Diaries of the Lunar Warriorby Skypainter NightfireChaptersPrologueChapter One: the Last LetterChapter Three: The New Lunar Republic Part Two- Into a Canterlot RaveChapter Four: The New Lunar Republic Part Three- Birth of NationsChapter Five: The New Lunar Republic Part Four- TrainingChapter Two: The New Lunar Republic Part One- Running with WolvesPrologueIn the middle of the night, Nightshine was awakened by a knock at her door. Never in her 24 or so years had there been a visitor who had knocked so urgently and never had she ever been faced with a visitor so late at night. She made her way downstairs to the front door to answer. As she walked forward, she lit a candle for light so she could see who would grace her with such an appearance. What greeted her was another surprise altogether. The visitor in question was an orange pegasus wearing purple and blue armor bearing the now defunct NLR insignia on her chestplate. the mare fixed her amithyst eyes on the purple and grey unicorn in front of her, "You wouldn't happen to be the daughter of Nightfire, would you?" Nightshine slowly nodded, a bit perplexed at the situation and why this mare was interested to know who her mother was, "I am one of the several, yes. The other two are elsewhere. Asleep as the other, sane ponies of Equestria are." The mare also kept an opal colored eye on this flashily dressed pegasus, "Why would you want to know?" The visitor merely sighed in relief, "She sent me here to give you something. As for the news I bring, you may want a seat." The mare motioned inside of the humble cottage in that resided in the outskirts of Ponyville, probably in what could be considered the beginning of the Everfree Forest. Nightshine as she motioned for the new mare to come in, "Yes, sure, but surely you must be in need of a seat if the information you bear is so weighty." It was then that she caught sight of the lumpy sack the mare in front of her carried, "And might I ask just what is in that sack?" The visitor nodded, "Well first a seat and an introductions," the mare set the sack down with an audible 'THUD' before she sat in a chair, "I am a good friend of Night's. My name is Snowrider. I prefer Snow in this case." The mare offered a friendly smile in hopes of softening the blow he news would deal to this unfortunate mare. Nightshine nodded, "Nice to meet you, my name is Nightshine. Now, what is it that you've come to tell me and my siblings?" She couldn't help but smile at the mare's friendliness. However, she couldn't help but wonder what news this 'Snowrider' had in store for her. Snow let out a sight, "Unfortunately, the worst. Even I didn't think this day would ever come." The middle aged mare looked at Nightshine with sad eyes, "You see, Night has... Finally reached her moment of passing..." She looked away in shame as she watched the look on Nightshine's face changed. Nightshine was given a few moments to let the news set in. She, being the oldest and only child so far over twenty one, was now tasked with taking care of her younger siblings, "W-What?!" She stood up and set a hand over her mouth, "But... My mom is too stubborn to go do that with the most massive fight ever seen since Discord was freed!" The mare was distraught with disbelief and grief. Snow let out another sight as she ran a hand through her silvered mane, "I know, I was there and couldn't do a damn thing about it!" After another drug out moment, Snow pulled open the sack she brought in, "Anyway, your mother wanted you and your brother and sisters to have these. They're the diaries she kept while she was away." With that, the mare stood up again, "Now then, I should get going. Unfortunately, my job wont let me take a leave for grief at the moment." Nightshine quietly followed the mare with her with eyes that told of great confusion. She opened her mouth to say something, but words mercilessly escaped her grasp. All that was brave enough to leave her mouth was an assortment of strange sounds that could only be described as cracks in her voice. Snow stopped in the doorway and looked behind herself as if she forgot somthing, "Oh, and one more thing, Night said that no matter what happens, she still loves you all with all her heart." The mare took a deep breath as she stepped out and into the cold, dark night from whence she came. Nightshine simply sat in her spot for a time, not exactly sure what had just happened. The one thing she did know, however, is that whatever it was that did just happen absolutely tore her apart to think of the reactions that her siblings will give her when she had to break the news the next day. A tear ran down her face as the thought ran across her mind. The tear filled faces of two teens and and two fledgling adults did just as Nightshine feared. she spent the first wee hours of the morning just devoted to calming her siblings down, "Its alright... She'll be looking down, watching over over us and giving hidden guidance from a more forgiving place..." Nightshine herself had trouble fully believing her own words, but she tried to be as convincing as possible. The intensity of Sparkle Fire's expression was multiplied by the intense hues of red and blue the graced her face over the stark white of her coat, "But... but... Mom was so strong and capable... It cant be true..." Tears were something that the young adult rarely showed anymore courtesy of her mother's training of her into the fierce warrior she was. "Is it... Nightshine?..." A tear escaped Sparkle Fire's chin and made a small plink on her shiny new armor that signified her as a new recruit in the royal night guard. In the other side of the room, Monochrome was uncharacteristically quiet as she hadn't even touched her guitar that served as her near constant companion. The look of sadness and grief replaced her usually giddy expression and silence replaced her outspoken nature. The grey earth pony's amethyst eyes were filled tears that didn't match her unruly zebra striped mane in the slightest The other two were at a loss for words. In fact, they still had a lot of working out to do as far as their own individual selves with the absence of their mother and now her death made they journey to self discovery that much more difficult. Instead of really doing anything, they remained mute as they stared blankly at the pile of worn journals before them. Nightshine sighed as she moved over the the two fourteen year old twins, "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to." She shifted her attention to Monochrome, "You either Mono... I know this is painful... Because I also have the heart to care.." She finally turned to Sparkle Fire, "And Sparkle... I wish it weren't true..." Tears finally overtook Nightshine as the pressure to be strong finally got the best of her. Chapter One: the Last LetterThe siblings ponies spent the next few days trying to make sense of what just happened. Though most of the five tried to keep themselves distracted, Monochrome found herself devoid of the inspiration to even so much as play music with her rock band. The grey pony found herself looking at the sack left behind by Snow and felt the strong urge to open it and see just what was inside. With a tug on the top part of the sack, the knot holding it in place easily undid itself and revealed a stack of diaries and books topped with an envelope addressed to the five siblings. The two youngest of the five heard a noise coming from the living room and meandered on out of their room to see just what was going on. The sight of a shocked older sister and the stack of notebooks encited a feeling of excitement that they havent felt since the last time they received a letter from their mother from distant lands they only dreamed of. Monochrome looked at her two younger siblings as tears threatened to explode from her eyes. She snatched envelope from the pile and opened it with bated breath. It a was a letter written on the same cheap parchment that so often grace her eyes as a letter from her mother, “Hey, we need to go get Nightshine and Sparkle. Now.” The mare motioned for the younger twins to start looking through the house as she searched the outside. Sparkle Fire was sitting on the tree swing in the back. She looked down into the grass as she relived the many memories she had of training with her mother. She remembered when Nightfire had shown her the suits of armor she wore during the dark time when Princess Luna had to take a stand against an imposter posing as Celestia. After a while, she looked over to her older sister lying under the tree’s shade right as she heard her twin call out to her. Monochrome ran over to Sparkle Fire and Nightshine, “Sparkle! Nightshine! We found something from mom in that sack!” Nightshine instantly sat up at the mention of her mother, “What is it? Please let be that the pegasus from the other night was tricking us!” Nightshine hoped and prayed that the thought was true, but it was futile. Mochrome shook her head, “Sorry, but we do have one final letter from mom though…” Sparkle Fire sighed, “Mono, let’s just go inside and read it… I’m not particularly in the mood for false hope.” At the mention of ‘false hope,’ she gave Nightshine a saddened look that spoke volumes more. Both Monochrome and Nightshine nodded as the three sisters made their way back inside. Nightdhine sighed, “Well, it’s something at least…” Monochrome nodded, “The other two are inside looking for you, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble to locate them.” Sparkle Fire didn’t waste any time gathering the two younger twins in the few minutes after she entered the small cottage, “Okay now, we have one final message from mom and Mono is going to read it for us…” She let out a sigh as she braced herself for a flood of emotion that was just waiting to happen, “Ready when you are Mono.” Monochrome nodded, “What about you three?” Nightshine nodded, as did the younger