Peace: a time relished by all ponies, and nourished in their minds of stress with waves of tranuility washing calmly through their subconscious minds, a time earned by Princess Twilight Sparkle and her fellow element bearers as they rested on a picnic blanket out in the meadows with a couple of picnic baskets.
They were chatting and enjoying their quality time as true friends, knowing it was rare to have for they were so busy now. With Twilight being a monarch like her mentor, she rarely had time to do anything other than use it for bathroom breaks or for a quick snack.
"Sure is relaxing when you think about it, we haven't had any attacks in months" Twilight pointed out with her friends that were agreeing in a synchronized nod as they ate their food.
Spike enjoyed munching on his bowl of gems while giving his opinion.
"Yeah, after all that work; must be nice not having to use the elements or rainbow power to save Equestria" Spike added as he chewed on a good sized diamond.
Everyone laughed at their little friend enjoying his treat, seeing the little dragon engorge himself with different kinds of gems that were given to him. Something, however, came to Twilight's mind, something about her morning with the princesses. She remembered her mentor reading a book that was not in any of the archives at Canterlot, and it was not the same book she saw when Celestia informed her of all the tests in becoming a princess.
Celestia and Luna were acting strange when I saw that book, I wonder what knowledge is inside it.
Twilight pondered it some more, trying to figure out what could be so important that the princesses hid it from her, but it was a lost cause since she knows nothing of what could possibly be in such a strange book.
"Today...was weird" she said with a mouthful, starting up a conversation with her friends.
"What was weird?" Rainbow Dash asked with a full mouth of salad, disgusting Rarity with her poor manners while Spike was intentionally staring at a small spark on the ground that appeared and started to grow.
Curious of the rainbow spark, he dropped his bowl of gems and approached the anomaly without caution, thinking it was harmless and possibly something amazing. As he did this though, Twilight was speaking about her morning that started so strangely.
"Celestia and Luna were telling me to take the day off as I watched them read a strange book I never saw; when I asked about it, they sent it away" Twilight answered, then stirred her curiosity with the minds of her friends.
They wondered what this about and became worried since it is a secret to even Twilight. She was always Celestia's first friend to be informed of anything, so for this to be a mystery was a little nerve racking to their brains. Even Rainbow Dash felt uneasy of having to think with her purple friend, she felt her stomach clench a little while collecting any idea that could help.
"What could they be hiding?" they thought together, coincidentally, and pondered it.
"Ah wonder if it's another mission they'll be sending us on" Applejack theorized, but their giddiness of questioning was halted by the scream of their favorite little dragon that was diving under Rarity's legs.
Seeing him act like this was uncommon, but the answer they needed was about to come when he spoke up about the discovery he made.
"What the heck is that!?" he screamed while pointing at the spark that started as a speck, but was now a gaping hole releasing a light of some sort.
Twilight assumed he did something, like usual, so she gave him a stern glare while Rarity calmed his nerves with a very affectionate nuzzle.
"Spike what did you do?" Twilight asked, accusing the baby dragon, receiving a glare from him in return as the light began to whine and pulsate.
Lightning was now cracking with a dangerous reach to their picnic as the baby dragon jumped back and freaked out, unsure of what was happening after staring at it for quite some time.
"I did nothing, it just showed up and now... this" he answered as the purple alicorn approached it with her shields up as a precaution.
But before Twilight could get close and examine the strange anomaly, it exploded into scattering stars that stopped in the middle of their picnic. The light show was beyond blinding, but that wasn't what their attention; what really got their attention was the charcoal furred alicorn that appeared and floated down unconscious.
Things became much more mysterious for the mane six now, especially when the alicorn remained unconscious after its' hard landing.
"Is that an alicorn?" Rarity asked, her voice sounding with the shock in her mind as they stared at it.
The mane six and Spike were in awe of this strange outcome, so astonished that they approached the unconscious creature so see it has nine extremely long pony tails that were almost fox-like. Each tail was a different color and dissipating colorful stars that fazed through the hooves of the mane six.
