Chapter 7: Looking for Answers

March 24, 1504 A.D.

Books and Branches Library; Ponyville, Everfree Fief

If ponies entered the library this morning, they would have soon left for fear of getting injured by the maelstrom of books that flew through the library.

“There’s nothing here!”

After leaving the library, they would have relocated to their “Twilight Fallout Shelter” underneath their houses.  For all of them would have seen that their princess was stressed and bordering on the insanity that preceded the Want It’ Need It incident some years past.

Twilight’s friends were worried as they took shelter in Ponyville’s Library, their friend had been studying day in, day out, from dawn till dusk for the past week.  The five mares and Spike had barricaded themselves under several pillows and Twilight’s bed, they were trying to calm the panicked purple alicorn so the barrage of hardback books would stop trying to bludgeon them.

“Twalight!! Ya gotta calm down!”

“My hair!!”

“P-p-please stop… if that’s okay with you!”

“Ooooooh look!  A copy of Tea Parties Through History!!”

“This is so not COOL Twilight Sparkle!!”

As the others shouted, Spike peeked up from his trench with a helmet on.  He looked over at Twilight as she stood in the center of a tornado of literature.  He gulped in anticipation and put on his hoofball pads.  He tapped Rarity on the shoulder and the unicorn looked down at him.

“I’m going in!  If I don’t make it, tell Scootaloo she can have my comic collection!”

Before Rarity could reply, the young drake heaved himself over the walls of pillows and charged through the paper maelstrom.  He grunted as different novels pelted him, but he pressed on for the sake of Ponyville.  Nearing the eye of the paperback hurricane, Spike took in his target.

Twilight’s eyes were shifting back and forth rapidly as she searched through all of her books.  Her smile was a nine on the creepy scale and her hair looked more tangled than the chaos vines that had invaded Ponyville.  Her wings were outstretched and adding to the gale winds every time they flapped.  Her left eye was twitching as it read the pages and her tail was swishing back and forth like a razor sharp sword.

Taking his chances, Spike tried to get through the flying books put the barrage was too thick to penetrate.  He then spied a thick dictionary flying towards him and he jumped as it sailed underneath him, grabbing it with his claws he flew into the storm, looking for an opportunity to nail his target.  As he soared overhead, he let go and let out his best battle cry.

“DONUTS!”

As he sailed through the air, his claws outstretched and his mouth pulled back into a scaly snarl of determination he found the source of the unspeakable storm.

A purple horn, glowing with power.

With a mighty squeal, Spike landed on Twilight’s head, who barely noticed, and grabbed a book from the air and gave the horn a mighty slap with 101 Ways to Prank Your Friends.

With a yelp, Twilight stopped her magic.  All the books thudded to the floor and the five mares in the room broke in expressions of relief.

Spike, however, knew he was wounded and slumped off the alicorn’s back as she rubbed her horn where he hit it.

“Dragon down!  Medic!”

“Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! Oh ….!”

Fluttershy quickly bent over the baby dragon, who had fallen limp in her hooves.

“Oh it’s not that bad Spike, just some paper cuts.”

Spike’s eyes snapped back open and his eyes frantically searched the room.

“Did we win?!”

“Yes, yes you did.  But was the slap really necessary?”

“YES!!” was everypony else’s answer.

Twilight looked around at her friends and smiled sheepishly at them.

“Sorry, I suppose I was studying too hard again?”

Spike walked up to her and prodded her in the side.

“If you had studied any harder, Ponyville would have become a crater.”

Twilight sighed and dropped her head, she hated worrying everypony.

“I’m sorry, I am just so frustrated and worried.  Ever since Parliament’s investigation, everything has slid down hill so fast.”

Twilight looked back over the past three weeks, recalling all the events that had transpired.

As soon as the Territories had heard of Tejas’s arrest and the passage of the Equestria-Crystal Empire Unification Act, they had officially split ties with Equestria and formally declared the restoration of the Celestial Territories as a separate nation.  Furthermore, they demanded that Tejas be released and that Equestria not unify with the Crystal Empire.  Parliament, with Celestia and Luna not taking initiative, had rejected both demands and countered that since the Territories seemed to have attacked Twilight, they did not have the right to leave and demanded they return to Equestria.

Part of the ancient treaty between the princesses and the Territories was that they could leave Equestria peacefully.  With the Territories the prime suspect of Twilight’s attack, Parliament had declared that the treaty was void and that the Territories did not have the right to leave, declaring the act as treason.