twins, “We’re ready.” Monochrome took a calming breath before she took out the letter to read, “Here goes nothing…” Several months earlier Nightfire sat in her cot as she touched her worn out quill to the piece of parchment. Her thoughts were poured into the paper as her quill scribbled furiously, for some reason, she fealt that this was her last chance to write to her five foals. Her lips moved silentely as her eyes followed and sentences formed on the parchment by candle light: Hello again, my dear foals. I was just given word that the final destination in my journey is but a few days’ journey from my current resting place. As we near the objective, a feeling of hopelessness grows stronger. Particularly with the chances of success. I want you to know that I love you all very much and that the day I return is one that I cherish with all my heart. There are many things that I plan to bring back with me as a gift for your patience. Please don’t cry if I don’t return, for even if this dark feeling proves fatal, I’ll always be with you in your hearts. Now, as I write this, I am compelled to make plans in case of the worst case scenario. If that should be the case, then the sack you found this letter in should have numerous books. Some are just a few dusty tomes. Others are, in fact, a collection of my diaries. I should want you to read them and learn from my many mistakes and multiple successes. You will learn that the bright days you have come to enjoy were not always so and that dark times of past and future are always on your doorstep. Nightfire sighed as she set her quill in an inkwell and tapped her chin. She couldn’t just write about the direness of her situation. She needed to send uplifting words to brighten it up as well. Despite all of this, all of us here in the Ancient Lands are in high spirits and I hope you all are to. I will return home soon and then, we can swap stories of adventure. Present Monochrome’s hands were shaking by the time she finished reading the letter. It was official, he mother mother knew she was going to die and neither her, nor her siblings knew until it was too late to send their last goodbyes. Tears welled up as her now shaky voice let loose the final words in the letter. After that was done, she proceeded to let it all out in one go. Nightshine could barely contain her own sadness as she reached over to Monochrome to in a gesture of comfort, "I know how you feel Mono... Just let it all out and we can come back to it later..." Sparkle Fire was shocked into silence. All she could think about was how she should have pressed harder for her to go with her mother. Now, most of all, she felt a sense of stupidity and self loathing over the whole thing. The twins were as silent as ever as they just stared into space. Neither of them would have thought that their mother knew that she was nearing the end. And neither of them would have thought that their mother could know such apprehension. Later that night, Nightshine reached into the sack of books. After being invited to read them, she wanted to start from the beginning. That meant it was going to start with the much lamented Equestrian Civil War. The corresponding diary felt heavy as if the memories withing had the weight of the world upon them. Nightshine sat at one of the couches and opened the book to what she felt was going to be the first step into a very enlightening adventure. Chapter Three: The New Lunar Republic Part Two- Into a Canterlot RaveNightfire entered an old warehouse on the far side of Canterlot as she was hit full force by the pounding beat of whatever genre of music that Vinyl had decided to put on. The inside had been done up with a multitude of neon lights, smoke and lasers, and an overabundance of glowsticks on the ground. The fact that all of the ravers in the tightly packed storage building had glowsticks led Nightfire to believe that they were the source of the ones on the ground. It wasn't long before a black and green dragon colors neon by the lights grabbed Nightfire's arm none to gently, "What brings you here, my friend?" Nightfire let out a nervous laugh when she realized who it was, "It truly been a while, hasn't it Flame? I'm actually here to talk to you." She traced the intricate scales of Flame's chest as she though of the best way to keep her friend docile. Flame let out a puff of smoke, "Night, you usually have kind of trouble running on your heels by the time you come to me. What is it this time?" Nightfire took a step back and jerked a thumb back toward Canterlot Castle and Ponyville, "Strange things have been happening in places than just Canterlot." With that, she let out a sigh, "Cornelius thinks it might be something to do with Celestia's odd behavior as of late." Flame put on a look of mock surprise and let out a laugh when Nightfire fell for, "Night, that's always the timber wolves' first thought these days." He turned to the big magic screen proclaiming the name of a new song that just started, "Besides, things are still getting worse. Celestia has started to refuse to even listen to Luna as of a few days ago." Nightfire frowned, "It won't be long ponies and other creatures will have to choose sides, and knowing Celestia, she'll try to stamp out any of Luna's sympathizers before any kind of movement against her can have a chance to even be a thought." She looked out the window just as a pair of Celestia's royal guard walk into the warehouse. Flame saw the guard and nudged Nightfire behind him, "Night, as much as I hate to admit it, your prediction may be true." He rushed the mare toward the front of the building through the crowd. Vinyl was right in the middle of the mess with her equipment arranged around her in a circle. Nightfire didn't get the time to say hello to the white unicorn, much less her stage name as the dragon pulling her along whisked her toward the other side of the warehouse, "So you suddenly believe me for no reason at all?" Flame took a single look at Nightfire, "No, I have reason to. There's a pair of the royal guard here and there's also a bounty set by Celestia for any ponies who migrated here from the moon." The second set of doors came into view right as the pair burst out of the crowd and Flame took no extra time to throw them open and right into the faces of another pair of the Royal Guard. Nightfire frowned when she saw the first two were following right on her heels. He frown deepened when she noticed that all were unicorns, "Try to catch me now, Solarists!" She spread out her wings and took off into the night with her scaled companion. Flame gave Nightfire a funny look, "Solarists?" His green scales were now their usual minty green though it was hard to tell in the moonless night, "Is there more to this than even I know?" Nightfire laughed gleefully when she was a safe distance away, "No, it was just spur of the moment coining of terms. I suppose would make me a 'Lunarist' now that there's a name for one faction in this crisis." Flame couldn't help but laugh with Nightfire, "You know, at the rate everything is going, it might be a good idea to encourage anyone who'll listen to side with Luna." He flashed a grin that revealed his omnivorous teeth that loved the taste of gems in the morning, "That way, you won't have to worry about alone in your plight." This time, it was Nightfire's turn to be confused, "How did you know that I'd side with Princess Luna?" Her confusion deepened when her question was answered by a thunderous laugh from her fire breathing companion. While Nightfire and Flame flew away, the Royal Guard was busy regrouping. One in particular, a purple unicorn, was looking wistfully in the direction his quarry had escaped, "Solarists, huh? I might have to right that one down." He chuckled at the thought of the grey Pegasus, "I certainly hope to meet you again, Lunar-born." Another of the Guard gave the stallion a confused look, "Are you alright?" This made the unicorn laugh out loud, "Why certainly, sir. But pray tell, what is the name of that one?" He jerked a thumb toward the castle and Ponyville. "The informant said she saw a grey Pegasus with a flaming red mane. She also said her name was Nightfire." The officer shrugged as if it were no big deal. The purple unicorn nodded at the information, "And the informant, sir?' "Princess Twilight Sparkle. In Ponyville." Chapter Four: The New Lunar Republic Part Three- Birth of NationsThree months after the rave in Canterlot: The degrading situations between Celestia and Luna has divided Equestria in two. One faction, the Solarists, quickly started taking their aggressive views out on the other: the Lunarists. The first break of tension started in Manehatten and Phillydelphia, followed by another in Maretropolis. Luna, meanwhile, had been thrown out of Canterlot by her sisterand the Solarists. Now, Celestia has made the capitol a center of activities for the Solarists while Luna has made the Lunarist home with the former capitol in the Everfree. In a so far neutral Ponyville, the tension threatens to burst like a bubble. Nightfire roamed through Ponyville's markets. The town had experienced a massive influx of neutrals seeking to escape the tensions of the current conflict. Nightfire felt sorry for their cause as even Ponyville, the neutral refuge of Equestria, contained a power struggle between the Lunarists and Solarists. Princess Twilight had declared that she and the other Elements would do all in there power to keep Ponyville from choosing sides. This was their solution to the tensions splitting the Elements right down the middle. Now, they simply ignore the political power struggles of Canterlot and strive to keep the peace in the neutral center. Even with all this going on, Nightfire was a Lunarist and always was looking out for the haughty superior attitude of the Solarists. She didn't like them much, especially since they wouldn't waste any time reporting her to the