Its mane was a black fire with a color changing streak, the tail was a fiery wave of rainbow colors that moved like goo in a lava lamp, its hooves were surrounded with rainbow fire that was not hot at the touch, its horn was clearly 1.5X longer than Celestia's, and the wings were twice the normal size.
What's stranger is that a bright chrome of rainbow was under them.
Rainbow Dash was the first to touch the creature to make sure of what she was witnessing, but after a moment of looking at its flanks, she cocked a brow at the cutie mark while the others examined the rest.
"Whoa" was all Rainbow could say.
Rarity and Fluttershy were curiously poking the tails that twitched at them every time, Pinkie Pie was giggling all too much from flopping it's strange ears with her hooves, causing them to twitch and fold. Applejack and Twilight were not touching the creature at all for many reasons of safety, but still they stared in curiosity of his mane being a complete charcoal color that has a color changing streak while the tail is so bright and colorful.
Why they stared at it so oddly was that a pony is never born with a mane and tail that didn't match. For such impossibility to be in front of them was a truly astonishing moment, but such moments are ruined by one's reaction.
Said reaction being that Fluttershy yelped and hid behind Applejack when the stallion mumbled in his slumber.
"Do ya have any idea what it is Twilight?" Applejack asked, then turned to the purple alicorn for answers.
Twilight shook her head in return while their loyal pegasus friend gasped and spoke up, startling them with her shock before pointing out the impossible on his flanks.
"Check out its' cutie mark, it looks like...a swirling galaxy!" Rainbow Dash noted, forgetting that
"What!?" the others yelled, then surrounded the Element of Loyalty to join her in the awkwardness..
"Yeah look, that's definitely a galaxy that egghead showed me, but there's also the sun and moon glowing different colors" Rainbow Dash replied, then touched the glowing mark.
To their surprise she was right, the cutie mark matched her description, it was a swirling pink galaxy that was carrying the sun and moon with a slow pace, but the two celestial bodies shared the colors they changed into ever few seconds.
With that happening, the loyal Pegasus became intrigued of it while trying to touch it more, but her hoof was swatted away before she could get close to it.
"Don't touch it, we don't know if this pony is injured badly" the Princess of Friendship scolded, stopping Rainbow Dash's fun before she pondered the mystery.
This was too confusing for Twilight Sparkle; in all her studies since being a filly, she never came across such a creature of strange appearance. This was something only two ponies she knew could probably have the answers too, but right now they were inside Canterlot, keeping up with the royal duties while having their little time of secrets.
"What is it Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, breaking the purple alicorn from her deep thinking.
"I don't know, I've never seen something like this in my books" she replied while Rarity turned it over to get a better look.
Surprisingly she blushed a deep crimson when his mane was brushed away, allowing her to see the pony that was more masculine than feminine.
Though male alicorns don't exist, Rarity could not help but giggle at such handsomeness that is rare to see, or in this case...an extremely rare thing.
Said looks brought her to a compelling of complimenting about it.
"Oh my, well for such a euphoric alicorn, it certainly is handsome" the fashionista admitted, her rainbow mane friend agreeing in a nod as they thought without conclusion of its' sex
"Yeah it is pretty cute, and it looks strong, judging from the muscles" Rainbow Dash added.
Fluttershy examined the alicorn a little closer and saw that there were burn spots and cuts all over its' body, practically a canvas of wounds that were deep enough to make her worry.
She released a cute gasp before talking, her voice hinted with worry and pity as her hoof slid over one of the cuts.
"Oh the poor thing is hurt; wherever it came from, it must have been in a fight"
With that said, Twilight wondered if they should leave it out there in the meadows for their own safety, or send it back into the everfree forest, or take it home with them and have the princesses look at it for proper study and medical help. That was no easy question though, not when they have no idea whether the pony good or another villain here to destroy Equestria.
Applejack was already thinking hard at the idea of taking it back into Ponyville for at least some medical attention before questioning, but the slight cough from the purple alicorn caught her attention before she asked the question...
"What do ya wanna do with it Twi?" the farm pony asked, then watched her friend take action before the confusion could engulf their minds and make it a series of twenty questions.
