Chapter Two: Shadow's Fall
Chapter 2: Shadow's Fall
Equestria, 07-27-05, A.L.F; 7:22 P.M. (After Luna’s Fall)
Within a few hours of this announcement, the Council met in the chambers to discuss how they were going to implement damage control. Lord Blueblood, of House Blueblood, was arguing with Lord Night of House Sparkle.
“This may be how you run things in YOUR house, but I REFUSE to allow a jumped-up pegacorn to tell me how to run my own damn House!!” Blueblood snorted, puffs of air coming from his nostrils.
“First of all, Princess Celestia is not a pegacorn,” said Lord Night of House Sparkle. “Secondly, you have no choice, as only those houses that use the meritocracy system have any authority. Since my own House and House Belle are the only Unicorn Houses that do so, that means that the rest of you are Lords and Ladies in name only. I’ve already given orders to seize all of your assets, and your domiciles are currently under lockdown.” Smugly, Night noticed that Blueblood was beginning to sweat.
Turning to his cousin, the Lady Belle, Blueblood, now sweating profusely, looked at her with pleading eyes. For her part, Harmony Belle wanted nothing to do with the wannabe Lord, or the House that was such a stain on the Houses of the Day Court, now the only court of nobles since Luna’s banishment along side of her nightmare. Now she was happy, in that, while she couldn’t outright ABOLISH his seat, she could ensure that he and his son, the self-styled Prince of the Unicorns, would have no authority.
“Oh, don’t give me that look cousin. Myself and Lord Night have no intention of abolishing your house, nor removing its seat,” she said in a haughty tone. “However, you will have to concede to the meritocracy if you, or any of your descendants, wish to sit on said seat, and attend the Council.”
All of the other unicorn nobles realized that if there was any hope of salvaging their plans, they would have to go along with it for now. Their happy, yet dark thoughts were further shot down by the next statements made by the Lady Belle.
“The model of acceptance for meritocracy is one that requires service in the public sectors, or on the front line. Service in the private sector, such as the accumulation of either land and/or wealth has been rejected by myself, Night, and the Princess. You all received the memorandum concerning this. Therefore, I’m glad to say that this discussion is over. You will all be escorted to the public guest wings of the palace, save for those of your sons and daughters who HAVE distinguished themselves. The rest of you will be informed concerning your status. Lord Blueblood, neither you nor your son will be sitting in your seat; instead, it will be taken over by your daughter.” She grinned maliciously; Blueblood’s daughter had been excommunicated from her family because she was soulbound to Angel Hearts, Night’s niece. This caused further consternation, as the Council law forbidding those who favored their own gender to sit on a Council seat was now, of course, null and void. That law was recent; it was less than six months that it had been ratified.
Now huffing heavily, Blueblood realized that his last avenue had been closed. There simply wasn’t anything more that he could do to stop all his plans from being ruined. Panicking, Blueblood collapsed, his overstressed heart no longer able to fight the combined effort of the strain of his weight and emotional stress. Gasping, Harmony called out to the Guards. “Guards, call for medical ponies!! We have a possible heart attack!! “
Blueblood woke up to a hoof stroking his mane. Looking up, he saw the one pony who had every reason to hate him, smiling down. “Oh thank Celestia, you made it through,” she sighed, still stroking his mane.
Blueblood struggled with his parched throat, only to have his daughter levitate the cup over to him. She tipped it so he could drink. He shot a dirty look at her; he never did like being nursed at the best of times, and now that his magic was all but useless, it made his mood particularly sour. His look changed to one of resignation as he saw the horseapple-eating grin that Platinum had on her face. Honestly, why did I name her after the Unicorn Princess? She’s far too like that insufferable Clover the Clever. Still, I love her so much right now; she makes a far better candidate than Prince ever would.
After a few sips, Blueblood was able to croak something he had what he wanted to say for years. “I’m sorry, my little princess.”
“For what?” She asked, with a confused frown.
“For allowing the Council to play politics with your happiness,” he said, after another sip of water.
“Oh papa, I forgave you for that ages ago.” Smiling softly, she continued to feed him small sips of water while stroking his mane. “I know that the other lords were pressuring you to do so, since Princess Celestia’s take on such relationships has been well established. In any case, that’s just rain water in the Everfree now. I’m here for you, as long as you need.”
