Why? Why did it have to happen like this? None of this was supposed to happen to them.
As the thunderstorm slowly moved in, the sounds of thunder were heard in the distance. The weather team of Canterlot tried their hardest but couldn’t stop the Everfree storm in time for the ceremony. Now the ponies below were shrouded from the sun, depressing the atmosphere to greater levels.
Never should have left her alone.
Shining Armor stood in front of the six caskets half covered in a flag of various colors and hues. It was a closed casket ceremony, rightfully so, as the ponies in them were too mauled to be properly presented.
Damn those cultist.
The priest steps up to the podium ready to begin.
“As we give these heroes the peace they deserve, we pray that their spirits find safe passage to the heavens above. Pray for the friendship that binds them together. Pray for the love that they shared. Pray for them to find solace in the afterlife and hope their happiness is never diminished. Never before has Equestria seen ponies as brave as these six individuals. The fact that their lives were cut short by fellow ponies is worse than-”
“HOW DARE YOU!” A unicorn with a violet and grey mane shouted from the front. “Ponies didn’t take my daughter's life, it was animals! Animals took my baby from me!” Violet leaned against Night Light crying even harder than before.
You promised me you weren’t going to make a scene.
Celestia, who was on the side of the stage, motioned for the priest to continue.
“Th-these were indeed an exceptional group of ponies. Equestria will mourn their pass-”
“Buck you!” A rainbow maned stallion cursed from the middle row. “You didn’t know them. They weren’t just another life that got snuffed out. They were the protectors of everything that Equestria stood for. Neither you nor Equestria knew who they are, who they were. And nopony but us are going to give a flying feather about them come tomorrow!”
“Blitz! Sit your flank down and shut up!” Spitfire scolded her son. “You’ve cause enough embarrassment as it is.”
“Me? Why not tell that to the Royal Guard?”
“It wasn’t them that did this, it was the Lunar Guard.” A pony shouted from the group.
With that, the crowd of ponies erupted into a flurry of questions. Most of them were aimed at the fact that Celestia and Luna weren’t there when the incident happened. Only when the sun princess heard her sister being at fault did she step in.
“SILENCE!” The crowd stopped their collective shouts instantly. Celestia walked into the stage stopping in front of the podium almost pushing the priest out of the way. “The only ponies at fault are a small group who happened to be in the Lunar Guard.”
“Still they were in the military. You should have known something was wrong.”
“Then what would you have us do? Should Luna and I question every guard in the military? Ask them how they feel and what conflicts they have in their lives? Managing a country is hard enough without managing its military as well. Precisely the reason I made officers to oversee other guard ponies as leaders. I may be a princess but I am far from perfect. But if you think you can do a better job than me then please, I implore you to speak now and I shall gladly hand over my crown.”
Silence. Everypony in the crowd knew they couldn’t do better than the princess. Most lowered their heads in shame.
“Captain Armor, proceed.”
Guess we’re skipping all the speeches.
Shining took a step forward and performed an about face. Giving a final overview of the ceremonies order, he proceeds.
“Battalion, attention! Present, arms!”
At this point all the guard ponies saluted except for a small few. Seven ponies performed the twenty one magic salute. Two ponies took the first flag in their magic and start folding it. This flag was lavender in color containing two stripes down the center, one a deep purple and the other a light pink. A cutie mark of one large star and five smaller stars made up the center.
Once folded into a perfect triangle, Shining Armor took it with his magic, walked over to his parents, and presented them the Flag of Magic. A stoic salute was giving to them but it didn’t matter. Night and Violet could see the sadness and tears in his eyes.
Next was a prismatic flag home to six colors of the rainbow and a cloud and lightning bolt cutie mark. As the Flag of Loyalty was being folded another twenty one magic shot salute was performed. Once folded, the flag was presented to Spitfire and Blitz, Rainbow’s mother and brother, with a salute.
