Even from a distance, the TMS Warmistress was utterly imposing. Its six-hundred-meter long hull was, quite simply, a feat of magical engineering that eclipsed the previous holder of the largest ship on Equus, the TMS Moonlit Heart, which came in at five-hundred-and-ten meters. The bronze and blue hull gleamed, the tip of the shining command citadel was 72 meters tall itself and was capable of becoming nearly translucent during combat operations - giving it an unrivalled edge in most engagements. Spread across its deck were forty-three Class 3 and 4 Spell Arrays, sixteen Class 5, six Class 6, and a single Class 7 - the most advanced ever constructed. It was capable of firing up to forty miles away with the correct spells and required eighty unicorns on average to power, even with the magical engine of the battleship diverted to assist, which was also the largest ever made. It pushed the bleeding edges of large-scale magical weaponry closer and closer to the almost mythical Class 10, which was said to be on-par in thaum output with the Princess' battlefield capabilities. In theory anyway, as she had never given a demonstration in a controlled setting.

At least, that's what Shining had been taught during the naval operations theoretical courses. To see it in person somehow put all of the lessons to shame. Even a mile away he couldn't help but stare at the pinnacle of warfare. It almost made him wish he had joined the navy, as many unicorns did. Almost.

Shining tore his eyes away from the Warmistress and its small host of escorts, looking over the beach where the First Century had established themselves to receive their reinforcements. It was a long stretch of sandy paradise, especially compared to the hellish mud they had been slugging through the last two days. Everyone had already found some excuse to stand in the water for a bit to rinse out their armour, and spirits were high. The sea breeze was cool and pleasant, carrying the smell of salt, and cloudy skies blocked the worst of the sun's gaze.

He had joined Sergeant Basalt Pie and Captain Steel Wing, along with half a dozen others from the First Century, on a hill overlooking the bay. Among them was Rapid Copy and his SRMEC kit, a bulky piece of equipment in the rough shape of two saddlebags that could receive communications from other nearby kits, or the much more powerful LRMEC stations on ships or built-in bases. The ingenious pony-portable version was extremely new, at least this incarnation. Until four years ago a Unicorn was required to operate the machine, actively powering it with their magic. Innovations four years ago in the field of Localized Magical Fields meant that the newest models could be reliably powered by pegasi's natural magical fields. As a result, they were beginning to become much more common in the Legion. It was still impossible for an earth pony to do so, the small machines incapable of connecting with their internal magic.

"Sir," Rapid Copy alerted the Captain, and the rest of them, "Receiving word that deployment of the cohort is being delayed ten-minutes." Shining focused on the signal unicorn, Rapid's plain, brown face a mask of concentration as the SRMEC directly placed the encoded information into the forefront of his thoughts. All of them had been trained in its use, of course - and had to be trained in every code they may need. It was incredibly jarring to try to translate what was being sent while new information kept coming, but Shining had never been the best signal pony.

Rapid continued after a moment, eyes flicking toward the Warmistress. "Admiral Gilded Victory is requesting Aldis Light, sir."

Shining felt a moment of confusion, but clearly the Captain had expected this - there was a glint of something soft in those hard eyes as he replied, "Send affirmative and prepare the spell."

There was a moment of further concentration before the signal pony rose and faced the ship, lighting his horn. Every eye on the shore, except perhaps those on watch, turned to the ship. Each of them had been trained understanding morse code, so when a red light atop the Warmistress began flashing - each and every one of them understood.

Faithful to his duty, Rapid Copy imparted the words to the Captain - only the slightest hesitation in his voice, "The Admiral says that, uh, you have gotten fat, sir."

There was utter silence across the beach, broken only by the lapping of waves upon the shore. Shining had to hold back the urge to gape. The Captain just stared back at the ship, as if he was trying to glare at someone on the Citadel. Shining could swear there was an upturn to the corner of his mouth, though.

Then the Captain spoke, a wing barely twitching, "Tell the Admiral; It's barely past noon. I can smell her breath from here."

Rapid Copy glanced at his Captain, and Shining could hear a few chuckles from nearby. He had to fight down a smile himself. The signal unicorn lit up his horn in a harsh, sharp light and began flashing it in cadence.

Long moments ticked by before there was a replying flash of lights from the Warmistress' citadel. Signal didn't hesitate this time, translating in time with the rest of them, "The Admiral says to put on our sunglasses while she does the real work, sir."

