What Path to Choose

Drako looked deep into Rainbow Dash’s eyes and smiled at her. He knew what she was going to say, he had been waiting all day for it. So when she walked in and told him they needed to talk he’d already prepared himself for it. She looked a little shocked at first so he continued by saying “You came to talk about us right?”

“Yeah…you see, after talking with Silverwing I realized something.”

“That we aren’t meant for each other?” he said with a sad smile “Yeah I know, I have known for a while now. Ever since I saw you kissing Applejack, I knew something was wrong, not just with you, but with me as well. I didn’t feel as jealous as I should have. When I got angry, it was more at myself because I wanted to feel the same as you did.”

She blushed a little and looked away “What does this mean for us Drako? I mean, I do love you, but not how I love Applejack. I missed you so much when you left and I think when you came back I wanted something to hold onto you. At the same time I was trying to hide from my feelings for Applejack as well.”

“It was the same for me; I wanted something real and someone who told me how much they loved me. I also didn’t want to leave my sister again. I think what we both did was what was easy.” He said using his hoof to turn her head back to face him “Look Dash, I’m sorry about all this, but I think we need to rethink things and maybe get our lives back on track. I will always love you as my friend just as I know you will care for me as well.”

She teared up a little, but she held her tears back as always had, and then she said “I was afraid you wouldn’t understand or be upset with me for this. On my way over here I kept on thinking about what to say to you or how to explain it.”

He smiled at her “I knew you would have a hard time talking to me about it. I prepared myself for this, I wanted to make sure this didn’t turn into a fight. So Rainbow Dash, will you be my friend still.”

She smiled and hoofed him in the arm making him wince a little in pain, She giggled and said “Sorry….and yes Drako I will stay your friend, even better I’ll be your best friend.”

He smiled wider then pulled her into a hug and said “Thanks for that Rainbow, now do me one favor ok.”

“What’s that?”

“Go find Applejack, and tell her how you really feel. Then live a happy life ok.”

“I will as long as you do the same with Luna.”

Drako looked shocked at what she said, he blinked a few times then said “What do you mean?”

“Trust me Drako, I know how you feel about her. I hear it in the way you talk about your time guarding her every night. Now Promise me you’ll tell her the truth, I don’t care if it goes with what Princess Celestia said, You can’t run away from your feelings.” She said winking at him and getting up

“Ok I will.”

She turned to head out then looked back “One last thing, make sure you tell Scootaloo the truth as well. I want her to live with you because that is the responsibility you left behind. Don’t get me wrong, I love having her around, but she needs you more than she needs me.” And with that she left the room leaving Drako along with his sleeping sister and his thoughts.

Drako was in the hospital for two weeks as his body healed, Nurse Redheart said he was healing nicely and would be out in no time, but he still felt weak, as if something was draining the energy from him. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew something was wrong.

On the day he was to be cleared to go home he had a special visitor. He was just getting himself up out of the hospital bed when the door opened and in walked Princess Luna. She smiled at him and said “May I come in Drako.”

He smiled at her and said “Your company is always welcome Princess.”

She moved over toward him smiling “Drako I told you to just call me Luna. You’re my friend.”

“I figured after what happened I should be more formal.”

“Well don’t, I like hearing my name. Anyway, Drako how are you feeling?”

“I still hurt quite a lot, but not as bad as I did last week. The doctors said everything will be ok, it will just take a while that’s all.”

She frowned a little and looked out the window at the setting sun “Drako, why did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“You know what I mean Drako.” She said a hint of anger and sadness in her voice.

He looked away for a long moment then he turned his head back toward her and looked into her eyes “I was trying to protect you in any way I could.”

Her eyes teared up as she said “How is getting yourself killed protecting me. You are my guard and my friend. If you were to die then I wouldn’t have only lost my best guard, but I would have also lost my best friend and someone I care deeply for.”

“Telcon said something about waiting for the Fall. I wasn’t sure what that was, but I knew it had to be bad. I couldn’t let the Emperor finish his plans.” Said Drako.

At the mention of the word “Fall” her eyes grew wide, and her tail and mane seemed to stop flowing, and it seemed to sink down giving her a sad look. She looked around and said “Did you say the Fall? How does he know about that?”