Twilight took hold of the creature with an easy grasp of her magic, lifting gently and carrying it with the warming essence of her purple aura that was now surrounding it. Said mare was now giving a stern look to her friends, feeling a sense of responsibility crash onto her as they wondered what her answer is to be.
"It's an odd looking alicorn, but still this means it's royalty, so we'll take it back to the castle and inform the princesses" she replied, then turned away to begin her walk back home with her little dragon riding on her back as usual.
However, as their descent down the hill started, their curiosity was peaked from the sudden realization that the pony is a mystery in gender. None of them knew if the pony was a mare or stallion, but that was going to change very quickly since they shared the same flaw as respectful ponies.
They don't know when to respect other ponies privacy.
"So before the princesses are told of this, we need to figure if it is a stallion or a mare" Rainbow Dash pointed out.
Why she did in the first place was a little unorthodox, even for Rainbow Dash, seeing as how only Twilight is the one that has a special somepony in her life. Still Twilight was curious to find whether the alicorn is female or, by some rare chance, a male.
Unfortunately for the Element of Loyalty that was ready to peek between the pony's legs, she was beaten to the punch by a certain pink haired earth pony that already has quite a bit of interest already; mainly that the pony's tail reminds makes her imagine of rainbow colored cotton candy.
"Oh, oh, oh I'll figure it out!" Pinkie Pie spoke up, then quickly slid her hoof under the creatures leg before anyone else could.
The examination was maybe a second or two, but that was all it took to make things awkward; they watched their pink friend turn a deep red with a shocked look written across her face as a sign of embarrassment.
"Well?" Applejack quipped with her brow cocked.
"He's a stallion…and it's huge" Pinkie answered, but they were not understanding the last part that caused her to be so quiet now.
Seriously, how could they not know what Pinkie Pie meant by that when it is clearly obvious?
"What's huge, darling?" Rarity asked, receiving the look of shock from her friend now.
Poor Pinkie Pie...
"His foal-maker, it's big" Pinkie answered, triggering a series of blushes to form, and possibly a few coruscated nether regions.
Except for one small dragon of course, he preferred having his mind wiped clean after hearing what the Element of Laughter just said without realizing that there are a pair of little ears in the group.
"I didn't need to know that; for bucks sake, now my brain is violated" Spike complained, but none of the girls heard him since they were too focused talking about the stallion.
Once inside the small town, the mane six found at that they were not alone in curiosity of the creature in Twilight's magical grasp. The ponies that were outside had now seen the creature and slightly gawked while he floated in front of the purple alicorn. He was still unconscious, but his body twitched every few seconds, and his breath changed over to some mumbles that could not be made out.
Many of the citizens wanted to see the multi-tailed alicorn for their own amusement, but the glare in their princess was a definite sign of her not wanting to be disturbed while carrying him into the castle. Twilight was not one to be so serious or quiet when the day is so peaceful, but to have an alicorn of such strange figure made her very serious and very cautious.
"Come on girls, let's hurry up; guards, lock the door, I don't want anypony coming in" Twilight ordered, her voice having authority in it for the first time in her new life as a princess.
"Yes your majesty" the twin unicorns answered, then closed off the castle with a flick of their combined magic.
With that said and done, Twilight readied her next letter to Celestia while the male alicorn was laid down comfortably on her new couch and covered with a large blanket by Fluttershy.
Rarity gave a couple of pillow to prop his head while her shy friend found some medical supplies in the nearby infirmary that was vacant at the moment.
Sure they could have taken the stallion there, but none of the beds were large enough to hold someone of his size; they were only meant for ponies of normal size.
"The poor thing has a fever; Twilight, do you mind if I make some vegetable soup for him?" Fluttershy asked while feeling his forehead against her own.
Twilight only nodded in recognition and watched the yellow pegasus smile warmly before running off into the kitchen that was down the hall. She watched the mare leave as her other friends surrounded the stallion for the common nature of being curious and patient for him to wake up.
"Well it's alive, so that's a good thing…ah think" AJ said aloud, but questioned herself while Twilight told Spike what to write.
