they had come, they searched out the darkness daring anything to be a threat, their sleek, dark armor did not gleam in the sunlight, boldly declaring this place guarded from all threats, it searched out the shadows, seeing but unseen, ending any threat before it had a chance to act. These were nothing like Equestrian guards because they were not. “Your guards, they aren’t from Equestria are they?” “Not as you know it,” The Princess replied, the previous steel in her voice replaced by a quiet sadness. “My night ponies were once Equestria’s army. An entire tribe that devoted itself to protecting the other three from all threats because I bid them to. And for a thousand years they exiled themselves because I was exiled. For a thousand years of prosperity and progress Celestia left them behind.” “They- they’re a new tribe? I thought those wings were just some disguise or enchantment on the armor. I-I had no idea.” “Then we hid well,” Cross heard a mare’s voice say behind him. “We belong only to the night. Our loyalty and our lives are ever yours. Vivas noctuss!” the ba-night pony (Cross mentally corrected himself) hissed with a salute. Cross looked back at The Princess expecting to see her heartened by the show of loyalty but instead found her visibly saddened. “An alicorn knows the land they rule,” she said. “Celestia did not find you because she did not look. When I return to the castle I will have words with her but for now I have been wanting to play these games again for some time, would you be willing to play a few with me?” The Princess asked as a gleam of excitement broke through the gloom of her sad expression. “I thought you would never ask.” Cross said with a sure grin. Author's Note Bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh. Writing an especially long chapter(for me) and having writers block through most of the process is no fun.hopefully after this I can get stuff written in something resembling a timely manner and not have any big breaks in a story that publishes short, frequent chapters. I tried some stuff with word sizing in this so let me know what you think. and yes the two guards are Moon Shadow and Morning Star I'm not throwing any more background OCs in this thing. *In defense of Celestia* I was a bit hard on Celestia in this chapter and although I plan on giving her a bit of a defense in the next few I have a difficult balance to maintain here. Luna needs to be a balancing point for Celestia somewhere along the line but in the show Celestia and especially her governing decisions are presented as infallible. I don't mean to go after Celestia like this but I need for her pedestal to be a bit shorter so she fits into my characterization of her...if that makes any sense to anyone besides me. But don't you worry Celestia fans, she has her reasons.
Reunion - Chapter 99Of all the methods of governance Celestia has brought to Equestria I must commend her bureaucracy above all others. Not a bit in a thousand years has been left unaccounted for. Where my way to more explicit histories has been barred nopony thinks spending ledgers worthy of redaction. There has not been as much lost to the coffers of my enemies as I would have guessed. I suspect the game my guard played where they were throwing jewels away to dissuade dragon after dragon may have been somewhat of an exaggeration yet the losses of Equestria to Celestia’s pacifism have struck several blows to our nation. I stand amazed at the progress that has been made in this past millennium yet I wonder how much more could have been made if Celestia had not crippled the nation with the burden of her appeasements. I had never thought my sister a coward. She is a stranger to battle, yes, but in her own way I thought her brave. Now that it is laid out before me how much she has spent to avoid battle when I am not there to defend her I see her fear. She was too afraid to face her enemies and she was too afraid to seek out my Night Ponies. It seems that once again I find myself alone in Equestria. I am the only one willing to hold the great Princess Celestia to account for her cowardice. -L Author's Note I feel like I should be a lot busier than I am right now. I don't know if I'm just being super productive or if I've got a lot of stuff that I'm just completely forgetting about. anyways yes another chapter that's being ridiculously hard on Celestia but don't you worry, next chapter we see that the sun still has some fire in her I'd say this is early winter of season 2 in my attempt-to-make-sense-of-the-canon-timeline timeline and I wouldn't count on there being too much content for the winter because I'm sorta excited for the upcoming spring of wedding bells and bugs (Late spring really but who's counting).
Reunion - Chapter 101So Celestia has some fire in her veins yet. How long has it been since she has wounded me through intent and not through negligence and neglect? In truth I am more apprehensive than wounded. It is hours since I would normally be asleep yet I can only await when Celestia’s court comes to a close. The last of her petitioners will walk out, she will dismiss her guard and attempt to soundproof the room. She will descend from her throne and meet me in the middle of the room; we will both remove our crowns for what is to come is not between princesses but sisters. We will fight as only sisters can fight and the mountain beneath us will tremble at our fury and all of Canterlot will feel our displeasure through the ground beneath them. As our argument draws to a crescendo Equestria will quake to its farthest reaches and everypony will feel the mutual fury of the immortal sisters that govern it. I find it difficult to wait, this conversation is much more than a thousand years overdue, yet it is these final few hours that are the hardest. -L
Reunion - Chapter 103“YOUR TAIL’S JUST A BLOB!!” Celestia shouts as she brings her hoofs down on the stone beneath her. My sister’s beauty has been compared to that of a swan. Long shapely limbs, pure and white, ever moving with grace and charm. If she is a swan right now that swan has been turned on its back and is flailing about desperately trying to right itself. Her uncut main and tail are in disarray around her the gentle ethereal wind they ever waft on has turned to something of a cyclone. Her long limbs flail about awkwardly in her anger. It is a rarity to find an event so grand that Celestia will dress for the occasion but nopony, save me, has ever seen her so exposed. In all fairness my appearance is no better but at the sight of Celestia stamping her hoofs in anger and name calling like a filly in the middle of a tantrum I cannot help but laugh. It starts out as a snorting giggle that is only increased by the look of confusion and anger she gives me. Soon the sound of my full bellied laugh is accompanied by Celestia’s giggles. As bright and burning as it was moments before, our anger gives way to mirth just as powerful. I collapse to the floor, no longer able to support myself as laughter wracks my body. Celestia is soon to join me. “You looked silly Tia,” I say after laughter has faded to sporadic fits of giggling. “Not as silly as you, Lulu,” she tells me in return. I smile up at the marble ceiling for a time. Every grievance I had had with my sister for more than a thousand years had been aired this day yet even as our anger had faded and the reasons behind it had run out we were still here, together. We had ripped every piece of verbal armor off of one another. In our mutual anger we exposed every dark secret and sought to use them against one another. Now with nothing left between us I have never felt myself closer to Celestia. “I missed you,” She says as she wraps her hoofs around me. I missed you too. -L Author's Note I planned for the last 3 chapters to be all in one chapter but that didn't quite work out. I still wanted all of the resolution to this fight between Celestia and Luna to be released at once so that's why I'm doing this all at once. anyways happy reading
War of Shadows - Chapter 105Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
War of Shadows - Chapter 106You know Luna, you are absolutely adorable doing your little dream tricks and making your little speeches as a filly. C Luna stared at the open book before her. It was far from the first time somepony else had written in her diary. It was far from the first time Celestia had written in her diary but it was the first time in a very long while she had been addressed in such a gushingly teasing tone. Try as she might Luna could not keep a sullen pout from her face as she reread the short entry. “I am not adorable, I am the night.” Author's Note ...my attempt at comedy everybody.
War of Shadows - Chapter 107Prophecies are frustratingly vague at best and prone to misinterpretation at worst. A thousand years after the prophesy of the return of Nightmane Moon was given I had all of Equestria on watch for what horror would be unleashed. A century later I was imprisoned in the moon. Canterlot surrounded by a dark angry cloud. There is no clear threat this prophecy speaks of but I can feel the malevolence of the swarm and know it means harm to me and my subjects. I would have Canterlot prepared. I would have the city bristling with enough weapons and magic to slay ten thousand dragons but Celestia will not allow it. She cites a thousand years of peace as defense for her pacifism but she knows nothing. The world watched our bloody civil war in terror. Word spread to the four corners of how the paradise of Equestria had savagely bloodied itself. How I had bloodied it. For centuries we were feared and for centuries Celestia’s platitudes staved off the advances of our enemies but this prophesy speaks of a very near day when a conqueror will set their eyes on nothing less than the whole of Equestria. If Celestia will not allow me to train her guard in earnest then I must ensure that my own stands doubly ready for the coming storm. -L
War of Shadows - Chapter 108Cadenza is no help. She is as enamored with peace as Celestia ever was. Capitan Armor took a more moderate view but he is still skeptical. I will have no help in convincing Celestia of the coming threat. Even now I can feel it, this creeping darkness, coming closer every day. It may be slowed by winter but it is not deterred. It will come, Canterlot will be assaulted and I am surrounded by ponies to blind to do anything about it. Very well, the princess of the night has not forgotten her long absent subjects. Equestria will have an army to stand against this threat with or without Celestia’s approval. -L Author's Note Finding time to write updates is easy when you decide not to go to class!(Don't worry it's a bunch of crossover from other classes I've taken)
War of Shadows - Chapter 109Celestia was disappointed when I told her I was wintering with the night ponies. With our disagreement she fears our reconciliation will be a short one. I attempted to reassure her but she will still find the time to worry and fret over me every moment before I leave. She has spent centuries mothering an entire nation and now I find being the center of such attentions to be a daunting prospect. If she tries to tuck me in or read me a bedtime story she will find out for herself what it is like to be imprisoned in the moon. -L
War of Shadows - Chapter 110I will not deny Celestia her break. She has worked hard for the past millennia and she is deserving of some rest. It appears I am found worthy of taking up some of her more mundane work while she is… otherwise occupied. I can go for some time without sleep and so for a time I did not mind her near constant vigil over me. Now I find myself yawning and blinking away sleep with the rest of Celestia’s staff as I sit and await some matter of justice important enough for a princess’s ear. My departure cannot come soon enough. -L
War of Shadows - Interlude VPrincess Luna did not approve of the resplendent golden plate armor that Celestia’s guard wore for a number of reasons. On most of these I agreed with but they did have something going for them, they were at least comfortable. Not that the dark armor of Luna’s guard was uncomfortable but a guard standing before the throne room fidgeting nervously looked and felt that much less ridiculous in gold. At least I think so. “You may enter,” The white earth pony attendant said between yawns. The two night ponies strained against the massive doors as they slowly creaked open. Normally two unicorns would be manning the doors but there were only a few in Princess Luna’s guard and they were all nearly exhausted from their near constant training. Sitting the throne was Princess Luna, in all her regal beauty, dozing off. I marched to the throne with his noisiest parade march, hoping it would wake the princess. Thankfully by the time he reached the throne she was yawning awake and grumbling about Princess Celestia’s overly plush throne. “Has the dawn come already?” She asked. “No Princess, it is only three hours past midnight. I was actually hoping I could ask you something that was…er…personal,” I finish lamely as I rub the back of my neck with a hoof. Princess Luna raised an eyebrow in surprise before rising to her feet. “Walk with me,” She commanded softly. The soft clip clop of our shod hooves was the only noise between us as we made our way to the castle gardens. The bright, moonlit night illuminated the gardens in a soft glow as we made our way through the hedges and statues. Stopping before the statue of Discord Luna regarded the twisted draconequus coolly. “Er…Princess?” I ventured breaking the silence. “You had a question for me?” “Yes, umm, what exactly is the night guard’s policy on…fraternization?” I ask trying to keep my voice steady. “It’s forbidden while on duty of course but nothing was ever explicitly stated about what we are allowed to…” “…You want to know if it is permissible for you to court Moon Shadow.” “Yes,” I say, embarrassed to have my intentions seen through so easily. “The night ponies, like myself, have been isolated for a thousand years. As unswerving as their loyalty to me has been, so has their loyalty to tradition. I have done what I can to reintegrate myself with this new world but a culture does not change so readily as a single pony. “Courting a night pony is not so simple as obtaining their affections. You must have the approval of her parents and her entire clan.” The Princess had told me what I would have to do but in all that she hadn’t answered my question. “Does that mean I have your approval?” I ask. “Remove your helmet,” she commands. It is uncommon for a guard to be given permission to break uniform in front of a Princess, even less common for them to be commanded to. But if there is one statement to be made about Princess Luna it is that her guard is not Princess Celestia’s guard. It’s not that the day guard was untrained, but compared to the savage pragmatism of the night guard they would serve only as a distraction. It was only the hope that these differences extended from tactics and into policy that brought me to ask. With these thoughts going through my mind I remove my helmet. “A thousand years ago the night ponies led the charge in my rebellion and they paid with their lives. Even in my madness they followed me without question. They are my children and the degree to which I am indebted to them cannot be understated. Should you bring harm to one of my ponies you will face the fury of the night. But you will not do that. I chose you for my guard because you are the best and you will show the fullness of that excellence in the way you treat the child of mine you seek to court. “And with that,” the Princess said abruptly, “Go with my blessing,” I was too shocked at the Princess’s sudden change in tone that I didn’t notice her leaning down to bless my forehead with a kiss. “She is a lucky mare,” The Princess says before walking away. Ugh, this is so boring. Flying was usually so much fun. The feeling of air under your wings, the complete freedom of being able to go wherever you pleased, it was incredible. Formation flying however was without a doubt the single dullest thing in existence. Going to Canterlot hadn’t been nearly so dull. The entire army flew with a nervous energy. We had seen the night overtake the day. Our Princess was back and she needed our help. We flew with a single purpose, battle. We were vigilant, we spotted the pegasus long before he spotted us. Even then we took him down expecting an ambush. The damn fool nearly got himself killed before he let us know he was a messenger. He was lucky command wanted him alive. After that he led us into the capitol and we met her. I had lived my whole life being told legends about the sun hag and our night princess but what I saw brought them all into question. She stood taller than any of us but next to her sister she just looked small and weak. She didn’t move like the seasoned warrior we had been told of. She moved like a filly that had just hit her growth, unused to her body and afraid of breaking everything she touched. The general kept the army at the ready for when she would need them but how we saw her just wasn’t the same. Then the first day of training happened. To get the measure of us she faced the whole guard and put every one of us in the infirmary. Suddenly those legends went from doubtful fantasies to drastic understatements. When unicorns got added to the force she started training with magic. She spent a whole night just holding us down. We spent hours straining against her magic, completely helpless. And then Discord happened. We really were helpless then. He had us so mixed up that we forgot we even were ponies. None of us could stop him when he went for the princess we were sworn to protect. She was everything to us and we let him get to her. If it wasn’t for Morning I-I’m not sure how I would have pulled through that failure. Morning Star, he’s so damn stubborn and infuriating. He wouldn’t even hit me back when we fought; it was a bigger insult than what he called me before. But… he didn’t mean it like that, did he? He wasn’t mean he was just stupid and… handsome. Gah, father would kill me if he caught me saying that! The clan would definitely never go for it, purity of the bloodline and all that. Just, if only… Bleh, We’d be there already if we didn’t have to slow down for the supply train. I guess it gives The Princess enough time to take a detour and visit her friend in Ponyville. What was his name again? “Good afternoon auntie,” Cadence said in a sing-song I-know-something-that-you-don’t voice. Behind her the gilded door swung open and Shining Armor strode in. “Good afternoon Princess Celestia, Cady.” There was a moment of silence as Shining’s cheeks turned beet red. Too late he tried to cover the faux pas with a coughing fit. “Excuse me, Princess Cadenza,” He said clearing his throat. “Good evening Capitan Armor,” I say stifling a giggle, “what do you have to report?” “Princess Luna’s caravan has broken camp and left our borders, they should reach the night ponies before midnight.” “Oh really?” Cadence said in that same tone of voice. She was mature and levelheaded as they came until she found a piece of truly noteworthy gossip. From how she was acting now she must have had something involving Luna’s trip that was monumental. “Yes Princess,” Shining said, still blushing. As bad as Cadence was at keeping her own secret she would keep Luna’s (save some playful needling). Considering that Cadence was made an alicorn as something of a contingency plan for Nighmare Moon’s return and how Luna felt about Equestria’s nobility, the fact that one would seek to tease the other meant their relationship was going better than hoped. “Now if you’ll excuse us I believe the Capitan was about to escort me back to my chambers,” Cadence said as she fluttered her eyebrows at her ‘secret’ coltfriend. Once the door closed behind them I could only sigh ruefully and return to the business of ruling a nation. Author's Note Fun fact: I had gotten through the first part of this before realizing that it was in first person, as you can see I decided to just go with it. also interludes are now have roman numerals for fancyness
War of Shadows - Chapter 112It is jarring to go from the plush decadence of Canterlot’s royal palace to the sparse utility of the night ponies’ war rooms. Canterlot is built as grandly as possible to display the power and opulence of Equestria. These rooms are hidden deep in caves to hide from the tyrant sun. The natural rock is shaped only as much as is necessary to make the space usable. Some rooms have vaulted ceilings that rise beyond sight while others I can barely enter for my height. Through all this the largest and most useful cavern has been unused. It is empty save a throne carved from pure obsidian. My new throne room is inaugurated with a feast. The night ponies’ meager store is bolstered by what I have brought from Equestria. Tomorrow the rest of the wagons will be unpacked and we will begin preparations for war. -L
War of Shadows - Chapter 113I had forgotten how enjoyable a flight can be. Without the chariot escort and unencumbered by the trappings of royalty I feel free in a way I have not been for a very long time. The untended air of the Everfree offers challenge and excitement with every gust. Despite the dangers of flying in wild airspace there is a soft stillness to my flight. The soft roar of thousands of trees swaying in the wind, the rosy glow of the sun in the east. How long will it be before I may experience this moment’s peace again? -L
War of Shadows - Chapter 115When Canterlot Celebrates Hearth’s warming as a season of unity and friendship the Night Ponies celebrate the fact that they have survived the bulk of another winter, that spring will soon come to bring warmth and food. Equestria celebrates with opulence and plenty and my little ponies must count every grain to make sure they will last to see spring again. Whatever is not needed is made into a meagre feast. It weighs on my heart to see them struggle so and yet it soars to see them laugh and dine before my throne. How many will not celebrate this feast again next year? In a few week’s time we march forth to encircle Equestria in our protection. Once the threat has been turned away and destroyed how empty will this cavern seem without the ones who have died in battle? Celestia thinks me a warmonger, she thinks I take joy in being surrounded by death on the battlefield. She has not seen me fly from one end of a battle to another to deflect a death blow. She has not seen how I weep when I am not fast enough. -L Author's Note and finals are officially over Hopefully with school out of the way until August I can get some more writing done!
War of Shadows - Chapter 116“Why armies?” It is a simple question. In terms of power it would take thousands attacking as one to bring me harm and even then I would endure. For a time I stood alone to defend Equestria. I risked myself before all others but I am only one. One may be distracted, one may be tricked where many would not be. A small raiding party fell before me while a city burned behind me. One stood in defense where I was not able. Aegis stood as a wall between my ponies and those who would bring them harm. He was the first knight. I offered him a boon, anything he wished. A unicorn mare, a daughter of a noble family was his only desire. An earth pony commoner like him was not permitted to court her and he longed only for that chance. To simply dissolve the tradition that kept them apart was my first attempt. The nobles refused. The debate escalated until I threatened to dissolve the houses as a whole. When Celestia openly sided with the nobles I knew I was outmatched. And so if the pompous arrogance of the nobles could not be tamed I made Aegis a noble. Landless and without wealth or influence , he was a noble in name only but to those so concerned with appearances a name was enough. -L
War of Shadows - Chapter 117I go to meet with General Night Watch but I pause outside the war room to listen. “Please, father you must listen,” a mare begs. “I am a general and your commanding officer; you should address me as such,” Night Watch answers coldly. “I am in the royal guard. The Princess is my commanding officer. I didn’t come to ask ‘the general’ something I came to ask my father.” “As your general and as your father I say no! Perhaps he is loyal to The Princess over the sun-hag but still his blood will not taint our line. We are pure! We have held strong for a thousand years because we are pure. I will not be the one to let that end.” “You would do well not to insult my sister,” I say as I open the door, “she has ears everywhere and I have ever been…protective of her.” “My apologies,” he says in a deep bow, “I did not realize you were near.” “Tell me general,” I begin, “Am I tainted? My sire was a unicorn; the very first of unicorn kings no less. Even now, centuries after he has turned to dust his blood runs strong in my veins. As does my mother’s, a pegasus. In fact it may be argued that I am more unicorn than night pony. It was from my father’s side that I first saw members of your tribe. Your ancestors came and bowed low before his throne, begging for a place in his kingdom, to be under his guidance and protection. “It was at my request that he said yes and when I stood in defense of Equestria your ancestors remembered the debt they owed and pledged themselves to me along with ponies from all other tribes. “I am the night and you are my children but not by birth, it is because we have chosen one another. The purity of the night ponies is not in their blood but in their unswerving loyalty to me. A loyalty Moon Shadow has shown since her birth and a loyalty that Morning Star has shown since he vowed himself to me. He may not have wings or fangs but he is a child of the night. You have done well to keep the night ponies as one for a thousand years but now you must trust me.” Night Watch opens his mouth as if to speak but words seem to fail him. I do not need to hear his voice to know the doubt written across his downturned face. “You have held faith for a millennium,” I say softly, trying to find that motherly tone that is so easy for Celestia, “So long and with such fervor that you have lost sight of what your faith was in. I am back child. I will not lead you astray and I will not abandon you.” “But you did,” He says, “A thousand years ago you led an army that did not return and now you are here, a legend from my foalhood, asking me to forsake all I know and follow you. But you did abandon us and you led us astray.” “Come here child.” It is not often that Celestia or myself will touch another other than in greeting. But I must confess that it is for my own comfort as much as his that I draw him into an embrace. “I was wrong and so very, very foolish. My actions have no defense and I can only beg forgiveness from the children my madness had left behind. But it is not for myself that I ask. Equestria, my sister, your fellow ponies need you. “Equestria has stood without the tribe that protects it for too long. We beg you to return to us.” He wraps trembling hoofs around me and for a time he returns the embrace. Once his shaking has quieted I release him. He gives me a quiet thanks before turning to Moon Shadow. “If he hurts you I’ll kill him.” It gives me hope. Perhaps once this threat has ended the night ponies will find a place in the new Equestria. -L Author's Note I know what you are thinking now read the next chapter before you start getting any crazy ideas.
War of Shadows - Chapter 119A few defiant tufts of cloud are all that is left of the Night Ponies’ last winter storm. They shine palely against the last traces of sunlight in the west as stars make themselves known in my night sky. The weather has begun to warm and the last vestiges of winter promise to be clear and dry. It is a perfect night for armies to march. The long trail of my forces stretches out beneath my flight, marked by light spells the unicorns are using. Moonlight glints off of armor and blades while enchantments give their own light. Unicorns and Earth Ponies start up a song as they march, some humorous ditty about ants marching. For a few verses some night ponies even join in before it fades into an uneasy silence. I do not like the tactics I must employ. I wait, patrolling Equestria’s borders, for the enemy to act. I have ceded the initiative and that alone is enough to make me uneasy. I only know that eventually the enemy will find its way to Canterlot. I can only hope that they are foolish and show their hoof in enough time for me to act. -L
War of Shadows - Interlude VIMorning Star shifted uncomfortably in his hiding spot. The clearing before him hadn’t seen any movement other than his shifting since he started his watch hours ago. “There’s my little ant.” A few weeks ago Morning Star would have jumped out of his skin but being constantly snuck up on had gotten him used to disembodied voices. “I was hoping you wouldn’t recognize that,” he groused. Warmth against his side told him that Moon Shadow had settled next to him. “Aww, worried I’ll think less of you if you march to nursery rhymes?” She cooed from her place next to him. “You know you’re not supposed to be here while I’m on duty,” Morning Star said, trying to change the subject. “We’re deployed. We’re always on duty.” Morning Star murmured a noncommittal response. A twig snap brought the comfortable stillness of the clearing to an end. A dark creature stepped through the undergrowth, seemingly unaware of the tension it had created. The creature ambled through the clearing, pausing from time to time to taste the air. Morning Star tensed as the creature got closer. He felt Moon Shadow do the same as she readied her weapons beside him. “Now!” He shouted when the creature was only a few strides away. The silence exploded into a cacophony of hoofsteps, wing beats, and chittering buzz as Morning Star and Moon Shadow burst out from their hiding place and the creature leapt into the air. Morning Star attempted to grasp the creature in his magic but it seemed to slip out as if it were coated in grease. Gritting his teeth Morning Star tried once again to grapple the creature with his magic. Morning Star could feel the creature struggling and slipping from his grasp but his attempt had delayed it enough. Moon Shadow shredded the creature’s buzzing wing with her steel claws. The rent wings gave a few beats as the creature fell gracelessly back into the clearing. It hit the ground with a dull thud and was already back up by the time Morning Star hit it with an overcharged stun spell. “What the hay is that thing?” Moon Shadow asked as she landed. In response Morning Star lit up the clearing with a light spell. Before him lay an approximately equine creature. It had a pair of insect-like wings that lay shredded against its back. Its black skin resembled the shell of a beetle more than the fur of a pony. The insect-like appearance was completed by its pale blue compound eyes and curved horn. Nudging the pockmarked hoof with his own Morning Star said, “It looks like we found the subject of The Princess’s vision.” ☾ ☾ ☾ “This show of aggression will not go unanswered, you will remove your forces from our borders immediately or you will suffer the consequences!” The dark griffon’s plumage stood on end with his indignation as he paced before the throne. “Come ambassador do not let your anger guide you into burning bridges we have worked so hard to build.” Celestia sat her throne, cool and impassive as always as she gently chided the enraged griffon. “It is not my anger that guides me but your troops on my border!” The grand doors to the throne room crashed open revealing the dark form of Princess Luna. “If you have concerns regarding the movement of Equestria’s army then you are addressing the wrong pony.” For the barest moment the neutral mask slipped from Celestia’s face as her eyes narrowed. What have you done, Luna? “Who are you to address me?!” the ambassador shouted, “Should I come and grovel at the hooves of Celestia’s brat of a sister?” “Celestia,” Luna said with a smirk, “the ambassador and I will need some privacy.” Celestia made her way to the doors as a tense silence fell over the room. “Mind your words, Luna,” Celestia whispered as she passed by. “He is already on the edge of breaking off ties.” In response Luna eyed the ambassador with an aggressive grin. As Celestia made her way out of the throne room Luna turned her back on the still-fuming ambassador and stood at the base of the throne dais. The closing of the doors served as a prelude for Luna. “The sun rises in the east every day. It track’s the same course through the sky every day. From east to west its journey never changes. That is Celestia. She may be skilled at putting on an appearance for diplomacy’s sake but it is ever the same appearance. “The moon may wax and wane. She may hide her face or she may shine with a glory that drowns out the stars. I have found that my own appearance may likewise change.” When Luna turned back to the ambassador her pupils were slitted like that of a dragon and her mouth was filled with fangs. Her half spread wings now bore a leathery membrane that came to an aggressive point at the end. “Who am I to address you, you ask. My dear ambassador you forget your own history. Surely a mere thousand years is not enough for the learned griffons to forget how they address me.” The ambassador shifted uneasily as Luna stalked forward. “Allow me to remind you. I am not Celestia’s sister, neither am I Nightmare Moon. You do not call me Princess Luna as you petition my throne.” The ambassador fought a losing battle against his fear. The Princess stood over him, her eyes gleamed aggressively and her fangs flashed as they bit at the words escaping her mouth. “You grovel and beg for mercy from the Demon of Bloodridge Eerie.” “N-no! That is only a legend!” “How long ago was it that Equestria thought the same of Nightmare Moon?” Luna asked with a bark of cruel laugh. “I will not be intimidated!” the griffon said as he drew himself up. “Ah the pride of griffons. Few things in this world are so stubbornly unchanging. I can still remember it breaking like an egg underneath my hoof,” Luna said as she examined her horseshoe with a wistful grin showing her fangs. “You’re lying!” the griffon shouted desperately. “Think, ambassador. Celestia and I alone among ponies could have been there to live the truth of this legend. Would Celestia descend from her gilded throne and allow herself to become a monster, or was it somepony…darker; a night to her day?” The ambassador tried to backpedal away from the mare again but as he stepped his paw brushed against the doors to the throne room. The Night Princess advanced on him until he was pinned between her and the doors. “No!” The ambassador shouted as he drew himself up onto his hind legs. Though it led him to be taller than Luna he only felt more exposed with his back completely against the wall. “Read the surrender signed all those years ago; read every treaty signed since, as I have. You will find that Equestria is well within its rights to garrison its borders and has done nothing to constitute aggressive action. Your objections are nothing but the clucking of a disquiet hen.” Luna turned and made her way back to the throne. “Oh and ambassador,” she said over her shoulder, “Perhaps I am lying, perhaps I found some dusty old legend and fashioned myself after it. But before you make any decision to break the hard won peace between us you should find the nearest eerie. See the cubs running about underhoof and flying overhead. See the fathers working to support their families and the mothers sitting proudly on their eggs, and ask yourself: what if I’m not lying.” Author's Note Bleeeeeeeeeg! when did summers get so busy? Sorry i didn't have this out earlier guys I just got back from a church conference and the internet suuuucked.
War of Shadows - Chapter 121Ebonfeather. Celestia tells me that is his name and wonders how I could dissuade his anger without knowing his name. His name does not matter, only that he knows mine. Celestia does not approve. It is a quarrel older than Equestria and I find myself interrupting her to ask if she really wants to pursue an argument we know neither will win. With a begrudging chuckle she relents saying there is little use after Ebonfeather has found confirmation of my claims in the library. She has never lied, nor has she allowed history to lie; she claims that our mistakes are recorded alongside everypony else’s. They are hidden in metaphor and song but they are there for those with eyes to see them. I wonder of her student, Twilight. In her short time she has studied nearly every book in the library. She is intelligent and talented, but is she wise; does she have eyes to see Celestia’s mistakes and my own? -L Author's Note So I've been (trying at) playing that new "The Forest" game. I think I would like it alot better if my computer was fast enough and I didn't have such bad luck with spawns.
War of Shadows - Chapter 122They secret the creature to me in the dead of night. Nopony in Canterlot save my guard know of it. It is so heavily sedated that I think it dead at first. Unicorns watch over it at all times, spells to stun and kill at the ready. It is with a proud smile that I survey the prisoner before me. Gone is the near-pacifism of Celestia’s guard. They have truly become fangs of the night. For the first time in a very long while I am glad of Celestia’s mercy. The castle dungeons are deserted and I will risk neither detection nor interruption. The dark spells that reach into another’s mind are subject to the strictest taboo. Failure may strip the very identity from the victim. The creature’s mind is plain, disappointingly so. There are vague details about its scouting mission and two thoughts: feed, obey. So it is to be a mindless hoard. I am disappointed that it does not possess more cunning, more pride. There is a satisfaction in seeing an enemy’s cunning turned against them and their pride broken. A mindless horde of insects will offer no such challenge. -L
War of Shadows - Chapter 123They are not insects. The body structure is some crude approximation of a pony; they have four legs, not six. The chitinous plates this specimen has in place of skin is as hard and durable as most mundane armors and has a resistance to magic second only to dragon scales. It seems to possess some underlying enchantment that sloughs off all others. I shall have a team examine these properties further but for now the dissection must wait. I have some proof for my sister. -L Author's Note I was going to write a nice little note thanking you guys for 2000 views but then you went and got this story featured! Thanks to everyone who has been reading and commenting. A very special thanks to those who have been helping me catch typos I feel like my writing has gotten much better since I’ve started and hopefully it’ll only get better.
War of Shadows - Chapter 125Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
War of Shadows - Chapter 126It seems the magical nature of the creatures exoskeleton is a means if disguise. It was discovered more by accident than purpose. In the last week we had discovered only that it was imbedded with some sort of illusion spell. As we prepared to dissect the creature an assistant brushed a hoof across it and the creature became a perfect copy. Weather this is some cadaveric reaction or I mistook the creature for dead I do not know. It is currently locked away in isolation as we wait to see if there is any lasting effect of the transformation. Well placed members of the castle staff, guard, and denizens of Canterlot proper have been informed to look for suspicious behavior. These creatures may be able to take on another’s appearance but there is much more to each one of my subjects than the color of their tail. -L Author's Note I may not get another chapter posted for a while, my laptops fan is crapped out. I have a new one on the way but looking further into it the line of laptops is bad about overheating so it looks like it's gonna be a recurring thing.
