Legends from Ages Past

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Prelude to Destiny
Chapter 2 - Invisible Guardians
Chapter 3 - Dark Sun, Dark News
Chapter 4 - Towards a Brighter Future
Chapter 5 - Wisdom of the Forests
Chapter 6 - To Accept Ones Place
Chapter 7 - Glimpse of a Dark Future
Prologue - Days Long Since Past

Chapter 1 - Prelude to Destiny

Celestia crouched low to the ground, hidden behind a dense clump of shrubs. She wasn’t sure where her enemy was; somewhere in the clearing just beyond her hiding place, but each time she peaked out there was no one to be seen. Focusing her mind Celestia awakened her magic, the spell made her horn tingle slightly before plunging her senses into a heightened and frenzied state. Luna had taught her the spell many years ago when the two of them stayed up to listen to the world at night and all the hidden sounds shrouded in the darkness.

As she calmed her mind Celestia began to feel the world around her. A world that moments ago had seemed so quiet and desolate suddenly burst into life. Small animals were scurrying about in the bushes all around. Birds sat watching her from vantage points high up in the treetops. A deer was grazing no more than twenty feet behind her. The presence of Luna on the other side of the clearing was as clear as day, but no other pony was within several miles of them. Celestia let her spell drop. Peaking her head out slowly she look across in the direction of Luna but saw nothing. The scene before her appeared deserted once again.

Suddenly there was a thundering roar as a ball of fiery magic shot past just inches from her face. Celestia jumped up and reared onto her hind legs, casting her own counter-spells at her foe but there was no one there. She heard a quiet jingle behind her and vaulted into the air. The great wings that were curled at Celestia’s sides unfurled into magnificent white sails that carried her up into the air just as a second spell tore through the shrubs she was hiding behind seconds before. The branches began to smoke and the leaves crackled as the fire began to spread before suddenly being quenched. She banked left and flew through the smoke that lingered in the air, using it as cover before circling back around to the opposite side of the clearing. There she spotted Luna. Her horn was glowing blue as she tried to maintain the shield spell that covered her body, protecting her from being crushed by the tree that lay directly over her. Celestia felt anger boiling inside her at the sight of her sister so helpless and span in mid air. She flew directly towards their opponent and began to cast every spell she knew against him. Luna took this chance to leap out from under the tree trunk, allowing it to crash to the ground with a mighty crack as she too charged into the fray. As their adversary moved to dodge Celestia’s spells Luna focused and caught him in place using the roots of the trees, preventing him from escaping. He was pinned and couldn’t move but Celestia still had to veer upwards away from him as bolts of lightning thundered from the glowing horn of their teacher.

“Very good,” the trapped pony called out to the two sisters, “you have learned much since our last lesson! Now if you would kindly free me from these roots little one we can head back to your cottage and see if Rose needs a hoof with cooking supper.”

“As you say Beardy,” Luna said as she released him from the roots. “Perhaps next time you will let us use more potent magic seeing as you nearly incinerated my sister and crushed me under a tree?” Luna was drained from keeping the shield over her. Even standing was proving difficult for her as her legs wobbled from the stress her entire body had been put under.

“No,” he replied without hesitation. “You may have grown considerably since the days we all sat around the fire telling stories of heroes and legends, but you are still not strong enough. Did you not take anything from the tales of what befell those who pushed themselves over their limit? Most were consumed by their own power, and while some may have survived, they were misshapen and ghostly shadows of their past selves.”

After a short pause Beardy seemed to shift from their guardian back to their teacher. “Let us examine the lightning spell I used, it was not a simple case of focusing then releasing the magic forwards, no no no. At a basic level it would be possible for either you or your sister to summon a single bolt of lightning, but when you begin to add multiple bolts it becomes more complicated to weave the magics together. These spells require a more in-depth understanding of how magic works so that you can empower the spell in the way you want it to. Simply forcing as much of your willpower into the spell as possible will only cause it to become too powerful for you to control. Very few unicorns have been able to master the art of true destruction magics. For somepony like you Luna, It would be wise to rely on your wit and intelligence over brute power and raw energy. Even the smallest of pebbles when dropped in the correct part of a pool will ripple across its entire surface.”

As Luna and Beardy talked Celestia slowly made her way down towards them, descending gently like a leaf before fluttered her wings and touching down with a quiet thud in the grass.

“Sister, you have asked Beardy about this before so what made you think now was any different? You know that Mother would not approve of us using such spells either.”

Luna’s ears flopped backwards as she dropped her head. “It was a foolish question yes, but Iron Shield said he saw a group of soldiers flying The Order’s colours at the edge of the forest. If we do not learn more dangerous spells how can we protect ourselves from the likes of them? It’s not as if they will only throw novice spells at us.” She looked up at her big sister, searching for an ally in her case. “How can we protect Mother if we can’t fight off an attack from The Order? They have never bothered us in the past, but that is no guarantee for the future.”

“Little one you are right,” Beardy conceded as he let out a great sigh. “The Order has indeed been moving closer and closer to these woods. I heard the resistance have uncovered information that The Order are moving south carrying gifts to the Dragonlands to ensure they do not try to interfere with the The Order’s plans to release Discord. Dragons are a proud race who believe they are the strongest and greatest of all of our world’s creations. I doubt they would be happy to see a monster arise that could turn them into pigeons with a click of his fingers, but if that monster and his minions were to offer them mountains of jewels, gems and gold then an alliance could be formed.”

“Discord is locked away in the depths of Tartarus anyway. The Order does not have the strength to stand against Cerberus, or his army of Golden Retrievers! If anypony does escape the Retrievers will go out, bring them back and lock them up and that would be that,” sparked Celestia. She hoped this was the case at least. It was something she was so desperately hoping was true. If Discord was to walk free she had no idea how the Equestrian Resistance could stand against the Order then and the world would surely fall.

“Celestia please, remember what Rose taught you about controlling yourself.” Beardy raised an eye-brow as he continued, “You haven't gone back to your over excited ways from when you were just a filly have you? If you don’t control your emotions you allow anger, fear, doubt and sorrow to cloud your vision. If you have to make a decision that could save a pony’s life, you must do so with utter certainty you are doing the right thing. And do not forget that though the Order is full of wicked ponies, we know nothing definitive of Discord. Ancient texts from buried ruins across Equestria spoke of a demon like creature who wrecked havoc on the land yes, but none of them could agree on his personality. Some portrayed him as a demon worshiped by a cult of crazed Zephyrian Zebra; others describe him as a whimsical and mischievous creature who never caused blatant harm but instead relished in messing with the natural order of the world; there are even some ancient scrolls that say he is chaotic and meddlesome but only because of the loneliness hidden deep in his heart. For all we know, he may dislike the Order as much as we do.”

“No Beardy I haven’t, though I wish sometimes I could go back to being little to escape this civil war.” Celestia looked across the forest. She saw the tree the deer had chewed the bark off before being scared away by their fight. She thought about the words she had to say to make Beardy understand. “I merely meant that he was imprisoned before and has been subdued by the servants of Cerberus for all these long ages, so surely he can be again? Regardless of his personality, if he had to be imprisoned it must have been for a reason.”

The three of them began to make their way through the forest towards their cottage. Beardy was busy mulling over what Celestia had said as both girls awaited a response. He was an old pony, if the tales were to be believed he was a very old pony. His coat was grey and his mane and beard as white as the clouds. He wore a long blue cape and a tall pointy hat both of which were adorned with small golden orbs as well as multitudes of embroidered stars and crescent moons. Because he always wore his cloak whenever Celestia had seen him she had no idea what his cutie mark was, though she had no doubt it was related to his sheer prowess as a sorcerer. He finally answered when they came to a small stream they had to wade through and he was forced to levitate his cloak up to prevent it getting wet.

“Yes and no. You see he was imprisoned using magic that ponies do not posses. The Zephyrian Zebra with the help of the Shaman from both the Buffalo and Griffon tribes were able to subdue him then take him to Cerberus to be imprisoned. There is no pony magic I know of that would allow us to accomplish such a feat. To ensnare a Demi-God and trap him so his powers could not be used from within his prison. That is the kind of knowledge that has been lost to time. Though I do agree with you on both accounts, he must have been imprisoned for a reason, and the days when you were both young fillies were indeed a lot simpler.” He chuckled to himself, “I preferred telling you stories of the civil war rather than preparing you both should it find its way here, but this is how it must be sadly.”

With that they continued in silence till they were back at the cottage. Celestia looked over to Luna who seemed too deep in thought to have been listening to anything Beardy had just said. Hopefully he wont test her on any of it later should he get bored.

“But surely you know of somepony who could point the Resistance in the right direction should they have to defeat him?” Luna’s voice was sweet and gentle as she spoke, yet her eyes remained fixed on the path ahead of her. A calm but firm expression was across her face.

“I don’t think so little one. There are legends of how he will be defeated, or could be defeated should I say. One day you will learn more, and when you do, your world will change forever. Remember that each of our minds is telling us a story. A story that lays out before us how we want our lives will pan out, what roads we will follow and what choices we will make. But if something happens that means you must abandon your story, then you must learn to write it anew for yourself. You will understand soon I think. Yes, Freya has seen it in the stars. The time to tell those legends will be soon.”

A small cottage began to emerge through the gaps in the trees. A warm sensation crept its way through Celestia’s chest, it happened whenever she glimpsed the thatched roof and log walls of her comforting and peaceful home. Luna had sped up slightly, eager to get home and see their mother. The inner child within Celestia thought about charging ahead and shouting back, last one home is a rotten changeling, but she knew better than to act foolish in front of Beardy. The lecture he would give her was not worth the trouble, no matter how funny it would be. As they neared the cottage Luna gave way so Beardy could enter first.

“Thank you little one, you really do act like a princess sometimes.” Beardy chuckled again as he entered the cottage, the small bells on his hat and cloak jingled slightly as they hit off the door frame.

Once he was inside Luna turned to look at Celestia.

“Do you think Discord will break out, Sister?” Luna, who had not a moment ago revealed how keen she was to discuss this idea, now stood with a look on her face that meant even if you replied she was so deep in thought you would have to repeat your answer at least three times for it to sink in.

“Maybe, I guess time will tell. For now lets see if Mother needs any help in the kitchen.” Smiling at her sister, Celestia entered the cottage followed by Luna a few moments later after she awoke from her daydreaming to find herself standing alone outside. Honestly, she seems to switch from wide awake to sleepwalking within seconds, Celestia thought to herself.

The inside of their cottage was simple. The walls were made of dark brown logs, stacked one on top of the other and held in place with more that also supported the ceiling. The downstairs was dominated mostly by a single large room that extended out to the left of the entranceway. In the room an enormous wooden table was positioned in front of a yellow tinted window that looked out from the front of the cottage, the black mesh that held the window together made it look like a sheet of small yellow diamonds that shimmered as the sun shone threw them. A smaller table that Beardy always commandeered during his visits was covered in bags full of scrolls and ink that he always brought with him wherever he went. He was currently sitting in a chair, sifting through the bags for something and muttering to himself. Occasionally he would levitate a scroll out and add it to the pile that seemed to have accumulated on the larger table.A single scroll lay bathed in the yellow light coming from the window, a map of some kind showing Equestria at its centre with all the lands beyond her borders circling the edges of the parchment.

To the north of Equestria was the clearly marked Crystal Kingdom, a land now hidden behind a magical barrier that nothing could penetrate. Beardy had told her the tales of the Kingdom; stories of noble houses, vast armies of Crystal Ponies; of the great Crystal Wyrm’s that once ruled its skies; and of the day the Kingdom fell before the might of The Order and sealed itself away forever to protect its people.

In the north eastern corner of the map stood the mighty Eagle’s Head Mountains, home to the various but equally proud Griffon Kingdoms. Legendary warriors but poor diplomats, the history of the Griffons was plagued by endless wars and food shortages as well as the odd skirmish between them and ponykind. Being mountainous creatures, the Griffons had always depended on other nations to provide food for them and so as part of a peace deal a small client state of Equestria at the bottom of the Eagle’s Head mountains was created to provide food for the Griffons, as well as allow a constant military presence in the area for the ponies. Since the fall of Equestria, however, even this small nation had become yet another territory the Griffon’s fought over.

Celestia cast her gaze from the north of their world to the most intriguing place she knew of, Saddle Arabia. While the lands to the north of Equestria were predominantly snow capped mountains and rocky valleys, the lands to the south came in a myriad of flavours. To the south east lay the vast deserts of Saddle Arabia. Once the mightiest nation in all the known realms, Saddle Arabia stood as the pinnacle of civilisation. Since The Order had conquered Equestria, however, the mighty Sultanate had splintered into various nations all seeking to protect themselves now that their leaders had fallen during the siege of Canterlot nearly two decades ago.

“Celestia, I have noticed you have yet to see your mother since arriving back. Go and see if she needs a hand with any of the chores and when you return we can look at the map together if you would like.” Beardy had known she was staring longingly into the map, but allowed her that moment to dream. Living in a forest all your life and not being allowed beyond its borders brought on such a wanderlust that every chance you could get to imagine the outside world was a breath of fresh air for Celestia.

He could probably do every chore in the house at once with his magic if he was feeling generous and not be phased at all, Celestia thought to herself. She looked around the room now that her mind had been brought back here. There were paintings hanging from the walls, all of which had been made by Luna after she decided to look into other forms of art as well as singing. Rose had always been pleased to see Luna being so creative and so Beardy brought oils and paints whenever he came to visit. Some depicted what the world outside their forest looked like in Luna’s mind, while others showed the forest at night when Luna would stay up to listen to and stare out into the darkness she seemed to find perfect beauty in. Directly opposite the front door were the stairs that Luna had disappeared up earlier leading to the bedrooms, and to the right of it was the door to the kitchen.

“Do you need me to lend a hoof with anything, Mother?” Celestia asked as the warm smell of freshly cooked vegetable stew rose from the pot over the kitchen fire. The kitchen was a simple room, very similar to the main room Celestia had just come from. It had the same log walls, the same planked floor and the same tree trunk pillars that held the ceiling up. There was a small fire in the centre of the room and a stone chimney that came up around it like a tower housing some kind of magical treasure. Rose was currently stood up on her hind legs by the stone sink at the back of the room washing several dishes to serve the vegetable stew on. When Celestia was about to sneakily levitate some of the stew out and taste it Rose turned to come over and check on her cooking.

“No no sweetie, you and your sister go talk to Beardy. He will be tired after your lesson and from the journey to get here so I think its time you show him some of our family’s legendary hospitality.” The smile Celestia was met with filled her with that same sense of comfort and happiness that she felt when she glimpsed the cottage through the trees, and completely ignore the fact she had just been sent through by Beardy to help Rose only to be sent back by Rose to speak to Beardy. Rose’s smile was infectious and caused her to smile too before she nodded and left, but not before levitating up several cups and a pot of tea. Rose had always taught Celestia that the first thing you offer your guests when they arrive is a cup of freshly made tea to help them relax.

“Ah my dear how thoughtful of you,” Beardy said as he relaxed in his chair in front of the fire to govern over his nation of parchments.

“Think nothing of it Beardy, it is common courtesy,” Celestia said as she poured several cups, one for Beardy, another for Luna and finally one for herself. “I was wanting to ask you something Beardy,” she shot a glance towards her mother in the kitchen to make sure she was too busy to hear her. “I wanted to ask you if you were finally willing to tell me why our mother is an Earth Pony and we are, well, not.”

Beardy looked away from the parchment he had unravelled and turned to look at Celestia, “I have told you my dear, you will need to speak to your mother about your gifts if you want to know more. I do not know and no matter how much you pester me on the subject it will not make me suddenly know anything.” His frustrated tone left him as he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. “One day you will get a chance to ask her. And like I said earlier, the stars say that day is soon. But she is your mother. If you have any doubts about that erase them and never let them take hold again. I have never met a mare with as much dedication towards her family as Rose. You are lucky to be able to call her family.”

“I know Beardy. It’s just odd that she is just an Earth Pony while we have wings and can use magic.”

“There is nothing wrong with being 'just' an Earth Pony, Celestia. Earth Ponies have the strength to farm the land and provide food for us all aplenty. Some of our lands greatest heroes were Earth Ponies who turned their strength away from the fields and orchards to instead fight the dangers that threatened their family and friends. Even the Crystal Ponies, who have been isolated from the rest of the world for nearly two decades, were predominantly Earth Ponies before they crystalised, with the exception of their noble families. Do not walk down a path that leads you to think of yourself as better than the other ponies around you simply because they are from another tribe and cannot do the things you can do. Pride is as much a vice as any of the negative emotions we have taught you to beware of. If you want to see the strength of the Earth Ponies you need only look at Iron Shield or his father, you can even ask him about his fathers adventures when he is here tomorrow.”

The thought of Iron Shield coming to visit them made Celestia’s heart quiver slightly. Not only was he a strong Earth Pony but he was an exceptionally handsome Earth Pony. She shook those feelings off and returned to the present moment with Beardy looking over the map she had been examining earlier.

“Sorry Beardy, I did not mean it in such a way. I am going to see what Luna is up to and ask her if she wants to join us,” with that she stood and made her way towards the stairs that led up to the bedrooms.

At the top of the stairs was a short corridor with a few more paintings on the walls and several cabinets with small-potted plants on them. The decor when coupled with the log walls and wooden planked floor truly made the cottage seem as old as the world itself. It wasn’t that it was falling apart or in ruin, in fact it was the complete opposite, but it did certainly feel like it had a lot of history to it. Luna’s room was the first on the left after the stairs. Celestia raised a hoof and gently knocked on the door.

“Luna, may I come in?” she asked the door, which a moment later opened to reveal a small Luna who had obviously been asleep. “You really need to stop staying up late reading and singing sis,” Celestia let out a gentle laugh as her sister made a face and stuck her tongue out, which just made Celestia laugh all the more.

“Don’t laugh, Sister! I prefer staying up at night, it is peaceful and… I can pretend the world is my own. No Order of Chaos, no Discord, no monsters and no civil war,” she said, her expression taking on a more somber look as her ears dipped. It was apparent that Luna really was constantly worrying about what was occurring in the world beyond their woodland home. Celestia couldn’t help but feel sad that her sister would worry about such things rather than enjoying the moment as she did.

“Don’t worry, one day all of that will surely pass. But for now, would you like to join me, Beardy and mother for some tea and to sit by the fire?”

Luna’s light blue hair was all messed up on the side she had been sleeping on, but she didn’t seem too concerned about fixing it. Instead the small blue Alicorn nodded, yawning as she left her room and began to head downstairs. Celestia focused her magic and closed the door to Luna’s room before following her downstairs.

