Chapter 10

Celestia walked slowly up the stairs back to her room, feeling both ashamed and angry. She knew she shouldn't have said what she did, but considering what she and Luna had been through in the past few days... Celestia sighed, and felt tears stinging her eyes. She wished she could just take Luna home now, but even after talking with Starswirl, she had no idea what she would find when she got there. Would anypony be left? Would her parents be alive? Or was Celestia just clinging to vain hopes?

As the princess walked through the door to her room, the first thing she noticed was that Luna was awake.

"Celestia!" cried Luna rushing forward and throwing her hooves around her sister's neck. "I thought you were never going to wake up! Why did you sleep so long?"

"I was just resting, Luna," Celestia answered, not knowing what else to say. Luna scampered around and stared at Celestia's flank. "Your cutie mark is so pretty!" she exclaimed. Celestia started. In all the excitement, she had almost forgotten it. She looked at it as well. It was large, as far as cutie marks go, a bright orange sun.

"A cutie mark of the sun," Celestia mused. "So is that my special talent? Just raising the sun?"

"JUST raising the sun?" a familiar voice said. "Don't sell yourself short, kid." Celestia whirled around. There, standing in the doorway, looking tired but happy, were Blueberry and Chestnut. Luna gave an exclamation of joy and rushed into Chestnut's hooves, who promptly started crying.

"Oh, you poor dears! After all you've been through and getting spirited away by that villain Discord, we were so worried about you! Blueberry and I rushed all over Equestria trying to find somepony to help us, thank heavens you're all right!"

"Easy there, darling," said Blueberry, patting his wife on the back. "Everyone's safe, and it looks like they haven't suffered any lasting damage. Have you?" he added, looking concernedly at Celestia.

"We're fine," said Celestia, smiling sadly. "Has Starswirl told you everything that happened?"

"Everything he knows, anyway," Blueberry answered. "Real smart pony, that Starswirl. I'm sure you'll be safe here with him protecting you."

"Thanks, but..." Celestia paused, not sure to tell her friends about Starswirl's offer. She decided to skip it. "We can't stay here. Starswirl wasn't able to answer my questions about whether it's safe to go home, so I need to find somepony who does."

"We understand, dear," said Chestnut, who was still holding Luna. "But if you need anything, Don't hesitate to ask. Starswirl has sent word to the unicorn enclaves about your exploits, so you'll be sure to find a helping hoof wherever you go."

Celestia smiled gratefully at the two earth ponies who had done so much for her and Luna, even to the point of risking their own lives...

...And who she was planning on abandoning to Discord's chaotic tyranny the second she discovered if it was safe to leave. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. After everything that happened, was she really going to just leave, condemning not just Blueberry and Chestnut, but everypony she had met, from the unicorns who were protecting her even now, to the pegasi who had flown her to safety when she was hurt? Leave them to live in constant fear of Discord for the rest of their lives? That had been her exact thought not twenty minutes ago. Thoroughly ashamed of herself, she turned to Chestnut.

"Please excuse me," she said. "I need to go talk to Starswirl again."

"I don't know if he's still here," said Chestnut. "Another meeting of World Leaders has been called in Ponyville. He may have left for it already. Of course, he might still be at the main gates, giving instructions-" Celestia ran to the window and flew outside, hoping to catch Starswirl before he left. After a few minutes of scanning, she spotted what she hoped was the main gates a little ways down the mountain, near a train station. She headed straight for it, and sure enough, she spotted Starswirl's trademark cloak and hat, speaking with some important-looking unicorns. She landed a bit awkwardly in her haste, stumbling. Starswirl turned in surprise, and sent the unicorns off to do their jobs.

"You need to work on your landings," Starswirl said with a smile as he helped Celestia to her feet.

"I needed to find you," Celestia said breathlessly. "I needed to say-" she paused, not sure of how to phrase it. "I'm sorry for what I said. I know I must have sounded awfully ungrateful after all you've done for me and my sister."

"Not at all," Starswirl said reassuringly. "It was unfair of me to lay such a burden at your feet so soon. I should have taken your feelings into consideration."