The Flag of Kindness was next. This one was canary yellow and pink with three butterflies for a cutie mark. Another folding session accompanied by another twenty one shot salute. Shining walks to Spitfire with the flag.
“Due to the lack of guardianship for Fluttershy and the close friendship she had with your daughter, I feel you should have this one.” The captain announces.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Spitfire takes the second flag. She holds both tight to her chest doing her very best to hold back tears.
Half white and half purple with three diamonds for a cutie mark, the Flag of Generosity was next. Another salute. Another sad family. As Mr. and Mrs. Belle were given their flag, Sweetie Belle couldn’t hold it in any longer. She poured her heart out while spewing ‘this isn’t happening’ and ‘why did she leave us’. Neither her parents or Scootaloo, who was given special permission to attend as Rainbow’s honorary little sister, had the power to calm the little filly.
Big Mac removed his new stetson and placed it over his heart for the next flag, the Flag of Honesty. This one was colored half country orange and half golden yellow with three deep red apples for a cutie mark. Only Applejack’s immediate family was authorized to attend the funeral. This included Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, Applebloom, and her closed cousin Braeburn.
Big Mac was the one who accepted the flag. He is to proud to show his emotions...but not enough to let a single tear flow freely. A sure sign that there was a pony underneath that tough exterior.
Last, but not least, was the Flag of Laughter. This one stuck out a bit with the bright pink color and the three balloon cutie mark. With the final twenty one magic salute, the Flag of Laughter was given to the Pie family, Mr. and Mrs. Pie, Limestone, Maud, and Marble.
Celestia again steps in front to the podium to address the crowd of mourning family members. Everypony had tears in their eye’s or on their faces. The sun princess had to take a moment to collect herself before speaking. Luckily she’s had a lot of practice throughout the years.
“Words alone cannot give these heroes any semblance of respect or justice, but none the less I will try. It might have been Rainbow Dash who connected the six ponies together as one, but it was the Elements of Harmony that solidified that bond. New bearers can always be found but the memories of those special few will never be forgotten. As we pray for them in the afterlife we will always charice what they once were...who they once were. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity Belle, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. From dust you came, and to dust you shall return.”
On que, Rara, a long time friend of Applejack’s, steps in front of the stage and starts singing the national anthem.
Midnight. The night after the ceremony was clear with a new moon hanging high in the sky making the land around truly dark. Two ponies approached the graves of the six fallen heroes.
“Are you sure it’s tonight?” The male pony asks.
“We are more than certain. Tonight is the night they will rise.” The female pony assured him.
“They were torn apart badly.”
“Does thou doubt us, captain?”
“No, princess.”
“We have seen these creature survive worse. Wait and you’ll see.”
Seconds turned to minutes and still nothing happened. The silence itself was overwhelming but sooner than expected, two of the graves began emitting black magic. A purple hoof reached out from a grave and a white hoof from another. The captain took a step back while the princess stood firm.
As the black magic pair climbed their way out, two other graves sunk inwards as if the ground was hollow. Two mares began crawling out from the new holes, one orange and one pink. As the dark magic, unicorn pair where almost out a set of cyan wings sprung it’s way up from the fifth grave followed by a yellow wing from the last.
“I don’t believe it.” The captain was in awe unlike the princess who was standing tall, as if she’s already seen this happen many times over.
The unicorns lay on the ground breathing erratically as the orange and pink mares finished crawling out of their graves. Now they lay next to the unicorns in an exhausted state. Finally the last set of mares dug themselves from their early graves.
The captain took a few steps forward before being stopped by the princess. He looked towards her and vise versa. She gave the stallion a firm stare back. At this, he knew to wait for any latent effects that might occur. The princess was right to do so.
The yellow pegasus, now a bat pony, lunged at her current prey, the princess and the captain. The princess grabbed the feral pony in her magic and put her to sleep within seconds. She then laid her down gently next to her.
“What happened to her? I don’t remember her being this...angry.”
