War On Falling Stars

“So, let me see if I am understanding this correctly,” Ferlua said with a deathly calm, fingers steepled together as she sat at a table in the Council Room of Canterlot Castle. “Celestia banished you to the moon,” she gestured to Luna. “Let your excuse for an amalgamate free not once but twice,” She gestured to Discord. “And then, after putting her student through countless trials where she could have been killed along with all her friends, she helped you ascend to alicornhood where you faced even more challenges before your coronation.”

She looked to Star Swirl and her old friends. “And you all were freed by her mistake, along with Stygian and the Pony of Shadows. Am I about right?”

They all slowly nodded, though Discord simply ignored them all by snoring loudly around Fluttershy. Ferlua took a single, deep breath through her nose, before looking slowly to Celestia and Luna. “You two.” The former princesses stiffened. “I am both disappointed…” They winced. “...and proud of you.” They breathed sighs of relief. “But you are still being retaught the basics.” They groaned.

She looked to Twilight and her friends. “As for you six...very well done.” Ferlua smiled. “I am intrigued to see how you handle life in the court.”

“Not very well at first,” Twilight said with a giggle. “Pinkie and Rainbow slept through a lot of them in the beginning. Applejack unintentionally insulted more of them, Fluttershy was basically a, well…”

“A doormat. It’s okay, Twilight, I know,” Fluttershy said softly, smiling at her friend.

Twilight returned the smile, then continued. “And Rarity held up pretty well. As for me...well, I used to live in Canterlot before becoming a princess or even an alicorn, so it wasn’t too big of a challenge.”

Ferlua smiled. “I see.” She looked to the Pillars, eyes softening a tad. “I imagine adjusting to a more modern world was hard, my friends. I am sorry I did not return sooner to help you.”

Mistmane smiled sadly. “It was certainly hard for some of us, yes.” She sighed. “Going back to my home to find it in neglect and disrepair was heartbreaking, but after talking to the current residents, I learned to come to terms with it. Their kindness was a great help.”

“Rockhoof here had it the worst of us all,” Flash Magnus said teasingly, elbowing his friend in the shoulder.

“Oi! I did not!” Rockhoof said indignantly.

Everyone present raised their brows.

“...Okay, fine, I did. But, ‘ey, at least I’m good now, yeah?” Rockhoof supplied, looking around. Everyone laughed.

Ferlua soon calmed down. “Well, I’m glad everything has gone so well since I left.”

“Why did you leave, teacher?” Celestia queried.

Ferlua paused at that.

“After we banished Sombra, you simply...vanished. No word, only a note,” Luna added, frowning.

Ferlua’s features darkened, and her gaze bored into the wall beyond Twilight.

“I’m kinda curious myself,” Rainbow began. She flew over to the woman. “Were you fighting off a bunch of bad guys or something?”

Ferlua didn’t answer for a time. Then, slowly, she sighed, and stood up. “I am exhausted from my journey, I’m afraid. If you’ll excuse me.” Without any further words, she left the room.

“...Should we go talk to her?” Rarity asked, looking to them all.

Star Swirl shook his head. “No. I feel she needs time to herself.”

Spike suddenly poked his head through the door. “What the heck did you all do to piss her off?”

A low groan filled the air of the garden, disturbing a few of the birds that had taken refuge on a low-hanging branch. Dawn sat on a bench, head in her hooves, hiding her embarrassment. “I made a total fool of myself…” she moaned, shaking her head.

“At least you weren’t like the others at the reception,” Luster reassured, a hoof patting her sister’s shoulder. “Did you see how many of the Minotaurs were staring at her chest? And how many Guards were staring at her ass?” Luster chuckled. “I think you should count yourself lucky you weren’t caught drooling.”

"Okay, I get it," the gray mare answered, finally lifting her head to look at the sky. "She's beautiful and I'm so gay I should sparkle."

“Sorry, but still, you shouldn’t worry!” Luster smiled. “I mean, she praised you! Obviously she doesn’t think you’re a fool.”

Dawn just let out a sigh as she drooped forward. "I just don't know what she sees," she muttered, looking at the grass. "I mean, you're the Princess' prime student. We both know the spells, history, and every theory there is, but you can actually apply it while I get a headache if someone's mildly upset around the corner."

“And I panic everytime something doesn’t go according to plan. You? You’re always calm in a crisis. Complete opposite of me,” Luster paused, blinking. “Or mom and dad.”

"What's the use of a clear head if you can't act on it?" Dawn questioned, hopping off the bench and taking a few steps forward. "Being the black sheep doesn't help that."

“It’s just something you gotta work on, sis,” Luster assured, hopping off the bench herself before stretching languidly. “Ah, anyway, I’m gonna go grab a snack from the kitchens. You want anything?”

"No thanks," the pink-eyed mare answered, not looking back at her sister. "I'll eat something later."

Luster Dawn frowned, but nodded. “Alright sis. Just remember that I’m here if you need to talk, okay?” Without any other words, the pink mare trotted off, leaving Dawn Rising alone in the gardens with only the birds and insects as company.

The young unicorn lifted her eyes to the horizon, stepping forward a bit more until she was in direct sunlight. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back towards the sun. She let the warmth wash over her, the heat relaxing her muscles. A small frown spread across her face, a storm of thoughts bouncing around in her head.

Suddenly, her thoughts were broken when she felt an immense dark presence nearby. Dawn's eyes shot open and she turned around, lowering her front half closer to the ground as her horn lit up with the same golden pink of her eyes. "W-who's there?" She called, unable to keep her nerves from entering her voice.