Guard as a stray Lunar-born. It also didn't take much to know that there were some Solarists there whose sole reason was to disrupt an upcoming Lunarist gathering pulled together by Princess Luna herself. She heard many things about some sort of republic or empire ready to rise in defiance of Celestia. Mostly though, she srugged it off as Solarist rumors intended to garner support for Celestia. The more she heard about it, the more Solarists she saw popping into Ponyville with determined expressions on their faces. Later that day, Nightfire found herself sitting at a café with some of the guard nearby. She thought she recognized one of their faces somewhere and tried a hopeless attempt to avert her eyes. One of the guard took notice and stood up to approach her. Every fiber of her body screamed at her to run away, but fear had her tightly in its grip so that her legs wouldn't move. The Guard walked over to her as if he were approaching an old friend, with a hand outstretched. leaned over her, "I don't think we were ever given a proper introduction a couple of months ago." The smirk on his face was obviously that of a Solarist with an extra bad case of superiority complex. Nightfire didn't say anything as her apprehension grew by the second as this Guard closed in on her. She still couldn't keep from the endlessly blue saucers that were his eyes and the wavy lavender mane framing the pastel purple face that encompassed those eyes. This actually made Nightfire even more nervous. Now the Guard gave up on the handshake and opted for a bow as he took her hand and gave it a small peck, "I am Duskshine, though you may call me Dusk if you like." A small chuckled escaped from Dusk's mouth as he thought of another thing, "Though I must say, Your little nickname for Princess Celestia's supporters has struck on pretty well. Inspiring the name Luna's supporters now go by even." That was when Nightfire realized and a look of horror washed over her face, "You... That night...." She took a step back as fear finally compelled her to get away, like a puppet on strings, "Celestia's decree holds no effect here." Dusk only laughed at the notion, "You really think that Princess Twilight's authority overrules Princess Celestia's?" Dusk took another step forward, "I'm sorry, but a decision of that nature doesn't change that fact that Lunar-borns are wanted by the Princess of the Sun." The Guard set his hands on his hips as he let out and bout of laughter at Nightfire's hopeless situation. There was only one thing to do for Nightfire, and that was to run. The Ponyville market was suddenly alive with the chase as the mare was followed by the overconfident Guard. What Dusk didn't realize was that the guards following him were local neutrals and didn't want any trouble with Lunarists and Solarists butting heads in Ponyville. Nightfire threw down boxes and crates behind her in the alleys created by the stands growing increasingly numerous as more ponies sought Ponyville's refuge. Dusk didn't seem fazed by any of the obstacles presented to him by his quarry. Instead, he tried to think of a way to steer Nightfire away from the Castle of Elements that now replaced the Golden Oaks Library. A dead end was coming up to the right, so he tried keeping to the left to scare his target in the direction he wanted her to go. Unfortunately, Nightfire was fast and she knew it. Even so, she didn't look back to keep from slowing down any more than she had to. As she veered to the left, a hand just grazed her shoulder as her pursuer stumbled passed her turn. She took the opportunity to shake him by taking flight and hiding on the rooftops near the edge of the market and continued toward the Castle of Elements. Dusk was sure of where Nightfire was going and headed down the quickest route he knew of to get there as well. He ran by many Lunarist who yelled their annoyance and started rooting for Nightfire when they saw that she racing along the rooftops and eventually taking flight the rest of the way. Dusk let out an annoyed sigh as even a couple of Neutrals barred his way only to find that he was an excellent acrobat. Nightfire narrowed her eyes at Dusk when she saw him jumping onto the rooftops and keeping pace so far. Her next solution was to veer off to the other side of the market where there was no rooftops to speak between the two points. Dusk his eyes as he jumped off the roof he was on and rolled into his landing on the ground. Some of the patrons wandering about shouted in surprise while others grabbed rotten vegetables from the stalls and threw the stuff at him. Nightfire didn't have to wait long before she saw Dusk making short work of scaling the nearest wall to her. As soon as she saw a hand reach up for her foot she took a step out of reach and took off once more. Now she flew at full speed toward her salvation at the Castle of Elements. When Dusk finally reached her, Nightfire was desperately pounding on the front door of the former library of Ponyville. He took his time walking up to the once again terrified Pegasus as he tried to catch his breath. He could see that Nightfire was obvious wore out from the chase as well when he was close enough. Nightfire's breaths were ragged and her voice turned hoarse as she continued trying to catch the attention of the Elements. When she turned around to see her pursuer was still right behind her, her face turn white as a sheet. Finally, with no hope of escape, she broke down in front of Dusk as tears escaped her eyes. Dusk smirked as he grabbed the shaking mare in front of him and pulled her up. This wasn't the first time a Lunar-born had broken down in tears in front of him. Though he did find it strange that the behavior of his quarry had changed so much between now and the first time he encountered her. Maybe it was the dragon she was with that gave her confidence. As Nightfire felt herself being pulled into a standing position, she stopped crying and now shook uncontrollably. She didn't know why it was that she felt more confident with others to back her up, but she did. Even as she thought about it, a strange calm washed over her. Suddenly, it was like she watching a movie in first person as she raised a hand to touch the chest of her pursuer. But she already knew what was going on. It was rare that her emotions brought out the power that were about to be unleashed on this poor stallion. Dusk was confused when Nightfire stopped shaking and crying even as he brought her to her feet. The confusion deepened as he felt Nightfire's hand touch his chest. That still wasn't the strangest thing to happen to him that day. This was the start of the strangeness that he will never escape from again. Nightfire's touch was gentle until her eyes snapped open and flashed the deepest purple he'd ever seen. The look of shock on Dusk's face will forever be burned into Nightfire's mind as an explosion of black flames slammed her into the unyielding door to the castle behind her. The explosion also sent Dusk flying in the other direction and into a crowd of spectators shocked into silence. Dusk had no idea what just happened. It was obviously some sort of magic, but none he'd ever even heard of. In fact, he doubted even the Princess of Magic could tell anypony what it was. But even so, it didn't stop the black flames in front of him from forming into a figure armored a design beyond his imagination and a species he'd never knew about. The flaming figure took a single look at Dusk and flared a single bout black flames at him. He managed to scare the rest of the crowd off, but armored one was too shocked to move. Keeping from capturing this one for the purpos of the Solar Princess' own gain is not advised. The words in Dusk's head were not his own. He knew this figure had spoken, but it was as if he were talking a dragon epically powerful nature. He could only nod as the thing dispersed and the flash of a teleportation spell snapped him out of the shock. The next thing he laid eyes on was a very disappointed purple alicorn. The next day, Nightfire found herself at the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. Sunset had already given way to moonrise a while before, but she expected no less for the Lunar Princess' timing of her announcement. She winced as she remembered the morning's events with her would be captor. She remembered herself freaking out at the sight of him and the strange look of awe when his eyes met her own. Dusk himself had no idea why he had come with Nightfire, but he did admire the mare's punch. He had a pounding headache as he watched the Princess of the Night appear before her amassed supporters and tuned out the parts the didn't matter. What he wanted to know was what Luna was leading up to. Nightfire could feel her excitement building with all the princess' talk of releasing the Lunar-borns of the constant fear of capture along with freedom in general. It was the very end when Princess Luna finally announced her intent that everyone there started to cheer. She watched, amazed as all the banners bearing the colors of Equestria were magically replaced by new ones. The banners now bore symbol of a new nation. The symbol of the New Lunar Republic, Luna's attempt at freeing her subjects from her sister's insistent attempts of control. Luna was joined by Princess Twilight who gave a speech of her own proclaiming Ponyville's emancipation from Celestia's rule. But the town wouldn't be a part of the New Lunar Republic. Instead, it would be presided over by the Element Bearers in a council she dubbed, "The Circle of Friendship." Chapter Five: The New Lunar Republic Part Four- TrainingNightfire sighed in relief just about every time she woke up for the next week after Princess Luna's declaration. It was a good feeling to be under the Lunar Sovereign's sole leadership again. After moving all her belongings to the newly rebuilt castle, Nightfire joined the long