Sunglasses? Shining glanced to the others, but the Captain just looked bemused - finally looking away from the ship. Signal started slightly, swiftly speaking as a light on the SRMEC flipped to green, "Sir! Word from the Warmistress to escort, she is firing mainland north-west, 284.3 degrees off her prow. To the 10th Legion, she says; Coordinates confirmed. Class-7 WSI incoming in one minute."

Shining felt a jolt. He would get to see the Warmistress fire her main array. Now every single eye on the shore turned to the battleship with bated breath, even those on watch.

After thirty seconds there was a light from one of the bulges on the deck of the Warmistress, the largest of them. Details could not be made out from here, but Shining felt a shiver run down his spine. He could feel the magic pooling toward the ship as both the engine and eighty unicorns used their bodies as conduits of magic to power the array. After moments longer, the light grew suddenly in intensity - a blazing green beacon that grew brighter and brighter like a second sunrise. Shining's eyes began to water. The waves around the ship began to thrash wildly, pulled toward the source of magic, lapping against the ship from all sides. He knew it would make the waterline rise several meters higher than normal, but he couldn't tell from this distance.

The glow did not grow brighter in the next seconds, but it grew deeper and more powerful. A core of fiery orange light in the centre of the beacon flashed into existence, and then the spell was released.

Like a falling star, the blaze of green and orange light blasted from the Warmistress and over their heads - travelling hundreds of meters a second. The shockwave left a path in the water until its altitude rose. The comet of magic roared inland in a wrathful arc, leaving a trail of white light in its wake. The Warmistress visibly wobbled as it was forced back from the power of what it had unleashed, the tip of the citadel rocking back and forth violently for several moments.

The sound was unbearable. A sudden assault of roaring so intense it made his ears pop and ring and fill with strange static noise, a bout of vertigo struck him as the spell was sent forth to destroy. It was long moments before Shining managed to fully steady himself, the ringing in his ears beginning to dissipate with every second. He was aware of his own heavy breathing and cursing from a few of the Royal Guards nearby as they too recovered. A glance around showed that even the Captain looked surprised by the show of raw power, disoriented by the sudden onslaught on their senses. Only Basalt and a few of the other Earth Ponies looked largely unaffected, the huge Sergeant's stony face only broken by his wide eyes.

The Royal Guard stood in awe, recovering and staring after where the spell had vanished. Shining wondered what Tartarus it was unleashing on the tigers near the 10th Legion. He wondered what made the 10th Legion at Hill 861, where they were headed, call in such heavy support.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden blaring of the Warmistress' shiphorn, every eye once more turning toward the battleship as the booming call sounded over the waves. A red light on the Citadel flashed toward them.

Shining could barely hear Rapid Copy's shaky, entirely unneeded, translation as laughter broke out across the beach, "Admiral says; Mine is bigger. Good hunting, Steel."

He could see Captain Steel Wing smile out of the corner of his eye. The others on the hill began to disperse, the guards returning to their duties and cleaning. As few spoke quietly to one another.

Sergeant Basalt stood like a pillar of stone at the edge of the crashing waves in the aftermath of the spell firing, silently regarding the Royal Guard as they continued scouting the surrounding area - several were posted near the dirt path they had arrived on, and more were in the trees or doing air patrols. All of them had, however, found some excuse to go into the water. They had not splashed or played, they were Royal Guard with a dignified lineage of two-thousand years of Warfare. They had rinsed, thoroughly.

Shining took the opportunity to join him, his own fur still wet - most of the mud purged from the inside of his armour. His intentions were interrupted when he reached the Sergeant, eyes stolen by the sight of Shroud lowering herself into the water. She was clad in full armour, and it did nothing for curves, but he could see her long neck, imagine her stretching in the water without the adamantine plates encasing her. He had won their bet easily, to her surprise, and she had promised that 'You'll never forget it, Starmane.' He didn't understand the nickname, but the implication in her tone - the thoughts of the kiss the previous night, imagining what she had in store for him...

His thoughts were interrupted by Basalt's solid voice, "What's on your mind, Corporal? Filly troubles?"

Shining started, tearing his gaze from Shroud and to the Sergeant - feeling a flush work its way onto his cheeks, suddenly wishing he had his helmet on. Basalt's words did remind him why he approached the earth pony, though, and that was more than enough to sober his thoughts. He quickly replied, "No - Nothing like that, I just noticed that the others have been muttering about me. They always quiet down when I go too near, though."

