Vivat Regina

“Of Two Sisters”

The moonlight wavered as heavy, snow-laden clouds cut across the sky. A gust of wind sliced along the tree line, a shadow casting itself on the white sheets below. Their cowl and scarf whipped against the push of the air. Tall pines formed a veritable row of jagged teeth, threatening to swallow those who dare approach.

The thump of paws hitting freshly laid snow broke the silence. They snaked their way to a lump. An ancient tree towered above it, branches shrouding the entire spot in darkness. Brushing their talons along the rock to remove the blanket of snow, they unfurled a pendant wrapped around their wrist.

They paused for a second, hesitating. It shimmered ever so beautifully in the light. Golden wisps bursting from an orange orb. It was ancient. Older than the creature that currently held it by centuries. It was something lost to time, obscured by the wrath of a tyrant who plunged her world into shadow. If it was shown to any random who roamed the streets, they would pass it off as a silly looking ball. But to those who knew the story... to those who fought tooth and claw to preserve the history... the medallion was more than that. It represented hope. A light in the sea of darkness. The celestial body of the sun.

It was carefully laid on the rock, fitting into contours invisible to any eye. With little fanfare, the area was bathed in a flash of light. As it dissipated, all that remained was the rock, pine, and snow. It looked as if the area had never been disturbed, no indentations on the fresh layer of snow and the white still calmly piled on the pines. Out of it all, the trinket and creature nowhere to be found.

Somewhere far, somewhere a room whose location was guarded by secrets that were to be taken to the grave, the same creature appeared in a burst of sparks, trinket carefully wrapped back and concealed in its cloth.

They rolled their shoulders and practically bounded out of the space, rushing through the halls. They paused in front of a door and peered through the small glass. Papers were neatly stacked... the light was on but nothing moved on the inside. A glance to a doorway tucked behind a bookshelf obviously noted it was open, but that meant nothing. It was dark and the light was off. They quickly opened the door and flicked the light switch off.

It was empty. No one was there. So that meant...

They soon found themselves standing outside of a small bedroom, staring at an elderly griffon and a little chick who was getting pretty big for her nest. The little bird ruffled their feathers and chirped. “Grandpappy, where do you go each night when I sleep?”

“Oh, little chick. That is something I cannot tell you yet. Perhaps you could ask your father when you’re older.” The grizzled rooster patted her on the head. “Now rest, young one. You are still growing and need all the sleep you can get.”

“But Grandpappy! I’m not sleepy yet. I’m still very awake, see?” She flapped her wings, barely achieving any lift to hover above the floor. “I don’t want to sleep.”

“Hahaha! I see you inherited your mother’s energy, huh?”

“Mhm!”

“Here, you know what? Let me tell you a story. I think you’re old enough for this one,” he offered.

She gasped and started bouncing up and down. “A story! A story! I love stories! Which one are you going to tell me!? Is it Seraphine the Warrior Princess…? Or… or what about August and the Golden Locks!? Or is it Jade’s Wish!?”

“No, no. None of those, little chick. I will tell you something new,” he chuckled. He picked her up by the scruff and padded over to her nest. Gently laying her down atop it. He nestled in beside her. “It is the story of the Two Sisters.”

“Oooh! That sounds exciting.” She tapped a claw against her beak. “What’s it about?”

He gently smiled and nuzzled her neck feathers. “It is quite the tale. Now settle in and I’ll begin.”

A long time ago, in a land full of light and harmony, lived a land ruled benevolently by two goddesses, related by blood; sisters.

They were the sister of the sun and the sister of the moon.

Each had responsibilities for their respective celestial bodies. They each had their own separate duties to accomplish. The sister of the sun would interact with their subjects more frequently, as her job demanded it. She was the diplomat. She was kinder, softer and exerted an aura that creatures flocked to. The sister of the moon was tasked with leading the great armies that shielded their fair land. She was colder, prone to anger, and scary. But she loved her ponies no less than her sister.

Together, they protected their kingdom from those who threatened their subjects. Whether it be the encroaching armies or a manner of evil creatures. Together, they ensured peace remained dominant in their land. Those who lived there experienced prosperity and success unrivaled.

Every species was accepted under their rule, so long they followed the rules set by the sisters. They were fair in their judgments and never turned away a creature in need.

It was a time of harmony, indeed.

But one day, the mad god arrived. He threw everything into disarray. He conquered the fair kingdom faster than any army they had ever faced. Harmony and order became chaos. The creatures who lived there cried out for their protectors.

And that cry they most certainly heard.

The sisters prepared their weapons. They were strong together. With harmony on their side, they approached the mad god to depose him.