* * * * *

Celestia was all flustered. She was running about trying to tidy up the parchments that Beardy had left everywhere from the previous night. She couldn’t let Iron Shield see a mess like this! The butterflies in her chest were making her confused. She wasn’t sure what to do next and was running back and forth between the kitchen and main room levitating up this and that trying to do too many things at once.

Rose, who had been awakened by the sound of industrial cleaning downstairs, came trotting down to find Celestia out of breath and with a look of sheer panic on her face standing in the middle of the room with every scroll and piece of parchment levitated up spread out across the ceiling in an attempt to hide them.

“Sweetpea, he won’t run away if the place is a little messy.” Rose’s smile settled Celestia for a moment but it was not a cure for all ailments, regardless of what many thought. “If you go get washed and fix your hair up I will tidy the rest for you.”

“But Mum I-”

“No buts dear, on you go now. I will managed to work out where Beardy wants his stuff kept and which thing can be put aside for later.” Rose gave Celestia a nudge towards the kitchen, “Go on, I asked Beardy to have a look at the pipes yesterday so it should all be working fine again.”

Celestia looked around frantically at all the mess that still needed sorted then dropped her head admitting defeat, along with all of the parchments that were on the ceiling when her spell stopped. She jumped back from the falling parchment as if she had no idea it was there, only to be hit on the head with a rolled up scroll, which just made her hang her head even lower with embarrassment.

“Ok Mother, I just don’t want Iron Shield to get a bad impression of me—us! I meant us!” Rose’s smile grew into a grin and Celestia blushed while she hastily left the room to hide in the kitchen.

The piping her mother had mentioned was actually an invention of Beardy’s. Because the cottage was built near an underground hot spring he had devised a system where a valve was opened and hot water could be drawn from the spring into the cottage to fill a bath. All in all this was much more pleasant than the cold baths they had been forced to endure while the piping was broken. Celestia focused her magic and opened the valve that was hidden under the sink in the kitchen. Once she heard the sound of the water running through the pipes beneath the floor she made her way towards the corner of the room where a door led to a small washroom. The room was dark and relied on another large tinted window to let light in, but when she opened it the light flooded to reveal the sun rising above the horizon, bathing the large bath that took up most of the already small room in a golden and red light. Closing the door behind her Celestia watched as the bath began to fill up with warm steamy water. Beardy had even been clever enough to create a small contraption that caused the water to stop flowing when it reached a certain level to prevent it overflowing. The bath was also of Beardy’s design and was actually a wooden bowl that had been carved out of an ancient and enormous tree and so fit with the decor of the house perfectly. It still had the bark on the outside but using his magic Beardy made sure it wouldn’t leak and would hold the water without rotting the wood. For some reason it was actually carved out by Iron Shield who wanted to help with its construction. Celestia always wondered why but presumed it was to give Beardy and Iron Shield a chance to catch up seeing as whenever Beardy visited the forest he always stayed with them. Besides, she didn’t mind having Shield around the house and occasionally indulged herself with the idea he wanted to help to be around her.

Thinking about Iron Shield set the butterflies off again in Celestia’s chest. He was such a handsome stallion and was only a few years older than her. Beardy had mentioned that she was lucky that the Iron Shield she knew was actually the son of the Iron Shield he had once known who would have definitely been too old for her. He also mentioned that Iron Shield’s father had actually been the representative of the Crystal Kingdom at the Golden Triangle before the Age of Chaos began. Iron Shield the Younger, as he was known before his father’s death, was actually half Crystal Pony and half Earth Pony, which Celestia always felt was rather intriguing and exotic. The only peculiar thing was his name. Most Crystal Ponies were renowned in legend for being named after precious gems and crystals, but apparently when Iron Shield the Elder had come to Equestria he adopted a more Equestrian name and named his son the same. Iron Shield the Elder had died before he had the chance to give his son a Crystal Pony name, and the fact his son took after his mother and was not crystalised showed how much of him really was Earth Pony.

Though the noble families of the Crystal Kingdom had mainly been Crystal Unicorns, House Snow from which Iron Shield was descended had been granted nobility during an incursion from the Changeling Swarm after a group of Crystal Ponies had rallied their friends and family together and charged ahead of the defenders straight into the swarm and refused to retreat. They managed to keep the Swarm at bay until The Crystal Army arrived leading to the Swarm being routed and sent back to their infernal lands. Since that victory the Snow family was raised up to a noble house and were granted the duty of protecting the Crystal Kingdom from all the threats of the outside world.

So not only was Iron Shield the son of one of the most influential and well loved ponies in all of Equestria from before The Age of Chaos dawned, but he was also part of one of the noble houses of the lost Crystal Kingdom. A lone survivor stranded on the outside world apart from his kin. Beardy had said that should he return to take his place amongst his kin that he too would crystallise and take on the names and titles of his house.

After she had finished dreaming of her shining stallion in even shinier armour Celestia began washing her hair and preening her feathers to look as perfect as possible for their coming guests, though Iron Shield was the one who needed to be impressed the most. Once finished in the bath it was a simple case of pulling a small lever at the side of the bath to open up a vent for the water to drain through. As she climbed out Celestia levitated over her white and pink bath robes, which had been a gift from Iron Shield and the others on her birthday two years ago, and left the bathroom to fetch Luna and command her to make herself presentable for Iron Shield.

“Everything has to be just perfect,” she mumbled to herself as she trotted through the kitchen into the main room to head upstairs.

“Well its good to see my present is not just a hanging wall decoration,” a voice said from behind her just as she turned to go up the stairs. Her entire body froze and each heartbeat felt as long as an age of the earth. Her head slowly spun round to where the voice had come from. At the table sat Rose along with Iron Shield. Both were looking over one of Beardy’s old scrolls that looked like a map, but that was of little interest to Celestia. Seeing Iron Shield’s face caused the butterflies in her chest to almost explode out and the grin on her mother’s face told her that it was just a little obvious. With a quiet little squee and a forced smile Celestia dashed upstairs to send Luna down for her bath.

“Hello little Luna,” Iron Shield said as Luna stumbled down the stairs yawning like a young filly who had stayed up all night. “I didn’t mean to embarrass your sister. I hope she forgives me.”

“Oh, she will, don’t worry, Shield,” Luna replied between yawns.

“Luna remember to be polite to our guest and not yawn in his face,” Rose chided, just as Luna walked straight into one of the two tree trunks that acted as pillars holding up the ceiling.

Both Iron Shield and Rose were laughing as Luna shook the drowsiness from her head and stumbled off towards the kitchen.

“Little Luna seems to be as cute and tired as ever I see. It seems that for a brief few moments after she is woken her mature and thoughtful self is replaced with a cute but somewhat daft filly. I still feel the need to apologise to Celestia when she manages to drag herself back down from her room.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you dear,” Rose said absentmindedly. “She will likely be too focused on not staring at you to remember about it.”

Celestia cursed under her breath. Thanks for that Mother, she thought as Iron Shield continued to laugh in the background. Celestia could feel herself redden at the thought of having to walk back down knowing that both of them will be watching to see what she does.

“Now Rose no need to make me the embarrassed one! From the stories I have heard of my father he would expect me to be a gentlecolt and apologise to the young lady. I will live up to his reputation no matter how little the injury I cause may be, as you very well know.”

Rose’s laughter drifted off slightly as the two of them became silent for a moment. “I remember your father give several speeches to the ponies of Canterlot before the civil war broke out—”

“Please Rose, careful what you say in case the girls hear you.”

Rose obviously hadn’t realised she was speaking out loud. “Sorry Shield. I got carried away thinking about those days. They will find out soon enough anyway. You know, you are the spitting image of your father. I can see why Celestia likes you seeing as I had a crush on him just like Celestia has—”

“Rose! Please!”

Though Celestia could not see him, Shield was beginning to sound as though he was blushing now more than Celestia had been a few moments before. Rose’s giggling only highlighted this all the more as Celestia closed her door quietly and began fixing up her hair. The butterflies that had been battering the inside of her chest had been subdued slightly as she had listened to the later part of their conversation.

Mother used to live in Canterlot, and more importantly she was there before the civil war broke out? How did she escape? The whole city was enslaved or burned alive during the attack from the Order. She surely kept the truth hidden for a reason. Perhaps I should have listened a moment longer to see if she said anything more. Celestia thought this over for a moment and once she was ready steadied her breathing and began the descent down the stairs to the judgement that awaited in the room at the bottom.

“Good morning Celestia,” spoke a voice from behind her at the top of the stairs when she was half way down. Celestia stopped so as to look back at the old pony who looked as though he had slept even less that Luna.

“Good morning Beardy, feeling a little bit like Luna are we?” Celestia grinned at the old pony who was both her teacher and one of her family’s closest friends.

“Now now Celestia, when you reach my age every moment asleep is a moment less to spend doing things that need to be done. And these days I have no shortage of things that need done, and neither do you judging by their conversation downstairs.”

The two of them descended the stairs and entered the main room where Rose and Iron Shield still sat at the long table. What Beardy had just said put Celestia on edge more than a little. The light that poured through the window seemed to freeze time momentarily as it’s beams shone in and reflected off Iron Shield’s armour. Celestia felt a flutter in her heart and the thought of her stallion in shining armour battling the agents of the Order. When Iron Shield saw them enter he stood up onto all four legs and gave a great bow to the old man.

“Starswirl the Bearded, it is an honour to see you are well.” Iron Shield kept his head bowed, if only to hide his grin. “Is it wise for an old man such as yourself to be up and about at this time? Shouldn’t you be saving your strength and stay in bed for a bit longer?”

“Strength! Need I remind you Iron Shield the Younger that even though you have inherited your fathers bravery and valour that it was me who led your father down the path to becoming the legend he is?” Beardy looked as though he was going to unleash all of hell on the Earth Pony in front of him but merely burst into hysterics. “What am I saying, I would love to still be in bed!”

Iron Shield raised his head again and the two of them shared a long laugh together. Watching them Celestia felt that this was right. Laughter was just as important a part of friendship as any other virtue, and these two ponies proved that. Their smiles were the smiles of true friends till the end.

“Come Beardy you must be thirsty, and you too Celestia,” Rose said as she beckoned the two of them over to the table. “Celestia if you would be so kind?” She tilted her head slightly in the direction of the tea pot and the cups that lay in the centre of the table. Without having to think twice, even though her mind was elsewhere pondering over what she had heard earlier, Celestia focused her magic and began pouring a cup for Beardy and another for herself while topping up both her mother and Iron Shield’s cups.

“Have you heard the news from the nearby villages Starswirl?” The tone of his voice seemed off. Celestia thought she could see a slight tinge of anxiety mixed with sorrow in the deepest corners of his eyes, she wanted to ask if he was ok but before she could Beardy spoke.

“Sadly yes. The Order have sacked the old citadel of Constampedeopal. Completely raised to the ground apparently. The Resistance has been forced back to Fort Pegathens as well as the ground fortress they have built beneath the floating city. It is their last refuge..."

Shield nodded. “Should it fall I fear that they will lose their only foothold in the region and be scattered to the wind.” He dipped his head slightly and closed his eyes, the sorrow that had been buried deep within his eyes was no longer hidden. He looked like all hope had left him, and that he knew something that she didn’t.

Celestia looked from his expression to the long black mane that hung loosely around his neck. Only the tiniest slither of his brown neck was visible before his coat was consumed by his mighty armour. She had seen it a few times before when she was a filly but not in many years had he ever had need to wear it. Over the years it had obviously been reforged to ensure it continued to fit him, she could remember the original set which had been forged by Angus for him as a coming of age present. Of course by highlander standards coming of age was younger than for the rest of them.

Celestia’s gaze continued down Shield’s back over the bronze shining metal and onto his flank where emblazoned on the armour was his family crest, which was the same as the cutie mark that lay beneath it. A circular wooden shield that was of such dark brown it appeared almost black. It had a silver ring around the outside and on top of it was the iconic silvery white snowflake of House Snow. A very simple snowflake for a very simple noble house. Beardy had mentioned that throughout history the future leaders of House Snow, who were destined to become defenders of the realm, had not only inherited the titles and duties of their forefathers but had also inherited the same cutie mark. Each heir would eventually be named ‘Commander of the Sentinels and Guardian of the Kingdom’ and was tasked with ensuring that no monsters breached the Crystal Kingdom. Iron Shield the Elder’s cousin was Lord of their house, though sadly most of their family were murdered in an ambush as they made their way to visit Canterlot to discuss the ongoing war against The Order. After that moment Iron Shield the Elder was no longer the Regent Lord and became the full fledged Lord of House Snow and in turn the right to lead his house passed on to Iron Shield the Younger. Since the defeat of Equestria and her allies Iron Shield had been cut off from his birthright which now lay hidden behind an impenetrable magic shield that hid the entire kingdom from the world. As Shield began to speak again Celestia snapped out of her daydreaming and focused on what he was saying while forcing herself to not stare at him.

“If the Order defeats the Resistance then our last hope of finding any allies will be lost.”

Beardy looked upon the colt while he thought of an answer. Starswirl the Bearded was the most powerful mage in Equestria and all the lands beyond its borders Rose had told her once, if there was ever a pony who could be inspirational in another’s time of need he was the one. His stories of the days before Equestria was formed were all accounts of the many paths he had followed in his life, as well as the many more paths he had put others on that led to some of the greatest heroes, legends and events in Equestrian history. Beardy placed his cup on the table and spoke with a tone that captivated Celestia like she was watching one of the ancient legends unfolding before her very eyes.

“My child, the Order might one day cast down the Resistance and leave us stranded. An island of pure mist in a sea of darkness and evil, with no friends left but each other. But, there will never be a day when hope ceases to exist. If you lose hope, it is because you choose to leave it behind rather than because it has left you.” Beardy eyes moved to gaze out of the yellow tinted window, through the many diamond shapes it was created from to the farthest horizon and beyond. “So long as somepony is willing to stand up against the Order and says so, hope will never be quenched.”

Iron Shield lifted his head at Beardy’s words, a look of determination had taken over him and he thumped a hoof down on the table. “Your right Starswirl, we are the Wardens of the Sun and Moon and we will stand by our virtues even in the face of Discord himself. For it has been seen in the heavens that he will be free soon enough and that we must stand against him.”

“Sorry the Wardens of what?” Celestia couldn’t control herself. She didn’t understand what she was hearing now and felt she had missed an entire conversation and everyone had somehow moved onto a new subject. Beardy looked over to Rose and then to Iron Shield who both nodded to him.

“Freya has seen it in the heavens. She, Nzuri and Angus are making their way here now. I spoke to Rose when I first arrived and she agrees it is time.”

“It is time we told you the entire story my daughter. Fetch your sister dear, the others will be here soon. When all are here we may begin.” Rose looked at Celestia with an alien expression. She was crying. Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes and slowly dripped down her cheeks and onto the table. Rose never cried. Rose had no reason to cry.

Celestia sat there a moment, time had frozen all around her. She did not know what to make of all this. After a moment that felt like eternity she stood up without a word and turned away from them without looking at any of them. Making her way to the kitchen she tried to block out her mother’s sobs. What could bring such a happy pony to suddenly break down into tears? But she would soon know it all apparently. Right now all she had to do was find her sister who, in true Luna fashion, was probably sound asleep in the bath and totally oblivious of what was being said in the room right next to her.

Chapter 2 - Invisible Guardians

Almost everyone they knew sat at the table. All of them were the faces of friends and family, yet they were also strangers. Ponies who were familiar to her but seemed alien, like those in your dreams. Luna looked to her sister who sat staring forward without blinking. She could tell Celestia was scared. Neither of them knew what was going on. Luna stretched out a wing to her beloved sister and wrapped it over her back, embracing her. She knew the moment Celestia had woken her in the bath that something was wrong. Truthfully, Luna already knew something was wrong.

As she had slept she had felt the dreams of Beardy in the room next door. Normally he dreamt of strange magical contraptions and cities that were powered by clockwork. The mind of a mage was a truly strange yet wondrous place, but last night it was different. Instead of great cities that ticked and tocked as the sun jittered across the sky, Beardy was atop a great mountain. Around him were the spires of a great palace that cut straight into the clouds above them and stood tall and proud. Looking down from the mountainside he could see the palace far below and a great city that stretched out for what felt like eternity, ending in a magnificent waterfall that fell from the edge of the city to the lands far below out of sight. It felt normal at first Luna could recall. But the sky darkened. The purple domes and spires of the city became as black as night. Ponies ran about in the streets frantically trying to escape the crumbling buildings that were shattered by flaming rocks that fell from the sky. From within craters left behind dark, malevolent beasts of all shapes and sizes came forth into the world. These monstrosities tore ponies limb from limb and fed on their screams which seemed to transform into cackles of wicked laughter. Beardy could do nothing but stare in horror as the city was massacred by these chaotic minions. He awoke suddenly as a shadow loomed over him from behind and whispered in his ear.

“Would you like to play a game Starswirl? Oh I do love games, don’t you? Lets make this the first rule, no flying no magic.”

As the deep and menacing laughing had past, Luna could tell Beardy was afraid. Afraid that Discord knew of Celestia and Luna’s existence, yet this not only terrified him but also left him puzzled. Luna didn’t get to learn why it had such an effect on Beardy, when he awoke her connection to his mind was broken. She didn’t want to reveal her secret ability to enter the dreams of others so the only option was to wait for the others to tell the whole story and then patch it all together.

Facing away from the window sat Iron Shield and Beardy. Beside Beardy was Freya Moongazer, Beardy’s previous student before she took on Luna and her sister. Luna had always had a strong connection with Freya, for she was also a lover of the night. Her special talent was being able read the symbols that dotted the moon and decipher them into tales of what came before as well as what was to come. Even Beardy admitted it was a school of mysticism he had never understood and rarely heard of, but that it was a gift that would one predict the return of a nightmare.

Luna often wondered how Beardy knew such things, but every time she asked he merely said, “The monks told me”.

Her eyes drifted back from her daydreams and memories to the unicorn. Freya was slender, with a dark blue coat and a purple mane and tail that were cropped short. She looked almost as young as Luna and Celestia so no one meeting her for the first time would expect her to be as knowledgable and mature as she was.

Next to Freya at the head of the table across from them was the vacant space where Rose had been. Rose was in the kitchen making more tea and bringing food for Freya and the two other new arrivals.

Luna began to lose herself for a moment in thought as she stared at the empty chair across from her. The real world around her shifted, the magical world she descended into when lost in thought started to rise around her, like a gentle mist on a calm spring morning. Luna felt at peace when her mind was in this state. A little realm for a little pony, she would think to herself as she drifted off to sleep at night and the mystical tendrils of silvery mist slowly crept their way into the corners of her vision, encasing her in their dim light. Luna eventually realised that only she could see this world. Sometimes she wondered if this was a strange form of magic that tied in with her connection to the dreams of others and the moon. Looking through the tinted glass to the sky high above, the moon was indeed lingering on the horizon. Perhaps thats why I can feel the mists now.