Interlude VII“Are you sure about this Cadence? I can always send a few pegasus guards with you,” Shining Armor asked his marefriend as he removed his captain’s helmet. “For the last time, YES, Shiny. I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t catch me trailing her as is and, well, that armor isn’t exactly subtle,” Cadence said as she tapped Shining’s golden plate mail. “But why do you need to follow her?” Cadence sighed and rolled her eyes at her coltfriend’s overprotectiveness. “Because she needs my help. Look don’t tell anypony but my aunt said that her and Luna never had any romantic relationships before. She would have no clue what to do on a midnight rendezvous even without being stuck a thousand years in the past.” “Then why don’t you just talk to her before she leaves?” Cadence couldn’t keep a devious grin from her face as she answered, “I may want to see her make a fool of herself as payback for snubbing a certain coltfriend of mine.” “THAT!?” Shining quieted himself after a glare from Cadence. “Cadence that post would have been a step down and I would never have seen you. She did me a favor passing me over,” he continued in a harsh whisper. “But she wasn’t a bit nice about it and you’re not the only one that gets to be overprotective,” Cadence said in a tone that meant this discussion was over. “Fine,” Shining said with a defeated sigh, “just be careful okay?” “I will,” Cadence promised. She gave Shining a quick kiss before she took off to follow the night princess. Shining watched the pink alicorn until he could no longer see her from the castle battlements. “Coward,” he berated himself as he pulled an engagement ring from his armor, “You should have just asked her but you always have to hesitate don’t you. You big dumb idiot.” Shining gave a dejected sigh and leaned his head against the cool stone of the battlement. “It’s just moving so fast, it seems like just yesterday she was Twiley’s foalsitter.” Shining gasped as he remembered a letter sitting on his desk, buried and nearly forgotten under the mountain of paperwork his position came with. He had meant to tell his little sister about everything that had happened but he could never find the right words. Now he was about to propose to her foalsitter and only real friend(except him) growing up and he hadn’t even figured out how to tell her they were dating, or that he had been promoted, or anything from the last two years of his life. Determined he pushed himself off the wall and made his way to his office. It may take all his off time this week but he would finish that letter to his sister. *** Luna had flown high and steady only a few miles of her journey. Cadence had used the opportunity to think about Shining. His nervous behavior, that little telltale box he thought she didn’t see in his armor. She already knew her answer, she nearly squealed it again and again every time he looked like he was reaching for it, but she would wait for him to ask. Cadence was panicking. Once out of sight from Canterlot Luna shot off with a burst of speed Cadence had never seen. Now Cadence was stuck over the blurry line between the Whitetail Woods and the Everfree Forest trying to spot a midnight blue alicorn in a midnight sky. Something hit her wing from below. It broke off easily leaving a patch of numbness behind but as she broke off one five more struck her leaving patches of unresponsive muscle. She couldn’t flap; she couldn’t stay in the air. “HELP!” she cried out before crashing through the forest canopy. The soft earth of the forest floor could only do so much to cushion her fall. In the corner of her fading vision she saw a flash of green fire the she saw…herself? No that wasn’t possible. “Ah Princess Cadenza,” her doppelganger spoke in a voice that buzzed and hummed like a hive of angry bees, “Don’t you worry I have a feeling your life will become just perfect.” Author's Note This was actually written months ago. One of the first things that popped into my head once I got this version of Luna established was to see how she would react to the changelings. As you can probably guess Chrysalis doesn't let that letter make it off his desk except on it's way to the trash can.
War of Shadows - Chapter 129To fly a circuit of Equestria would be an achievement for a mortal pony. To do so in one day would demonstrate a skill and strength in flight that hasn’t been seen in centuries. To do so every day would be more strain than a mortal body could bear. I am no mortal. I catch fitful bouts of sleep in long glides or in Canterlot when another has taken my watch. Between sunrises I only have a few hours of sleep to keep me but in times of crises I have gone weeks without sleep, for the time being this is maintainable. Events seem to hasten wherever I am not. Days in Canterlot are filled with preparations for the wedding of Princess Cadenza and Capitan Armor. They are to be wed within the month. The first day I made my circuit one of the only ponies I would consider myself to have a familial tie with got engaged. It seems I am destined to miss the wedding as well. I fear the changing that was captured was no scout but one who was lagging behind. Ponies everywhere are on the lookout for strange behavior but for now we can only wait. Should an army appear I will destroy it, should these creatures attempt to infiltrate Equestria, I alone have knowledge of the army that encircles Equestria, of the noose that will close around their necks. -L Author's Note Happy Independance day to everyone in the states and happy July 4th to everyone else because friendship!
War of Shadows - Chapter 130Day after day I fly and day after day there is nothing. I must admit that I am impressed that Captain Armor can maintain a large shield over Canterlot constantly. It is an impressive ability but I fear that if Canterlot is assaulted the shield will only last minutes after being maintained for so long. I suggest that he save his strength for when it is needed but he does not agree. It is not a practical decision to make but it is the way of Celestia’s guard. They are bold and brazen in everything they do. The golden armor is more a show of force than a means of protection; and so they cast a shield over an entire city for little more purpose than to show the world they can. Celestia has finally agreed to arm them. Only the simplest of weapons will do. It may be a matter of days before the enemy is at our gates and we will need competent guards. Clubs are the weapons of thieves and thugs. They are simple to use but, while the sight of Celestia’s guard milling about with such unrefined an arsenal would be amusing, Celestia will never agree to a weapon that degrades their noble image. Spears at least appear refined. They are easy to produce and train with and Celestia’s court will harken them more towards a battalion of charging lancers than outlaws. The wedding plans continue to sprint forward. Celestia tells me that Princess Cadenza’s talent involves romance but I do not know to what extent. As her matrimony draws near she seems a mare possessed. One begins to wonder if Captain Armor is truly so busied with his new rank or if he flees to his office as respite from her exuberance. -L Author's Note I have a new story out called A Dragon's Duty if any of you are interested in checking it out. I finally got the new part in the mail and my computers all better now
War of Shadows - Chapter 132In truth we should count our blessings. In the entire underworld there is only a single prisoner missing. His brother we still call friend but that will not stay Tirek’s hand when he decides to strike. I was ready to hunt him down while he is still weak. The time for Celestia’s merciful judgments on the wretch is long past and Equestria’s executioner aches to ply her trade. For hours Celestia sits where the fell centaur once was imprisoned. Though her eyes look at nothing and no words escape her mouth, her eyes and lips do not stop moving. How many years of Equestria’s future she planned in that time, I cannot say. When she has finished we return to Canterlot. She will not divulge her plans to me, she merely asks me if she can use an artifact I have stored away. It is one of the few pieces of Father’s fallen kingdom to survive. Star Swirl the Bearded never did have a chance to finish his greatest work, but I still hold the remembrance of my teacher and friend dear. -L
War of Shadows - Chapter 133“If you see him, pretend you don’t,” She tells me. It is difficult to restrain myself. I already scour Equestria’s borders for one hidden enemy. To not “accidentally” bump into Tirek and “let the situation get out of hoof” while he is still weak from imprisonment is a demonstration in the trust I have for Celestia. She has a plan to defeat him and unfortunately it depends on him living to meet his doom. The spellbook is an easier matter. The wards on it will last another ten thousand years but such ancient items enchanted with such powerful magic have a way of attracting magical creatures. The cave I placed it in has no doubt become an infested dungeon. It will take some time to clear and I cannot distract myself from this war, retrieving the spellbook will simply have to wait. -L Author's Note yaay 2500 views! Thanks guys.
War of Shadows - Interlude VIIICalm and serene the night princess made her way down the hallway. Amidst the chaos and confusion after the changeling invasion she was an island of calm. Her deliberate, measured steps carried her down the crowded hallway and gave ponies ample time to move from her path. They flowed around her like water around a stone. She was the very essence of mental and physical stability. It was of course a complete farce. A complex set of illusions affixed to her person to give the appearance of calm. If any unicorn were to dare the heresy (and defensive enchantments upon her person) of sensing the magic placed upon the dark alicorn it would have been clear to them that she was beyond furious. Nevertheless nearby unicorns could not help but notice the sympathetic tingle in their horn as she passed by. They assumed it was just the magical nature of the alicorn becoming more prevalent during such a stressful time. None of them noticed her guards passing by under cover of invisibility spells A door to her right gently opened and she stepped in before closing it with her magic. Inside were ponies of note and significance from Canterlot and beyond. Two princesses and a prince, the entire command staff of the day guard, the chief steward and several other servants, and the bearers of the elements of harmony all stood before her giving the same questioning look. Why have I been ordered here? It asked. In response Luna let the invisibility spells around her fade. No longer concealed a dozen armed night guards surrounded the room. Their deep purple armor and golden eyes had the same menacing look but the claws on their hoofs and weapons sheathed at their side gave them a lethal and malevolent look. The illusions were next. Celestia alone understood the significance of Luna removing the mask of illusions she had developed. This was not to be a place of decorum. Courtly order and proceedings would hold no sway. As the illusions dissolved away so did her stoic expression. An angry grimace covered her face and she was tense, her ears constantly swiveled listening for any threat, and her eyes looked darkly around the room. Her pupils now bore a slight angle at the top and bottom. “When faced with defeat,” she began, “it is tempting to let anger rule and assign blame. That is not why I am here, but we must learn from our mistakes lest we face defeat again.” “What defeat, we kicked their tails right off of this mountain!” Rainbow Dash said as she threw a few punches. “Ah, Loyalty,” Luna said with a sneer that revealed fangs, “You always were the first to fight and the last to understand. Think. Changelings would be better served infiltrating Equestria, scattered across every city, every village, not invading in an army. Guile not force is where they are strongest. And we have played right into Chrysalis’s hooves. She even convinced Equestria that it had repelled the invasion, I have not faced an enemy so cunning in a dozen centuries.” “What are you talking about? The changelings are gone,” Rainbow answered back. “From Canterlot perhaps,” Luna said with a dark chuckle. “And gone, not dead.” “Luna, I have to agree with Rainbow on this. The Changelings have been driven off,” Celestia said. “They have eyes but they cannot see”, Luna muttered to herself before she spoke aloud. “Why did they attack Canterlot? Why not take the industrial centers at Manehatten or Baltimare and make us field an army without the proper equipment? Why not burn every acre of farmland they can and force us to choose whether we let our citizens starve or march an army on an empty stomach? Why would they try and take the fortified capitol that contained only a symbolic seat of power? This attack makes no sense because it was never meant to be an attack. “It was a cover and a distribution method. Everypony was so relieved to see the changelings gone but did anypony ever stop to ask where they landed? Prince Shining may be the most accomplished shield caster of this generation and Princess Cadenza may be an alicorn but even together they could not throw an army beyond Equestria’s borders. "And so they landed, scattered across Equestria, in every city and every village in the perfect position to bring this nation down from the inside. Make no mistake this war has just begun!” The room exploded into a cacophony of shouts and protests. Amidst all this Celestia and Luna sat silently meeting each other’s gaze. The implications of what Luna had said went farther than anypony knew, in times of war Luna was given all authority in Equestria. The only catch was that Celestia had to agree that Equestria was at war. So there they sat, with a single sentence Celestia could make Luna more powerful than even herself. There was a chance that Chrysalis had just been a fool to attack Canterlot but Luna seemed convinced otherwise. A single sentence and the thousand years of peace would be brought to a close. Celestia had worked hard for that peace but she hadn’t forgotten the signs of war. Outside citizens walked in twos and threes. They peered around every corner and checked for danger. The castle stirred with motion like a disturbed anthill and the city struggled to regain a sense of normalcy. Beyond a nation was shaken and fearful at what the future may hold. “Luna,” at a single utterance from Celestia the room fell silent. “War is…is it really necessary?” “That is for you to decide. You know better than any other what I will do with your approval. While you are deliberating remember. Remember when you were forced to curb your attack on Chrysalis for fear of harming your subjects, remember when you were imprisoned and helpless as those insects ran through our capitol unopposed, remember how helpless the rest of Equestria is to endure such an assault, and I think you will find that it is necessary. You may leave.” Celestia, along with the rest of the room, rose to her hooves and started towards the door. Luna’s voice rang out over the growing din of ponies getting up to leave, “This may be something of a public venue for me to converse with my sister, nevertheless it was her and her alone I was addressing; I am far from done with the rest of you.” Celestia slipped out of the door as Luna began unravelling the mistakes of what was coming to be called the Wedding Invasion. A last glimpse showed Celestia her subjects looking at Luna in confusion at the exchange that had taken place and at Luna’s being the sole voice of authority. Celestia closed the door and retreated through the scurrying mass of ponies to her quarters. They parted before her and her guard, retreating to the walls and bowing as she passed. She regarded this custom with mixed feelings. She basked in the affection behind their deference, yet to impose such an inconvenience at her mere passing did not sit well with her. On a less hectic day she would return each greeting and perhaps chat with a few of her ponies in the hallway but today she had no time for such pleasantries. She walked tall and proud through the hallway, dwarfing even her golden armored guard. She held her head high and flared her wings slightly. Luna was so proud of that image of a monster she projected to other nations but in times like this Celestia had her own image to project. Proud and fearless, she was a monarch who saw the challenges ahead and knew she would overcome. She was one whom the old would respect and the young would fight for, would die for. And just like that, with the soft click of her door closing behind her, her ‘war face’ fell. She hated it. The biggest lie in the history of Equestria was that in times of war she was not afraid and helpless. She had power mind you. A few words and the nobility gave fortunes to whatever she wanted, a flick of her horn and armies turned to dust. Armies; two of them, one of her enemies and one…not. These thoughts occupied Celestia for hours as she gazed out her window into the courtyard. Luna must have finished her meeting because she had nearly every unicorn in the guard learning Twilight’s anti-changeling spell. Twilight made a good teacher as she stood before the assembled unicorns. Within minutes Luna had dismissed her and summoned her guard’s work since the invasion. A dozen changelings, some very roughed up, were released into the courtyard. Some immediately took on new forms to try and blend with the crowd others took to the sky. While those on the ground were revealed by spells Luna ensured that the flyers would never fly again. A look of grim concentration took over her features as she maimed the fleeing changelings. For all her power Celestia always felt that Luna was a truer alicorn than her; Luna seemed to have a double portion of the night ponies’ gift for dealing death while Celestia had none of it. Luna seemed not to feel anything as precise spells shot out from her horn. In the few fight’s Celestia had been in she had lost herself to the heat of the moment and decimated everything around her. Luckily nopony had been nearby to be hurt but Celestia feared what might happen if she ever tried to fight alongside an army, much less lead one. No she could only put on her brave princess face and prance around, raising money and giving pretty speeches to armies that always returned smaller. She could only sit on her plot, afraid for the ponies on the frontline and helpless to do anything about it while the war raged on. She hated war, Sun and Stars how she hated war, but when faced with a race that wanted nothing but to feed on her ponies what could she do about it? How could she fend off these monsters but to release her own self-proclaimed monster on them? For hours she wrestled with these thoughts, pacing restlessly in her chambers until the courtyard below cleared out and Luna alone remained with the bloody corpses of the changelings. In a flash Celestia teleported down to her sister. Even amongst the carnage she stood tall and dignified. Her next words would set the fate of her nation for months, if not years, to come and she refused to speak them in defeat. She would speak as one who was brave and strong, one who possessed untold wisdom and knowledge. One who was worth dying for. “It is war." Author's Note
War of Shadows - Chapter 136If it is to be a war it is to be a war of shadows. Chrysalis thinks she may hide in the shadows and darkened alleys of Equestria but darkness is my domain. She will not see me until I kill her; she will not know me until I slit her throat. She thinks she may steal my ponies away and hide in the night but the fangs of the night already close around her neck. Celestia asks how we should tell Equestria that it is at war. We will not. Chrysalis thinks herself safe behind the guise of her defeat. As much as Prince Armor told her while under her spell he never knew the true extent of the forces surrounding Equestria, and so Chrysalis does not know that her forces are already surrounded and cut off. He is eager to fight, Equestria’s new prince. I understand that he desires vengeance but his talents are better served elsewhere. The Night Ponies, both those afield and those who could not fight, will be in need of provisions. Prince Armor shall see to it that they get them and that neither Chrysalis nor Equestria knows. -L
War of Shadows - Chapter 138It seems I have been mistaken; Equestria does have a standing military. If only I knew stunt fliers and entertainers stood ready to defend their nation I would have never disturbed my Night Ponies. I’m sure a single airshow would have the changelings routed from our borders! If “captain” Spitfire wants to see me I will find some time. Perhaps she has realized which princess she truly owes her service to and wishes to pay homage. -L Author's Note I'm going to publish this chapter and the next chapter right now because I've had them written for days and I just haven't found time to publish them.
War of Shadows - Interlude IXFor the first time in over a month the throne room was occupied after sunset. It had been much longer than a month since the Night Princess had even entered the room instead of sending a guard to keep watch for any petitioner. There had been very few. Only the most brazen nobles sought a decision from Princess Luna while Princess Celestia still held open court and with very few exceptions they were seeking a more favorable ruling than Princess Celestia had already given. As a rule they were excused almost as soon as they had entered the door and night court only lasted longer than ten minutes if a member of the Astronomer’s Guild were present. Since the recent wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and the newly crowned Prince Shining Armor even the lip service of stationing guards in the throne room during night had fell out of practice. Night Court was strictly by appointment only and before this night nopony had needed an appointment. Captain Spitfire knew all of this. She was the ranking officer of Equestria’s standing army. Even if it was an army of a dozen stunt fliers and some ground support ponies it was no less an important position and Spitfire made sure she was in the know about what was happening in Canterlot. That’s why Spitfire knew enough steel and food to reequip the royal guard five times over and feed them for a decade had gone into Canterlot and promptly disappeared. Any other pony may have chocked it up to an oddity of the castles economy but another suspicion had entered Spitfires mind and it could not be shaken. Somepony was either gearing up for or in the middle of a military operation well beyond the scope of the royal guard. Political tensions were almost nonexistent. Nightmare Moon had been stripped away from Celestia’s sister and Princess Luna had returned, Discord had been defeated, and the changelings had been soundly beaten so why the buck was Canterlot gearing up for war? She had requested a private audience with Princess Celestia to discuss that question only to be redirected to this appointment. The throne room was all moonlight and shadows when she entered. The golden accents around the room seemed almost silver in the moonlight and the crimson carpet seemed a dark shade of maroon. Spitfire’s eyes began adjusting to the darkness as she walked to the throne and she began to see guards in dark armor silhouetted against the walls. The daised throne rose up towards the shadowy sealing and Spitfire could only make out the barest details of the dark form sitting on it. “Capitan Spitfire,” A regal voice rang out from the throne. Spitfire jumped to attention and saluted. “Princess Luna,” She said. She had only seen the Princess in passing and had never heard her speak but there was no doubt about who was on the throne. “Sister tells me you have some concerns regarding military action Equestria has taken.” “That is correct Princess.” “I’m afraid she was mistaken in sending you to me. I have been busied trying to recover a thousand years of lost history and it is only by your appointment that I learned Equestria has a standing army.” Spitfire frowned; she knew when she was being given the runaround. “We both know that isn’t true, Princess. I am a member of the military and I would appreciate your candor.” “And should Equestria face enemies that can be defeated by a barrel roll you will have it.” “We faced down a berserk dragon before. We may not have finished it off but we bought time for those who did. We may not have much battlefield experience but in a fight the Wonderbolts will do a lot more than stand around in armor and look pretty.” The Princess’s dark chuckle echoed around the room, undercut by the hissing laughter of her guards. Spitfire had heard it said that laughter was a form of approval but this seemed more akin to intimidation. Spitfire couldn’t help but wonder how much of Nightmare Moon the Elements of Harmony had stripped away from Princess Luna and how much they had left in her. The spell struck without warning, robbing Spitfire of breath and sending pins and needles through her extremities as if she had spent a night somehow sleeping on every limb at once. Spitfire remained standing through sheer force of will. Her legs trembled weakly below her and her mouth gulped at the air trying desperately to get her lungs to cooperate. Thankfully the sensation was not lasting and she could breathe somewhat normally by the time Princess Luna came down from the throne. “My apologies,” She said. “That spell is not a comfortable one to be subjected to but you will come to realize that confirming your identity was a necessary precaution. What I am about to tell you is held in the strictest confidence. I have neither the inclination nor the resources to assign you a personal guard because you could not keep your muzzle out of the business of your betters so congratulations are in order; you are now a full member of my army.” “Princess Celestia commissioned me, it’s her orders I obey,” Spitfire said indignantly. Her knees still trembled weakly from the spell but she stood tall before the dark princess. A whisper of a steel blade against its scabbard and she felt its edge against her neck. She was surrounded by leathery wings, pointed fangs, and eyes with cruel gleams in them. “There is no place among us for servants of the sun-hag! Shall death steal her secrets back, Mistress?” one of them asked. “That will not be necessary, return to your posts,” the Princess said coolly. “And Corporal, Celestia and I may have had our differences but I still care deeply for my sister. You will bear this in mind as well as the great respect she deserves next time you address her.” As the cowed guards silently returned to their dark posts Princess Luna fixed her slitted gaze back on Spitfire. “You will find that in military matters Celestia defers to my authority. As a member of Equestria’s military you have no higher orders than mine. Now tell me Captain, what happened to the changelings?” Spitfire gave an involuntary shudder as she wondered once again how much of the Nightmare was left in the princess before her. She managed to drive most of the shakiness out of her voice before answering, “They were driven off. Princess Cadence and Prince Armor used a spell to send them away from Canterlot.” “Anypony in Equestria could tell me as much. What happened to them after Canterlot?” “Nothing has been heard of them, they must have fled from Equestria. At least that’s what everypony thinks,” Spitfire ventured. “You disappoint me Captain,” the Princess said with an unamused snort. “You assume that Chrysalis would just retreat back to her lair and lick her wounds, or perhaps that she would give up after a single defeat.” “Forgive me Princess; you seem to know so why don’t you tell me where they are.” “In a word: everywhere. Canterlot continues to be clear of them but it is only a matter of time before they think it is safe to come back. These military operations you have discovered are by my order. My army works in secret to exterminate the changelings. We are yet undiscovered and for the moment you will be my guest in the palace until your training is complete. Afterwards you will join the army in the field. I will not risk you getting captured and tipping our hoof.” “N-now hold on a minute, how do I know what your saying is true? For all I know this is some sort of coup.” Spitfire could almost feel the blades back on her neck. Loyalty to Princess Celestia was not a popular sentiment and the guards had shown no hesitation in demonstrating that. Princess Luna only smirked in response and summoned a scroll. Spitfire immediately recognized Princess Celestia’s signature and seal at the bottom. After spending a few minutes deciphering the flowing script Spitfire had concluded that Princess Luna had far underplayed her authority. “Alright,” She resigned, bringing herself up into a salute. “What are your orders Princess?” Author's Note
War of Shadows - Chapter 140For all my displeasure with Spitfire I must confess that she exceeds my expectations. To become as skilled a flier as she is requires discipline. To be a master of any craft requires as much. Yet to go from master to soldier requires humility and dedication as well. She goes through the rigors of training under my guard without complaint. I am equally surprised to find that she knows some offensive combat techniques. It seems the standing army has been less affected by Celestia’s pacifism. She is competent in a fight but it takes much more than personal skill to be effective in a battle. She must fight as the ponies beside her fight or she becomes a weak point in the lines. It is my hope that she never finds need for her training. The noose tightens day by day. Soon I will have Chrysalis and this war of secrets and shadows can draw to a close. -L Author's Note things are finally starting to get settled in at school, looks like this is going to be a fun year.
War of Shadows - Chapter 141As my lines draw nearer the center of Equestria I fear for the keeping of this war’s secret. Larger cities make it easier to lose a target in the crowd and no doubt they mean larger infestations of changelings. In open battle I have no doubt that my army could overcome any swarm of changelings, no matter how large, but defeating them in stealth will not be so easy. This infestation will be much more difficult to root out if the changelings see us coming. Celestia’s guard trains with the weapons I have given them. They hope that the changelings will be foolish enough to invade Canterlot again. I find it strange that ponies who normally balk at violence are so eager for revenge when their pride is slighted. -L
War of Shadows - Interlude XMorning Star couldn’t help the smile that played across his face. Waking up in an actual bed, actually in the morning was more than refreshing after nearly two months in the field. Even the vibrant bustle of the Manehattan street he stood on was bracing. Moon Shadow forced back a yawn beside him. The bright morning sun was not her most flattering light and the accompanying grumpy mood wasn’t ideal but he couldn’t help but find her beautiful. She came and shared his bed late in the night and so when he woke up bright and early she ended up losing a lot of sleep. They both agreed that making time to be together was worth losing some sleep. And besides, she’s cute when she’s all frumpy. All told this was already a great day and it wasn’t even noon. In fact there was only one thing that could make today better. “Ahem.” The slight cough from the gray Earth Pony drew Moon Shadow’s attention while Morning Star forced his gaze to linger on her; after all he was under her spell. “What is it?” she hissed. “Not here. The alley,” the Earth Pony said lowly. He led the way and Moon Shadow followed. Morning Star walked a length behind with a love-struck look on his face. The part he played excused his less than subtle admiration of his marefriend’s figure. It’s important to enjoy what you do after all. After turning into a darkened alley Moon Shadow came to a stop facing the Earth Pony. Morning Star bumped into her and let loose a drunken giggle. “Your disguise is awful,” the Earth Pony said abruptly. “Have you ever seen a pegasus with wings like that? Your coats too dark, your ears are too hairy, your eyes are all wrong and did you even try to do anything about your fangs?” Morning Star couldn’t help but widen his smile. Changelings were nearly completely unaware of Night Ponies and so when they saw one they assumed it was only a bad disguise. It happened by accident at first. They stood watch outside a small village on Equestria’s outskirts and wondered how they could clear it without the Night Ponies tipping off the Changelings. Moon Shadow hid under a cloak until a “Unicorn” walked up to her and told her that her fangs were showing. She panicked and blurted out the first thing that came to mind, what was now standard procedure for the entire army. “I have a message from the Queen,” Moon Shadow said as she kicked Morning Star in the shin to bring him out of his thoughts. The Earth Pony’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked sharply at Morning Star. “How important is it?” he asked tensely. “Every Changeling in the city must hear it,” Moon Shadow said as Morning Star smiled dumbly. “Very well,” the Earth Pony said after a pause. “We have secured a warehouse, number 13, We will be assembled there at midnight tonight to hear your message. Find a cloak or something, we worked hard to make sure that ponies here do not suspect a thing and I will not have you tipping them off.” The Earth Pony turned and exited the alley. Once he had disappeared back onto the bustling street Morning Star let out a breath he had been holding. “They’re getting smarter.” “You’re getting careless. You aren’t supposed to have any thoughts to get lost in. Your world is only me, remember?” She asked as she looked up at him. Morning Star couldn’t help but kiss her. After a moment he parted their lips just a hair and whispered, “Who else would I be reminiscing about?” “Come on,” She said shoving him roughly off. “We’ve got to set up for our biggest raid yet and I need to actually get some sleep before tonight.” The two made their way out of the city. Even hidden under a cloak Moon Shadow received stares but the Unicorn stallion walking protectively beside her ensured that they only were stares. A dark wooded path outside the city meandered until it faded from existence. A few hundred yards beyond that end was a hidden campsite. Only a pony intimately familiar with the area would have known that bushes concealed stockpiled arms and rations, that the strange shapes hidden in the foliage were hammocks where Night Ponies slept. “Warehouse 13. There’s going to be a lot of them,” Moon Shadow said to the seemingly empty clearing. A rope with a loop tied around it descended from the treetops. With a resigned grumble Morning Star looped the rope around his chest. It pinched and pressed uncomfortably against his ribcage as he was drawn up into the treetops. He settled on the branch and closed his eyes. The rope silently snaked its way up into the leafy treetops. If anypony wandered by they would only see a strange but harmless unicorn napping in a tree. Morning Star shifted restlessly but did not move from his perch. The sun made its slow way across the sky. Sleep eventually found the unicorn well after it had reached its zenith at noon. He was jostled awake and into the harsh afternoon light. “It’s almost time. Get ready,” one of his comrades said gruffly. He gingerly lowered himself to the ground. Any pretense of stealth had been abandoned as the small army of Night Ponies armed themselves. The soft clank of armored plates and the creaks of the straps connecting them filled the air. Morning Star looked around the clearing as he strapped his barding on. The Night Ponies looked out of place, like dark blotches against the forest floor in the bright afternoon light. He knew that when night fell they would be in their element but right now they seemed painfully out of place. Once his armor had been donned Morning Star took up his namesake. He had not had need to use the spiked mace yet. The groups of changelings had been small and isolated but there were bound to be hundreds in Manehattan. He would find need for a weapon tonight. As Morning Star drew up courage for the battle to come the Night Ponies seemed to hold themselves back, as if the strict discipline of Princess Luna’s army was the only thing keeping them from charging the enemy this instant. Sunset found the Night Ponies milling around in nervous anticipation. Once the sun had set and the moon took its rightful place they nearly galloped towards the city. Once they reached the outskirts of the city most of them took to the skies. Even the large flight was nearly invisible against the night sky. Morning Star, Moon Shadow and the few other Night Ponies who stayed with them made their way through the city under heavy cloaks. It was slow going getting to the Seaside warehouses on hoof. After what seemed like hours they had finally arrived at the doors. Once the signal was given they would breach the doors and attack the changelings from the ground while the rest of the night ponies attacked from the skies. Moon Shadow pounded on the doors. They opened a crack and the same earth pony from that morning poked his head out. He eyed Moon Shadow suspiciously, scowling at her armor. “I can’t imagine why the Queen would send a messenger so incompetent as you. Come say your message and leave before you get us all caught.” “The message is simple,” Moon Shadow said smiling, “die.” From the shadows Morning Star struck the Changeling across his head. The rest of the Night Ponies with them forced the door open and streamed into the warehouse. Inside nearly a thousand disguised changelings sat shocked as Night Ponies crashed through the windows. The changeling’s surprise lasted only a few moments before they exploded into a flurry of movement. Some turned to fight but most tried to run. The windows were small enough that the ponies that entered them could cut off any who tried to flee but the large double doors were a much easier escape path. For nearly a full two minute the ground team struck out at the writhing swarm with impunity before they turned to the doors. In a single motion every Changeling turned towards the open doors with their unblinking stares. “Uh oh,” was all Morning Star had time to say before the Changelings charged. He stepped forward and with a battlecry summoned a shield around him and his companions. The first twenty Changelings dashed themselves against the shield but such a large spell under such strain required much more power than Morning Star could muster. With the sound of breaking glass the shield shattered and Changelings poured through. The ground team could do little more than get out of the way. They struck at the mass of Changelings as it passed through but could do nothing to stem the tide. “Get them in the skies! Let none escape!” A Night Pony cried out. Those who had attacked through the windows flew back into the night sky to attack the changelings in the air. The ground team followed after the last of the changelings ran leaving Morning Star, the only non-flyer, alone. He swiveled his head, looking around the room of dead and dying changelings with an almost dazed expression. “Well crap!” Author's Note I did say there was going to be more of these interludes for War of Shadows.