The Sergeant's gaze was heavy, the weight of experience in those orbs reminding Shining that Basalt was near eighty, a master of battle, and near the end of his middle age, even for an earth pony. Shining felt like all of that experience was suddenly being used to weigh him against some hidden test. Something told Shining he did not fail as the sergeant snorted out his nose and spoke, those hard eyes never leaving Shining's, "Try'na figure out which Princess you're descended from, colt."

It took a moment for that to work its way through his head. Which Princess he is descended from? His heart seemed to thud harder in his chest, an odd realization playing out in the back of his mind, lining events and happenstance up, the oddities of his and Twilight's life. Shining was not even really looking at the Sergeant anymore, gazing through him instead. When he spoke, his voice was distant, and filled with the natural disbelief that rose up in his gut, "I - What? That's not possible. The Princesses never even..." He hesitated at that. He knew that Princess Celestia was rumoured to take lovers at times, and every colt had imagined their ruler in some compromising position. Was it really so unimaginable?

When Basalt spoke, it simply drove the point home, "You're not daft. 'Course they've had foals. Not fer a long time though. Princess Celestia ain't had nopony since Princess Luna's death, 'cordin to the Guard's logs. Could be wrong. Either way, they still crop up. Most times you can recognize 'em in the Legion, some in the Royal Guard, a few in the Navy. Your type tends to be overly heroic, noble, and live short lives. Die in battle. Doin' some fool stunt or tryna fight diamond dogs. You look like 'em too, if you know what to look for. 'Course, I never met a Starmane, just Sunmanes, but you hear stories."

Shining stared at the earth pony. Oddly, he did not feel... staggered, or overwhelmed. The truth rung like a gong in his heart, it made his hooves want to shake. There was sudden surety in his mind, a sudden awareness of a foundation that his thoughts were built upon. Then, he was aware of the Sun above him, the Moon beyond the horizon. He felt his eyes close, almost against his will. Shining was not imagining the sensation of sunlight on his face, he knew - but there was a separate sensation, a cool embrace like moonlight on a cloudless night. What was this feeling?

"You alright, colt?" Basalt's voice pulled him out of the strange sensation, the feeling of moonlight vanishing. The sudden surety remained, the awareness that in his mind dwelled the heritage of... of gods. Some part of him had always been aware, he realized. He felt oddly renewed, the pains and aches of the last two days vanished. The sunlight was now not simply invigorating because it was pleasant, but he recognized the feeling of renewal, of absorbing the energy that filled the day with life.

He forced himself to swallow and speak, focusing once more on Basalt's eyes, "I... I, yeah. I just... realized something, I guess..."

The Sergeant's gaze turned searching, but the huge earth pony did not pry. Instead, he turned his head and looked out over the sea, "I had you pegged for a Sunmane the moment I met you. So did most. Was a bit obvious, I thought - 'specially with your unique summer program. The Princess has some plans for you, clear 'nough. Then you kept stayin' up late. Was enough to make us talk, but then you did that shield. Y'see, your type are meant to be weaker at night. It's Starmanes who are fine in daytime, they're just empowered by the moon, from what I hear. Better warriors, too, but they're meant to make poor soldiers."

Finally, Shining began to struggle to process this - a semblance of normalcy, of weakness, returning to his thoughts as the sensations of divinity grew more distant in his mind. He almost felt normal, but with that came the increasing confusion and apprehension. If he had not felt so utterly sure only moments before, felt the bastion buried in his mind, then he would have doubted what the Sergeant said.

Eventually, the Sergeant grunted and turned his gaze toward the ships in the distance, "Legion incomin', Corporal. Got your orders earlier. When the War Unicorns hit shore, you're on one Rarity Belle. If y'can keep your eyes off of Shroud long enough find out what she's good at and teach her somethin' useful."

Shining turned his head to the sea, catching sight of the rainbow of steel and feathers soaring over the open seas. Nearly three-hundred pegasi were arrayed, flying in fifteen distinct V-shaped patterns. The pegasi caught the light of Celestia as a rainbow of steel, each vanguard legionnaire shining as they soared, every flap of their wings setting their wing-blades twinkling. The formation began to widen as they grew closer and closer to the shore, ready to pass over them and help to secure the beachhead. Beneath them, still much closer to the ships, followed dozens of black vaguely rectangular-shaped landing craft, easily capable of approaching the shore.