line to joining the NLR Armed Forces. The current mission was to build a defensive force rather than an offensive superpower. Nightfire kept thinking about the events that unfolded the day before Luna's speech as the line slowly shortened. It worried her that Duskshine's face kept pushing itself to the forefront of her mind and the feelings she associated it weren't what she expected. A nudge to Nightfire's shoulder alerted her that the line had finally brought her to the third in line for recruitment. She was still absent minded as she approached the recruiting stand and looked at the weary faces of the two recruiters in front of her. One looked up at her and asked the questions, "Name?" "Nightfire." The answer came before she could think to do so. Hopefully the others would be just as painless. "Age?" "22" "Race?" "Pegasus." "Are you a Lunar-born?" Nightfire was caught off guard by that and she gave the recruiter a second look. If he was wearing the armor of the Royal Guard then he looked strikingly familiar... "Come again?" "Are you a Lunar-born?" The unicorn's expression was serious and wasn't going to relent. In fact, it looked as if he wanted Nightfire to be the Lunar-born that she was. "Yes." Again, the answer slipped out of her before she could decide against it. A nervous smile crept onto her face as the expression on the recruiter's face didn't change. "Welcome to the New Lunar Republic's Airforce, Nightfire. Be watchful of any Solarists. They're everywhere and wont hesitate to turn you in at a moment's notice." Nightfire nodded, "I understand sir." Somewhere in the back of her head, another voice said that there was one Solarist that she could trust.... She shook her head, No, no Solaist can't be trusted. Not in a milion years! The recruiter gestured behind him to a very familiar friend. He gave the mare a once and smirked, "Now how did I know that you'd to these lengths for freedom of fear?" Flame approached Night and gave a slap on the back, "Now then, what shall we do with you? Oh yeah, Princess Luna herself has plans for you. Aerial troop drop and ground combat would be your main jobs in the platoon your squad is in I believe." Night gave Flame a confused look, "How do you know all this?" Flame smirked again, "Because I requested you personally for if and when you did sign on." He set his hands on his hips, "I'm your squad leader, Private." Night sighed and looked as if she were fuming, "Please, don't call me by rank." Flame had to laugh, "Oh really? I hope you know that rank is indeed a necessary thing if The New Lunar Republic is going to last more than a month." He sighed as he set a hand on Night's shoulder, "In either case, I know that we're in this for something even bigger than a petty squabble between the Princesses." With that, Night could only watch as Flame turned around. The next few weeks unleashed an onslaught of training that night didn't even think was plausible. Chapter Two: The New Lunar Republic Part One- Running with WolvesWar. It's a scary thing. Especially when it starts before any of the real violence can begin. Two years after the mass migration of lunar inhabitants Nightfire looked around herself as she wandered about the Everfree Forest. She wasn`t particularly afraid of being there. In fact, she fekt right at home in the wild part of the world she always looked upon from the moon. The ponies of Ponyville thought her strange for her reclusiveness as she spent most of her time here. A familiar growl from behind Nightfire sounded as she calmly turned around, "So, how`s life been around these parts?" The source of the growl was coming from a snarling timber wolf. Not much of a surprise there. The creature before Nightfire stood a bit taller once he realized that she wasnt of any threat to his pack`s territory, "About the same as yesterday. Those Ponynville ponies have been getting bolder with their incursions lately in any case." Nightfire sighed, "It shouldnt be surprising. Their tension was eased some after the Element Bearers came out of here unscathed. Not to mention the fact that a pony such as I have no qualms about coming in here as well." Over the pegasus two years in Equestria, she figured out that the timberwolves the ponies in Ponyville spoke of weren`t the only wolves roaming in either Equestria, or the Everfree. The wolf shook its head as it thought, "Even so, its been the unspoken rule that ponies aren`t welcome here in the Everfree." Nightfire rose an eyebrow at the comment, "Not even to visit Zicora?" It was also noteworthy that the wolves with fur were, in fact, inteligent. Much unlike their wild counterparts made of wood, "You`ve never said a word about that." The wolves were also much like the buffaloe of Appleoosa. The wolf`s fur seemed to shake as it laughed, "In that case, it was much to be expected after the purple one broke the pregiduce against the zebra." After this, the wolf seemed to lighten up, "Some in my pack are relieved that we are slowly becoming excepting of change." Nightfire couldn't help but chuckle a little with the wolf, "Yes, it a very good thing. But some of the ruins here indicate that this part of the Everfree wasn't even here in the first place." She gestured at random bits of stone strewn about the clearing. "To the untrained eye, these broken down bits of building stones are perfectly natural." The wolf nodded in agreement, "That is, until one finds him or herself in the next clearing." He pulled back the bushes nearby to reveal the skeletal spires of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. "So, why it is that you find yourself here, Nightfire?" Nightfire smiled as she nodded her head, "I've received word that things have been going strangely in Canterlot." Her face changed to a serious one, "Before you ask Cornelius, it may affect the whole of Equestria." The wolf nodded, "The foxes seem to be restless about it as well. You aren't the first to warn the pack about this." Nightfire let out a sigh, "Well, if things get bad, I suggest siding with the Princess of the Night. She'll be more keen on protecting the Everfree that makes up the whole of your home." Cornelius was intrigued as a few other wolves entered the clearing and spoke to him in their obscure language of gestures and low wolfish sounds. After they were finished conferring, Cornelius lifted his head and looked back at the grey and red Pegasus before him, "I suggest that you head to your capitol as soon as possible. The foxes say that things are degrading even worse than before." Nightfire nodded and was about to turn around to leave when the wolves behind her growled. There was something that didn't belong in the vicinity. Something new in the air, "What is it?" A ruffle in the nearby vegetation alerted the group to where the unwelcome presence was. The wolves instantly turned to the sound as greenish fire rose from the bushes for an instance. Their growling grew louder as a fox wandered out. Nightfire's eyes narrowed as she stepped toward the fox and pointed at it, "Who are you?" After a few minutes of silence, the Pegasus took a few menacing steps toward it with the wolves just behind her. The fox trembled as it was surrounded again by a greenish flame. The changeling revealed had been successfully reverted through fear. Once reverted, its demeanor changed with it. Without a single word, the creature flew toward the sky as it drew wickedly deadly looking weapons from their sheaths. Cornelius and his companions drew spears from their backs as Nightfire was given a pair of swords by Cornelius, "We'll take care of close range with your wings. Good luck." Nightfire nodded at the statement, "It'll be my pleasure Cornelius." With that, she burst into the air at full speed toward the changeling. The first thing to catch off guard was the goo shooting out from it's horn. It kept missing, but the changeling's shots were awfully close. The wolves soon found themselves very much occupied by something else entirely. Black crystals shot out of the bushes and trees and toward then with deadly precision. The source was a group of crystal golems that seemed to repair themselves after every blow they took. Up in the air, Nightfire was having trouble keeping up with the changeling as it kept dodging her blows. The areal battle was fierce as the changeling kept up a series of powerful blows of its own. A few globs of goo caught Nightfire in the foot as she began wear down from the exertion from her fight. The changeling must've been getting cocky when it didn't notice Nightfire's free foot connecting with its face and sent it flying into a one of the golems. The result was a mess of blue blood and black crystals exploding everywhere. Cornelius felt the blood seeping through multiple new cuts in his pelt and tried to find an opening in the crystal golem's attacks. The opening came a few moments later as it raised a spiked fist into the air with an intent to crush Cornelius into oblivion. Cornelius took the chance to jab the fist with the but of his spear and landed a powerful kick to its abdomen, completely shattering the crystal taking the blows. Finally, he walked up to the regenerating golem and smashed its head to smithereens. Behind Cornelius, another golem was completely demolished by the force of Nightfire dropping her full weight on its head and through the rest of its body. She looked about herself as Cornelius finished the last golem off with the help of his companions. When she was satisfied that the danger was over, she took a look at the mess of changeling and evaporating crystal, "I think a trip to Canterlot is definitely in order for me. There's a friend that I can come into contact with there." Cornelius nodded as he turned to go back into the forest, "Just remember, Nightfire, that things are changing. Hostility is a very real possibility there." Nightfire nodded, "Promise me that you'll look after the Everfree while I'm gone?" Cornelius chuckled as he disappeared in shadow, "Just as we have always done." With that, there was no trace of the wolves ever having been there in the first place.