“Well the last time I seen you two young lassies was when Celestia was bouncing off the walls with excitement at her present and Luna was peaking out from behind the pillar in the centre of the room, too timid to come say hello.”

The deep voice brought Luna back from her peaceful realm and the mists dissipated from around her. Luna looked to her right to the giant pony that sat around the corner from Celestia. Celestia didn’t seem to register that the massive highlander had said anything and continued to stare forward at the table.

The mountain of orange fur was looking at Luna with a sad expression before speaking again. “You remember me don’t you lass?”

“Yes sir, you’re old Angus,” Luna said as she smiled at the gentle giant. “It has been a long time since you have visited us though, seeing as Beardy had sent you on your own quest.”

“Old?! I may have a few grey hairs about to pop out my head, but I am still as young and as fit as an adolescent Buffalo!” the mighty Angus Hammerfall fixed his gaze on the door to the kitchen where Rose still lingered. “You been telling your girls that I’m old now?” Angus let out a thunderous laugh and stamped a hoof on the ground. “I hope you’ve no made me out to be some kind of old decrepit fool now! Oh, no offence,” Angus quickly added as he remembered he was sat at a table with possible the oldest pony in all of Equestria.

“So are you now trying to tell them I am the old, decrepit fool Angus?” Beardy raised an eyebrow and Iron Shield snorted as he chuckled to himself.

“Angus, we all know your not old or decrepit. Your manage to keep up with me after all, and your nearly twice me age,” Iron Shield said with a wicked grin.

Hearing the voice of her ‘stallion in shining armour’, Celestia began to stir slightly. Though Luna was glad Celestia was coming round from the darker corner of her mind, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at her.

“Though you do choose a strange way to fight your enemies which I have never understood, so perhaps you are going senile after all.”

“Lets no get into this again boy! I’ve lost count of the number of times you mocked me even when you were just a wee colt. Of course you don’t understand though. You spend that entire fight just there hidden in that wee tin can of yours, and so don’t have to worry about fighting off giant beasts that simply tear you open with a single swipe of their claws. No chance you would get me in one of them cans, and I only ever forged you one because Beardy here told me to. Give me a giant claymore any day and I’ll show you what a true highlander fights like!”

“Perhaps we should save your hoof measuring for another time boys?” Freya said in her gentle voice that was so mystical she could even subdue the mighty Angus of Clan Mountain Hammer. “We do have important business to attend to and I don’t think the girls have any interest in hearing your tall tales any more.”

“Tall tales is it now? I’m starting to feel I was summoned here just to be insulted! See you though, you’ve always been an odd one Freya. Your a Unicorn though so that might explain all that magical jiggery pockery that you hide behind when the tough gets going. Again, no offence Beardy.” Angus cast everyone at the table a wicked but charming grin that even managed to break a smile across Celestia’s face and bring her back into the present moment.

“Though this back and forth is delightful, like Freya said let’s talk something a little more insightful?” The final member of the group spoke at last. Luna was always intrigued by her mannerisms and speech, but on top of that she wasn’t a pony either. Nzuri was in fact a Zebra, a descendant of the ancient and powerful Zephyrian Zebra who once ruled most of the known world in the days before ponies found this land. “What Freya says is true, but I cannot think straight without some of Rose’s tasty stew.” She tilted her head towards the kitchen as Rose appeared through the doorway carrying a large pot from one of her front legs.

“Mother, I will carry it for you,” Celestia said the moment she saw her. Though Earth Ponies could carry things just as well as anypony else it was a lot easier for those who possessed magic, and Celestia was determined to always help their Mother in any little way she could. Luna always admired her sister for trying to be so kind just like Rose. She would help out too at times but for a task like this she was not needed, and Celestia was more than willing and capable of bringing the food and tea out for everyone.

“Thank you my dear,” Rose said with a warm smile. Her eyes were still puffy from when she had been crying earlier, but Celestia simply kissed her on the cheek before moving to the doorway of the kitchen and levitated everything through while Rose made her way towards the head of the table. “I trust my daughters have kept you entertained then? Or has it once again descended into who is best pony?” Rose asked the odd group arranged at the table.

Angus stood up to his full enormous height and bowed deeply to Rose as she sat down. “Lady Rose, its an honour to be graced with your beautiful presence once again. I fear that over the years I may have aged and withered, just a bit at least. But you my lady, are as radiant as the day I first set my eyes on you.” As he lifted his head he winked at her, leaving all the others there to either roll their eyes or smack their hooves to their forehead. Angus just down sat back down again grinning like a mischievous little colt.

“It’s very kind of you to say so dear,” Rose said, “but I don’t believe you could wither away at all. You are one of the strongest of all of Clan Mountain Hamm—”

“Ahem, I believe you mean the strongest of all of the highlander ponies,” Angus corrected her jokingly, which was met with yet more facehooves from the others.

“Yes of course thats what I meant to say sweetie, my apologies,” Rose said as she continued to smile. Luna looked at her mother’s beautiful smile and noticed that she was using it against Angus who had frozen in place. Rose must have momentarily stopped the heart of Angus as he remained speechless for a good few moments before nodding in what was obviously the most manly expression he could muster at that point.

“This food was definitely worth that long haul, forgive me if my mouth is too full to speak at all!” Nzuri was already ploughing her way through a bowl of Rose’s vegetable stew, obviously the trek to get here had been a long and hard one for her. Luna had met Nzuri several times before when Rose would take her two daughters for walks in the forests. Nzuri was always out searching the forest floor for rare plants and collecting herbs while talking to herself in the exotic language of her tribe.

“Shouldn’t we be discussing the Order and what our next move is?” Iron Shield asked. He was born to be a soldier it seemed, eager to get down to business and beat the bad guys the moment everyone was ready to listen.

“Not just yet.” Beardy looked over at Luna and then Celestia in turn as she sat back down. In that moment he looked old and weary, as if all his long years had suddenly caught up to him and now were a burden on his shoulders, making even the tiniest of movements a momentous task. “First of all we must tell you two the entire story, from the beginning.”

Beardy lifted his head and gazed absentmindedly into the air in front of him before he started muttering a strange incantation. His horn started to glow a bright blue colour, then all of a sudden the cottage fell away from Luna and she was suspended in the mists that she would see when she drifted off into her own little realm of dreams. None of the others were anywhere to be seen but Beardy’s voice rang out clearly from all around as he explained the vision that began to weave into existence all around her. Luna instantly recognised the story. She had heard it before when Beardy used to tell them tales around the fire, but this time she knew that this version would be quite different.

* * * * *

“Every year on Hearths Warming Eve everypony would tell the story of how Equestria was founded. Of how the three tribes; the Earth Ponies; the Unicorn; and the Pegasi; all came together and found harmony through friendship. By putting their differences aside, similarly to how our strange group of friends has, they were able to build up a great nation that was meant to stand the test of time.

The Earth Ponies farmed the rich land to provide food aplenty for their kin. The Unicorns used their magic to build strong cities that became the jewels of their nation, including the ancient capital city of Canterlot. The Pegasi explored the farthest corners of their new homeland in search of wonders to share with every Equestrian.”

“To the South-West the Saddle Arabians joined them, as did the Crystal Ponies to the North. The Saddle Arabians dwelt in the vast Arabian deserts that began where Equestria ended and they were masters of architecture, astronomy, trade and exploration. The Crystal Ponies ruled the Crystal Kingdom, a tiny nation in the frozen wastes that was protected by a great magical power and mighty knights such as the legendary Sapphire Knight that meant they lived in a utopia within the wastes, where the snow and evil beasts could not tread. The three nations formed a strong bond and prospered standing at one anothers sides through thick and thin, but it was not meant to last. In the coming years, a new tale was to be told of how Equestria, the land we cherished and loved, was burned.”

“Equestria and her allies grew stronger with each passing year. Their natural resources became the envy of many. Their cities shone like jewels in an otherwise bland rock. Their combined might was legendary and no one could possibly threaten them so long as their united banners flew side by side. However, it was not a threat from another land that led to war. It came from a cult of mad, delusional ponies who sought to bring chaos into what could have been a perfect world. They dreamt of a world where the laws of physics, magic and ponies gave way to the whims of the Mad-God, Discord. Imprisoned within the dark and subterranean prison of Tartarus he was meant to never see the sun or moon for all eternity, but when the Order of Chaos began to move once again, one of the chains that bound him broke and fell to the floor, with such thunder it awoke him. And he knew they were coming for him and his laugher echoed through the dark world of Tartarus and caused the hairs of his watchers to stand on edge as his echoes clawed their way throughout the subterranean realm.”

“When they finally came, the Order waged a war from the shadows on Equestria. The Golden Triangle, representatives from all three of the pony tribes and their allied nations, tried to halt the advance of the Order, but their armies could not meet the forces of the Order in open battle. The warlocks and conjurors of the Order summoned creatures from nightmares that tore through the ranks of the United Equestrian Armies in ambushes as they traveled across the land in search of the hidden agents of chaos. Even the legendary Crystal Knights could not best the darkest of these monsters from the void. In the end Canterlot was lost after a siege that lasted nearly a week. The ponies were scattered and Equestria was claimed by Eris, the leader of the Order. Saddle Arabia was shattered into many smaller nations that fought over what was left of their once vast sultanate. The Crystal Ponies poured the magic of their noble houses into their protective barrier until it hid them completely from the outside world. Equestria, less than twenty years after its founding, had fallen.”

“It is said that in one of the smaller chapels to the many gods of the Equestrians a mare fled and prayed for help to end the war and save what was left of their kin. As her tears hit the shattered floor a great light appeared before her and two young foals were formed within it from the dust that covered the altar. One was as white as the purest snow and the other as blue as the deepest ocean. They were the first of ponykind to ever possess the wings of a Pegasus and the horn of a Unicorn. From the light a voice spoke and told the mare that these two foals and the magic they would one day wield were the only hope of defeating Discord and his Order. The mare was to take them and raise them far from the eyes of the Order and ensure that both reached adulthood. If Discord was to find them before they were able to fully control their power then the world would forever be shaped and governed by the desires of the Mad-God. The mare promised the great power before her that she would care for them like they were her own and ensure they were protected from harm. With that she took the foals and everything else she could carry in her saddlebags and fled the burning Canterlot before any of the Order could find them.”

“It was only a few days later that the Order took Canterlot as their seat of power and ruled over the Equestrians with utter ruthlessness. Those who fell in line and accepted their place beneath Discord’s chosen were treated less horribly than those who opposed their rule. There were some ponies who openly rebelled against the Order. They took up arms and fought to try and take back their homes. The leaders of the rebels were those of The Golden Triangle who had escaped and now led the Equestrian Resistance against their new masters, but they are totally unaware of the events that occurred in that small chapel in Canterlot on the final night of the siege. Truthfully very few knew what had happened. Only those who could be trusted with the future of Equestria were told and had to swear an oath to protect the two Alicorns from the madness of Discord, as well as the rebels who would use them as a weapon against their foes. Those who didn’t take the oath had their memories of the Alicorns taken from them through magic and then were left to continue their lives as they would have done. Those few that did pledge their allegiance came to call themselves The Wardens of the Sun and Moon and would spend the rest of their days fighting to protect their charges until they met their destinies, or death took them.”

* * * * *

Luna sat there in silence. As the story sank into her mind and the mists around her evaporated she was once again in their cottage at that same wooden table with all the others. Everyone was now looking at both her and Celestia expectantly. Luna thought about all she had heard. These Wardens of the Sun and Moon were those sitting at the table around them. The mare who carried the two Alicorns off into the darkness away from Canterlot was her mother Rose. The two Alicorns, and indeed the “Sun and Moon” that were being guarded, she presumed were her and Celestia. They had the power in them to defeat Discord and the Order and end the reign of chaos, for they are just like him.

They were Demi-Gods. They were the creations of a Goddess, the Goddess that spoke to Rose and entrusted the two of them with her. Part of Luna’s mind felt that this Goddess was in some way her true mother and that Rose was a guardian of some kind, but the mists in her mind whispered to her saying this was not the case. The Goddess may have created her and Celestia, but it was Rose who had raised them. It was Rose who had cared for them, taught them all they knew and it was Rose who would lay down her life to protect them from Discord if he was to ever come here. Luna cast her gaze across the faces of all those present and finally let her eyes focus on her mother. Tears were again running down Rose’s cheeks as she tried to keep her composure and speak to them.

“I know I am not the one who brought you into this world girls, but I love you the same way any other mother loves her daughters. I understand that you might feel angry that I did not tell you the truth, but if I had then all those years of laughter and joy that you both had as young fillies would have been lost. Sometimes the truth is best kept a secret until the time is right.”

Rose looked from Luna to Celestia and the tears continued to stream down her cheeks and into the tea that lay before her. The ripples seemed to cascade out from the point the droplets pierced the hot liquid. Perhaps right now Rose felt that the truth was piercing her heart too, as she feared what Celestia and Luna would think of her. Almost before Luna could reply a pink glow had surrounded Rose’s tea cup and it levitated to the side and was replaced with a tissue that Celestia had hovered over from one of the smaller tables in the corner.

“You will always be my mother,” Celestia simply said. “You may not have been the mare that brought us into the world. But you are the mare that saved us from a world of fire and evil at the hooves of the Order. You were the one that cared for us and loved us. You were the one that played with us and taught us all we know and no matter what, I will always love you like a daughter loves her mother.” Celestia had moved to be beside Rose and was nuzzling her gently. She wrapped one of her white wings around Rose and embraced her. Luna continued to watch them both for a moment longer before speaking.

“Mother, you might not have given birth to us, but you did bring us into the world,” Luna’s voice was very calm and soft as it usually was. She was certain in her feelings and held no doubt in her mind that Rose was her true mother. “It was your prayer that brought us into the world and so regardless of how life came to be within us, you are our mother.” Following her sister’s example, Luna moved over to the opposite side of Rose and cuddled up to her.

Rose’s lips curved into a sweet smile after hearing her daughters words.

“Thank you my angels,” she whispered as she closed her eyes and let out a sigh that was both relief and happiness.

Luna opened her eyes to look at all the others at the table. They each looked back with the same happiness that was in Rose and Celestia’s eyes. Like Beardy had taught her once, the eyes are the gateways to the soul, if you learn to read them you can see what somepony is thinking just through them alone. To Luna they all looked overjoyed that she and her sister had heard the truth and still loved Rose. It was something that had bothered them, many would probably want to know why they weren’t told sooner that they were the last hope for all of pony (and Zebra) kind. It’s not exactly something you get told over breakfast along with the chores you had to do for the day.

It was Freya who spoke first out of them all. “Perhaps we can leave anything else we have to discuss until later on?”

Iron Shield, Nzuri and Angus all nodded. Beardy then stood up. “Very well my friends. We shall discuss the matter more tomorrow and for now we can spend the rest of the day just being together. It has been a long time since we were all together like this, a long time indeed.”

After finishing their food everyone began chatting and looking over various scrolls or books and even some of Luna’s paintings on the walls. Some divided into pairs to chat and catch up with one another while the others went through to the kitchen to help Rose tidy up after the meal. After helping wash all the dishes and put them away Luna was sitting alone, looking out of the large yellow tinted window and the many little diamond segments that made it up. The light that came through it was golden and warm, but the small net like shadow that was cast by the metal bars that formed the diamonds was cold. It was almost as if a cold snare had been put over her under a burning light. Luna knew that both she and her sister had now been placed under that spotlight. What was expected of them was unthinkable, impossible and insane. Luna’s thoughts drifted away from the task that lay before her and back to some of Beardy’s words.

Celestia must be the sun they are guarding, she thought, and I am the moon, but what does that mean? Do we really have the power to control such things and is this where my connection to the moon comes from?

“You should not trouble yourself with such thoughts little one,” Nzuri said from behind her. The slender Zebra moved to Luna’s side and sat down to stare out of the window with her. “It may just spoil the warmth of the afternoon sun.”

How do you… can you hear me?

Nzuri continued looking out the window at the sun as its slowly began its descent from high above towards the horizon. This day still had many hours to go Luna reckoned, it had not been a long one but nor was it over in the blink of an eye it seemed. The Order did not bother to lower or raise the sun as they should be, instead they did as they pleased and used them as tools to create fear and show their dominance over Equestria.

“Certain herbs in this forest can grant power when combined, this particular concoction allows access to the mind.” Nzuri leaned in closer and whispered into her ear, “Your sisters thoughts about Iron Shield, tell me, when do you think they will be revealed?”

Luna shot her a look of feigned horror and genuine disbelief. “Nzuri! Why would you go looking into somepony’s mind for stuff like that?”

Nzuri lifted her front hooves up and shrugged. Luna couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her sitting like that.

“I was experimenting with the brew, I have to admit the entire experience is rather new. I wasn’t meaning to pry, as you know sometimes I can be rather shy.”

“Nzuri my dear,” Beardy said from the mountains of parchments and scrolls by the fire that he, Iron Shield and Angus had been looking over, “Once you become a mage of my calibre you learn to be able to read minds without the need of your alchemical powers, so I could tell you why you really wanted to read peoples minds… If you wanted to know how the hot water piping in this house works all you had to do was ask me. Though I suppose some field testing is needed when your experimenting with new elixirs.”

On either side of Beardy Angus and Iron Shield looked at each other completely perplexed before Angus let our a booming laugh. He was so loud that Celestia, Rose and Freya all came through from the kitchen to see what was happening, but it was too late. His infectious laughter had began to circulate around the entire room and now everyone was giggling and smiling at one another, even though the three who had just come out the kitchen didn’t have a clue what was going on.

Nzuri stopped and looked out the window.

“In the forest dark Shadows loom, bred for a single purpose from evils womb.”

A cold feeling crept up Luna’s spine at those words, a feeling she had never felt before. As the sound of laughter died all around her, a dark fear took hold of her like a collar around her throat as the sun high above started to dim. The long shadows of the trees looked as though they were trying to claw their way towards the cottage. Within the shadows, small shapes moved with red glowing eyes that pierced Luna’s soul. From the tree line several ponies came into view. Most wore black armour and carried swords in their mouths while one stood out amongst them. Slightly smaller than the armoured ones, hooded and cloaked. It was wrapped in dark robes and, while you could not see any of its face, Luna felt its black eyes burning into her through the glass. It could see her.

“Get the girls and Rose to safety!” Beardy was looking around at the others there. “The rest of you grab your weapons. We cannot let any of them escape to tell Eris where the girls are!”