It was a battle of the ages, one of both body and mind. They were forced to solve strange riddles, face towering monstrosities, and fix problems before they were allowed to face the mad god.

Completing his trials, they arrived at his throne. However, during the fight with the mad god, he asked the sister of the moon a set of questions. A set of questions that lingered in her heart and her mind.

“Who do your subjects love more? Your sister or you? Do they care at all for what you do?”

She knew it was a trick in the heat of the moment. That it was to weaken her resolve. She replied adamant, “That is irrelevant, you only want to worm discontent between me and my sister!” She brushed it off and continued fighting.

Together, they summoned the powers of harmony and sealed him away for good.

The chaos left and harmony filled the land once more. The subjects of the kingdom rejoiced. Perhaps everything was fine. So they returned to their great city to announce the news. However, when they arrived, the subjects praised only the sister of the sun, believing her to have saved them by herself. The sister of the moon reassured herself she had been in it for the sake of seeing those under her happy.

That she did not care for recognition or fame.

But the words of the mad god lingered.

So she looked.

Everywhere she went, she only instilled fear when she simply wanted to mingle. When she went into the history books and scrolls to read of their achievements, she was always kicked out of the spotlight. It was always about her sister. They commended her for her sun and the warmth it brought.

Whenever the sister of the moon looked for herself, she was painted as the monster, a ruler to be feared. After all, her moon only brought the cold and darkness.

Slowly, but surely, anger and resentment festered. The words of the mad god played over and over in her head.

She could not help but feel jealous of her sister, who had everything she thought she never wanted. That she could live without. The love and adoration of her subjects.

One day, she had left the castle they lived in to greet her subjects. Perhaps her lack of interaction simply alienated her. She had touched down amongst the orphanages to greet the foals and the chicks, as she always loved the young ones.

She expected warm acceptance. The only thing she received was screams of fear and crying children. Distraught, she left. Her presence brought nothing but hate.

She sought out her sister to seek her guidance, surely, her only family would be able to help where others could not. But when she went to her sister, she had seen the love and care her other half received. She approached her sister, only to get waved away. Even her own family could not care that much about her!

That day, she snapped.

Angered, she sought out her darker magicks. If she could not be loved, then she would be feared. The sister of the moon also decided that if she removed her sister, then there would only be one pony her subjects could turn their adoration to!

She rallied the forces loyal to her moon and stormed the palace.

As the battle commenced among those who were once brothers on the field, the sister of the moon confronted her sister. The sister of the sun, confused as to why her own kin was attacking her, asked her a question,

“Dear sister, why do you fight against me with our own subjects? For what have I done wrong?”

Bitterness in her voice, the sister of the moon replied, “You have everything I want! You have stolen away all the love that should be shared! To them, I am nothing more than a dirty rag to be tossed aside! No longer, I have considered the words, and I shall take what is rightfully mine!”

So they fought, sister against sister. One with the intent to kill, and the other to subdue. The sister of the sun did not want to hurt her sibling, they were family after all. Despite her best efforts, the sister of the sun was losing.

In an act of desperation, she attempted to use the weapon used to stop the mad god. As they powered up and the sister of the moon was held under her hoof, she was prepared to make the sacrifice.

However, the sister of the moon used their familial connection. “Sister… do not do this…”

For just a single moment, the sister of the sun hesitated. In that single moment, the sister of the moon struck.

She had slain the sun.

The sister of the moon then made the ultimate choice. If her subjects were to truly love her, they should only respect one celestial body. She threw the sun away and declared eternal night. There was only room for her.

“That story, huh?” a voice asked from the doorway. They pulled their scarf off and let the cowl down. “Don’t you think it’s a little dark for a bedtime story?” she huffed.

“Not in the slightest. Little chick fell asleep before I even got there.”

They snorted. “So then why’d you continue all the way to the end?”

He stroked the ruffled plume of the sleeping griffon. “Just to make sure she’s actually asleep. Don’t want her getting upset because I happened to stop.” He carefully lifted his wing away as to not wake her. “So, Grizzy, what brings you here?”

“Came by to let you know you left the light on, ya’ old codger!” she chuckled. “Besides, is it so wrong for me to want to check up on my daughter?”

“I know you’re here for another reason.” He silently made his way to the doorway. “You never want to confront me otherwise.”

She blinked and glanced in another direction. “Firelight was captured,” she murmured solemnly. “Lunar guards got him during one of his runs. Someone must’ve tipped them off, the plan was foolproof!”

He gestured with a single talon, laying it on the tip of his beak. “Shhh. There are chicks sleeping, Grizelda. Let’s go to the outside, where she can’t hear us from there.”

The old griffon lifted the lantern by the bedside and wished a good night. “Do they know?” he asked with a hush.