"Ready Spike?"
"Ready" the baby dragon answered with the quill held high in his claw.
Dear Princess Celestia
I write to you, not about a friendship lesson, or a lesson in being a princess, but of something important that my friends and I discovered during our picnic. A strange light appeared before us, but it disappeared and left a male Alicorn that is unconscious at the moment.
We are curious of this alicorn, for it has nine different colored tails, and a mane that does not match any of them, which is very strange since a pony has a matching mane and tail.
We have taken the alicorn to my castle for his own safety, but none of us know what to do now. Fluttershy is tending to his wounds, and making soup to help when he wakes up.
If he wakes up that is...
The others are tending to him as well, but I ask for your advice because he has a crown that I have never seen before, and his cutie mark is something that is clearly not of normal meaning.
Awaiting for your answer.
Your faithful student/ Princess Twilight Sparkle
"Send it Spike" she ordered, not even wanting to review what the baby dragon has written.
Spike saluted his long time friend before holding the scroll up high and sending it in a green fire that dissipated into a traveling green magic. Once that was done, Twilight and Spike returned to the matter at hoof and joined their friends in examining the creature some more, knowing they had little time to waste before their newcomer woke up.
"Alright girls, Spike just sent a letter, so it should be soon that we get a reply" the purple alicorn pointed out.
And thus they waited...
Meanwhile in Canterlot
All was quiet through the Castle of Equestria, protected at its' best with the guards not showing a sign of boredom or exhaustion as they stood in numbers around the fortress, ready to defend if danger should rear its' ugly head again. Everyone was on a deeper edge since Tirek was sent back to the depths of Tartarus, but there was no more room for error this time, not when darkness will always be around to shadow the light.
Today though was just another extremely difficult day of paperwork and court duties, but it required the aid of Princess Luna so that there would some time for them to take a break and relax.
However, both sisters didn't expect what was coming to them in waves while they were doing their work. It was small, almost too small to sense, but the very familiar wave of magic made the younger sister sit up in shock for feeling such essence in her heart.
What she felt was something that hasn't been felt in two millennia.
"Sister did you feel that wave of magic?" Luna asked curiously, breaking her attention from the mounds of papers that are to be stamped and approved.
It was truly a long day for the two alicorns that were spending time together with nothing but their secretary telling them what must be done; they were stuck with sorting through the demands the UDDK want or war would be brought upon the lands.
UDDK (Underground Diamond Dog Kingdom)
"Yes I felt it as well Luna, but it's probably Twilight practicing more magic on her day off" Celestia replied near subconsciously, but kept an open ear for her sister.
Luna was certain though that it wasn't Twilight, for she focused on sensing that the wave of magic given off was not normal and definitely not Twilight, for it surpassed her and Celestia's magic put together.
This brought the Princess of Night to a state of worry and excitement at the same time, knowing that such power could only come from one stallion that has been missing for two thousand years.
Their husband.
That magic was far greater than ours, maybe it was... him!
Luna pressed the matter with her older sister, forgetting about the documents that levitate before her.
"Sister do you think maybe it's our-"
"Luna I am busy, I don't have time for your talk; now let me finish this paperwork!" Celestia angrily retorted, interrupting, and hurting, her little sister emotionally while the guards and secretary remained still at the tension between them.
It was a full week of receiving no break from the demands of her subjects and other royalties, it was driving Celestia near insane, having to work with all the miniscule requests and demands that are completely primitive, but now her frustration has affected her sociality with the one closest to her.
Luna was stunned of having to hear her older sister speak so harshly to her; never in her life has she heard her sister speak so cruelly, not even when she became Nightmare Moon.
Celestia was hating herself as the Lunar princess turned away and stared sadly to the ground with a single tear allowing itself to escape. Her one tear brought the sun princess back to a calm state before she scolded herself in mutters for yelling at the mare that looks like an adult, but emotionally and mentally is still a teenager from the banishment pausing everything…even her maturity.
"Luna, I'm so sorry" she apologized, then quickly hugged her little sister, wrapping a wing around her back, and nuzzling the cheek of her blue furred sister that began to cry.