Shocked, he starts to cough. “What about the seat?’”
Turning his head gently, Platinum Posey directed him the other bed, which had a portable writing table, an open inkpot, and several stacked scrolls. Winking, she simply said, “I put my years as a personal accountant to the Princess to good use. Most of what I handled was accounts for disaster relief, as well as aid for underprivileged pegasi.”
Starting to grin, Blueblood realized that his family most definitely was in better hooves. Platinum’s personal fortune rivaled that of many of the other houses, with the exception of House Fancy.
“I’m glad,” he sighed, falling back to sleep.
Equestria, 07-27-05, A.L.F; 11:58 P.M. (After Luna’s Fall)
Walking silently, a shadowy figure made its way through the corridors of the local hospital. The figure had only one purpose, to find the inept Blueblood and punish him for failing the Dark King’s plans.
As it made its way to where Blueblood was sleeping peacefully, the figure pondered its current assignment. How did a wraith hunter of his caliber get dragged into this mess? This loose end was simply hanging by a thread anyway. Oh well, at least it pays well. I’ll finally be able to afford that cute little pony mare I saw in the Gryphon’s market. Such a shame, really; his daughter was quite the looker too.
Finally, the hunter reached his destination. Approaching the ajar door as silently as only a wraith hunter could, the assassin looked into the room, seeing that both targets were present. Approaching the bedside, the merc levitated a syringe over the left foreleg of the unfortunate stallion. As he went to plunge it in, however. it went through the leg. Too late to realize that this was, in fact an illusion, the assassin jumped away only to have two simultaneous attacks sprung on him. The first one was a mana-blocking ring on his horn; the second was a runeblade through his chest.
As he felt the lifeblood flow out of him, he turned to see a beautiful face, with a sad frown on her muzzle. He then realized his mistake; his other target was as much a guard as a noble. Oh horseapples!! Ah well, at least a beautiful face is the last thing I’ll see….
Wiping her blade, Platinum sent three pulses through the gem around her neck, letting the guards know that the trap was sprung.
Equestria, 07-27-05, A.L.F; 12:22 A.M. (After Luna’s Fall)
A few houses away from the hospital, a group of pony mercenaries was waiting for confirmation that their targets were dead. They were engaged in the favored pastime of soldiers the world over; gambling.
Suddenly, all of the boarded up windows were blasted in, while simultaneously, the doors were kicked in. Within a few moments, members of the previously thought to be defunct Lunar Guard had surrounded the entire gang, including the leader.
Looking over the roster of known felons, it was confirmed that said leader was guilty of crimes involving pleasure slavery. Realizing this, the Captain dealt with such a pony as his Mistress would; simply lopping off the pony’s head, then using his magic to burn the body until there was nothing left. The rest of the bandits were escorted to tunnels underneath Canterlot Castle, to await petrification in three days’ time.
Far, far to the north, a wild cry of pain was heard. The Emperor of the Shadows had lost his last connection into Equestria’s high government. With that, the last of his plans fell through, and he descended into a madness that would last for over 1000 years….
Chapter Three: A New Light
Chapter 3: A New Light (Chapter Revised)
Crystal Empire, 05-27-1005 A.N.M., Sunrise(After Nightmare Moon)
A hoof to her lower back brought Twilight out of one of the best rests she had had in the longest time. Groggily, Twilight wiggled a bit, trying to get more comfortable. The hoof dig in further. Turning to see whose hoof it was, Twilight’s sleepy gaze fell on the smiling face of the newest Alicorn. Princess Rainbow Dash looked at her, her cute face framed with a long, cyan addition that only added to her beauty.
Suddenly, the hoof that had woke her up pushed itself into her belly, eliciting a huge laugh from her. Giggling, Rainbow tickled her a couple more times before rolling out of the sleeping bag they shared.
“Rainbow, how long have you been watching me?” she asked the former pegasus. Rainbow blushed a bit as she replied. “Oh, about the last few minutes or so. You’re so cute when you first start waking up.”
“Yeah, I’m sure, with my unruly bed mane.” Rainbow just chuckled.