Nzuri jumped to her hooves and vaulted over Luna to the other side of the table. When she landed she pulled from the pocket of her cloak two strange curved daggers that she then latched onto her hooves like talons. The look she gave Luna was calm as she merely nodded before turning to find Angus, Iron Shield and Freya already prepared to fight. A fire was burning in Angus’ eyes and the great warhammer he somehow managed to hold in his mouth proved he was eager for a fight. Freya used her unicorn magic to levitate over her silver battle-staff, which as it neared her, began to glow as a multitude of white symbols seemed to etch themselves across it. Iron Shield was dressed in the armour Luna had seen him wear a hundred times, only this time he too was armed for battle. A harness had been hooked onto his armour across his back that meant on his left an enormous shield could be hung, and on the right side a spear pointed forward like a mighty lance. As if that wasn’t enough a sheathed sword was within reach of his mouth in case the fighting got too close for comfort.

The four of them galloped out the door one by one. Though their weapons were the first things to pass through the doorway, it was the marking Luna had come to identify them with that were the last things she saw of them. Each one burned into her memory, like a series of still images in a frozen world. The snowflake crested shield of Iron Shield that was emblazoned on his armoured flank as well as his shield; the telescope and spiralling stars of Freya that fluttered in and out of sight from beneath her billowing cloak; the hammer and claymore of Angus that was visible loud and proud on his bare flank; and the zebra stripes in the shape of an alchemical flask that covered the flank of Nzuri that too came in and out of view.

What if I never see them again?

“Luna! Quick come with us!” Celestia called out to her from a door that had appeared beside the entrance to the stairs. A hidden room? Meant for an event such as this occur? Luna remained frozen in place, the eyes of the Shadows outside burned into the back of her head still, and she had to force down a scream as she shakily stood up, stumbling slightly, before galloped over to the disguised doorway. Beardy quickly gave the three of them one last look before speaking to Rose.

“Keep them safe.”

The panel slid shut firmly behind him as they were plunged into darkness.

Chapter 3 - Dark Sun, Dark News

The tall spires of Canterlot jutted upwards towards the sky, piercing the lower clouds and emerging once again high above them like the spears and banners of a vast army. The light from the sun was dim, barely making it through the overcast sky to reach the cold and quiet city below. An eerie shadow, cast by the mountain upon which the city was perched, fell across the trade district as the sun began its descent towards the horizon from high above. As the day went by the shadow would slowly swallowed up each of the city’s districts in turn until it was consumed by darkness in the evening. Demoralised ponies went about their business in the streets far below under the constant gaze of the Chaos Guard. These servants of the Order were covered from head to hoof in black-spiked armour with red tints across the various joints that connected the parts together. The ponies of Canterlot would cower away as these fearsome creatures marched through the streets. One mare managed to drop a basket of food in the middle of the cobbled street that led directly from the city gates to the castle. As several guards neared her she backed away under the canopy of a nearby shop and watched as her family’s supper was ground into the dirt before her. Her ears dropped back as she whimpered beneath their ghostly shadows, but none of them paid her any attention and instead continuing their haunting march down towards the main gate.

Eris looked down on the ponies with disgust.

“Pitiful wimps,” he muttered under his breath, just as one of his officers approached through the double doors to his chambers. It was a large domed room right at the top of one of the palace towers, with an enormous balcony that let him view the world for miles in every direction. Eris looked out over the city, his long black and purple robes hung loosely around him and stirred gently in the wind. Beneath them, his scarred and scorched body was dotted with metal plates and castes that held his body together, allowing him to move as normal as well as offer some protection. His grey mane and tail were kept short, though from beneath his robes only the tips of his mane could be seen, slightly covering his deep purple eyes. When he had finished glaring out over the still partially ruined city he nodded, indicating the officer could now speak.

“My Lord,” the newcomer began, taking a deep bow to the lord commander, “Our Legions have sacked the old citadel of Constampedeopal and routed the Resistance’s forces back to where we presume Fort Pegathens to be hidden. Several of the rebels were captured and brought back here for questioning.”

“I understand why they were brought back.” Eris kept staring out into the open sky that reeked of despair and anguish for a moment before continuing, “What I don’t understand is why you have come here to tell me this?”

“I merely wished to let you know there were fresh captives, my Lord.” The officer took a few steps back from Eris, afraid of what Eris might do should he displease him. “I also have information of a potential second rebellion of sorts.”

Eris turned on the officer at those words. He was a veteran and had seen many battles, the burns and scars across his face showed he had seen too many summoning rituals that had gone wrong. But in his expression his true feelings were laid out bare for Eris to see. Loyalty. Loyalty to his lord commander; loyalty to the realm he now served to protect; and loyalty to the Mad-God. Eris’ eyes burned into him as he spoke.

“How did you learn this?”

The officer was stood there, shaken by the sudden anger that was building inside Eris.

“As our forces were returning from the battle at Constampedeopal several scouts noticed two ponies entering an ancient forest. Several of our legionnaires along with a warlock were sent in to follow them. Both ponies carried a lot of supplies so we suspected there may be a Resistance camp inside. The areas surrounding the Birdsong Woods are known to be sympathetic towards the rebellion due to their distance from the capital, however, they traveled deep into the forest and eventually came to a small cottage. At first we thought nothing of it until the Warlock reported back to us that inside the cottage were two ponies that had both the wings of a Pegasus and the horn of a Unicorn.”

Eris felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he lift his hoof and waved the officer away. As he left, Eris waited for the doors to close before moving to the tower’s balcony. Focusing his magic he began to mutter the words of the incantation that would allow him to see through the eyes of one of the many demons his warlocks could summon. When it was complete he felt his body shifting into that of the Shadow. It was a sensation that caused many first attempting it to scream as they felt their body moulding and tearing apart to become that of the Shadow they took possession of. These creatures did not have legs and instead used their massive hooked claws to drag themselves across the ground. Their red eyes were socketed into what would appear to be just a mass of moving trails of black magic. They were not truly a physical creature and were instead an apparition conjured from the dark void beyond the worlds, but they could still fall to the blade of an enemy.

What he saw before him was the cottage the officer had mentioned. He whispered into the mind of the nearby Warlock to move back a safer distance along with the Legionnaires and await his command. Inside the cottage he could clearly see a gathering of ponies and what was in fact a Zebra at a long wooden table. What caught his eye most though was the oldest member of the group.

Starswirl the Bearded. The one pony that was the sole cause for the full rebellion the Order now had on their hooves. He was the one responsible for getting some of The Golden Triangle to safety and organising the remnants of the Equestrian military into a fighting force that adapted their strategies to combat the Order’s magic and creatures. The tables had completely turned. No longer was it the Order ambushing the United Equestrian Armies to gain the upper hoof. Since seizing power The Order had to create its own armies to control the realm, and that meant they were now the ones being ambushed. The rebels had adapted and now moved tactically, striking at areas that had the fewest Legionnaires and using newly created Unicorn magic to prevent the Warlocks from summoning their monsters. And it was all because of this one pony.

“So you think you have found a new place to hide old fool,” Eris said as he watched Starswirl talking with the others at the table. Several times Eris had to destroy the Shadow he was in and possess another as he noticed the Zebra suddenly looking out the window in the direction of him.

Damn Zebras and their ancient forsaken witchcraft, Eris thought as he clenched his teeth together. Even though he was used to controlling the beasts from the void it still was painful to destroy one you were currently possessing. All of a sudden a white pony came through from a room round the back with her head hung low as a smaller purple and sleepy looking pony followed behind her. Eris felt his heart stop for a moment as he realised what he was witnessing. These two were the ponies that the conjurors, those who used dark powers to prophesies the future, had spoken of.

And the sun and moon shall take on pony form, their magic when fully grown will charge a storm.

To us they may seem like nothing but misshapen creatures of blood and flesh.

To young to conquer, to weak to unite ponies afresh.

But to our Master they spell his doom, and the age of their kind shall be upon us soon.

Eris watched the two Alicorns as they sat at the table and joined in the conversation the others were all having. He remained still for a few moments longer thinking of how he should handle this. Calling in more troops will take time and they may have moved on by then. He raked his brain trying to think of an alternative to sending in a group of mushy Shadows who would be useless against the giant highlander and armoured knight that sat at the table. Even with the support of a few Legionnaires and a Warlock it would be difficult to do anything other than alert them to the fact he knew about them now.

Returning to his normal body Eris used his powers to commanded the Warlock in the forest to cast the Shadows back to their realm until they were needed again. His metal covered hooves rang out as he moved across the marble floor towards the giant lectern that sat between the enormous book shelves that surrounded the wall of his study. The candles that were dotted across the shelves around him floated upwards and lit as he approached. Focusing his magic he opened the old tattered book that lay on the stand. Its black cover was coated in a permanent film of dust from the centuries it had endured and the pages were old and stiffened from the many hooves that had turned them over and over in the books lifetime. He knew which section he needed. The spell he was searching for would have two purposes. For a start it would briefly empower the Shadows to become stronger and endure more before dissipating back into nothing more than dark mist and dust. However, it would also cause all of Equestria to cower in fear at the might of their Master. Upon reaching the page he called on one of the guards to his study.

“Bring me one of the captives from the last battle.”

The guard bowed and left for the dungeons. Eris looked through all the incantations and symbols needed for the coming spell and began preparing everything on the balcony that was necessary.

Not long after, two guards returned carrying a small blue Pegasus between them. His mane had been burned off by his captors and the scars across his body showed that he had been entertaining the crueler of Eris’ soldiers as they returned back to Canterlot. He fell to the floor when released and his jaw cracked against the unyielding marble, causing him to whimper as newly sparked pain ran wracked his body.

“Leave now,” Eris ordered the guards.

After they were alone Eris dragged the buck to the balcony where a giant cross awaited. Its bottom two points were joined to hinges on the edge of the balcony while the top points were held aloft by winches and pulleys to stand the cross up straight. Eris used his magic to lower the cross and nailed the colt’s legs to each of the four points on it. The screams of pain that came from him were heard across the city as they were carried down by the winds that weaved throughout the jutting towers and enormous domes. As he raised the buck back up so that the cross was in view of the entire city, Eris cleared his throat and focused his magic to project his voice throughout the streets and buildings of his city.

“Pitiful creatures of delusion and sorrow. Your pathetic attempts to overthrow our rule touches my mind.” He waited a moment to ensure he had the full attention of every pony below him before continuing. “Your continual revolting is commendable, yet saddening. To stand against our Order is to sign away the lives of those whom you love in your own blood.”

“You fear us. You fear chaos. You fear the unknown powers we possess. Because of this, you fight for the falsities that are order; hope; wisdom; and justice. As one of my old friends once taught me, fear is a lie that exists in your minds eye and tries to cloud over your judgement. What you fear is what will happen to you and your kin should you accept our rule. I am telling you now that this fear is not necessary. If we truly wished you all dead, then you are already dead, and so there is nothing to be scared of.”

Eris raised his voice so that it carried beyond Canterlot into the lands beyond the city as he drew energy from the life of the Pegasus, whose breathing was growing shallower and fainter with each passing moment. He felt the blood in the buck veins empower the spell as he boomed out in his mighty voice. “Cast away your fear, and look at what you can achieve with us!”

The colt on the cross went limp. Then the true power behind the spells magic began to take hold. As droplets of blood fell to the white marble floor of the balcony the sun began to dim. Cries of panic erupted across the city and ponies ran out into the streets to stare in horror as the sun slowly dimmed until it was the dark red of blood.

“You cannot comprehend the power of raw chaos!” Eris shouted across the mobs of ponies in the streets. He knew he had their full undivided attention now and that each would hear his words crystal clear. “Your hearts desires can be granted. Your families can be protected and fed. You can have wealth and power beyond your wildest dreams.”

Eris cast his mind back to the Warlock in the woods near the cottage, ordering him it was time to harness the blood sun and summon forth great beasts to aid in the attack on the cottage.

Kill them all my children, he whispered to them as they turned to face the small wood and thatched building that housed the destruction of their Master. Let them burn.

As he returned to his balcony and collected himself and looked out with glee at the fear and horror upon the faces of those far below.

“Chaos, is your salvation. If you fight us, you will all be lost to history.”

Chapter 4 - Towards a Brighter Future

Celestia felt the darkness around her, its menacing presence crushing her down into the depth of its heart. How long had she been here? It felt like months, but that was impossible. A small voice in her head was telling her that it had only been a few minutes. Her breathing was heavy. Luna clung tightly to Celestia’s leg as their mother wrapped her forelegs around them both to shield them from the Shadows that had found their home. Celestia felt Luna’s grip loosen. Her breathing steadied as they sat motionless in the darkness. Somehow, something was calming Luna in the pitch blackness around them, but Celestia could only feel its cold touch against her skin.

The darkness embraces its children.

A familiar voice spoke in the depths of her mind. Celestia sat frozen in terror but neither of the others seemed to hear it. Rose continued to hold her daughters tight out of fear she might lose them, whereas Luna seemed almost at peace in the dark…

Was it my imagination playing tricks on me? Celestia strained her ears to listen to what was happening beyond the secret panel that hid them from the Shadows.

The sounds of the fighting outside had died down and now silence had claimed their darkened world as well as the world beyond. It was deafening. Like a great weight pressed against the inside of her ear, it felt as though all sound was being blocked from entering their world. Celestia’s heart was pounding in her chest as she thought of all the possibilities of what was out there awaiting them. Was it going to be a small host of evil creatures who sought to kill them? Or would it be a group of friends chatting away about the battle and comparing scores for who had killed the most? Perhaps outside they would find their friends crouched around the body of a fallen comrade. Iron Shield was strong but he was predictable. An enemy could have found a way through his defences after watching his fighting style. Nzuri, though agile and quick with her small curved daggers, could not fight off a continual assault from anything before being crushed beneath its strength. Angus was enormous and could easily take a hammering, but what if the enemy were many and swarmed over him, toppling him like an ancient forest tree who had stool tall for a millennia only to be devoured by a horde of tiny termites at its base. Then there was Freya, and Beardy too. Though powerful their magics could be countered by other unicorns who possessed similar gifts and without their magic there was nothing to stop somepony sinking a blade into their flesh. Celestia prayed to every benevolent deity she knew of in the hope that her prayers might spare the lives of those closest to her.

She heard a shuffling sound. It was moving towards the hidden panel that separated them from oblivion. It’s breathing was heavy and grew louder and louder before it stopped directly on the opposite side of the panel from them. Celestia’s own breath was caught in her throat. Her horn began to glow faintly as she readied herself. Not a moment later light poured into the small room they were hidden within. Rose and Luna cringed away from the light as it burned into their eyes but Celestia embraced the burning fire while forming a shield around her and her family to protect them.

“Well it’s good to see the lessons paid off in the end,” the silhouette standing before them said. Simply hearing his voice was enough for Celestia’s spell to shatter as she was overwhelmed with relief. As she heard the sounds of the others in the main room of their cottage Celestia felt a spark ignite inside her. Luna came galloping out from the hidden room and nearly barrelled straight into Beardy who narrowly missed being trampled under the small Alicorns determination. She ran into the middle of the room and looked about at each of their friends before slumping down and staring blankly at the floor in front of her. Celestia and Rose followed her out of the room, their eyes searching every corner of the room to make sure all of their friends were safe and that there were no lingering shadows hidden there. Everyone was there and accounted for, all except Iron Shield. Celestia’s felt a cold dark object sinking in her stomach as she turned from left to right hoping he would be there in the corner of the room or sitting in a chair or looking out the window or walking out the kitchen. Luna too was looking about now after having realised all but one were there. But he was nowhere to be seen.

“Dammit I can’t get this blood off my armour!”

Celestia darted through to the kitchen as fast as an arrow and as true. She found her mark and launched herself at him. Pressing her face against his chest she began to cry. She thought she had lost him to the darkness, but he was safe and thats all Celestia could think about. The cold rock that had sunk in her chest moments before had transformed into a swarm of tormented butterflies as she felt Iron Shield wrapping one of his mighty armoured legs around her and holding her close to him.

“Don’t scare me like that,” she whispered. Celestia opened her eyes and looked up into his. His brown eyes were staring right back at her. She blushed and looked away for a moment before letting her gaze drift back to his, “When you weren’t there in the other room, when we came out… I need you to be safe. I can’t protect my family all on my own.”

“Child, all of us are here to look after you, not just your knight in shining armour,” Beardy’s voice pierced through her moment of relief and comfort, causing Celestia to jump back from Iron Shield. She could feel her cheeks blazing but as she looked up at Iron Shield it was comforting to see he had turned to a similar shade of red.

With one hoof raised up to scratch the back of his head he cleared his throat and spoke, “She was just upset Starswirl. Nothing to worry about now though.”

“Nothing to worry about indeed. Next time an emotional young mare and a handsome stallion such as yourself are both left alone I will be the one to decide if there is anything to worry about.”

Rose’s head peaked out from around the doorframe, “I think perhaps we should start packing. It’s not safe to stay here any longer.”

A cold, empty feeling spread throughout Celestia’s chest. She turned to look at Rose who simply looked back at her. Celestia could feel a wave of tears building up as she tried to force the words out of her mouth.

“Leave?” Inside Celestia a spark ignited, “But this is HOME! We can’t leave! Where will we go? What if we never come back?” She could hold them back no longer, tears began streaming down her cheeks as she hoped Rose would reconsider, but she knew deep down that false hopes were doomed to disappoint. The two of them stood there staring at one another. Neither had to say anything, the look on Rose’s face said there was no other way. Celestia knew that what she said was the truth and that it was no good to argue, but she couldn’t just leave. Her home was her world. Everything that had ever been, had been here, everything that could have been, was meant to have been here.

“Go do as your mother says child. I know you know Rose is right, we need to move as quickly as we can.” Beardy nodded to Iron Shield and the two of them left through the door to headed outside.

Celestia continued her pleading gaze, but seeing how upset her mother was she bowed her head in acceptance of what Rose had said. Slowly she made her way back through to the main room, nuzzling her mother gently as she passed her, before turning right to head upstairs. Soon after came Luna once Rose had explained the situation to her. Neither of them said anything as they ascended the stairs to their rooms. Looking over her small but cosy sanctuary, Celestia had no idea what she should leave and what she should take. Each and every item there held fond memories, but not everything would have a use for a life on the road. Luna was obviously having similar trouble across the hallway, adorned across all of her walls were her various paintings, on top of her desk sat mountains of poems and songs she had written over the years.

“What do you think mother expects us to bring?” Luna asked, raising her voice so she could be heard without having to leave her room. The quivering in her voice was enough to tell Celestia her sister was crying.

“I’m not sure,” Celestia admitted. There were so many things she wanted to bring. The sound of hoof-steps behind her caused her to turn her head.

“Well, I have several cloaks we will need to wear once we leave the safety of the forrest,” Rose said as she appeared in the doorway. “We can’t let other ponies see you have horns and wings. I may not have said it outright in the past, but you two might be the only Alicorns in existence.”

