It was a cool, clear night in Ponyville. It had been a fortnight since a monster had attacked the town, and almost a month had gone by since the Cutie Map had sent Twilight or her friends to deal with a friendship problem.
So why, she thought to herself, do I feel like something's wrong?
She rose from her bed and walked to the window, considering the possible answers. The ward spell she'd placed upon the castle had not sounded, so it couldn't be an intruder. It couldn't be Spike up and about, as his claws made an unmistakable clicking on the castle floors, and she couldn't hear anything. Owlowiscious was off in the Everfree Forest hunting mice at this hour, and it was doubtful that he'd return so early.
Twilight grunted in frustration. Maybe a peanut butter sandwich and a cup or two of warm milk would set her to right. She exited her bedroom and headed for the stairs, stopping at the door to Spike's room. Sure enough, she could hear him lightly snoring. She smiled and continued on her way.
She was almost to the kitchen when she stopped dead in her tracks. The breakfast nook, which should have been dark at this hour, was awash in the warm glow of candlelight. She heard the sound of liquid being poured into a glass, followed by the gravelly grunts of . . . something eating the leftover egg salad from the potluck Pinkie had held the other day.
Twilight considered how to proceed. On the one hoof, she'd made it her policy as the Princess of Friendship to never turn away anypony in need of food or shelter. On the other, whoever it was had bypassed her wards without setting them off, entering through the metaphorical side-window rather than use the front door. Why go to the extra trouble if all one wanted was a meal?
"Are you going to just stand in that hallway all night?"
Twilight jumped; it was definitely a stallion's voice (assuming that the intruder was a pony), and a deep, imposing one at that. Gathering her courage, she forced her expression into a mask of sorely tested patience. She couldn't afford to let him, or possibly it, think he had her at a disadvantage. Entering the kitchen, she finally got a look at her strange guest; he was, indeed, an earth pony stallion. His tan fur contrasted with his grey mane and beard, both cut short in the military style. He wore blue-white armor that seemed designed to allow greater freedom of movement than the armor worn by modern Equestrian soldiers. From his side hung a 3-foot sword, and around his neck a red scarf of the sort used in Saddle Arabia to protect one's face in sand storms. Twilight guessed his age to be mid to late 60's, though he appeared to be in excellent physical condition.
"Your defenses are a joke," said the stallion between bites of egg salad, "Not funny ones, either."
"Oh?" she replied.
"Wards are useful if you're expecting a brute force attack, but there's no substitute for a good praetorian guard. That's the problem with you unicorns, you're so used to throwing magic at your problems that you blind yourselves to other, better possibilities."
Twilight resisted the urge to state that she was an alicorn now. "It's very rude to offer condescending advice to someone before you've been properly introduced."
He chuckled. "I've never been overly concerned with formalities, Princess Twilight. As it is, I am Morning Star, at your service."
Twilight's couldn't keep her eyes from widening. Morning Star was the commander of the Riders of the Sword, the most infamous mercenary company in all of Equus. Though only around five hundred in number, their participation had been the deciding factor in some of the bloodiest conflicts of the last few decades, from the Centaur Plains to the Minotaur Kingdoms and all across Hoofrica.
"I see from your expression that you've heard of me," he said with a grin.
"Being a deserter from the Equestrian Army who kills for money is hardly something to be proud of."
"On that we can agree," said Morning Star amiably, "I'm neither especially proud nor ashamed of my work. Killing is purely a matter of business to me. What I truly love in this life is the sword. The heft of a blade in my hooves is more comforting than the softest silk sheets, the act of facing a similarly-armed foe a greater rush than any drug, the chorus of steel against steel sweeter than any music I've yet heard. Battle is what I live for; killing is just something that comes with that."
"So why come back to Equestria?" asked Twilight, "Contracting private military forces has been illegal here for centuries. There is no business for you here."
"Perhaps I've gotten tired of soldiering," he said, "Perhaps I've gotten too old for it and have decided to retire. Or perhaps, for the first time in over forty years, I have hope for Equestria's future."
Morning Star rose from the chair he sat in, standing on his hind legs. With effortless grace he crossed the room and knelt before Twilight, laying his sword at her feet.
"There was a time," he said, "that I believed the Years of Sameness would never end, that our land would continue to exist as it always has, rooted in the past while the rest of the world moved toward the future. Ever since the day I walked out of Starfell castle never to return, I have believed this. But ever since you and the Elements of Harmony cured Princess Luna of the Nightmare, defeated Discord, and laid low threats that Celestia herself could not hope to match, I have known hope again. "
Twilight gasped at the mention of her family's ancestral keep on the outskirts of Canterlot. No-pony had lived there since her father was a child. "Who are you, Morning Star? Who are you really?"
Morning Star rose and wrapped Twilight in a hug. "I'm your grandfather's brother, Twilight Sparkle. I'm your great uncle."
Author's Note
Jiminy H. freakin' Cricket, am I out of practice. Don't be afraid to let me know what you really think.
A short time later, Twilight and Morning Star sat in Twilight's private chamber, a steaming pot of tea on the table between them. Morning Star drank the bitter green brew without complaint, suspecting that asking for something stronger would be imprudent.
"So tell me, Commander Morning Star," asked Twilight, "If you are, as you claim, my great-uncle, why haven't I come across your name in any of the family history books?"