Some members of Parliament advocated using military force to seize back the Territories, but the princesses slapped down these proposals and reiterated that it was not for sure that the Territories were behind the attacks.  Celestia and Luna continued to advocate for negotiations, but the Territories refused because with the Unification Act passing, Cadence would have been part of the negotiations.  A point they refused to budge on.

So in the end, a very hollow stalemate followed.  With naught but silence coming from the Territories and bickering in Parliament over what to do.

Tejas was as stubborn as Twilight’s attackers, he refused to talk but he did remain polite and cooperative, unlike his fellow inmates.

Twilight was confused over Celestia and Luna’s reaction to the Territories secession.  Celestia wanted to continue to try to talk through normal diplomatic channels, while Luna wanted to just upright and go straight to the Territories and force a discussion.  Both of them seemed very distressed to Twilight, and they kept beating around the bush whenever Twilight asked them why the Territories bothered them so much.

So in the end, Twilight had done the only thing she could.

Study.

But her latest attempt ended up with the same results as the first attempt.

Nothing.

Twilight snapped out of her reverie and looked around at the room again, Spike and her friends were picking up and shelving the books.   There was a knock on the door and Twilight went to answer it.  As she opened the door with her magic, she began to see the golden armor that began twinkling through the door crack.

It was her Captain of the Arcane Guard, Flash Sentry.

“Good morning your highness, we just finished building the barracks nearby.  We thought you might want to come see it and we can discuss your security arrangements.”

Twilight was skeptical, she really didn’t want her guards here.  But accepted that she would need them here, just so that there would be more protection for Ponyville, her friends, and Spike.  She looked at Flash and began giving him her answer.

“Sorry Flash, but I…..”

“Now listen here missy, you don’t worry about the library none.  We got it.  Ya’ll go on and check the guards now ya hear?”

Applejack had approached and was gently pushing the disgruntled alicorn out the door.  Twilight tried to protest but Applejack heaved her out the door and slammed it behind her.  Giving another sigh, Twiligh turned back around and motioned for Flash to proceed.

“Alright Flash, show me what you built, it seems I have no choice in the matter.”

As they trotted through Ponyville, Flash began talking to her about her new protection.

“When we last talked, I know you didn’t want too much security, especially when doing daily chores and visiting your friends, so this is what me and my officers came up with.”

He paused and began pointing at around the town with his wings.  Twilight following the motion and saw what he was gesturing at.

“We have set up a route for our patrols to take that will maximize our coverage of the town and minimize any gaps.  With the patrols going around, any incursions into Ponyville will be immediately spotted.”

He then gestured to a few buildings that formed a square around the town.

“These four buildings were either being sold or were unoccupied, each will serve as a permanent lookout points.  The building to the north we have equipped with a quick fire signal, in case we needed to signal Canterlot for help, the building to the east serves as an armory and smithy while covering the Everfree Forest, the building to the south acts as a mess hall and kitchen, and then the west links with the train station and acts as the storage supply for the guards here as well as to watch suspicious characters exiting the train.”

He paused again as they headed towards the center of Ponyville and stopped.  Twilight followed suit and looked at the new building he pointed with his hoof.

The new barracks was three stories tall, as tall as town hall, was half as wide as the hospital, had an Equestrian Flag flying overhead, and Twilight’s Cutie mark emblazoned on a plaque above the main entrance.

“This is the Arcane Guard’s new Headquarters.  My office is here and this is also where the majority of the guards will be sleeping.  Built in is also a medical wing so we don’t impede the local hospital.  We have separate dorms and showers for mares and colts, as well as a recreation lounge for when the guards are off duty.”

Twilight looked impressed at the HQ and began to ask her captain the questions that had begun nagging her as he spoke.

“How many guards are stationed here?”

“With a town with a population of 8,504, we have 1,200 guards not including civilian staff.  We have 400 of each kind of pony; pegasus, unicorn, and earth pony.  Forming 12 companies of 100 ponies each headed by a corporal.”

“I see.  How about leave and pay?”

“Each pony gets one week of paid leave, one week of unpaid leave.  Illness, injury, maternity leave, and family emergency doesn’t count for either of those.  As for pay, the average is around 20,000 bits a year, divided equally between the months with the officers getting paid 2,000 more for each rank above a regular soldier.”

“Good.  I expect that all these guards are well behaved and won’t cause trouble?”