“Yes I said the Fall, and I have no idea how he knows about it. What is it?” He asked looking a little more worried.

She moved closer to him and said “Drako I can’t tell you about it here, it is too risky. Anyone could be listening in on us and they can’t find out what this is.”

“Well I can’t really go anywhere as of yet. My wing is still broken and my body is still healing.”

Luna leaned in close and said “Drako The Fall is something dangerous, and it has something to do with you. But as I said before we can’t speak of it here. Once you are out of the hospital I’ll need you to come over to my house, we’ll be able to speak there about it.”

“Ok, I guess.” He said as she got up and started to walk away “But didn’t you have something you wanted to say to me?”

She stopped by the door, she had come to talk to him about something else, but the talk about the Fall had thrown her off. She looked back at him and said “I did, but it’ll have to wait as well. I need to get a letter to Celestia before you arrive.” And with that she left, leaving him alone once again.

After nurse Redheart had discharged him, he started to slowly head over toward Luna’s house. His legs still hurt, but thanks to the medical staff at the clinic they were able to fix his broken leg quickly with spells, his wing would have to mend on its own though. As he walked he made his way down the street, he was surprised when he ran into a different looking Twilight Sparkle. She had somehow grown wings since the last time he saw her. The shock didn’t last long though because she ran right into him, her nose in a book as always.

After they got back up and he helped her pick up her now dirty book, he said “Twilight is that really you?”

“Of course it is silly, who else would I be?” She said giggling a little.

“Are you trying out a new spell or something because last time I checked you weren’t an Alicorn?”

She lifted her wings then said “Oh yeah, I still haven’t gotten used to them yet. No I passed my final test with Princess Celestia and I guess I got turned into one by her. She said it was my Destiny to be a princess myself. I forgot you were in the hospital though so I guess that’s why you didn’t hear about it.”

“Yeah I haven’t seen much of your friends over the past week either, so maybe that’s why I didn’t hear about it. I do remember hearing Redheart talking to the doctor about a new princess, but I thought Princess Cadence was going to have a Filly or something.” He said Smiling and then bowed “Well Princess Twilight would you like an escort to where ever you’re headed.”

She laughed at that and said “I’ll be ok Drako, I’m on my way to visit with Princess Luna and I don’t think anyone in Ponyville is going to hurt me.”

“Well then you’re in luck, because that’s where I am heading as well.” He said with a smile.

She smiled wider and said in a regal teasing voice “Well then Sir Drako Moon I will take you up on that offer.”

They both laughed and started to head toward Luna’s house. As they walked they talked a little, she told him about how she had been transformed into an Alicorn and a few other things. Drako found it fascinating, and in turn he told her a bit about his own work, about the things he had to learn about magic even though he couldn’t use it.

“So why did Celestia have you learn so many spells, I mean as a Pegasus you can’t use magic.” She said echoing his own thoughts.

“In my line of work I ran into a lot of unicorns and I had to know what kind of spells they were using, also I use a few magical artifacts as well that aid me in my work. By learning what I did, it made me a much better solider.”

“That’s a smart idea, from what I can tell you know almost as much about magic as I do, and you’re only a Pegasus. I find that extremely impressive Drako.” She said as they finally made it to Luna’s Place.

He smiled at her and turned to knock on the door. It didn’t take long for Luna to open the door quickly saying “Good you’re both here, come in quickly.”

They both made their way in as Luna shut the door quickly behind them, her horn glowing setting what looked like a protection spell around the door. She then turned back to them and said “Come into the living room with me and we can talk.”

Twilight and Drako both looked a little confused, but they did as the princess asked following her into the next room. When they entered they saw Celestia sitting on a pillow near the window, across the room were two ponies in dark blue cloaks with their hoods pulled up covering their faces. All three looked at Twilight and Drako as they walked in. Celestia rose from her pillow and bowed a little saying “Sir Drako Moon and Princess Twilight, thank you for both coming on such short notice.”

“It wasn’t a problem Princess, but I thought I was here to see Luna?” Twilight asked

“You were, but you are also here to hear what we have to say as well. Both of you are a small part of a much bigger plan, and I think it’s about time I let you both in on what that is.” Celestia said.

