Philosopher of Earth

+++ The same morning, Canterlot +++

Celestia had just taken over guarding the day. Luna trotted through the empty lower halls. Everything. That was what Celestia had said. Everything. Luna descended countless stairs. Down and down they went. Eventually Luna arrived to a floor all but abandoned. Most of these crypts were to hide the citizens of Canterlot if necessary. But Celestia had found a better purpose all those years ago. Nopony liked these abyssal depths, Guards tasked with keeping the torches burning often neglected these levels. It was the perfect location to hide something, and find it again in an emergency. Luna's hoof steps echoed off the walls as she quickly trotted through abandoned hall after abandoned hall. The torches down here were probably last lit when Nightmare Moon was banished. Luna didn't like to think of herself as Nightmare Moon, a different age, a different pony... Nevertheless, being stuck in the head of an ancient evil did occasionally have its perks, albeit far and few between.

Luna could see perfectly well in the lightless halls. She was after all, Princess of the Night. At last, after nearly an hour of trotting, she found the room. The ornately carved stone door stood before her impassively. It had the dueling sisters of millennia ago carved into its arches, the power of the sun, against the majesty of the moon. The Elements of harmony, versus a strange staff. Luna remembered it well. It was one of the things that helped her evil twin to gain power. Luna sighed at the memories, of times long gone. She hesitantly put her horn to the door. It suddenly lit up in archaic runes, with the pale blue that was Luna's magic. The circularly arrayed runes started to spin. The door abruptly opened. She walked in. The secret vault was circular, with eight carved stone pillars placed evenly in the walls. In the exact middle, was a stone pedestal. Standing, perfectly vertical, on the pedestal, was a plain oak staff. Luna hesitantly took it off the pedestal. As soon as her magic touched its wood, she felt the power that the simple staff held. Luna however would not use it. Not again.

"It's been a long time old friend..." she whispered to the staff. She pulled a piece of cloth from out of thin air, and wrapped it around the staff where she would hold it. The ocean of power suddenly vanished. Luna sighed. She had forgotten its allure. She turned back, and exited with the oak stick in tow... Hopefully the human, who had held another dark beast at bay for so long, could handle one more for only a few hours...

Everything.

+++ The same morning, Ponyville +++

The letter in Silver Stars' magical hold was brief and to the point. She could waste little time. The only reason she was notified was because there was a very good chance she would be called on. Silver looked up the stairs. Cheese wouldn't be getting up for at least another hour. She had something very important to quickly do.

A few minutes, and against the doctor's orders, a quick trot later, Silver reached Carousel Boutique. Rarity was rushing about in a mad dash.

"Oh my goodness! Where did I put it? Oh that's where that was!" exclaimed Rarity when Silver entered the shop. Rarity ignored Silver as she run around.

"Ahem." coughed Silver. Suddenly Rarity realized she had a visitor.

"I'm sorry I'm clos..." she began, then she saw it was Silver. "Oh! It's you!" she exclaimed. "I don't have much time, so I'll get straight to the point. It's made of a strange fabric that I doubt I could replicate in a few years, much less than the few days I've had..." she continued trotting around, searching for something. "I did however take the liberty of replicating the piece with pony equivalents, to understand how it was made of course... It took some time, without a model to work on... But late yesterday night I did it." She pulled a dark gray garment out of a dresser and held it up. "I'm not pleased with the color, but it was the closest fabric I had. Do you want them both?" she asked.

"No thank you, I just want the original." said Silver, inspecting the new garment. "I'll let you keep the new one for you to study." she continued after seeing the confused look on Rarity's face.

"If you want me to study it, then why don't you take the new one?" asked Rarity.

"For what I'll need it for, only the original will work." stated Silver.

"Why..." began Rarity, until she saw the look on Silvers face that said I'm-not-going-to-tell-you-that. "Very well..." She went into the back and brought forth the familiar dark green sweater. Silver took it with delicate care.

"Thank you." she trotted outside, her leg clearly feeling better. This left Rarity alone in the boutique again.

"Oh yes! That's right!" she exclaimed to herself and rebegan dashing about the shop in a frenzy.

Silver smelled the alien cloth. It still smelled like blood and another world, but now had a mixture of cleaning agents thrown in. For some reason, she found it soothing. Silver stuffed the garment into her saddlebag. He doesn't need to know I have it. She thought to herself. She continued walking down the street towards the house.

When Silver arrived, Cheese was still asleep. That human could always be counted on to sleep. She thought. She went to her room, and began packing the few belongings she had. Celestia wouldn't have bothered to warn her if it wasn't important. Silver left the travel bag on the bed, and began getting her equipment ready for the inevitable call to arms.

+++ An hour later, Canterlot +++

"No, they're not enough..." sighed Celestia as she looked out her chambers window into the crowd of soldiers below. Her armor was still on its mannequin. She had gone over it countless times, recharging protection spells, fixing old enchantments, and making sure they all worked in harmony. The book she used was open to a section on magical shields and general protection. Celestia crossed the room to the desk where her quill and parchment sat, and began to write. I'm sorry, but everything is everything. She thought to herself as she scribbled furiously.

+++ Noon, Ponyville +++

Silver knew it. The letter, personally from Celestia, had reordered her to rejoin her squad in Canterlot. She went back upstairs. She then strapped her armor on, and flung the saddlebag over her shoulder. She started to walk out of the room when she suddenly stopped. Something yelled her that she forgot something in her travel case, which she was going to leave here. She dug around in it. And pulled out the dark green alien fabric.

"Why am I coming back for this?" she asked herself out loud. Regardless, she obeyed the yelling something and put it in her saddlebag. "What is wrong with me?" she asked herself on the way down the stairs. She wrote a quick note to Cheese, and left both letters nearby. Silver then sighed, and walked out the door.