War of Shadows - Chapter 144Everything must be a scandal with these nobles. It cannot be that my guard simply reports to me. No! It must be news of some sordid affair. They will not rest until they uncover enough gossip to occupy their next gathering. They are closer to the truth than they know. Too close I fear for these ponies least of all can be trusted with it. A lie may placate them. Something to distract from the truth until I have Chrysalis’s head and secrecy no longer matters. I’ve no skill in the machinations of court. Any deceit I put forward would be transparent at best. It irks my pride to ask for help but Celestia’s word will go unquestioned while mine will raise only suspicion. -L
War of Shadows - Chapter 145It is at times like these when envy claws at my heart. Celestia is a master plying her craft and a joy to watch. Every word and inflection is designed to be believable. Every muscle is disciplined so that no errant twitch will ever give her away as she explains why my guard report to me in such a public fashion. The explanation matters not, only that she has said it. She is the mother of this nation and it will always take her word. I am its defender and it is high time I plied my own bloody craft. -L
War of Shadows - Chapter 146We have just finished disposing of the bodies from Baltimare. The unicorns are skittish in battle. They are so afraid of killing they are little more than a liability in combat. Those spells have their uses, as well as their little ploy to draw the changelings out but I would still rather a pony who won’t hesitate to slit a throat when the need arises. On a personal note it seems my daughter’s taste in stallions will see to it that I become used to these sun lovers. I’m happy for her, I really am. I just wish she didn’t make swallowing my pride part of being a supportive father. The Princess has ordered another raid tonight, one of the smaller settlements outlying the large city. I am relieved that it will not be such a large infestation. These changelings are learning. The infestation in Baltimare actually managed to put up a fight and we have a few wounded. Nothing serious, thank the Moon. Yet for the first time this extermination begins to feel like a war. Princess end this quickly. -Gen. Night Watch
War of Shadows - Chapter 148Had I not seen it with my own eyes I would count the retelling as blasphemy. To see the Princess moving and striking through combat, as awkward as a foal just learning to walk. Yet once the raid is finished and the scouts begin following the survivor she seems to find herself again. “I learned that from battling with my sister,” the Princess tells us. It is difficult to understand, the Princess takes every opportunity to demean Princess Celestia and yet if any of us attempt to echo her barbs we are met with the Princess’s ire. We seek to honor her with our mimicry but it seems some paths only the gods may tread. I dare to ask the Princess why she fought so poorly. She intends to misinform Chrysalis, to have her think that a pampered weakling is the one fighting her. Even now after the wanton slaughter of changelings this past month the Princess seeks every advantage over Chrysalis. May the Moon guide the scouts, if they find Chrysalis’s lair this could all be over in a week’s time. -Gen. Night Watch
War of Shadows - Chapter 149Events have turned better than I could have hoped. Not only have I found Chrysalis, she has drawn her changelings back to her. I cannot say how long she will wait before she retreats from Equestria’s borders. I must ensure that it is far too long. Already my night ponies move to surround the Everfree where she hides. She will not escape without harassment. If I move quickly enough she will not escape at all. -L
War of Shadows - Chapter 151Prince Armor has studied well under Celestia’s tutelage. I should find his meddling more tiresome that I do. As I go to engage Chrysalis’s forces the entirety of Celestia’s guard is arrayed before me and insisting to march under my banner. They have armed themselves with far more than the spears I had given them. Lances, blades and bows shine in the morning sun along with the determination in each pony’s eye. I could tell them to return to their posts and engage the battle with only my own forces but they would follow. Their leader has stoked their desire for revenge until it blazes hot before me. They have trained themselves to be much more than the gilded shields the changelings fought weeks ago. Even so their unannounced arrival on a battlefield will lead to more casualties than relying on their untested skill. I cannot deny them and so I must account for them in my battle plans. -L
War of Shadows - Interlude XIThe river of gold stretched through the Everfree Forest. It flowed through the dense undergrowth and left a broad path in its wake that a modest supply train was pulled along. Closer inspection revealed a living river of ponies in golden barding. Unicorns with spears, bows, and crossbows. Pegasi with curved blades along the leading edges of their wings. Earth ponies with hammers and flails in their mouths and others with lances couched into their armor. The scouts were terrified of Celestia’s guard’s revenge coming from the west. Chrysalis was more afraid of the forest to the east. No scout had returned. No ‘all clear’, nothing. The best hidden look out points in the east had been taken out without a sound while the river of golden armor flowed in from the west. In the middle Chrysalis and her Changelings were trapped. As the sun set a battle line began forming to the west. The sun’s orange rays glinted off the polished armor making the west look like a blazing inferno about to descend and destroy. And yet the east sat unnaturally still as if frozen. A cold breath of wind chased a chill through Chrysalis. Fire in the west, Ice to the east. The Changelings could try to run but they would either be cut down while they fled or hunted doggedly until they died from exhaustion. They had to stand and fight. No matter how slim, it was their only chance. As the sun descended grand speeches were made in the west. The army roared their battle cries and thrust their weapons into the air, adding sparks to the fire. The east sat frozen. The hive buzzed in response. The few hundreds that had returned outnumbered the ponies but Chrysalis still feared Canterlot’s revenge. The Changelings she had were less than half of what she came with. She had expected a few losses and perhaps a few to be discovered. It was only after a dozen flew back from Manehattan and told her of ponies like bats who carried death with them that she recalled her swarm. Less than half returned. It was supposed to be easy, fool the Sun Princess, blinded by her own brightness, and feed off of the love of Equestria for centuries. That damned Luna and those things she called guards had ruined everything and killed countless changelings. The fire in the west came to embers as the sun fell below the horizon, still battle cries thundered from the massed formation. The moon exploded into the sky with a cruel brilliance. Fire and ice fought to meet. ☾ ☾ ☾ The night guard had nothing that could match the power of a charge by earth pony lancers. While the night guard to the east struggled to gain leverage over their enemies the day guard ripped through the changeling lines. Arrows and bolts rained in from both sides breaking on the Changelings’ hard chitin or piercing through gaps in the natural armor. Within an hour lines on the west had completely dissolved into a furious melee while lines on the east strained to the breaking point before the weight and skill of the night guard. In the skies changelings fared no better. They were more stable in a hover but that only served to make them easier targets for the raking attacks of Pegasi and Night Ponies. On the eastern lines Chrysalis saw Luna. Chrysalis went to her changelings to rally a group of them them against a weak point in the night guard lines but as they charged Luna's magic took hold of half of them. They died midstep. Luna summoned swords to her side and the rest were cut down soon after. Chrysalis scrambled back into her lines to call a retreat while the weak point rallied behind Luna and became the center for the night guard's advance. again and again Chrysalis tried to rally her troops against the night guard only to have the advance cut to pieces by Luna. Every time she watched Chrysalis fall back into the mass of changelings with the same even gaze. As the night drew on the changelings fell back again and again, redrawing their defensive line tighter around the cave where they hid. By the end of the first watch the skies belonged entirely to ponies. By the end of the second archers had to cease fire for fear of hitting their own while aiming at the thinned changeling line. As the third watch drew in Chrysalis looked around in panic. The battle was not going well at all. The skies had ceased raining changelings who’s wings had been ripped apart for there were none left, the ground was covered in dead and dying. Her own power was nearly completely drained already, she was yet a formidable opponent but she could do little to turn the slaughter back to a battle. She called another retreat. Less than twenty changelings responded while the rest remained trapped in losing skirmishes. This was all that was left of a swarm of thousands. All because of that monster. At first she was nothing more than an oddity, so guarded was Luna’s mind that Chrysalis could sense no emotion yet her face betrayed her feelings much more readily than her sister’s. She was supposed to be nothing more than a reformed villain, weak and powerless before the mighty Celestia. That was before Chrysalis had seen Luna wade through her swarm and kill with impunity. Now she waited, holed up in a cave like vermin, for her exterminator to arrive. The Night Princess would not come alone; she would bring the whole of her army if she could fit them. Chrysalis had gleaned at least that much from the short battle. Luna was brilliant, she did not take risks and she did not relent. She would not ease up or scale back her attack until Chrysalis was completely crushed and she would not show mercy. The sound of hoofsteps marked her approaching demise and Chrysalis only had time to hope that some of her children had escaped this fate before the battle was met again. Dark armored ponies tore into the last of the changelings and the dark princess met the queen. There was no trading of words, no exchange of monologues, there was only pain. Blades and beams of pure magic ripped apart the air between them. Some were blocked, dodged, or deflected with magic, leaving deep gouges in the stone, while others were not. Chrysalis saw Luna walk forward calmly. Her draconic eyes swept over the cavern again and again looking for a counterattack that would never come. With each gap in Chrysalis’s defense Luna made her pay in flesh. A wing, her tail, another hole in her leg. Chrysalis felt herself being cut apart piece by piece. With a last desperate cry Chrysalis poured the last of her magic into a beam. It struck uselessly against the ground as Luna dodged. Chrysalis’s legs could no longer hold her. Her body trembled on the ground as she gave great heaving breaths. The dark shadow of Luna’s form fell over her. A sneer from the Night Princess revealed a row of pointed fangs. In a last desperate attempt Chrysalis cried out, “Just because we are not like your precious ponies you would exterminate us rather than let us be. What did we do to you? We did not kill or maim, we only sought to live. We were trying to run awaAH-” Chrysalis’ speech cut off to a strangled yelp as Luna’s hoof shut off her windpipe. “I once tried to destroy the world because I was jealous of my older sister. Do not think that the pittance of guilt you may dredge up is enough to sway me,” Luna said as she leaned into Chrysalis’ insect like neck. Her world faded to black. ☼ ☼ ☼ Chrysalis’ eyes reluctantly opened. She was surrounded by ponies in golden and black armor. Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies stood side by side with those monsters to peer curiously at her. Chrysalis could only peer back at them as they seemed to levitate by. The pressure on her leg increased and the world spun around her. Pain lanced through her body as she came to a stop. Shining Armor glared down at her in the predawn light. “You wanted revenge on this wretched creature. I give her to you so that you may take it. Consider this a belated wedding gift,” Luna’s voice said. Chrysalis weakly craned her neck. Luna was a few steps off giving Shining Armor a calculating look. Gone were her fangs, leathery wings, and slitted pupils. It seemed that particular look was reserved only for her enemies. Shining closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. The sun crested the trees behind him and he arched his back slightly as if to absorb its warmth. “Celestia’s sun rises on friend and enemy alike,” he intoned. “It offers no accommodation for friend nor judgment for enemy. Only it’s merciful light for all.” His eyes opened into a burning glare. “As captain of her royal guard it is my duty to see to it that only those who would live as a friends of Equestria live to see it set. If you will not finish her off then I will but do not pretend that killing something half dead will satisfy my honor.” Chrysalis could almost feel the cruel smile that played on Luna’s lips. “If it is a fight you want then you shall have it.” Luna’s power poured into Chrysalis. It did not heal her wounds. It only offered strength enough for a desperate fight before she met her end. Chrysalis rose weakly. If this was to be her end she would meet it standing up. Her first attack met Shining’s shield. She deflected his counter but it set her well off balance and she did not see his follow up coming. Armored hooves crashed into her chest staggering her and robbing her of breath. She desperately deflected an attack from her left only to be blindsided by a wall of force coming from the right. Her head spun and she struggled to stay upright. She sent off a desperate attack only for it to strike ineffectually against Shining’s shield. His counter crashed down unimpeded, crushing her into the ground. She tried to rise but another attack slammed into her. A third took her legs out from under her. Shining’s magic pinned her to the ground and she could only watch as he approached her with a spear hovering beside him. He rested it over her heart. “Cadence wouldn’t want this,” he said. “The only reason you live is because Cadence wouldn’t want me to kill you.” “Peace, forgiveness, mercy,” Luna said as she put a hoof on Shining’s shoulder. “They are the marks of my sister’s throne and they are the banners she would have you raise. You and Cadenza have learned them well. Leave death for those born of darkness.” The last thing Chrysalis saw was the purple aura of Shining’s magic on the spear being overtaken by the blue of Luna’s and the spear plunging downward. Author's Note I always feel like I should include more notes but nothing in particular comes to mind at the moment so I'll do notes on the entire war of shadows arc so far. When I first imagined the changeling war it was actually much different. Chrysalis had just sorta stumbled ass backwards into putting herself in a good position after Canterlot and Luna was pissed at nearly everyone for letting her. I even edited it more recently to give the day guard a more prominent role in the final battle. I'm going to go ahead and publish this now because most of what I have to say is pretty spoilery for next chapter.
War of Shadows - Chapter 153I watched your parade. From the city gates to the castle entrance your victorious army stretched. Side by side our guards marched under your victorious banner and in the center of it all you were there. To your right was our nation’s new prince and to your left the grisly trophy that was once Queen Chrysalis. You cleaned her up no doubt, wiped away the blood and put the corpse in a time bubble so that it wouldn’t decay. After all trophies are best seen and not smelled. Those that look close can still see the splintered spear coming out of her chest. Despite what you may think of me I am not ashamed of how our subjects cheered at the proof of her death, I am not ashamed of you. Yet I must wonder if it were any other city but Canterlot, so eager for vengeance for the sake of their bruised pride, would you have been greeted by anything but a stunned silence. As distasteful as I find it, war is necessary. You have done well. When your chariot finally reaches the castle you leap off to me. I cannot honestly recall the last time I have been on the receiving end of an embrace. From the shocked expressions around the courtyard I glean that our subjects cannot either. “Our subjects are safe, may peace see them to prosperity,” you whisper in my ear. The soldiers, as they are now, wait patiently at the banquet hall for you to lead them in. I did not skimp. The finest feast Equestria has seen in centuries is laid out for the victors to enjoy. I hope you will excuse me for not joining you, I know how much you want to see my moderation overcome by drink, but the parade is not finished. The supply train rolls carefully in and the soft moans of the wounded fill the courtyard. A former guard of mine, Morning Star I believe, stands wide-eyed and helpless to the side as the infirmary staff bears the wounded inside. I follow. Again and again he braves the wrath of the nurses to hover fretfully over a stretcher. An hour passes and still they do not see to the small still form that fills it. I do not know why I hid when you entered. The nurses find somewhere else to be and Morning Star falls into a fitful sleep where he sits beside the cot. You walk amongst the wounded and the tragic dead. Believing yourself unseen you pause to bless each with a kiss on the forehead. Morning Star stirs when you when you approach the cot he watches over. You pull back the sheet revealing one of the few night ponies. She stretches and tries to rise. Before you stop her I see a bandaged leg come out from under the sheets. She will be lucky to walk again. Outside we hear the bumps and rumble of furniture being carried through the castle. A green Unicorn I do not recognize looks in. I can see the realization on his face, perhaps this was not the best place to ask directions. Before he can return to the hallway he catches your eye. It is a sister’s place to laugh as you try to summon one you so obviously know without advertising that you do not know his name. Do not whip your head around so quickly, you may injure yourself. “Come, subject,” I call to him. “What is your name?” “Cross Circuit, Princess Celestia,” he says bowing low. “Cross Circuit this is my sister, Luna.” Ah, I see he does not know your name either. “Luna this is Cross Circuit.” The night pony cannot help but laugh either it seems. “Moon Shadow,” she says as she leans up to bump hooves with the unicorn. A grimace of pain halts the gesture and Morning Star comes awake with a start. Unasked and unmindful of anypony else in the room he helps her settle back into the cot. “This is Morning Star,” She says, the pain still driving an edge in her voice. He looks up in a daze, seeing everypony else for the first time. “Morning Star, that’s Cross Circuit.” “Heh, so that’s your name.” For a few moments silence falls over the room. “I guess I should give my resignation now,” Moon Shadow says breaking it, “I won’t be much use in a fight anymore.” “I’m afraid that won’t be acceptable. Your training is far too precious to be wasted upon a mere injury.” For the briefest of moments I think you cruel. “To a pony your comrades simply let me win and my new arcade will not be a place of unearned victories.” Your laughter is the first to break the tension. I take my leave as the rest join in. For a moment I feel a taste of the jealousy that brought you so low. I am a stranger among my subjects who know me only by my crown. The same subjects who laugh and share the warmth of friendship with you. You will go with them and enjoy your new toy. You will laugh and play far past the time you should have been abed. Tomorrow you will be overtired and grumpy like the child you have earned the right to pretend you are. I love you sister, and seeing you among friends I come to realize that I have never been more proud of you. Please, please know that. The Crystal Empire has returned. I have already sent Shining and Cadence to defeat the slaver king. You are not to follow, I will not lose you to his darkness again. C Author's Note This, this is where it all began. Almost a year and a half ago I watched the opener to season three and saw that Celestia did not trust Luna. Even after three years Celestia didn’t trust her own sister and so I set out writing a version of Luna that would make that fact not only understandable but expected. The story changed and evolved as I wrote it and I am glad it did. It is very much better than the story I originally intended (reunion would have lasted beyond this point with increasingly petty bickering with war of shadows being nothing more than a few side stories). Now something that would have struggled to make it 40 chapters before floundering and dying is past 150 chapters and 4000 views. (Arguably they don’t count as full chapters as they are tiny but the point still stands) Now for some less general notes. This is one of those times I am tempted to hide behind the dark tag as a shield against criticism but let’s try not to do that, shall we? Luna’s already stated that she doubts she’ll get all of the changelings. Even in the final battle some stragglers could easily have slipped off into the forest. Luna never knew if this was all of the changelings or an excursion sent into Equestria to get food. That being said even if every changeling in history was on that battlefield Luna would have killed them all. Anything that counts itself as Equestria’s enemy she kills. Genocide may not have been what she accomplished, but it is what she meant. This may seem a bit contrary but I don’t want to write Luna as a one dimensional killer. Being someone who was merciless and very proud of that and then being subject to another’s mercy has affected her and in the next few chapters we will begin to see how much. Before I post the next chapter I will post a spoilerific blog post for those of you who are on the fence about whether you want to keep reading or not. I don’t actually have any written plans for what comes next so I’ll just list the next few ideas I had and you can decide whether or not you want to keep reading.
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 155“Self-doubt does not fit a princess.” I can still hear Celestia’s words echoing in my ears even as I fly. To my right a carriage holds those who will join me on this quest. To my left another carries a burden I would be rid of. Celestia will have need of her student soon. Even now I cannot help but feel I race the inevitable letter to Ponyville. Prince Shining Armor has proven himself in my eyes but he is still no match for Sombra. Princess Cadenza is powerful in her own write but she has neither the skill nor the determination to fight as Sombra must be fought. Even together it will only be a matter of time before they fall. Celestia does not trust me to repeat my last acts before madness overtook me so the task will fall to Twilight. I have need of her first, there is a burden I would be rid of and my heart trusts none other to bear it. I cannot say why I did not tell Celestia. More than any other she deserves to know so why does the thought of telling her fill me with such apprehension? Twilight Sparkle is not unused to royalty simply dropping in. She rises from her studies into a cordial bow. After an exchange of pleasantries she compliments me on my speech. The less said about (or in) the Royal Canterlot Voice the better. ‘Twas a ridiculous custom in its own time and I have come to regret partaking a thousand fold. I was a fool for binding Twilight in an oath. Her life is far more important than any secret I care to keep and her word is worthy of much more trust than I showed. Luckily it was not too late to release her and she saw the spells as a mere curiosity. Finally I explain my purpose and reveal my burden. Twilight gasps as black cloth parts to reveal Chrysalis, frozen in time. She bites back bile when she sees the broken spearhead in her chest, the point only a hairsbreadth from her heart. On the battlefield when I wrest the spear from her brother’s grasp I saw Twilight as I had seen her those years ago. She floated into the air as the glory and power of Harmony wreathed her and her friends. She struck and instead of the destruction my crimes warranted she brought healing to my very soul. Whether it was by her decision or by her nature she had mercy on me, and try as I might I could not ignore that. When Twilight does break the spell she will have that choice to make again. Chrysalis can still recover but she will be helpless for a very long time. Live or die, it is Twilight’s decision now. -L Author's Note so getting soundly beaten into the ground twice and stabbed with a spear that just misses your heart would probably kill just about anything but for the sake of explanation let's say Chrysalis's magic kept her alive. Voodoo to be precise.
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 156 Twilight Sparkle This—this is weird. I’m not used to keeping anything like this secret. Especially not from Spike. Princess Luna made me swear, with every swear I’ve ever heard and a whole lot that I hadn’t. I never knew promises could be supplemented with magic like that. It’s a fascinating but Princess Luna made me promise not to look into it. Something about the oath-breaker’s curse. When I asked her what it was she looked scared. She started doing a lot of dispellings. It was fascinating seeing her work. The abjuration matrices were so ancient I had only read about them. Some even involved chanting! This is only the fifth time I’ve ever seen a spell with vocal components done. It’s so amazing to see how speaking can affect the magic being cast, how words can bend the energy in a way horns and matrices can’t even begin to and--and I’m gushing again, aren’t I? I nearly lost my dinner when I saw Chrysalis. There was a lot less blood than there should have been, I guess I have Princess Luna to thank for that. Even just thinking about that splintered spear coming out of her makes me queasy. I—I’m a bad pony. Once I’d gotten over the sight I couldn’t help but think about it. She hurt so many ponies, she would have left Equestria as nothing but a husk with all the love sucked out of it! How could I not think about it!? How could I? I spent the last two years saving the world with the power of friendship and harmony and the first time killing is easier it’s all I could think about? What if we had just decided to kill Nightmare Moon? Princess Celestia would still be inconsolable and we couldn’t have survived Discord and everything else without her. What if Nightmare Moon had decided to just kill us? Princess Luna took down Chrysalis and from the look of her it was a pretty one-sided fight. Why didn’t Nightmare Moon just kill us? I put the best protection spells I could around Chrysalis and hid her in the basement. The library could explode and fall on top of her and she wouldn’t even feel it and if I get any more ideas it will at least take me some time to undo. ~~Your faith~~ Twilight Sparkle Author's Note Bit of a snafoo with the chapter orders yesterday so sorry to anyone who read the last two chapters and was confused it's fixed now though. This is another one of the chapters where I couldn't think of any good reason why it should end up in Luna's diary so it's just here. There's actually going to be quite a few of these coming along. I'm toying with the idea of this quest to go get Starswirl's book being recorded by everyone except Luna. I'm still not sure how I'm going to answer that question of Twilight's. It's definitely one that I should address because it's a gaping hole in this interpretation of Luna but everything I've come up with so far just seems really forced. Anyway it will be answered eventually I'm just not sure how yet.
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 157 Cross Circuit We’re going on an adventure! We set up camp outside of Ponyville. I never knew tents could be so lavished. I think they’re actually called pavilions or something like that but it’s a tent bigger than my apartment(better AC system too). I guess this is the advantage with hanging out with royalty. I was expecting it to just be Princess Luna(totally knew her name the whole time…no I didn’t) and Morning Star. I don’t know why she asked Moon Shadow to come. Don’t get me wrong the mare can still go from friendly to terrifying in half a stupid comment, but she’s not going to be much for walking with that leg. I still don’t even know what could do that to a pony. So there they were, the totally OP spellcaster, the fighter-turned-nurse, and the, uh, handicapable rogue and in walks Big Mac carrying a big old sledge. The barbarian whose version of raging is a stern lecture, now the party is complete! Of course Bon Bon and Lyra would show up right after I wrote that. The alchemist and the…Cavalier I suppose, although that just raises more questions that I don’t want answers to. I guess that makes me the bard. Crap. It’s going to be the same two songs on ukulele the whole trip. -Cross Circuit Author's Note So I did some thinking on the drive to school this morning and it allowed me to get a better idea of how the next arc is going to go. That's actually a bit of a bad habit of mine I spend way more time thinking about what's next than I do actually doing what's in front of me so if this arc doesn't get out in a timely manner I apologize for that.
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 159 Bon Bon I don’t know how Lyra managed to sleep in later than the princess of night owls but she owes me for packing the rest of this trip. I guess I can’t blame her too much, even Big Mac is looking tired. I may not be a farmer but I’m earth pony enough to know how early they usually get up. The guards don’t seem to mind. Either they’re used to zero sleep or they just don’t sleep. Either way they had been waiting on us for a good half-hour by the time I threw Lyra’s sleeping flank in the chariot. I swear that mare’s lucky I love her so much because I’d kill her if I didn’t. BB Author's Note I've fixed it and now everyones happy! So I'm just going to leave that like it is because having 3 formatting tags just for 2 words of text amuses me. So I've decided that there will be some Luna chapters in this arc but for the most part I want this story to be told from a different perspective and I've enjoyed doing entries for other characters. I don't expect this arc to be very long at all so if you want something with a bit more Luna that will be coming soon. For these first however many chapters I'm just going to do one by every character to kinda establish the cast for this arc.
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 160 Lyra Somepony needs to tell Bonnie that trying to be all grumpy while she’s falling asleep in the chariot doesn’t really work. Or it works really well at being freaking adorable but something tells me that’s not what she was going for. I guess everypony’s a bit sleepy at this point. Waking up two hours before the crack of dawn will do that to a pony. If only everypony else had gone with my tactic of just saying “nope” to that and sleeping through it, it wouldn’t be me and the guards flying these things awake. If it wasn’t for the mare sleeping on the unicorn in the other chariot I’d say these ponies don’t sleep but now it looks like the drivers are just really good at going without. Either that or there’s a coffee IV somewhere in that armor and they are mammoth jerks for not sharing. Anyways it’s about lunch time and Bonnie’s not telling me where she packed the snacks so let’s see if I can find anything to eat. Lyra
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 161Why must we drag these civilians and wounded around? This quest would already be done with if we took a single squad instead of this group. Moon Shadow should be recovering in the infirmary not traipsing through whatever Faust-forsaken dungeon we end up in! “I am trying a new way.” That is all the princess will tell me. I was supposed to be one of her closest servants, her confidant. Yet she keeps her own council as to what this “new way” is and why it involves such unnecessary risks. I should trust the princess more. She has shown me a strength and a power I had never imagined, she has led me to nothing but victory. But now she looks so unsure, like she doesn’t know where to take her next step. If we were just getting some artifact it would be done. There is something else the princess wants to find and I hope she does. The Dragonlands are a bad place to be lost. Morning Star Author's Note I like the idea of a character who gets more wordy when their angry.
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 162The edge of Equestria was never something I thought I would see. The soft green grass turned to blackened soot over two lengths like, like we just reached the line at the edge of a map. Here there be dragons. “Say your goodbyes. This is the last we will see of green fields and fair skies,” the mistress tells us. She and the earth ponies lean down and eat some of the grass. They lay down in the field and close their eyes. I can’t really say what they were saying goodbye to. It’s not like we’re leaving the earth or anything like that. There’s even some plants over the border, they’re just a bit singed. The princess leaves her crown with one of the chariots while the farmer converts another into a supply cart. Morning Star tries to tell him to leave both harnesses on so he can help pull it and we finally get to hear the farmer speak. “Nope.” Wasn’t that exciting. MS Author's Note A question of grammar: should sarcastically saying "wasn't that exciting" merit a question mark or not? I think not but I could very easily be wrong about that.
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 163My guard insists on walking as we make to leave. She is capable of an awkward hobble but her stubborn insistence would only slow us down and destroy any chance of a full recovery. I am about to order her into the cart when Macintosh comes up behind her. With a practiced ease he lifts her onto his back and into the cart. I do not hear her cry in pain but in surprise and anger. He looks to me as he yokes himself to the cart and at my assent he begins walking as she hurls insults at him. The rest of us walk along in a stunned silence as she offers up barb after barb. I can only see his ears but he does not seem to react. With the enduring patience of stone he weathers her vocabulary until she falls silent and spent. I should not be so surprised at his patience. Celestia has told me of his sisters and his ancestry. I should have known that stubborn and often angry mares are something of a specialty of the Apple stallions. -L
The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XII“Luna listen to me!” Celestia’s shout rang across the throne room. “I will not allow you to spill any pony blood. These are our friends and I will not have your wanton slaughter visited upon them.” “Then you would have them conquer us just to avoid hurting them? I had never thought you such a simpering weakling!” Luna’s reply came back. “Luna there is another way. If you--” Celestia said only to be cut off. “--Your politics and diplomacy have failed. Sombra will not be spared the sword because he was a favorite of thy court.” “And what of the ponies, our brothers and sisters, he has enslaved to his mad designs, will you kill them when it can be avoided?” “Very well, o master of a thousand tactics, tell me how might I defeat this army without destroying it? You who sat secure in your keep, tell me what have I been doing wrong as I routed every enemy?” Luna asked with an angry glare. Celestia did not speak for a moment as she wrestled her anger back under control. “Slaves march because they fear the lash,” she finally said. “You can reach into their minds, you can make them fear you more than the lash.” “No.” “Luna it is the only way! They are ponies and I am responsible for their lives!” “It is not. I would put a thousand armies of slaves to the sword before I would do as you ask. I would tear the moon and stars from the sky before I would do that. I would die before I betray my sacred duty. “I have bathed in the blood of my enemies and my fallen subjects. I can assure thee whatever gore you may find on thy hooves will not harm thee. I will not desecrate this one holy thing because you find the alternative distasteful!” “You must!” “I am the guardian of dreams. I must not betray that duty whatever the wars of the waking world may bring!” “ENOUGH!” Celestia shouted as she slammed her hooves on the ground. Great, gusting wing beats carried her to the apex of the small arch between the thrones. “I am the elder and you will do as I command!” Luna’s spit sizzled under the heat of Celestia’s anger as the door closed behind the night princess. ☾ ☽ Celestia paused in front of the pavilion. The sneering guards parted to allow her through. Ever since she had announced she was accompanying her sister on this campaign the night ponies had treated her with open disdain. Luna had done nothing to stop them. Inside attendants scrambled to stow battle plans and intelligence that should not have been necessary. “Leave us.” At Celestia’s words the room cleared, leaving only the two princesses. “You are trying to conduct a war behind my back.” “Your front would have me betray everything I stand for.” “Since I cannot trust you to obey when I am not looking you will do it tonight, now. I will accompany you to the city and we will fight Sombra together.” “If it is what the elder sister wishes,” Luna replied, her voice dripping with venom. This is for your own good. Celestia tasted the words on her lips. She wanted her sister to be accepted and loved by all ponies. She wanted to be rid of the image of a monster Luna held on to like a security blanket but it had been a week of arguing and outright begging to get her to even give lip-service to this agreement, any sign of hesitation now and this war would end in a massacre. “Do it.” The room darkened until the only sign of light was Luna’s horn. The horn grew brighter as the spell charged but the darkness grew more dense as if it were trying to snuff out the light. With a flash of light the spell released. Celestia blinked her eyes in shock at the sudden light. For a moment she thought she had seen a mare as tall as her and as black as night. “His defenses will be down, let us go and end this.” ☾ ☽ Of all the victory parades Celestia had witnessed this one was by far the most somber. There were no shouts of joy as Equestria mourned its former ally. Luna sat perfectly still beside her. She had not spoken since leaving the pavilion a week ago. Further back an angry chant broke out as the crowd blamed the night ponies for the loss. Celestia raised a hoof to restrain her sister but she didn’t seem to even notice. The cart finally arrived in the castle courtyard. Luna finally broke her silence as they made their way inside, “I am a princess without equal: I have neither brother nor sister. Tomorrow we will have words regarding our places in Equestria.” ☾ ☽ Luna let out a groan as she came awake. Her bedroll was wrapped snugly around her forelegs and her mane had done a full circuit around her neck. A cold sweat matted her coat. There was nopony to protect her from her nightmares. Even less so from her memories. It took a minute of awkward thrashing and the delicate application of magic to extract herself from her bedding and return herself to looking vaguely presentable. She looked up through the bare branches overhead. From the position of the sun she surmised that it was somewhere in the third watch. The bare stand of trees was the one sign that there was once life in the barren and rocky landscape that made up the current domain of dragons and former domain of ponies. Right now she wished that the small creek that had once run through this place would return and allow her to wash herself. The water barrel called to her from the supply cart. She longed to wash the taste of the restless day’s sleep out of her mouth but water would soon become a precious resource. The raucous snores of a pony trying too hard to sound like she was asleep reached Luna’s ear. Luna turned her head to find Lyra standing stiffly by the tree where she had been standing sentry giving an exaggerated head movement with every fake snore. “You truly are terrible at that.” A single eye opened and scanned around the camp before it found Luna. “Terrible at what?” Lyra asked in a conspiratorial whisper. Luna chuckled quietly as she made her way through the sleeping ponies. They seemed restless enough sleeping through the day and travelling at night, her treading on them surely wouldn’t help. She settled in beside Lyra as Macintosh let out a tremendous snore and shifted in his bedroll. “I’ve lived in Ponyville for years and I’ve heard more out of him tonight than I ever had,” Lyra said. After a pause she continued, “You and him both talk in your sleep you know. At first I thought you were chatting with each other but then he started cursing at Applejack and you started cursing at your sister. I thought I should wake you two up but I sorta lost my nerve.” Luna looked away for a time, regarding the barren landscape with a blank expression. “Understand that Macintosh cares for his sister deeply.” “I know,” Lyra said, “Sometimes nightmares just happen. They don’t really mean anything, just our fears and insecurities get the best of us. “They did not used to,” Luna said as she scuffed a hoof against the dirt beneath her. “Dreams were to be a pleasant thing where fear and uncertainty only showed themselves as a demonstration of how easily they might be overcome. Once nightmares were only a brief correction not a lasting terror. Once the night was gentle and kind, lulling even the most restless of foals to sleep.” “What changed?” Lyra asked. “I did. An army of slaves marched and so I reached into their dreams and made them fear me more than the lash. I flew through their lines and they parted before me like water. They dared not even reassemble for those that followed. Celestia and I struck down the tyrant that ruled them and he dragged his entire kingdom with him. To this day Equestria counts the fall of the Crystal Empire as its greatest defeat but I can only remember it as the day I became a nightmare.” “What happened next?” “We returned home. I threw off any comfort Celestia tried to offer and went to the Elements of Harmony. Loyalty held none of its nature for me anymore, it held no use for a broken mare. Laughter did not even offer a parting smile as it faded in my hooves. Generosity gave a single day for me to weep until I had more tears before it too rejected me.” Luna blinked at the suddenly-blurry landscape, realizing that tears were making their way down her face. “The next day,” Luna felt her throat closing up with an unvoiced sob but she pressed on, “The next day I told Celestia that if she would not respect me as an equal she would bow to me as a conqueror. I took my army and began to sack lands and cities as some form of punishment for perceived slights. I became the dark truth behind the legend of Nightmare Moon.” Luna brought her gaze up from the ground. From the corner of her eye she caught a flash of green before something soft and warm collided with her side with a soft pomf. A pair of hooves wrapped themselves gently around her neck as she leaned her tearstained face against Lyra’s shoulder. It was not easy taking comfort from a pony half her size but it would be rude to refuse a gift so freely given. Author's Note Even I think this is a bit short but I'm not really sure what to do about it. Characterization was the word of the day for this one. Writing Celestia and Luna days away from NMM then turning around and writing current Luna and Lyra was a was a pretty big challenge but I think I pulled it off to an extent at least.