What had happened three weeks ago was very much on both Twilight and Rainbow’s minds as they set about their first morning routine; reaffirming a bond that was so new, yet as old as both Solaris and Selene themselves. When the Aurora itself opened, and took the love of her life away, Twilight had thought she had lost her. Only the steady beating of Loyalty in her heart let her know that Rainbow was still alive.
Rainbow was still unwilling to tell her exactly what went on, only saying that the story needed to wait until they got to Ponyville.
“So, what’s on the agenda for today Twi?” The lavender alicorn looked up, then looked around the plateau that was incongruently located at the summit of Mount Everfest. Her gaze fell onto the altar that had featured so prominently in her and Rainbow’s lives.
“Well, first, we need to get down. Shouldn’t be too hard, the storm has finally quieted down. Odd, that; this storm has raged for centuries, ever since Sombra was sealed away. Anyway, once we get down, we need to head the the Crystal Palace.”
Twilight looked up to see an almost scared-looking expression on Dash’s face. “Um, Twi, I kinda can’t let anypony besides you know I’m an alicorn and princess until we get to Ponyville. Is there any way we can avoid the palace?”
Becoming more frightened by the minute. Rainbow looked at Twilight, only to jump up out of real fright as Twilight’s wings disappear inside her barrel, lavender sparks of magic floating off of them as they disappeared. Smirking, Twilight pointed at Rainbow’s fairly new horn, then tells her the most incongruent thing she could have said. “Just hide it Dashie; you’ll just look like you always did.”
After the last three weeks she had had, Rainbow was pretty certain that the universe was just TRYING to find ways to scare the horseapples out of her. Seeing her lovers’ wings disappear like that was simply the scariest thing she could think of. “Twilight, what kind of spell was THAT?!” she squeaked, sounding more like Fluttershy than Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow, it’s not a spell; alicorns don’t need spells to disguise themselves as pegasi or earth ponies. All you have to do is will your body to change, and it will change. It’s fairly simple.” Twilight then proceeded to reverse the process; not only did her wings return, her height did as well.
Rainbow was starting to get confused. How was she supposed to cast a spell that didn’t involve direct control of her magic? She was about to ask Twilight what would sound like a really stupid question, but stopped herself when she remembered that there was someone else she could ask; Serenity.
Perhaps the most confusing, yet wonderful thing to happen to Rainbow was the fact that she now had a connection to a deep presence that had existed since the beginning of time. A presence that had waited for someone like her since the dark forces had first started gathering. This being, for lack of a better term, was the living embodiment of her realm. Serenity, as she preferred to be called, had been the guide for this whole hair-brained scheme, and if there was anything she had learned, it was that she could ask that gentle, yet fierce soul anything and not get rebuffed.
Within a few moments, the gentle presence in her heart guided her to the answer. Alicorns were able, by their deep connection to the very magic they were made up of, to make themselves look like ordinary pegasi or earth ponies, by willingly suppressing the ambient magics connected to the natures they wanted to hide. Well, she told me that outside of our realm, I wouldn’t be able to hear her voice until it was time for the big reveal. Sighing, Rainbow concentrated on the task at hand. Focusing on the ambient magic within her, she willed her Unicorn and Earth Pony magics to go deeper into her frame. Within a few moments, she felt like she had weeks earlier, though she could still sense the new mana that was within her.
“Oh wow, Rainbow, you caught onto that real quick!! Feels weird though, doesn’t it?”
“Heh, yeah, you get used to things as an alicorn a lot faster than I would’ve thought.” Rainbow looked on as Twilight levitated the saddlebags that she had brought on their trip through the Caves of Memory.
Learning how to use magic was still something of a chore for Rainbow. If she didn’t have Twilight for a tutor, who was able to use Rainbow’s depth-perception method of learning to great effect, she would have been lost when all the craziness started. She didn’t think those that were destined for alicornhood had trouble with their magic, until she remembered how much trouble Twilight had learning to fly. She had been getting better though, and had even learned to do a few of the more basic tricks over the last few months. “Hey Twi, um, don’t take this the wrong way, but why did you have problems learning how to fly? I thought flying came naturally to all alicorns.”