“It’s a side effect of the transformation. Not every pony can withstand the change into a more primal state of the pony lineage so they go feral. It’s not permanent however, with some mental training she will return to her former self.”
“Princess Luna?” The princess and the captain turn to the pony who spoke. It was the orange one. “What is...what are you...”
“Hush now my subject. All will be cleared up tonight. But I do not wish to repeat myself so we will wait for your friends to regain their composer.”
“Shining.” Captain Armor turns to her sister who was reaching for him with a hoof and a look of relief. ”I knew it wasn’t true.”
“What wasn’t true?” Shining Armor says as he leans down to her sister giver her a hug.
“That we didn’t die. It was just a dream.”
“We assure you, Twilight Sparkle, what you and your friends went through was no dream.”
All of the ponies, besides Fluttershy, were coherent at this point. Twilight, on the other hoof, looked to her brother for the facts. That she wasn’t attacked by feral bat ponies. That her and her friends didn’t die. That they all didn’t transform into undead creatures of the night. The down cast look Shining gave, was enough for her and her friends. Rainbow got to her hooves and attempted to walk to the princess.
“What are you sayin? That we’re-” It was no use. Rainbow fell to the ground with an audible drop. She struggled to get back up to no avail.
“Stay yourself Rainbow. This is a another side effect of the transformation. All six of you were torn apart by the pony traitors and have lost a significant amount of blood. Normal ponies need blood to live, but you also carry the burden of needing to feed on blood to live.”
“What!?” Pinkie was the first to reject. “I can’t kill another pony in order to live. It’s not right.”
“That is where you’re wrong my little one. Captain Armor, explain.”
“Beneath the city in the Canterlot Catacombs, we have set up a feeding station where all the worst ponies of Equestria are kept. Murders, rapists, arsonists. All those who have committed a crime of the most despicable nature are housed there were they serve their punishment feeding the Lunar Guard.”
“That’s simply barbaric.” Rarity, like most of her friends were against the idea. “I simply cannot subject myself to such brutal ways.”
“From here on out you will find many things of that nature. Like yourself for intense.” The five conscious ponies took a good look at themselves for the first time since the transformation. “Every bat pony, or thestral as is the correct term, is different depending on the species. Listen closely for we are going to explain this only once.”
“All thestrals gain the ability to see in the dark and have a greater healing rate. What’s more, most thestrals are able to go into the light of day without dieing. That’s not to say they aren’t harmed by the sun, it may still burn and you will be not be able to see well. To call you blind during the day wouldn’t be stretching to truth at all. Your eye’s also change to that of a predatory snake, giving off an aura of fear to other ponies. To put simply, any pony who isn’t a thestral will will most likely fear you.”
“Wait. Princess, you just said non-bat pon...non-thestrals will fear us. What about you?” The princess of the night blinked once to reveal a set of dark golden eyes with pupils that made a slit straight down the center. With one more blink they reverted back to normal. Twilight looks to her brother, having part of her question answered. “Shining?”
She could see the sweat form on his brow and hear his heart racing more than normal. It was clear to her now. Even with all his training and discipline, it took a fair amount of dedication just to keep his eyes locked with his sisters. Twilight breaks the stare realizing what she was doing to her BBBFF. The thestral princess continues on, not wanting to make the situation worse.
“Unicorns have domain over shadows and magic. As long as you remain in the shadows, even during the day, you we be almost invisible. You can morph yourselves and move much faster while in the safety of shadows. Lastly for the better effects, you are more resistant to the corruption of dark magic. Your cost is not being able to use light magic and will be forcibly made corporeal if light is shined upon the part of a shadow you inhabit.”
“Pegasi are faster and more agile in the air. You no longer have to preen your wings, as they are now made of skin similar to leather, and you gain more stamina during a New Moon. The downsides are that you are far less durable than your feathered counterparts as well as losing a fair amount of stamina during a Full Moon or during the day.”