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 166Mare talk. I’ve heard of it but Moon Shadow isn’t exactly one to gossip over a hooficure. It isn’t like I think the princess shouldn’t have a pony to talk to but seeing her like that just didn’t seem right. I guess you would call Cross Circuit her friend but that seems more of an eccentricity than anything else. Let the princess have her little arcade and it’s keeper to help her relax, you know what I mean? Seeing her sitting with the harpist giggling over some joke and with eyes red from crying she looked like she could have been any mare in Equestria. I’ve spent years guarding and fighting for her but I’ve never seen her look like—like she’s a pony before a princess. Morning Star Author's Note short one but I'm back. Sorry for the wait
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 167That mare could give Granny Smith a run for her bits with a stubborn streak like that. I don’t know what gets into a mare’s head that she won’t let herself be helped. She went and got her leg half bit off defending crown and country from Faust knows what the least I could do is carry for a ways, but the way she tells it you’d think I’d spat in her face. Course AJ’s the same way. She falls in a cellar she’s digging herself out. Don’t matter if I’m standing there yelling that the stairs are right behind her, she’s gonna do it the hard way just to show everypony she can. Damn stubborn mares ain’t got a lick of sense. One of them dragons spots us and comes calling I reckon they’ll be saying the same about me. I may look a tough customer with that old sledge but the liveliest thing I ever used it on was a wobbly fence post. Mac
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 168Fine, I admit it, you’ve talked me out of my secret, you stupid book. I’m jealous. It’s not like I could ever get her to accept help. Why in Tartarus does she let the farmer carry her around in that cart when she won’t even let me pay for her dinner? I’ve seen how strong she is. She even saved my life a few times. She doesn’t have anything to prove to me. Why the farmer and not me? What’s so special about him? I shouldn’t be like this, he’s pulling everypony’s weight but I just wish she would let me pull hers. Morning Star
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 169Aaaand we’re stiiill walking. Couldn’t ponies keep buried artifacts and grand adventures closer to home? My hooves are getting sore. Oh, maybe we could have just ridden those chariots the whole way, or maybe the princess could just load us all in the cart and fly is there. She's supposed to be super strong isn't she? Lyra
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 171I forget that when the sun goes down these ~~sunlovers~~ ponies might as well not have eyes. They still stroll through the fields and have their friendly little talks. They really do have no idea do they? I know the princess sees it. She’s been leading us straight to it since before moonrise. She’s probably been seeing it since we crossed the border. There’s only one thing that can make that much black smoke and we’ll reach it well before dawn. They may stay up all day having their chats with the princess but a single glance is all the conversation we need. ‘Don’t tell them,’ it says ‘it will only frighten them.’ With a small gesture I ask about Morning who is talking Cross and Lyra through some spells. She stares at him for a moment and ponders. Finally her head gives a barely perceivable shake. ‘He doesn’t need to know either.’ MS
The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XIII - Part 1Seven ponies looked each other in the eyes and exchanged nods. As one they entered the gaping tunnel that dug its way under the ruin. Above them, up the summit of the barren mountain to the very peak was a broken turret that had once served as a look-out point. Thick black smoke billowed out of the shattered stones in great waves as a dragon slept beneath. By hornlight the made their way through the twisting and ever narrowing passageway. They had started six abreast with the seventh riding in a cart pulled by Big Macintosh but as the tunnel narrowed they moved into a single file. “How long have we been walking?” Cross Circuit asked, breaking the silence that had settled over the group. “Two and a half hours. It will be dawn soon.” Everypony looked back over their shoulders at Moon Shadow. She gave a halfhearted shrug. “I’m used to spending time in caves.” One by one the group turned forward and resumed their walking. “So where is this one leading to?” Cross Circuit asked. “Oh you know, up, down, left, right. Maybe even back to Canterlot.” “Really?” A tiny rock struck Cross on the head. “No! I don’t magically know where every cave in the world leads.” “The cellars,” Luna said, cutting off the two, “or the dungeons beneath them. I cannot say for certain; it has been a very long time since I have lived here.” “How long?” Lyra asked. “Perhaps a historian could tell you,” Luna said with a sardonic laugh. “I am afraid living the millennia between then and now has blurred them together. Celestia and I were exiled years before hearth’s warming ever took place and when the windegoes struck we only stayed long enough to gather what ponies would follow. That was among the last days that ponies walked this place.” “What happened to the ones that stayed?” Cross Circuit asked. Those ahead of Cross turned and gave him a blank stare. “Oh, right.” As he walked Cross couldn’t help but feel a creeping cold along his spine as the party made its way deeper into the tunnel. “What happened to the windegoes then?” “If there is any justice in this world they were burnt to ashes when the dragons took this land from them.” Cross cringed. “That’s pretty harsh.” “They drove ponies to the brink of extinction and rendered my home barren and unlivable. It is justified.” “Still, you sort of have to feel sorry for them. They had to feed off the coldness in somepony’s heart. That can’t be an easy way to live. It’s kinda like those changelings that attacked Canterlot, they weren’t malicious as much as they were desperate.” “And you would hold their station in their defense? Justice is blind, it sees neither wealth nor poverty. A ponies station, no matter how great or small is no excuse before the guilt of her actions.” “But that’s just it, they’re not ponies. As far as we know they never knew enough to have a choice or saw that there could be a better way. All I’m saying is that it’s unfortunate that all they knew was hate and darkness.” “If you ever find yourself facing a changeling you’re pretty little philosophy will be the first thing to go,” Moon Shadow said from the back. Cross gave a shrug. “I don’t doubt it. Pacifism is easy when you’ve never been in a fight in the first place. I guess I have you guys to thank for that.” “Don’t mention it. We give up our morals so you don’t have to.” “Vivas nactus,” Moon Shadow and Morning Star said together. Cross looked back at the two guards as he walked. He heard Lyra mumble a translation to herself before he ran into something. “Oh, sorry Princess I wasn’t watching… Princess?” Luna seemed not to have noticed. She stood rigid looking into the distance. “Princess Luna?” Cross tried again. She gave her head a slight shake and looked down at him. “It—it is nothing. We should be more silent, this is not the place to debate philosophy.” It was good and stuck, Big Mac concluded. They’d been tromping in the caves for about three hours and had made a near complete circle around the ruin by Miss Shadow’s reckoning. Really it was surprising they hadn’t found a place the cart couldn’t go right in the cave’s mouth. He could pull it free, he reckoned. But he didn’t quite see ripping the axil off and pulling a sled all the way back to Equestria as much of a solution. Plus Granny’d chew his ear off if she knew he’d done that to somepony’s wagon. The tunnel was a mite cramped for her to use her wings and putting any weight on that leg wouldn’t do anypony any good. There was nothing for it but to carry her until she got to where she could get around on her own. He backed the cart out to where it wasn’t so cramped and unhitched himself. Big Mac still felt that there was something improper about picking up a mare without so much as a ‘how do you do?’ but he had learned a long time ago that giving them any warning made the whole process more trouble than it needed to be. She settles onto his back with nothing more than a frustrated sigh. Big Mac gently centered her weight on his back, thankful for her compliance and deciding it was more likely due to the princess’s command than anything else. Big Mac stepped to the side and allowed the rest of the group to unload the more necessary supplies from the cart. Morning Star came up to him. “I should be the one to carry her,” he said tensely. Big Mac brought a hoof up and lightly tapped it on the unicorn’s armor. “Nope.” Morning Star opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Moon Shadow. “It’s fine,” she said. “Can you get my bedroll? We’re going to be making camp soon and I don’t want to sleep on stone.” “Fine,” Morning Star growled as he stomped his way to the cart. A bundle of unused saddlebags was found in a corner of the cart. Morning Star grumbled to himself as he triplepacked one for himself and Moon Shadow and Big Mac. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Princess Luna. Out of respect he internalized his grumbling as he settled the bursting saddlebags across his back and began packing another set for the princess. With a twist of his neck he slung them across his back only to pause when he did not feel their weight. He glanced up again to see them settle on Princess Luna’s back. Morning Star bit his tongue and gave a terse nod to the party. Wordlessly Luna resumed their march deeper into the mountain. As she continued on the tunnel became increasingly narrow until she had to hold her wings uncomfortably along her back to avoid scraping them against the walls. The ponies behind her mumbled claustrophobically as Morning Star’s overstuffed bags scraped against the walls. The tunnel ahead seemed to narrow further for a few yards(meters) until it came to a black opening that even Luna could not see beyond. While she could she drew a deep breath and moved forward. She exhaled as the tunnel began brushing against her saddle bag. By the time she reached the opening her lungs ached at being so empty and when she finally squeezed through the last crack her saddlebags caught and fell off her rump. She cleared them out of the path for Lyra, Bon Bon, and Cross. Once they had made it into the chamber Luna turned to see Macintosh and Morning Star eying the opening doubtfully. Morning Star’s bags had already become a nuisance and although Macintosh’s frame was little wider than Luna’s his broader build and the mare on his back would make the opening a very tight fit. Morning Star floated his bags through the tunnel and after a few minutes he followed with his armor held before him. It seemed to work until the last moment when his shoulders wedged against the opening. He grunted and strained against the rock but he seemed unable to get himself out. “Exhale,” Luna commanded. He seemed to go through a fit of panicked breathing as he tried to force air out of lungs that only wanted to breathe in. Finally he regained control of himself and forced a long, ragged breath out. His chest and shoulders narrowed just enough for him to slip free and he quickly settled into the lengthy process of donning his armor. Big Mac eyed the opening with barely concealed panic. “Nope.” His bass voice echoed through the cavern. “Just shut up and get through there,” Moon Shadow hissed from his back. Big Mac gave a violent shake of his head. “Don’t add up,” he said. “Hole’s too small, I’m too big.” “Farmer,” Moon shadow said, trying to stop the stallion’s shaking. “Farmer!” she tried again. “Macintosh!” she finally shouted. “You will fit, I promise.” He gave a frustrated snort but took a small step forward. Slowly he made his way towards the opening until he felt stone walls against both of his shoulders. He shook his head in short jerking motions and took rapid shallow breaths. Moon Shadow put a hoof on his shoulders and ran it up through his mane. “You’ll be fine,” she whispered in his ear, “just a few more steps.” Slowly Mac started taking deeper breaths until he finally took another small step forward. Mac inched forward feeling every crag and crack in the stone walls as they closed on his shoulders like a vice. His head peeked out of opening into the large cavern that the rest of his party stood in. He saw their mouths moving, giving him words of encouragement but he could only hear the panicked rush of blood through his ears. He could feel the walls against his chest. They constricted tighter with every inch until Mac couldn’t move forward or breathe. He could feel the mare on his back, her weight incessantly driving him forward but he couldn’t move anymore. She was whispering something in his ear but her words were far away and muddled, as if he was hearing from underwater. The darkness of the cave seemed to intensify as blackness encroached on his vision. He felt the mare shift on his back then a sharp pain in his side drove what air was left out of his lungs. His shoulders slid against the walls and he fell forward out into the open air. He lay on the dusty and cracked stone gasping at the air. Once he could lift his head without it swimming he looked at the rest of the group. Morning Star was hovering over Moon Shadow fretfully with straps and buckles hanging from his half-donned armor. From the state of the wrappings he could tell that her leg had jolted painfully during the fall but hadn’t taken any serious damage. The rest of the party hovered curiously around Princess Luna. She had her eyes closed and was slowly moving her head back and forth as her glowing horn distilled it’s light into a small pile of glowing orbs. Big Mac rose to his hooves and walked over to where Moon Shadow lay. When he reached her a hoof shot out and struck him in the gut. “Breathe out when I tell you to or next time I won’t be so gentle.” “Eeyup,” Big Mac coughed out. The hoof hooked around the bottom of his pulling harness as Moon Shadow used it to climb to her hooves. She started towards the others grouped around the princess. Mac gave Morning Star a confused shrug only to be met with a stern glare. Morning did an about face and caught up to Moon Shadow. With every step he hovered over her only to get swatted away. Mac hung back for a moment in confusion. He should have been more careful with Moon Shadow but Morning Star seemed to be more concerned with his own jealousy. He trotted to catch up to the pair as the joined the rest of the group. Once Princess Luna saw that they were all assembled she turned to them. With a dramatic flare of her horn she scattered the glowing orbs throughout the cavern. Some of the stately flagstones remained vaguely square while the once-intricate mosaic was nothing but colored dust. Behind the group a high arch spanned over the crack the group had entered through. Rusted and crumbling remains large hinges gave testament to the mighty oaken door that had once filled the archway. The vaulted ceiling disappeared into darkness overhead. There were a few last vestiges of plaster clinging to the few interior walls that still stood. A small stack of stones suggested that there had once been a stairway and a balcony looking over the grand entrance but only ruins remained. In the center of the room was a statue. The stallion depicted stood only a hairsbreadth shorter than Big Mac with only a slightly narrower frame. Its rear legs seemed about to crumble into dust and the body had lost any definition to erosion. Beneath a broken horn and a simple band of stone the stallion’s face was untouched. He had a youthful and vigorous face with a masculine beard covering his jawline. His mouth was set in a stern, flat line that hinted at a challenging smirk near the corners. His eyes held a far-off and slightly wild look. “My companions, who have followed me through dread and discomfort, my little—my friends, I welcome you to the Fortress of Canterlot the once-throne of the great unicorn kings and the place of my birth.” As Luna spoke the party looked around in wonder at the few structures that still remained. Lyra and Cross began an excited discussion about what the castle may have looked like when it was still inhabited. Lyra went on at length about what myths, forgotten in time, the murals and tapestries might have depicted while Cross looked at the scattered bricks and stones and ventured how the huge cavern might have been several rooms separated by interior walls that had collapsed and worn away. At Luna’s command the rest of the party began clearing a place to make camp. Most of the time was spent finding a place that was not under any of the long and delicate stalactites hanging from the ceiling or near any of the unstable walls that still stood. After judging a suitable location they cleared any debris and small rocks then laid out the bedrolls. Mac stared up into the shadowy ceiling as he listened to the talking voices, shuffling legs, and other sounds of wakefulness faded into rhythmic breathing. All he could hear was an occasional shuffle from Princess Luna as she kept watch and the half-light of the cavern was completely relaxing. Still Mac couldn’t sleep. He slowly rolled to his stomach and rose to his hooves. He carefully made his way through the sleeping ponies to the princess. She stood in front of the statue with a pensive frown on her face. “Don’t feel right, does it?” he asked her softly. “looking down at him is just wrong ain’t it?” “Am I truly so transparent?” “Nope,” Mac said with a shrug. “I suppose I got a way of getting a sense of what ponies are thinking.” “Truly? What am I thinking now?” “You don’t believe me,” Mac said with a blush. “No, I am thinking that such a skill is not surprising for one who has the quiet contemplation of a philosopher.” “I’m just a farmer.” “And thus the greatest and most noble philosophies are spoken to empty fields and lost to hearts too humble to proclaim what they have found.” “Really princess, I’m just a farmer.” “That does not make your thoughts any less valuable. You have more to offer the world than your strength before the plow.” “I saw the sunrise change when you got back. I was always up and fed before the sun. “Burning Daylight,” Granny’d always say if I was a might stubborn about getting out of bed. Didn’t much bother her if daylight hadn’t near come. I was always dragging myself out to the fields while the sun was dragging itself up into the sky. It always seemed every bit as tired as I was, always fighting to keep itself from going back to bed. The mist would always hang around wherever it pleased. Like it knew the sun needed another few gulps of coffee before it’d be up to chasing it off. “Then you came back. I was out trudging to the field like always and the sun rose fresh as a daisy and clear as a bell. It’s like when you’re doing music, you feel something bigger than you can put into notes and words and this sunrise felt so happy it could cry. “You changed your sister’s life just by coming back to it. Them that matter don’t need much more than a strong back from me. Applejack just needs me to stick around and listen to her once she’s done being stubborn. Applebloom just needs me to remember how to toss her in the deep parts of the swimming hole. Granny just needs me to carry her up the stairs when she’s not feeling up to it and keep quiet about it so Applejack doesn’t worry. Ain’t none of them that need me to think up something pretty to say.” “Then perhaps it is you that needs these things. A poet’s heart longs for verse, a singer’s for melody, and yours would have depth and eloquence of thought. But enough of this,” Luna said as she settled onto her stomach. “You were right. Looking up at him is much more familiar. How did you know?” “You said you were born here. I figured you grew up looking up at this here statue.” “Your guess is very near the truth.” Luna took her gaze from the statue and saw Big Mac standing beside her. She scowled and patted the ground beside her with a wing. “Please, join me. I left my crown in Equestria, there is no need to stand on ceremony.” Mac gave a slow shrug and settled beside the princess. “This statue was not built until I had nearly outgrown it. He is so much younger than I ever knew him to be in life. His eyes are not right. They were always filled with pride but it was tempered by wisdom and love. It is hard to believe that this stallion grew to be my father.” “Your pa!?” Mac’s head whipped around to the sleeping ponies to ensure that none of them were woken up by his outburst. “Yes,” Luna said with a smile. “If Celestia and I are sisters then we must have some lineage to share. How else would we have come to be?” “I suppose I just thought you always were.” “Oh come now, we are not nearly that old,” Luna teased. “Nope,” Mac said with a chuckle. Silence settled between the two. Luna began to examine the statue more closely. As well preserved as the face was the rest of the statue was unrecognizable. Her father had been a solidly built stallion with a thick chest and strong legs. The statue seemed delicate, like one misplaced breath would tear the whole thing to pieces. As correct as it was looking up at her father’s image she was reminded that this was not her father. “Settler’s eyes,” Mac said beside her. “Pardon?” “It’s that look a pony gets in their eyes, when they spend too much time looking at land that needs taming and not enough time looking at home. It’s that look he has in his eyes,” Mac said, gesturing to the statue. “How are you familiar with this ‘settler’s eyes’ condition?” “Granny may have accused me of having it once or twice when I was clearing some new fields.” Luna chortled. “Forgive me but you do not strike me as one who would be affected by mere field labor. Surely it was something more.” “That wasn’t an easy time for us,” Mac said looking away. “Ponies have gotten used to not asking why our folks ain’t around. Parents don’t leave the family farm for no good reason but death don’t much care for asking nicely when it asks. “Applebloom was just a baby, wailing up a storm. Granny was trying to keep it all together. Applejack had run off to Manehatten and I ran off to that field. It takes about all the off time you’ll get in a season to get a new field ready for planting. I did it in a week and I about killed myself getting there. Granny finally told me that I could march into the Everfree and clear it until there was nothing left or I could bring in enough of a harvest to keep us going through winter.” “What did you do?” Luna asked. “I turned around, started looking toward home again. I realized I had a family to take care of and a heck of a lot more than just me that I was needing to take care of.” “Your family is very fortunate to have you.” “Nope. They need Pa still. I’m the lucky one, that they can get by with just me.” “You said the sunrise changed when I returned. If it was your sister and not mine who raised the sun I wonder if you would truly see how important you are to her.” “I reckon she’d drop it on my head next time we get sore at each other,” Mac said with a chuckle. “Elder siblings are vexing,” Luna said, laughing along with Mac, “Heavens know that I have wanted to throttle Celestia before. That does not mean that I have no love for her, or that I do not admire her. She is so much of what I wish I could have been. She is gentle and kind in her actions yet she is unshakable and resolute in her decisions. She inspires love and loyalty simply by being herself. For all these thousands of years she has been my big sister, so I point out her flaws and draw out their corrections just to convince myself that I am her equal.” “Probably don’t help that she’s so tall.” “It simply is not fair! It is as if she flies about with weights attached to her hooves to stretch her legs.” “Eeyup,” Mac chuckled. “The Ponytones let Rarity drag us to the spa after practice one day. After what I saw ponies do to get looking how they want in there, attaching weights seems downright reasonable.” “Aye,” Luna said with a laugh. “Bathing in filth was once what foals did to give their mother’s fits now those mothers find it relaxing.” “When it ain’t their floors it’s being tracked all over I reckon they might.” Big Mac finished the statement with a tremendous yawn. “Pardon,” he said. “Perhaps you should return to your bedroll. Tomorrow will not be easy and you will need your rest.” “Eeyup,” Mac said as he rose tiredly to his hooves. “Macintosh?” His head turned back in answer to his call. “Thank you.” Mac settled down onto his bedroll. “Eeyup,” he said as sleep finally overtook him. The next day found the pony’s crude campsite buzzing with activity. It all started with Moon Shadow triple checking her armor and sharpening the metal claws that would attach to her front hooves. Morning Star stood beside her idly adjusting the straps to his armor and saddlebags, and hefting the spiked club that was his namesake. Loud pops issued from Big Mac as he stretched his limbs and checked his sledge. Once he was satisfied the head was securely attached to the haft he gave it a few practice swings. Luna stood aside giving her wings a few worm-up flaps while Cross, Lyra, and Bon Bon scratched their heads. “What do you think they’re getting ready for?” Cross asked. “Trouble,” Bon Bon replied flatly. “Well duh,” Lyra said. “We’ve been expecting trouble since the border, why are we just now getting ready for it?” “Because we’re just now going into the dragon’s den,” Bon Bon said. Her two companions gave her shocked looks. “What, that wasn’t obvious? We go to the place where dragons come from and then go underground, what else do you expect to find?” “I was thinking a few giant spiders and maybe a slime,” Cross said. “Well dungeons always do end up with some sort of big bug in them, but why the slime?” Lyra asked. “I don’t know. I’ve just always wanted to see one.” “Why did Princess Luna have to drag Ponyville’s two biggest geeks on this trip?” Bon Bon grumbled. “Pshhh. Says our DM,” Lyra teased back. “Only because you wouldn’t stop complaining about not being able to play any characters,” Bon Bon said. “Something that I’m sure you’re coming to realize,” Lyra said. “I’ve made more characters putting NPC’s on your stupid pirate ship than I ever did as a player!” Bon Bon’s shout echoed through the cavern causing the ponies who were not in the conversation to sharply turn their heads and stare. Blushing furiously Bon Bon hid her face in Lyra’s mane. “I hate you and I hate the things you make me say,” she whispered. “Love you too Bonnie.” After only a few more minutes of preparation the party was ready to move. Moon Shadow took her place on Big Mac’s back with less than the usual amount of grumbling and the others slung saddlebags stuffed with provisions across their back. “Stay quiet,” Luna said. “We do not know what horrors we may encounter and I would prefer that we know of them before they know of us.” In silence the group nodded their heads and followed after Luna. A single arched hallway had survived the test of time. Luna slowly led the party dim hornlight barely reached the cracked stone walls. A few recessed statues of long-forgotten royalty and long destroyed tapestries were could be seen as they made their way through the corridor. As they went on the air began to warm. Moon Shadow shifted uncomfortably as she felt the warming air stir. In and out it moved in a slow cadence, like the breathing of the earth itself. For minutes they carried on until the air was so hot that sweat poured from her brow and the moving of the air was so prominent she could almost feel the air moving her mane. They passed under one final archway and the tunnel opened up unto a huge chamber that dwarfed the previous one and even humbled the great throne room in Canterlot. Spreading her wings Luna signaled those behind her to halt. She peered into the darkness beyond the meagre hornlight. “Wait here,” She said in the barest whisper. “Moon Shadow take to the air and be ready to serve as a distraction should my strike fail but do not take undo risk. You have suffered enough wounds in my name for a lifetime.” With that Luna extinguished her horn and disappeared into the darkness. From his back Big Mac could feel the weight lessen rhythmically as the mare silently beat her wings. Just as it seemed about to disappear it settled back down with a frustrated sigh punctuated by a muttered curse. Again the weight began lifting and again it failed. “Toss me,” she whispered in his ear. “Wut?” “I need you to toss me. The air’s too hot for a flat take off and I can’t jump so I need you to toss me.” “Eeyup.” “Even think about telling a soul and I’ll kill you.” “Eeyup.” Big Mac shuffled just out of the light. Balancing on his hind legs he took Moon Shadow in his forehooves. He had plenty of experience throwing hay bales without the benefit of a rope and so when Moon Shadow shot like a bullet into the air she had to stifle a startled yelp before she took a more controlled flight. Fifty paces, Luna thought to herself. I have brought them naught but fifty paces away from this dragon and I have not even told them. Slowly she began making her way through the darkness towards the sleeping dragon. It was truly massive with its huge bronze scales nearly as bit as a pony. Its head was as large as most houses with a fang-filled maw easily big enough to devour all the ponies present. Its crimson horns pierced the air above it and formed a savage crown. Forty paces. It was bigger than any dragon she had ever slain before. Its massive wings could cover a village in darkness and no doubt its fire could turn anything to ash. She would need to be within five paces. At such massive levels of power the laws of magic began to bend and the spell she planned to use would lose almost all precision. Thirty-five paces. If Moon Shadow was afraid she showed no hesitation as she made her way around the cavern. She was recklessly brave and loyal beyond doubt. Thirty paces. Luna felt a creeping itch at the back of her head. She dared not pause and bring a hoof up to scratch. Still it brought a feeling of familiarity. Twenty-five paces. With every step the itch grew. Luna set her teeth on edge as if grinding them would do something to relieve her of the itch. As the itch grew so did the feeling of familiarity. Splashes of green filled the edges of her vision. Twenty paces. The itching burned into the back of her skull. She tilted her head back and worked her jaw in a vain attempt to relieve it. Her vision swam with images of a pleasant green pasture. Fifteen Paces. The burning itch spread until the back of her neck felt as if a predator was about to bite on it. Before her the green field abruptly ended at a cliff. She knew this cliff. Ten paces. Not a predator, she realized. Eyes were on her, watching for what she would do. She fought off whatever madness made these hallucinations to no avail. The image of the cliff burned itself over the scene of the massive dragon before her. She knew this cliff, she had spent a millennium dancing on its edge. Five paces. It was not some great judging host but six ponies, six friends. Her heart raged against her with all the fear and doubt it could muster as she lowered her horn and charged her spell. She looked over the cliff, like a curious filly peering at what was beyond. There was a boundless black void of water that reflected the cliff edge and her image. Familiar slitted eyes stared back up at her. Behind the black alicorn banners of every color flew and armies of every kind marched onto the field. As the spell charged her evil smile grew wider and wider. Luna knew this cliff, she had spent millennia dancing at the edge of sanity while she dealt out death and darkness. Luna closed her eyes. She tried to block it out, the blinding, searing, itching pain of her friends seeing what she was about to do, the warm grassy pasture that gave way to a dark abyss, the frantic thumping of her heart. She tried to block everything save spell charged in her horn. It crackled and sparked with energy like a dog tugging at its leash. It would be easy to simply let the spell run its course and kill the beast. It would have been easy for her to end Chrysalis’s existence. It would have been easy for Celestia to mourn her death and lock her in the moon for eternity. It tugged at her horn, begging for release. The spell made with only one purpose strained against her hesitation and hummed angrily with power. It would be not just easy, the spell fought for release and she strained to maintain her hold. Through her closed eyes she could still see the cliff. The reflection of Nightmare cackled madly as she tore through assembled lines, leaving only gore in her wake. She saw her other self moving away towards settlements, camps, caves, nests; homes. “Wait.” The spell on her horn ceased its struggling, Nightmare turned her head to regard her with curious eyes, and even the slow breathing of the great dragon seemed to pause. “I—I am trying a new way.” Nightmare turned fully to face her and settled onto her stomach, ignoring the fleeing survivors behind her. A small fanged smirk adorned her face. The spell began to fade away. Luna felt electric tingles all along her body as the power was reabsorbed. She slowly backed away towards the circle of light with her friends. With each step across the rubble covered floor she felt her legs tremble weakly and threaten to give out beneath her. The final step a rock shifted beneath her hoof and she tumbled forward. “Princess, are you okay,” Morning Star asked as he rushed over to help her up. “I—I am…I do not…I—it is not important.” “What happened?” Moon Shadow growled as she landed gracelessly beside her. Luna felt her voice catch as she tried to answer. She could only curl up and shake her head. Bon Bon roughly made her way through the gathered ponies, a scrap of cloth in her hoof. As she reached up to wipe Luna’s tearstained face she flinched away, curling even tighter into herself. “Hey, hey. It’s okay,” Bon Bon cooed gently as she reached for Luna. When Luna accepted the touch Bun Bon moved a pace closer and began wiping the princess’s cheeks like a mother would a foals. “There, are you feeling a bit better now?” Luna nodded dumbly. “Let’s get you to your hooves so you can tell us what happened.” Once again Luna nodded. She took Morning Star’s offered hoof and used it to heave herself back up. “I have deceived you,” she finally said. “There is a sleeping dragon in this very room. I meant to slay the beast in secret but I—I could not.” “You couldn’t!?” Moon Shadow hissed, “What are we supposed to do now?” Morning Star shushed her, giving a nervous glance over his shoulder. “Go around,” Mac said, “best let sleeping dragons lie.” “We cannot,” Luna said. “We have been extremely lucky it has not already awoken. Once we reach the prize we seek it will wake and we will be trapped. Whatever may come it must be dealt with here.” “What do you suggest?” Moon asked. “I...” Luna trailed off. “What?” “I cannot believe I am going to suggest this. I will wake it and speak to it.” “Pahahahaha!” Cross burst out laughing. “I’m sorry but that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Bon Bon gave his shin a very unsubtle kick. “Not to agree with a complete ass but aren’t dragons a bit… well they don’t exactly rise and shine do they?” “They be somewhat bestial,” Luna coughed, “But Celestia’s and my name carry some weight among them for…varying reasons. I hope that I can reason with it.” “What if you can’t?” Moon challenged. “Then I will cover your escape. The beast can chase us back to Equestria if it wishes but I will make it regret every mile.” “Should we be calling him that?” Lyra asked. “We want to reason with him and we’re all ‘the beast’ that, and ‘that monster’ this. Maybe we should try a bit more positive thinking.” “Well we don’t know that it’s a ‘he’ either,” Cross said. “Well making a wrong assumption still isn’t as bad as calling someone an ‘it’, that’s just dehumanizing.” “That’s just what?” Morning asked. With a sigh Bon Bon answered, “It means you’re implying it can’t think for itself or that its life doesn’t matter, like one of the animals griffons use for meat or something. Don’t ask where she got the word from.” “Did it look like a boy or a girl?” Cross asked, looking to Luna. “Dragons are less…apparent about this sort of thing once they reach maturity,” Luna answered. “So we’re back to ‘it’,” Lyra said with a thoughtful frown. “We need more gender neutral pronouns.” “Not necessarily more, just more without bad implications,” Cross ventured. “Can we shut up about gender neutral pronouns and please talk about what we’re going to do with the dragon!” Moon half shouted. “We’re going to talk to it about getting, uh, whatever we’re getting. We’re just working on the best way to say ‘hi’,” Cross said. “Howdy usually works for me,” Big Mac said. “I suppose I could improvise,” Luna said. “It is decided then?” She looked around the circle. One by one they nodded their heads until she got to Moon Shadow. She gave a frustrated shake of her head but waved a hoof dismissively. She turned towards the dragon to consider the best way to wake it. “Wait, what are we looking for exactly?” Lyra asked behind her. “What, we’ve just referred to it as ‘the thing we’re looking for’ this whole trip and I can’t be the only one who doesn’t actually know what it is.” “Eeyup,” Big Mac said before a chorus of agreements. “It is the journal of Starswirl the Bearded,” Luna said with a smile. “I shall endeavor to be more specific in the future.” “Magic journal with beard hair in it, gotcha.” Luna turned back towards the dragon. She had come to recognize Bon Bon’s corrections by sound alone and couldn’t help but let her smile widen. She began casting a spell very different from her earlier one. The chamber began to slowly illuminate as her magic took effect. Before long dark silhouettes began to gain distinction and the dragon became clearly visible. The spell finally came to an end, leaving the chamber nearly as bright as day. The dragon took one massive, slow breath in and let it out, its eyes still firmly shut. “Are you sure we can’t just go around? He doesn’t seem to be waking up for anything,” Morning Star asked. “We cannot, as soon as the least part of a dragon’s hoard is touched they will wake to face the thieves.” “Is there another way to wake a dragon that doesn’t involve it immediately wanting to kill us?” “If there is it escapes me. We have already made enough noise to wake the dead and they are not known to appreciate prodding.” “Could we move like, one coin or something so it knows we’re not trying to get anything valuable from it?” Cross asked. “Perhaps,” Luna said after a pause. “It may just as likely take it as an insult.” She looked back over her shoulder. There were three smaller tunnels leading off beside the one they had entered through. When she was young they would have been servant’s passages leading through the fortress. With a nod of her head she gestured to them. “You should prepare to flee, this-“ she cut herself off with a bark of nervous laughter, “-this will not go well.” As her friends backed away Luna scanned the dragon’s hoard. After a moment she levitated out a single copper coin. She held it between her and the Dragon’s eye for a moment until it moved away, revealing a slitted golden pupil. Author's Note And finally here's part one of...more than one, right in time for midterms. I'd like to get another chapter for my other fic published before I get Part 2 rolling but hopefully I'll bust that out pretty quick. I was tempted to let the Big Mac and Luna scene go on for a while. Once those two characters start talking I really like how they interact. Even as it is this is still the longest single chapter I've ever written. Who wants to guess the dragon's name?