“I’ve been wondering when you were going to fill me in on this Celestia.” Drako said moving to sit down on the couch.

Luna moved over and sat next to him, and Twilight did the same on the other side of him. When they were seated Twilight asked “Who are the two other ponies?”

“Somepony you’ll get to know soon enough Princess Twilight.” Luna Said. “Now first we’ll start with you Drako Moon, as you know my sister has ordered you to marry me. I’m recalling that and putting the choice in your hooves. Before you decide I want you to think about this hard, because I know how you feel about me, but I also know you get confused at times on what to do. I don’t want to make you do anything, I would rather you decide on your own and chose your own path to walk in life.”

Drako was taken aback for a moment by what the princess said. He didn’t think he’d be able to get away from the order he was given, though now he felt he would be ok with Luna as his bride, he still felt like it was wrong of him marry her without getting to know her better first. He’d seen arranged marriages in the other countries he had been to, and even though the couple always seemed happy enough, they never had the pure joy in their lives like his own parents had. That was something he wanted, no something he needed.

He looked at her and smiled “Luna, I would be happy to marry you, I really would. Over the past two weeks I have thought of how happy I really could be with you. On the same hoof I also want to get to know you better as well. I want to get to know the real you and not just the pony I’m charged with protecting as well. It may be that we aren’t meant for each other like Celestia thinks, but if we are then the only way to find out is to spend time together away from our jobs.”

She smiled at him and said “I agree, and I would love for us to spend more time together.”

“Luna you know you don’t have much time for this kind of thing.” Celestia said from her sitting area.

Luna turned on her sister and said “Tia, I told you that I want this! If we are meant for each other then I will find out on my own not because of what we were told as Fillies by mother!”

“But Sister, the Fall…”

“I don’t give a damn about that, I’m not going to make him do anything without him agreeing.”

Drako stepped over between them and said “What is The Fall? I keep hearing about it, but nopony is telling me what it is.”

To Drako’s shock Twilight was the one who spoke up as she said “The Fall is a prediction that talks about the fall of the two pony sisters to be replaced by two new rulers of Equestria. It’s said that on the day the Sun is over powered by the moon, the two Alicorns that rule the land, will lose their power and Equestria will fall under new rule.”

Drako looked utterly confused by this saying “What in Celestia’s name does that mean?”

Celestia stood slowly and said “A long time ago an old Alicorn by the name of Future Sight, told of a day when a solar eclipse will take place, on that day it is said that my sister and I will lose our powers. The main part of the prophecy was that we will fall from our power as rulers and new rulers will take over. I took it upon myself to make sure that the rulers would be ponies we could trust. The problem is that word had gotten out and there are other factions that want to take over when we can no longer protect the land with our magic.”

“But how can this even happen, Luna and you control the sun and the moon?” Drako asked.

“Luna and I have control over the path they take in the sky, the problem is that every so often we will start to feel them pull on our magic and when that happens normally an Eclipse will happen. For the past thousand years while my sister was banished to the moon as Nightmare Moon, I haven’t felt the pull. Now since she has been out it has started once more. It started last spring, and it has been getting stronger.” Celestia continued.

Luna stepped in saying “While I was Nightmare Moon I used some of my power to draw on the moon’s power, it is what helped me get out along with the stars. Now that I am gone the moon has its power back and it’s pulling to cover the sun, just how it was predicted it would.”

“Is that why you turned me into an Alicorn, Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked.

“It was part of the reason, also because you did what was needed to become one. Honestly if I hadn’t done it, you would’ve become one on your own, but it would’ve taken much more time. You have the magic for being one in your blood.” Celestia said with a smile.

“So you’re setting up for Twilight to take your place then?” asked Drako still confused.

“Partly yes, but I also wanted to keep Luna in her place as ruler of the night. And the only way to do that is to have her marry and share her power and life with another.” Said Celesta.

“So you wanted to make sure she didn’t have to lose her power like you will then.”

“My sister was trapped in the moon for a thousand years, she didn’t get to live the life she could have because of that. I want her to live her full life and enjoy herself as a ruler.”

“You act like not having power is the end of the world for you and her. I mean look at me, look at most of Ponyville, they’re all normal ponies and they do just fine without power.”