“Yes ma’am.   Out of the large pool of guards to choose from, we picked the ones who either didn’t have any infractions or committed the minor infractions such as tardiness or inappropriate attire.  And if any of them do cause trouble, we have protocols set in place that deal with it.  But I doubt it, many of these ponies grew up in small towns like this and will probably get along with the citizens just fine.”

“Very well.  What about chain of command?”

“Each company of 100 ponies has a corporal.  Two companies form a regiment of 200 ponies that report to a sergeant.  Two regiments form a brigade of 400 ponies that report to a colonel.  Each colonel reports to me, the captain, with the total of 1,200 guards.  But we all have to follow orders from you.  Mayor Mare, representative of Everfree Fief, is kept in the loop of our activities but she has no authority over us.”

“Excellent.  Now tell me about what you and the officers have planned for my security?”

“With the library being in the center of Ponyville, we will only station four guards for your personal residence.  Each with four hour shifts.  They will not invade your privacy unless certain of something being wrong.  If you are just walking around Ponyville itself, no guards will be necessary.  You will need to let us know however, if you plan for any excursions outside, particularly the Everfree Forest so we can assign you a small escort.  I understand you enter the forest often to visit a zebra friend named Zecora.  Unfortunately this also applies to your friends Fluttershy and Applejack since they live so close to the forest, but we will keep security there when you visit as minimal as possible so as to not make you uncomfortable.”

Twilight was nodding at each detail, very impressed with the efficiency that her Arcane Guards had set up here in Ponyville.  She then looked out over the Everfree Forest and had another thought.

“Flash, have you studied the layout of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters?”

“Yes you majesty.”

“I was thinking of eventually restoring it, since it is so conveniently placed on top of the Tree of Harmony.  What do you think?”

“I think it an excellent idea ma’am.   A castle would be most suitable for you and the guard.  It is not far from Ponyville itself and a good pathway could probably be cleared with some effort.  We could protect you better there as well as guard a very important source to Equestrian National Security if we re-garrisoned the old castle.  The castle itself would need to be rebuilt, repaired, modernized, and probably expanded some.  But it would be good for long-term residency near Ponyville.”

Twilight kept her gaze over the forest for a little while longer, letting the silence stretch before deciding that everything had been covered.  She turned back to Flash and gave him a smile.

“Thank you Flash, that’s all I need to know.  Keep up the good work and let me know if you or the guards need anything.  Is there anything else you need to tell me?”

“No ma’am.”

“Good.  I’m headed back to the library now.  Thanks again and have a good day.”

“My pleasure princess, and same to you.”

Both ponies headed towards their respective residences, Flash to the new HQ and Twilight to the library.

As Twilight headed back, her mind turned back to her studies.  She groaned in frustration as she thought of how fruitless her research had become.

‘I mean, come on!  I searched through both the Canterlot Archives and the entire Ponyville Library!  They are both supposed to be brimming with knowledge on ancient history!   And yet neither of them have anything on the Celestial Territories!  The only other library that predates them is…..’

Suddenly it hit her.

She stopped in her tracks and quickly looked back over at the Everfree Forest, remembering another library that was well stocked with ancient, untouched history.

‘Of course!! Why didn’t I think of that before!  The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters was built before Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion and is almost as old as Equestria itself!  If any library has a book on the Territories it must be in there!!’

Rejuvenated with her discovery, Twilight ran quickly to her library and opened the door looking for her friends.  They were sitting around a table having tea with Spike and looked like they had finished re-shelving all the books.  They stopped their conversation and looked up as Twilight entered the room.  Rarity was the first to speak.

“Why ever the rush darling?  You needn’t worry so much about your books.  We took care of it.  Now the library looks absolutely fabulous again.”

Applejack looked over at Rarity and shook her head before turning back to Twilight.

“Yeah, why the rush?  Ya barn on fire?”

Applejack then realized what she had said and muttered at herself, remembering the recent fire.  Twilight shook her head and directed a confidant smile at her friends.

“Nothing’s wrong, but I just thought of something!  We should go look through the library at the old castle!  I’m sure it’ll have something on the Territories!”

Spike looked skeptical and raised a claw and pointed out the window at the forest.

“Are you sure Twilight?  We didn’t find the information we were looking for last time.”

Twilight would not be dissuaded however, and lifted all her friends in her magic and began carrying them out of the library.