“That he was with us? No.” Grizelda sighed. “Firelight followed all of our safety measures and protocols. He even did the 3-4-1 to ensure that they couldn’t trace anything back to HR.”

“The 3-4-1…” he parroted, with a hint of sadness in his gruff voice. Stopping in the middle of the hall, he placed the lantern down and held a clenched fist to his chest. He murmured a quiet farewell salute in the old language. Grizelda stopped to do the same. After a moment of silence, they continued.

“We’re doing a small procession in the main hall if you’re interested. And I know you. I’ll be sure to give him the symbolic burial,” she said. “Since you’re quite busy and all.”

“No, let me. I trained him from a ruffian on the streets to the best runner we had in the history of the HR,” he said. “It’s the least I could do for him… now I have to rearrange my schedule.”

As they began the slow journey to the biggest room in the base, the conversation died off. All they could hear now was the quiet flickering of the lantern. “Father, I just don’t understand what part of the operation went wrong. It was smooth sailing for the first half…”

“No plan ever survives contact with the enemy, my chick. You must respect that.”

“We have several contingencies in place for that! We didn’t have to lose a good pony today.”

“Sometimes things never go according to what we planned. Life is not an arithmetic question with a single, solid outcome.”

Idle conversation rapidly filled the background as they neared the destination. As of now, they had exited the residential section of the base.

They stopped as they came upon the small gathering in the main hall. Some had already taken their seats, while some spoke in the front, recounting tales and speaking soliloquies. Most notable of them all was a pony wearing a black cloak. The griffons excused their way past the assembled group. “Dreaded Whisper. It’s always pleasant seeing… part of your face. I didn’t think you would come back here. How goes your missions?”

“Sir Axel,” Dreaded said in return. “I came back to pay respects for Firelight. He may have been rash and… slightly annoying, but he was a vital part of our cause. And good, to answer your second question. I’ve managed to distract enough of her forces for the other branches to operate freely. I most likely have that night captain screaming in confusion.”

“I know, you always come back to pay your respects to the fallen… just didn’t think you would come here specifically…” Axel rolled his shoulder to work out a sore joint. “Gah, I’m getting too old…” he said, clutching the limb in question. He turned around to leave. However, the griffon noticed those among them stare at him. They shuffled awkwardly in place as their leader held his shoulder. “Well, I guess since I’m here anyway, I may as well say my piece.”

The crowd parted to allow him access to the podium set up in the hall. A simplistic coffin had been placed right in front of it, adorned with Sunblossoms. Axel coughed to clear out his throat and announce he was going to speak. Once they had calmed enough, he spoke.

“It never gets any easier, does it?” he asked, looking into the eyes of those assembled. “Watching those we loved and knew so well... vanish in the blink of an eye. You would think it would hurt less each time. Members of our meager resistance, both new and old, this is not new to us. Never has, never will. And so, at each loss, we ask ourselves, why we continue to fight even as the world tears at us. As it tries to destroy our spirits.”

There were silent looks shared amongst the crowd.

“We fight to preserve a memory. An image. A legacy. We fight because we know what was lost. What everything could be once again. That future we strive to work slowly for hangs on the strings that lay upon your necks.” Axel’s claws clenched the board of the podium. “A future where we’re free from the oppression of the Lunar Tyrant. For an innumerable count of years, her dominion has never moved from its spot above our greatest mountains.”

No words were spoken.

The griffon shook his head. “I’m getting off track. Someone, please remind me when I do that, I believe I’m growing senile in my old age,” he joked, earning a couple of laughs. Once that died down, he started. “Today, we lost another member of our cause, something of which that you are all clearly aware of. It never gets easier having to bury those we fight alongside with. Sometimes we don’t even get a body back, such as today. And it always gets harder to recruit more to fill our dwindling ranks.” He drew out an exhale. “Firelight. I first met the pegasus back in Stormwind. He was a small-time thief, good at stealing things. I saw that he had promise and a… spark, something that I’m sure I’ve told many of you time and time again.”

“I saw that we could repurpose that spark for a better cause. Use his skills for the greater good, rather than for simply scrounging by. Together, we taught him all that we could, trained him to the peak of his skills, and forged him into a pony all of us could respect. Sure, he was hotheaded and troublesome at first, and still kinda was even to his… ‘death’.” He chuckled morosely alongside a couple others. “However, he always made sure to complete his duty and do the right thing. I probably bet he fought kicking and screaming even as they caught him.”

“...”