Twilight looked at Rainbow, then looked down, her ears flattening on her head. “Well, at the time, I didn’t want to be a princess. That translated to not wanting my wings. It wasn’t until I started helping you study for the Wonderbolt Reserve exam that I really became committed to being an alicorn, though I was still unsure about my role as a princess.”
Rainbow remembered that her flying did get better after that.. “Yeah, it did, though you were still a rookie,” she teased, hoping to cheer her love up.
Twilight bumped up against her side, then said in a mock-serious tone,”Oh, laugh it up, miss Best Young Flier. Not everypony has the time to lay about like you do.” They both laughed; this sort of teasing had become a way for them to relieve the stress during their journey. Now though, it was just one more link in the chain that bonded two very different souls together.
Twilight reached over and kissed her mare. Sighing, Rainbow lost herself in the feel of her lover's’ lips on hers. They stood like that for a few moments, basking in each other’s presence. Breaking off the kiss, Twilight looked at her and said, “Come on Rainbow, we got a long trek ahead of us.”
Leaving the summit of Mount Everfest, the two made their journey down the mountain, eager to rejoin civilization after so long an absence.
Crystal Empire, 05-29-1005, A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)
The two days that it took them to climb down the summit were brighter than either Rainbow Dash or Twilight were expecting. When they made it to the base of the mountain in the late afternoon, they had been expecting snow. What they found was a land in the throes of early spring. Virtually all the snow that they had slogged through after coming out of the caves had melted. It seemed that the last vestiges of the curse Sombra cast on these lands was finally gone.
The atmosphere around them served to lighten the spirit of the two mares further, eliminating the last vestiges of stress they had carried throughout their journey. With an unspoken accord, the two decided to take a slower time returning to the Crystal Empire, in order to fully enjoy a freed land. Nopony was expecting them, since they had told their friends that their task would likely take a few months to complete.
Though they had been wanting to make their way back to the Crystal Empire as soon as they could, Twilight and Rainbow realized that there was no rush; nopony was expecting them back any time soon, since such a journey would normally take several months. So, the two decided to extend their journey for a few days. This was also a great time for Rainbow to get used to other aspects of her new magic, particularly that of her Earth Pony magic.
The next couple of days were spent in bliss. There was fresh crystal berries on the tundra, and plenty of fresh water. The nights were balmier than the northern territories should be, proving that the protection provided by the Crystal Heart extended far further than originally thought. This made Twilight happy, knowing that her sister-in-laws’ kingdom was so much larger than that tiny Kingdom.
Twilight and Rainbow spent the balmy nights exploring the love that had become so precious to them in such a short time. Since there was nopony around to see them, Rainbow dropped her disguise at night, to better share these precious moments. Truly, she was the most blessed of mares to have such a lovely partner all to herself.
For Twilight, learning everything she could that she never knew about Rainbow was such a novel experience. She learned that her life partner was far more girly than she let on. Rainbow confessed that much of her tomboyishness was a result of wanting to impress her miserable excuse for a father, who wanted sons instead of daughters, and had left after the last of his and her mother’s four children was born a filly. Last she had heard, Rainbow’s father was living in Las Pegasus, working as a bar hop in the casinos there.
Teaching Rainbow Dash magic had been particularly taxing for Twilight. The relaxed atmosphere gave her a chance for her to do some practical testing of Rainbow’s skills, which had improved by leaps and bounds since their journey began. She was able to spend time, in a relaxed setting, to improve on her lover’s knowledge of magic, though Rainbow still had trouble sitting still when reading the few dry spellbooks she had. All in all, though, this was a relaxing time for the pair of them. A vacation of sorts, since once they got back to Ponyville, things were going to get real busy.
Little did either mare know, that there idyllic vacation was about to get far more exciting than either expected.
Crystal Empire, 06-03-1005, A.N.M., 10:22 A.M. (After Nightmare Moon)
Stalwart Beauty, a Crystal Unicorn that had been living north of the palace when Sombra first cursed these lands, was in the field harvesting the hardly crystal berries, intending to take them to the village market. She was interrupted by her little filly, Radiant Belle, calling for her. “Mama, come see, come see, there’s a princess on the path here!!”