The Sergeant turned his eyes back to Shining, although Shining hardly noticed - in truth, he could barely pay attention to the approach. The conversation kept repeating again and again in his head. He was related to the Princesses?

Basalt's voice cut into his thoughts, "You got a few minutes, Corporal. Get yourself some water and sit down a few minutes. I'll find the trainee."

Shining's realized how weak his knees felt. The shock of the Warmistress' array, the slight lingering ringing in his ears, this revelation... Oh, this revelation. He swallowed and nodded, turning without a word and almost stumbling toward the water cart.

Twilight had been unaware that Equestria still resembled a collection of stitched-together tribes and kingdoms. The three Thestral Mountain-Halls, the Traditional and Cosmopolitan Unicorns, Cloudsdale and Emerald Sea Pegasi, and finally Field, Swamp, and Cosmopolitan Earth Ponies.

She had read about these groups in her studies, although she had not paid particular attention to histories before her tutelage under the Princess. She had assumed that everywhere was akin to Canterlot, that Equestria was unified beneath a singular culture. This was not the case, merely a consequence of living in the centre of the 'Cosmopolitan' culture, as it had been termed by modern experts.

Twilight had known the Princess had many titles besides her status as Her Imperial Radiance, Princess of Equestria. There were other titles, some easily understood. These included; Lunar Regent, Undying Sun, and Warden of the Legion. Others were more mysterious to Twilight, such as; Mistress of the Adamant Watch, the Articulum, and Lady of Crystal. Twilight would have assumed nearly all of these were formalities, tacked on over millennia as honorifics and nothing more. Raven Inkwell had corrected her of this illusion, as it was vital she understood these simple facts before she approached any work as an aid to the Princess.

Twilight had not known that the Princess was either the Regent or direct ruler of each and every single one of these groups. She was the Nightwatcher's Shadow of Adamantia, Mythria, and Pyluria, acting as titular ruler of the thestrals for the in absentia Princess Luna. She was Archmagus, marking her as the pinnacle of the dwindling remnants of the strict northern unicorn hierarchy of power. She was Grand Consul of Cloudsdale and Gem of the Atlantia Isles, giving her dominion of both tribes of pegasi. Finally, she was... Well, she was Duchess and Countess of dozens of towns and lands that made up the Cosmopolitan Earth Ponies and Unicorns.

The last was most curious, and the typical culture for ponies who walked on land. Twilight had learned that pre-Unification there had been no unicorn nobility, not in the modern sense - despite them being the significant majority of modern title holders. In fact, the entire system that modern unicorns took so much pride in their dominance of was the ancient way of earth pony Kingdoms. Each class of citizen owing allegiance to those above them, and their lords owing the common earth pony protection against bandits, pegasi, and unicorns.

During the Second Subjugation, after the Thestral Nightlords had sworn to Princess Luna willingly in the First Subjugation, surrendering their crowns, Princess Celestia had travelled north to the squabbling Unicorn Hierarchs. She had taken the unicorn-defined description of a citizen, which required one to have a whole and unbroken horn and the ability to perform magic, and claimed her right to challenge the Archmagus to single combat. The Hierarchs had been brought to heel with a single death, but they were not content with Celestia's rule and edicts. She had freed their earth pony serfs, daring any Hierarch to challenge her new definition of citizen, and integrated them into Equestria.

It was during the Third Subjugation that unicorns gained earth pony titles.

Princess Celestia was, according to the records in the castle, not as able as her sister to bring her forces to a unified front in time for their war against the earth pony kingdoms. While the thestrals revered Princess Luna as the living avatar of the moon, their primordial deity figure, the unicorns viewed Celestia as a usurper. Thus, promises had been made. Long had unicorns coveted the vast expanses of land owned by the 'mudwalkers' and desired to expand their influence. So, Celestia went before them and promised that any member of the unicorn castes who should distinguish themselves would receive lands and holdings in newly taken territories on the condition they forsake their place in the Hierarchy. Many took up arms at these promises, especially of the middling and lower classes - for this promise applied to even the lowliest unicorns, and many of them were rewarded farms and homesteads. In one swoop, the Hierarchy's careful order was undermined forever.