“No time for doubts Spike!  There must be something!  Now come on!  I have to arrange a guard escort so we can go into the Everfree.”

She closed the door behind her as she exited with her friends before setting them down and trotting at a brisk pace back towards the Arcane Guard HQ.  Her friends followed her.   They quickly got to the HQ and Twilight entered while her friends stayed outside and waited for her.

She quickly located the Captain’s office and the guards let her through immediately upon seeing her.  She walked through the doorway and Flash looked up in surprise at  her.

“Princess!  Is something wrong?  I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”

Twilight shook her head quickly, not wanting to cause him distress.

“No Flash.  I do need you to organize a squad for me though.  My friends and I are going to the old castle to look through the books for information on the Territories.  Can you do it quickly please?”

Flash nodded enthusiastically and got to his hooves, leaving his office with the princess in tow.

“I’ll get a squad of twenty ready, including myself.”

“Thanks Flash, I’ll wait outside with the girls.”

Twilight then teleported outside with a flash of magic and landed between Spike and Fluttershy, who had been playing cards while they waited.

“Really Twilight?  I was just about to win Trotxes Hold’Em!”

“Sorry Spike, I really just want to head towards the castle library.  But we need to wait for Flash and the guards.”

They waited around a couple minutes until Flash reappeared with nineteen guards in purple armor following him.

He saluted at Twilight.

“We’re here princess.   Lead the way.”

It was cold near the castle.  The gray ruins rose over the cliff side like a forgotten sentinel mourning his old post.  The broken turrets poked out of the castle ruins and grazed the sky with their pointed stones.  Mist was rolling over the site but since it was mid-afternoon, it was low and easy to see through.  The building blocks that made up the old forest were covered in moss and vines.  Many of them were cracked and need to be replaced.  The old ruins just couldn’t shake the feeling of being forlorn and haunted.  A strange trait considering the Tree of Harmony was right underneath it.

As the procession crossed the bridge, Rainbow Dash floated lazily above them and looked down the stairwell that led to the cave where the Tree of Harmony was.

“Hey Twi?”

“Yes?”

“Did you ever figure out how the Tree of Harmony came to be in some stuffy old cave?”

Twilight followed her gaze as she crossed the bridge and frowned, that question had also been bothering her.

“No Rainbow I didn’t.  Nobody knew about the tree except Celestia and Luna until we found it.  It’s a mystery to them too.  They discovered the tree when looking for a way to defeat Dicord 1,504 years ago.  They told me that it seemed to be calling out to them, that’s how they found it.  After Discord was turned to stone, they decided to build their castle here above the cave.  As you know, they lived here until Luna turned into Nightmare Moon.”

As Rainbow was digesting this tidbit, Applejack spoke up with her own inquiry.

“Now how come Celestia left the castle the way it is?  With them books lying about, the old thrones still here, and the furniture and tapestries rotting in disrepair all namby pamby about the place.  Why didn’t she take anything wit her when she left?  Ah mean we even found her personal journal still here!”

The group had crossed the bridge and was making their way to the threshold of the ruins.  Twilight summoned the answers Celestia had given her some months previously after the Everfree Incident from her memories.  The lavender alicorn had wondered about that herself after that debacle.

“Celestia told me that as soon as she banished Nightmare Moon, the castle was too infested with dark magic to remain in safe habitation and the artifacts of the caste were infected too.  I think that’s where your “Pony of Shadows” legend comes from.  She abandoned the castle and started fresh in Canterlot.  Apparently, the dark magic continued to radiate from the place until we defeated Nightmare Moon, destroying all the dark magic in the process that was in the castle.”

They had passed through the entryway and were cantering down the empty hallways towards the library as Twilight continued.

“Celestia said that after Nightmare Moon was banished, the element of magic disappeared and the other elements grew stone cold.  She had to leave them here in the hopes that magic would one day return to reignite the other elements.”

She stopped her lecture as they reached the library.  Flash and the guards fanned out and began looking through some books, eager to help Twilight in her search.  Her friends did the same.

Twilight however, thought that she would go through Celestia and Luna’s secret library that Spike had discovered on one of their last visits months ago.  She walked over to the chair and pushed it back, activating the mechanism.

The walls rumbled and the guards shot alarmed looks around, trying to find the source of the sudden noise.  Twilight belatedly thought hat she should have given them some warning.

“Princess!  What is that?”

