The Seventh Element

¡Viva la Revolution!

Luna and Gaia spent the next four hours touring the building labeled "Love" and it's nearly finished twin "Tolerance". Gaia spent her time speaking a language completely foreign to Luna as she explained things like life-supper-ort, genies and thermo-dime-attics. Luna wasn't quite sure she was getting the words right, it was all quite confusing really. In fact she wasn't quite sure she knew what this thing was supposed to do, it seemed rather odd, at first, to put a building underground on the moon, but then Gaia told her that the ceiling opened up, which didn't seem much help unless this building could shoot from here to Equestria. That seemed to be the only option though. Luna had no idea how they expected this thing to be helpful, but she trusted that Gaia knew what she was doing.

Luna was being cautiously optimistic.

'Well Princess, what do you think? Amazing aren't they? It took a lot of high-tech stuff and nearly every advanced piece of equipment we've ever made to go in to these babies!" Gaia gave the mysterious building an appraising look and turned to Luna with pride.

They were back at the observation window that gave a tiny glimpse of the massive structure.

"Well, like Trixie said when I first met you... I'll never understand you Gaians. I know you've done well though and I'm sure they will be helpful against the Solar Empire."

'With all the bits sunk in to them, they'd better be.'

"Let's get back to the meeting room. We didn't quite get to finish our one. We still need to tell you what's going on!"

They made their way back through the cavernous halls, which Luna now realized must have been used to transport large parts from the surface to the rooms where the buildings were housed. The walk back seemed much quicker and before she knew it they were back in the conference room. Trixie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack were sitting at the table talking when they entered, but were suddenly silent when they saw Luna. Applejack stood and walked to meet the Princess half way.

Applejack stopped short and looked Luna in the eye.

"I'm sorry Princess. It was wrong of me to yell at you like that-"

"-Please Applejack, it's quite alrigh-"

Applejack held up a hoof to stop her.

"No Princess, let me finish. It was wrong of me to act like that. I know that all y'all want is what's good for all of Equestria. I'm sure that the thought of war an' the ponies that are gonna get hurt makes it easier to grab any hope that this'll be easy wherever you can get it. Knowin' that we all are gonna lose friends... It jus' made me mad tha' you could lie to yourself easier than I could, Princess."

"I should be the one apologizing Applejack, I was the one being foolish. You were right, this is war and we need to treat it as such. We will win this war and we will free Equestria from Celestia and we will treat it with every bit of dignity and seriousness it deserves. I promise."

Applejack smiled, reassured, at the Princess.

Luna walked towards the head of the table, but stopped and turned towards Applejack.

"And Applejack?"

"Yes, Princess?"

"We will get her back for you."

Applejack found it a bit difficult to talk, but managed a stiff,

"Thank you kindly, Princess."

Luna took her seat at the head of the table, the rest of the ponies followed suit as the meeting began. She looked at the ponies around the room and decided she would start with the story of her trip to the Gryphon territory.

"Approximately two weeks ago, Sir Klass and I left for the Gryphon Kingdom. On the way there we were attacked by a small group of Solar Empire soldiers. This was our first encounter with them and we didn't know that they were with the Solar Empire until we reached the Northern Wall."

Some of the ponies gave her a bit of a confused look at the mention of the wall. Grimfeather had said it was a secret to most Equestrians so she decided to explain.

"I don't know much about it's creation, it wasn't there when I was banished, but from what Sir Klass and the Gryphon King told me, it was made by the military to keep out the gryphons. Apparently Princess Celestia had created hostilities between the two nations in preparation for a later invasion. The wall was built to protect the border and as a staging area for covert attacks in to the Gryphon Kingdom. It's less of a wall really and more of a large fortress built in a steep valley, with a garrison of troops inside.

Anyhoof, when we reached the wall we were met by the commander of the wall, a stallion named Colonel Mustang. At this point, Princes Celestia had already ordered them to capture us, but the Colonel's loyalty to both Princess' gave us a chance to explain. He offered us his allegiance and sent us on our way after he received word that Solar Empire forces would be coming to 'assist' in defense of the border.

Once we were out of sight of the wall, we were picked up by Gryphon Kingdom security forces. The Captain escorted us to Talon Peak. On the way we noticed the heightened security of the gryphons, they seemed to be constantly ready for war. When we spoke to the King, he confirmed this, but after asking for his help to end the threat to his Kingdom and to Equestria, he had to decline, simply because his Kingdom could not afford it. That is until Sir Klass offered to fund their entire war effort!" The others looked at her with shocked looks on their faces.

"Yes, yes, the entire kingdom! Sir Klass then left with the gryphons to bring back the bits needed and I left for the Wall with a squadron of gryphons, ready to help Colonel Mustang fight off the Solar Empire. When we got back, the fight had already started. The gryphons were quick to take out the pegasi outside and after finding Colonel Mustang, we split up and... We. Well.. We uh- eliminated resistance."