Following the Third Subjugation, the two tribes that once held the most hatred for one another would become the closest in mannerisms, becoming 'Cosmopolitan.' In the centuries following, these titles had been slowly collected by the Princess once again, pulled from the clutches of the nobility with patience. There had once been two-hundred-and-eight titled major noble families throughout Equestria. Now? There were forty-one. Technically, there was meant to be a Council of Nobility who could offer their advice to the Princess at their leisure and were permitted to 'always dwell at her side.' Princess Celestia had the controlling majority of this Council, however, and had neutered the nobility's ability to interfere with the running of Equestria. They did not even, technically, own their own lands any longer - although they did collect a one-percent value tax on all commerce in their lands, and even this mercy came with a host of limitations on their ability to own businesses.

The Fourth Subjugation was the least complicated, but the most difficult. The Sea Pegasi had fallen first, their great fleets brought to heel by Princess Luna's mastery of weather magic and control of the tide. It had been largely bloodless, discounting several years of coastal raiding and minor naval engagements.

The pegasi of Cloudsdale did not bend so easy. Led by Grand Consul West Wind, whose name would forever be recalled as the Hurricane in his city, they had successfully fought the collective might of all other united tribes for eleven years. From their floating citadel, which was said to have been constructed before even the defeat of Discord, they took advantage of the still-present division of the tribes, the mobility of their city, and control of the weather to wreak havoc and control every battlefield they were caught on. The simple truth had been apparent at the time; Cloudsdale stood as Master of the Skies, and she could not be opposed by those who walked on the dirt below. There were four sallies against Cloudsdale by Princess Luna during these years and each was rebuffed.

It was only in the eleventh year of the conflict that a final, drastic, measure had been taken. Princess Celestia had channelled the energy of the sun itself and dragged Cloudsale out of the heavens. Brought low and below the clouds that had sheltered it for so long, the city was vulnerable - yet still hundreds of meters above the ground. It was then that Celestia performed her second feat that would allow for the fall of the greatest city that had ever been built; She conjured a bridge of light for earth ponies and unicorns alike to sally forth, solidifying every cloud in the city for hours. The heat radiating from her form was so great that you could still visit where she had cast her spells on the side of the Canterhorn and look upon the rock and dirt turned to glass.

Princess Luna had led the forces of Equestria against the pegasi, who swarmed forth in their whole numbers; for each pegasus of Cloudsdale was a warrior from childhood, veterans of war and hardened by battle, led by one of the greatest military minds who had yet lived. The siege lasted less than a single day. Princess Luna brought the great cloud walls low and ushered her forces into the city, but was faced with the Grand Consul himself. It was here that he forever earned his epitaph, for he is the one recorded pony in history who stood hood-to-hoof with an alicorn. With a mastery of pegasi magic and lordship over speed, he fought Princess Luna in the skies over Cloudsdale. In the aftermath of the battle, when his body lay broken and Princess Luna's armour had been sundered and her body riddled with injuries, she had declared him 'A hurricane given flesh.'

The city had fallen shortly after, and the pegasi of Cloudsdale had become the most fanatically loyal of all tribes, despite being the last to be conquered. Their tradition of service lived to this day, although service in the Legion was no longer mandated by law at the ordinance of Celestia herself.

The castle's sealed records - which Twilight had access to at Celestia's order - had even spoken of a Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Subjugations. The Fifth had been a diplomatic unification with a northern 'Crystal Empire' that was not mentioned further in these records, although the accounting ended by stating the nation had been 'consumed by Winter.' The Sixth had been another diplomatic integration, attempting to bring the mysterious seaponies to talks - all of which had been rebuffed. Conquest had apparently been considered by Princess Luna, but Celestia had rebuffed the idea, a quotation in the text solidified in time; 'The cost of life would be too great, the damage to our peace too profound. And for what?' The Seventh was merely spoken of as being 'a partial success,' with no further information easily available to Twilight.

Each of these histories played more of a role in the ruling of modern Equestria than Twilight had ever anticipated.

The vast majority of modern Equestria was ruled through a singular administrative system. The unification of the tribes was slow but steady, and even the pegasi were being made more cosmopolitan with the slow emigration of earth ponies and unicorns to Atlantia, and the slow emigration of Cloudsdale families to ground-based cities. Despite this progress, three ancient systems in particular still held true; The Thestrals, Cloudsdale, and the Hierarchy.