Flash quickly flew over to her but Twilight waved her wings at him and gestured for him to calm down.  Her friends waited and watched the shelves move out of the way.

“Sorry about that.  I should have warned you that there’s a secret passage to another part of the library.”

Twilight looked on and headed towards the entrance and turned back around to Flash and the guards.

“It’ll be too cramped if all of us go in there.  Would you mind staying out here and looking for anything on the Territories?”

They all shook their heads and smiled at Twilight’s concern for them.  Flash waved at them to start looking and smiled back at Twilight.

“We don’t mind princess.  Come talk to us if you need anything else.”

He then flew off and started shifting through different books.  Twilight turned around and walked through the archway to the private library.  Her friends were already searching through the books in the room.

Twilight flicked her horn and the torches sprang to life.  It always amazed her how intact this one room was.  It was very preserved compared to the rest of the castle, almost as if it hadn’t ever been abandoned.  She had a theory that since this was Celestia and Luna’s sanctuary, it was filled with positive energy and light magic that kept out the effects of the dark magic.

Pinkie Pie came up with the first find.

“Oooh!  Twilight come look at this!  It’s an old map without Equestria on it!”

She bounced over to the table in the middle of the room and placed the frail map on it.  Twilight looked over it with her friends hovering over her shoulder.

It was very old, Twilight didn’t even recognize the date on it.  It read 150 P.W.  The map had a rough outline of the world today but didn’t show any of the towns and boundaries that would identify Equestria or other modern nations.  She could see the Celestial Territories marked firmly in the north in the Unicorn Mountains, there was even a dot where Eclipse City was.  To the east, she spotted what must have then been the Crystal Empire.  Its boundaries were much smaller than what it was today, and looked weak when compared to the Celestial Territories.  The area where Equestria would be was labeled as unexplored territory.  The map expanded outward to encompass the rest of the world and identified several countries that Twilight had never heard of, many of them were small with unrefined borders as if they were new and expanding.  Curiously, there were two areas that were shaded darker than the rest of the map.  The large one, (which Twilight identified as what was in the present called the wastelands, where the Changelings lived) was labeled as the “Graveyard of Amazonia.”  The smaller one was shaded darker and labeled as the “Citadel Ruins”.  The legend on the map indicated that the shaded areas represented dark lands that were poisoned and dangerous.  Twilight looked over the map again and pinpointed several small dots in the more volcanic part of the world that said “wild dragon territory” next to them.

She looked up at her friends and shrugged.

“This is interesting, it shows the Celestial Territories but I can’t tell how old it is with this dating system.  Our history goes back 1,504 years to when Discord ruled, but anything beyond that is guesswork as nopony was able to tell time with the sun and moon rising and setting sporadically.  Also with all the chaos going on many records were destroyed and thus many of the sites and nations on this map are probably lost to history.”

Pinkie shook her head rapidly, her smile widening.

“You’re forgetting something Twilight!  Look on the back silly filly!”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow at the hyperactive pony but did so anyway.  What she saw froze her chest and almost stopped her heart.

There, on the back was a sun and moon in an eclipse surrounded by six stars of six different colors.

“Pinkie…this is the Royal Crest of the Celestial Territories that was on that letter they showed in Parliament.  The one which convinced the members of their treachery.”

Rarity was looking it over with her keen eye.

“Darling, read the script under it, I don’t have my reading glasses with me.”

Twilight did, she had been too busy reminiscing about that disastrous session of Parliament to notice the writing neatly inscribed below

the seal.

“This map was inscribed by order of the sovereign rulers of the Celestial Territories to write down and preserve a history of the state of our world a century and a half after the Hundred-Year War.”

Twilight looked up and looked around at her friends, confusion written on her face.  An expression that was mirrored back at her.

“Has anypony ever heard of the Hundred-Year War?”

“Nuh-huh.”

“Eenope.”

“Sorry.”

“Noperonie.”

“No darling.”

Twilight looked again at the crest and inscription before remembering something.

“Wait a minute.  The Celestial Territories is ruled by a Senate, I’ve never read anywhere of them having any royalty of any kind.  Why would this map say different?”

Her friends all nodded their heads and started looking back around for more information.  Twilight continued to sit at the table and ponder all the inconsistencies poised by the paper in front of her.  It seemed to bring up more questions than it answered.

Twilight heard a loud click in the room and looked up.  She saw Spike was pulling a book off the shelf but it was attached to a mechanism.  As she thought about what next trap had just been activated, a slot in the wall opened up and Twilight could see a box inside.

