Long ago, in the broken remains of Equestriaby thegenieworldChaptersPrologueChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6PrologueLong ago, in the magical land of Equestria, there was peace and harmony. A wonderful land filled with a kind and loving population. This land was ruled by the young Princess Twilight Sparkle, a fairly new princess, and her council. The council was also called the Guardians of Harmony. They had together saved Equestria from countless threats and dangers, making them fit to serve it together after the previous rulers retired. They had made Equestria the perfect home. Then, there was the Nightmare. A creature so vicious and dangerous, it had taken out one of Equestria’s two rulers and greatly hurt the other for 1000 years. And now, it is back. No ponies or creatures were safe, as the Nightmare had raised an army of its dark magic. Creatures of shadows, almost unable to fight off without magic, and even with it, harming them is almost impossible. Equestria fell into despair. Princess Twilight Sparkle and her council started dividing the land into three. One of these three, was the Friendship region. Ponies within this region traveled to the Castle of Friendship in Ponyville where they would be protected by the previous rulers of Equestria, as well as the most trusted assistant of the princess herself. The second region was the Crystal region. Ponies within this region traveled to the castle in the Crystal Empire, where they were protected by the princess who rules it, as well as her family and her royal magician. The third region was the Royal region. Ponies in this region traveled to Canterlot, the only city in Equestria that was fully protected. Canterlot was protected by Princess Twilight Sparkle and her council, as well as a powerful draconequus. Once the land was split and ponies were evacuated, the princesses used their powers to create powerful protections around the castles, and in Canterlot’s case, the whole city. That is how the ponies have survived. Every day troops are sent into battle, fighting so they might one day get one step closer to freedom. Every day they come back, sometimes hurt, sometimes less than when they left. Young ponies are raised to be future soldiers or to contribute in some way to the war. We’re only alive because of that. We’re only alive because of the safe spaces in the castles, because of the princesses and the council. We’re alive, but our hope is dying. There’s so little left. No one knows what to do anymore because one wrong step, and we might all die. One wrong move, and Equestria will be lost forever. Author's Note This story will be about 10 chapters long, excluding the prologue and the epilogue. I hope you enjoy it! I might use cusswords at some points in the story if I think it fits, but I'll just use normal swears and not the Equestria versions. Chapter 1“Equestria is not falling apart as long as we are here to put it back together!” The council and some extra audience were all looking at Princess Twilight Sparkle as she finished up her speech. Starlight was invited there as she didn’t have a lot else to do, but now she was getting tired of hearing the same words over and over. It had been years since the war started. Twilight had barely had enough time to settle down as a princess before the biggest problem she’d ever faced had slapped her in the face. Her, and the rest of Equestria. Now she was done having her weekly speech filled with hope. It helped in the beginning. Everypony were feeling motivated and ready to face their problems like they’d done so many times before. They were ready to save Equestria again. And days passed. And weeks, months, years. Even Twilight herself looked like she didn’t believe in what she was preaching. Discord, who found a way to entertain himself and everyone else in most situations, no matter how serious, sat in a corner with a dull expression on his face. Pinkie Pie, the happiest pony around, looked like they found it hard to smile. Starlight herself had given up once she realized that nopony were going to trust her enough to allow her to help in any meaningful way. It did make sense, she’d done some horrible things to Equestria, but she was still Twilight’s student, wasn’t she? It just felt so unfair. Twilight closed the magical communication portal she’d opened to speak to the other two regions. This was the usual signal that the meeting was dismissed. Starlight stood up, and by habit, she trotted towards Twilight. “Hey, Twilight?” she began. “I thought, you know, since it seems like the troops are struggling to fight the shadow creatures and stuff…” she trailed off. Twilight looked stern, and most of all annoyed. She never gave Starlight looks like this before the war. “Starlight, how many times do I have to tell you? You’re not allowed to fight in this war!” “But princess, I just want to help! It’s not fair that I have to sit inside and watch people leave the castle, maybe for the last time, without getting to help at all!" “You are helping enough already. And don't call me princess.” “By studying in the towers by myself? You don’t think I realize that you only gave me those stupid assignments to keep me busy?” “Seriously Starlight? This is where you want to take this fight?” “Maybe it is! I have been outside around four times this year! I barely get to breathe fresh air for God’s sake! When are you going to realize that I need to fight?” “Starlight, that’s enough! You’re dismissed!” Closing her mouth before she said something she’d regret, Starlight left. Once she got out in the hallway outside the meeting room, she kicked one of the pillars by the wall. It wasn’t fair. Walking down the hallway towards her lone tower, she started doing what she normally did in the castle. Watching other ponies. Commander Dash was clearly having some strategy planning with some of the soldiers. Applejack was heading towards the training rooms. Pinkie Pie was on their way to the kitchen, which reminded Starlight that it was almost time for dinner. While staring after Pinkie, Starlight bumped into someone. “Oh! Darling, you need to watch out!” When she looked up, she saw Rarity carrying many boxes. She’d clearly dropped some and was trying to pick them up. Starlight quickly picked up one of the boxes for her and Rarity smiled in return. “Would you mind joining me to my workshop?” “Not at all, I don’t really have anything better to do,” Starlight replied. Rarity seemed to have missed the last sarcastic remark, or she was pretending to. So instead of continuing an awkward conversation, Starlight walked with her to the workshop. Once they got there, she could see Rarity’s assistants hard at work. Originally, the Guardians of Harmony had all had their own work to do and they all seemed to work alone. Then, over time, more ponies joined in on their work. Now, meals were ready faster because Pinkie didn’t have to work alone, clothes were created faster because Rarity had received help, and both Rainbow Dash and Applejack were joined by fellow