While she had sort of known it in the back of her mind, to finally hear those words seemed to make the world seem a whole lot bigger.

“Other than that I believe we should bring things that are important to us, not necessarily just the things we will find useful. Beardy and Shield went outside to get the wagon from round back ready, so we aren't exactly lacking in space.”

Celestia felt a small flicker of happiness rekindling inside her, it would have torn her apart leaving a lot of her belongings behind to simply waste away to the passage of time. Though she still wasn’t sure where they would keep it all, would they carry it with them for the rest of their lives, or would they eventually find somewhere new to call home?

Luna’s head peaked round the corner of Celestia’s bedroom door, “So if I wished to bring my paints and brushes I could?”

“Of course you can sweetie. Even though we are leaving this cottage behind, we can’t leave all our memories behind too. Bringing things like that, and the robes Iron Shield gave you Celestia, will give us and the others precious things to remember this place by.” With that Rose went into the hall and brought in several saddle bags from one of the chests of drawers and gave one set to each of the girls, “We are to head directly to Freya and Nzuri’s home. It was once a small cottage same as this but since the two began living together they needed more space for their studies. I think you will both be impressed when you see how they have managed to build it up into a small fort over time. A very small one that is.” A smile touched the edges of Rose’s lips, “That at least means we can safely store most of our things before we begin our journey. We definitely won’t be able to bring any of this where we need to go.”

Chapter 5 - Wisdom of the Forests

Beardy had levitated the wagon’s straps up and tied them to Angus, who had nominated himself to bear the load for Celestia and her family. Freya had joked that he probably did it to show off how strong and manly he was to Rose which had rekindled a note of laughter amongst their sorrowful party.

“Don’t worry lass, you might come back yet. Never give up hope. Your home is where your heart lies, and mine is with my friends. Yours can be too Tia.” Angus looked at Celestia with his great smile before giving her a gentle hug. Though he tried to sound as optimistic as possible Celestia knew that even he didn’t believe she would ever come back.

Angus understood what it meant to lose your home. He was just a young colt when his village was attacked by a group of Griffons. They burnt everything in their path and left the survivors to starve to death. Angus had watched as everyone he knew and loved died one by one around him. When he was the only one left he continued on. His hooves were bloodied and raw from his journey, his body thin and sickly from starvation. If he had never found the Equestrian Explorers camp he would have died just like all the others, yet another casualty in the ongoing cold war between the Griffons and ponies. He understood more than most what it was like to lose ones home. To have that one spot that is the centre of your life taken from you. Celestia thought of what she would have done if it it was her home and family that were destroyed all around her. Anger began to bubble inside her, but she doused the flame and put those thoughts to rest.

What dark thoughts existed in Angus’ mind during those bleak days, she thought as she looked at the cottage that stood before her.

As their belongings were packed into various trunks and saddlebags, Celestia thought about the entire situation. She wasn’t leaving everything behind, all those memories she had from when she was a filly would come with her, and she could still dream of her days in the meadows with her mother and sister. But would she still get that same warm feeling in her heart, the one that surfaced each time she returned from a walk in the woods to her cosy cottage, or whenever her mother smiled at her while the two of them cooked in their kitchen? Would coming back to a dark and wet camp to her friends really give her that same feeling of safety and comfort she had always felt under a thatched room and by the fire? According to Angus it would, eventually, but he had been through a lot and was a highlander. He was tough and could take on change and accept it. Celestia on the other hoof was too used to having a home and all the comforts that it brought.

“Right let’s get moving, we cannot linger forever.” Beardy’s expression was that of a stone wall, unyielding and determined. Celestia could see the spinning cogs deep in his eyes grinding out a plan and determining the best path to follow.

While they had been packing the card Luna had taken the opportunity to curl up in the wagon to rest her weary eyes, as did Rose who had begun to cry again when they made their final preparations before leaving their little cottage. Celestia on the other hoof couldn’t sleep. She was too busy thinking, and though Luna and Rose had been drained by everything that had happened, Celestia was wide awake and restless. She walked along just in front of Angus with her head bent down staring at the ground as she thought everything over once more.

“The outside world is a different land entirely child. Compared to our peaceful home it will seem certainly wild.” Nzuri’s voice carried back towards Celestia, lulling her into moving up to walk alongside the Zebra.

“Have you lived in the woods your whole life too Nzuri?”

Nzuri didn’t answer that. She continued on in silence. The only sounds the party made were the trundling of the wagon wheels on the dirt path and their hooves clopping along the ground beside it. After what became an uncomfortable length of time Nzuri finally spoke.

“No. I have roamed many lands to this day, but in none of them I cared to stay.” Nzuri’s voice grew fainter, “I miss my loved ones and my tribe, who knew it would cost so much to become a mere scribe. Though since Freya and I met, I have not felt anywhere near as upset.”

“You love each other don’t you?”

“I used to believe the most important things in life were what I could brew, because of Freya I now know this is not true.”

Celestia looked at the slender Zebra. Moments ago she sounded as though her heart was breaking inside from the thought of missing home and she was trying to cover it up, yet now she was smiling.

“Yes, we love one another.” Nzuri craned her head round to look back at Freya who was walking along behind them with Beardy. Freya looked back at Nzuri with that same smile. They were beautiful together, proof that in the dark world of Equestria there was still love and kindness to be found.

Freya trotted up to walk alongside them.

“Did Nzuri ever tell you that she used to be a pirate too before she met me?”

“And I bet she still can’t find a word in our tongue that rhymes with pirate,” Angus said grinning at the Zebra. That mischievous spark was back in his eyes, his inner child obviously wanted to see if he could have a bit of fun.

“I cannot help the way I speak same as you cannot help but be a giant freak.” Nzuri’s grin was even wider and put Angus’ to shame. Freya burst into hysterics and pointed a hoof towards a large vein that was now pulsing down Angus’ forehead. Celestia had to stifle a laugh as Angus’ mock surprise and anger became a small theatrical spectacle for them all to enjoy.

“Freak!” he shouted, “I may be a giant compared to most of you, but that is rich coming from the only hoofed creature in a hundred leagues who’s no a pony!” Angus continued to grin but at the sound of Luna stirring in her sleep a look of genuine horror shot across his face before turning to Iron Shield and whispering, “Did I wake her up?”

Celestia turned her attention back to Nzuri and Freya, both of whom were still smiling after managing to get one up on their giant companion. “So what happened? Why did you give up being a pirate and take up alchemy?”

The smile melted away once more as she was questioned. “I never gave up on my task, there is a reason I am marked with a flask.” She nodded towards the markings on her flank that were similar to a pony’s cutie mark. “A pony’s mark shows the special talent they posses, whether its being a smith or knowing how to make a dress. A Zebra’s brand instead tells others the gifts given to them by the land.”

“When you say ‘by the land’ you mean the Zebra Gods don’t you?”

Nzuri's smile returned to the corners of her lips as the conversation veered away from personal things onto something more general about her heritage.

“Indeed. Starswirl has taught you well it would seem. The Zebra Gods to a pony may sound like a fairy’s dream, but to some they are as true and real as that gentle stream.” She indicated with one of her hooves to the small trickle of water that ran parallel to the path they followed. It snaked its way along beside them, moving closer and farther away as it meandered around obstacles and mounds in the ground. At one point the mud path they followed came to a small bridge that crossed the stream and then continued away from it. Celestia watched as a small white flower floated by under the bridge and down the stream into the distance and out of sight amongst the trees.

“There are four Zebra Gods aren’t there?” Celestia continued as the part of her mind that craved knowledge kicked into action. Nzuri tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow as if she was debating whether or not there were actually four or not, but she then nodded and Celestia continued. “The lord of the sea was Maji. Moto was the lord of fire. Udongo was the lord of earth, and the lord of the wind was Upepo. Beardy told us that the Zephyrian Zebra revered Upepo above the others because it was he who protected them from the stars.”

“A scholar you truly are of the Gods of Mania, perhaps you belong in the colleges of Saddle Arabia.” Nzuri and Freya both laughed together. Their laughter almost made Celestia forget about all the sorrowful things that had happened that day, almost.

“Who are the Manians?” Celestia had never heard Beardy mention the Gods of Mania before during their lessons.

“I did not mean it as such, that name is given to the Old Gods many Zebra worshipped too much. Their followers were excessive, and it caused many to feel the Gods themselves were too oppressive. It is no wonder many flocked to the Younger Gods who at the time seemed so impressive.”

“There are other Gods too?”

“Yes, but I can’t tell you all the stories just now. One day when Beardy isn’t shouting you over I will tell you, this i vow.”

Looking around Celestia noticed that Beardy was waving for her to come over and walk beside him. She excused herself as both Nzuri and Freya exchanged a mischievous smile and began talking more about the ancient Zebra Gods.

“Tell me again the stories of the stars my dear,” Freya asked her lover in her gentle voice.

Celestia’s focus shifted from Nzuri’s story to her teacher. Beardy was at the head of their party and was using his magic to try detect the presence of anything that may be lurking ahead of them. “Sorry Beardy, I was talking to Nzuri and Freya.”

“I could see that. But I need to talk to you just now. How do you feel?”

Celestia was confused. He was asking her it as if she had been infected with something and had just been treated for it. Was there something wrong with her? Or was he just making sure that the sudden events of the day had not taken too great a tole on her?

The forest around them grew denser. Much like the idea that the night is darkest just before the dawn, in the Birdsong Woods the trees were thickest around the edge of the forest. She could tell they were close. Both she and her sister had never in their living memory been this close to the edge of their woodland home, nor had either of them set hoof outside it since they were tiny foals. The sun’s light was divided across the forest floor by the branches above as the clouds moved away to reveal the sun’s radiant glory to the world. Droplets of water on the leaves above them glistened in the light. The sound of the birds above was like a message from her past. The rhythmic sound of quails intertwined with the complex calls of nightingales to create a majestic song that echoed around them and in her memories, reminding her of times long past. Deer ahead of them stood and turned their ears in their direction, startled at the sound of the wagon. Upon seeing their party they continued to graze happily by the banks of the stream that came meandering into view once again. How could they be leaving a place this beautiful behind? Celestia was being taken from this perfect world and thrown into a war against a delusional and dangerous Demi-God. It seemed there was no way she could escape this fate, just as she could not stand and continue to gaze into the scene that lay before her for all eternity.

“Tia?” Beardy’s voice was gentle. He sounded concerned and when Celestia looked at him she could see he was looking deep into her eyes to see what she was really thinking.

“You haven’t called me that since I was a filly Beardy.” She looked back at the forest around her. If she was to leave this land of beauty forever, then she was going to drink in as much of it as possible before it was lost to her.

“How do you feel?”

Celestia turned back to him but did not look into his eyes. “I feel sad. I don’t want to leave my home, but I have no choice. Deeper down still I feel anger, why was I lied to all this time? Why couldn’t it have been somepony else? But most of all, I am frightened.”

“And you are coping with controlling these emotions?”

“Yes. I will admit I am surprised I have been this calm on the outside. Perhaps my mind is too numb to spur me on to do anything other than accept it and continue on.”

“Let me tell you about an old friend of mine who is quite unlike any creature you have ever heard of before. He was the only creature I have ever known to conquer all his feelings and have complete control over them all. If we allow emotions to take a hold of us they can change us. I don’t mean just mentally, it is possible for a pony to change physically due to the weight of certain emotions upon them. It is believed by other wizards that it is generally negative emotions that cause such transformation to take place, such as jealousy, hatred or sorrow.” Beardy paused a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing.

“Equestrians always believed that the Zebra lands across the sea are the farthest corners of our world, but beyond them are even stranger and more magical lands than those that existed in the grandest of ponytales. Here there exists an empire that exemplifies splendour, strength and wisdom, but with a history stained by a millennia civil war. All of these combine to forge a very martial civilisation of creatures, the Kirin.”

“In this empire dwells an order of monks, Kirin who have devoted their entire lives to learning to control their emotions. Each day they spend many hours chanting together, perfecting their martial arts, disciplining themselves and meditating so they might become the masters of their own minds and bodies. Like I said I had the honour of counting one of the most legendary of these monks among my closest friends.”

As their party passed through the forest and over yet another small wooden bridge, the light of the sun changed the forest to shine like it was made of gold. Even the air seemed to glitter under the radiant light as images of mighty temples, legions of armour glad warriors, and palaces as grand as the heavens themselves invaded Celestia’s mind. Beardy had told her tales of the Kirin when she was younger. They were four legged creatures same as ponies; but with skin like dragonscales; a sharp, magical antler that curved backwards; and a cloudy aura that surrounded their hooves, allowing them to almost glide over the ground or fly in the cases of the most powerful amongst them.

“Master Jian was his name and he was the most honourable creature I have ever known. Jian was the first to witness a creature physically change due to the pressure of emotions within them. His best friend Zhi and he joined the monks at the same time when they were just young. While Jian perfected his fighting style and physical abilities, Zhi became adept at meditating and perfecting his mind to hone his magical skills. Though the two were talented in different areas, jealousy grew inside Zhi as he watched Jian grow from a lowly initiate to one of the most respected members of their order. This jealousy grew and grew inside him until he began to lose the conviction in his actions and his meditations were restless. Over time he blamed it on Jian and eventually confronted him over it.”

“I remember watching them fight. The various pink shades of the blossoming trees covered the mountainside as Jian taught me how to meditate in the tranquil forest. When Zhi found us he began screaming and yelling at Jian, telling him how it was unfair that a Kilin who focused on his physical strength could outshine one who’s magical ability had not been seen for centuries. As his anger boiled Zhi’s form changed. His coat grew darker and darker until it was as black as a starless sky on the coldest of nights. His mane burst into a seething mass of magical energy, and the clouds upon which he glided became a dark purple like colour, with stars gleaming in amongst it. Jian stood his ground against the nightmare that was once his beloved friend, a monster from a darker realm we do not see during the light of day. From his pocket Jian pulled out a small seed.”

“Jian looked into the eyes of the beast that stood before him.”

“The Zhi I knew and loved is no more, you are but a demon of the void. Your jealousy and your rage will tear down our land if I do not put a stop to you here and now. I’m sorry, my friend.”

“The small seed floated up into the air before him as he was enshrouded in a great light. I watched as from the light my friend emerged wearing a rainbow coloured necklace that glittered around his neck. In the centre of it was the small seed, encased in crystals. The two fought for what felt like an eternity, whenever one gained the advantage the world changed to reflect it. The sun faded with each of Zhi’s strikes and grew brighter with each of Jian’s. The dark magic of Zhi lashed out against my friend, but he fought on, each attack caused his hooves to shine with a pure energy I had only ever seen in the sun itself.”

“Finally, Jian’s hoof connected with the centre of Zhi’s chest and a mighty rainbow appeared overhead. It shot straight into the air from the seed within Jian’s necklace and then came crashing down to engulf Zhi. As the light from the rainbow became to bright to bear I was able to get one last glimpse of Jian before I closed my eyes. His eyes were as white as the purest of snow and I heard him call out my name. When I opened my eyes again Jian lay on the ground, unconscious but breathing thankfully. With the aid of the other monks we were able to restore him to his full strength, however, he vowed never to strike another creature again. To see his childhood friend destroyed by the jealousy that had taken over him caused Jian to retire from his training and instead become a teacher at the monastery. Several times he came to visit me here in Equestria in the years that followed, most recently just a few years before The Order conquered Equestria. During that time he entered the dark and forbidden Everfree Forrest alone and said never to ask what he had been doing. He merely said…”

“When the sun and moon are ready, the seed will have spouted.”

Celestia drank in the images in her head. Two mighty powers clashing in a forest that sounded as beautiful as the forest they walked in now. She understood now why she could not let her anger take over her. Celestia’s thoughts shifted to think of her mother Rose, could her sadness deep down that she had bottled up all these years cause something to happen to her? Or could Angus’ hatred for Griffons eventually burn through and corrupt him? Could Luna, her precious sister, ever fall to such a fate? Every pony has their vices after all, but they also have virtues. For now, there was only one question that needed answering.

“We need to find this seed?”

Beardy shook his head. “Not yet, as he said you need to be ready, and I fear you require a lot more preparation before you meet The Order in any form. I have already been working on a plan for some time however, and found several ponies willing to share in an adventure or two along the way. Our first stop is Fort Pegathens, we need to know what has become of the Golden Triangle, the previous leaders of Equestria and before that the leaders of the original three tribes. One of them believe it or not is an old student of mine, called Clover the Clever. Last I heard she had returned from a journey that took her across Equestria and back again, and that along the way she found several clues that might just be what we need to get started.”

The trees around them grew sparser and sparser. Not indicating that the forest was coming to and end, but instead that they had changed direction and were now heading back deeper into the woods. Celestia imagined what this “fort” of Freya and Nzuri’s would be like. She had no doubt that Beardy would tell the others of his plans once they had safely stored everything away and packed what they needed for the journey ahead of them. Beardy was silent now, his tale had been told and he need not say more, she understood why she had to control her emotions. Looking behind her at the others who had fallen behind slightly she stopped so she might look around her once again at the forest. The golden light had lessened and now everything appeared deep green in colour. The tall trees stood proud around them as the path weaved from left to right between them. The birds still sang their beautiful tune, and animals continued to roam the forest floor searching for food or drinking from the small streams that lay scattered throughout the landscape. Celestia closed her eyes and once again began to drink in the perfect beauty of everything around her. She could not let even a moment of this strange bliss that had overtaken her go to waste.

Then her ears picked up a sound in the distance. A gentle song that was different from those sung by the birds; quieter, yet moving in a way Celestia could not explain. Beardy had heard it too, for when she opened her eyes he had motioned for the others to stop.

“Leave the wagon at the side of the road, I will conceal it with some spells. Celestia, go wake your family. This will be a sight and sound none of you will ever get the chance to witness again in your lives. Come, quickly.”

The others did as he said, keeping as quiet as possible. Celestia moved over to the wagon to wake her family.

“Mother. Luna. Wake up. Beardy says there is something we need to go see.”

After they were all ready they crept as quietly as they could towards the song. It took them off the path and into the forest, just as the sun began to set. By the time twilight was upon them, they had found the origin of the sound.

Hidden behind a fallen tree, they waited for Beardy to give them a nod when it was safe to look. On the other side of the tree there was the sound of several creatures singing together, their melodies were beautiful and yet somehow sorrowful at the same time. Celestia felt completely awed by it. They seemed to blend together at times, as if one song was ringing out from several instruments all at once. Beardy crouched down again and nodded. Together, the group slowly lifted themselves up to look over the fallen tree.

