Exodus, Book 1

Chapter 1

Night had just fallen over western Equestria. The sun had set over the far sea, and all the ponies had turned in for the night, so there was not a soul about. Not a soul, that is, except for a couple small alicorns flying over the water toward the land. The two alicorns were sisters, and had been flying over the ocean for a long time, desperately searching for somewhere to rest.

The larger of these two alicorns had a pure white body with a long pink mane. Her eyes, which were half-closed as she struggled to keep awake, were bright purple. Her name was Celestia.

The smaller alicorns body, on the other hand, was deep blue. Her mane was only a shade lighter than her coat, and her eyes were teal. Her name was Luna. She was flying so close to her sister that their wings often brushed together.

"Celestia," said Luna sleepily, "have we reached land? I can't fly anymore."

"Hang on, Luna," Celestia answered anxiously. "We're almost there, just don't fall."

As Equestria loomed up in front of them, Celestia and Luna glided in. It was costing them what little strength they had left just keeping their wings out. They finally managed to touch down on the beach. When they landed, Luna's legs gave out and she collapsed on the beach. Celestia would have loved to join her sister, but she knew they could not stay here. It was too exposed. She walked up to Luna and gently nudged her.

"Come on, Luna," she said. "We need to find shelter."

"No, Celestia," said Luna unhappily. "Please, just let me rest here."

Celestia sighed. She bent down and gently scooped Luna onto her back. She could see some trees ahead, and slowly made her way toward them. The added weight of her sister nearly caused her to fall. As she walked, Luna opened one eye.

"Celestia? Where are we?"

"I don't know, Luna. We'll figure it out in the morning. First we need to find shelter and get some sleep."

"Do you think... We'll ever be able to go home?"

"We'll see." Luna's question sent a stab of pain through Celestia's heart, for she knew that they could never go home. Her ancestral land had been taken over by a great evil, and as far as she knew, she and her sister were the only survivors. Her friends, her family, they were all...

No, Celestia berated herself. No crying. You need to be brave, for Luna's sake.

After what seemed like an eternity, Celestia reached the trees, and soon found a small glade where they could sleep. Celestia knew it was foolish for both of them to sleep at the same time with no protection, but as she placed Luna in the grass and lay down herself, she knew she could no more fend off sleep than she could fight if they were attacked. As sleep overtook her, Luna's question kept drifting through her mind.

Where were they?

* * * * *

By the time Celestia awoke, it was already mid morning. The first thing she noticed was that Luna was no where to be seen. For a moment, she panicked. Then she heard the distinct sound of her sister humming off to her right. After a quick search she found Luna munching happily on some berries that she had plucked off a berry bush.

"Look, Celestia!" Luna exclaimed when she noticed her big sister. "I found us some food!"

"Luna!" cried Celestia. "Don't eat those! You don't even know if they're edible!"

"But they're just raspberries, Celestia," Luna picked another off the bush and showed her. Celestia still didn't like the idea of eating wild berries in a land they knew nothing about, but she knew that if she didn't eat something soon, she wouldn't even have the strength to move or protect her sister. She began to eat as well.

Suddenly, they heard a voice cry out nearby, "Who's there? I swear, if it's you colts stealing my berries again-" The bushes rustled nearby, and out of them stepped a stallion. His coat was a bright blue, as were his eyes. His mane was short and black. He looked extremely annoyed. When he saw the two fillies however, staring at him looking very scared and confused, his expression softened.

"Oh, excuse me, girls," he said with a smile. "I thought some of the young'uns from Las Pegasus had come to raid my berry orchard again."

"Do these berries belong to you," asked Celestia. "We're sorry, but we were just so hungry-"

"That's quite alright," said the stallion, raising his hoof. "Let no pony say that Blueberry won't offer to share his wares with two fillies in need. That's me, by the way," he added gesturing to his flank, which bore a blueberry cutie mark. "Just where are you kids from, anyway?"

Celestia swallowed, not sure how much she should tell, or if Blueberry would even believe that they came from overseas. Before she could say anything, however, Luna spoke first.

"We are from far away!" she said. "We had to leave home because it was under attack!"

"Under attack?" asked Blueberry, his brow furrowing. "Under attack by whom? Has another war started in the North?"

"We came from across the ocean!" Luna exclaimed.

"Luna!" said Celestia sharply.

Blueberry looked from one sister to the other and cleared his throat. "Alright," he said, "it makes no difference to me where you're from, but if you're in trouble, I'd like to help however I can."

"Thank you," Celestia said gratefully. "What we really need is somewhere to stay while we figure out what to do next."

"Say no more," Blueberry said. "You an stay with me and the wife for as long as you like. Now follow me to the house, you both look like you could use a proper meal and a bath." He turned and headed back the way he came. After a brief moment of hesitation, Celestia and Luna followed.