The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XIII - Part 2A rushing wind filled the chamber as the great beast’s lungs expanded. It reversed sending heated and arid air back in the ponies faces. “I am Smaug. I am desolation. I am king of this place.” With every word the dragon raised itself higher until it towered over them, the great canopy of its stretched wings blotted out any view of the chamber’s ceiling. “Who dares approach my throne?” Luna took a single step forward. She had to crane her neck uncomfortably to look at Smaug’s face and his sheer presence was enough to give her some pause. “I am Princess Luna of Equestria.” “Do not try and hide your name before me Dreamslayer!” the earth shook and dust fell from the ceiling at Smaug’s outburst. “You were supposed to be gone, the dark undying sister was supposed to have learned what it meant to live and die by the sword. Why are you here?” “I have come to retrieve an artifact Equestria has need of. If you would part with it you would be reimbursed handsomely and counted as a friend of ponies for centuries to come.” “You insult me! I will not barter away my hoard and I would never count myself a friend to anything, especially not your filthy mortal spawn! Begone and let me return to my slumber or bathe in my fire.” “If you will not respect my offer then you will respect my claim,” Luna said as she squared her shoulders. “This is a pony fortress and everything here is mine by right. I am Luna, daughter of High King Monoceros, the only king I recognize under this mountain, and you will return my property.” Smaugs deep chuckle pulsed through the cavern, as much a physical force as a sound. It resonated in the ponies’ chests, forcing their hearts to beat in time with his amusement. “I thought it was your sister who commanded the fires of dawn. As a token of my…amusement at such brazen words you may keep the pittance you woke me with and the lives of your cohorts. I shall not offer such generous terms twice.” “Please, I would beg of you—“ “The Dreamslayer would beg, now that is a sight worthy of a dragon’s reward,” Smaug said with a smirk. Luna’s eyes widened with surprise. “You are unused to this. Begging is done from one’s knees Dreamslayer.” Luna’s hoof ground into the rock beneath her. She turned her head to regard the ponies behind her. Most cowered back towards the tunnels leading out. Their wide white eyes pointed up towards the impossibly huge dragon. Her guards stood before them, Morning Star nervously shifted his weight while his eyes darted around, watching Smaug’s limbs for any movement. Moon Shadow favored her injured leg beside him. Her lips curled back in anger revealing her fangs, and her slitted eyes met Luna’s a level glare that screamed for death. Luna closed her eyes slowly. How often had she condemned ponies in her mind for refusing to bend their stubborn pride? The solution was obvious, swallow her pride and bend her knees. Let the dragon have his amusement in exchange for a peaceful resolution. Her body rebelled, her heart hammered in her chest. Her hooves ground the stone beneath them, looking for grip for the charge that was to come. She could feel her clenched teeth seeking to elongate into fangs and her closed eyes trying to shape themselves into slitted pupils as a more aggressive form sought to overtake her. She took deep, gasping breaths as she fought once again for control over her body. Slowly she forced her chest lower. One by one her front legs folded to their knees. “I beg you…” “…You kneel but you are not humbled,” Smaug said bringing his face lower. “You can do better than this Dreamslayer.” Luna stifled a frustrated sigh. “I beg you--” She started again in a threatening growl. “Ah, ah, ahh. That does not sound like a demure princess making a request to a dragon.” “I beg you,” Luna tried again, “please let me take the journal.” Smaug hummed, bringing a claw up to scratch his chin. “It is a start, perhaps you should try some flattery.” Luna said nothing for a moment as she clenched her teeth to fight back her anger. “Please,” She finally said, “O great dragon, I call upon your boundless generosity and ask that you allow me only a small trinket of your great hoard.” “You come before my throne,” Smaug said. “Yes.” “Where I am king.” “Yes.” “Where I am the greatest king to have ever reigned.” “Yes,” Luna growled through clenched teeth. A deep thrumming filled the chamber. It slowly built on itself until Smaug’s chuckle weighed down on the ponies like a physical force. “Has the Dawnfire truly broken you so?” Smaug asked smugly as he brought his huge head down to hover over the ponies. “I am amused but I am not fulfilled. Let us see what may be offered by your companions.” Smaug brought his snout over Big Mac and sniffed. “This one is earth, toil, and sweat,” he said as Mac flinched away from his scalding breath. Between Morning Star and Moon Shadow he said, “These are blood and steel. Favorites of yours Dreamslayer?” “This one,” He said over Cross, “I do not recognize this scent, it is like magic but diluted. Bah.” His head moved until it was hovering over Lyra and Bon Bon. “Ahh, Music, and plenty. Excellent,” He said turning back to Luna. “Their flesh will break my fast and you will have what it is you seek.” A wave of magic slammed into Smaug’s neck, sending his head back until it crashed against the wall. As dust rained down Luna’s voice rose up like a terrible banshee’s call. “You will not touch my friends wyrm.” Her magic gripped Smaug by the throat again and dragged his head across the cavern until it slammed into the opposite wall. Rocks rained down causing the ponies to scatter. A second slam caused the entrance tunnel to cave in before Smaug’s claw came up and ripped Luna’s magical grip away. “ENOUGH!!” he thundered, causing even more debris to rain down from the ceiling. “Your insult to my generosity will cost you your life!” Luna’s blue magic sprang up in an instant creating a ramp that Smaug’s fire glanced off of and into the air. Morning Star stepped up beside her to lend his strength to the shield only to get roughly pushed back. “He is mine alone!” Luna shouted out. Morning Star hesitated for a split second. One look at the magma boiling outside of Luna’s shield was enough for him to realize this fight was beyond him. Big Mac grunted in pain as yet another rock bounced off of his back. He stood stubbornly over Bon Bon as rocks rained down. He could feel the earth shifting around them. Their exit had closed but the stone’s seemed to whisper to him to be patient. Lyra and Cross held each other tightly. A shield of their combined magic flickered weakly above them as more rocks slammed down around them. Moon Shadow shouted once again, but she couldn’t be heard over the roaring dragon or the falling rocks. She could see a small dent in the farmer’s back that was telling of at least one broken rib but he still stood over the smaller pony who was too scared to move. It would have been noble if it weren’t so stupid. She tried shouting at them once again to get to the walls where less rocks fell but she seemed to accomplish nothing. She saw Morning silhouetted against Smaug’s fire and Luna’s shield running back to them. He held his head up high, trying to dodge rocks as he made his way to the farmer. “Get them to the wall!” she shouted to him. His head turned towards her and for a moment Moon thought she had finally been heard. Then he charged towards her, his horn glowing to form an unneeded shield above her. She tried to wave him off but he would not be deterred. Even a rock crashing down on his hindquarters only caused him to miss a step. “You bucking moron!” Moon screamed at him. “I’m safe, go get them.” She said pointing at Mac and Bon Bon. Morning turned his head to the two just as a loud crack split the cavern. To his right an entire wall seemed to collapse in on itself. Dust billowed out in a great wave but powerful updrafts from the dragonfire caught the black cloud and pulled it away revealing another craggy entrance. After nearly a full minute of spewing fire Luna saw Smaug pause to take a breath. She turned to glimpse behind her, praying that her friends had survived whatever collapse had occurred while she deflected the dragonfire. Six ponies gaped at a pile of rubble where the entrance once stood. It peaked at the second level of the old castle and provided a crude staircase to a passageway that had been revealed. “Fly you fools!” she cried out as she charged towards Smaug. Cross and Lyra were the first to react. With speed born of panic they scrambled up the pile of rubble. Mac and Bon Bon followed close behind with Mac favoring one of his forelegs. Morning Star stepped in place for a moment. His head pivoted between the escape and the fight before an armored hoof connected with the back of it. “She ordered us to get out, we’d just be in the way,” Moon Shadow shouted. “Fine,” Morning Star growled in return. He started towards the exit only to get stopped by a sharp tug at his tail. A rock as big as his head slammed down in front of him. “Hug the wall unless you really want that helmet to cup the other way.” Morning gave a slight nod and began to make his way towards the exit. Moon Shadow followed behind him using a wing to help support herself on the wall. Once they reached the mound of rubble leading up to the exit Morning Star began climbing with Moon Shadow following behind. About halfway up he turned around to see Moon Shadow struggling to clamber over the first large rock. He berated himself for leaving her behind as he made his way down to her. He offered her a hoof only to get it slapped away. “Go on I’ll catch up.” “I’m not leaving you!” he said back as he moved to support her. “I don’t need your help!” she shouted as she pushed him away. Overbalanced from the push she fell back down the pile of rubble and lost whatever progress she had made. Morning Star leapt down to her side and checked fretfully on her wounded leg. “Are you alright?” “I’m fine,” she growled. “Get out of here, I’ll catch up.” “No,” Morning said. “I’m not letting you get yourself killed.” The cave lit up slightly with the dark golden aura of his magic as it wrapped itself around Moon Shadow. “You put me down you arrogant bonehead!” Moon Shadow protested as she floated gently towards the exit. Morning Star’s face was a stony mask as he made his way up the pile of rubble. “You listen to me you pinheaded, stickbrained idiot!” Moon Shadow’s ranting echoed harshly off of the walls of the exit tunnel as she glared daggers at the unicorn still holding her. Morning Star caught sight of Big Mac looking back at them. He couldn’t tell if the tension in his face came from overhearing Moon Shadow or from wounds he had taken from falling rocks. Both their eyes turned fearfully up as a muffled boom sounded behind them and an ominous rumbling started above them. Even Moon Shadow paused her tirade nervously a second before the ceiling fell. Author's Note Sorry for the delay, sorry for the shortness, sorry for not thinking of a third thing to apologise for. I wanted this chapter to be much longer but with graduation looming I just haven't had the time or energy to do much writing.
The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XIII - Part 3They ran. Lyra and Cross didn’t pause to flinch at the roaring of the tunnel collapsing, they didn’t even stop to think of what had happened to the others, they simply ran until their lungs burned and their legs ached, until they could not breathe the musty air and their legs gave out beneath them. They collapsed onto each other, a panting mess of limbs on the worn stone floor. “Do…you…think…they…made…it?” Cross asked, struggling to speak. “They,” Lyra began only to get cut off by a coughing fit. “They made it. They have to.” Cross opened his mouth to ask how she knew but something in her voice made him pause. Her wide white eyes almost glowed in his hornlight. Her narrowed panicked pupils and the desperate assurance in her voice was all the answer he needed. She closed her eyes and drew in a few shaky breaths. “What do we do?” she asked. “I can’t hear the collapse anymore. Maybe we could dig our way back to the others.” A pained expression crossed Lyra’s face. “I can’t even begin to move that much rock. Unless you’re secretly Ponyville’s other magic prodigy I don’t think we’ll be able to do much.” “I…” I can barely lift the broom some nights. “I don’t think I’ll be much help.” “We should check it out just in case,” Lyra said as she rose to her hooves. “The cave in may not have been as bad as it sounded.” “Yeah,” Cross said, unconvinced. Lyra didn’t seem to hear him as she made her way back through the corridor. As they traced back their steps Cross and Lyra could hear the mountain fortress rumbling forebodingly. From time to time a stream of sand would rain down from cracks in the ceiling. Neither of them trusted their sense of direction enough to find a way around and so they made do with stepping lightly under them. “How far did we run?” Cross finally asked after what seemed like an hour of walking. “Not much further. I thought I recognized that bust that sorta looked like a pear two turns back.” Another impact sent the mountain shaking around them. The two unicorns huddled into one another until the rumbling calmed. “C’mon,” Lyra said. “The sooner we find the others and get out of here the better.” “Right,” Cross said as they started off together. Within minutes they had found the collapse. The passageway was completely filled with rocks and debris. Cracks spider webbing out leaked dust ominously. As soon as she saw it Lyra ran to the base and began frantically clearing away rocks. Cross came up behind her and laid a hoof across her back. “Hey, I thought we agreed we couldn’t do this on our own.” “I have to get to her! I have to find Bon Bon!” Lyra shouted back manically as more debris filled in whatever progress she had made. Another impact shook the mountain and opened up the cracks overhead, sending a few hoof sized stones down along with a fresh cloud of dust. “We’re going to get buried if we stay here! Let’s go! We can find another way around.” “NO! I have to find her!” Lyra shouted back. An entire section of ceiling between two cracks fell in behind the pair. Rubble piled on top of it threatening to close them off and bury them in. “I have to find her,” Lyra repeated to herself as she fruitlessly dug at the growing pile. Cross groaned in frustration as the pile behind them grew. “Crazy mare come ON!” he said as he wrapped his magic around her and began pulling her to safety. She flailed in the air, trying to find some purchase to fight his hold with. Cross backed out, taking one heavy step at a time as the screaming mare in his grasp fought him. After a minute of trudging Cross was panting hoarsely as sweat dripped from his face. His flickering hold on Lyra threatened to give out at any moment. With a massive ‘BOOM’ the tunnel completely collapsed behind them. Cross dropped to his knees. His spent magic dissolved around Lyra, dropping her mere inches to the ground. Cross laid his head against the cool stone beneath him. He could taste the dirt in grit coming into his mouth with every inhale but he couldn’t muster up the energy to even turn his head. His horn felt like a tuning fork somepony had hit with a sledgehammer. In between throbbing pulses it hummed painfully. “Get up,” Lyra’s voice cut coldly. “We’re going around the stupid tunnel. We’re going to find that stupid book. We’re going to find everypony and kick that stupid dragon’s butt, then we’re getting out from under this stupid mountain. Morning Star knew what was coming long before the hoof met his face. Smack! “Don’t you EVER try anything like that again or I’ll break off that horn and kill you with it.” Broken leg or no his marefriend could make good on the threat. “Don’t you ever even think about picking me up without my permission again you—you ass!” “So what did you want me to do, leave you there to die?!” Morning shouted back. “I want you to let me do it on my own! I don’t need to be coddled and I sure as hell don’t need to be carried.” “You do though.” Morning Star realized in the pitch black that silence could express more anger than shouting. Even an earthshattering boom of the princess’s fight and the dust that rained down after seemed to fade into the background of Moon Shadow’s angry oppressive silence. “Moon I didn’t mean it that way.” “It was three words. How else could you mean it?” she spat. “Moony I…” “…Don’t,” She cut in, “talk to me.” Morning Star sat in silence. They were lucky to have survived the cave in. An alcove housing some long broken statue had been enough to save them but counting his blessings was the last thing on Morning Star’s mind. He didn’t even bother to flinch when another impact caused the wall behind him to give way. He turned his head slowly only to find more inky blackness. His horn glowed faintly, illuminating a pile of rubble spilling into a long gallery below. Moon shadow stood at the bottom, her wings folding against her sides. Compared to her soundless, graceful glide his own descent was deafening. By the time he had made it down she was halfway through the gallery. Morning trotted past ruined portraits and molding tapestries to catch up. “Moon, I’m sorry,” He said. “I’m sorry I’m not like Macintosh, I’m sorry I don’t have whatever it is that makes you trust him.” “The farmer is nothing,” she said. “He doesn’t fight, he doesn’t forge. He only grows food for those who do. He’s nothing important enough for me to care what he thinks. I don’t love him.” “Oh,” Morning said, missing a step and almost tripping beside her. “Well I don’t love him either.” There was a clank of a shod hoof against Morning Star’s helmet followed by a quick kiss in the dark. Tchk tchk Big Mac brought a hoof to his head grumpily. Applebloom was trying to light something with Grampa’s old flint again. Tchk tchk Luckily the old relic barely sparked anymore or he might be building a whole new farmhouse. Celestia knows they’ve been going through barns like matchsticks. Tchk tchk Mac rolled to his stomach. Why ain’t I in my bed? He was used to going to sleep late and wore out and waking up early wore out but this was the worst he remembered. He felt like he’d been chewed up and spit out a dozen times over. His ribs hurt almost as bad as when he’d lost that bet over who had to wear Granny’s girdle. It was all going just fine until he remembered he had to breathe, then something had to give. AJ may brag up and down that he was the strongest worker this side of anywhere but he learned something important that day: never underestimate Granny’s girdle. Tchk tchk With a groan of effort he rose to his hooves. Tired as he was Applebloom still needed him. Hopefully getting a light may quit her shaking like a leaf with all this thunder. Tchk tchk THOOOOOMMM Mac gave another groan. With how the house was rattling beneath him there was one hum dinger of a storm right above them. That meant checking over every orchard and field in the morning and spending the rest of the day cleaning up whatever mess the storm left to them. Tchk tchk tchk tchk Applebloom was scared. He could tell by the panicked strikes, desperately trying to get some light in this pitch black. Why ain’t I seeing any lightning? “Here,” He said taking the flint from Applebloom’s hoof. She’s growing like a weed. One strike brought enough sparks to see the lantern. In another it was lit. He nearly dropped the lantern his head hurt so bad. “Mac, you need to lay down, your bleeding.” That ain’t no filly’s voice. Mac examined his hoof. It ached well enough but there was only one little drop of blood. “Ain’t nothing but a scratch, guess I got the plow a mite too sharp.” Another drop landed on his hoof. He brought his hoof up to rub his aching head only to feel something wet and sticky matting his mane. He pulled his hoof away covered in half-dried blood. Then the dizziness hit. “Aw shit,” he said before falling over. Author's Note I graduated!
The Unexpected Journey - Interlude XIII - part 4With a ponderous wave of her horn Luna turned another blow. She had learned quickly that simply dodging the titanic dragon’s strokes would bring the mountain down on top of everypony’s heads and so she set about the arduous process of absorbing or stopping every blow. Even so every footstep seemed to bring the ancient fortress to the brink of collapse. As Luna took stock of her dwindling magic reserves she regretted her delicate company. With a sharp yank Bon Bon tied off the knot. She ran her tongue against her teeth, trying to get the unpleasant sensation of cotton fibers and the coppery taste of blood out of her mouth. Macintosh had not been carrying a saddlebag and her canteen would barely be enough for him. The mountain shook beneath them with a distant rumble. “Bon Bon?” Mac’s voice had always been slow and deliberate. It carried a rumbling depth and a solid assurance. You always knew that he had spent far longer thinking than he did speaking. To hear it call out, so small and frightened shook Bon Bon. “It’s okay Macintosh I’m here.” One of her bloody hooves stroked his face as she prayed that it was just the lantern light that made him look so pale. He weakly brought a hoof up to touch his bandaged head. “How’d you learn to fix up ponies?” Bon Bon shook her head and let out a relieved chuckle. “Lyra wanted me to play a healer that didn’t use magic one time. I learned it all for some stupid game.” “Saved my skin. Don’t seem that stupid to me.” “You’ve clearly never played in costume.” Mac let out a light chuckle in response. His eyes turned away from Bon Bon as the conversation lulled. “Pardon,” he said after a yawn. Bon Bon stiffened. “Whoa there buster,” she said. “You just had a concussion, you can’t be falling asleep or you might not ever wake up.” Mac rolled stiffly to his stomach and began pushing himself up. “What are you doing?” Bon Bon asked sternly. “Work helps me wake up,” Mac said between clenched teeth as he strained to rise. “It does no favors for broken ribs, now you lay yourself down this instant.” Mac settled to the ground with an enormous sigh. “What do you suggest then?” “I can’t be that bad to talk to,” Bon Bon scowled. The mountain seemed to punctuate her statement by rumbling ominously. “I didn’t mean anything by it, it’s just I ain’t much of a talker. Don’t hardly know where I’d begin.” “The beginning,” Bon Bon said. “What was Ponyville like when you were young?” Mac stared at the lantern for a few moments to let his thoughts collect. “Smaller,” he began, “Weren’t a third as many houses and it seemed like the Everfree came right up to town square. The schoolhouse wasn’t even thought of back then. A grumpy old widow named Mrs. Wormwood taught us right there in the library. She’d do her best to convince you otherwise but she had a heart bigger than most. She wouldn’t take any nonsense. Fighting, cussing, or interrupting meant you’d go to the balcony and cut Mrs. Wormwood a switch,” Mac let out a distant chuckle. “Couple of times I got her riled up enough she gave it back to me right there in sight of the whole town.” Bon Bon gasped. “Public punishment is just cruel.” “Aw it ain’t nothing. Boys are gonna be boys and she did her level best to straighten us up. I reckon with how I’m colored switching me in earshot was the best way for her to let my parents know I’d been acting up.” “What were they like?” Bon Bon’s hooves shot to her mouth the instant it stopped moving. It was an unspoken taboo within Ponyville to talk about the apple family’s missing generation. The parents were no longer around and the children didn’t talk about them, that was all anypony needed to know. “I’m sorry,” she squeaked. “You can talk about something else if you want.” The mountain rumbled like a distant storm as Mac drew on the ground with a hoof. “Pa was big, bigger’n me maybe. Hard to know when you only ever looked up to him. He could talk your ear clean off if you’d let him. He’d talk from breakfast to dinner and hit his second wind before dessert. Before I was old enough for school I’d ride around on his back while he’d work and I’d just listen to him talk. “Ma wasn’t quiet but next to him she looked it. She was our family’s doctor. I reckon you read the same book on bandaging concussions as her.” Mac chuckled at Bon Bon’s surprised expression. “This ain’t my first rodeo,” he said. “She never could get Granny to let her run the kitchen for longer than enough time to make a quick snack. Only time Pa’d quit talking is when those two mares got after it. Once they were done you never saw a more friendly pair. They had their own way of being family I suppose.” This time the mountain’s rumbling seemed to be right on top of them, sending dust from the ceiling and a few stray bricks from the walls. “Come on,” Mac said straining to his hooves. “We need to find someplace else to be. The rest of the story ain’t happy anyhow.” “Well what do you think?” Morning Star glared at the gallery before him one more time. There were a few brick walls leaning dangerously that told it had once been part of the mountain fortress but behind them countless openings lead to any number of places. An errant footfall or strike from the fight above helpfully closed off a few of them. Moon Shadow shook her head beside him. “There’s too many,” she said. “None lead out, one or two back to the dragon but I can’t tell which ones. We’d be better off just picking one at random and hoping we get lucky. Morning Star stifled a laugh. “What?” Moon demanded. “It’s nothing, just something I overheard the others saying about that game of theirs. It might apply here but it’s just…silly.” “Any port in a storm,” Moon said. “Systematically to the left it is then.” “I don’t… Does this help?” Cross asked in an awed tone as the two unicorns gazed upwards at the seemingly endless shelves. “Well we are looking for a book,” Lyra replied. “We’re not exactly short on those anymore,” Cross groused as he gestured to the arrayed shelves. “Look at it this way, we’ve found the haystack, now we just need to find the needle,” Lyra said over her shoulder as she started through the shelves. “I thought finding the needle was supposed to be the hard part,” Cross grumbled as he walked to the nearest shelf. Cross brightened his horn and squinted at the dust covered books in front of him. He took a second to fill his lungs before blowing the dust off of the nearest spine. Cross blinked as the Spine, binding, and a considerable portion of the pages turned to dust and blew away as well. “Uhhh, Lyra,” he called out. “What is it this time,” her voice called back to him. “Are the books holding together any better further in?” “What do you mean?” she asked. “Touch one.” “…Oh…” “So new plan?” he asked. “Hold on,” She called out. After hearing the clip-clop of trotting hooves echo around the library for a few moments Cross saw her appear from between two shelves. “What did you have in mind?” Lyra asked more quietly. “I was going to follow your lead.” “Gee thanks,” Lyra deadpanned. “At this rate we might as well domino the shelves and pick up anything that still looks like a book.” “Wait that’s it!” Cross exclaimed. “You have to know I was kidding,” Lyra said with a frustrated sigh. “No not that. This journal is supposed to be magic out the wazoo isn’t it?” “That really depends on what a wazoo is.” “Anyway it’s the only thing on these shelves with anything resembling a magic charge. Don’t you see it’s a one in a sea of zeroes,” Cross said with a laugh. “So we just use a detection spell?” “Better!” Cross said excitedly. “We use several area based detection spells in combination with math!” “Math?” “Math!” Lyra closed her eyes and brought a hoof up to her face. “Cross,” she said after a pause “you are the biggest geek I know.” “It’s over here!” Cross called out already trotting off with his horn glowing. “Wait up!” Lyra said as she ran after Cross. “Log N algorithms filly. Deal with it.” Cross called back smugly. “A broom closet?” Moon shadow asked angrily. “Yep,” came Morning Star’s frustrated reply. “The only door in this whole place that still looks like a door.” “Yep.” “And it leads to a broom closet.” “Yep.” “I hate this place.” “Yep.” THOOOOMM! The world turned a hazy brown around Big Mac as dust filled the air around them. “Do you think,” Bon Bon said amidst a coughing fit, “that this mountain can have much more dust in it?” “Nope,” Mac coughed in reply. He worked his tongue around his mouth, grimacing at the distasteful feel of grit and mud. “It’s getting hot again. I think we may have looped back to the throne room.” “Eeyup.” “We should turn back and get out of danger.” “Nope,” Mac said shaking his head. “Why not?” Bob Bon demanded. “We’re in danger anyways. Least this way I know where the hell I am.” Bon Bon paused for a moment. “Fine what do you want to do?” “Find the princess and a safe corner to hunker down in. I’m about sick of that dragon stepping on my head and I wanna see him get whupped.” Bon Bon looked ahead nervously. “Just don’t try and interfere, that dragon is way out of our league.” “Eeyup,” Mac said stepping forward. “Right or left?” Moon Shadow asked knowing the answer that was to come. Thoom! They both knew the drill at this point. Close their eyes and breathe through a fetlock until the dust settled again. “Looks like we don’t get to choose after all,” Morning Star said. “Wait,” Moon said. “There’s warm air coming from ahead. A passage back to the throne room must have opened up.” “Let’s hope that was the dragon falling over dead then.” “Yeah,” Moon said, “Let’s hope.” “I still can’t believe this is it,” Cross said as he examined the journal. “And you’re sure that’s it?” Lyra asked as they walked through the library. “This thing has enough magic on it to keep it preserved for another however many thousand years. Plus the stars and swirls are a dead giveaway.” “But couldn’t it be a decoy?” Lyra asked as they passed under a final arched doorway. “It’s possible but why would this Starswirl guy—yaaah!” Cross said, yelping as he passed through the arched entrance to the library. “Are you okay?” Lyra asked. “I’m –gyaah- I’m, I’m fine.” Cross said bringing a hoof up to his horn. With his levitation spell cut off the journal fell to the ground. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing it’s just somepony really, really powerful enchanted these supports.” “Well yeah, I can sorta feel it in my horn too but it’s not that bad.” “I spend all day looking at electronics. It’s all super low powered spells and so I’ve developed some hypersensitivity. Let’s just get out from under this and it’ll be fine.” “Faust Cross how do you function if passive enchantments are enough to hurt you?” Lyra asked as she picked up the journal. “It comes and goes. I don’t think I helped it any with my little trick there. But I have an inhibitor ring back home if it ever gets too bad.” As they moved away Cross gave a sigh of relief. “We may want to check that journal,” he said. “I thought you said it was real.” “If this Starswirl guy can do that making a few dummy journals would have been no problem.” “Alright, how should we check it?” Lyra asked. “Just read the first few pages I guess.” “Oh,” Lyra said after opening the cover. “There’s a note. It’s addressed to the princesses or “whoever they get to come and find this for them”. “What does it say?” “A bunch of things,” Lyra said evasively after taking some time to read. “A lot of it is sort of, uh, old timey vulgar and a bit, uh a bit racist.” “A bit what?” Cross asked almost laughing. “Yeah, uh,” Lyra said blushing, “It turns out those pageants were right about how the tribes hated each other before Hearthswarming. It’s a lot cuter when it’s just foals pretending to bicker.” “Oh I have to see this now,” Cross said trying to take the book from Lyra’s grasp. “Cross, no!” Lyra said sternly. “This isn’t funny, this isn’t amusing, this isn’t interesting. It’s some old sh-shithead spewing out as much hate and filth as he can after he’s dead! If it didn’t have a part for the princesses I would burn it right now.” “Okay, fine,” Cross said relenting. “I think this way leads back to the throne.” “Let’s hurry up and find the others. I think what you have might be contagious because holding this book is making me sick.” Smaug looked down pompously from his throne of treasure. “You have spent yourself Dreamslayer. And for what, these weaklings you call friend? You are a coward but I never thought you such a fool.” Luna could give no response as she panted for breath. Sweat and tears ran in rivulets down her muzzle as she raised her head. She had enough power to defend one last attack but Smaug barely even seemed winded. “Very well then, die a fools death,” Smaug said as he brought his head down and unleashed a torrent of fire. Luna’s shield flickered weakly, nearly invisibly before the inferno it held at bay. With every breath she took she let it in slightly, hoping to make it smaller and redouble its strength but even as it shrank cracks spider webbed through it. Slowly Luna’s shield broke before the power of dragonfire. “Nope!” The word rang through the cavern, over the roar of fire, over the breaking shield and for a moment after everything was still. *crack* The sledgehammer slammed down onto the crown of horns atop Smaug’s head breaking one off. It skidded across the cavern floor coming to a stop at Luna’s hooves moments before Bon Bon placed herself between the princess and the dragon. “Keep behind me, princess,” she said. Luna never heard the words. She was trapped by the horn in front of her and the simple band of gold that wrapped around it. It had been countless years but Luna still recognized her father’s crown. “Insolent mortals!” smaug roared, shaking the mountain around him with his fury. “Protect the princess!” a voice behind Luna called. A golden shield sprung up between her and the dragon as Moon Shadow came to a stilted landing beside her. “We should retreat,” Moon shouted. “You will all die here!” Smaug roared again. His tail lashed out violently against the walls of the cavern. “The library is the best place to hold up,” Luna heard Cross’s voice say to her right. “Until he burns us out?” somepony shouted back as Mac rejoined the line protecting Luna. “You will all taste my fury!” Luna laughed. Amidst the shouting of the ponies and the roaring of the dragon and the rumbling of the mountain Luna laughed until all was silent, save her. “I understand it now,” She said laughing. “How six children could stand before the night incarnate and be victorious; how they could bring even Discord to ruin.” She rose to her hooves, leaning heavily on those around her as she stepped forward. “How many years have I kept myself blind to it all? Thank you, my friends, for helping me see. The bonds between us are stronger than any of us can hope to be. They did not defeat me for themselves but for each other. It was those bonds that Discord sought to break, yet he only showed how strong, how pure they truly were.” Luna turned to Smaug with a triumphant smirk. “You fight for your gold, your pride, yourself and so you have lost.” Luna’s horn ignited as magic flooded to her, more than she even thought possible. Luna could still feel her own depleted reserves as more and more power gathered. Yet it did not struggle against her control as it should, the spell waited patiently for her command. The magic didn’t come from here alone. It couldn’t have come from her. another burst of laughter bubbled out. She was surrounded by friends and friendship was magic, what more could she need. “For my friends, because of my friends who would not abandon me, even as they face down death…I defeat thee.” Magic latched onto Smaug’s neck and plunged his head through the cavern walls. For those around Luna their world went white as they were teleported outside of the mountain, beneath the sunlight. As they blinked and gathered their bearings a nearby cliff face exploded outward. Smaug careened forwards amidst the debris, still dragged by Luna’s magic until his head crashed into a giant, half buried boulder. Luna spread her wings and took to the air. Smaug’s battered form stretched from the crumbling cliff nearly seventy yards to the bolder. His proud crown of crimson horns lay shattered around his head. Each one bearing a band of gold, stolen from a king’s grave. “For my father, and all my kin whose graves you have desecrated I name thee Gravestealer.” For a moment Smaug’s eyes seemed to gain some focus back as the mountain fortress behind him collapsed in on itself he let loose a pained howl. His golden eyes seemed to glow even in the daylight as the howl rose in pitch and volume. Longer and longer it carried on until the once-mountain had settled into a broad and jagged hill. Still the giant dragon howled. Finally Gravestealer fell limp. His unconscious form thumped onto the ground as Luna turned to her companions, her horn still glowing. Once again their world went white.