“Oh Belle, how many times must I tell you; the Crystal Princess lives in the palace, and is far too busy with all of the newly freed Crystal Ponies to come here.” Not satisfied with her answer, little Radiant proceeded to jump up and start bouncing on her mother’s back. Groaning exasperatedly, Beauty turned her head to deal with her daughter, knowing she wouldn’t get any work done until she did. “But mama, this one is purple, not pink.”
“Oh all right, I’m coming, I’m coming!!” Setting the baskets that she had been levitating down, Beauty followed her daughter to the path that led to what served as a road, only to stop in shock. Walking down the path were two ponies that she had never seen before; a purple alicorn, and a cyan pegasus. She, however, knew who the alicorn was, having seen her face in a vision last evening; Her Royal Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship.
“Oh, Your Highness, you’re early! We weren’t expecting you until later today. Please, come with me, you and your friend; the Mayor has been waiting for you to begin the festivities.” Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash. Neither of them had suspected that there were crystal ponies living outside of the palace lands themselves. Nor were they expecting to find a Crystal Unicorn of all things; no one had been aware that any of them had survived, as Sombra had been fond of sawing off their horns to prevent rebellion.
For her part, Rainbow was far more interested in the little filly that was using her back as a trampoline. The youngster was all kinds of cute, and reminded Dash of a mixture of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. “Oh please, can I ride on your back miss pegasus? Your wings are so soft!”
“Belle, will you please leave the nice pegasus alone?” the fillies’ mother asked. “I’m sure she doesn’t need extra weight on her back like that.” Belle looked at her mother, then at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow winked, and bent her head to whisper into the little foal’s ear; “As long as you settle down a little, you can ride squirt. I don’t mind.” Belle nodded, then curled up on Rainbow’s withers. Turning to the fillies’ mother, she said, “Oh, she’s not hurting me there; I kinda like it when cute fillies and colts ride on my back. reminds me of when I used to ride on the back of my elder sister.” Rolling her eyes, Twilight just kept walking, following Beauty to the center of the little settlement of Crystal Ponies.
“So, miss, you said you were expecting me?” she asked the unicorn mare. “Did Princess Cadenza manage to get a message to you?” Belle turned to Twilight, confused for a moment. “Are you speaking of the Crystal Princess?” she asked Twilight. Twilight nodded. “Well, she did send word that you were in the area, though she thought it would be a couple more days. I assume that the pegasus is Miss Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow looked up and nodded, then turned and smirked at the little filly on her withers.
“Yes, that’s right. I imagine that this has been a shock for you. I wasn’t aware that any Crystal Unicorns survived…,” Twilight broke off, swallowing a lump that had suddenly lodged itself in her throat. Looking at Stalwart Beauty, she was surprised to see a satisfied smirk on the unicorn’s muzzle.
“You mean all of the stories about Sombra sawing off our horns, right?” She asked. Twilight nodded cautiously. Smirking even more, Beauty huffed a little. “Can’t believe that one-trick pony managed to convince others that he actually did that. I mean, sure, he enslaved us, but seriously, sawing off our horns? Yeah, he would have been fat out of luck if he did that.”
Rainbow hadn’t been paying much attention to the conversation, until something the last shade of Sombra she 86’ed clicked with what Beauty had just said. The shade had claimed that his master was the lord of shadows and darkness, and as long as those forces existed, then Sombra would be able to escape Tartarus. Yet, her crystal blade was able to sap said powers easily. So Sombra had no ability to find real crystal. This means that he would have had to have help in sealing the Crystal Heart. Or maybe, he didn’t seal it at all, instead using what was already in place.
“Huh, so you mean to tell me that all of the crystal he mined was found by others?” Rainbow Dash asked the unicorn.
Turning to the pegasus, Beauty nodded. “He wanted enough to ensure that nopony could break into the vault where the Crystal Heart was kept in times of war, or when it wasn’t being charged. Mayor Dawn was one of the few who warned the Steward to not trust Sombra. All of us Crystal Unicorns knew that it was a bad idea to trust such an important position to an outcast, but we’ve always been ruled by a pony that wasn’t themselves a Crystal Pony.”