Princess Luna paused for a moment, remembering the death and destruction caused by the fighting and specifically the ponies she had personally killed.

"P-Princess? Are you okay?"

She was silent a moment longer.

"Yes, Fluttershy, thank you, but don't worry. It just wasn't a pretty sight, to say the least.

Well, needless to say, we made two powerful allies; The Gryphon Kingdom and the ponies of the Northern Wa-"

A stallion wearing the new Gaian armor burst in to the room, stood at attention and spoke to Luna.

"Princess, ponies in Canterlot armor have made their way to the Star Swirl Society! We stopped them at the entrance, but they claim to be allies. They are lead by a Colonel Mustang and Major Hoofstrong ma'am!"

"Speaking of which, it seems the Northern Wall forces are here. Let them in soldier, thank you. Oh and tell them they're late."

The soldier looked a bit taken aback, but saluted nonetheless and left to pass on the orders.

"Oh goodie! New friends! I'm going to go say hello!" Gaia bounced off after the soldier.

They watched as the door slid shut behind the strange pony.

"Excuse me Princess, but are you sure that these 'Northern Wall' fellows can be trusted?"

There was no hesitation.

"Without a doubt. I trust Colonel Mustang completely, don't forget that they have already fought for us and even if they wanted to, there would be no going back to the Solar Empire for them."

"What about the g-gr-gryphons? Are they... Are they nice?" Fluttershy bowed her head and seemed to withdraw in to herself as she asked, making her seem much smaller.

Luna smiled at the timid pegasus.

"Don't worry Fluttershy, they may look big and scary, but we're trying to help them as much as they're helping us. They will be kind, don't you worry."

Fluttershy smiled and seemed to relax a little. Luna tried to comfort her by smiling back.

There was a small whoosh, sound as the door opened and Colonel Mustang came in, with Gaia bouncing along in his wake.

"Good afternoon, Princess."

"Is it? I could never tell what time it was up here. It's good to see you again Colonel Mustang! I take it you found us easily enough?"

"Yes, Princess, your instructions were very clear, the Star Swirl Society do hide themselves very well!"

"We don't like uninvited guests. Quite helpful in our current situation."

"Yes it is. Princess, the Gryphon Army is in control of the wall. They told us to expect soldiers to arrive here in the next few days."

"Excellent news! How are your troops doing?"

"Well, Gaia-"

"We're giving the dearies new armor and teaching them how to use our weapons! Oh this is going to be so much fun! We're going to have mock fights and share strategies and see who can shoot the best!" She gracefully trotted from the room to go supervise the arming of Colonel Mustang's soldiers.

"What're we gonna do now, Princess?"

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Over the next few days Luna and the others planned and practiced strategies against each other in mock battles between the Gaians and Mustang's stallions. Each day the soldiers of both sides grew stronger and more efficient, doing drill after drill to minimize casualties and make themselves more effective on the battlefield. On the third day the nameless gryphon Captain arrived with what seemed like the entire gryphon population behind him!

The Gaians had created a special armor for the gryphons that was meant more for close quarters combat. It didn't quite cover their whole body, so they had more freedom of movement and it was much lighter. Instead of the gem in the center creating a deflecting shield, it used its magic to give the gryphons an increase in speed and agility in flight.

Their army was at its peak and they were nearly ready to make their move.

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"Princess, the only option is preemptive strike!" He slammed a balled up talon on the table for emphasis. "The Solar Empire is going to attack either way, we need the upper hand and this is the only way to do it!"

"I'm afraid he's right Princess, we need to be first. The way your sister has been acting as of late, it's only a matter of time before she does something drastic to draw us out."

Luna had her back to the others, staring at the banner that was hung behind her at the head of the table.

"It's the only option Princess."

She waited a moment before responding. She took a deep breath a sighed.

"I guess that settles it then. She turned towards the others. We need to be ready for this. Captain are your gryphons prepared?"

"Always, Princess."

"Colonel Mustang?"

"After what you did at the wall, there is no doubt in our minds."

"I the-" *Ahem* "The Star Swirls and I are more than prepared, as well, Princess."

"As are the Gaians!" Gaia sang in her regular bubbly voice.

Applejack took off her Stetson and bowed. "Yes, ma'am!"

"But of course darling!" said Rarity with a flip of her mane.

"R-Ready Princess." Fluttershy shied away from the gryphon. She was quiet, but determined.

The door slid open.

"I do say that I am ready as well, Princess!" Sir Klass came through the door dragging a large sack with a "$" printed on the side.

"KLASS!" Gaia ran over to sir Klass and tackled him with a hug! "Where have you been, you were about to miss all the fun!"

"Are you alright Sir Klass?" Luna looked at the bag he was dragging inside. "Manearola sure has a lot of bits, don't they?"

Sir Klass looked back at the bag.