Luna spoke finally saying. “Drako, when an Alicorn loses all of their power, they Die.”

Drako looked a little shocked at that and said “That isn’t fair.”

“Life isn’t fair Drako, and we are creators of magic, when the magic is gone, our long lives come to an end. Or that is how our mother explained it to us.”

“So if you don’t marry then you’ll die as well?” asked Drako.

“She may die or the spell will skip over her considering she was in the moon for a thousand years. The prophecy didn’t say anything about her being banished for so long, the point is Drako, I will try anything I can to save my sister.” Celestia said.

“That does put me into a bad spot then.” Drako said looking worried.

“Honestly Drako, I don’t know if the spell will work at all. I don’t know if anything will happen, or if it does, will a wedding save Luna. I can’t know, but I have been working at making sure nothing bad will happen. The problem now is with the Fall so close at hand we have to change my plans a little.” Celestia started then Luna took over.

“Since there is a chance that Celestia and I will lose our power and the ability to rule over Equestria, we need to make sure there are Rulers set into place to take over. If not, then anypony could take over the lands and all our planning would be for nothing. We know that Velk wants to take over the kingdom. Somehow he found out about the fall and is planning on that day to start his invasion. If we have two new rulers in place by then, they will be able to keep him from taking over and keeping Equestria safe.”

“That is where you two both come in.” Celestia said after her sister finished. “Drako you already know what I planned for you, in some ways though I have never told you in detail. My plan for you will go through no matter if you end up with Luna or not. You still show the signs of an Alicorn and we need two Alicorns to keep the magic in the land safe and pure.”

Twilight broke in now “What about Cadence? She is an Alicorn, why can’t she help rule. It has to be much easier then turning Drako into one?”

“She is needed in the Crystal Empire for now. We can’t let that land fall into the hands of evil again. I also don’t have the time to find a replacement. Drako has undergone special training for magic and combat, just how you had to master the spells to be able to turn into an Alicorn. It would take me another five years to even train a new one.”

Drako stood tall, sticking his chest out and giving a huff of power. He looked at the two Alicorns and said “I will do this, but I have two requests to make. One is that I get to choose who I end up with no matter what happens, I want to find the pony I love. The second thing is that my sister will be allowed to visit me or live with me no matter what is going on. She has spent too much time away from me and I will not leave her again.”

Twilight moved next to him this time and said “Drako are you sure about this. The transformation into an Alicorn is a hard change and you may have a hard time getting used to it, the magic you will be able to handle alone will be hard. It may not be safe to have your sister around while you get used to the new body you’ll have.”

“I can handle it, and so can Scootaloo, she’s a tough little filly.” He said still standing tall.

Celestia smiled and said “I will grant you both requests, though it pains me that your choice could harm my sister. Then with that done, Twilight your next. Since you said the magic that Drako will be able to use will be powerful as you yourself know, I will have you staying with him at a new location to train him how to use his power right and control it. Then once he has mastered what you have to teach you two will start to take your places as rulers of the land.”

“I would love to teach him how to use magic.” Twilight said bowing some.

Luna smiled then said “Now the last thing, as you both know Celestia has her private guard, Drako being one of those. Well I do as well, many years ago when I was still young and I resented my sister for her power over the sun, I started my own army of special fighters and gifted minds. I called them the Children of the Night.” She motioned for the two hooded ponies to move next to her “When I was banished Celestia took over their care and they kept the tradition going of being my own private guard, to this day they are the most Secret force we have, the only ponies who know of their existence, are Celestia and I.”

“And a hard time we’ve had keeping it that way.” Said a smooth Mare’s voice pulling back her hood. She was a very pretty unicorn with light yellow mane, dark grey coat, and bright green eyes. She smiled at them both and said “I am Quick Strike it’s nice to meet you.”

The other pony pulled back her hood and they saw it was Silverwing. She smiled at Drako and said “Glad to see you’re finally in on the real secret Night Stalker.”

Twilight and Drako looked amazed for they both knew the two ponies. Drako was lost for words and Twilight could only say “But...But…But…”

The princess’s both smiled as Silverwing said “Well you two we don’t have long, welcome to the Children of the Night, and the war…”