“Steward? Wait, an outcast? Did this pony have a name?” Twilight asked. She looked hard at Beauty. “Please, I need to know; did said outcast have a name?” Beauty frowned. “Yes, the traitor did. Darkhoof.”
Twilight gasped, then scowled. Her expression darkened further, until she huffed out an exasperated snort. “I cannot BELIEVE those imbeciles would stoop that low.” Turning to Stalwart Beauty, she gave her a sad frown. “Darkhoof was a disgraced noble of Equestria. On the request of the Council, he was sent by Princess Celestia to oversee relations between our two kingdoms. He and another noble were exiles from Unicornia; they were the only two that supported Platinum’s wish to create a new kingdom. ” Rainbow looked at Twilight. “Twi, you’re not serious, are you? That took place centuries before the first Hearth’s Warming!!” Twilight looked at her in confusion, before facehoofing. That’s right, she doesn’t know. Nopony does except the Princesses. Turning to Rainbow, Twilight then said, “The Shanksmare play we all starred in all those years ago was a fabrication. One of my Professors at Celestia’s school actually told me that the original version had changed several times, since many of the historical records were lost to a fire that occurred in the Equestrian Royal Archives in 290 A.D. Shanksmare didn’t have a lot to go on, so she did the best she could.”
“Twilight, that one article that claimed that the First Hearth’s Warming play was a near complete fabrication was true, wasn’t it?” Rainbow asked her marefriend. “Yes Rainbow, it was. The names were the only things that were accurate, as well as the depiction of the spell they all cast. Even the songs came later, during the celebration that took place over the days after all of the Windigos fled. Everything else was ‘poetic license’ by Shanksmare. Also, the common practice of having mares play the roles of stallions didn’t help. I’ve been lobbying to get the more accurate version out, but the Equestrian School Board won’t change their curriculum, stating that there’s no proof that the records I found at the Castle of the Two pony Sister’s are accurate.”
“Um Twilight, that fire was set deliberately by the Council, wasn’t it?” Twilight hesitated before replying. “Well, Luna seemed to think so, but there was no way to prove that at the time, since she had no real authority over the Council.” Her expression turned dark. “It was that same Council that started pressuring ponies to ‘fear the night’.”
“Ok, this is confusing. Twi, this all implies that this Darkhoof and Sombra were sent by the Council years before it disappeared. Did something else happen between those two points in time?”
“Yes, though what did happen is not something I can freely discuss unless in the presence of the Princess. All I can really say is that Darkhoof was personally responsible for the original fall of the Crystal Empire, since he was the one that enabled sombra to get to the Crystal Heart. At the time they were first sent, neither Celestia or Luna knew much about this Empire, aside from the legends concerning the Crystal Princess. I just hope everypony was able to recover from what Darkhoof did. He truly was Sombra’s puppet.”
Stalwart Beauty looked at the three ponies walking back to the settlement with her. I don’t know if I should tell them or not, but I can’t leave them in the dark. He’s changed, he really has, and I can only hope they’ll see that… forgive me papa. Sighing, Beauty proceeded to figuratively throw her father to the hounds.
“Princess Twilight? I think there’s something I should tell you.” Twilight looked at her with a question in her eyes. “The former Steward hasn’t gone by the name Darkhoof since his ‘associate’ betrayed him and the rest of us. He even willingly went through the crystallization process to become one of us, and married a fellow Crystal Unicorn. He was the one that convinced us to just work with Sombra, knowing that the Princesses wouldn’t hesitate to take the tyrant down.” She smiled, a little sadly. “Growing up, I had it hard, being constantly looked down by what my father did. It was only later that I found out just what he sacrificed to save us. Sombra wasn’t pleased with his agent, but there was little he could do. Even one dead unicorn would have been the end of all of his plans, since all of us had memorized a memory purging spell.” Shocked, Twilight looked at the unicorn, then at the filly riding on Rainbow’s withers. “Yes Princess; my mother, who is our Mayor, myself, and my father are devotees of the Aurora. Our kind were created to power and protect the Crystal Heart. Papa willingly became one of us to repair the damage he had done by following Sombra’s plans.” She then snorted. “Not that any of the Crystal Ponies and the Crystal Pegasi will ever accept him, even as one of us. That’s why we’re still here; not only to watch over these Crystal Berry fields, but so we don’t have to deal with those high-and-mighty ponies that can’t let the past stay in the past.”