PrologueIn the middle of the night, Nightshine was awakened by a knock at her door. Never in her 24 or so years had there been a visitor who had knocked so urgently and never had she ever been faced with a visitor so late at night. She made her way downstairs to the front door to answer. As she walked forward, she lit a candle for light so she could see who would grace her with such an appearance. What greeted her was another surprise altogether. The visitor in question was an orange pegasus wearing purple and blue armor bearing the now defunct NLR insignia on her chestplate. the mare fixed her amithyst eyes on the purple and grey unicorn in front of her, "You wouldn't happen to be the daughter of Nightfire, would you?" Nightshine slowly nodded, a bit perplexed at the situation and why this mare was interested to know who her mother was, "I am one of the several, yes. The other two are elsewhere. Asleep as the other, sane ponies of Equestria are." The mare also kept an opal colored eye on this flashily dressed pegasus, "Why would you want to know?" The visitor merely sighed in relief, "She sent me here to give you something. As for the news I bring, you may want a seat." The mare motioned inside of the humble cottage in that resided in the outskirts of Ponyville, probably in what could be considered the beginning of the Everfree Forest. Nightshine as she motioned for the new mare to come in, "Yes, sure, but surely you must be in need of a seat if the information you bear is so weighty." It was then that she caught sight of the lumpy sack the mare in front of her carried, "And might I ask just what is in that sack?" The visitor nodded, "Well first a seat and an introductions," the mare set the sack down with an audible 'THUD' before she sat in a chair, "I am a good friend of Night's. My name is Snowrider. I prefer Snow in this case." The mare offered a friendly smile in hopes of softening the blow he news would deal to this unfortunate mare. Nightshine nodded, "Nice to meet you, my name is Nightshine. Now, what is it that you've come to tell me and my siblings?" She couldn't help but smile at the mare's friendliness. However, she couldn't help but wonder what news this 'Snowrider' had in store for her. Snow let out a sight, "Unfortunately, the worst. Even I didn't think this day would ever come." The middle aged mare looked at Nightshine with sad eyes, "You see, Night has... Finally reached her moment of passing..." She looked away in shame as she watched the look on Nightshine's face changed. Nightshine was given a few moments to let the news set in. She, being the oldest and only child so far over twenty one, was now tasked with taking care of her younger siblings, "W-What?!" She stood up and set a hand over her mouth, "But... My mom is too stubborn to go do that with the most massive fight ever seen since Discord was freed!" The mare was distraught with disbelief and grief. Snow let out another sight as she ran a hand through her silvered mane, "I know, I was there and couldn't do a damn thing about it!" After another drug out moment, Snow pulled open the sack she brought in, "Anyway, your mother wanted you and your brother and sisters to have these. They're the diaries she kept while she was away." With that, the mare stood up again, "Now then, I should get going. Unfortunately, my job wont let me take a leave for grief at the moment." Nightshine quietly followed the mare with her with eyes that told of great confusion. She opened her mouth to say something, but words mercilessly escaped her grasp. All that was brave enough to leave her mouth was an assortment of strange sounds that could only be described as cracks in her voice. Snow stopped in the doorway and looked behind herself as if she forgot somthing, "Oh, and one more thing, Night said that no matter what happens, she still loves you all with all her heart." The mare took a deep breath as she stepped out and into the cold, dark night from whence she came. Nightshine simply sat in her spot for a time, not exactly sure what had just happened. The one thing she did know, however, is that whatever it was that did just happen absolutely tore her apart to think of the reactions that her siblings will give her when she had to break the news the next day. A tear ran down her face as the thought ran across her mind. The tear filled faces of two teens and and two fledgling adults did just as Nightshine feared. she spent the first wee hours of the morning just devoted to calming her siblings down, "Its alright... She'll be looking down, watching over over us and giving hidden guidance from a more forgiving place..." Nightshine herself had trouble fully believing her own words, but she tried to be as convincing as possible. The intensity of Sparkle Fire's expression was multiplied by the intense hues of red and blue the graced her face over the stark white of her coat, "But... but... Mom was so strong and capable... It cant be true..." Tears were something that the young adult rarely showed anymore courtesy of her mother's training of her into the fierce warrior she was. "Is it... Nightshine?..." A tear escaped Sparkle Fire's chin and made a small plink on her shiny new armor that signified her as a new recruit in the royal night guard. In the other side of the room, Monochrome was uncharacteristically quiet as she hadn't even touched her guitar that served as her near constant companion. The look of sadness and grief replaced her usually giddy expression and silence replaced her outspoken nature. The grey earth pony's amethyst eyes were filled tears that didn't match her unruly zebra striped mane in the slightest The other two were at a loss for words. In fact, they still had a lot of working out to do as far as their own individual selves with the absence of their mother and now her death made they journey to self discovery that much more difficult. Instead of really doing anything, they remained mute as they stared blankly at the pile of worn journals before them. Nightshine sighed as she moved over the the two fourteen year old twins, "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to." She shifted her attention to Monochrome, "You either Mono... I know this is painful... Because I also have the heart to care.." She finally turned to Sparkle Fire, "And Sparkle... I wish it weren't true..." Tears finally overtook Nightshine as the pressure to be strong finally got the best of her.
Chapter One: the Last LetterThe siblings ponies spent the next few days trying to make sense of what just happened. Though most of the five tried to keep themselves distracted, Monochrome found herself devoid of the inspiration to even so much as play music with her rock band. The grey pony found herself looking at the sack left behind by Snow and felt the strong urge to open it and see just what was inside. With a tug on the top part of the sack, the knot holding it in place easily undid itself and revealed a stack of diaries and books topped with an envelope addressed to the five siblings. The two youngest of the five heard a noise coming from the living room and meandered on out of their room to see just what was going on. The sight of a shocked older sister and the stack of notebooks encited a feeling of excitement that they havent felt since the last time they received a letter from their mother from distant lands they only dreamed of. Monochrome looked at her two younger siblings as tears threatened to explode from her eyes. She snatched envelope from the pile and opened it with bated breath. It a was a letter written on the same cheap parchment that so often grace her eyes as a letter from her mother, “Hey, we need to go get Nightshine and Sparkle. Now.” The mare motioned for the younger twins to start looking through the house as she searched the outside. Sparkle Fire was sitting on the tree swing in the back. She looked down into the grass as she relived the many memories she had of training with her mother. She remembered when Nightfire had shown her the suits of armor she wore during the dark time when Princess Luna had to take a stand against an imposter posing as Celestia. After a while, she looked over to her older sister lying under the tree’s shade right as she heard her twin call out to her. Monochrome ran over to Sparkle Fire and Nightshine, “Sparkle! Nightshine! We found something from mom in that sack!” Nightshine instantly sat up at the mention of her mother, “What is it? Please let be that the pegasus from the other night was tricking us!” Nightshine hoped and prayed that the thought was true, but it was futile. Mochrome shook her head, “Sorry, but we do have one final letter from mom though…” Sparkle Fire sighed, “Mono, let’s just go inside and read it… I’m not particularly in the mood for false hope.” At the mention of ‘false hope,’ she gave Nightshine a saddened look that spoke volumes more. Both Monochrome and Nightshine nodded as the three sisters made their way back inside. Nightdhine sighed, “Well, it’s something at least…” Monochrome nodded, “The other two are inside looking for you, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble to locate them.” Sparkle Fire didn’t waste any time gathering the two younger twins in the few minutes after she entered the small cottage, “Okay now, we have one final message from mom and Mono is going to read it for us…” She let out a sigh as she braced herself for a flood of emotion that was just waiting to happen, “Ready when you are Mono.” Monochrome nodded, “What about you three?” Nightshine nodded, as did the younger twins, “We’re ready.” Monochrome took a calming breath before she took out the letter to read, “Here goes nothing…” Several months earlier Nightfire sat in her cot as she touched her