“Whoa.  This castle is spooky with how many tricks and traps there are.  I mean there are secret compartments in secret rooms!  It’s like a puzzle in a puzzle!”  Spike exclaimed.

They all gathered around the previously unknown cubby hole as Twilight approached.  She pulled out the box with her magic and set it on the table.

They gathered around again as Twilight lifted the lid, inside was a book, a rolled up canvas, and a solitary lettter.  She pulled out the canvas first and unfurled it.  What she saw shocked her and everypony else in the room into stunned silence.

It was a picture of Celestia and Luna.

A much younger Celestia and Luna.

In it, Celestia’s mane didn’t seem to flow and instead of being colored like an aurora it was a bright pink!  Celestia was also much shorter, around Twilight’s present size.  She wasn’t wearing any royal vestments and her eyes seemed to shine with happiness and a sheen that spoke of youth and not of the years of sadness from her sister’s banishment like the present Celestia’s did.  Luna was also shocking, she was even smaller than when she appeared after the defeat of Nightmare Moon!  Her fur and mane color were the same though and didn’t flow like it did now.  Her eyes sparkled like a prankster and her smile was brilliant and happy, her face didn’t carry the weight of her past mistakes like the present Luna did.   They both had their hooves around the other in a tight embrace and they were standing in an unfamiliar castle room.  There was a window behind them that showed the sun rising with a tint of the stars still twinkling in the sky.

Twilight couldn’t have been more surprised.

Here was Twilight’s mentor and her sister looking much younger than any previous paintings ever made of them.  There seemed to be an innocence on them that spoke as if they were just around the same age as Twilight herself.  Twilight never thought she would find something like this when looking for her answers.  Though now that she thought about it, she shouldn’t be so surprised.  This was Celestia and Luna’s private library when the lived here after all.

Slowly, as if afraid it might disappear, she turned over the painting looked at the back to see if there was anything of note.

Sure enough there was.

To Princess Celestia and Princess Luna

I hope you enjoy the painting, this is the smaller version for you both to keep personally.  I’ve hung the larger one in the castle hallways for everyone else to look at.  Enjoy and happy birthday to both of you.

Your friend,

Water Color

April 14, 3020 P.W.

“Look, there is that date system again.  And I can’t believe this was a birthday present!  I know the princesses celebrate their birthday on April 14, but it’s always a low key affair they have privately since they’ve had so many.”  Twilight said, gaping at the precious artifact of her fellow princesses in her hooves.

Applejack pointed a hoof at another inscription near the top, “Look there ya’ll at that stamp.”

This inscription wasn’t nearly as personal.

Water Color

Master Craftsmen of the Imperial Academy

Artemis Lane, Eclipse City; Celestial Territories

Rarity exclaimed loudly to the other ponies’ annoyance, “It’s an address!  This pony was from the capital of the Celestial Territories!”

Twilight was getting a headache.  How could it be that Celestia and Luna had this much from the Territories, even as much as a personal friend who gave them gifts?

Spike was poking Twilight, his voice dripping with curiosity.

“What’s the other stuff in the box?”

Twilight picked up the book next and her mouth dropped open again in shock.

“Why…this is a story book!!”

And sure enough, although the book was old, there was no mistaking that the small book was made for small fillies to read.  It was in good condition, and Twilight presumed that it belonged to both of the princesses.  She picked it up and opened the cover.

There was another inscription.

To Tia’ and Lulu,

I hope you both enjoy this book, it’s a first edition.  I helped the publishers with some of the stories.  Have Fun!

“There’s no signature.”

The others had noticed this as well, but didn’t think of it as such a big deal like Twilight did.  Rainbow Dash piped up and said,

“Yeah, so what?”

Twilight looked incredulous at Dash before speaking in a reverent voice.

“Whoever gave this to Celestia and Luna knew them so well that they knew their nicknames for them.  No signature tells me that the sender didn’t expect to remind them who gave them the book and therefore knew them very well.”

She looked back down at the book and began flipping through the pages.  Many of the stories were funny and had a moral behind them.  All of them were unfamiliar to Twilight and she thought this book was very old for all the folk stories to be unknown.  Folk tales were one of those things passed down generation to generation.  Like the Hearthswarming tale.  She was flipping through the book when a title caught her eye and gave her pause, this one she had heard, but only in passing.