For her part, Rainbow was tuning most of what Stalwart Beauty and Twilight were discussing, after getting over the fact that the only play she really enjoyed wasn’t fully true. She was far more concerned with walking as softly as she could, so she wouldn’t disturb the now-napping filly on her back. She heard the little unicorn sigh. Must be dreaming, the cute dear. She’s such a darling, I wonder why she wasn’t shy around me? I mean, I’m a complete stranger to her. Suddenly, the little filly opened her eyes, sleepily blinking at the ‘pegasus’ that she was riding on. Moving so that she could wrap her front hooves around Rainbow’s neck, she leaned in to whisper into her ears; “I love you, Princess.” She then slid down, sleepily trotting to climb on her mother’s back.
Rainbow was nonplussed. This was the first time that anypony besides Twilight had called her Princess. Though she was comfortable in the role, she wasn’t ready for the adoration that came with it. She was growing a little concerned, until she saw the cutie mark that adorned Radiant Belle’s tiny flank; a crystal heart made up of all the colors of the rainbow, with a sunburst around it. An image flashed in her mind, and she smiled. One of the true Faithful, huh? I don’t envy her parents, not at all.
One might think that adoration would be something she would search for; however, this was all kinds of different. Being worshiped because she was the Best Young Flyer, or because she was a Wonderbolt was one thing. Those things were based on her accomplishments. However, being adored because of her nature, even if it was her own actions that brought it about, was simply not something she was at all comfortable with. Is this how Twilight feels all the time? Huh, no wonder she goes out of her way to avoid accolades. It's not just that she's almost as shy as Flutters, but that she really feels that she shouldn't get praised for doing what was necessary. Or for getting all of the credit when there were others that helped too.
Chapter One: Garden of the Lost
Chapter 1: Garden of the Lost
Equestria, 05-27-00 AD(After Discord)
“Sister, please!!”
“Nay Luna, this is not something we need to discuss. All ponies are needed to rebuild Equestria. There is simply nothing we can do.”
It had been five months since Discord had been sealed in stone by the Elements of Harmony. In the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters, Luna was once again arguing for the need of a new colony, one where the ponies could rebuild; of course, this one would be shielded from those that wished to harm the broken nation by the powers of the Princess of the Night.
Naturally, Celestia rejected it, simply because she was only seeing the larger picture. For Luna, the nightmares of all the little foals that had lost loved ones in the fight against Discord were particularly harsh. Though there weren’t many of them, there were enough to form the beginnings of a colony. Luna wasn’t stupid; she didn’t intend to not have any parental supervision to protect them. That, however, was the crux of the problem.
Luna had managed to secure several volunteers; however, the Equestrian Council refused to allow any of them to leave to attend orphans; regrettably, Celestia was in agreement, though not for those same reasons. In her mind, the orphans were being well cared for, so there was no need. Luna, however, knew the truth; the orphans were being neglected outright. Only a few had homes, and they were routinely teased by those who still had their families. None of this was coming to Celestia’s attention for the simple reason that the Council was keeping the information from the Princesses.
“Sister, I know that you may not think this is needed, and you are right.” Luna looked up to see her elder sister smiling gently. “Could you at least give your blessing that I can take care of them in some way?”
Thinking quickly, Celestia realized that her sister’s suggestion wasn’t actually a bad idea. “Lulu, as long as you can guarantee the safety of the foals, then I see no problem with that.”
Luna smiled, her eyes twinkling mischieviously. “Oh sister, I guarantee they will be well cared for. I promise.”
Later that evening, on her balcony, Luna stood, and began to sing a lullaby. Her eyes glowed with a radiance; using her magic, she pulled each lost filly and colt, as well as the three pegasus volunteers that were exiles, into her dreams. The song ensured that even Celestia would be unawares. She also left a scroll containing the evidence of the Council's’ duplicity on Celestia’s desk before turning in.