The guards looked over this with the secretary, but Celestia was wanting them to witness no more of their emotional distraught, she was not a fan of those that snooped, so she made sure that this matter became private.
"Leave us now" she ordered while stomping her hoof.
The two guards left without question, but the secretary remained in the throne room with a stern look that really is nothing compared to the monarchs.
"Princess I strongly advise you-you-"
She was unable to answer to the sun princess that slightly glared at her, inflicting a terror that implied to never challenge her authority as Equestria's Co-Ruler.
The secretary finally disappeared in a blur towards the corridors, leaving them alone to have a private conversation over the unknown wave of magic. Celestia returned to holding her little sister that was sobbing into her chest and tossing the paperwork because she didn't want to see anymore of it.
"Luna I'm sorry for yelling, I know this work has been hard on you as well, and-"
"It's not that, sister!" Luna yelled, confusing the Princess of Day a little after she removed herself from the throne seat they share.
Luna walked down the steps angrily, feeling that her point was not to be made unless she gained some distance from the confused alicorn that is her sister. She stopped at the bottom of the steps and turned around to throw a desperate glare that sparkled from her emotions.
She spoke with little control over herself, trying to be a proper princess while bringing up the gift that has been a curse to them since the day they lost their loved one.
Their immortality.
"You are my sister, and I love you, but that love isn't enough anymore, it's not enough to keep us both going on forever, and I know you crave the same thing we have been stripped of for so long now, we both want HIM to come back to us!"
Celestia held her head low at those words, remembering the pain she felt with Luna so long ago. For her sister to bring up such a tragic past was hard for them both, but Celestia suffered the worst of it, for she was the one that caused the death of the stallion they married in secrecy.
In her heart was the still burning love that is more powerful than any hellfire, but she carried her guilt of ruining their marriage two millennia ago with a simple spell that made her a monster.
Though their husband forgave her, she still carries her crimes as a reminder of what it means to be without the one that is your king.
She still carried the guilt of their own husband giving his life to save her from herself, knowing there was not enough forgiveness to wash her hooves of the stains that remain.
"Yes, Luna, I know, I want him to return to us, but that promise is not one to hold tightly in our hearts so much when it has been two thousand years, it's best to just hold him dear in our hearts" Celestia replied, implying to not keep hope for the tragedy that is supposed to be temporary.
Luna was stunned of her sister, she didn't want to believe what just passed through her ears, she did not want to hear the alicorn, that destroyed him, say in riddle that her heart no longer held to the promise that was given before his untimely sacrifice.
Still she spoke up in release of her pain, trying to keep hope in her heart while the solar princess looked away in shame of her past. It was not an easy thing for Luna, but hearing how her sister lost hope made her step out of the shadows that have always laid over her.
Luna shook her head in denial and stepped out of her sister's shadow by speaking up and pressing her own hope into her own heart, but it is easier said than done, especially when the one you're trying to help is the cause of their dark past.
"No sister, I will not give up on his promise, and neither will you because he promised he would come back, he said his memories would be destroyed, but he would return to us so that we can make new ones!" Luna yelled, but it only made things worse for her on the inside as the sun princess approached.
Luna dropped to the floor and cried her eyes out with both hooves over her face, sobbing and praying for a higher power to make their hopes a reality as the alabaster alicorn rubbed a hoof over her head.
"I want him now Celestia, I want him to come back to us, he is our husband, and he promised!" Luna cried, expressing her pain without the care of someone seeing her so broken down.
"I know Luna, I feel the same way" Celestia replied and took a spot next to her on the cold tile floor with a wing around her back.
She hugged the crying mare tightly, trying to soothe the tears that have been bottled up for so long, trying to keep her sister strong through all the heartache that seems to be endless.
It was a moment of sorrow that Celestia knew all too well, for she had the same tantrum months ago, privately, she shed the same meaningful tears quietly with her little sister now nuzzling into her chest as those tears matted her fur.
"Why, why must we wait sister, how much longer must we wait for him to return?" Luna asked desperately, only to have the silence from her sister be the answer that she did not want.