No response. She looked around her, heart beating like a violent drum in her chest. Slowly, she started to close her eyes, letting her innate six sense for which she’d earned her cutie mark, a slightly open book with a circular symbol containing two horizontal ‘Y’s and a vertical line on the cover, begin to search her immediate surroundings.

Not long after, she found the source. It was coming from the hedge maze. The mare opened her eyes and, swallowing her fears, she started to approach, preparing her magic for use in case she needed it. With almost expert precision, she followed her sense to the source, being careful as she approached.

What she found was not what she expected. There, floating over a fountain in a lotus position, was Felrua, water from the fountain orbiting around her violently, and her features were screwed in a small scowl, eyes closed. Dawn could only stop and stare from her position, slightly obscured by the wall of the maze, her magic forgotten as she watched the display.

Felrua’s scowl grew, and she opened her eyes. “I am meditating, leave me-” she turned her head, noticing the mare. She frowned. “-...” She let out a deep breath, and then stopped floating, landing solidly on her feet as the water stopped orbiting her. She then swiftly hopped off the fountain before the water could touch her. “What are you doing here, child?” She asked slowly.

“O-oh, um,” Dawn stuttered, shaking her head as her hooves again crossed and she diverted her gaze. “Luster and I were waiting in the gardens like the princess asked. Luster left to the kitchens and I felt something, um… well….” The mare stopped herself and bit her lip, before letting out a little breath and looking up. “Is everything alright?”

Felrua paused at this. “...” She let out a sigh. “It is nothing you need be concerned about.” She turned around. “I suggest you leave.”

“Oh,” the unicorn breathed, her ears falling back. “Uh, apologies. I’ll leave you to it.” With a small bow of her head, she turned and began to walk away.

Felrua paused again, then sighed once more. “Hold.”

The mare immediately stopped, one hoof frozen in midair, hunching her shoulders in response. “Yes, Miss Felrua?” She asked, peeking backward.

“...” Felrua walked over to the fountain’s edge, sitting on it. She patted the spot next to her. “Come, sit.”

Dawn’s ear perked up towards the woman, her eyes filled with confusion. She slowly turned and walked over to the side, hesitating before she jumped up onto the fountain’s edge.

“...Tell me, do you know what I am, child?” The woman began, gaze locked straight ahead.

Dawn looked up at Felrua for a moment before she faced forward again, a thoughtful expression crossing her features. “...Asides from one of our greatest heroes… not really,” she admitted, looking back. “The history books are filled with your deeds and works, but no one has seemed curious as to what you are, race or otherwise.”

Felrua nodded. “Few cared beyond my deeds,” she let a small smile play on her features as she glanced down to the mare. “Or my looks.”

“That’s actually kind of sad…” Dawn murmured, looking back to the grass. “You must have been very lonely.”

Felrua let a small chuckle escape her. “Perhaps. But having friends is a boon indeed for such situations.” She shook her head. “Regardless, we’re getting off topic.” She placed a hand on her chest. “I am what is known as a Twi’lek.”

Dawn’s head snapped back, eyes wide with surprise and curiosity. “U-um, I’m, uh, deeply honored,” she stumbled, reaching a hoof to her chest. “B-but, u-um, I’ve never heard of a Twi’lek before….”

Felrua kept her smile. “I don’t blame you. My race is...well, we’re endangered, and typically in chains.” She patted her chest lightly. “Namely for our beauty. You can imagine where that leads.”

A wince shuddered the mare’s entire body. “I can but rather not,” she murmured, once again diverting her gaze. “...I’m sorry.”

Felrua shrugged. “It’s alright, child. Regardless, now you know.”

Dawn was silent for a while, eyes staring at the grass as it swayed in the breeze. “...Um,” she suddenly spoke up, her demeanor growing even more tense. “While we’re on the topic… what are your, um… head… tendrils for...?”

Felrua hummed, reaching a hand up to one of them. Then, to the mare’s surprise, she leaned her head down, and the mare felt one of the tendrils tap her shoulder. “Typically, they are used for a form of sign language. But, there are other uses, as they are prehensile, as well as extrasensory.” She resumed her earlier position.

“Wow…” the young mare breathed, looking up at her hero, her eyes full of wonder. “So, do they, like, feel vibrations in the air or do they draw in particulates in the air?”

“The former,” the woman replied.

“And what about your chest?” Dawn questioned, her full bookish curiosity overtaking her sense of decorum. “I know minotaur mammaries are used to provide their children with nourishment, but you look more reptilian in nature rather than mammalian.”

Felrua blinked, then laughed. After calming down, she smiled down at the mare. “They are the same as a mammals, actually. I’m not very reptilian in anatomy.”

“Really?” The unicorn questioned, tilting her head. “But your skin is so smooth and colorful and lustrous. I don’t think anything else like it exists in mammal physiology.”

“Well, I’m not exactly a normal mammal, now am I?” Felrua joked, smirking.

“Well…” Dawn’s eyes drifted to the side. “I suppose not.” She fell quiet at that, looking up towards the sky. “...How were you able to manipulate the water?” She asked suddenly once again. “Are Twi’leks capable of magic like unicorns?”

The Twi’lek smiled, then patted the unicorn’s head. “Perhaps I’ll tell you another time. For now, your sister is waiting for you. You should go to her.” She stood up, starting to walk off. “I enjoyed our talk, little Dawn.” She waved gently, then left without any other words.

The unicorn watched her walk away, letting herself be alone in the garden for several long moments. She looked back to the sky, staring for a while before she let a soft smile play on her lips. With a giddy giggle she stood up on her hind legs and spun on one hoof, letting gravity bring her off the edge of the fountain and all four hooves. Yes, she thought to herself as she trotted off to meet Luster and the princess. I am terribly gay.