The Queen was the very picture of calm and composed, standing regally within the doorway of the training hall. Many of her guards lined the place, never letting their eyes stray in her direction. They remained as disciplined as they always did, and Moon herself was free to focus on those within. The training ground were more akin to an indoor coliseum, circular in shape and bearing steps on many sides leading down to a central fighting ground. And there, standing in the middle of those grounds, was a lone mare, surrounded by about half a dozen other soldiers, all of whom were unicorns. The mare was tall, and was the only pony here to rival Moon herself in terms of height. She bore dark armour, bordering on black, with maroon fur that contrasted against a somewhat lighter mane. Like Moon, she too bore a long and sharp-looking horn, but the most distinct feature about her was the clear scar over one eye. However, that eye, along with the other, was currently clad in a blindfold, which seemed to cause her no concern whatsoever.
The same could not be said of the troops who surrounded her, however, who often gave each other looks of worry. But, they knew their purpose here, and so began to slowly circle her. But, with every step they took, every tiny movement of the sand under their hooves, the mare's ears twitched, and she would turn her head slightly in the direction of the sound. Then, at the end of that long wait, it finally happened. The guards all attacked at once, charging her as though she were some deadly enemy. But, before they even reached her, she reacted. She ducked and dodged and weaved through every single strike they attempted to make against her, all while maintaining that blindfold. Moon watched, clearly pleased at her abilities, but said nothing, instead keeping to her observations. Meanwhile, the guards were growing more and more frustrated at being unable to get at their training target. And what was worse, she was starting to fight back, delivering kicks and punches with her hooves that sent them back with great force.
At the end of it all, the unicorn soldiers all looked to one another and, saying nothing, knew that they had to bring out the big guns for this one. They lowered their heads, their horns beginning to glow brightly, and this too caused the mare's ears to perk up. Seconds afterwards, they sent out simultaneous shots of magic against her, but here too she was ready. Her own horn glowed even brighter, and before the attacks reached her, she was engulfed in a powerful magical shield. On and on the attacks came, but nothing could penetrate that defence. Then, after this had gone on for some time, the mare smirked, sending a shiver through the opposing soldiers. Before they knew it, her horn erupted into a frenzy of lighting, sending sparks and bolts in all directions. The other unicorns tried to defend against it, but it did them little use. All were struck, and all were sent reeling. The fight was over, and the mare had emerged victorious.
And it was here that she finally raised a hoof and pulled off her blindfold, revealing the piercing eyes she had underneath. Now free of that, she glanced around, seeing the fellow Lunars she had felled, before promptly raising an eyebrow.
"Remember to always keep an eye out for any openings, and always be sure to push off with the appropriate hoof."
One of the guards, still lying on the ground, had just enough strength in him to lift his head up to that.
"G...got it!"
And then he fell back down again. Moon, who had said not a word during this entire time, began to finally make her way down to the central part of the chamber, and her hoof-steps alerted the mare below to her presence. Immediately, she gave a sweeping bow, remaining there as her monarch drew nearer.
"Queen Moon. It is an honour to have you come here."
The Queen gave a nod, gesturing to the mare and silently giving her permission to stand, which she soon did. After a brief moment of silence regarding one another, Moon finally spoke up.
"It is good to have you back with us, General Tempest. How fare the manticores?"
A smirk returned to the other mare's lips.
"They...won't give us any further trouble."
Moon nodded, pleased.
"Very good. And it is fortunate that you returned when you did. I may have need of good and capable warriors in the days to come."
Tempest nodded back.
"I've heard. And, if I may ask, your Majesty...why shows as much restraint as you have? These Equestrians have shown naught but disrespect and hostility towards us."
Moon considered that.
"True. But there are still those among them who have been working for peace between us...or at least a calm. And besides..."
She looked away, narrowing her eyes.
"...there is one among them...who warrants further...observations."
Tempest gave a slight bow of her head.
"I will not claim to understand your plans, my liege...but I will follow."
Moon looked back to her.
"Outside of the Order...you have always been my most capable warrior. The most talented electromancer this kingdom has ever seen. No enemy I have sent you against has ever stood a chance, and you have brought victory and glory to our domains more times than any other."
Again, Tempest gave a bow.
"You do me great honour, my Queen."
But Moon took on a more serious look to her soon afterwards.
"But things...are different now. We are no longer dealing with monsters. The foes we may face one day in the future...are ponies...like us. This is a time we never thought would come. But I have no doubt that, if things descend, as many believe it will...you will be needed again."
Tempest raised herself up, looking her Queen right in the eye.
"As always, I shall be the spearhead of your forces. Command me...and your enemies will fall."
Moon raised a hoof.
"I appreciate that, General. And believe me, I will keep you close, just in case Equestria tries something. But, we will maintain our efforts to ensure peace, just as they do. There have been insults made against us, but not enough to justify war."
Her eyes narrowed.
"I will not start this conflict...but I promise you, if conflict occurs...I will end it."
Tempest opened her mouth, ready to reply to that. But, to her and the Queen's surprise, she was kept from doing so by a sudden and rather high-pitched voice calling out.
"TEMPEST!!!"
Both mares turned, and looked on with surprise to see a blue blur shooting forward towards them. Within moments, Tempest was caught, now embraced by a smaller pony. It was an earth pony light blue in her fur and bearing a darker shade in her mane, the latter of which was worn in a ponytail. And upon her face was the most enthusiastic smile anypony had ever seen.
"How was the West? Were the manticores big? Did you shoot your lightning? Tell me everything!"
Tempest, naturally, was a little taken aback by this, all while Moon herself just seemed amused by it. But again they said nothing, for another voice now called out.
"SONATA!!!"
Again, everypony turned, just in time to see a pegasus mare, pink in fur and bearing green and purple in her mane, charging into the chamber. Once there, she pulled the blue earth pony off the General, giving her a deep scowl before speaking up to the taller mare.
"General, I am so sorry about that! You know how she can get, right?"
Tempest merely chuckled, however.
"Think nothing of it, Aria. In truth, I'm happy to see you both. It's been a long time since I've spoken to anypony besides my troops."
Aria looked to her younger sibling, continuing to glare at her when she, at last, noticed the Queen. Her eyes widened, and she gave a deep bow, followed shortly by Sonata.
"Oh! Queen Moon! Forgive us! We didn't mean to intrude!" Aria declared.
But Moon simply shook her head.
"It is no issue. Though I suggest you try and keep your sister's enthusiasm under control a little better next time, Aria."
Aria stood up, giving an appreciative bow of her head, before giving Sonata one more angry frown, which the latter simply giggled too. The two sisters made their way out, all while the older mares watched, and once they were gone, the Queen looked to her General, taking a step forward.
"Well...welcome home, I suppose."
To that, Tempest let out a chuckle.
"There's no place like it, my Queen."