worn out quill to the piece of parchment. Her thoughts were poured into the paper as her quill scribbled furiously, for some reason, she fealt that this was her last chance to write to her five foals. Her lips moved silentely as her eyes followed and sentences formed on the parchment by candle light: Hello again, my dear foals. I was just given word that the final destination in my journey is but a few days’ journey from my current resting place. As we near the objective, a feeling of hopelessness grows stronger. Particularly with the chances of success. I want you to know that I love you all very much and that the day I return is one that I cherish with all my heart. There are many things that I plan to bring back with me as a gift for your patience. Please don’t cry if I don’t return, for even if this dark feeling proves fatal, I’ll always be with you in your hearts. Now, as I write this, I am compelled to make plans in case of the worst case scenario. If that should be the case, then the sack you found this letter in should have numerous books. Some are just a few dusty tomes. Others are, in fact, a collection of my diaries. I should want you to read them and learn from my many mistakes and multiple successes. You will learn that the bright days you have come to enjoy were not always so and that dark times of past and future are always on your doorstep. Nightfire sighed as she set her quill in an inkwell and tapped her chin. She couldn’t just write about the direness of her situation. She needed to send uplifting words to brighten it up as well. Despite all of this, all of us here in the Ancient Lands are in high spirits and I hope you all are to. I will return home soon and then, we can swap stories of adventure. Present Monochrome’s hands were shaking by the time she finished reading the letter. It was official, he mother mother knew she was going to die and neither her, nor her siblings knew until it was too late to send their last goodbyes. Tears welled up as her now shaky voice let loose the final words in the letter. After that was done, she proceeded to let it all out in one go. Nightshine could barely contain her own sadness as she reached over to Monochrome to in a gesture of comfort, "I know how you feel Mono... Just let it all out and we can come back to it later..." Sparkle Fire was shocked into silence. All she could think about was how she should have pressed harder for her to go with her mother. Now, most of all, she felt a sense of stupidity and self loathing over the whole thing. The twins were as silent as ever as they just stared into space. Neither of them would have thought that their mother knew that she was nearing the end. And neither of them would have thought that their mother could know such apprehension. Later that night, Nightshine reached into the sack of books. After being invited to read them, she wanted to start from the beginning. That meant it was going to start with the much lamented Equestrian Civil War. The corresponding diary felt heavy as if the memories withing had the weight of the world upon them. Nightshine sat at one of the couches and opened the book to what she felt was going to be the first step into a very enlightening adventure.
Chapter Three: The New Lunar Republic Part Two- Into a Canterlot RaveNightfire entered an old warehouse on the far side of Canterlot as she was hit full force by the pounding beat of whatever genre of music that Vinyl had decided to put on. The inside had been done up with a multitude of neon lights, smoke and lasers, and an overabundance of glowsticks on the ground. The fact that all of the ravers in the tightly packed storage building had glowsticks led Nightfire to believe that they were the source of the ones on the ground. It wasn't long before a black and green dragon colors neon by the lights grabbed Nightfire's arm none to gently, "What brings you here, my friend?" Nightfire let out a nervous laugh when she realized who it was, "It truly been a while, hasn't it Flame? I'm actually here to talk to you." She traced the intricate scales of Flame's chest as she though of the best way to keep her friend docile. Flame let out a puff of smoke, "Night, you usually have kind of trouble running on your heels by the time you come to me. What is it this time?" Nightfire took a step back and jerked a thumb back toward Canterlot Castle and Ponyville, "Strange things have been happening in places than just Canterlot." With that, she let out a sigh, "Cornelius thinks it might be something to do with Celestia's odd behavior as of late." Flame put on a look of mock surprise and let out a laugh when Nightfire fell for, "Night, that's always the timber wolves' first thought these days." He turned to the big magic screen proclaiming the name of a new song that just started, "Besides, things are still getting worse. Celestia has started to refuse to even listen to Luna as of a few days ago." Nightfire frowned, "It won't be long ponies and other creatures will have to choose sides, and knowing Celestia, she'll try to stamp out any of Luna's sympathizers before any kind of movement against her can have a chance to even be a thought." She looked out the window just as a pair of Celestia's royal guard walk into the warehouse. Flame saw the guard and nudged Nightfire behind him, "Night, as much as I hate to admit it, your prediction may be true." He rushed the mare toward the front of the building through the crowd. Vinyl was right in the middle of the mess with her equipment arranged around her in a circle. Nightfire didn't get the time to say hello to the white unicorn, much less her stage name as the dragon pulling her along whisked her toward the other side of the warehouse, "So you suddenly believe me for no reason at all?" Flame took a single look at Nightfire, "No, I have reason to. There's a pair of the royal guard here and there's also a bounty set by Celestia for any ponies who migrated here from the moon." The second set of doors came into view right as the pair burst out of the crowd and Flame took no extra time to throw them open and right into the faces of another pair of the Royal Guard. Nightfire frowned when she saw the first two were following right on her heels. He frown deepened when she noticed that all were unicorns, "Try to catch me now, Solarists!" She spread out her wings and took off into the night with her scaled companion. Flame gave Nightfire a funny look, "Solarists?" His green scales were now their usual minty green though it was hard to tell in the moonless night, "Is there more to this than even I know?" Nightfire laughed gleefully when she was a safe distance away, "No, it was just spur of the moment coining of terms. I suppose would make me a 'Lunarist' now that there's a name for one faction in this crisis." Flame couldn't help but laugh with Nightfire, "You know, at the rate everything is going, it might be a good idea to encourage anyone who'll listen to side with Luna." He flashed a grin that revealed his omnivorous teeth that loved the taste of gems in the morning, "That way, you won't have to worry about alone in your plight." This time, it was Nightfire's turn to be confused, "How did you know that I'd side with Princess Luna?" Her confusion deepened when her question was answered by a thunderous laugh from her fire breathing companion. While Nightfire and Flame flew away, the Royal Guard was busy regrouping. One in particular, a purple unicorn, was looking wistfully in the direction his quarry had escaped, "Solarists, huh? I might have to right that one down." He chuckled at the thought of the grey Pegasus, "I certainly hope to meet you again, Lunar-born." Another of the Guard gave the stallion a confused look, "Are you alright?" This made the unicorn laugh out loud, "Why certainly, sir. But pray tell, what is the name of that one?" He jerked a thumb toward the castle and Ponyville. "The informant said she saw a grey Pegasus with a flaming red mane. She also said her name was Nightfire." The officer shrugged as if it were no big deal. The purple unicorn nodded at the information, "And the informant, sir?' "Princess Twilight Sparkle. In Ponyville."
Chapter Four: The New Lunar Republic Part Three- Birth of NationsThree months after the rave in Canterlot: The degrading situations between Celestia and Luna has divided Equestria in two. One faction, the Solarists, quickly started taking their aggressive views out on the other: the Lunarists. The first break of tension started in Manehatten and Phillydelphia, followed by another in Maretropolis. Luna, meanwhile, had been thrown out of Canterlot by her sisterand the Solarists. Now, Celestia has made the capitol a center of activities for the Solarists while Luna has made the Lunarist home with the former capitol in the Everfree. In a so far neutral Ponyville, the tension threatens to burst like a bubble. Nightfire roamed through Ponyville's markets. The town had experienced a massive influx of neutrals seeking to escape the tensions of the current conflict. Nightfire felt sorry for their cause as even Ponyville, the neutral refuge of Equestria, contained a power struggle between the Lunarists and Solarists. Princess Twilight had declared that she and the other Elements would do all in there power to keep Ponyville from choosing sides. This was their solution to the tensions splitting the Elements right down the middle. Now, they simply ignore the political power struggles of Canterlot and strive to keep the peace in the neutral center. Even with all this going on, Nightfire was a Lunarist and always was looking out for the haughty superior attitude of the Solarists. She didn't like them much, especially since they wouldn't waste any time reporting her to the Guard as a stray Lunar-born. It also didn't take much to know that there were some Solarists there whose sole reason was to disrupt an upcoming Lunarist gathering pulled