“Even though he may not... have died in the traditional sense, his sacrifice by performing a 3-4-1 was a sacrifice of the highest order. We all know the consequences of the word getting out. We all probably would hesitate when the time comes to ensure that. He displayed courage and strength unrivaled in his final hour… so even though as he forgets us…” The graying griffon looked to the crowd, all holding a combination of stoic faces—and a pair of glowing eyes in Dreaded’s case—which waited. “We shall never forget him!” he bellowed, body propped up on the podium. The crowd roared and stomped their hooves or cawed out. Once the cheering had settled, he quickly announced, “I’ve always been a bird of a few words and that is all I have to say. If anyone else wishes to speak, I am done.”

Axel nodded and made his way back down to a waiting Grizelda, who tapped her claw impatiently on the stone floor. “I thought you said you were busy?”

“Meh. I can squeeze it in. Let your father do the moral speeches. They always make everyone feel good.”

“Mhm,” she smirked, unconvinced. To which her expression turned objective as she handed him a pink crystal. “Listen, Broken wants to talk to you about something important.” She began walking away but snapped her claws together as she remembered something. “The note said to use frequency four this time.”

“Thank you, Grizzy. I’ll be up in my office if you need me.”

“Whatever. Just go make that old unicorn shut up already. I swear, somehow all of you get more annoying in your advanced ages.”

He smiled at her good-natured joking. It seemed even in these dark times she could make good light of a situation. He waved and greeted those he happened to pass by, each of them tired and hungry, but awake enough to reply back.

Closing the door behind him, Axel turned the light in his office on. Padding over to a surface, he notched the crystal into the ever-familiar socket and twisted the knob. It flickered to life on an adjacent wall. A circle spun on the projection as the magical artifact began connecting with its other half.

A second later, another familiar sight graced his eyes. His beak fell open as he realized the gravity of what was happening.

“Broken, you’re contacting me from in there!? It’s that serious!? What happened!?”

“Shush, you old rooster. I’m fine in here,” the sophisticated accent snarked.

“So if it’s not a serious kind of emergency, then what are you calling from in there for?”

“Well, I believe it’s important. Tell me, Axel, what do you think of tonight?”

“What?” He snorted. “Is this some crazy unicorn thing again? It’s... sad. I got the report we lost a runner today. One that I had personally trained as well.”

There was an awkward silence. “I… I did not expect that kind of answer, I apologize for my… bluntness. Please send my regards to the rest of your branch.” He sighed. “I suppose you wouldn’t really know much about the significance of tonight. It’s much more a pony thing than it is a griffon one.” He fixed the glasses to his face and grabbed a book with his magic.

“Really now? I’ve lived here my entire life. Throw it at me.”

“Do you know the prophecy of the Brightest Night and the Guiding Star?” he asked, skimming through the contents of a book.

Axel held a blank look on his face. “Er… ah… shit…” he stammered. “Well, now I feel woefully uneducated and stupid. I also think my ego took a good hit.”

“Gah, do not blame yourself, I just wanted to see if you've ever come across such things. But, I suppose not. This kind of thing is heavily regulated by her Highnesses’s special forces. Our branch also tends to keep it to themselves.” He stopped at a page. “Here. Read it for yourself.” He levitated the book in clear view of the crystal. Axel murmured as he went through the lines.

“Alright,” he said, finishing the last bit. “So what does this have to do with your call? I get that this pony is important to our cause…”

“There has been a rumor circulating around the castle for some time now. I hadn’t really put much weight into it, although Queen Night had been acting strangely in the recent months… so I didn’t believe what they had to say. Rumors and all that. But tonight, it’s been confirmed. This really is a double subject,” he murmured. “Tonight, Equestria now has an heir to the Lunar throne.”

“You’re kidding,” Axel said in disbelief.

“I am not. That aside, I believe that foal Queen Night has given birth to is the one alluded to in the prophecy.”

“There’s probably a bunch of other ponies being born tonight. What makes you say that? And this brightest night thing, hasn’t it happened before? What about the foals then?” he pressed, unconvinced.

“It has been particularly vague with its approach, that I can agree on. However, there is something that does make me confident in all of this.” Broken conceded. “I know for certain that the foal is an alicorn filly. If that isn’t a large enough sign, then I do not know what is.”

Axel was speechless. First, it had been mentioned Queen Night had given birth... but to an all-powerful being such as an alicorn? He took a moment to reorient himself. “This is huge. An alicorn heir… and they’re supposed to be the one who saves us all? If I’m not mistaken, Broken, they’re the foal of our sworn enemy.”

“It’s simply speculation. I could be wrong after all,” the unicorn admitted. Axel was about to reply, but he held up a hoof to stop him. “But fate has a funny way of working things out, my friend. We shall see in due time.”

The veteran gave pause, contemplating something. A moment later he looked back up. “I won’t hold my breath.”