EpiloguePonyville was by all accounts a place where strange things happened. Some blamed the exuberant and infectious pioneering spirit of the town’s founding families, others blamed its proximity to the wilder places in Equestria. There was even some cheerful animosity towards the town’s librarian who along with her friends sometimes served as a lightning rod and a foil for the town’s strange happenings, and other times the cause. Still all agreed that Ponyville was by far the most likely place in Equestria to see something truly strange happen. So much so that it had become routine for the town’s residents. Businesses set aside an afternoon a week to deal with whatever was happening in Ponyville this time. And so in the late afternoon as the market square began closing down a group of filthy and roadsore ponies, two wearing the dark armor of the night guard and an alicorn swaying on her hooves with exhaustion, suddenly appearing hardly raised an eyebrow. In fact Pinkie Pie sparing them only a friendly wave and a cheerful “hello” as she passed by with her party cannon raised far more questions about the visitors than their sudden appearance. Most onlookers counted it a better impression for their small town when they approached the Apple family’s market stand. Right up until Applejack punched one of them. Big Mac checked over his teeth one by one with his tongue. After confirming that his molars would be in working order for the first home cooked meal he would have in weeks he looked back at his sister. “Every time?” she asked accusingly. “Is it like that every time I go off? Applebloom’s scared eyes before bed and Granny waiting up on the porch every night. Does that happen every time I go somewhere?” Without a word Mac wrapped his sister in a hug. She didn’t seem to notice the dirt caking his coat until he looked more brown than red, or the way he winced slightly at every breath, or even the loose and filthy bandages wrapped around his head. Luna, who was being all but carried by Bon Bon and Morning Star gave a weak gesture to the other ponies, telling them to turn away from the sibling’s moment. The circle of ponies stared stiffly outward as the sniffling behind them slowly faded. After collecting herself Applejack spoke to the rest of the group. “I reckon y’all are going to be needing some dinner and a place to sleep.” Luna turned back to the pair with a tired smile, noticing that a patch of dirt seemed to have migrated from Macintosh’s chest to his sister’s face. “Any hospitality you could offer would be most appreciated.” Within the particularly peculiar population of Ponyville was an elderly mare named Granny Smith. As anypony would expect she suffered any number of ailments and maladies from her extreme old age but one sickness Macintosh alone knew about. The symptoms appeared only at the most opportune times, such as the early mornings or late nights when just she and her grandson were up. Or when he had brought home not one but four mares. Never mind that there were two stallions as well, never mind that one of those stallions and one of those mares seemed to have a claim on each other, never mind that another mare was so far above her grandson’s station that she was, in a very real sense, in orbit, or even that the other two mares seemed to be joined at the hip. Granny Smith wasted no time considering such trivial little problems as she set about preparing a generous spread for her future granddaughter-in-law and mother of her future great-grandbabies. Whichever one she happened to be. With a proud smile and appraising eye she surveyed the dinner table. Everypony dived into the food with gusto. Her two granddaughters sat immediately to her left. Past them the two ponies who had come in armor sat. Every minute or so the stallion would look up from his plate and correct his posture before looking around the room and deciding that manners had taken a back seat to hunger. Directly across from Granny sat Luna. Granny resisted the urge to click her tongue disapprovingly. Those fancy meals they served in Canterlot must have been nothing but garnish the way she was scarfing down food. Everypony had hardly just sat down and she was already reaching out to fill her third plate. Granny idly slapped Applejack's hoof away from the plate of apple fritters. "Save some for the guests." Farthest away on her right was her grandson Macintosh. He still shivered slightly from his prolonged shower under the well spigot. At her insistence the bandage had been removed and his hair was glued into a handsome part with a half of a can of pomade. the bandages criss crossing his chest had been hidden by a dress shirt and vest.From time to time he would bring a hoof up to brush the dangling ends of his bolo tie away from his meal. Next were the remaining two mares. The unicorn sat closest to Macintosh ravenously tearing into anything within reach that might be considered food. The earth pony ate at a relatively sedate pace and seemed more intent on sampling every dish than eating everything within reach. Finally the scrawny unicorn sat to Granny Smith’s right. After one heaping plateful his eating seemed to have slowed to a near stop as he leaned back in his chair and nibbled on a biscuit slathered in apple butter. Granny snatched the plate of apple fritters away from her granddaughter’s reaching hoof and piled a few onto his plate. “Get a few more of these in you sonny. You ain’t hardly had enough to feed a bird.” The colt hemmed and hawed for a few moments before accepting the treat with a grateful smile and taking a large bite out of it. Granny took a moment to smile proudly around the room. If it took two helpings or ten nopony ever left her table hungry. Talk around the table was light at best. Applejack had skipped lunch and Applebloom didn’t seem to know who to start chatting with first. Everypony else’s mouths were too busy with chewing. Granny still beamed proudly at her crowded dinner table, the way these ponies were digging in was all the compliment to her cooking she would ever need. Not that a granddaughter-in-law who thought the world of her would be a bad thing, mind you. A belch from her left caused her to turn. The unicorn, Morning something-or-other, was blushing red as a tomato. “I beg your pardon Madame Smith.” “Don’t you think anything of it. And it’s Granny Smith, I ain’t nopony’s madame.” A smaller belch from Applebloom drew her ire. “You mind your manners at the dinner table missy!” “How come he can burp and I can’t?” Applebloom pouted. *Braaaaaaaap* Luna triumphantly slammed an empty mug down on the table. She gave a challenging smirk to Morning Star before realizing herself. A quick scan of the table made her realize that her side was notably absent of food except for the crumbs spilled over her plate. “Our—er my apologies. Our travels have left me hungry but I did not mean to abuse your hospitality with my gluttony.” “Oh fiddle faddle,” Granny said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Any mare that can work up an appetite like that is always going to be welcome in the Apple family,” she added with a not-at-all subtle wink to Big Mac. “You are indeed gracious, Matron Smith.” “I ain’t no matron neither! Ain’t nopony gets to call me anything but Granny from my own dinner table.” Luna opened her mouth as if to protest for a moment. “I…yes Granny.” “Now you get used to calling me that. I have a feeling this won’t be the last time Macintosh brings you around to dinner.” At the mention of his name everypony tuned to look at the big red stallion. He had done an impressive job of hiding the majority of his large frame beneath the table despite his broken rib, with only the upper part of his neck and head showing. His cheeks glowed a vivid red that seemed to leave objects around him tinted red. “You’ll ruin your back sitting crooked like that.” Granny chided. “Granny,” Applejack struggled to say while holding back laughter, “I think he’s had enough.” “Good thinking AJ, I reckon it’s time we gave these ponies dessert!” Granny said before disappearing into the kitchen. The whole table held their breath for a few moments before letting it out in a burst of uproarious laughter. Luckily for Big Mac’s sake Granny seemed to think she had done enough for the time being. It was an opinion helped somewhat by Lyra and Luna insisting on feeding Mac fork-fulls of their pie with no small amount of teasing giggles. As dinner was finally winding down Big Mac was the first to excuse himself, gathering up the scant leftovers and storing them in the icebox. his clothes were quickly returned back to his closet and the dishes found their way to soaking in the sink. He would take care of them later, for the moment he had something more important to tend to. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his sister for the task. Granny had taught them both how it was done and she just lacked a few years’ experience on him. Granny, if she could get around better, would be able to do it in her sleep. It wasn’t that Mac thought the ponies around him couldn’t, or even that he thought they didn’t while he was gone. It was his place. Somepony might get the idea that he was being the protector of the farm looking out for any blight or pest that may be setting in. He didn’t rightly know why he walked around the farm every night, it had always just seemed right to him. All day every day was spent trying to get more if what he wanted from the land around him. More fruit, tastier apples, a better harvest. It only seemed polite to take some time to listen to the land. The east fields seemed to rub up against him like a cat waiting to get it’s back scratched. Mac made a mental note to plow the field soon to kill the weeds present and turn the soil in anticipation of planting winter wheat. His rib would keep him out for a while yet but he could already breathe deeper and more easily. The south fields were a might anxious like always. It wasn’t any bad kind of nervous. They sat between the Acres and Ponyville and always wondered which would take to using them first. For now the green little meadow was a nice enough place for anypony who just wanted somewhere quiet to be. The west fields were thirsty again. Corn was a thirsty crop. He made a note to talk to the weather team soon. He circled around to the north orchard. These trees were always a bit bratty. They spent all day looking down their trunks at the trees in whitetail who didn’t have a pony to look after them. They always wanted more rain but not too much more rain. Enough to give their leaves that nice sheen but not enough to get them muddy. Finally he turned to the center orchard. These were the trees his grandad had planted. They were the forbearers of all of Ponyville. Like a patient old dog they had gotten used to letting foals clamber all over them, give them funny names, even dress them up. They had a quiet strength that never needed much. The rain had been good, some fertilizer wouldn’t hurt but they didn’t think they needed it. Mac paused and let out a trembling sigh. He was home. He stayed there for a minute with his eyes closed just listening to everything around him. He let the soft whisper of the leaves and the singing of the crickets wash over him as he committed every aspect of it to memory, from the gentle breeze softly swaying the trees to the soft songs of crickets. Even Leaferton’s soft asking of why there was a mare hiding in his branches. “Miss Shadow,” Mac said aloud. There was a quiet gasp. “Farmer,” Moon Shadow replied as she stepped out of hiding. “Anything I can help you with?” “Where is the bunkhouse?” “The what now?” Mac asked. “The bunkhouse, or does your hired help live in Ponyville?” Mac chuckled softly. “Don’t have any hired help.” Moon glared suspiciously at him. “That’s impossible.” “It’s a bit much during harvest but nothing me and AJ can’t handle.” “Is this some sort of joke, farmer? It would take at least twenty ponies to harvest everything that is grown here. Do you mean to tell me that you and your sister can do all of that work?” “Eeyup.” “That is impossible,” Moon seethed. “You can’t fly up to the higher fruit, you would spend more time moving ladders than you would picking fruit.” Mac couldn’t help a small grin as he eyed the trees around him. Applebuck season was still at least a month away but a nearby Gala tree was already ripe. “Come here,” he said as he led her beneath it. “See that apple at the top?” She nodded, curious to see what he was doing. “Catch.” With a quick flick of his leg the apple fell from the tree. In her surprise Moon shadow nearly missed the falling fruit. “I’m a bit more partial to honeycrisp than I am to gala apples but there still ain’t nothing like an apple right off the tree. Especially if it’s from sweet apple acres.” Moon Shadow gaped at the apple in her hooves. “How did you do that?” she finally demanded. “It’s called applebucking, It’s sort of a family trick.” “Can you do more than one?” she asked, gesturing up to the apples. “Eeyup.” “Can you show me how?” Mac gave her a questioning look. Moon Shadow suddenly found that she couldn’t meet his gaze. “Wh-when I was a filly I would act up. My father would send me to work in the fields. He wanted to show me how it was for those who couldn’t fight. He wanted to show that even the general’s daughter would get out of field work if she didn’t obey. “It was…pitiful compared to what you have here. We only just grew enough to survive. I don’t know what you do here but if I can bring it back home it could change the way night ponies live forever.” “Can’t.” “Don’t worry about my leg, it’ll be fine. Just show me please Macintosh.” “I can’t.” “Please this is bigger than some family thing. It could help a lot of ponies.” “It ain’t that. You ain’t an earth pony. I could show you a few tricks to maybe help things along but it sounds like what you need more than anything is a few earth pony farms to loosen your belts up a might.” “So that’s it. I’m not the right race so I can’t do anything. How can you expect me to accept that?” With a weary sigh Mac laid down beneath the tree. “Y’all are all fighters you know that? I saw a unicorn help with the harvest once. She must’ve pulled every apple from twenty trees all at once. She piled them all into baskets, already halfway organized for Granny at the cider press. “She could’ve done fifty trees if she just gave them a little pull off the branches towards the basket and let Granny do her job. She had to control everything and make sure it was just how she wanted. She just ended up fighting what the world wanted to do anyways.” Moon opened her mouth to speak but Mac held up a hoof to silence her. “I’ve got a big family, cousins everywhere you can think to look and it’s getting bigger every year. Braeburn, stubborn fool that he is, moved out to the desert and started a whole new town just so he could grow apples for it. “You don’t need to be the one to teach your kin how to farm. I’ll put the word out that Princess Luna might have some land that needs tending that’s by a town already built and watch Braeburn eat his hat. “I got a big family. It’s full of the kind of crazy stubborn fool that builds a whole town in the middle of the desert just so they can have a new place to farm, and it’s always getting bigger. It’s the way the world’s wanting to work anyways. You don’t need to fight it, just give it a bit of a nudge in the right direction.” “Do you really think that will draw your family in?” Moon asked. “You saw how I acted towards you, it will only be worse for them.” Mac gave an amused snort. “Like I said. The families full of crazy stubborn fools, and ponies that know how to deal with them. Now c’mon let’s get back to the house before Granny starts making assumptions.” Mac gave an aggravated groan as soon as he stepped hoof onto the porch. Granny stood in the doorway grinning like the cat that ate the canary. “You’re sleeping in the barn Mac,” she said. “I reckon you’ll need to get some after all the excitement you’ve had today. Now come her little missy,” Granny said as she led Moon Shadow into the house. “Why don’t you tell Granny how you take care of them wings. I’ve got a feeling I might need to know here pretty soon.” Luna looked around the bedroom. Simple seemed to be the right word for it. An uncrowded bookshelf in one corner and a bed with a nightstand in the other. One door opened to a modestly stocked closet and the other went into the upstairs hallway. Granny Smith had all but forced her to take her grandson’s room and Luna idly wondered if the mare had ‘forgotten’ to let her grandson know. A light knock drew her attention to Lyra standing at the doorway. Her magic held Starswirl’s journal beside her head. “Please come in,” Luna smiled. Lyra’s frown deepened. “I want you to take this from me,” she said as she gestured with the journal. “I don’t want to ever have to think about it ever again.” “Lyra, what is the matter?” “Read the letter that’s in there. I don’t know who this Starswirl guy is or why this journal’s so important but… but it wasn’t worth it if that is the kind of pony that wrote it,” Lyra said turning to leave. “Lyra wait,” Luna said. She pulled out the letter in question. She had hoped that being trapped in a hopeless situation might bring out the best in her old friend but that seemed to be far from true. The letter crumpled up and turned to ash in her magic’s grasp. “Starswirl was a bigoted old fool who died alone and friendless among ponies he thought himself better than. I wish I could say that he was the exception but he was merely a more outspoken voice of the hatred that ruled that day. He was a brilliant spellcrafter who demanded the same from everypony around him. Despite all of this he was still a friend to me, even if I am the only pony who will remember him as a friend.” “What are you trying to say? That he was some big softie beneath all of that hate?” “No,” Luna said. “He was thoroughly unpleasant. Even worse he felt that his talents justified his behavior. I was his friend because I was one of the few who could stand his presence and because I thought that he needed one. He was still a pony, like you or I. For that reason alone I ask you to remember him kindly.” “Why are you trying to defend him?” Lyra demanded. Luna looked away. “Because if he deserves to be despised, how much more so do I?” Lyra could hear the soft clatter of dishes being put away and the silent murmur of ponies talking throughout the house as she tried to think of something to say. “Luna,” Lyra finally said, “we went with you…I went with you because I thought you were somepony worth giving a second chance. Nopony is holding what you did against you half as much as you are.” Luna stubbornly looked away. “I had hoped that this adventure would help me to forget. It reminded me of the pony I once was, young, naïve, and innocent. It reminded me how strong and brave and loyal and…and good ponies could be. It reminded me of how guilty I am for killing so many for nothing more than my own petty desires. If you had seen all the wrong I have done you would not be so quick to offer forgiveness.” “Maybe not. Maybe I would hate the thought of your name just like Starswirl. But I don’t know everything you’ve done wrong. I just know that I still believe you are a good pony and you are worth forgiving.” Luna excused herself and brushed past the green mare, barely hearing her ask that Luna “think about it”. She had to restrain herself from slamming the door as she rushed into the cool night. Her moon hung bright and full in the sky, even drowning out some of the stars nearest to it. She looked back at the farmhouse. It was colored blue in the half-light with a merry golden glow coming from the windows. It was a picture of laughter and family and simple pleasures that she had no part in. “You’re wrong,” she whispered before plunging into the dark orchard. She didn’t know where she was going. She simply ran, barely dodging low-hanging branches as she went. Gradually she slowed. Nopony was chasing her and she didn’t know where she was heading to. She stopped in a clearing, a pile of turned earth at its center told of a tree that had once been there. She collapsed onto her stomach with reluctant tears still in her eyes. She took in one quaking breath after another as slowly her emotions righted themselves. The Moon’s soft glow drew her gaze upwards. For a moment she almost wished she were back on it. The howling voice of her madness would drown out all others and leave no room for guilt. She could do no harm and damage no lives from the celestial prison. She could be like the moon itself. Aloof and unmarked by the world below, seen and not felt. She shook her head violently as if to dislodge the thought. “Princess,” Morning Star’s voice behind her spoke. She stiffened, giving off a false aura of regal aloofness from behind. “Morning Star.” She heard the slight rustle of his weight shifting. Luna took one last shuddering breath. “You wish to speak?” “I want to ask you something but it’s sort of…personal I guess.” Despite herself Luna smiled. “If you want to ask for Moon Shadow’s hoof I think you already know my answer.” “I- What?” “Did you not take a ring while we were under the mountain?” “I did but that’s not—It’s—It would be too soon. I mean I do she’s –uh-“ Luna brightened inwardly. it was only a lucky guess but she still enjoyed appearing enigmatic. “-At ease,” she finally said, cutting off his rambling. “There are some who view a lengthy courting as a sign of respect and commitment. You need not worry yourself so.” “Thank you princess.” Luna ran a hood through the grass idly. It was calming to feel the well-tended land rise up to meet her. Almost like a pet enjoying its owner’s touch. “Come,” she said as she pat the ground beside her with a wing. Hesitantly he took his place beside her. Luna waited patiently for him to speak. His mouth moved as if to form words but he never gave them voice. “Out with it,” Luna commanded. “The question will not grow easier with time.” “Did you find it, princess?” Morning Star blurted. “The journal is secure. Lyra gave it to me when we last spoke.” “That’s not what I meant.” “The crown is just a summoning spell away.” “I wasn’t talking about that either. You could have just teleported there and gotten both those things by yourself. You took us for a reason. You took us so you could find something. Did you?” Luna found that the grass no longer offered the same comfort. “I don’t know,” she finally admitted. “The kindness and loyalty you all have shown me has meant more than words could say. Yet I am reminded that I do not deserve it. Perhaps I have done some good since my return but I am still evil. There is enough blood on my hooves to fill an ocean. Lyra tells me that I am a good pony worth forgiving but how can I believe her when I cannot even forgive myself? She acts like I can stand tall and declare my past behind me but I cannot even stand.” After a pause Morning Star spoke. “You would have liked my old drill sergeant. He was the meanest son of a bitch alive but you would have liked him. He was excellent at breaking ponies down and building guards from the pieces. “The first day of training he made us run laps. We were up an hour before dawn to be in uniform and saluting Princess Celestia as she raised the sun. Then we ran. We ran all day until none of us could move any more. If we ever slowed down he was on us. You might have even heard him yelling from the moon. We were never slowed down for long. “I was the first one to collapse. I tried to get up but I couldn’t. He made me crawl until I was stallion enough to get up. It was barely noon before I couldn’t crawl anymore either. I’ll never forget what he told me: When you can't run, you crawl, and when you can't crawl - when you can't do that...” “You find somepony to carry you,” Luna finished. “It is good to see that some traditions lived on. Though I fail to see where you are going with this.” “No matter what we kept moving forward. Forgiving yourself isn’t some easy way out. It’s never easy for anypony. It’s a way forward. No matter what you keep moving forward. Maybe you can’t run right now but you crawl Faustdammit, and when you can’t do that I’ll carry you myself!” The clearing rang with his last outburst. Even the crickets had paused their constant singing. “Forgive me princess. I did not mean to shout.” Luna studied the grass in front of her, willing it to offer some form comfort. “I know you still feel guilty about what you’ve done, I mean I still remember some of the stupid little things I did as a colt and I feel bad about them still, but you can’t let yourself get buried by it. You’ve become so much more than what that guilt lets you see.” Luna glared at the patch of green between her forelegs, silently demanding that it provide some release or outlet for her emotions, that it provide her with some answer to give the stallion beside her. “You’ve shown so much strength since I met you. The amount of courage it must take just to get out of bed and face the world again every day, I can’t say how much I admire you, how proud I am of you, Luna. Just keep moving forward and don’t be embarrassed to ask for help, you’ve already done more than any of us could.” Morning Star quietly excused himself and turned to leave Luna to her thoughts. “Wait,” she softly called. “Yes, Princess?” he answered. “Find Macintosh and ask him where the farm’s forge is.” “what do you need a forge for?” Morning Star asked. Luna stood and turned to face her guard. With a flick of magic her father’s crown appeared beside her. “A way forward,” she answered. Bon Bon grumbled to herself as she made her way out of the farmhouse. “Just got done with an adventure and now we just have to do a pick up campaign because somepony didn’t get to see a slime and it just can’t wait until tomorrow for whatever hoofing reason.” As she distanced herself from the farm Bon Bon looked back over her shoulder. She was already far out of earshot but not everypony was accounted for. sighing she decided to continue with a low wordless grumble as she made her way to Ponyville. She made her way through the sleepy village until she came to the modest apartment she shared with Lyra. She made her way to the basement. Beneath a box of miniatures that hadn’t been touched in years and behind an even older box of...she didn’t really remember anymore. There was a stack of plain looking boxes. Some of her stuff that had never gotten unpacked. At least that was the official story. The wooden bottom screeched as it slid against the concrete floor. The wall behind bore a raised panel. Once she had pressed a hoof to the panel a beam of light shot into her eye. She resisted the urge to blink and in a second it was gone. Officially her organization had been disbanded after the Tartarus incident. Unofficially… well unofficially Celestia had demanded complete deniability. A synthetic chime signalled an open audio line. “This is agent Sweetie Drops reporting in. Mission There and Back Again was a success - zero casualties, cover remains uncompromised. Will await further instruction.” Celestia shifted on the throne, sighing inwardly at herself as she attempted to tune into her subject’s words. Luna had been gone for far longer before. After waiting a thousand years for her sister to return Celestia had learned to be patient but as with everything else Luna was the exception. The month of cold silence Luna had given her two winters ago had been torture. Every day she had to stop herself from breaking down her door just to be with her again. Celestia still didn’t know if what she did was right. Even after it was said and done she was plagued with uncertainty. Luna needed to find a way to process what she was going through and ‘big sister’s’ help would surely have made Luna feel even more like she was just a shadow. Luna had needed to come to terms without her and so Celestia had given her some space. Celestia couldn’t help a familiar twinge of guilt. She was supposed to protect and guide her sister, not give her an inferiority complex and then leave her alone to deal with it. Celestia shifted uncomfortably. Uncertainty was an uncommon sensation for her and one reserved strictly for her sister. Cadence was the only pony to be nearly as much of a blind spot for her but even now it was Luna that worried her. Nevermind that Cadence was in the frozen north guarding a newly-returned empire from one of Luna’s and her former-friends-turned-enemies. Luna simply being away was enough to give her pause and reexamine actions years past. Celestia chided herself, she was only worried about the past because Luna had proven time and time again that she was in no present danger. Even if a dragon did decide to get in her way it would learn very quickly that “Dreamslayer” was far from the insult their king had meant it to be. Celestia visibly winced. “Dawnfire” was equally far from the compliment it was intended to convey. Still the fact that Luna hadn’t just flown over, grabbed the old book, and flown back in the same night put Celestia on edge. Her normally brutally pragmatic and driven sister seemed almost lost as she left. The doors at the end of the hall burst open and Luna was nearly a quarter of the way to her before Celestia had looked up. Luna certainly knew how to make an entrance. She was perpetually the general on her way to the command tent. She maintained a brisk pace wherever she went and rarely slowed for any reason. Celestia couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. Her sister was back. Luna worked her mouth nervously as the supplicant before her sister’s throne scrambled to make way. She did not remember the last time her mouth had felt this dry before. All too quickly she found herself before her sister’s throne all the grand speeches and gestures she had thought up on the flight to Canterlot fled her. “Luna I’m so happy to see you back and safe,” Celestia beamed as she descended her throne. “Sister,” Luna simply said as she moved to embrace her sibling. Celestia paused stiffly in her sister’s embrace a moment before returning it. “I brought something for you,” Luna said once they had separated. “Luna, you don’t need to bring me a gift every time you go somewhere.” with a quick spell Luna summoned a golden crown to her side. The weighty piece of jewellry had a thin band at the bottom that would rest against the head. Reaching up from the band high golden peaks reached up. Each peak overlapped those on either side of it forming a truss with small purple stones decorating the top of each peak. “Gifts do not carry this much weight,” Luna said solemnly. “Luna, what is this?” Celestia asked. Luna took a steadying breath before she began. “There was dragon in old Canterlot. He had raided all the crypts and treasuries in the mountain to fill his hoard. He filled the throne room with all the gold he could find. He put the stolen crowns of pony kings on his head and claimed to be the greatest among them. Gravestealer is his name now. I took father’s crown from among them and reforged it into this, your new crown.” “Luna, no,” Celestia gasped. “Celestia please,” Luna said. “We both know that you have earned this crown a thousand times over. I may be able to lead campaigns and battles but only you can truly rule Equestria. You remained a bastion of strength for our subjects even as I became little more than a bogeymare to them. You alone rule in their hearts, you alone are worthy to rule.” Celestia backpedaled shaking her head as she tripped up the raised dais. “No,” she said, “I won’t take it, I can’t!” Luna bit her lip and turned away. “‘Tis only a symbol,” she said. “It is long past time we acknowledge the truth that everypony already sees. You are Equestria’s paragon of virtue and nobility, the bright shining symbol of our peace. Pax Celestia.” “Luna, NO! Listen to me when I say it is a lie. How could I ever claim to be your greater when my student… I trained her to KILL you Luna.” Luna gave a derisive snort. “I hardly believe that of Twilight.” There were tears in Celestia’s eyes. “Not Twilight, Sunset. She was so powerful but never enough. I pushed her, stars forgive me how I pushed her but she never could have matched you. Your skill, your experience. No lone unicorn could have been good enough. So I taught her dark twisted things. If the elements ever had awakened for her - but how could they, she never knew friends or laughter, only that she was never powerful enough. “I finally saw it that dawn, after they had rejected her. I had broken her. I had taken a wonderful talented little filly and destroyed her for no better reason than I was afraid. I did not even have the decency to kill her. I sent her away to suffer the awful life I had given her. Just like you.” Luna’s hoof slammed into Celestia’s cheek, turning her head with the force of the blow. Celestia turned her head back ready to endure her sister’s fury. The dark hoof slammed into her again, driving her head down and pinning it against the plush carpet. Luna’s head lowered as she leaned into Celestia’s. A hot and angry breath ran against the solar mare’s ear. “Nightmare Moon,” Luna began in an angry whisper, “was the greatest mistake of my life. It will haunt me for generations to come and it has irreversibly changed the way the world sees me and the way I see myself. I will spend decades trying to atone for what I became but it is what I became. The consequences and the responsibility are mine. The choice was MINE! THE FAULT IS MINE!” A flick of magic cast the tiara from Celestia’s head before a cold ring seemed to clamp onto her skull as the crown Luna held was forced onto her head. Luna’s hoof lifted off of her sister’s head only to come crashing down before her eyes. “It will not do for Equestria’s queen to belittle those around her. Her subjects are much more than excuses for her to blame herself or products for whatever contrived negligence she may dredge up. You would do well to learn to see ponies as they are, not as you wish to make them.” Luna turned on her heels and began striding out of the throne room just as briskly as she had entered. Celestia raised herself onto an elbow. The unfamiliar weight of a new crown seemed ponderous on her head. She shook it slowly to clear her thoughts. Luna was already halfway across the room and moving fast. “Luna wait,” she called out but Luna ignored her. “Please, Luna,” Celestia called again. If anything Luna sped up as she barreled her way towards the door. Celestia grit her teeth as she rose, reminding herself that the symbolic gesture meant nothing. With a single flap she stood imperiously atop the throne. “I said stop.” The command rang throughout the throne room. Luna turned back with a triumphant smile on her lips. “As you command, my queen.” please just come back to me. “Approach.” Luna somberly marched back across the room. Once she had reached the foot of the throne she bowed low. Celestia descended the dais until she stood before her sister. please get up. “Rise,” she said. Luna rose to her hooves but her head was still bowed in deference. Celestia knew she was just doing it to drive home a point but it still stung. please look at me, Celestia silently begged. “Equestria still needs you.” “I can no longer be her sword.” “Damn it all Luna!” Celestia shouted as she stomped, “I didn’t say Equestria needed its sword or the Demon of Bloodridge Aerie or the Ripper of Kill Everything or whatever the fucking hell you call yourself now. It needs you. I need you. I need my sister.” Celestia threw the crown at Luna’s hooves. “After a thousand years I finally remember what it is like to have somepony that doesn’t live and die every time I take a breath, that doesn’t fall over themselves to serve me. And you want to run away again.” “I want to find a way forward!”Luna shouted, finally breaking her silence. “Tia the place I’m in is pain and guilt and suffering. It’s a demon staring back at me from the mirror telling me I’m going to be her again one day. How long was I on that path? How many decades, how many centuries?” Celestia blinked. “Luna,” she began hesitantly, “Oh my Luna. I’m so sorry. You wrote in that book of yours that there was no such thing as an unspoken word between us, That should have been true so long ago. Your soundproofing was never -never as good as you thought it was. I guess I was never as bad at getting through it as you thought. “I heard you, that night after the