"I suspect that my step-mother is to blame in that regard," he said, "Frankly, I'd be extremely surprised if she HADN'T tried to erase all traces of my father's 'youthful indiscretion,' as she was wont to call me. However, my name and parentage should still be recorded in the Canterlot Officers' Academy student registry."
Twilight made a mental note to have Spike send for a copy as soon as he woke up. "So, you're . . . I mean, given that you're an earth-pony . . . that is to say - "
"Oh for Faust's sake, Twilight," he said, chuckling slightly, "The answer is yes. I am the first-born, bastard son of Lord Nightfall. I'd like to tell you a tragic tale of star-crossed love, of a young unicorn noble who was the only one capable of seeing how special a young earth-pony mare was, and how their happiness was dashed by the demands of his station and his duty to his parents."
Twilight's eyes shined with interest for a moment, but Morning Star continued, "I'd absolutely love to tell you that. Unfortunately, every word of it would have been a bald-faced lie. The truth is that your great-grandfather was a unicorn supremacist, and had on several occasions invoked the ancient Unicornian law of jus primae noctis."
Twilight felt sickened. The Law of the First Night gave a noble stallion the right to the sexual company of any mare who lived on his land on her wedding night, a barbaric practice that had been outlawed since the time of Celestia and Luna's parents.
"Anyway, one rainy night an earth-pony mare with a very young colt came to Starfell, claiming that the foal, me, was Nightfall's son. Furthermore, she claimed that she was dying and asked only that her son be given a decent life. She fled that same night, never to be seen again. Most unicorn nobles would have just sent the colt to the nearest orphanage and washed their hooves of the matter, but Nightfall was different. For whatever reason, he was absolutely certain that I was his, and insisted that I be raised alongside his true-born son, Evershine."
"I never met my grandfather," said Twilight, "What was he like?"
"Oh, he was every inch the dutiful son," said Morning Star, "Always eager to make Father proud, never once questioning that his plans for our futures were correct. He knew how to smile, dress impeccably, and talk to rich ponies of every variety, and this made him the favorite. I, on the other hand, was a bit of a disappointment. I hated schooling, I hated etiquette, and I hated not being able to do what I wanted when I wanted because of my 'station.' I can't remember how many times Nightfall had to pay hefty settlements to keep my various bar brawls and other mischief out of the papers. Eventually, he gave me an ultimatum: Join the Equestrian Army with my brother and become an officer, or be cut off and cut out of the family entirely."
Morning Star paused to pour himself more tea. "I hope that I'm not creating the impression that I ever resented Evershine for being the favorite; if anything, the fear of losing his respect was the only reason I felt compelled to behave at all. He was probably the only member of unicorn society that never made me feel inferior for being an earth pony. In any event, we joined the academy together, purchasing our officers' commissions when we graduated a few years later. Unfortunately, I didn't fit in much better here than I had in civilian life. I was always more comfortable among the enlisted stallions, drinking cheap beer, playing cards, and singing bawdy songs in the barracks rather than socializing with the other officers. It got to the point that I considered selling my commission and going off on my own."
"But you went on to have a decorated career up until your desertion," said Twilight, "What changed your mind?"
"As I've said before, combat training was where I truly excelled, and my skill at swordsponyship was second to none. It was this that brought me to the attention of Prince Blackmane, Master-at-Arms to the Royal Guard."
"Blackmane? Wasn't he Prince Blueblood's father?" asked Twilight.
Morning Star did not reply. He rose from his chair and walked to the window, staring at the the rising sun. Finally, he spoke again, his voice softer and less flippant.
"Prince Blackmane was the greatest pony I've ever known. He was everything a soldier should be, everything a ruler should be, and everything a stallion should be. Strong yet gentle, wise yet humble, decisive yet reasonable, and practical yet visionary; if there was ever a flaw in his character, I never saw it."
Morning Star took a small flask from under his armor and took a long swig from the liquid within. Twilight suspected he was about to share something particularly painful to talk about.
"Blackmane was one of the few ponies to ever challenge Celestia politically, and the only one to do so publicly. In those days, Celestia was a die-hard reactionary, and had been ever since she'd banished Luna and lost control of the Elements of Harmony. New ideas and technologies that could have been spread across Equestria in a matter of months took years to get beyond their point of origin, and only after she'd heavily scrutinized it for anything that was too radical for her tastes. The thousand years of Luna's banishment saw dozens of ponies arrested for sedition and subsequently erased from the history books."
Twilight bristled at Morning Star's words; none of this could be true. Sure, Celestia had been a traditionalist for a long time, but she could never do anything this unjust to her ponies.
Morning Star saw the frown on her face and said, "I know this must be hard for you to hear, Twilight, but please let me finish my story before you judge its truthfulness." She nodded, but said nothing.
"It was around that time that a huge civil war broke out in the Otterman Empire, with Saddle Arabia and Boarmany declaring their succession at the same time. A continuous war on two fronts brought the threat of unprecedented trade disruption, and Equestria was sure to suffer for it. However, Blackmane was determined to not let this happen. He appealed to Celestia and, with surprising ease, convinced her to allow him to train and deploy an elite unit of the best warriors in Equestria, who would use guerrilla tactics to weaken all three sides of the conflict, thus bringing it to a swifter end. To this end, he chose myself and four other soldiers, followed by a brother-sister team of archers from Trottingham. This was the origin of the Rainbow Guard."
Author's Note
The coming chapters will be longer, but for now I have to end them when I think they need to end.