Before her, Celestia saw a clearing amongst the trees bathed in moonlight with a small spring at its centre. Around the clearing hundreds of tiny blue and purple moths fluttered about in circles, almost as if they were dancing to the song. Circling the clearing stood a wall of standing stones with intricate carvings and symbols Celestia had never seen before in her studies. The creatures that the song came from stood around the spring at the heart of the sacred glade and were unlike anything Celestia had ever seen before in her life. The sight of them brought several gasps from the others in their party.

Standing on four legs; with two long, curving antlers; and manes of varying shades of green and brown, they were like creatures from the most ancient of ponytales. If all you could have seen of them was a silhouette, anypony would have mistaken them for a deer of some kind. What proved they were something more, however, was the fact they were made entirely of wood and their manes were made up of a bushels of tiny leaves.

“Timberelves,” Beardy whispered to them as they gazed in wonder at the four singing creatures in the moonlit glade. “Rarely does anypony get to hear their songs from a distance, never mind see one of them this close…”

Beardy stopped then as a fifth Timberelf appeared from out of the shadows of the trees. Nearly twice the size of the others, with half a dozen horns and a body covered in shining streaks of purple that seemed to move around its body, it was undoubtably an ancient and powerful being. It did not sing though, instead it stared directly at the tree they were hidden behind.

Celestia dropped her head down instinctively as she felt its gaze nearing her. Even though the creatures seemed peaceful, it had a presence unlike anything she had ever experienced. In stories, Timberelves were said to have been the guardians of forests from the dawn of time. They nurtured the trees, gave them names and grew the forests till they stretched from horizon to horizon. But if they felt threatened they could summon the powers of nature to bear down upon their enemies using magics that predate the earliest of the arcane arts.

“And so the time has come that the sun and moon are leaving the sanctuary of our forest.”

Celestia watched as everypony’s eyes widened at the voice. It was perfect, melodic and magical in its entirety. Like the song of the other four continued in the background, the great creature too had a voice as beautiful as the heavens themselves. While the singing quartet were female, this creature was male, their leader it seemed. Beardy rose from behind the tree to look back at it.

“My name is Starswirl, and these are my companions, The Wardens of the Sun and Moon. We did not mean to trespass or interrupt, but I have heard of the songs of the Timberelves in many tales passed down by our kin and I could not allow such a good omen to pass us by.”

“The children of Epona have always looked to the world around them for signs of good fortune like so many of the other children of the Gods.”

Celestia stood up to face the Elder Timberelf, soon followed by the rest of their group. The great creature looked from one to the next as they stood up, as if assessing them all in turn. It’s eyes lingered on Luna for some time, causing her to shift her weight between her hooves, nervous as to why the creature had taken such an interest in her.

“You brought them all here hoping that the songs of our kind might in some way lessen the terrible burdens you will all face on your journeys. Sadly, our songs do not grant any kind of blessing. We sing so that our father might know we are still here, protecting and nurturing the woodland realms. However, seeing as your hearts are noble and your quest is for the betterment of our world, we can provide guidance for your journey if you wish it, and if our father allows it.”

Celestia stepped forward.

“What are you?”

The great creature, towering over Celestia, brought its head down to her level. Its eyes were as black as the night, but deep within them was buried a wisdom and power no living being could match. Celestia felt it looking into her eyes, her soul even, searching through her every desire and whim to discover the kind of pony she was destined to be.

“We are what the children of Epona call Timberelves, though in our own tongue we call ourselves by a different name. Just as you are the children of Epona, we are the children of Cernunnos, the lord of all forests. Our role is to protect and grow the woodland realms of the world to provide a safe sanctuary for all beasts and creatures that need it. You will need our help before the end Celestia, as will you Luna, once your destinies are revealed.”

“How do you know our names?” Luna asked, stepping forward and sitting in front of the Elder Timberelf. Beardy stepped back and whispered something to the others before they all made themselves busy setting up camp just beyond the fallen tree they originally used for shelter.

“Our father tells us many things. Things that were, things that are, and things that are yet to be, if the will of the Gods and their children allow it.”

“Which Gods?” Over the many years Celestia had been taught of many of the religions that existed across Equestria and beyond. Beardy had spent many of their lessons teaching Luna and her about them as well as where they originated, but this creature seemed to believe in Gods she had never heard of, and judging by its age and wisdom it may know something about the world that ponykind did not.

The Elder Timberelf followed Luna’s example and lay down in front of the two sister, even then it towered over them like an enormous statue of wood and magic, built to watch over the world. Celestia took this as an invitation to do likewise and so lay down at her sisters side to listen to the wisdom of the forest.

“We do not profess to know the ultimate truths to the creation of our world if that is what you seek, Celestia. We do however know of the creation of life within our world. In the beginning, the world was wild and untamed, inhabited only by the spirits of the Gods. Cernunnos and Epona were just two of these spirits, many others existed, both benevolent and malevolent. Some you will meet on your journey, and some you have met and do not yet realise it.”

“But you did not sit here to listen to the tales of my kind. You are on a journey that will last for thousands of years. Though your teacher may believe the end lies in the salvation of your kin from chaos, your destines are even farther beyond that horizon. Our father and your mother were close, as such he will allow us to provide you each with a prophesy from him that will guide you on your journeys. Do you accept his gift?”

Celestia and Luna nodded. By now night time had fallen over the forest; the others had retrieved the cart and their camp was set up not too far away from the glade; and the singing of the other four Timberelves had fallen to just a quiet whisper on the wind.

“To you Celestia our father says this.”

You are the child of the sun, and like the sun you shall be an inspiration to all. Your light will be a beacon in times of need, a warm hearth in times of despair, and a shield in times of war. Your light will be the banner under which millions will swear allegiance, read to fight and die for you. Your light will be the torch with which countless numbers of your kind shall banish the darkness.

However, you must always remember that should your light burn too bright, it shall even banish hold most dearest to your heart. Beware the shadows cast by your sun Celestia, for when you turn to face the sun, you turn your back on the shadows and the darkness that can hide there.

Dear Princess Celestia, you will have many lessons to teach, but for now you have many lessons to learn.

The great creature closed its eyes. When it opened them again, it stared at Luna with a thoughtful but solemn look.

“To you Luna our father says this.”

Many battles may lie before you, but the greatest battle is always fought within.

Though you are the child of the night, and were created to bring peace to our world, evil thrives in the darkness. If it takes hold, it will fester and corrupt even the greatest of creatures, twisting their minds and bodies. Though it will fall to you to keep this darkness in check, you may also need to call on its power when all else fails. But should you fail to control it, it will spell pain and despair for a thousand years.

Your light is not the lesser light, little Luna. It may be a lonely road you walk, but if you were not up to the task, you would not have been given it. Find strength in your gifts, and never let your vigilance of the night falter.

“Children of Epona, our father rarely speaks to your kind. But know this, the fact he has proves that you will have strong allies on your journey. You will come across many different creatures, and while many will stand against you, there will be just as many that will stand with you. But first, you must give them something to believe in. Now go, sleep over what you have learned this night, and send the others here one at a time should they too wish to hear the words of our father. The forest grows restless, and we are needed in other places where your feet can not tread. Go now, and remember our words.”

Chapter 6 - To Accept Ones Place

Looking out into the glade now that the sun was rising and the morning birds had begun their ritualistic calls, nopony would have believed what they had witnessed the night before. The clouds of fluttering moths and the mystical moonlight were nowhere to be seen, and the only remaining trace of the Timberelves themselves was the small spring around which they had sang and the ancient standing stones that circled the glade. Around the base of the spring were eight small vials of its purest waters, presumably left as a farewell gift from the Elder Timberelf himself. The others had eagerly drank theirs, welcoming the refreshing taste it had brought and the newfound strength it brought them to continue. Nzuri had managed to sneakily take a little extra in the hope she could study it and decipher what made it so invigorating, all the while praying the ancient God Cernunnos wouldn’t mind too much.

Celestia and Luna, however, drank theirs in silence. As they all broke camp and meandered their way through the trees to the path Celestia could not bring herself to speak, instead keeping her thoughts to herself and trying to file them all away accordingly. Every so often she would look over at her little sister, so tiny and frail in comparison to herself, wondering if she too was having difficulty putting to rest the questions that had arisen the night before. The words of the Elder Timberelf still haunted Celestia’s thoughts in the warm morning light.

You must always remember that should your light burn too bright, it shall even banish all that you hold most dear to your heart.

Beware the shadows cast by your sun Celestia, for when you turn to face the sun, you turn your back on the shadows and the evil that lingers there.

I will not let that happen, Celestia thought to herself as she pushed on ahead of the others once they finally reached the path. No matter how bright the sun is, it shall never banish my family. It’s just not possible! I am the sun, and I shall never be pushed to such a limit!

But what haunted her even more, were the words spoken to her sister. While Celestia’s prophecy had said she would become an inspiration and symbol of hope for millions of ponies, Luna’s had said nothing of the sort. Instead the Elder Timberelf had spoken of an evil hidden in the night, an inner struggle, corruption and ultimately despair that would last a thousand years. Even the sorrowful look it had in its eye seemed to know something terrible was to befall her, and that terrified Celestia. She couldn’t let anything happen to her sister, she loved her with all her heart and would go beyond the horizon to keep her safe. But she had no way of knowing how to protect her.

How do I protect my family from something I know nothing about?

“Sweetie, are you alright?”

At the sound of her mother’s voice just behind her, Celestia slowed down to allow Rose to catch up and walk beside her, but she wasn’t sure how to respond. Deep down Celestia wanted to open up let all her worries and fears pour out, hoping that her mother would know what to say to ease the burdens that seemed to be piling on Celestia’s shoulders with each passing day. But how was that fair? Out of all of them who spoke to the Elder Timberelf, Rose had been with it the longest. When she returned she had sobbed for hours before exhaustion finally overwhelmed her. Even now her red, puffy eyes showed she had yet to stop crying.

“I’m just thinking is all, mother,” Celestia said at last. “A week ago we were excited at the prospect of Beardy coming to visit us again. Excited at the thought of what new stories and present he might bring us, but look where we are now. It’s almost as if we have been taken from our world and suddenly dropped into one of his stories.”

Admittedly, ‘where they were now’ was actually an exceptionally beautiful part of the forest. In the morning light it appeared almost golden and the air seemed to shimmer as they made their way to Nzuri and Freya’s home. Much like the areas around their cottage, this part of the forest was ancient. Untouched for thousands of years it seemed. Celestia wished for nothing more than to be able to stop and be enveloped by the beauty that surrounded her, hoping it would finally take away all the pain that she sensed was lingering on the horizon for them. Rose knew what Celestia had meant though, the pang of pain that shot across her face said as much.

“Believe me Celestia, if I could spend forever living with you and Luna in our little cottage, I would be overjoyed. But there comes a time in every pony’s life when they need to raise their head high and take their first steps towards growing up. Maturing is not so much about your age as it is about your mindset. To accept the world as the way it is and that forging your own destiny within it falls entirely on your own shoulders, that is one of the first aspects of becoming an adult many ponies struggle to realise.”

Celestia couldn't say anything to that. She was afraid opening her mouth to try and speak would just make her cry again. So instead she put on as brave a smile as she could muster for Rose before turning back to face the path ahead of them.

“We’re almost there little one,” Celestia heard Freya say from further back. Just as Rose had come to speak to Celestia, Freya had decided to check up on Luna who showed no signs of responding to her. She hadn’t said a word to any of them since returning to her tent the night before.

Following Luna’s example, they all continued on in silence. No one knew what to say. The sadness that had filled them all upon leaving the cottage had returned, and it was with a heavy heart that once again they each reflected on what lay ahead of them. After several hours of silence Nzuri finally spoke.

“If you turn from the path and follow me this way, we should be there just before midday.”

Celestia turned and saw Nzuri indicating for them to move off the path and into the forest. It seemed like such an odd route, to have traveled so close to the edge of the forest only to turn and move deeper into it again. Perhaps it was to avoid cutting through all the undergrowth with the wagon, but never the less it still made Celestia feel somepony needed a refresher course on navigation from Beardy. While most were content to follow Nzuri off the path, Angus grumbled as he was forced to drag the cart through small gaps between trees and over uneven ground. To try and ease the burden Celestia followed him and used her magic to lift the cart over holes and small obstacles they encountered as well as brush away any hanging branches that might catch it.

“Thanks lass, appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem Angus, anypony else who could would do the same.”

To say the look he gave her then was skeptical would be a severe understatement.

“Believe me Tia, if the rest of ponykind were even half as kind as you are the world wouldn’t be in the state it is today.”

Blunt and honest, what more could you ask for.

After several miles of dragging the cart through denser and denser forest, Celestia finally caught sight of something jutting out above the treetops. It suddenly dawned on her just how sheltered a life she had lived up till then. She had never seen a building made out of stone.

“Welcome to our humble home," Freya said to the others as one by one they left the trees behind and entered the enormous clearing. "While not as cosy as your cottages in the forest, this certainly keeps out any unwanted visitors and has everything we could possibly need as a group. It’s amazing what two unicorns can build in just a decade, especially when one has the magical skill of Starswirl.”

Celestia couldn’t believe anypony could consider this a home. The first thing she noticed was the wall, surrounding it on all four sides with a tower at two of the corners opposite each other. Beyond the open gate she could see several buildings inside, each of which Freya described as they made their way through the gatehouse and into the main courtyard.

“Over the past ten years the goal was to build a small fort in the event the Order found its way into the forest. It may have taken nearly that full ten years to accomplish, but it means that we all have enough space to easily accommodate all our belongings and group members.”

“First of all there is the gatehouse we all just came through, which doubles up as a barracks and has enough room for a small garrison of twenty knights. Inside is a working smithy and forge, as requested by Angus and Shield, with all the tools needed to create your own weapons and armour. We even managed to recover some old texts and scrolls the Equestrian Explorers had uncovered in a nearby excavation, so the two of you may wish to look at that if you're interested in Zephyrian enchantments.”

“This building on the left of the courtyard is the alchemy lab where Nzuri does all her experiments. Around the side of it is a small garden where she grows special herbs and plants necessary for more complex potions and elixirs. Rose I am sure you will find it fascinating and I can guarantee Nzuri will be happy to show you around.”

Nzuri nodded to Rose who seemed to have calmed down greatly as far as Celestia could see. The sight of various flowers and plants that hung across the wall of the small alchemy lab and dotted around the garden surrounding it seemed to bring her some peace.

I wonder if it reminds her of the garden back at the cottage, Celestia thought to herself.

“Across the courtyard from Nzuri's lab is a combined chapel and shrine. Nzuri felt she needed somewhere she could speak to her ancestors and gods, so we constructed this small building to meet that end. It's divided into two halves, one for the Zebra gods and one for the pony gods, should any of you feel like praying.”

She stopped by a small well in the centre of the courtyard to look up at the largest of the three buildings.

“This is our home. On the third floor you will find our private quarters as well as the spiral stairs that will take you to the top of the watch tower and my library and study. On the middle floor are all your rooms, one for each of you. On the ground floor is the meeting hall and kitchens where we will all eat together as well as communal areas for us all to relax in if we can. I will take all your belongings up to your rooms while Nzuri cooks something for us to eat. Each room will be easy to find, as it has your cutie marks on the doors.” Nzuri looked over at Celestia and Luna before saying, "For you girls we obviously couldn't use your cutie marks as they haven't appeared yet, but we did manage to put something unique for each of you on them that I'm sure you will appreciate."

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, dear,” Rose said as she turned to Nzuri. “If you wouldn’t mind Nzuri I would quite like to help with the cooking.”

“You will hear no complaint from me, happy to have the company I shall be.”

Angus and Iron Shield had been muttering to one another up till that point but finally spoke up.

“Me and Shield are going to return to our cottage to collect our wagon of things. We shouldn’t be gone for more than a few hours. Everything is already packed and ready, but it wouldn’t have been a good idea for us to take two carts at once, too dangerous if something came at us.”

Beardy nodded. “That is fine. Freya, I would ask that once you have brought Rose and the girls’ belongings up to their rooms that you stay out here to keep an eye on things until Angus and Shield return. Celestia, Luna and I will head up to the library for a bit to discuss our journey.”

As everypony moved off to begin their various tasks Luna finally spoke.

“Can we not have a minute to look about first Beardy? I have never seen a castle before never mind visit one.”

Beardy raised an eyebrow as he thought about it, but it was apparent he wasn’t going to say no. “Yes, I don’t see why not. I can imagine there are many things here that will have piqued your interest. Remember though this is just a tiny fort, castles are even grander and are constantly bustling with activity from sunrise to sundown. Once you are done come and find me in the library at the top of the tower.”

He turned and pushed open the double doors to the main building, leaving the two girls alone outside. As the door slowly shut behind Beardy, both Celestia and Luna turned their heads slowly to look at one another.

“We are in a castle!” They both shouted in unison. They couldn’t keep their excitement contained any longer. For the first time since they had left their cottage, both Celestia and Luna could say they were genuinely happy and excited. The little fillies in their hearts wanted nothing more than to run about the fort pretending it was their own palace and they were its princesses.

Though Celestia had complained about being taken from her perfect life and thrown into a story of some kind, it now dawned on her what that truly meant. Being on their own journey would lead them to places they never dreamed they would get to visit. Mighty citadels that once housed the knights of the United Equestrian Armies; grand palaces where kings and queens from ages past ruled over their subjects; ancient excavation sites of the Equestrian Explorers where Zephyrian artefacts and treasures lay hidden; battlefields that saw some of the bloodies fighting in pony history; and all manner of mysterious and magical landscapes and landmarks both great and small. They were on their own journey now. One that if they succeeded in, would lead to future generations of ponies telling the story of the two sisters who saved Equestria. And if there came a day when the world was safe from chaos and Discord was imprisoned once more, their little cottage in the woods would always be there for them to return to.

Luna was as joyous as her sister. The dark grip that seemed to had taken hold of her while they were travelling was now gone. Now her smile beamed out as she too realised just what lay in store for them beyond the horizon.

Just like Rose had said to her earlier. Growing up to become an adult was not so much about being the right age, but accepting that the world was the way it was simply because it was, and that it was up to each individual pony to make of it what they could.

“Celestia, up here,” Luna said as she leapt into the air and spread her wings. Celestia followed suit and the two of them flew together. After they both steadied themselves in the air they began racing one another between the buildings, diving left and right before rising high up into the air to look out over the tops of the walls of the fort. Once they had drank in the sight of the forest all around them and the sun shining down upon it all they turned to face the tower. Round and round they went, laughing and smiling at one another as they circled to the tower again and again. As the butterflies in their stomach began to calm they dived through one window of the library and out the other, banking up to finally come to rest high above the tower.

“It’s just like in Beardy’s stories!” Luna shouted to her sister before folding her wings and plummeting back to the ground. As she passed the top of the tower she spun round with a finesse and speed Celestia didn’t know Luna was capable of and landed gently on top of one of the two smaller towers at the wall. Celestia began her descent too, but as she past the library window she couldn't help but notice a rather scornful looking Beardy glaring back at her with scrolls and parchment scattered all over the floor around a table behind him in the centre of the library.