“Girls?  Do you all remember how in that first session of Parliament, Tejas talked about how a past queen of the Crystal Empire is Cadence’s ancestor and supposedly betrayed the Celestial Territories?”

“I think this is the story he was talking about.”

The Tale of Broken Heart

Upon that day when flags were hung,

When friend and foe’s necks were rung.

There stood six friends steadfast and true,

But soon this day they would rue.

For among the six there were,

A traitor wearing crystal fur.

Brave Heart was her name,

And her kingdom she would shame.

As the battle came to its climb,

The war would be redefined.

No more were these friends harmony,

But instead became tragedy.

Brave Heart turned from her friends for gold,

And so her heart became cold.

Leaving a body in the dust,

Broken Heart's dagger began to rust.

Though she thought the battle won,

A miracle would her undone.

Turned her fortunes and so she fled,

Fleeing the past and the dead.

There at the battle of Sundered Loyalty,

Stood our hero full of royalty.

Looking upon Broken Heart in rage,

He would bring to an end this bloody age.

A sister’s tears could not dissuade,

The general’s master cage.

Trapped among the Legion’s fire,

Broken Heart attacked with ire.

And their upon his honest sword,

Broken Heart snapped like a cord.

As she lay dying in the dirt,

Her killer she did curse.

So fell the crystal traitor,

Her city burned to ashes later.

So remember descendants of the legion,

The Crystal Empire’s treacherous reason.

There was a very long silence after they read that.  The air could have been cut with a butter knife it was so oppressive.  Finally Twilight slowly closed the book and put it back in the box.

Silence.

Twilight looked around at her friends, they all were sitting back with different expressions.

Spike looked like he didn’t know what to think.

Pinkie Pie’s hair had deflated and she looked like somepony had forgotten her birthday.

Rarity wore an expression of surprise and shock.

Applejack’s face had the appearance of a mare looking at a hard truth.

Rainbow Dash’s body language said she wanted to fly away.

Fluttershy’s eyes were filled with tears, she turned to Twilight and said in a weak voice,

“That’s terrible.  Why would anypony put that in a story book?  You don’t think its true, do you Twilight?”

Twilight honestly didn’t know what to think.  Now that she really thought about it, she didn’t know much about the Crystal Empire’s past just like the Territories.  If this rhyme was true, the Celestial Legions had been betrayed by Broken Heart.  The Legions then seemed to have chased her down and killed her.  What betrayal would drive somepony to burn the Crystal Empire to the ground?  What horrors were the past hiding from the present?

Twilight had immediately trusted the Crystal Empire over the Celestial Territories in that debate over Cadence’s ancestry.  Why?  Because she thought she knew that the Crystal Empire was better than the Celestial Territories.  Why did she think that?   Because Cadence ruled over the Crystal Empire now, and everything seemed to shine like sunshine and rainbows.  But now she realized that basing past grudges by today’s present was an error.  The Crystal Empire could have a darker past, it had produced King Sombra after all.  Sombra, who had erased many historical records of their history from the library, which is what made the Crystal Heart so hard to find.

Crystal Heart.

Broken Heart.

More questions, no answers.

Twilight shook her head at Fluttershy.  “I don’t know.  But let’s look at what else is in the box.”

Slowly, as if the paper fragments could bite her, Twilight put the ruined manuscript down in front of her.  It seemed to be not as old as the canvas or the book but the letter was in far worse condition.  Several spots of the writing had been blotched out beyond recognition as if the paper had been rained on.  What Twilight could read was this.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,

It is with the greatest shame and regret that I write you this letter.  When we marched to the Crystal Empire to face Sombra we expected a quick victory with our commander at the front to lead us.

But it was not to be.

We have been routed, the legions flee back to the Celestial Territories.  We have incurred heavy losses and can no longer continue the fight.  I know not if Sombra chases us, but our soldier’s spirit has been broken.  I do not know what action you should take, it is my purpose to tell you of our failure so that you will not be surprised should we fall.

There is more.

…………..great sorrow that I must …………….did not survive ……………speared…..Sombra …………lance of black……. while......................................…...the icy depths…….arctic.

….. never …..

………not know ……….. presume… worse.

I ………..sorry,

Centurion Falling Rock

Eclipse Legion, 456 A.D.