While Celestia was the Nightwalker's Shadow, she was not the Nightwalker, and each of her decrees over that region must be made as such. Technically, as the Princess of Equestria, she could overstep this hurdle - but it would break a thousand years of tradition, and upset the bone-deep culture of the Thestrals that their one, true ruler was the Moon herself. Twilight thought that the Princess could have overturned this if she had wished, as she had dismantled the nobility. She may have questioned the idea, if she did not understand that Celestia truly thought herself only a stand-in for her living sister, and unwilling to reduce what had been Princess Luna's most loyal subject's reverence.

As the Grand Consul of Cloudsdale, Celestia was in a unique position. According to Raven Inkwell, the Princess had been slowly dissolving the title's importance and Cloudsdale's unique near-military administration for the first four-hundred years after Princess Luna's banishment, going as far as to remove mandated military service. Then, she had - against regular character - changed her mind. In a renewed age of Imperialism, beginning the Resplendent Era, she had reversed her course and begun to encourage the enormous military tradition within the city. As a result, Cloudsdale existed half-within a strange zone of militant dictatorship that one could choose to leave. Students recited the Oath of Fealty, Pledge to the Princesses, and the Wind's Last Dance, a poem dedicated to Grand Consul West Wind, every morning. Each school was tailored to encourage loyalty. Every student who was physically capable received practice wing blades at the age of eleven and were instructed in their use. At the age of seventeen they were given their own set, and kept them after their service. There were some wingblade pairs that had been in families for centuries, millennia.

As a result, service was no longer legally required; It was culturally mandated. To be a Cloudsdale pegasus and not live up to the traditions of your family, of your people, was social suicide within the city.

All orders from Princess Celestia involving Cloudsdale were made to a horrifying, alien standard. At least to Twilight, it was terrifying. The systematic indoctrination of the Pegasi of Cloudsdale was... It was cold, calculating, and helped fuel the Equestrian Empire. Twilight had never seen casualty reports, but records indicated that pegasi made up nearly fifty percent of all Legion recruits despite being the second most populous tribe of ponies. The majority of these were the youth of Cloudsdale.

According to Raven, each of these cultures must be remembered. All of them sent requests to the Crown, ponies from all across Equestria come to Court. It had been made clear that if Twilight wished to help she would have to learn about them all.

Twilight set down the hoof-thick tome titled 'The Subjugations' and closed it, levitating the next in the 'unread' pile. This one was 'The Tattered Hierarchy' and was meant to be a study of ancient unicorn traditions and how they had been transformed in the modern-day.

The nearly titanic stack of books had been assigned to her by Raven. 'The minimum,' the secretary had said. Twilight knew she did not expect such a young unicorn to make it through so many tomes. Raven believed she would give up and return to her magical studies. That she would leave Cadance to struggle alone when every day the pink alicorn looked more worn as Celestia slept on. That she would continue to be a useless little unicorn, a burden.

Twilight Sparkle would learn, she swore to herself. She would never be useless again.

Celestia knew she was dreaming.

The vision had been terrifying the first time she had witnessed it, startling the second. After that? She had known with certainty what was occurring.

Right now she was sitting in her office, writing unreadable words on a blank piece of parchment in an office that lacked almost all details. Soon, the dream Twilight would reach for the sun and call her for aid. She would go, as she had before. A perfect repetition of the previous nights horror, and the one before that. It was what the Nightmare expected, after all. Celestia would hate she disappoint her captor.

Celestia felt a prickling chill leave her spine, the attention of the Nightmare turning to the encroachment of another power upon the dream. A lovingly familiar presence, tasting of peaches and filling Celestia's heart with desire - feelings she must keep hidden from the Nightmare at all costs. Allow the creature to believe her entrapped and Celestia could escape without a battle of wills. While her mind felt stronger than it had for a thousand years, she did not wish to engage in such a dangerous match in her opponent's place of strength.

The edges of the dream twisted and weaved, the smell of their bed filling the office. Celestia smiled slightly, looking up to view a now fully-materialized portrait of Luna upon the wall. It matched reality in every detail except one, the reclined Luna - who was meant to be dozing - had her eyes open, and they were locked with Celestia's.

Her heart lurched. She yearned to reach out, to entwine her mind with Luna's and be one again, to experience the true depths of closeness that only centuries of unity and love could bring. To go back to what they had been, before the troubles. Before the arguments. Before the Nightmare.