griffon wars. I heard you cry to the moon and the stars for forgiveness. I heard you name off every egg, every cub. Luna I heard you cry yourself to sleep for years after that night. You studied war like -like a mare possessed. You always did what you needed to but you needed less and less to take settlements after that didn’t you?” “What is your point?” “I was there Luna. I saw the first breath Nightmare Moon took and I did nothing. How can you call me a queen? I’m not even a good sister.” Celestia was quickly becoming familiar with the underside of her sister’s hoof. “What did I just tell you?” Luna hissed between clenched teeth. This time Celestia struck back. “How can you pretend me doing nothing never made a difference. I could have done something, anything other than hiding behind my “respect for your decisions” because I was afraid you would be angry with me. I could have helped and I didn’t, how can you say I’m not to blame for that? How can you say that that my biggest regret is nothing?!” “BECAUSE IT IS FORGIVEN!!”Luna’s shout rang through the castle, Causing tapestries to shift on their hooks and windows to rattle in their sills. It was only because the stained glass windows within the throne room had been magically reinforced that they didn’t shatter. “Do you respect my decisions so little that you cannot accept this? You are forgiven, Celestia. You are forgiven of every action and inaction. You are forgiven of everything and the moment you accept this you will be forgiven of being a mule about this as well.” Celestia shook her head, dislodging tears in the process. “No,” She insisted. “No, it cannot be that easy. You cannot simply say my guilt is gone, there must be more. You always insisted that justice be a balance, that each crime have a punishment and a penance.” “I put a spell on you that gave you nightmares for a thousand years, and you did not even fight it. You built Equestria up to be greater than it ever was alone. But if these are not great enough for you I have another penance for you: Give me an example. Show me what it is to forgive myself, Dawnfire.” Celestia felt her stomach turn at the word. She had endured negotiations over the dragons’ migration path that lasted weeks, and even when the king of dragons, who stood taller than mountains, had put his massive claw to her chest and burned the name onto her soul she didn’t feel nearly as sick as she did when hearing Luna say it. Luna’s features softened. “Tia, it has been thousands of years. It was past time to let this go long before I fell.” “Luna I cannot. They were my guards, they wore my armor and I failed them. I killed those who had sworn themselves to my protection. I killed those I set out to save.” “You made a mistake, you had a lapse in judgement and you lost control. You have held it against yourself for so long, it is not healthy. You need to let it go.” “How can I let it go? The saddle Arabians still count the glass crater as one of their wonders. The crater I made when I turned a dragon to ash along with everypony around for miles. How can I let it go when I still see the look of horror on the hostages’ face when they saw the fire coming. I killed them Luna, how can I ever forget that?” “Never,” Luna said breathlessly. “Never forget them. We owe them more than to forget. We owe them more than to pretend nothing has changed. We owe them more than to run away from the reasons we killed them. We took their lives and so we owe them ours. Every second, every breath is no longer our own. We must live better because we owe them nothing less.” “So what, are to live well and pretend that we are not murderers? It still sounds as if mortal lives do not matter.” “Not live well, live better. We are royalty surrounded by power and opulence any who claim we do not live well are fools, but we must live better. We must overcome the weaknesses that killed them. We must be better.” “Luna I will not believe that learning to fight will make me better.” “I do not expect you to,” Luna said as she looked away, “and perhaps even you are...correct. What you need to learn is control so that if you are left with no choice but to fight you will not fear for those around you.” “And what will you do?” Celestia asked. Luna gave a sardonic laugh. “I will learn just the opposite. I spent so long casting off and hiding every impulse that did not fit the warrior I sought to be. I will learn to be my uncensored self again.” “What does your uncensored self think of all of this?” Luna’s tear filled eyes finally met her sister’s. “I am so afraid,” she said as she buried herself in her sister’s embrace, not even noticing as her tiara slid off her head. “Every step I take I do not know if it is right or wrong. I do not know who it will hurt, who it will anger. I feel like the consequences for some unknown wrong are hanging over me and for each passing second they will only fall harder.” Celestia held Luna closer and shushed her reassuringly. Celestia was taken aback as Luna trembled in her arms. She could not remember the last time she had held her sister like this. Celestia stroked a hoof through her sister’s mane as she began to tremble sympathetically. “You will not face them alone,” Celestia whispered into Luna’s ear. “Never alone, never again.” For what seemed like hours the two sisters held each other. trembles seemed to race down one limb after another and just when one sister seemed to still the other would begin to quake. Neither knew when they had started crying, nor could they give a particular reason to the tears that stained one another’s coats. They only tightened their grip on one another in response to the warm dampness. Slowly the two began to stir. The endless quaking between them began to subside. The tears were reduced to the occasional wet sniffle. And slowly, ever so slowly, their grip on one another began to loosen. There was a mutual giggle as they finally saw one another’s face. what makeup they wore had been loosened by tears and rubbed into the other’s coat. Without crowns or makeup they were exposed and intimate as only family could be. Luna bent down. To one side was the crown she had forced on her sister and to the other was the tiara she had always worn. Luna took the tiara in her hooves and brought it up. “I went too far to name you queen,” Luna said as she placed the tiara on her sister’s head. “We were always to be his little princesses. But you will always have rights and authority that I do not. You alone can make another a ruler. It is by your magic that Cadenza received her alicornhood, and by your authority that her crown and mine hold meaning.” Luna brought the crown up from the floor and into her sister’s hooves. “This is the crown of Equestria’s first and greatest king, reforged for your head because in mine eyes you are the greater ruler. Place that crown on your head and you will be queen in all but name. I will count anypony you name as a prince or princess and I will obey your every word.” Celestia’s magic pulled Luna’s tiara up from the floor and switched her own for the crown. The familiar black obsidian found it’s way onto Luna’s head. “I name you Princess Luna of Equestria,” Celestia spoke grandly despite the empty hall. “I give you all the rights and authorities of this station. I give you all the responsibilities and duties of this station. Equestria shall dream freely, knowing that you will ever be our guide. Equestria shall feel secure knowing that you are our shield and it shall sleep easy knowing that you shall always guard the night.” Luna bowed her head, feeling the true weight of the crown. If war called she would fight, not as a monster but as a princess. If it came to it she would kill, not because it was the easy way, not because it made her enemies afraid, but because it was necessary. Because it was her duty to her sister and her nation. She would walk the dreamscape once more and banish whatever nightmares she found. She would face her greatest sin and she would atone. The night princess would not be known for the howling madness of Nightmare Moon or the brutality of Equestria’s sword or the Demon of Bloodridge Aerie or the Ripper of Kill Everything or - or whatever the fucking hell she had called herself then. Instead she would be known for the gentle serenity she brought, the cooling and unobtrusive light of the moon and stars, the soft stillness of a foal’s unharried sleep. Luna smiled to herself. It would not be easy, but it was at very last a version of herself that she wanted to be, that she could be. “Thank you,” Luna whispered. Luna felt the soft pressure of her sister’s muzzle pulling her’s up. “Come,” Celestia said with a soft smile. “I think it is time we had supper.” Luna settled heavily onto the silk covered cloud that served as her bed. With a tremendous yawn she turned to her belly and brought her head up. She was tired beyond reason. The flight from Ponyville had been draining and the conversation with her sister had been even more so. She had nearly fallen asleep into the lavished dinner she shared with her sister before excusing herself. She had made an attempt at giving the guards outside her chamber a friendly greeting but she doubted they had been able to make out the mumbled words. The moon had risen listlessly at her call and the stars twinkled softly like a pair of overtired eyes blinking to stave off sleep. She caught herself yawning again. She clenched her teeth against the temptation to sleep as she pulled out her diary. The book was worn and battered beyond it’s time. the deep blue cover was faded nearly grey and still smelled faintly of cotton candy and chocolate milk. She idly flipped through the first few pages. They were nothing more than passive-aggressive notes to her sister, expressing thoughts she didn’t want to say aloud but knew Celestia would read. She winced at the trustless bickering. These last few years had at very least healed her relationship with her sister and for that she was thankful. She flipped through, wincing at her temptation to let Equestria fall to war with the Night Ponies and giving a dry chuckle at the grumpy ramblings after her celebration of their return. It wasn’t everypony that could say the sun shone into their hungover eyes because their sister was being a brat. Luna chuckled to herself as she renewed her commitment to get her sister drunk. If only to see her rise the sun with a cloth wrapped around her eyes like some blind sage. Luna flipped through the book watching the blue of her favored ink change shape with each passage. Every once in a while a different color would flash for a page or two. From the yellow of Celestia to Pinkie Pie’s shockingly pink writings and even Discord’s impossibly mismatched letters. She frowned as she continued to flip through page after page. As far as she went she always found herself somewhere in the middle of the tome thanks to Discord’s spell. Finally she came to the last entry. It was hesitant and unsure, full of questions and uncertainty. Hindsight was an easy thing. Looking back her problems seemed so much smaller yet she knew she would say the same thing about today’s problems tomorrow. Looking back on herself she could see how wounded and broken she had become. Perhaps in a few year’s time she would look back and find herself a pitiable sight even now. Luna shook off the thought, she was better than she was, she had true friends now where she didn’t before. She was making progress and for the moment it was enough. Luna turned to the next page and brought a quill to hover above it. The page waited patiently to be filled with whatever thoughts she needed expressed but she found there were none. Luna hovered the quill for minutes trying to force anything into the page but nothing came to mind. With a sigh she set the book aside and readjusted herself on the bed. Her mind reached out, beyond the walls of her chamber, beyond the happy dreams of her two guards. Her mind reached out and out until it encompassed all of Equestria and slowly the nation’s dreams began to assemble before her. They each took the shape of doors before her. Rach door telling about the dream and dreamer alike. It was a language only she had ever truly known and now she found that she had fallen out of practice. Once a glance was all it took her to know if her intervention was required now she found herself pausing before each door for minutes trying to decypher what it was telling her. Her body’s tiredness pressed in on her, calling her to her own sleep and her own dreams. She paused before one door, obviously twisted with pain and jealousy that was all too familiar. She concentrated on the familiar weight of her crown, bringing it into focus. She had been given this responsibility and she would fulfill it. Author's Note Well here we are. This has definitely been an experience, I can’t even guess how many hours I’ve sat in front of my computer trying to get through one block or another. You can probably pick out the passages I enjoyed writing against the ones that kept me stumped from space. Any of you who read that blog post that I posted right after the end of War of Shadows will know that there are still a lot of plot points that I didn’t even touch yet. The original plan was to have this fic eventually catch up to cannon but even thinking about that is exhausting. I do intend to make a sequel but I’m not sure what it will look like. What I’m currently thinking is a series of one shots that sort of highlight the big stuff but I’m not sure yet and I doubt it will happen anytime soon. There are a few reasons that I ended this, like I said earlier even the idea of writing this out to current cannon felt exhausting and if I don’t enjoy writing something I don’t expect anyone to enjoy reading it. In reality this fic should have been marked complete a while ago and each section should have been it’s own fic, I just enjoyed seeing it hit the feature box every once in awhile. Finally I want to work on some other projects. I feel like I’ve been having ideas for new stories left and right and I can’t work on them because I need to finish this. Now that this is done I feel like I have that ability to make the CS Lewis crossover no one needed or expected or that Sunset/Luna shipfic or even just get another chapter out for Dragon’s Duty or any of those other stupid, fun ideas that make fanfiction a great medium. I don’t mean to sound like I’m complaining about doing this fic, it is something I chose to do and it has been an experience I would not trade for the world, but it is by far the single biggest project I’ve ever done and I can’t help but feel relieved to be out from under it. Anyways this is me signing off before I ramble any more. Thanks for sticking around and as always happy reading. -CalebH
Reunion - Chapter 41Shining Armor advises me that no plan of battle survives contact with the enemy. I am not surprised given the simplistic strategies he seems to prefer. The battle is well met and my victory is yet assured. A third of my force has taken to the sky where they battle Celestia’s pegasi. My flyers are outnumbered but skill is prevailing and none have yet fallen. Soon the skies will be ours alone. The land battle goes similarly. My forces have been in a fighting retreat from the beginning. They goad Celestia’s guard into traps and pitfalls. Celestia’s forces are thinned as they make their way across the courtyard. My forces have kept to a mid-ranged fight. Should they move in too close training may overtake reason and the fighting become less lighthearted. At greater range the unicorns will have a clear advantage. A temporary ceasefire has been called. Some icicles hang dangerously above the fighting and should they be dislodged it may prove fatal. As they are cleared sister and I agree that the fighting should resume exactly as it was the moment before the ceasefire was called. I have no objections considering I am winning. -L
Reunion - Chapter 45Celestia chastises me for drinking, she is a buzzing gnat easily ignored. She bemoans the state of the cellars, she is a mere annoyance. She claims the great hall is in disarray, it is grating to the ear yet I will endure. She complains that the night guard is too violent and I can no longer be in the same room as her. Leaving was an insult to Celestia yet if I had stayed and listened to her any longer my actions would have brought about another battle of the guard that involved much more blood than snow. She may bemoan my love of drink and my raucous celebrating. She is my elder sibling and an insatiable meddler; it is only expected of her. I will not stand to hear any criticism of my guard. After a thousand years they are the same. For a thousand years they kept their loyalty to me and even removed themselves from Equestria for me. Their loyalty to one another and to me is above reproach while she…in the end she chose her ponies over her sister. I ~~have forgiven~~ understand her decision but I cannot forget. -L Author's Note this may really be the last daily update I do. I meant to write more chapters today but I just sat around and read instead. hopefully I won't be lazy tomorrow and actually do something but the semester doesn't start until the 20th and I do love me some being lazy so no promises. enjoy and thanks for the ratings and comments!
Reunion - Chapter 62Progress has been made. Whether it is towards success or failure I cannot say. By my order Morning Star and Moon Shadow have been stationed to guard my bedchamber. I approached the door for a momentary respite only to hear them shouting at one another. They have a passion for one another, that much is clear. An inexperienced eye may conclude that these ponies should be separated in the interest of safety but they would not know that passion has far more substance than mere affection. Yet these ponies regard each other with both passion and a veiled affection. These ponies hold no secrets from the Princess of the Night and the Seer of Dreams. -L Author's Note thanks for all the birthday wishes. Happy reading!
Reunion - Chapter 68Dear Diary, My sincerest apologies but your usual author is indisposed at the moment. It seems she has had quite a bit of fun while I was stuck inside that statue. Somepony has been a very naughty princess. Oh dear, that yelling simply must stop. There. I’ve decided that Lulu and I need to have a little trip down memory lane, though with her it’s more of an extended vacation along the world history interstate. And there’s that screaming again. It’s a good thing Lulu has such a thing for socks, they come in really hoofey(get it hoofey) when ponies don’t want to stop yelling. Don’t tell anyone about her socks though the poor thing gets embarrassed. ;D Author's Note these non-standard chapters are pretty fun to write. I may start doing more of them.
Reunion - Chapter 11C You are heartless. This is the most utterly cruel thing you have ever done to me. You give me hope only to dash it before my face based on my ‘subtext’. Let me spell it out clearly for you, I do not want to plunge the world into endless night. Without the sun everypony dies and as frustrating as you and your subjects may be at time I have caused more than my share of death. Leave me alone. Let me fade into the night that will not be mine again and die. At least in death I will not be able to harm another. When I write in this book you will not be allowed to read it. If you will not trust me then I will at least have my privacy from you. -L Author's Note aaand with that this fic is done with letter format onward to actual diary-ness! also if your wondering what subtext is being referred to here "It will be the most wonderful of nights. I will make sure your ponies love it, it will be endlessly beautiful."
Reunion - Chapter 36Damn this blasted sun and its infernal brightness! I wish only to recover from the night’s revelry in peace and quiet yet I cannot even open mine eyes without it driving molten rays into them with dazzling vengeance. Celestia knows this, mind you, and she takes untold delight in torturing me through the after effects of drinking spirits. No doubt it was her who removed my curtains so that I would have to suffer the suns wrath. I must be a strange sight indeed hiding beneath a crude tent of blankets and sheets but I do what I must. Beside me is the expense report for last night’s festivities. Apparently the castle cellars only had a few casks of mead and ale but ‘beer’ and ‘whisky’ seem to have been more than suitable replacements given the amount consumed. It was not an especially destructive feast with just under half of the furniture used being damaged. I am also to pay for replacing a chandelier and a…cello? Oh yes the cello! One of the few memories I retain of last night. It took a few magical modifications but it made an excellent drinking horn. Note for the next feast I host: musical entertainment may be an issue. -L Author's Note hungover Luna is actually kinda fun to write
Reunion - Chapter 1Dear C, I know you are reading this diary; I knew you would read it the moment you suggested I start keeping one again. Being made one with the moon is a novelty for a week at most. Little has happened that could make me forget you. You have not changed at all; at least I hope you have not. -L Author's Note If you've read my story A Crystal Shattered then you should know that I will be writing this fic with a different headcannon in mind so if some details or character interactions aren't the same this is why. I have about a dozen chapters for this written right now and i will try to publish them at least daily (if i remember). They will not all follow this letter format and will switch to a diary standpoint and get longer soon. I'm hoping the short chapter length of this story will help me to get them published with some sort of regularity once the ones i have written run out. Anyway, hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!
Reunion - Chapter 7C I realize I never cared for your court but just about anything is better than wallowing in self-pity. And if this “Nephew” is such a cad then why do you not just remove him from the “family”. I swear, you are such a softy, you need to have some rumors involving dungeon throwing and banishment spread so your ponies will respect you. Also yes I do realize that by the time a “councilor” got enough experience to help me they would be dead of old age. But perhaps there is a certain alicorn guardian of the sun (and currently my moon) that could do more than a short lunch together and reading my diary. -L Author's Note don't worry dear reader, you will find out more about this "family" later
Reunion - Chapter 15Imagine my surprise to wake up this afternoon to a sun blotted out by smoke. Either this new ‘Everfree Forest’ has caught ablaze or there is a dragon. Either way the nation is in danger. I look out the window and see the forest lush and green as always; it is a dragon. Dragons, I had heard they had moved into the former home of the pony tribes. Serves those blasted windagoes right. They froze the land only to burn under the withered fury of dragon fire, HA! But if dragons see fit to move near us we must send them a firm response. I go to talk with sister on her throne but I am turned away at the door. I finally squeeze an answer out of one of her guards. “Her student is handling it,” He says. Who is this student? My memory of my rescue is still…lacking. There are only scraps, an orange earth pony, a yellow pegasus. They are important but Celestia has cut me off from learning of them. There is already one ascended alicorn in Equestria (I am also not allowed to know anything of them) does Celestia mean to have another, is that who this student is? -L Author's Note First update-type-thing! This chapter does tie in a little with episode 7. I doubt i'll do many more blatant episode tie ins but we'll see. On the "ascended alicorn" thing i haven't written anything to explain it yet but i will. Thanks for the thumbs ups favorites and comments and i hope you enjoy reading.
Reunion - Chapter 24Sister’s lack of trust is… understandable. Even I cannot impose such ignorance on myself as to believe otherwise. It is not just her I have betrayed but the whole of Equestria. As a sister she has pardoned me for my crimes but as a ruler even she cannot offer forgiveness so flippantly. She speaks for the whole of Equestria, thousands of ponies that remember me only for the day the sun did not rise. The position of princess is one of immense trust between me and the ponies I would rule. How can they trust me when all they know is stories of, among other atrocities, cannibalism to scare foals? How can I ask them to trust me when I know that these stories only mask a darker truth? I turned Equestria against itself. Tribe against tribe, city against city, and even brother against brother. There was a stallion, I do not even remember his name, I made him kill his brother in front of me to “prove his loyalty.” He knew that his life would end painfully if he did not. He was a single pony amidst a war, his loyalty was of no consequence. He killed his brother, not for justice or loyalty but for fear and in my madness I made him do it for nothing more than a momentary diversion after a lost battle. How many lives did I destroy? How many ponies have I worked unspeakable cruelty on without even remembering their names? A thousand thousands years’ imprisonment would not be enough to atone for my crime. I must be a petty sight indeed as I wallow in self-pity. I demand trust yet I have earned less than nothing. -L Author's Note hopefully this will help you to understand this version of Celestia a little better. keep in mind this is written from Luna's point of view and she sees her interactions with Celestia through the lens of their still damaged relationship.
Reunion - Chapter 27It seems my foolish sister is only able to see reason after I have broken down the doors to her throne room and given testament to her foolishness. I am tempted to make the ritual part of my daily routine. Her guards bristle and prepare what spells they know as I bring tidings of death and war but only stand slack-jawed as I place the blame on Celestia’s head.To her credit she did bear the embarrassment with some dignity and once she saw her error was quick to admit it. Was she really so foolish as to believe the night ponies would take her denial lightly? On swift wings her guards fly out with letters bearing my seal. They are to the night ponies inviting a token force to be my personal guard in Canterlot. As dusk falls a guard returns with a dozen night ponies in dark armor. He approaches sister and whispers in her ear that they are merely the vanguard of the army he saw. I order one of my new guard to deliver a message to the general of the army. It thanks him for his loyalty and eagerness in defending me but that the time of bloodshed between me and my sister is long since over. It urges him to return his army to its home and know that I am well guarded by the soldiers he has sent. The guard, Night Shield, returns and announces that the army has turned back and is marching home. In secret he tells me that the night ponies are well trained and ready to take up arms should I need them to. -L
Reunion - Chapter 29This ‘Prince’ Blueblood is an insufferable foal. Celestia has brought this idiot and everypony like him on herself. He serves no purpose to Equestria; I could have my new night guards find him and kill him and Equestria’s government would continue to prosper. I told her we should have just destroyed Princess Platinum’s line when we took over but no, “We don’t need to establish dominance Luna,” “Their technically related to us Luna,” “Killing your subjects just because they annoy you is wrong Luna”. Who is she to say I cannot kill? I have been Equestria’s sword and shield since long before it was even a nation while she; well aside from sending me to the moon I do not recall her ever raising a hoof in battle. I earned Equestria’s place in this world by my might in battle. I am the bloodied protector of this nation in a thousand battles! If Celestia wants to entertain a useless parasprite in her court that is her decision but she must learn not to object when he slights my honor and I respond by spilling his blood. “His blood is our blood,” She claimed. He is technically related to me and Celestia; he is our first cousin countless times removed. His ancestor, Princess Platinum, our first cousin countless-minus-forty-or-so times removed, had me and sister removed from the old royal line when she had us expelled from the unicorn kingdom. I hold him in no familial regard and if he ever offers me slight, intentional or no, again he will find himself begging Celestia to rescind her rules on killing. -L Author's Note I'm pretty sure i got the cousins removed thing right but i'll explain the family tree just in case: Celestia and Luna's father is Monoceros the first unicorn king. his brother took over after his death and unicorn royalty was descended from the brother's line to Princess Platinum. after Celestia and Luna took over equestria her line becomes "minor royalty" like prince Blueblood and the nobles. now the cousins thing, the common ancestor between the sisters and the minor royalty is the sister's grandparents so they are first cousins(great-grandparents = 2nd cousins great-great-grandparents = 3rd...) but because they are are a younger generation they are removed(1st cousin three times removed would be your first cousin's great-great grandchild(that's how cousin's removed works I'm pretty sure...i think)). the sisters are called 'aunt' because it shows a greater deference due to age and is less of a mouthful than first-cousin-several-dozen-times-removed.
Reunion - Chapter 47I should be angry with her for invading my privacy yet she is the most ancient meddler in Equestria. To tease her and flaunt my victory I went so far as to write in my diary while she sat beside me. I sent it back to its hiding place with a teleportation spell that would bounce it across the castle before it reached its destination. It seems sister was able to trace it and has read (and undoubtedly copied) every word. Perhaps this entire mock battle was a feint to get me to reveal it to her, I cannot say with certainty. She pleads with me to forgive her but I will not. She asks as an elder sibling but where was the sibling I needed a thousand years ago? She always said that I meant the world to her, that there was nothing she would not do for me. She chose the world over me and by the time she saw what had happened she was too late to do anything. For centuries I was her sword and shield. I saved her and her ponies from every threat yet when I needed saving she condemned me instead. She flaunted her title of elder sister over me yet when the true responsibility of the station rested upon her shoulders she did not have the strength to bear it. Instead of my savior she was my judge. And yet…in her place I would have done nothing less. I cannot even be angry with her without this knowledge reminding me that my anger will never be justified. I deserve the punishment I received a thousand times over. Through force of arms I could always bring my enemies to their knees but she had a way of making them into her friends. I never told her how I envied that. I found my own way and ponies who would mock the day with me, if only to hide the pain at knowing we had no place in the light. -L
Reunion - Chapter 50Celestia does not run. She is never anything other than exactly on time. If she arrives and everything is not ready then everypony else is late. If everything is ready and she has not arrived then everypony else is early. Celestia does not run she has no need to. She never breaks her even, regal gait which is only one facet of the air of decorum and regality that seems to seep from her pores in place of sweat. For most of winter I have avoided her. Seeing her inspired such turmoil in my heart that it had become physically painful. Seclusion comes easy to me, everypony fears me too much to dare break my solitude. I was left alone with only my restless heart for company. I approached Celestia’s chambers. I do not know what my intentions were only that that night my solitude would end. She saw me coming and she ran to me. Celestia does not run. Nothing rushes her, nothing brings her to break her gait. I have never seen anything in all my years so important as to bring her to run…or so I had thought. The pony that ran to me was not the mighty Princess Celestia, surrounded by thousands of years of pomp and circumstance. She is my sister, embracing me and crying into my mane because she cannot stand to see us torn apart. How many hundreds of years has it been since I felt I had I sister. Not a co-ruler, not a towering monolith that always casts its shadow on me, but a sister. -L
Reunion - Chapter 54My studies are growing tiresome. I find my discipline waning. I wander the palace halls more and more frequently with no real place or purpose in mind. It seems I only want to remind myself that there is a world outside of my study. I do not fall asleep easily. I have too much unspent energy and have not made any noticeable progress in my studies. I go to sleep unfulfilled and with unspent energy. Lay restless in my bed for hours before sleep finds me. Some times I am impatient and do not wait for sleep to find me. I have been overzealous in my studies I think. After months of doing nothing else I can no longer stomach them. And yet as this thought occurs to me I wander into the kitchen and find myself incapable of even making myself a cup of tea. I cannot stand to be secluded within my study any longer yet there is no use for me anywhere else. -L Author's Note So tornado warning where i live... Only cloud in the whole stupid state...bloody whether.
Reunion - Chapter 56It is to be a dry celebration without any drink stronger than tea (apart from the good captain’s flask of brandy). I feel that the night guard should come in full force for the celebration but I am hesitant to bring any more than the senior officers. The captain has been welcoming to the new guard despite his suspicions and I would show him my thanks. But this celebration is to be one of Celestia’s overly formal and dry gatherings and I fear the night ponies would only find themselves making social blunders. The officers have been briefed on etiquette should they need to stand guard at a formal event but even with this training I cannot be certain how they will react around Celestia’s tittering nobles. My officers, I hope, will have the wisdom not to call for a duel at every remark. Though I must admit seeing the nobles being forced to defend their flippant attitudes in a duel is an amusing prospect. -L
Reunion - Chapter 60Princess Cadenza, or ‘Cadence’ as she insists I call her, has not taken kindly to my passing over of her beloved. I in turn ask when she last has seen him. Before her answer leaves her lips the new captain makes himself known at the door. I ask where Morning Star is and the captain reports that he is asleep. I excuse myself with a pointed look at ‘Cadence’. Her rejection of a title given to her offers more insult than she sees. She should count herself lucky that it is Celestia and not I that is her benefactor. Though in all fairness her forced humility is preferable to Bluebloods pompous uselessness and if she ever were to rule it would fade into confidence quickly. Barring the death of my sister and I or some nation rising up in need of a ruler she will have no such opportunity. It is too soon to offer a report with any depth on Morning Star. I have paired him and a few unicorns of his choosing with Moon Shadow’s squad. There is a fire between those two, if the two tribes should mix well in the night guard or if they should not, that fire will blaze brightly. In success or in failure the outcome will be anything but subtle. -L Author's Note 600 views and 60 chapters woohoo ! Don't you just love it when round numbers come together because I sure do. I'm not sure about the summarized dialogue in the first paragraph. It seems more like what someone (or somepony as the case may be) would actually put in their diary but i just don't like it. Also calculus is not as bad as i thought it would be so i will start updating more often. (monday and friday updates with one somewhere in between. I won't have a set day for that update so it will just be whenever i write it.)