“Earth ponies are the most unique out of the three species. You keep your earthly strength and durability. The one difference is your hooves that are replaced with claws that are able to effortlessly dig through the solid ground. Since you will be unable to see while underground you also gain a sixth sense, the ability to sense seismic vibrations. Unfortunately, your sight, hearing, and smell are greatly limited to compensate.”
“We hope this answers any of your questions regarding your new physiology.”
“I don’t care about that physicopiny stuff. I just want to know one thing. What happens to us next?”
“Rainbow! We may be undead but that’s no reason to be disrespectful.” Twilight scolded her rainbow friend.
“Tis ok, Twilight. Unlike our sister we are lenient when it comes to these things. Your lives were cut abruptly short and without warning so you are given alternative treatment from us and our sister. As for what happens to you, you have two choices. You can join my Lunar Guard or be set loose to the world like normal citizens.”
“That’s it? There’s got to be ah catch, righ?” AJ inquires.
“No catch, Applejack. Each side has it’s ups and downs. If you join our guard, you will be be guaranteed food, a warm bed, camaraderie from fellow thestrals, and bits to spend as you please. On the downside you will train every night and day to be the best soldiers in our guard. You will go on missions where you will be expected to capture or kill. Your freedoms will be limited but will have free range of the barracks, mess hall, the castle, and the city of Canterlot all while off duty.”
“If you were to decline our offer and choose a life as a citizen, you will be given enough blood bags to sustain yourself for three days and fifty bits for each of you. Every decision from then is on you. But you may not feed on other ponies as you will be committing a crime. You will most likely be shunned by anypony who sees you without sunglasses. Unless you develop a taste for that disgusting pigs blood, will most likely be forced to live in the wilds of Equestria.”
“No matter the choice, your identities will be changed and you shall go through a process that will dull your fur color. Most thestrals choose to join our guard but, for those who want a life outside the military…we’ll just say most thestrals have made it work. Above all else you are not allowed to see anypony from your past lives. It is not a crime, but you have died a hero of Equestria. We don’t think you want your loved ones to remember you with such fear. If you need time to think speak now.”
“What about Fluttershy? She can’t-” Luna held up a hoof to Rainbow Dash.
“She will be given the same choice once she has recovered from her feral state. For now, you five must decide your fate. Do you require time?”
Twilight looks to each one of her friends carefully. Every one of them had the same expression on their face and she knew exactly what they were thinking because she had the same expression on her face. She turns her focus to the princess.
“There’s no need for that princess. We’ve already made up her minds.”
ONE YEAR LATER
Princess Celestia was going over her final stack of paper before the day's end. She was reviewing candidates for the next bearers of the Elements of Harmony. As much as it pained her, it’s not something she hasn’t felt before in her long years of living. It was a little easier with her sister around to lend an ear to listen...or a shoulder to cry on.
It was almost time to lower the sun below the horizon and welcome the moon as the celestial body in the sky. Just as she thought Luna should be coming by any minute to relieve her of her duties, the princess of the night opens the large doors to the throne room. She was accompanied by two of her thestal guards, a unicorn and a pegasus.
“Hello dear sister. It’s almost time to begin the night.”
“Of course Luna. I’m just going over possible bearers for the elements.”
“Still? Tia, we know how important they are as Equestria’s defence but you stay up half the night simply staring at them. How about we take care of that and narrow down the list for you?”
“I couldn’t ask you to do something like this.”
“We insist. Besides, you need your sleep. When’s the last time you’ve slept for more than three hours in a row?” Of course, the sun princess couldn’t recall anytime in the last few months. “Exactly. You get some sleep and by the time you wake, we will have cut that stack of paper in half.”
“Thank you, Luna.” She starts toward the exit but the unicorn guard catches her eye for a brief moment. “Luna,” she looks to her sister who is now atop the throne, “I’ll see you in the morning.” Celestia leaves with those parting words.
“Trainee, review these documents for me. You would have more experience than us in these matters.”