But, she could not - and Celestia knew that Luna was aware as well. Or, at least, she hoped that was the case. It felt slightly foolish to think as much, to be so utterly certain that Luna would have taken her from this dream if she were able.

Either way, if she were to escape, she had to bide her time. She was on her own and had to wait for an opening.

Celestia smiled at the portrait on the wall, knowing Luna could impart little more than that watching gaze. She kept the grief from her eyes as she forced her eyes back down to the featureless paper on the desk, lest the Nightmare glance in on her.

Celestia would be free. Then? She would free Luna from this torment.

The splashing of waves and hum of the magical engine was almost drowned out by the clanking of armour, movement of ponies, and nervous chatter that filled the transport around Rarity. The air was stuffy and almost unbelievably hot, filled with the sweaty smell of half a hundred unwashed legionnaires.

Rarity, unfortunately, had to count herself among those who were unwashed. They simply hadn't had time to get the whole six-hundred man cohort cleaned before it was time for their early landing. She was tired, too - and uncomfortable. Her armour was well-fitted, all of theirs were, but that didn't help with the weight it placed across her back when combined with her saddlebags. She didn't have to carry as much as the earth ponies, but it still almost felt like too much for her sweat-drenched body. It made her want to shiver, but she had long grown used to the discomfort of being filthy.

She would give anything to get out of this metal box. The heat was making her feel weak. She had remembered reading about these landers at the Academy, before they had been yanked early. They were meant to be an upgrade to some older rowed version, proof that magical engines could be effectively miniaturised to some degree. Apparently cooling enchantments had not been in the design.

Whoever decided that should be made to ride in one with a full complement, she thought.

The transport rocked slightly, and a magilight positioned above the metal door at the end of the hold changed from red to yellow. She didn't know what that meant, exactly, but she presumed it indicated they were nearing the shore. The ponies around her shifted - rocking on their feet slightly. Most of them seemed more comfortable with all of this than she was. After all, Legionnaires all went through a course on water operations - it was the nature of Legionnaires to be forced to assault beachheads or spend long weeks moving around on ships. Even better was that War Unicorns were taught specialized spells to help them swim, provide cover for their comrades, and even a water-walking spell. Unfortunately for Rarity, this course would have begun in the final month of her time in training. She barely knew how to swim outside of armour.

The thought made her shiver in spite of the heat. There was a call of 'Five!' from the front of the hold and the legionnaires around her began to bunch forward in preparation. She felt somepony rub against her flank, and she had to resist the urge to kick backwards as she was jostled forward.

Rarity tried to keep a count in her head, but her mind was too cloudy, and her focus on keeping her balance against the heat and movement of the ponies around her.

The light at the end of the hold flipped to green and the ramp slammed down into open water. A voice at the head of the hold roared 'Go!' and every one of them surged forth at once. Rarity did not stumble, although she couldn't see the floor beneath her hooves.

The exit looked bright and welcoming. She could see distant trees, a thick and captivating jungle of deep and shadowed greens full of shadow and wonder. Sunlight streaked down, making the legionnaires who splashed ahead gleam, and the shallow water shone like a thousand glittering gems. The breeze, though... The relatively cool breeze that wafted over them was the best air she had ever inhaled.

Then, she reached the end of the hold and jumped into neck-deep water. She stumbled her landing slightly, crying out - although her voice was lost amidst hundreds of splashes and shouted orders. Her head briefly dipped beneath the waves as she struggled to right herself and keep going. She struggled not to inhale, getting her hooves underneath her in time with the burning of her lungs. She forced her muzzle above the water, inhaling with a gasp. Somepony pushed her from behind, forcing her forward again, nearly causing her feet to slip in the sucking, wet sand underneath her hooves.

For long seconds, her mind was overtaken by panic - only pressing on through the weight of those around her, the shouted encouragements of sergeants and the careful fly-over of pegasi looking for those who slip barely noticed.

Then, thank Celestia, the water began to get lower with each hoofstep. Soon it was at chest height, the weight of her bags becoming suddenly more unbearable. Then her barrel was free of it, and finally, she and her unit were running onto the shore amidst calling orders. She struggled to listen between her gasps, slowing with the others, remembering her instructions to find a Sergeant Pie. He would distribute the War Unicorns among -

"War Unicorns!" A deep voice cut through the chaos of the landing, the three-hundred earth ponies and hooffulls of unicorns - many of those weren't even war unicorns - forming into their Decaniums and Centuries.