together by Princess Luna herself. She heard many things about some sort of republic or empire ready to rise in defiance of Celestia. Mostly though, she srugged it off as Solarist rumors intended to garner support for Celestia. The more she heard about it, the more Solarists she saw popping into Ponyville with determined expressions on their faces. Later that day, Nightfire found herself sitting at a café with some of the guard nearby. She thought she recognized one of their faces somewhere and tried a hopeless attempt to avert her eyes. One of the guard took notice and stood up to approach her. Every fiber of her body screamed at her to run away, but fear had her tightly in its grip so that her legs wouldn't move. The Guard walked over to her as if he were approaching an old friend, with a hand outstretched. leaned over her, "I don't think we were ever given a proper introduction a couple of months ago." The smirk on his face was obviously that of a Solarist with an extra bad case of superiority complex. Nightfire didn't say anything as her apprehension grew by the second as this Guard closed in on her. She still couldn't keep from the endlessly blue saucers that were his eyes and the wavy lavender mane framing the pastel purple face that encompassed those eyes. This actually made Nightfire even more nervous. Now the Guard gave up on the handshake and opted for a bow as he took her hand and gave it a small peck, "I am Duskshine, though you may call me Dusk if you like." A small chuckled escaped from Dusk's mouth as he thought of another thing, "Though I must say, Your little nickname for Princess Celestia's supporters has struck on pretty well. Inspiring the name Luna's supporters now go by even." That was when Nightfire realized and a look of horror washed over her face, "You... That night...." She took a step back as fear finally compelled her to get away, like a puppet on strings, "Celestia's decree holds no effect here." Dusk only laughed at the notion, "You really think that Princess Twilight's authority overrules Princess Celestia's?" Dusk took another step forward, "I'm sorry, but a decision of that nature doesn't change that fact that Lunar-borns are wanted by the Princess of the Sun." The Guard set his hands on his hips as he let out and bout of laughter at Nightfire's hopeless situation. There was only one thing to do for Nightfire, and that was to run. The Ponyville market was suddenly alive with the chase as the mare was followed by the overconfident Guard. What Dusk didn't realize was that the guards following him were local neutrals and didn't want any trouble with Lunarists and Solarists butting heads in Ponyville. Nightfire threw down boxes and crates behind her in the alleys created by the stands growing increasingly numerous as more ponies sought Ponyville's refuge. Dusk didn't seem fazed by any of the obstacles presented to him by his quarry. Instead, he tried to think of a way to steer Nightfire away from the Castle of Elements that now replaced the Golden Oaks Library. A dead end was coming up to the right, so he tried keeping to the left to scare his target in the direction he wanted her to go. Unfortunately, Nightfire was fast and she knew it. Even so, she didn't look back to keep from slowing down any more than she had to. As she veered to the left, a hand just grazed her shoulder as her pursuer stumbled passed her turn. She took the opportunity to shake him by taking flight and hiding on the rooftops near the edge of the market and continued toward the Castle of Elements. Dusk was sure of where Nightfire was going and headed down the quickest route he knew of to get there as well. He ran by many Lunarist who yelled their annoyance and started rooting for Nightfire when they saw that she racing along the rooftops and eventually taking flight the rest of the way. Dusk let out an annoyed sigh as even a couple of Neutrals barred his way only to find that he was an excellent acrobat. Nightfire narrowed her eyes at Dusk when she saw him jumping onto the rooftops and keeping pace so far. Her next solution was to veer off to the other side of the market where there was no rooftops to speak between the two points. Dusk his eyes as he jumped off the roof he was on and rolled into his landing on the ground. Some of the patrons wandering about shouted in surprise while others grabbed rotten vegetables from the stalls and threw the stuff at him. Nightfire didn't have to wait long before she saw Dusk making short work of scaling the nearest wall to her. As soon as she saw a hand reach up for her foot she took a step out of reach and took off once more. Now she flew at full speed toward her salvation at the Castle of Elements. When Dusk finally reached her, Nightfire was desperately pounding on the front door of the former library of Ponyville. He took his time walking up to the once again terrified Pegasus as he tried to catch his breath. He could see that Nightfire was obvious wore out from the chase as well when he was close enough. Nightfire's breaths were ragged and her voice turned hoarse as she continued trying to catch the attention of the Elements. When she turned around to see her pursuer was still right behind her, her face turn white as a sheet. Finally, with no hope of escape, she broke down in front of Dusk as tears escaped her eyes. Dusk smirked as he grabbed the shaking mare in front of him and pulled her up. This wasn't the first time a Lunar-born had broken down in tears in front of him. Though he did find it strange that the behavior of his quarry had changed so much between now and the first time he encountered her. Maybe it was the dragon she was with that gave her confidence. As Nightfire felt herself being pulled into a standing position, she stopped crying and now shook uncontrollably. She didn't know why it was that she felt more confident with others to back her up, but she did. Even as she thought about it, a strange calm washed over her. Suddenly, it was like she watching a movie in first person as she raised a hand to touch the chest of her pursuer. But she already knew what was going on. It was rare that her emotions brought out the power that were about to be unleashed on this poor stallion. Dusk was confused when Nightfire stopped shaking and crying even as he brought her to her feet. The confusion deepened as he felt Nightfire's hand touch his chest. That still wasn't the strangest thing to happen to him that day. This was the start of the strangeness that he will never escape from again. Nightfire's touch was gentle until her eyes snapped open and flashed the deepest purple he'd ever seen. The look of shock on Dusk's face will forever be burned into Nightfire's mind as an explosion of black flames slammed her into the unyielding door to the castle behind her. The explosion also sent Dusk flying in the other direction and into a crowd of spectators shocked into silence. Dusk had no idea what just happened. It was obviously some sort of magic, but none he'd ever even heard of. In fact, he doubted even the Princess of Magic could tell anypony what it was. But even so, it didn't stop the black flames in front of him from forming into a figure armored a design beyond his imagination and a species he'd never knew about. The flaming figure took a single look at Dusk and flared a single bout black flames at him. He managed to scare the rest of the crowd off, but armored one was too shocked to move. Keeping from capturing this one for the purpos of the Solar Princess' own gain is not advised. The words in Dusk's head were not his own. He knew this figure had spoken, but it was as if he were talking a dragon epically powerful nature. He could only nod as the thing dispersed and the flash of a teleportation spell snapped him out of the shock. The next thing he laid eyes on was a very disappointed purple alicorn. The next day, Nightfire found herself at the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. Sunset had already given way to moonrise a while before, but she expected no less for the Lunar Princess' timing of her announcement. She winced as she remembered the morning's events with her would be captor. She remembered herself freaking out at the sight of him and the strange look of awe when his eyes met her own. Dusk himself had no idea why he had come with Nightfire, but he did admire the mare's punch. He had a pounding headache as he watched the Princess of the Night appear before her amassed supporters and tuned out the parts the didn't matter. What he wanted to know was what Luna was leading up to. Nightfire could feel her excitement building with all the princess' talk of releasing the Lunar-borns of the constant fear of capture along with freedom in general. It was the very end when Princess Luna finally announced her intent that everyone there started to cheer. She watched, amazed as all the banners bearing the colors of Equestria were magically replaced by new ones. The banners now bore symbol of a new nation. The symbol of the New Lunar Republic, Luna's attempt at freeing her subjects from her sister's insistent attempts of control. Luna was joined by Princess Twilight who gave a speech of her own proclaiming Ponyville's emancipation from Celestia's rule. But the town wouldn't be a part of the New Lunar Republic. Instead, it would be presided over by the Element Bearers in a council she dubbed, "The Circle of Friendship."