“Perhaps we should wait a little while longer before we head up to meet Beardy,” Celestia said as she touched down beside her sister. “Something tells me when we flew threw there we may have blown all of the papers he had collected over the floor…”

Though Luna was still excited and happy she did manage to cringe slightly at the thought of Beardy scolding them for acting like two little fillies once again. “Perhaps we can bring him some fresh, hot tea to appease him?”

The smell of Nzuri and Rose’s cooking was begin to rise up towards them from the open window of the kitchen, but before they could get a chance to fly over and peak inside a rather grumpy looking unicorn was beckoning for them to join him in the library. Though they weren’t too keen on the lecture that awaited them, both Celestia and Luna were still smiling at one another as they flew up and climbed in through the window, which just seemed to aggravate Beardy all the more.

“What is wrong with using the normal way to get up here? I swear there is a streak of pegasus somewhere in the both of you that exists solely to torment me. Now take a seat by the table there, Celestia can you please fill Luna in regarding the seed I was telling you about yesterday while I pick up all these pieces of parchment?”

“Your not keen of pegasi Beardy?”

“No! But that is a tale for another time!”

* * * * *

“So we need to find this seed?” Luna said after Celestia had finished telling her the story of Jian and Zhi.

“That’s exactly what I asked after hearing the story, but apparently we are to first head to Fort Pegathens to meet with several others who might be able to help us.”

“Well it is good to see that you were paying attention to me after all,” Beardy said as he finally finished tidying up the library and sat down at the table with the both of them. “We are looking for several pegasi who were once members of the Equestrian Explorers. One of whom is actually the granddaughter of Ivory Pen, the unicorn who designed The Solar Wind, a great airship that the Explorers used to easily transport massive amounts of equipment and personnel to various excavation sites across the land. What we need to find out from them is the whereabouts of one of these sites in particular.”

“The seed originated in the lands far to the east of here where the Kirin live. There are records that say at various points throughout history the Kirin and Zephyrian Zebra worked together and maintained close ties. Many inscriptions within Zephyrian ruins depict the Kirin as an enlightened species due to their naturally affinity to the element of air, which the Zephyrians as you both know view as the most powerful of the elements. Because of their reverence for the Kirin, many of the largest Zephyrian temples even as far away as here in Equestria contain Kirin artefacts as well as Zebra ones.”

“So what artefact are we looking for?” Celestia asked. Her sense of hopelessness was completely gone now. She knew what her purpose was, and she was not going to let self pity prevent her from fulfilling her destiny.

“There are three we need, ‘The Sceptre of Chen’, ‘Jian’s Broken Amulet’ and ‘The Heart of Stone’. These are the names given to them by the Equestrian Explorers and Griffon Guilds at least, both of whom were tasked with uncovering and cataloguing ancient artefacts. After some research it would appear the Amulet was uncovered within a ruin here in Equestria, but was lost as the war broke out and the Explorers were reassigned as a defence force to protect refugees. The Heart has for many decades been kept in a library in what was once the capital of Saddle Arabia, so the hard bit for us will be actually procuring it amongst the ruins of the city. The Sceptre was uncovered in the Griffon Kingdoms, but is held by the King of the Blacktalons as his symbol of office, and getting him to part with it will not be easy.”

“Ok Beardy, but why do we need them?” Celestia couldn’t really piece together these three strange sounding items to somehow reach the same total Beardy had apparently calculated.

It was Luna that answered. “Look, it says here in this book that each of the artefacts contains a 'V' shaped gem that when connected together with the others forms a six pointed star star.”

Beardy nodded. “The star is an ancient and iconic symbol amongst all civilisations. For ponykind, it represents a unicorns natural ability to perform magic. To the Zebra, it represents fear of what lies beyond our world. For the Kirin, it represents the passage of time. The stars and spiral that make up my own cutie mark appeared after a Kirin visited Canterlot and taught me all he knew of ancient astronomy. After spending time with him I realised what my special talent was, for it wasn’t simply magic as many ponies think. It was the ability to understand and manipulate the link between magic, the stars and time.”

Luna’s ears pricked up at those words. “So, you can control time itself?”

Beardy smiled at her but said nothing. Not a moment later Freya knocked on the door to the library and entered.

“The food is almost ready, are you all set to come down or shall we keep it hot for a while longer?”

“I think now is a perfect time to finish up.” Beardy said as he stood, still smiling at the two sisters who were sitting flabbergasted that Beardy could hint at such a feat to simply leave it hanging in the air. But the grumbling in their stomachs left nothing but the thought of their mother’s home cooking in their mind, and so the questions would have to wait till later as they too followed Freya down to the meeting hall.

“I’m sure we can coax an answer out of him later Luna,” Celestia whispered to her sister as they descended the spiral staircase. “After all he hasn’t actually explained what this star does, so we will easy have an excuse to get him back up to the library later so we can question him.”

“Sister, do you really think Beardy needs an excuse to go to a library?”

“No, probably not now that you mention it.”

Chapter 7 - Glimpse of a Dark Future

Again Eris looked out over the capital of his new Equestria from high above on his balcony. Though the name ‘Equestria’ remained, it was a very different nation to what it was a few decades years past. Where tolerance, equality and cooperation had been the pillars that held up society, now everything bent to the will and whims of Eris himself. If today he felt there should only be three hours of daylight, it was so. If today he felt there should be no food available at the market, it was so. If today he felt there should be a curfew and that all those seen outside their homes afterward were imprisoned, it was so. There was no structure of governance, no laws or judicial system. There was only Eris, and he ruled as he saw fit.

May the great Discord bless my rule, he thought to himself as he smirked.

Taking a deep breath of the cold morning air, Eris sought out his favourite sights in the city as the mists that engulfed Canterlot began to dissipate. It had been many years since his forces besieged Canterlot, but the scars of war had never been healed. A constant reminder to Equestrians of their downfall. Iconic buildings and landmarks that once inspired a nation were now tools Eris used to instil fear within the population.

The once tall towers of the Canterlot School of Magical studies were now little more than small stumps. Like great trees that at one time pierced the clouds high above, they had been felled and left to rot into the pages of history: their legacy now nothing more than kindling to fuel the fires of bitter memories. Within the palace walls themselves lay the husk of Elysium, the crypt where the greatest of Equestrians were laid to rest for eternity. It was once the highest honour that could be bestowed upon heroes of the realm, but now it was a pit of anguish and despair where prisoners were tortured and mutilated upon the graves of legends. Last but by no means least was the only location Eris visited regularly outside the safety of the palace. Previously known as Fort Wellguard, it was at one time was the centre of Equestrian military strength. Now though, The Dark Citadel was the beating heart of all Legionary and Chaos Guard activity.

Today, the citadel would play an important role in asserting the Order’s dominance over Equestria. After the discovery of the two Alicorn heathens Starswirl the Bearded had been concealing the guard had been doubled across Canterlot, the warlocks were working tirelessly on new weapons of war, and the Legions were once again making their presence felt by occupying major cities and forts. It was a recent creation of the warlocks that had given Eris reason to dress in his ceremonial garb. He was to stand in front of the citadel and unveil their newest creation to the world. A weapon that would forever empower the Order and strike fear into the hearts of every creature across the land.

“My Lord, we await your command to proceed once you are ready.”

Eris looked away from the city beyond his balcony to see one of his generals entering his tower. Through the double doors behind him, Eris could see he was being shadowed by Eris’ two personal guards. All three were dressed in the black and red armour of the Chaos Guard, but what set them apart from the regular soldiers was the finer details of their armour.

All officers, including those that weren’t unicorns, had an enormous spiked horn surrounded by a crown atop their heads. Because the Orders armour was strengthened through dark magic, the horn was strong enough that as well as being able to protect a unicorns horn in close melee fighting, it was also able to puncture the toughest of enemy armours. This design allowed the Order to train unicorns, who would normally have fought from a distance with magic, to instead use their magic to empower themselves physically. Once their gruelling training had been completed, the very first of these elite warriors had been taken by Eris to be his personal guard. Now ‘The Immortals’ were a private Legion devoted to Eris who protected him and his interests.

Generals on the other hoof were a lot easier to identify. For a start their helmets were forged in the likeness of a draconequus to show their strength and prowess earned them a place as one of Discord’s chosen. The other detail that gave somepony away as being a general was the fact none of them felt any loyalty to Eris.

“I am surprised you came to escort me there personally, General Wildfury. Normally you would only pay me a visit when you felt I was in need of council, whether I asked for it or not.”

Even though his face was covered, Eris knew the enormous Highlander pony beneath the mask was glaring fiery daggers into his soul.

“My Lord, I only ever gave you council when it was related to our forces. Though you may not have asked for advice, I felt I had to give it as under your leadership I have led many ponies to their deaths. They died believing they were fighting to further the goal of our order, to free Discord and bring about the age of chaos. They didn’t realise it was nothing but your blind ambition that dictated their next move. My loyalty to our order has been unquestionable since I first fought beneath our banner. My only concern is that since you ascended to your ‘throne’ here in Canterlot, a lot has happened to muddy the waters as to why we actually conquered this land. Whether it was to truly free our Master, or for the glory of a few.”

Eris winced, only just managing to conceal it under his hooded robes before anypony else saw it. He knew there were some, particularly those in positions of power such as General Wildfury, who felt since he had become their leader he had used their growing strength to push his own agenda and further personal ambition. But due to the fact he commanded the respect of the Chaos Guard and had the utter devotion of the Immortals, nopony dared to question him. As he walked past his two guards by the door, their unwavering salutes spoke volumes, enough that he did not have to.

I am sure you have many concerns you daft fool, but none I would care to listen to. These halls are my own, and you would do well to watch your tongue here.

Eris needed to finally silence those dissenting voices. Though many had served for longer than he himself had, times were changing. They were ponies from another age, where wars were fought from the shadows and running away to fight another day was the most commonly used tactic on the field of battle. He was not going to allow these fools to bring about the end of his power. All was not lost, however, as this new weapon the warlocks had developed needed a few ‘volunteers’ to demonstrate it.

As they walked through the palace and out into the grounds every guard they passed saluted him. Eris knew that no matter what he chose to do with the dissenting higher-ups he would have the full support of every soldier under his command. Any that doubted him would soon meet the swift end of an Immortals blade. After leaving the palace gates it wasn’t long before they passed a small run down inn on one of the major streets with a sign outside that read The Angler’s Inn. It was then that General Wildfury spoke again.

“Your latest pet project better be worth the delay it has caused in releasing Discord. Me and the other generals are considering moving forward with the invasion of Tartarus whether you like it or not Eris. We cannot wait any longer with the Resistance gaining territory and the heathen Alicorns now on the scene.”

Eris stopped in his tracks. He could tell from the heavy silence that the General and both the Immortals behind him had also stopped. Closing his eyes, the dark powers he possessed whispered to him that from windows all around the eyes of ponies peeked out as curiosity ate at them. The streets had been cleared by several guards further ahead of them, so now was as good a time as any to make a spectacle for all the watching eyes.

“For too long now you have all questioned me.”

The two officers were standing right behind General Wildfury now, and just like earlier, Eris could sense what he was feeling beneath his masked helmet. Fear.

With one nod from their leader the two Immortals used their magic to paralyse the General, levitating him up to hold him in place as Eris let his cloak fall from its fastenings. In that moment he felt every pony behind every window, and even his two Immortals in front of him, avert their gaze as he exposed his burnt and metal patchwork flesh.

“I have led us from our small, cramped ritual chambers in basements and sewers to the great halls of Canterlot itself. I was the driving force behind the establishment of our now mighty military. It was I who sought out ancient tomes and artefacts that would give our warlocks powers they have never dreamed of possessing. And at every step along the path that allowed me to forge us into what we are today, you have been there to hinder me. Today I will unveil our new weapon against the rebels. A fusion of pony and demon that will cause even the bravest of you Highlanders to tremble in fear never mind the rest of these soft creatures.” Eris leaned in closer to whisper into the ear of the frozen pony before him. “It just so happens that after a few ‘volunteers’ have come forward to accept this gift of mine, there will be several newly promoted generals I will need to address in the citadel’s war rooms. I believe right this moment, the others are being imprisoned and awaiting my judgement just as you shall be.” Eris stepped back to bask in the fear and realisation of General Wildfury. Once the most respected warrior who fought under the banner of the Order, now he was to be painted a traitor for no other reason than Eris wanted him gone. “I hereby strip you of your rank, your titles, your lands and your legions. May they serve me better than they ever could under you. Drag him to the cages.”

Though he was unable to move, his eyes began to wildly look all around him, desperate to find an ally against the wrath he had awoken. But nopony was going to help him. Even if the entire Chaos Guard were to march past through the street, not a single one of them would do anything but see Eris and salute him. He was their leader, and they would follow him to the ends of the world and plunge into the abyss that lay beyond if he commanded it.

The two officers, using their magic, took him away away to the citadel. Once they were out of sight Eris reached down for his cloak and put it back on to hide his scared body before continuing on alone. When he finally reached the gates to the citadel he was greeted by a crowd of Equestrians who had mustered enough courage to come and see what was to happen. As he entered the crowd everyone around him began frantically pushing and shoving each other out the way the moment they realised a high ranking member of the Order was amongst them.

Imagine their reaction if they realised it was no ordinary commander amongst them, Eris thought as he grinned to himself.

After he had entered the gates of the citadel they slowly shut behind him to keep what lay hidden in the courtyard a secret for just a few moments longer.

A few moments, with my old friends.

The cages with his previous generals inside were being stacked on top of one another by a group of warlocks as he approached them.

“If a single pony fights alone, he will snap like a small stick,” he said to them all. “If that pony was to fight with others at his side they would be harder to snap, like a bundle of sticks. But if several of those sticks decide to stop working together, the entire group falls apart until we are left with one stick again.”

“Screw you and your bullshit Eris,” Wildfury spat out. “You are nothing but a puppet-master, and our order are the ones being pulled along on strings. You have truly forgotten what it is we fought for!”

The general suddenly collapsed screaming in agony as Eris’ horn and eyes erupted with a dark energy that swirled around him. The warlocks and many of the nearby Guard took this as their cue to leave and soon enough they were all out in front of the gate clearing enough space for Eris to make his announcement.

As he used his magic, Eris’ voice seemed to grow deeper and rougher, like a second voice was speaking behind the first one, wearing it like a mask to hide its true identity. “You have no idea of the powers I command worm, or the plans I make. Our Master will be free within the next cycle of the moon once I have the full loyalty of my forces and my new weapons are unleashed on Equestria. You will all die knowing that your bodies will be of far greater use to me once your souls have been ripped from them.”

Before any of them could say anything all of their cages and Eris himself were levitated into the air. After spinning them all around him so they could see his vile grin one last time, he lowering them down into the courtyard beyond the gates, scattering Equestrians in all directions that were in the way, before he finally took his place on the battlements above.

“Today is a great day little children,” he began in the booming voice he used when addressing the city. “It would seem we have some very sad news. My most loyal generals have been found guilty of plotting to overthrow me and take control of the nation to further their own personal agendas. To remind you all of what will happen to those that betray our order, I have decided to make an example of them using our newest weapon in the war against the rebellion.”

The five generals tried desperately to call out and denounce his claims of mutiny but the warlocks hidden within the gathered crowd crushed their voice boxes to prevent them speaking out. After many decades of fighting in the shadows, The Order had become masters at scaremongering and manipulating others into being submissive. Every moment of Eris’ speech had been carefully planned with the help of his Immortals to ensure nothing went wrong.

With his iconic firm but shallow nod, Eris gave the order and the weapon was unveiled. Five small jars that contained a dark misty liquid were brought forward by one of the warlocks and placed on a stone table in front of the five caged ponies. Eris couldn’t help but notice that if you looked deep into the misty liquid it seemed to stare back with a primal savagery no longer found in our world. The looks of fear and apprehension across the crowds face said just as much.

“These traitors will drink the poison they sought to sow amongst us, and they will be reborn anew so they may serve our order for two lifetimes instead of one. Nopony will ever again seek to undo us, unless they are willing to take up this gift and sacrifice.”

Each of the generals had a bottle forcibly emptied down their throats. All of them bar Wildfury had accepted their fate, and did not try to resist their captors.

“Curse you and your–lies, Eris!” Wildfury spat out between gulps of the poison. “I hope the darkness s–swallows you whole!”

Once they had all drank the poison they seemed to slowly lose all movement in their bodies until they were perfectly still. After what felt like an eternity as everypony watching held their breaths, they began to twitch. At first it was subtle, hardly noticeable if they had not had the eyes of a city on them. But soon enough it grew more pronounced, until they were fitting on the floor of their cages. Not long after they began to snarl and scratch at the cages as razor sharp fangs and claws began to grow out of their mouths and hooves. Their fur grew thicker, and their eyes began to glow a dark red as their deepest most primal instincts took over. After a few moments they were no longer ponies, but instead had become something much darker and more terrible than anything found in Equestria or the lands surrounding it.

“Behold our newest soldiers, the Broken. Creatures from an ancient and terrible past, forgotten for centuries until our warlocks uncovered their kind. They are what a pony is at our most primal and devolved form, vicious, cunning and with a hunger for blood.”

The five creatures were howling and screaming, their tongues hanging out their drooling mouths as they stared at the crowd of terrified ponies. Their long claws reached out towards them, trying desperately to grab somepony and devour them whole.

“Remember these creatures little children. For whenever you fight against us, we will add you to the growing ranks of our newest playthings. And to truly make you suffer we will even allow your first meal to be your own family.”

Eris turned away from the courtyard and the crowd that was rapidly dispersing as the sheer evil of the Broken was demonstrated when a prisoner pegasus was forced into the cage with what was once Wildfury. Eris could not help but think that his name was now so much more fitting in this darker form. He knew members of the resistance would have been watching the spectacle, and that was just what he wanted. To spread fear amongst their ranks, keeping them from wanting to leave their little fortresses and villages. That way when the Legions finally reach them they won’t have to look far to round them all up.

As he passed several of the citadel’s warlocks he ordered them to lower the sun and leave the world in complete darkness for a time to truly hit home the power the Order held over their world. It was then a Shadow appeared before him bearing a message from the Inner Circle, a group of warlocks who had attained such power they had ascended from the mortal world and were now neither living nor dead. Apparently, they had developed a new tool that would allow Eris to enter the dreams of somepony else, and thinking back to the small cottage he saw in the woods just a few nights before, he knew exactly who he was going to test it on.