"Manearola? Oh, don't be so silly Princess Luna! They kicked me out as soon as they realized I had given most of their bits to the gryphons! I dare say I won't be welcome back there for quite some time. No, this is from my own personal account. Drained the whole thing, just for you Princess!" He tipped his hat and gave her a wink.

Luna wasn't quite sure what to say at first. This pony took great pride in his classiness and standard of living, giving away all of his bits to the Republic was a huge gamble for him. She could see that his image was already taking damage from his sudden lack of wealth. He looked a bit scruffier than usual and his monocle had a chip in the corner. He had given up his position in his home town as mayor, his friends have probably abandoned him and now he doesn't have a bit to his name, but he did a great job of hiding his sadness.

'Generosity'

"Thank you Sir Klass. Your generosity is appreciated more than you know. I will repay you in any way I can."

Sir Klass waved a hoof at her in a "don't worry about it" kind of way.

"There are more important things than bits, Princess. Besides, if Celestia ruled Equestria, I wouldn't be able to spend them anyhoof!"

"Thank you, Sir Klass."

He winked as he said, "I believe you were about to tell us the next step, Princess."

"Oh, yes. Well, I was thinking... We've been quiet in Equestria. For all my sister knows, we are just a few ponies hiding in ugly dirt huts somewhere. I think it's time we said hello to her."

The other ponies (and gryphon) gave each other confused looks as Luna got up walked past them, outside the conference room and made her way to the elevator. The others followed her to the Lunar surface. Luna walked outside of the protective sphere, where the others couldn't follow.

Being an Alicorn had its advantages. For example, she was able to use her magic to keep herself alive outside of the magical barriers set up by the Gaians, how else could she have survived up here for a thousand years?

Luna walked out some distance until she had a large flat area in which to work.

She closed her eyes, took a moment to summon the magic within her, then opened them again. They were now a solid white, creating their own light as the spell she had cast gave her the ability to see magical auras.

She looked around the moon and it was exactly as she had expected. The entire moon was covered in a thick, viscous layer of yellow magic that looked out of place. Angry yellow tendrils had sprouted up and waved erratically all across the moon's surface.

Luna looked back at the ponies in the protective bubble and yelled so they could hear her, "This shouldn't take too long. Make sure you stay in there!"

She turned back and watched the magic flow like some sort of expired clam chowder, across her beloved moon.

"I'm sorry sister, but it's time you gave me my old job back."

Luna closed her eyes again, focusing on gathering her magic to fight off her sister's control of the moon. Her horn began to glow, light shone in a thin line through the gap between her eyelids and the cutie mark on her flank began to glow a bright blue! She adjusted her stance, standing still while trying to control this much magic was near impossible.

Purple magic began to slowly spread out in an even circle from each hoof. Slowly they stretched towards each other and formed a larger ring of purple around Luna. The light and energy coming off of her was increasing exponentially and was enough to make the ponies (and gryphon), standing inside the Gaian's protective bubble, shield their eyes, nearly three hundred hooves away.

The aura stopped at almost ten hooves in diameter. Her sister was fighting for control, she could feel it.

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Celestia was out on the castle grounds staring up at the moon. It was the middle of the night and it was at its highest point. She could feel her control of the moon being weakened by the second and she wasn't about to let that happen!

Celestia planted her hooves, stomping each one at least two inches in to the ground as she mustered the energy to fight her sister! Her whole body was being covered in a thin yellow film of magic as her cutie mark glowed a fire-red. The magic being summoned inside her turned her mane from the small flames that it was normally these days in to an inferno that engulfed her entire body and anything close by. With the power she was using and the rage that had consumed her, she was nothing more than a large, angry ball of fire on the castle grounds.

The only way Luna could be fighting her off so easily was if she was close to the moon itself...

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The moon gave an unnatural jerk, knocking everypony on it to the ground as Celestia and Luna fought for control of the hunk of dirt in the sky. The magic at Luna's hooves had now spread far enough to where she could only see the angry yellow tendrils in the distance, but she didn't have the entire moon just yet. There were more moonquakes as they fought and a rift opened itself on the far side of the moon and began to spread towards her, scarring the lunar surface.

Luna opened her eyes and looked out at her sister's magic in the distance.

'This is your only warning sister.'

Luna stood up on her rear hooves, then brought her front ones down on the moon as hard as she could, releasing all of the magic she could muster.

The ground cracked and heaved as her magic spread from her front hooves in all directions, the leading edge of the magic had lifted itself off the surface as it traveled like the waves on an ocean beach. It covered the moon with great speed and washed over everything in sight! And then... It was over.

Luna blinked as her eyes dimmed and the blinding light subsided. She looked around for a moment, a bit dazed, before she wandered back looking a bit punch-drunk.

"The power you have, Princess..."

"Um, thank you... I think?" She was a little out of it.

"Well Princess, I think she knows we're here."