However the reason of the elder sister's silence was not of mourning and hopeless praying for the promise to be kept; no, Celestia was very distracted by the parchment that suddenly appeared and unrolled itself in front of her.
Luna felt a little insulted for being ignored like that, so she decided to look up and glare at her sister, but the look Celestia had while reading the scroll was one that few witnessed when Chrysalis defeated her during the changeling invasion and almost took over Canterlot.
Luna knew that this look upon Celestia's face was a serious one, but the reason why stumped her.
The Solar Princess was stunned, shocked, but also extremely happy as the aspects of their husband was explained in the parchment. Her eyes began to water, a smile grew across her cheeks, and the control she has over her emotions was quickly diminishing as her sister cocked a brow in suspicion.
"Sister, why do you smile?" Luna asked, but the Princess of Day only responded by standing up and smiling down at her, for the moment of their sorrow was about to come to an end forever.
Celestia answered with complete glee, allowing herself to form a smile that was very real.
"Get up Luna, we have to go to Twilight's castle immediately!"
"What, why, is she in trouble?" Luna asked, but she didn't receive an immediate answer.
Celestia didn't answer; instead she closed her eyes and imagined the smile that would form across her little sister's face when they headed to Ponyville to see the one that they have waited for since the time of his death.
She raised her head high and sighed while reopening her eyes, reminiscing the joy before finally answering the mare.
"He's here little sister, he has come back; Twilight has somehow found him and is taking care of him"
Luna's breath left her body now, along with every ounce of hurt that has plagued her heart.
"Y-y-you're serious!?" she stuttered questioningly.
Celestia nodded in return, which brought mounds of joy to the night alicorn before she started to bounce like Pinkie Pie and laugh almost hysterically. Celestia was amused to see her little sister so happy again; never in her life has she seen Luna so happy and excited, but even the most difficult of ponies can be happy over some things.
"He's here, he's come back, he's returned!" Luna yelled joyfully, but this matter became serious when the legend repeated in their minds, causing fear to set in place.
Luna stopped bouncing and remembered with her sister, she remembered the outcome that would happen from his awakening if they were not ready and careful. When the past rushed through their minds, the two sisters two stopped smiling and nodded with a serious glare to one another before taking action to the plan they devised so long ago.
"Guards!" Celestia yelled, only to have their newest captain arrive within seconds.
When he ran inside the throne and saluted, his new armor shined brightly in the castle, his crest sparkled in the sunlight to where it was almost blinding, and his helmet glistened with the beams of light before he removed it.
"What's wrong princesses?" Flash Sentry asked, his voice of authority filled with much concern.
"Captain Flash Sentry, tell Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor to join us at Princess Twilight's castle immediately; this is a matter of Equestrian Security" Celestia ordered.
"Is Twilight okay, is she hurt?" Flash asked worriedly, pondering in worry what damages could have happened to his marefriend while he was away from her.
Luckily the two alicorns shook their heads, which brought him to a sighing relief before resuming his ponder of what could be so important.
"No Flash, she is fine, but it's time; the legend we told you about is here" Celestia replied.
A deep shiver went down the pegasus' spine, his legs almost gave out at the thought of the true monarch coming back to Equestria, but he snapped out of his shocked state and spoke in complete respect.
"You mean...the king?" he questioned.
"Yes" both sisters answered.
"I'll get the others at once, and round up the guards...my queens"
"Good, and be sure to inform the guards that Luna and I are no longer hiding our true status, and have journalists ready for when we return"
With that being said, the new captain took off in the same corridor he came through, knowing that his position in Canterlot would be put up to the test when the most powerful being, who has returned, is under his protection.
Now Celestia had to do her part, which was very simple, but very tedious since any uncared opening would be the advantage any of their enemies needed to take what is a matter of great importance.
Knowing security must be tightened even more, the two sister got to work.
"Come Luna, let's get the castle ready; begin with shield spells in our bedrooms and I'll take the library"
"Yes sister" Luna replied, then separated from the serious alicorn, readying all that must be done.
Chapter End.