Rarity finally managed to begin taking in the beach and was struck, most of all, by the Royal Guard. They stood tall in their adamantine plate, the colors of the plates shifted to a pure sand-white, making them all glow in the bright sunlight. There were dozens arrayed on the beach in squads, some moving about on patrols, other circling in the skies. They stood like knights in shining armour, noble warriors of the Sun Princess herself. Invulnerable guardians of Equestria. Everyone knew that where the Royal Guard went, the Princess' best shone true in their valour and bravery.

The earth pony calling for War Unicorns was a vision of strength unto himself. He was utterly massive, broad and powerful, his noble, commanding voice easily carrying over the entire beach. Sergeant Pie stood like an obelisk of adamantium, helm hanging from his neck. His face was carved from stone, a powerful jaw and rugged, hardened features that would have tempted Rarity to swoon but a few months ago.

She forced herself out of the moving formations of legionnaires and cantered toward the Sergeant, spotting the other twenty War Unicorns in a distance - each of their helms were stained red, marking them apart from their comrades. It did look rather nice, she thought - and it matched their padding.

Rarity was the first to reach Sergeant Pie, spotting various Royal Guard unicorns watching from other positions and squads, expressions ranging from curious to displeased. She spoke, "Sergeant! I'm - " She cut off, her voice was croaked, and her throat suddenly felt rough. Rarity forced herself to swallow, and saluted the Royal Guard, pressing a hoof to her chest plate. When she spoke, her voice was almost smooth, but she must be quite the sight, she thought, "Sergeant! Recruit Rarity Belle, War Unicorns."

The large earth pony regarded her a moment, eyes like slate. He nodded toward one of the hills on the beach closer to the treeline, where a line of wagons was waiting - and a unicorn was resting, cup of water held in levitation. "Report to Corporal Shining Armor, Recruit. He's your mentor 'til he thinks you're ready."

Rarity nodded, "Thank you, Sergeant!" And started trotting toward her new... superior? As she neared the alabaster unicorn, she was struck by his appearance. He couldn't have been much older than her and was utterly handsome. A strong, but not harsh, jaw and muzzle led into a noble face, full of natural authority. He was large, too, especially for a unicorn. She couldn't imagine the work that went into getting that strong, but she could picture the muscles. He seemed lost in thought as he sat, helmet hung from his chest piece, not even noticing her approach. Maybe he was wondering what he'd show her? Rarity could only imagine what a Royal Guard could teach her, they trained for years in the Academy and took only the absolute best, most dedicated, they could get ahold of.

Then, the unicorn looked up at her - meeting her eyes with his own sapphire gaze. She felt suddenly like a young filly, not a War Unicorn of the Equestrian Legion. She had to fight down a blush, hoping it wouldn't show through her soaked coat.

To cover her sudden fluster, she snapped a salute, "Corporal, I'm Recruit Rarity Belle. The Sergeant said you would be my mentor?" As much as she tried to sound confident, she still spoke the statement like a question. She couldn't help but wonder if there had been some mistake. Surely this handsome, young guard couldn't be her mentor? It felt like too much good fortune after her utterly horrid time in the Legion so far.

The Corporal seemed startled by her salute, eyes quickly glancing her over. Was that a flush on his cheeks? When he spoke, his voice was like hard velvet - smooth and lovely and strong. Was she swooning? "Oh, uh - It's alright, Recruit. At ease. I'm barely out of training myself, you know?" He chuckled, giving her a slight, but genuine smile. Oh yes, she certainly felt a bit too lucky.

Rarity lowered her hoof out of the salute, returning the smile, "I'm glad I'm not the only one a bit lost, Corporal."

Shining Armor nodded his agreement and stood himself up, shaking himself a moment before focusing on her - his eyes suddenly focused and intense, his sapphire eyes becoming intense and full of energy. "So, can you tell me where in your lessons you were left off?"

Author's Note

So I originally intended the last chapter to be part of this one, but I ended up releasing it thinking I'd get this one out quickly. I already have stuff written in the next one, and know what I want in it. I just keep being indecisive and rewriting stuff. I had particular difficultt with the Warmistress firing her array, I just felt like I couldn't get it right. Hope the rewrites don't detract at all. I also hope the lore part with Twilight isn't bad.

As always, hope you enjoyed the chapter! More soon.