“I at least recognize the date system on this one.  This was shortly before Celestia and Luna banished Sombra and the Crystal Empire disappeared.  But I never knew that the Celestial Territories tried to fight him.”  Twilight wondered, she didn’t like how all her thoughts kept coming back to Sombra.  He was a dark pony she would rather forget about.  The conversation Twilight had with Celestia before embarking on that mission came back to the forefront of her mind.

‘Even my knowledge of the empire is limited.’

‘Banished to the Arctic Ice’

‘Heart as black as night’

Twilight shivered, Sombra had indeed been a dark pony.

Twilight looked around as her friends talked behind her, discussing the letter and its vagueness.  She thought about what to do next, she doubted that this library would yield more information.  But she needed more.

But where would there be more information on the Celestial Territories though?

Of course.

The Celestial Territories themselves.

“Girls. Spike.”

That stopped them.  Twilight’s tone of voice spoke volumes.  It was the voice she had used when she led them to face Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra, and the Everfree Forest.

It was her I am Twilight Sparkle and nothing will stop me voice.

She turned to fully face them, ready to commit treason of the highest order, her friends stared at her, wondering where she would lead them next.

“I want to go to the Celestial Territories.”

It was a cool night.  The air was brisk and the sky was dark as that night had a new moon floating above Equestria.  Ponyville slept quietly under the stars and the cloudless night, completely unaware of the ongoing escape.

The plan was simple.  Hop on a train headed towards Stalliongrad in Ponyville unnoticed and then travel by hoof to Eclipse City in the Celestial Territories.

The problem, was the guards.

The irony, Twilight had put them there.

Twilight finished putting out all the lights in her library and turned to the others.  They all were wearing dark clothing and wore saddlebags filled with things they would need for the trip.

Spike was carrying a backpack and wearing a mustache.

Twilight had told Flash after they had left the castle ruins that she and her friends had decided on a sleepover party later that night, that way they could all pack and gather together without rousing anything suspicious in Twilight’s guard.

They had all decided that the guards and by extension, Celestia and Luna, would never allow them travel to the Celestial Territories.  Not with the tension between Equestria and the Territories and Twilight’s attackers still unknown.

So they didn’t tell them.

Phase one:

“Oh boys, would you come in here and be a dear.  Twilight’s plumbing has broken and we need some help fixing it.”  Rarity whined at the four stallions.  She had peeked out the doors and gestured to Twilight’s four guards who had just started their four hour shift.

They came inside, their purple armor clunking and looked around.

Twilight, Spike and the girls were standing there looking at them.  The guards looked at each other, then looked back at Twilight.

“Princess, what’s wrong?  Your plumbing seems fine.”

Twilight looked at them and gave them a sorrowful smile.

“Yeah….I’m sorry about this.”

Before they could react, her horn flashed and the four guards fell on the floor, snoring peacefully.  Their armor was supposed to deflect magic from enemy attackers.

But they weren’t enchanted to deflect their princess’s magic though.

Spike and Fluttershy quickly dragged the four guards inside and made them comfortable as Twilight and the others quickly trotted outside.

Phase two:

When Fluttershy and Spike joined them, they cantered quickly to the northwest side of Ponyville.  There, they waited for the last train to leave Ponyville which was a freight train refueling with coal for the long trip to Stalliongrad.  They also had to wait for the proper gap in the guard’s patrol search to slip through unseen.

Twilight had requested a complete copy of the guard’s patrol patterns and times from Flash for, ironically in all honesty,“research purposes.”

The two unicorn guards walked dutifully past, their horns shining lights through the darkness and the posse waited until they were out of sight around the corner.

The train whistled as it left the station.

“Go.” whispered Twilight.

The six mares and one dragon quickly ran up to the side of the train track and hid beneath some bushes as the train pulled up the tracks and began to pick up speed.  They were waiting on the side of the train tracks that would conceal them from the guards when they jumped on the train.

Phase three:

As the train pulled up to their hiding position and passed them, Twilight gave the signal to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash who then flew to the side of the train and pulled open a box car door.  They climbed inside and waited for the others.

Twilight flew up with Spike on her back while Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie ran up and jumped on the train as it began chugging faster.

Rainbow closed the door when they made it inside.

They all smiled at each other, jubilated in their success, and Twilight spoke.

“Thank you all for coming with me, I know I was asking a lot but I really want answers.   I want to stop all this talk of war and bring back peace.  Thank you all for being here for me.”

They just smiled at the alicorn and then they all got into a comfortable part of the car as they waited out the ride.

“Celestial Territories here we come.”