Reunion - Chapter 73Be happy, always. The last words mother ever spoke to us, her very last request. Mother, how we have failed thee. We thought our longevity would be limited, that we would only see a few extra decades before time inevitably claimed us. Those decades passed and we continued to grow in body and in power. We became stronger than the earth ponies, faster than the pegasi, more powerful than the unicorns, and more deadly than the night ponies. Celestia insisted on peace and propriety even while we prepared for war. Griffons descended from the northwest. They are powerfully savage things but a blade in the night still ended them. In the day their size and ferocity held the advantage but when the sun left the sky night ponies would kill with near impunity. A guard fell soundlessly before us. The black pool of his blood reflected the stars of my moonless night. As we walked through the aerie, blood and gore from his fellows dripped from us. Our purpose was clear, this was not defense, this was not justice, neither was it truly revenge. We would destroy the griffons ability and desire to be at enmity with us. Eggs and cubs were crushed under hoof. Fathers fought with desperate strength to defend their homes but claws and beaks fell to the blades and fangs of the night ponies. We burned the smithies and armories. We did not stop until the aerie was cleared. Total war. It was condemned and berated as immoral. We do not speak in morality, we speak in fact. After all this time, after a thousand years of my absence, after the barbarian tribes have united into a grand empire, after they increase their numbers and weapons still the griffons fear war with Equestria. And still Sister sleeps soundly, knowing that her ponies will never need fear a griffon assault. -L Author's Note that awkward moment when you click publish instead of edit...
Reunion - Chapter 74Celestia did eventually learn the truth of my assault on the griffons. “We are not angry, merely disappointed,” she said. Hades take her disappointment; Tartarus has her enemies and my anger rests on the battlefield. She is too proud to admit that victory was won not with heroic charges against a superior force or by soldiers in that imbecilic golden armor, but by a princess who regarded the safety of her ponies above even her own morality. When the battle was put to song, it was the shields of the day before the walls of a mighty fortress, not the fangs of the night in a griffon aerie. Celestia stood as the hero in the light while we were only the villain in her shadow. -L Author's Note if your not interested in overly analyzing the show and headcannons and such just skip this. BronyCurious posted an analysis video defending the idea of ascended Celestia and Luna. while he does raise a few good points i disagree with most of them. He states that Faust is no longer in control of what is and is not cannon. I am in a D&D group that is based in the MLP world. It is a very customized version of the pathfinder rulebook that has admittedly led to some very overpowered characters. this group has changed DM's 3 times now but when questions of what is cannon come up the original DM gets final say. While the show has moved on from her original setting, or changed DM's, i still say that Faust still has a say in what is cannon for elements of the show that she created, such as Celestia and Luna. The crux of his argument was that saying Celestia and Luna were born alicorns degraded Twilight's ascention to a point where receiving a medal or an award would accomplish the same thing. I would like to bring up the point that medals and awards do not physically change the person receiving them. Quick question, what is the trait most often associated with leadership? Height. Twilight is now taller, her horn is longer and she is now something that Celestia and Luna could never be, an ascended alicorn. If they were too she would be a fool not to defer to their centuries of experience, she would still very much be Celestia's student and nothing would have changed. But now that Twilight is something different from Celestia and Luna, Cadence alone(barring another surprise alicorn) is her superior in this. The relationship between Twilight and Cadence is already established as one of mutual respect and friendship, not as master and student. Though Twilight still has much to learn she is no longer only a student, she has literally grown into her role as a leader.
Reunion - Chapter 79As a joke Discord held elections. Celestia gave an impassioned plea but the army of ponies under Discord’s sway did not listen. “We like Discord,” They chanted after her every point. We had never seen sister speak so well or make such an impassioned plea yet still the mindless mass only responded with, “We like Discord.” Where mighty armies had failed Discord took Equestria from us without a single act of violence. Were we to slaughter the army of our own subjects marched against us? Our strength at arms and Sister’s skill with speech were powerless against his guile. We were given some time to gather belongings before our exile would take effect. As we gathered supplies for the journey Celestia sat in a stupor. In a week Discord took the nation we had spent centuries building. While we gathered weapons and armor to fend off wild beasts she struggled to gather her thoughts. In our own way we were as lost as her. We shouted at armorers to attend us when we had just seen them in the crowd at Discord’s feet. We became lost in the castle we designed. It was Discords doing. If he had not come and defeated us so easily we would never have stumbled on the tome, we would not have picked up the tome and it would have long since turned to dust on the shelf where it sat. Celestia brokenly followed me out of the city and did not show any sign of hope until We showed her the title, The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide. -L Author's Note had that last chapter just sitting there since Wednesday. I totally forgot to publish it.
Reunion - Chapter 88How is it that these games still distract me? I have only played them once and yet they occupy my thoughts at every turn. I find my mind’s eye gazing at a display that isn’t there and my hooves reaching for phantasmal controls. Even sitting to dine with Celestia I find myself humming music from them. They are nothing more than a foal’s diversion yet with every minute I find my desire to play them rising. It is not as if there is anything else to distract me. Equestria does not trust me to resume my reign. There are no enemies to subjugate and our every border is secure. I still fear to enter the dreamscape. Once it was the most precious of my duties. Once it bound me to my subjects more closely than even Celestia, yet when I grew…dissatisfied with the affections of the waking world I turned it into a mighty weapon against those who remained loyal to Celestia. If I braved my greatest betrayal what would I find? I do not know which I fear more, to see the nightmares I let loose an age ago or to see that the dreamscape too has thrived in my absence and that there too I am relegated to scaring foals in jest. -L
Reunion - Chapter 89Is it better to be loved or to be feared? It seems that within my family is represented either extreme. My mere presence causes ponies to prostrate themselves in fear. Passing through a crowd is never difficult for me because I am the only one in the crowd standing. Even that foal Blueblood does not dare approach me. Princess Cadenza is loved. She must employ a close guard when in public simply to avoid being trampled by petitioners and Blueblood seems to have no hesitation to belittle her. Though I envy Cadenza the love of the common ponies I must admit fear does have its uses. Bluebloods barbs about her relationship with a mere guardspony fell silent at my presence but accusations of her preference for “filthy commoners” did not. My grip cut off a most unmasculine scream as it tightened about his neck. He does not understand what it is to be royalty. He elevates himself above all yet the true purpose of royalty is to be a servant to all. In my recovery from Discord’s “gift” I must admit that I have been somewhat self-centered. My Night Ponies have earned far better from me. Once I acted to bring them into the fold and prosperity of Equestria starting with my personal guard, I can only hope that this gap in my vigilance will mean failure. -L Author's Note Well I'm more or less done with a pretty crazy semester so hopefully updates can pick up for a while at least, who knows i may get some time to go back and rewrite some older chapters that I'm not very happy with.
Reunion - Chapter 91For as long as I can remember war has been the driving force of innovation. A powerful enemy will make invention a necessity. It is easy for a nation to become complacent in its power. The griffons had secured their power in brutality until they counted me among their enemies. I did not allow Equestria to suffer the same fate. Even as my armies marched from victory to victory I told tinkerers and inventers only news of defeat and death. Yet in my absence the opposite has proven to be true. My night ponies have spent a millennia preparing for war with Equestria while Equestria has spent the same time in near total peace. The night ponies are struggling, they exist apart from the other tribes and suffer from the loss. Crops do not produce so abundantly without an earth pony in the fiends, the weather is not so kind without a pegasus in the sky, and every day conveniences are not so easily produced and used without unicorns. In ages past all four tribes shaped the world around them and established what remains to be the greatest of all nations, alone the night ponies have been able to do nothing more than survive. Equestria has grown and changed without them. I would simply order them to acclimate to their allies of old but they still suspect me to be nothing more than a puppet and a prisoner to Celestia. These new technologies are changing everything and I will not allow my Night Ponies to be left behind any longer yet I cannot act directly. My guard the only Night Ponies in Equestria, it must fall to them to re-forge the broken alliances and friendships between tribes. It was Twilight Sparkle and her friendship that freed me from my madness, perhaps it will be friendship that reforms this splintered nation. -L Author's Note That's right it's winter break, which means updates may or may not be coming in the middle of the night because I have nothing better to do with my time and a ready supply of caffeine.
Reunion - Chapter 92A thousand years ago nopony would have dared offer tours of one of Equestria’s fortresses, much less the home of its rulers. In truth I do not mind it. Some would say it is an invasion of privacy yet much of my life has always been public, even my chambers are cleaned from time to time by others. I do not mind but for the inconvenience of always having others underhoof. If I take a moment from my studies to stretch my legs I do not expect to be stopped and questioned by a group of foals. Celestia would have exchanged polite greetings with them and dismissed them in the respectful silence she commands. In a way I was glad they were not too fearful of me to speak, I have been a monster in the night for far too long. Yet as they asked question after question I was tempted to turn my teeth to fangs and bare them to frighten them off. There was one question that still stands out; a little filly asked me what my favorite time was. Most would assume that it was night but that is not correct. The night sky is my canvas; it is the grand symphony I conduct. I have poured so much of myself into the night that my terrestrial form will never hold as much power as Celestia’s. But night is not my favorite time. After balancing so many orbs in one sky and seeing Celestia raise the sun, it seems at first glance that she is just slinging it across the sky. Its beauty is not subtle but it is there, I know that if I were to raise or set the sun I could not put half the warmth and vitality into it that she does. Even so day is not my favorite time. Long ago it was called the time between times. When neither the moon nor the sun is in the sky, it is not day and it is not night. For those few brief moments we can forget the burdens of royalty and simply be sisters. -L
Reunion - Chapter 94Why does she stay? She walks back to her tower too exhausted from feigned friendship with these nobles to fulfill her commitments to those who truly are her friends. Is she fooled by their mock charity? They do not bid on food and blankets for the poor but popularity and prestige for themselves. They are nothing but a façade, how has she not seen this truth? How is the Element of Generosity not physically ill amongst such self-centered ponies? Perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps I am unfair and hasty in my judgment of Celestia’s court. That is my deepest of hopes but it is not my expectation. They will live up to my every criticism. May Rarity find wisdom to see them for what they are and what she is becoming. May she find strength to return home and leave this den of thieves. -L Author's Note Looking back I'm a bit disappointed that we never see an interaction between Rarity and Luna because I think they have a lot in common, doubly so with the Nightmare Rarity comic arc, and it would be pretty interesting to see them interact.
War of Shadows - Chapter 143“Keeping up appearances” Celestia calls it. If we are to convince Equestria that it is not at war then the castle is to operate as if it is not at war. Spitfire is my ‘athletic trainer’ as I have apparently grown fat and idle. Celestia relents that the doubled guard and inspection of travelers is still well justified but she retaliates by dragging me out among her nobles. The gilded meal is a dull affair. My sole reprieve is to sit in wonder at how nobles may endlessly blather on and avoid saying a word of importance. Celestia sits proudly at the head of the table. She glances at me from time to time. I know she is laughing inwardly at my disdain for this event. As we sit in our celebration of…something one of my guard approaches. This is one instance where Celestia’s guard has skill and experience without end. They may approach her and tell her novels worth of information without anypony noticing. My own it seems lack this discretion. Celestia along with Prince Armor and Princess Cadenza overhear that changelings have escaped from a raid in Manehattan. Telepathy is a fickle spell to attempt and dangerous to learn but under the guise of a sip of tea it serves to warn them of what should happen if they spill this secret. -L
Reunion - Chapter 100~~The difference between us, Luna, is not that you fearlessly charge into battle while I sit secure. It is not that I delegate tasks while you take more direct control of your affairs. It is not even that we control different orbs in the heavens. No the difference between us is that for the last thousand years~~ I was here! Oh Faust, Luna I am so sorry. Please don’t read this. ~~As dragons flew over Equestria in their hundreds I was here. As enemies rallied their troops along our borders it was me who met them and through whatever means I could turned them away.~~ I can’t erase it or I would. I don’t know what I was thinking I was just so angry. ~~Do not pretend little sister that you are in a place to judge me much less one to call me out before my court. You have only made a fool of yourself and for once I cannot help but laugh along with my courtiers.~~ Please do not believe a word of it. ~~I have run out of patience for you sister. My decisions have not always been perfect but I was here to make them. Tell me what nation did you lead from the moon? What flock did you shepherd? Those you consider yours hid themselves away for you and proved their faith misplaced.~~ This was not me, this was some beast of fire and anger in my heart. ~~I went to them, time and time again I went to them but they spared no words for the sun-hag and had no desire for the gifts she brought. Look closely at the poverty of your tribe and know it is your fault.~~ ~~C~~ Forgive me sister. Author's Note 100 chapters yay! I want to thank everyone for all the thumbs ups, favorites and especially the comments. I am amazed and humbled that you all seem to like it so much. I really doubt I would have kept this fic going if it wasn't as well received as it has been so once again thank you. now on to notes on the actual chapter. I figured it was high time we heard Celestia's (relatively) uncensored say. How will Luna react? we'll just have to wait until next chapter to find out
Reunion - Chapter 102Some days sleep will not come. I do not begrudge its absence only that time passes all the slower without it. I cannot help but wait at the doors to Celestia’s throne room even as the line of petitioners goes by me. I have already heard offers from ponies to have me take their place in line but I make this appointment at the end of the day for a reason. However this may end neither Celestia nor I will have any desire to go back to the business of ruling again. They fear me. I am not as skilled at reading a pony’s emotions as Celestia yet I cannot help but notice that each stallion places himself between me and his kin and each mother keeps her foal hushed and away from me. In jest I tried to reassure one mother that I only eat foals on Nightmare Night but she only seemed more afraid even as her filly giggled. Almost everypony has regarded my reform with suspicion. It is the foals alone that believe in their innocence that the monster in me is truly gone. One filly whose parents are not so wary wanders up to me. She hands me a small box and asks if I would like to play while I wait. To my surprise it is a video game condensed so that it fits in a filly’s hoofs. It must have been a strange sight indeed to see a princess and a filly talking excitedly and passing a virtual block stacking game back and forth. Eventually her parents came and groveled before me, begging forgiveness for their daughter. It took some time to convince them that I was not angry with them in the least. To say goodbye the filly wrapped her entire body around my muzzle in a hug and even her frightened parents laughed at the sight as I returned her to them. Even as my time came and I went to Celestia’s throne I had to remind myself to be angry with my sister and not smile at the memory. -L
War of Shadows - Chapter 104Author's Note I've been thinking for a while on tags for this story and some of you have given me some great suggestions on what the tags for this story should be. The reason why I've retitled the previous chapters and finally changed the tags is because I feel that the first part(at least) of this story is complete. although this chapter and the next few chapters could fit into part 1 I feel that the previous chapter is the best ending I could give to part 1. The reason I'm doing this as parts of the same story instead of making it a sequel is because although the main arc between Celestia and Luna is resolved there is still a lot going on in the background that part 2 will pick up. As always if you have any suggestions or discussion on the story feel free to comment or even PM me if that's what your comfortable with. Enjoy! War of Shadows - Chapter 104 “I still have nightmares” she told me. I could never step into Celestia’s dreams. I must be welcomed by her to have any sort of power in her dreams. The nightmare I created for her was a desperate petty thing. I made it moments before my banishment, never expecting it to hold any power. To hold any sway in her mind she must have welcomed it. As some remembrance of me she welcomed a personal Tartarus I had crafted for her each night. My forays into the dreamscape have been an equivalent to eavesdropping since my banishment; glancing at a ponies mind to find the truth of their desires. As the sun sets and day fades Celestia prepares herself for bed and I prepare myself to battle the nightmare within her. -L
War of Shadows - Chapter 114How long has it been since I set hoof in a blacksmith’s forge? Oak and coals burn hot and steel glows red as it awaits my shaping. The night pony smiths are capable but weapons of war require the touch of a master. Fire and steel, strength and magic; these are the song of the smithy. The finest steel Equestria can provide, the surest blow our hammers can strike, the mightiest magicks I can enchant slowly bring forth blades to rend flesh and spikes to punch through armor. Whatever enemies may bring my ponies will be ready to respond with death. -L Author's Note Shout out to the %i% function for letting me not have to keep track of chapter numbers
War of Shadows - Chapter 118We hosted a lavished feast when she returned to us. With food and drink we celebrated long into the day…and I didn’t understand. They all but sang of how our mistress had returned and everypony went about their business with a spring in their step and I didn’t know why. We were still struggling to have enough; we still hid from the sun like bats. Nothing had changed but everypony acted as if the world had bent to their will alone. I understand now. Princess Luna held me like a mother holds a foal and apologized. Since then every burden seems lighter, every meal tastes better. Mistress isn’t quite the right word. It’s like a mother we never knew we had has finally come back to us. Moon Blossom told me I was smiling over her hay casserole. That would have been surprise enough but Morning Star was there too. That’s not completely fair. Once you get used to the piece of bone sticking out of his face and how bright his colors are he seems to be a good stallion. I’m not entirely sure why him and Moon Shadow are courting considering that most of what they do is bicker, but if she’s happy then I am too. It seems that the princess was right, it isn’t blood that binds us together, it’s her. -Gen. Night Watch Author's Note Usually I try to work it in somewhere that these sort of chapters are in Luna's diary somewhere but this one isn't so just don't worry about it.
War of Shadows - Chapter 124Author's Note After reading some comments from last chapter and being in a particularly wacky mood I couldn't help but write up a bit of silliness that got stuck in my head, so here you have the non-cannon comedy version of this chapter. With a barely contained snicker Princess Luna eased the ornate doors to the throne room open. Her sister, the ever graceful Princess Celestia, sat the throne with a pair of unicorn guards watching the otherwise empty room. Stifling another snicker Luna drew breath and called out, “enemy at the gates! Defend the princess!” as she kicked the large double doors open. An instant later a peculiar black buglike creature streaked in over her head. If one looked closely they could see the fading blue aura of the night princess’s magic around it. With drilled speed the guard had a shield up around the throne. The creature’s hardened shell crashed into it but so great was the Night Princess’s throw that both the shell and the shield shattered. The outcome of this was that Princess Celestia, Ruler of the Sun, Bringer of the Day, Paragon of Beauty, Fount of Grace, and 353 Time National Equestria Cake Eating Champion, was covered hooves to horn in a sticky green ichor that was the remains of the first changeling discovered by Equestrians. The first thing to be noticed by the guards was what would come to be known as “that incinerated changeling smell”. (Significantly more potent than “that singed changeling smell” and surprisingly not quite as potent as “that burnt changeling smell”) As the green ichor burned away it revealed a coat of burnt copper and a mane of pure inferno and a pair of eyes glowing white with heat and anger. The fire mare opened her mouth and with the sound of an earthquake and an angry typhoon shouted “LUUUNAAA!!!” enough of that silliness on to the real chapter! War of Shadows - Chapter 124 I have said before and I will say again Celestia is graceful when presented proof against her claims; unnervingly so. I find myself questioning how far into the unknown future her schemes and machinations extend. As the creature exhales its last odorous breath in my grasp her guards blanch and turn away. They will have to grow used to the sights, sounds and smells of these creatures in death. As unpleasant as it may be it is much more bearable than that of their comrades. -L
War of Shadows - Chapter 127Celestia organized a “family” dinner. The oaf Blueblood and my “niece” Princess Cadenza were in attendance, and of course as a point of privilege the captain of the guard was in attendance as well. They look well together. It is something of a communal joke as we pretend not to notice how close they are sitting and how close they have become. As training puts more and more strain on the captain he relies on her strength. Celestia leads the conversation with such skill that for a moment the illusion at we are a family gathered around a dinner tale seems real. As the matriarch of any household would she asks us “how was your day?” and “what do you plan on doing tomorrow?” as if this dinner was a daily occurrence. When my turn to be questioned comes I say that I am going to visit a friend in the countryside. I’ve no doubt Celestia knows this means I plan on visiting the arcade in Ponyville for one last taste of peace before I must devote myself to the upcoming war. I recognize the look Cadenza gets. I have seen it on Celestia’s face every time she finds something that may embarrass me. “I’m sure it will be a most enjoyable evening,” Cadenza tells me. Doubtless she must think this to be some tryst. Celestia at least tried to be subtle. -L Author's Note My computer seems to be able to handle typing stuff without getting too hot but games are out of the question and that makes me sad.
War of Shadows - Chapter 131My temper is worn thin. This war has yet to begin and already it is going unfavorably. The borders are still clear; either they have been frightened away from what they thought was an easy conquest or they are already inside Equestria’s borders. I despise waiting. When one does not shape events around them they are shaped by them and this is doubly true for a nation. Cerberus has left his post. It was only for a short while but the denizens of Tartarus are not so foolish as to let this opportunity pass. There are enemies, powerful and more ancient than Equestria itself, that Celestia and I must account for. The underworld is not a place for mortals. Celestia’s guard insists on accompanying us but if protection was needed they would be far outmatched. Their place is to guard Equestria, this Celestia and I must do alone. -L Author's Note It took me a while to decide whether or not I would include Tirek. As epic as his battle with Twilight was it was difficult to figure out how my interpretation of Luna would act. That being said I've got something in mind for how it'll work out with Tirek that I'm happy with and hopefully when we get there you'll like it too.
War of Shadows - Chapter 134The final preparations for Princess Cadenza’s wedding are all but finished. In truth the decision to be absent to her wedding is made easier by the host of guests. To pretend I don’t envy Celestia’s place at the head of every crowd would be an empty and useless sentiment, but as I watch with a calmer heart I know I do not have her poise when she is at the center of attention, even proceeding another pony’s wedding. I hope that my attendance at the reception will be sufficient. Princess Cadenza and Captain Armor are among the few I would count as peers. Celestia’s shadow has grown no less expansive and although our dealings have not been among the most amiable I do appreciate the company. The idea of marriage has changed nearly as much as its execution. Captain Armor has some prestige and wealth but nothing equaling the dowry of a princess. There is no money to be exchanged, no houses to be joined, and no power to be consolidated. Marriage for love was once considered an oddity or a blessing of fate for second sons and lower houses, now marriage for any other reason is considered blasphemy. -L Author's Note There's a town in New Mexico called Capitan and it keeps throwing off my spelling. Anyways I was tempted to throw in a lot more stuff about marriage in this chapter and get all political but after looking at what I had written- It was bad. Anyways this is it, the next chapter will be another interlude set the day after the wedding.
War of Shadows - Chapter 137This extermination goes smoothly. The Night Ponies surrounded Equestria like a great noose and now it seems that all I must do is pull it tight. These changelings are somewhat more intelligent than I first summarized but not greatly so. They may steal a pony’s appearance but they are far from perfect actors. From what I am told disposing of them discreetly poses more of a challenge than finding them. Learning does not seem to be beyond them. If I allow this hunt to drag on they will become better at eluding capture. I must not let this happen but I there is little else I may do to hasten their demise. Some will elude capture. As thoroughly as Equestria may be searched there will be a scant few who were overlooked. As detestable as I find the idea of these insects feeding off of my ponies, they will do little harm if Chrysalis and the majority of her swarm are killed. I can only hope that she is hidden away, still full from Prince Armor’s misplaced affections. My Night Ponies are brave and strong but I would not knowingly risk their lives to end hers. Her death must be at my hooves. -L Author's Note I actually think I'll start updating more often once school starts.
War of Shadows - Chapter 147We spent weeks being told how important secrecy is to this campaign. In a night the Princess plans to end that. We are to let one escape. The hope is that it will run back to Queen Chrysalis and we can find her. This war is draws to a close and I find my heart longing for home. Even the thought of Moon Blossom’s Casserole makes me salivate after all these field rations. I wonder how long it will be after we expose ourselves to find Chrysalis that I can see my wife again. Will anything have changed? It feels as if I have been gone a lifetime already. The fields have had nopony to work them all this time, how will we survive the winter on such a meagre harvest? Even if we do go to Equestria’s market with our soldier’s wages will they be enough? The Princess will see us through. I have been told that since my youth. She has led us well in war but will she sustain us in peace? Life is simpler when all you must worry about is ducking the next blow and returning with your own. It is simply a matter of being better trained and more alert than the enemy. A mistake will draw its own price in blood but as I turn my attention towards my tribe I see that my mistakes bear a much higher price. For a thousand years we endured in her name so that we could serve her again. May the stars give us strength to make it through another. -Gen. Night Watch
War of Shadows - Chapter 150Cadence and I have been fighting again. It’s the training. She thinks I’m obsessed. She just doesn’t get it. I’m supposed to be the protector of those I love but I stood there and did nothing while Chrysalis hurt Celestia, hurt Twilight, hurt her! Now Luna’s got me as nothing more than a bureaucrat and a pencil pusher, signing papers and sending food to ponies cleaning up after me. I should be up there with them. This is my fight more than it is theirs, but NO! I just get to send food to Manehattan and let them screw it up, I get to watch everypony scramble and not be able to do a damn thing! Now she wants almost all the shipments around the Everfree Forest and she wants me to keep that hidden? Wait. This is the biggest concentration I’ve ever had to send. Bigger than Manehattan or Baltimare. The biggest battle this war’s seen and she wants to leave me out again? NO! I know her timetable better than she does. I know the rest of the guard feels the same way. They train just as hard as me, hoping that one day the changelings will come back. I’m done waiting though, today we take the fight to them! ~~Cap~~ Prince Shining Armor Author's Note This chapter was added after the following few chapters. Hopefully it'll make Celestia's guard's actions a bit more understandable. Apologies to anyone that reads this out of order. *There, God! I nearly gave myself a concussion facepalming when I finally saw the 'save chapter order' button.
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 154Sir Sombra. It is as we knew him best and it is as we best remember him. He was the best of both our worlds, the bravest and boldest of my knights and the most noble of your nobles. Who but us could be counted his better, in knowledge, in skill, in power, in morality? He was the master of whatever he put his hoof to. When dragons threatened our gleaming allies to the north and we pondered the cost of neutrality with the dragon king Bold Sir Sombra marched without second thought. When their fire finally overcame the Crystal Heart’s power Brave Sir Sombra stood the gap. When the wyrms shattered the Crystal Empire’s guard and consumed their rulers Mighty Sir Sombra finally drove the beasts off, never to return. When the Crystal Empire sat broken in the north who else but Noble Sir Sombra could rule and give them hope again? He did not learn that from me, sister. In months he rebuilt, within a year the Crystal Empire was at a height and prosperity it had never known. In ruling he was second only to you. And so we left him be, the Brave and Mighty, the Wise and Merciful, the Great Sombra, King in the North. Do not blindly offer me your forgiveness, sister. The dark paths he tread made Sombra powerful but he was still only a mortal. The darkness of Nightmare Moon was mine and mine alone. Do not belittle actions that affect me so by blaming them on another. It is with a sardonic humor that I read your parting statement. You suspect Sombra of influencing my fall and I suspect myself of influencing his. Who else but I could have brought low one who shone so brightly? Who else but the demon of Bloodridge Aerie, the Ripper of the Golden Plains, the Black Storm of the Eastern Sea, who else but Nightmare Moon could bring about such darkness? The cruel jest at the end of this story is that he gave me hope. He inspired me. He showed me a version of myself that was kind and caring where I could not have been. A version of myself that was much more like you. -L Author's Note Aaand I'm back. school has been just a bunch of BS but what really kept me was my other fic, A Dragon's Duty. I wanted to get the latest chapter of it up before I continued this story and inspiration has not been forthcoming. The title is a bit of a blatant nod to Tolkien and I'm okay with that. This arc isn't going to mirror the plot of 'The Hobbit' but I'm going to have fun putting little nods in from time to time. Anyways this is a bit of a transition chapter but the adventure will start soon enough.
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 158 Big Mac I ain’t entirely sure why I decided to tag along. I could’ve just let that dream be just a dream but the way she talked made me want something more. I used to think running the market stand was about as adventurous as I was likely to get. I suppose this one may even match AJ’s. Applebloom’s getting older and bigger, AJ’s got her friends willing to help out, the farm don’t hardly need me at the moment. Soldiers and a princess don’t hardly need me tagging along either but I don’t much feel like sitting around the farm. Granny’ll either not notice I was gone or spend the entire time worrying after me. Can’t say I know which is worse. She already had to bury a son. I’ll be damned if I make her bury a grandson. Princess Luna says we’re going to get something from the dragon lands. Says she knows where it’s at. I can’t hardly tell why she invited all us Ponyville ponies along for the ride. Her and those guards would be in and out quicker and safer. Don’t get me wrong now, I want to go. I wanna feel dirt ‘neath my hooves that ain’t about to be turned by a plow. Want to remember how it was camping with pa when it was just me and him against the whole wild outdoors. There’s a few more ponies than just me and pa but this particular neck of the outdoors has got a few more dragons so I figure it evens out. Mac Author's Note So hopefully the header helps clear up the who's point of view this chapter is from. This seemed to be the least intrusive way to do that and have it still be noticed. Sorry if the last few chapters have been confusing to anyone, after all the drama the end of War of Shadows stirred up this is the 'F it, their going on an adventure' portion of the show(not a great title so I went with the Hobbit reference). So sorry once again if anyone got lost along that transition.
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 164I always knew farm life wasn’t always easy but I was pretty amazed to see how good Big Mac was at handling a wounded and angry mare. I hope that more of that practice has come from all the animals they keep around than from his sisters but even then this sheds a whole new light on Applejack and his relationship. Moon Shadow struck me as being too fun-loving to say any of those things. Some of those insults I’d never heard before but from the look of it Big Mac still hasn’t heard them. When we stopped for a break he helped her down as gently as could be. He didn’t even flinch when she took the opportunity to step on his head. I’ve heard of being patient but this is just something else. I expected Princess Luna or Morning Star to step in and do something but he just seems glad it’s not him and she just looks at the two with an almost-smile. There seems to be some joke here that the rest of us aren’t getting. -Cross Circuit Author's Note So Thanksgiving was a thing. I cut down a tree, that was fun.
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 170Between Lyra’s complaining and Morning Star turning into a sourpuss every time he looks at Big Mac I’ve never been more ready to call it an early night. Or day or whatever. The princess volunteers to take the first watch. She says that she recognizes this place, that she used to…play here. It’s a dead field, whatever grass isn’t scorched black is brown and dead. The earth is hard and barren. How can she look at this wasteland like it’s a fond memory? Like I said the ground is hard as stone. Sleeping through the day is hard enough when you’re comfortable, this is impossible. It seems like I had just laid my head down and everypony else was asleep. I was watching the eastern sky while it turned pink. That’s when I started hearing a bunch of thumps behind me. At first I just thought it was Lyra(you think the stuff she does when she’s awake is weird) but when I turned over I saw Luna out in the field, jumping and kicking. I thought it was just some exercise or some training…something. She turned in a circle, throwing wild kicks in every direction. At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me then I saw it again on the next pass. She slowed to a stop, a huge grin plastered across her face. Something caught her eye. From a few paces away a white butterfly as big as my hoof flew towards her. She watched it with that same grin as it landed on the tip of her nose. It fluttered its wings gently, like it was welcoming her back before it took off into the predawn sky behind her. I remember turning back over and seeing Lyra beside me. “What’s up with her?” she asked. “She used to play here,” I said back before falling asleep. -BB
The Unexpected Journey - Chapter 172I do not enjoy appearing hesitant. Perhaps there is some deeper explanation or perhaps my pride simply has a louder voice than I credit it for. I despise giving any appearance that is in the least unsure. The dragon sleeps. Only its snores would produce so much smoke and even then the beast must be massive. It would not see the first strike coming and if I strike well a second will not be needed. If the beast that has taken my former home does awake my power and skill will be sufficient to overcome it. Why do I hide its presence? These ponies have faced their fears every day that they have followed me. Why do I hide this one from them? Why do I hesitate? -L Author's Note The good news is that there is only one more chapter in the unexpected journey. The other good news is that the next chapter is going to be huge. The other other good news is that I've officially applied to graduate this may so I'm getting pretty pumped about that. The bad news is that I only have 1500 words written for the next chapter so it may be a while, or I may end up releasing it in parts. Knowing me probably both.