“As you wish prin-Trixie? Really?” The unicorn was getting into a fit.
“Who is this Trixie you’re so in a fuss about?”
“She’s a fraud of a magician. How is she a candidate for the Element of Magic?”
“Is she that bad?”
“Let’s put it like this, princess,” the pegasus interjects in the conversation, “she calls herself the great and powerful Trixie but the fake and annoying Trixie is way more accurate.”
“I see. Then we’ll drop her from the stack.” Luna begins to raise the moon as Celestia finishes her part of lowering the sun. “I’m proud of you two, especially you.” She focuses on the unicorn next to her.
“Yeah. If I’m going to be honest, I was surprised myself. I swore I was going to break down if I saw Celestia again. Guess all that practicing on storing emotion paid off.”
Luna was proud of them to be sure but that didn’t matter. She knew what was to come in the morning and she was already coming up with a plan on how to deal with the situation.
Luna walked down the hall towards her sisters room with the two Lunar Guards in tow. Every step closer making the unicorn that much more anxious. When they reached the large golden and mahogany doors the princess knocks on the door.
“Come in Luna.”
The princess motions for the pegasus to stay put as she enters her sister bed chambers. Once the doors close the pegasus walks over to the stallion guard she’s had her eye on.
“Hey you, got a marefriend yet?” The stallion stutters and looks away. “What’s wrong? Can’t look a pretty mare in the eye’s?”
Meanwhile, Celestia stands on her balcony looking outward to the city below. Luna awaits a reaction from her sister. Finally she goes first in an attempt to cut the tension.
“Sister-”
“How are they?”
“How are who?”
“Don’t play with me Luna. I’m not in the mood. I know they’re alive and they’ve joined the Lunar Guard. This whole time you’ve kept them a secret from me all this time. Above all of them you kept Twilight from me. She was like a daughter to me and you never told me she was alive!”
“They’re not alive but undea-”
“Shut up! Why am I not surprised? You’ve always played games with ponies emotions, now you won’t even let me see Twilight. Just...tell me...are the safe? Are they happy? You owe me that much.”
“Why don’t you ask yourself.”
With this revelation Celestia turns around, tears streaming down her face to see a pale lavender unicorn in blue armor with the same tears on her face, but instead, with a smile. Twilight runs up to her old mentor and gives her the biggest hug she could. Celestia is all too happy to return the gesture. The two ponies take a few moments to embrace each other before Twilight broke the affection.
“So... I’m a daughter to you?”
“Oh shut it.” Celestia pulled her into another hug which the unicorn had no objection too. “I’ve missed you so much Twilight.”
“Me too, princess.”
“No-please, Celestia will do fine. But why didn’t you contact me?”
“Well I didn’t want to get your hopes up. You see, I was told not everypony survives the training to become a Lunar Guard. On the slight chance I didn’t make it I didn’t want you to mourn my dead twice in one year.”
“Oh Twilight, so young, but still so wise.”
“Nothing less for the personal student of the princess.”
“Indeed.” They took another few moments to enjoy each other’s company before a cough from Luna forced them to carry on. “Right, I do have a country to run.”
“Before I go you may want this.” Twilight gave the sun goddess a small stack of documents. “It’s the profiles on each of the new element bearers. I’ve helped Luna narrow it down to twelve candidates, two for each element.” Celestia gladly takes them in her magic.
“Thank you Twilight. And you are welcome in any time you want. For now take care.”
“You too prin-Celestia.”
Luna opened the door to leave and was greeted with Rainbow Dash writing on one of the stallions torso.
“Aaaand that’s my room number. I expect to see you there tonight.” The face hoof from Luna and Twilight was enough to get her attention. “You too done already? Oh, hi Celestia!”
“Do you know who your talking too?” The guard berates RD.
“It’s ok Storm Fist, that’s just how the Lunar Guard acts.” Celestia calms the guard with little effort.
“Pro’s of being awesome.” She winks at Storm who gains a blush at the act.