"I've changed my mind," said Celestia. "I would be eternally grateful if you and the unicorns of Canterlot would take me and Luna in, and of course I will do everything in my power to help you against Discord."

"There will be time for all that later," said Starswirl gently. "For now, rest. I have business in Ponyville, and when I return we will speak about your future. Until then, farewell, Princess Celestia." Starswirl turned and walked out the gate, getting on the train which immediately began rolling down the mountain. As Celestia watched the train leave, she heard a flutter of wings and Luna appeared next to her.

"Celestia?" Luna asked. "What happening? Are we staying here?"

The alicorn princess looked down at her younger sibling. "Yes, Luna," she answered. "We may be staying here for quite a while."

* * * * *

Several hours earlier...

Far away from Canterlot, on the east coast of Equestria, was the bustling city of Manehatten. One of the largest and grandest cities ever built by earth ponies, it was a hub of economic activity so essential to Equestrian life that even Discord had felt obliged to leave it be, for the most part. That did not stop him from having a base there, however.

To be specific, it was a large warehouse located on the waterfront. It was sparsely decorated, both inside and out, containing only necessary items for living in relative comfort. It was here that Discord and Tinkertoy had retreated with the Elements of Harmony. As Tinkertoy placed them in a small compartment hidden in the wall. Discord strode around briskly, humming to himself.

"Not a bad couple of fillies," he said. "A little moody, and of course prone to highly damaging solar explosions, but you have to take the bad with the good, don't you?" he looked over at Tinkertoy. "I think I should remove them from the damaging atmosphere of unicorn society, don't you think? Maybe bring them here, to inhale some of that lovely city smog?"

"Forget about them," said Tinkertoy. "For now at least. They have given me much to think about. Did you see the amount of power the white one controlled? I've never seen anything like it, even from you."

"So she moved the sun, big deal," said Discord, shrugging. "I can do that."

"You can only create chaos. You can make the sun and moon behave erratically, but you cannot establish the type of control exhibited by that alicorn, and remember that she's still a child! Imagine the power she will wield when she's an adult."

"You don't seriously think she will ever be a match for me, do you?" asked Discord incredulously.

"I think that if we play our cards right, those alicorns can remove our territorial rivals for us, and all we will need to do is sit back and watch. Now listen carefully, I have a job for you..."

"YOU have a job for ME? I swear Tinkertoy, sometimes I think you forget who wears the pants in our relationship."

"If you do as I say, someday you will have all of Equestria under your hoof. Not just earth ponies, but unicorns, pegasi, changelings, crystal ponies, everything! Nowhere will be free from your anarchy. Now, I want you to leave Equestria."

"Leave? But everypony will miss me! Who will puncture the dull monotony of their existence with wonderful displays of chaos?"

"It is a short term loss, for a long term gain. I need you to do what nopony has ever done before. I need you to find the homeland of these alicorns. Then, I need you to learn everything you can about them, so you can report it all to me."

"And while I'm doing this, what will you be doing?"

"I will be carefully setting up agents among all our enemies. With their help, I will make the political climate ripe for the ultimate chess game, and one by one I will knock our foes off their pedestals, so that you might take their place as rulers of all Equestria!" Tinkertoy turned to Discord. "I will watch over things her while you are gone. Just trust me."

"I am the all-powerful Spirit of Chaos. Anything I don't like, I dispose of. So of course I have no need of trust ." With a smile, Discord rose up into the air. "But a little change of scenery will do me good, I think. Farewell, Tinkie, ol' buddy! I'll send you a postcard from Alicornia!" Laughing loudly at his horrible joke, he turned and flew out the window, heading west. Once he was gone, Tinkertoy turned back to the compartment containing the Elements of Harmony.

"Oh, my dear Discord," he said softly, "if you knew what I had planned for you and all powerful magical creatures, your laughter would catch in your throat and turn to choking." With a chuckle, he shut the compartment, and locked it securely, placing the key on a chain around his neck. "Now, to see to the other pawns in my plan."

Author's Note

This is the last chapter of Book 1. There will be an epilogue, of course, to set things up for Book 2. I hope I am leaving you all suitably interested!