Chapter Five: The New Lunar Republic Part Four- TrainingNightfire sighed in relief just about every time she woke up for the next week after Princess Luna's declaration. It was a good feeling to be under the Lunar Sovereign's sole leadership again. After moving all her belongings to the newly rebuilt castle, Nightfire joined the long line to joining the NLR Armed Forces. The current mission was to build a defensive force rather than an offensive superpower. Nightfire kept thinking about the events that unfolded the day before Luna's speech as the line slowly shortened. It worried her that Duskshine's face kept pushing itself to the forefront of her mind and the feelings she associated it weren't what she expected. A nudge to Nightfire's shoulder alerted her that the line had finally brought her to the third in line for recruitment. She was still absent minded as she approached the recruiting stand and looked at the weary faces of the two recruiters in front of her. One looked up at her and asked the questions, "Name?" "Nightfire." The answer came before she could think to do so. Hopefully the others would be just as painless. "Age?" "22" "Race?" "Pegasus." "Are you a Lunar-born?" Nightfire was caught off guard by that and she gave the recruiter a second look. If he was wearing the armor of the Royal Guard then he looked strikingly familiar... "Come again?" "Are you a Lunar-born?" The unicorn's expression was serious and wasn't going to relent. In fact, it looked as if he wanted Nightfire to be the Lunar-born that she was. "Yes." Again, the answer slipped out of her before she could decide against it. A nervous smile crept onto her face as the expression on the recruiter's face didn't change. "Welcome to the New Lunar Republic's Airforce, Nightfire. Be watchful of any Solarists. They're everywhere and wont hesitate to turn you in at a moment's notice." Nightfire nodded, "I understand sir." Somewhere in the back of her head, another voice said that there was one Solarist that she could trust.... She shook her head, No, no Solaist can't be trusted. Not in a milion years! The recruiter gestured behind him to a very familiar friend. He gave the mare a once and smirked, "Now how did I know that you'd to these lengths for freedom of fear?" Flame approached Night and gave a slap on the back, "Now then, what shall we do with you? Oh yeah, Princess Luna herself has plans for you. Aerial troop drop and ground combat would be your main jobs in the platoon your squad is in I believe." Night gave Flame a confused look, "How do you know all this?" Flame smirked again, "Because I requested you personally for if and when you did sign on." He set his hands on his hips, "I'm your squad leader, Private." Night sighed and looked as if she were fuming, "Please, don't call me by rank." Flame had to laugh, "Oh really? I hope you know that rank is indeed a necessary thing if The New Lunar Republic is going to last more than a month." He sighed as he set a hand on Night's shoulder, "In either case, I know that we're in this for something even bigger than a petty squabble between the Princesses." With that, Night could only watch as Flame turned around. The next few weeks unleashed an onslaught of training that night didn't even think was plausible.
Chapter Two: The New Lunar Republic Part One- Running with WolvesWar. It's a scary thing. Especially when it starts before any of the real violence can begin. Two years after the mass migration of lunar inhabitants Nightfire looked around herself as she wandered about the Everfree Forest. She wasn`t particularly afraid of being there. In fact, she fekt right at home in the wild part of the world she always looked upon from the moon. The ponies of Ponyville thought her strange for her reclusiveness as she spent most of her time here. A familiar growl from behind Nightfire sounded as she calmly turned around, "So, how`s life been around these parts?" The source of the growl was coming from a snarling timber wolf. Not much of a surprise there. The creature before Nightfire stood a bit taller once he realized that she wasnt of any threat to his pack`s territory, "About the same as yesterday. Those Ponynville ponies have been getting bolder with their incursions lately in any case." Nightfire sighed, "It shouldnt be surprising. Their tension was eased some after the Element Bearers came out of here unscathed. Not to mention the fact that a pony such as I have no qualms about coming in here as well." Over the pegasus two years in Equestria, she figured out that the timberwolves the ponies in Ponyville spoke of weren`t the only wolves roaming in either Equestria, or the Everfree. The wolf shook its head as it thought, "Even so, its been the unspoken rule that ponies aren`t welcome here in the Everfree." Nightfire rose an eyebrow at the comment, "Not even to visit Zicora?" It was also noteworthy that the wolves with fur were, in fact, inteligent. Much unlike their wild counterparts made of wood, "You`ve never said a word about that." The wolves were also much like the buffaloe of Appleoosa. The wolf`s fur seemed to shake as it laughed, "In that case, it was much to be expected after the purple one broke the pregiduce against the zebra." After this, the wolf seemed to lighten up, "Some in my pack are relieved that we are slowly becoming excepting of change." Nightfire couldn't help but chuckle a little with the wolf, "Yes, it a very good thing. But some of the ruins here indicate that this part of the Everfree wasn't even here in the first place." She gestured at random bits of stone strewn about the clearing. "To the untrained eye, these broken down bits of building stones are perfectly natural." The wolf nodded in agreement, "That is, until one finds him or herself in the next clearing." He pulled back the bushes nearby to reveal the skeletal spires of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. "So, why it is that you find yourself here, Nightfire?" Nightfire smiled as she nodded her head, "I've received word that things have been going strangely in Canterlot." Her face changed to a serious one, "Before you ask Cornelius, it may affect the whole of Equestria." The wolf nodded, "The foxes seem to be restless about it as well. You aren't the first to warn the pack about this." Nightfire let out a sigh, "Well, if things get bad, I suggest siding with the Princess of the Night. She'll be more keen on protecting the Everfree that makes up the whole of your home." Cornelius was intrigued as a few other wolves entered the clearing and spoke to him in their obscure language of gestures and low wolfish sounds. After they were finished conferring, Cornelius lifted his head and looked back at the grey and red Pegasus before him, "I suggest that you head to your capitol as soon as possible. The foxes say that things are degrading even worse than before." Nightfire nodded and was about to turn around to leave when the wolves behind her growled. There was something that didn't belong in the vicinity. Something new in the air, "What is it?" A ruffle in the nearby vegetation alerted the group to where the unwelcome presence was. The wolves instantly turned to the sound as greenish fire rose from the bushes for an instance. Their growling grew louder as a fox wandered out. Nightfire's eyes narrowed as she stepped toward the fox and pointed at it, "Who are you?" After a few minutes of silence, the Pegasus took a few menacing steps toward it with the wolves just behind her. The fox trembled as it was surrounded again by a greenish flame. The changeling revealed had been successfully reverted through fear. Once reverted, its demeanor changed with it. Without a single word, the creature flew toward the sky as it drew wickedly deadly looking weapons from their sheaths. Cornelius and his companions drew spears from their backs as Nightfire was given a pair of swords by Cornelius, "We'll take care of close range with your wings. Good luck." Nightfire nodded at the statement, "It'll be my pleasure Cornelius." With that, she burst into the air at full speed toward the changeling. The first thing to catch off guard was the goo shooting out from it's horn. It kept missing, but the changeling's shots were awfully close. The wolves soon found themselves very much occupied by something else entirely. Black crystals shot out of the bushes and trees and toward then with deadly precision. The source was a group of crystal golems that seemed to repair themselves after every blow they took. Up in the air, Nightfire was having trouble keeping up with the changeling as it kept dodging her blows. The areal battle was fierce as the changeling kept up a series of powerful blows of its own. A few globs of goo caught Nightfire in the foot as she began wear down from the exertion from her fight. The changeling must've been getting cocky when it didn't notice Nightfire's free foot connecting with its face and sent it flying into a one of the golems. The result was a mess of blue blood and black crystals exploding everywhere. Cornelius felt the blood seeping through multiple new cuts in his pelt and tried to find an opening in the crystal golem's attacks. The opening came a few moments later as it raised a spiked fist into the air with an intent to crush Cornelius into oblivion. Cornelius took the chance to jab the fist with the but of his spear and landed a powerful kick to its abdomen, completely shattering the crystal taking the blows. Finally, he walked up to the regenerating golem and smashed its head to smithereens. Behind Cornelius, another golem was completely demolished by the force of Nightfire dropping her full weight on its head and through the rest of its body. She looked about herself as Cornelius finished the last golem off with the help of his companions. When she was satisfied that the danger was over, she took a look at the mess of changeling and evaporating crystal, "I think a trip to Canterlot is definitely in order for me. There's a friend that I can come into contact with there." Cornelius nodded as he turned to go back into the forest, "Just remember, Nightfire, that things are changing. Hostility is a very real possibility there." Nightfire nodded, "Promise me that you'll look after the Everfree while I'm gone?" Cornelius chuckled as he disappeared in shadow, "Just as we have always done." With that, there was no trace of the wolves ever having been there in the first place.