Equestria, 07-27-289 A.D.(After Discord)
Celestia, in what took an effort of extreme willpower, peacefully stared down the latest useless member of the Blueblood family, an offshoot of House Belle.
“I must insist that you inform your sister that she is to divulge the locations of all the foals she swore to protect!! The have all disappeared, without even you being aware. Where are they Celestia?! Your sister knows, and the Council DEMANDS an answer!!”
With a smirk on her muzzle that instantly struck terror into the heart of the stallion, Celestia gave her answer.
“Oh, but she has preserved them. Where, I do not know, nor do I care to. What should matter is WHY there continues to be this large amount of orphans. I can only think that it is the unreasonable demands of the Council to keep our forces so close to the Castle and forest, causing the smaller settlements to spend inglorious amounts of time defending themselves, when most do not have the numbers. Much as it distresses me, I am once again forced to act autocratically to absolve this situation. All Equestrian soldiers are hereby removed from the authority of the Council of Equestria and placed into the authority of myself and my sister, until such time as the current situation between our borders and those of the Gryphon Empire, Minotaur Republic, and Zebra Confederation are secured.Further, the Equestrian Council is FORBIDDEN to make ANY further demands from either myself or my sister for one hundred years; If broken, I will PERMANENTLY dissolve said Council of all rights, titles, lands, fortunes, and authority, until such time as Solaris herself no longer shines.”
With this, Celestia stood, and shouted, in her version of the Royal Voice: ”THIS SESSION OF THE DAY COURT IS ADJOURNED. ANY FURTHER BUSINESS CAN WAIT UNTIL TWO WEEKS FROM NOW, AS I AM SURE THAT MY SISTER WILL CALL TO ARMS TO SECURE EQUESTRIA’S SAFETY!!”
Days later, this is when the muttering against the Night Princess began, and when the ponies of many of the Noble Houses began to coerce the populace to shun her night and her presence.
Equestria, 07-27-05, A.L.F (After Luna’s Fall)
It was a somber day in Canterlot, as the ponies of Equestria once again paid homage to their savior, who defeated the renegade Nightmare Moon, and kept Eternal Night from truly coming to pass. Princess Celestia had spent the last several years after her sisters’ defeat doing all she could to undermine the damage her neglect of the rumors had done to her sister’s reputation, as well as shoring up the wounds to her heart. This had pushed her to create the Summer Sun Celebration, a remembrance of her sister, only to have the Council forbid ponies from celebrating it.
As the crowd gathered, they wondered at the presence of both the Solar and Lunar Guard. Was the Princess really going to disobey the direct order of the Council? Or were the rumors true; was she going to provide a way for the Equestrian High Council to continue, yet remove from power those who had done so much damage? (They were true, of course; she had spread those rumors herself, in preparation of her change to policy governing the aristocracy)
As the ponies all pondered this, they saw their beloved Princess, wearing the scowl that had been on her face for the last three years, ascend to the balcony overlooking Canterlot. “Fillies and gentlecolts, I do give my apologies for my expression; however, I can assure you that this is the last time you will see it.” She then smiled what could only be described as a cheshire cat-like grin, before dropping the proverbial bomb on the Council.
“I, Celestia, Duchess of Everfree, steward of Canterlot, and Princess of Equestria, have but three announcements to make. First, all laws that the Equestrian Council has made in the last five years are hereby declared null and void. Secondly, all territories that have been established outside Canterlot’s jurisdiction have FULL authority and autonomy is the setting of their own laws and customs, so long as said laws and customs do not violate the Rights of the Citizens that the Council of the Six first set forth, at Equestria’s Founding. And last, but certainly not least, I hereby decree a new policy regarding aristocracy. From this day forward, ALL members of the royal houses must prove their worth BEFORE they can take their hereditary seats on the Council. In response to this, I am furthering this change to a meritocracy by announcing that the Council is hereby COMMANDED to establish four new seats, to be filled by members of the other tribes. These seats will also be hereditary, and will also be decided by merit. Good day all, and please enjoy the celebration, My Little Ponies.”
With this, Celestia walked from the balcony, having preserved Equestria for the day when her sister would return, and having eased the burden of sorrows that she had. For once, she would sleep better than she had in five years.