* * * * *

Luna drifted silently over the tops of the clouds as her wings carried her far away from the world she left behind when she began to dream. Though she knew everything around her existed only in her minds eye, it still felt real. The clouds she landed on were fluffy and soft, like giant cushions she could shape to her will and nestle into. The cold night air bite her with its frozen teeth, which sank deeper into her flesh as she ascended higher into the heavens above. The light of the moon and stars bathed her in their beauty and rejuvenated her, giving her a newfound strength that allowed her to truly harness her affinity to the night and shift from her dream into the dreams of others.

Luna closed her eyes and felt the mists that formed the building blocks of dreams come over her. When she opened them again she was looking through the window of a small cottage in what felt like midsummer. It was her cottage, her home. Inside, Celestia and Rose were cooking together as Beardy sat in the front room by the fire looking over maps of far away mountains and kingdoms with a younger version of herself. As if Celestia knew she was there, she looked through the window straight at her. But Luna knew her sister would only see her if she allowed it. After a moment Celestia returned to looking at the food she was preparing in front of her, and Luna’s eyes shifted to look at her younger self once more. There was one strange thing she had noticed when she saw herself in anothers dream, she never saw her face. Luna couldn’t explain it, and unless she wanted to reveal this power she possessed to the others an answer to it would need to wait. She closed her eyes again and not a moment later she was back in her own dream, flying above the cloudy night sky as the strange mists danced around her.

But now something was different. It was as if something was watching her. Something, the mists whispered to her, that had watched her before and she hadn’t even known about it. The feeling gnawed at her for a few minutes until she could bare it no more and span around in the air to confront the presence.

But nothing was there.

From behind her she felt it again. Turning her head frantically in both directions she tried desperately to spot whatever it was that was there. An idea sparked across her mind. An idea that sent a cold shiver running up her spine, just like when the Shadow had seen her through the window of her cottage.

What if its one of them?

Without thinking she furled her wings and dived straight down towards the ground far below in a bid to escape it, but the presence seemed to jump ahead of her, lingering just out of sight no matter where she turned. As she broke through the cloud cover Luna’s breath was suddenly stollen from her. She felt a tightness around her throat as she looked down at the world and instead of being met with the usual sight of an enormous forest stretching from horizon to horizon, she saw nothing but blackness. A deep laughter began to echo from all around her as she continued to fall and the darkness closed in on her, swallowing up the light of the moon and stars above.

“Little creature, do you truly find solace in the darkness? I don’t think you know the first thing about it.”

The shape of a pony began to take form in the darkness before Luna. Suddenly she jerked to a stop and air came flooding back into her lungs. She gasped and coughed as the pony floated in front of her, hooded and cloaked, but as he lifted his head back a burned and scared face appeared beneath his hood. Most of his body was also burnt, held together with metal plates and bonds that were surrounded by dark red scars. Even his legs were completely encased in metal and seemed to hang limply as he floated in the darkness. Patches of his grey coat were visible between the pools of scorched flesh and metal castes, like a once blank canvas upon which his many injuries were depicted.

“Does the little creature not have anything to say?” He sneered at her, his somehow perfect white teeth appearing alien alongside his broken body.

Luna stared back at the monstrosity that was once a pony. Somehow, her mind was calm. If this had happened to her while she was awake she would have been petrified to the core, just like when the Shadows attacked their cottage. But here, in the sanctuary of her dreams, a world that she was prophesied to watch over and protect for all of ponykind, she felt empowered. But even so, she struggled to find her voice in the oppressive blackness around her.

“You’re Eris, the leader of the Order?”

The monster laughed at her. “You dare to address me with my name wretch?” He spat at her. “You are a misshapen thing that should not be in our world, you are beneath me and all of our kind. Your kind belong beyond the void, out there where you cannot interfere with our plans.” A wicked grin spread across his face as he said, “If you were to leave now little creature, I might spare your family and friends.”

Luna looked back at the monster and felt something deep within her, like a small match had been struck. Rarely had Luna ever felt anger, but now it was bubbling up within her like never before as the tiny flame began to engulf her. This thing before her dared to threaten her family and claim she had no place in this world? A thing that claimed to be a pony, yet stood for all the evil and horrors that had eaten away at their species since time began?

The dream around them shook. Even the monster could feel it. Eris’ eyes widened as Luna felt her entire body grow larger, and instead of the darkness pressing down upon her, it cowered beneath her. Even her mane, which was usually a pale blue, began to glow purple and sparkled with a strange energy she had never felt before. When she spoke, her voice was harsh and ear splitting and she cackled uncontrollably.

“You think you can enter my dreams and threaten my family? Whatever you are, know that the evil you serve is nothing compared to true darkness! Do you really believe the powers gifted to you by ‘The Mad God’ are the greatest of evils within our world, nay, within our universe? You could not be any further from the truth.”

The darkness lunged upon them. It tightened around Eris and forced itself into his mouth, nose and eyes, preventing him from screaming out or seeing her terrifying form. Luna on the otherhoof felt the darkness simple glide over her flesh and whisper to her as it slowly began to grow in her mind. She could feel Eris wanted to scream, he wanted to destroy her and watch her body burn to ashes. But in this world, in the dreams that guided ponies to morning light, she was the Princess of the Night.

* * * * *

Eris burst forth from his sleep, screaming in agony as he felt the last burning strings of darkness dissipate from within him. Both of the Immortals outside came charging into his chambers, brandishing their spiked shields and spears as they looked around for whatever it was that had attacked their leader.

“My Lord! Are you alright? What happened?”

All the energy that Eris had was gone. He had entered the dream of the Alicorn believing all the pain, suffering and hardship he had sustained throughout his life left him with the greater willpower and fortitude. But now, after seeing the darkness that she had buried deep within her, he was terrified.

“Bring me the others. The other Immortals. The ones who helped capture the generals. From this moment forth you are all the new Legion generals.” Eris took a deep breath to try and regain his composure before continuing, “But we shall have to postpone the ceremonies, right now we have a new enemy that must be dealt with. Summon the Inner Circle also, I need them to find out as much about our enemy as possible. Go, now!”

The two Immortals looked at one another before one galloped away. The other helped Eris to his feet and levitated over his purple cloak to hide his scars.

“My Lord, what did you see?”

“The darkest of powers our world possesses. It was nothing short of a nightmare.”

* * * * *

Celestia awoke to an ear shattering scream coming from Luna’s chambers. Leaping out of bed and into the air she flew out her door and landed in the hallway to find the others were already appearing from the other doors scattered around.

“What’s going on?” Rose said, looking about frantically. “Where's Luna?”

Beardy charged towards the door with the moon and stars emblazoned on it and threw it open, but instead of going in he froze in mid step, staring into the room.

Celestia galloped over shouting out to him, “What’s wrong? Is she ok? Luna!” As she turned and entered the room she too froze.

Inside Luna was writhing on the bed, crying and whimpering. A multitude of dark patches seemed to be forming on her coat, growing and shrinking as she shouted out.

“No!” Rose screamed as she ran into the room and past Celestia. “My baby, listen to me! It’s fine, everything's fine. Please come back to us. Please Luna, don’t let your anger and your fear control you, you must control them.”

Luna’s eyes opened briefly. Where normally they were pale blue and filled with a gentle kindness, for a moment they shone green and glistened as her iris changed into a narrow slit.

“… Luna?”

Hearing Celestia’s voice changed something. Where a moment ago a purple haze streaked through Luna’s mane, now it was the pale blue Celestia had always known it to be. The dark patches as black as night that had dotted her body began to dwindle as light illuminated the room when Nzuri entered, wielding a candlestick in one hand and a dagger in the other.

“Little Luna, I am sorry I had not come sooner. I had felt something was wrong, but I didn’t know what until I heard your wailing song.”

Luna blinked at her before she began to sob. “I–I was asleep, and then this thing, a monster, came into my dream. It made me angry! I couldn’t help myself! I felt something come over me and I couldn’t stop it–“

“Hush now Luna, everything is ok,” Rose whispered into her ear.

Celestia finally took a step forward and moved to Luna’s side, wrapping a wing around her and nuzzling her gently as she sobbed and shook.

Beardy looked back towards the others. “Get some sleep, we will need to leave at first light. There is a chance whoever, or whatever, it was Luna saw in her dream will know where we are. Rose and Celestia, stay with Luna tonight and make sure she is ok. If anything happens come and wake me immediately.”

Rose nodded and held Luna even tighter as Beardy closed the door behind him.

“What happened, sister?” Celestia asked once it was just the three of them.

“It was a monster. Eris, the leader of the Order. I could sense it–sorry, he–was evil, and when he threatened to hurt you and mother I just got so angry. Something seemed to awaken inside me, something dark and terrible.”

The words of the Elder Timberelf echoed in Celestia’s mind once again. None of them said anything more, and when Luna and Rose had finally fallen asleep after Luna has stopped sobbing and crying out, Celestia stood up and walked over to the window. She looked up at the night sky. High above, the moon sat looking back down at her. She shivered as she felt what seemed to be a million eyes staring down at her from its surface.

If you dare hurt my sister again, whatever you are, there is nothing I won’t do to find you. There is no crevasse you can hide in, no hole you can bury yourself in and no darkness my light won’t pierce where you will be safe from me. I will burn your world to the ground if it keeps my sister safe from you.

With that, the eyes seemed to dwindle until it was the same moon that had always existed. After a moment Celestia returned to her mother and sister’s side and lay down next to them, vowing to protect them both and care for them no matter the cost.

I am the Princess of the Sun, and I will bring my wrath down upon any who stand against me.

Prologue - Days Long Since Past

The sun was lost above the forest canopy as the three small ponies meandered through the dark trees that loomed over them. Birds sang amongst the rustling leaves, their melodies fluttered down as gently as the tiniest of feathers. The quiet breeze whispered to them amongst the birdsongs it carried, and as they passed each tree their branches waved in the wind, greeting the three of them in turn.

This was a tranquil place, far from the troubles of Canterlot and the unending civil war. Here you only had to walk out your front door to be met with the serenity of the forest. There was no intrusion from the outside world, not a hint that anything lay beyond the edges of their woodland home. Rose Petal looked around their perfect corner of the world, a flicker of a smile crossing her face before she turned her gaze to the green blanket above her world. It was the ideal place to raise the girls; away from Canterlot; away from the Order; and away from the civil war.

“The shade always seems so cold when you’ve been out in the sun,” Celestia grumbled to herself, flapping her wings agitatedly. “Why can’t the sun, just, follow me. Then I can always stay in the sunshine!”

“You never know girls, one day you might be able to move the sun and moon and do with them as you please,” Rose said to her, smiling as she thought of what Celestia would do if she could control the sun at her age.

Celestia was the eldest of Rose’s two young fillies. She had a coat as white as snow that had freshly fallen on a cold winters morning, and was yet to bear the tracks of passing creatures. Her mane and tail were long and pale pink in colour, like the flowers that dotted either side of the path they were following. Celestia was a very excitable filly who enjoyed nothing more than to run beneath the sun’s gaze or practice flying up in the sky alongside the birds.

Luna, on the other hoof was very different from her older sister. Her coat was a deep purple and when hit by the light of the moon it sparkled with a faint silvery light. Her mane and tail were shorter than Celestia’s and were the pale blue of a frozen pool of the purest of waters. While daylight brought out the best in Celestia, Luna preferred to stay up at night and watch as the moon crept out and covered the world with its mystical light. It was this staying up late that explained why little Luna was currently half asleep, rocking back and forth as she meandered along beside Rose.

Rose had looked after Celestia and Luna in their small cottage deep in the forest and, along with the others they shared the woods with, ensured the two little fillies were looked after. She herself had a pink coat and when they were all together as a family it looked as though the white of Celestia had mixed with the dark purple of Luna until it had become the bright pink of Rose. Her brown mane with its darker streaks swished back and forth in front of her eyes, constantly making the forest around her grow darker and lighter with each wave. On her flank was the image of a single rose, her cutie mark, showing her love for all things that grow. She would spend many hours outside tending to the needs of the forest and her garden, and when she wasn’t gardening there were her girls to look after. Rose never wasted an opportunity to play with them or encourage them at every chance she could.

Now that the last of winter’s vices had melted and spring was upon them, Rose had decided that today they would all go out to visit one of the meadows that lay hidden at the heart of the forest. Together they could enjoy the fresh air as they listened to the songs of the returning birds who had flown away for the winter and smell the newly blooming flowers awaken from their long sleep.

Since leaving the cottage on their small adventure Rose had been taking in the beauty of all that was around them. Not only was the forest gorgeous to behold with its many creatures, patterns and multitudes of colours, but it was also a delight to listen to. The sounds of nature were like a symphony that told the story of the forest and its many inhabitants.

All around them the trees swayed back and forth, groaning under the pressure of the wind like tall cellos and bases letting out the deep rumbles of the symphony. The buzzing of the insects was like a staccato of violins, building tension as they approached before drifting away into the distance. High above, the birds sang an endless variety of songs to chime into the mix: the rhythmic calls of the Quails could be heard quietly in the background as the melodic voices of the Nightingales took up the lead role of their section. Every so often the sound of animals such as bears, wolves, deer and foxes could be head far off in the distance, booming like trumpets and tubas. Finally, the footsteps of the three ponies themselves was the drumming beat that kept everything around them in time.

Rose’s attention drifted from the ballad of sounds around her to her eldest daughter. Even though the suns light was kept at bay by the forest canopy, at some points it was able to break through tiny gaps between the branches, causing little islands of light to appear across the woodland floor. Rose laughed to herself as Celestia, instead of walking in a straight line along the path, tried her best to island hop from one sunlit patch to the next, berthing at each to take on fresh supplies of light before setting off across the dark sea of shadows to her next destination.

At one of her moorings Celestia stopped. Suddenly the little filly erupted with excitement, and began bouncing from one tree to the next enthralled at Rose’s earlier idea of controlling the sun.

“If I could move the sun I would make sure everypony in Equestria was able to go outside and play and we would all laugh and run in the meadows all day! Do you really think I could do that?” The more excited she got at Rose’s idea the squeakier her voice became.

Luna, however, continued to meander along at Rose’s side, quietly thinking to herself as she normally did. She waited until Celestia’s bouncing had taken her far enough ahead that she could speak without being interrupted before turning her sleepy eyes to look up at Rose.

“Mother, if I was able to move the moon I would sit up and listen to all the creatures that come out at night. I love looking out at the dark trees on those magical nights from my window, listening and sometimes singing along with the sounds the world makes.” Her voice was much softer than her sister’s, like it was something from a dream. Quiet and gentle, but wise and thoughtful beyond her years.

Celestia had managed to bounce back a few steps to within earshot of what her sister was saying and was now scrunching up her face at her.

“Why would you want to sit and sing in the dark when we could be outside playing in the sun sis?” Celestia stopped long enough to speak while moored at a small island of sunlight on top of a grassy mound. “Then we could go exploring in the woods and see if there were any evil ponies to defeat and Iron Shield could come save us!”

“Now sweetie, I have told you not to joke about that kind of stuff. Always stay in the parts of the forest we spoke about and not to go too far from our home, especially out past Iron Shield and Angus’ cottage. Angus might be a strong pony who could look after you but he is not there all the time and Iron Shield is only slightly older than you and isn’t ready to be rescuing mares in distress.”

“I know Mum, but sometimes I want to go see what is beyond the woods and visit far away lands and meet more ponies and hear tales about Dragons and Changelings and Griffons and Ursas and Zebra and Crystal Ponies and—”

“One day you will Sweetie, but not today. And when that day does comes you will need to be more serious and understand that when your young its ok to be excited and run about exploring. But, in the future you might not be able to play. You will need to act like grown ups, look after each other and make sure you are both safe if things become so dark that you don’t know which way to turn to find the light.”

“But Mother, you will be here to look after us.”

Rose gazed into Luna’s deep blue eyes. They were as deep as the ocean and as endless as the night sky. Before she could say yes a voice from her memories whispered to her, but was quickly shut out. She would not bear to relive those memories. Even the happy ones. It was too dark a time, and deep wounds never truly heal.

One day, they will learn to be more serious about things, Rose thought as she brought her mind back to the present and locked the door to that corner of her mind. “Yes my dear, you know I will always be right here if you need me.”

They slowed to a stop as the trees thinned and a great meadow came into view. The suns light bathed it in a golden hue causing the grass to shimmer. The droplets of dew dotting the thousands of blades of grass were like a sea of jewels, untouched and yet to be discovered. The islands of light from before had been replaced with small clumps of flowers dotted across the meadow like an archipelago of colourful islands extending out from the mainland forest. With stiff legs from walking Rose slowly made her way over to the enormous Oak that stood like an eternal sentinel some way out into the meadow and lay down in the shade beneath its great branches. The two young fillies followed close behind and lay down in the grass to stare up at the sky and rest their weary legs. The wind was gentle here but strong enough that it kept them all cool and carried with it the smell of a new spring. It made the flowers dance from side to side all around them like little ponies all dancing in groups at the Hearth’s Warming Eve festival. The clouds overhead were few and far between and sailed across the sky like the great merchant ships of the old Saddle Arabian Sultanate, a mighty and wondrous nation now condemned to the pages of history and legend. Celestia’s ears pricked up as several birds flew into view overhead while Luna snuggled up to Rose’s side and began to breath gently as she fell asleep.

Celestia rolled over and stood up slowly so as not to wake Luna. “Can I go fly with the birds for a bit Mum? I promise to keep where you can see me.”

Rose nodded and was met with the widest of smiles imaginable from the little filly. As Celestia moved a bit away before spreading her wings out Rose couldn’t help but feel more than a little proud of the two of them.

“I hope this is what you had planned for them,” Rose said quietly to the world that lay before her, “I hope that they will one day go on to fulfil the destinies you laid before them. I just want you to remember how much these girls mean to me, and that I want to be with them for as long as you let me.”

“Who are you speaking to Mother?” Luna breathed out as she rolled her head over to look up at Rose with one half open and drowsy eye.

“No one sweetie, you go back to sleep I was just thinking out loud. You will need to be well rested if you wish to stay up tonight and listen to Beardy’s stories again.”

Luna smiled as she snuggled back down again. “You don’t need to worry about me staying up Mother. I love Beardy’s stories. You would think he was actually there in most of them. It’s almost as if he was the background pony who made sure everything worked out as planned.” With that, Luna’s eye closed again and her breathing returned to a steady rhythm as she descended back into her world of dreams.

Rose looked up at Celestia who was hovering overhead looking about from left to right to try find the birds who had evidently outwitted her and hidden amongst the branches of the old Oak. What Luna had said made Rose think back to all the stories Beardy had told her daughters over the years. Sometimes he would embellish bits to make it more grand for the girls and other parts he missed out completely because of their age. What she did know however, was that he certainly was there in each of them. He really was the background pony that ensured the story stayed true to the end.