soldiers. In fact, most ponies who joined the cause seemed to be soldiers. “There we are!” Rarity said and one of her assistants hurried to help with the boxes Starlight was carrying. “Thank you for your help, Starlight.” “What are you working on at the moment?” Starlight asked. Looking around the room she could see both fabric and metal lying in heaps on the floors beside the different workstations. “We’re actually creating a bit of armor.” Rarity pulled some metal out of one of the boxes she had been carrying, similar to that already on the floor. No, the ones Rarity had were cleaner, less dusty. “It’s a bit out of our comfort zone if I’m being honest, but some armor gets damaged beyond repair in battle, and - oh dear, you probably think this rambling is boring.” "You know, I could probably help you!" Starlight picked up some fabric and a piece of metal. "It can't be too hard, and you seem like you need an extra pair of hooves!" "Listen, Starlight, it's not like I don't appreciate the offer." Rarity used her magic to take the things Starlight was holding. "But as far as I know, you don't really have the clearance to work here. And I'm sure Twilight has some important work for you elsewhere." Starlight almost started arguing back, but realizing there wasn't really any point to it, she simply nodded before leaving the room. Rarity was one of Twilight's council members, so it wasn't surprising that she agreed with whatever the princess said. Heading towards her tower once again, she decided that maybe it was best to just do what she was told. If she could at least prove that she was a good student, maybe Twilight would throw her a bone and let her do something more meaningful. Picking up the books Twilight assigned her, she sat down on a nearby cushion and started skimming through it. Nothing was really interesting, a lot of the magic this book discussed was things she already knew. Every so often there would be an entry that piqued her interest. There were some about the anatomy of timberwolves, and something about merponies that seemed to be a lesser known fact. Stopping suddenly, Starlight realized she was looking at a picture of a shadow creature. There was also something about the elements of harmony and… a spell? Throwing herself onto her hooves, she ran down the steps of the tower. Did Twilight not know about this book? It always seemed like she’d read every book in the world, but maybe she’d missed this. “Princess Twilight!” Starlight kicked open the door to the throne room. Both Twilight and Discord looked surprised at the sudden intrusion. “Starlight, I’ve told you not to call me princess.” Twilight began. “Is there something you need to talk about?” “Yes, yes there is! I think I found something in this book concerning the Nightmare and you might already know about it, but if you don’t I think you should have a look and -” Everything came out in a blur, but she stopped as soon as Twilight stood up. She looked more surprised than Starlight had expected her to. “What did you find?” “Uh, just something talking about the elements. And a spell.” Twilight’s surprised expression seemed to hold so much more, but she turned away from Starlight and spoke to Discord. “Could you find the council members for me? I’ll need them to hear this.” Discord nodded and just like that, he was gone. Twilight turned to Starlight with a smile. Author's Note I'll try to add the next chapter every Friday. Chapter 2Starlight didn’t like talking in front of other ponies. It’s not like she wasn’t good at it. She was very convincing, actually. However, it made her nervous because usually when she did, she was not prepared in the slightest. In front of her stood the five most powerful ponies in Equestria. They had passed judgement on her decisions before, and it was just as scary now. “So what I’m saying is,” Starlight continued, giving herself just enough time to think of a good way to formulate her words before continuing. “I believe that we’ll be able to use the elements against the Nightmare using this spell.” “I don’t want to disagree with you,” Applejack replied, meeting Starlight’s gaze. “But you said yourself that the spell is unfinished. How much will an unfinished spell be of use?” “Twilight has finished a spell before,” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “I’m sure she could find a solution again, right Twilight?” “Well, it’s not nearly that simple.” Starlight didn’t think she’d ever seen Twilight so nervous before. “While it’s true that I finished a spell before, it was under very different circumstances and I have more than enough to do trying to help Equestria survive this war.” “You clearly have some faith in this endeavour, though,” Rarity replied. “You did call us here for a meeting to discuss it, and I’m sure you wouldn’t need us to dismiss a bad idea for you.” “Right, I actually did have an idea for the spell.” Twilight turned to Starlight again, all nervousness gone from her eyes. “Starlight, I want you to finish the spell.” “Wait, me? How am I supposed to do that better than the Guardian of the element of Magic?” “You already have experience in modifying spells, and I need you to help me with this. You’re my student, Starlight, and I can’t do this alone.” “I think you’re all forgetting the most important thing here.” Twilight and Starlight broke their eye contact and turned to Rainbow Dash, who looked like she was challenging them both. “You know what would be nice to have if we’re going to use the elements again?” “Dash, come on,” Applejack said, giving Dash a stern look, but Dash ignored her. “It would be nice to have all the elements!” She looked like she was ready to up and fight the other Guardians. Starlight shrunk back in her seat a little. It wasn’t like she hadn’t heard this debate before, but Rainbow Dash was aggressive and a strong soldier. She was intimidating. “Rainbow, you know we’ve done everything we could.” Twilight stood up and put her hoof on the table they were all gathered around. “It’s no use having this fight again. Nothing good will come of it.” “We needall the element bearers present for them to work anyway!” Rainbow Dash stood up as well, planting both her hooves on the table. “We need her!” “She is gone, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight raised her voice. Everyone seemed to either look away, or stare at her in shock. She never raised her voice like that. “Fluttershy is as good as dead. There have been no reports of seeing her for years, and she couldn’t survive on her own outside the castles. You know that!” Rainbow Dash didn’t respond. Instead, she turned her back on the rest of the Guardians and walked towards the door. “Dash, where are you going?” Twilight called out. “You can’t just leave, we might finally be close to finding a solution!” “I’m going to look for her.” With that, the commander disappeared through the door. A heavy silence was left in the room. Starlight took a deep breath. “Maybe she has a point. We’ll never get anywhere without the elements.” Everyone turned to her, a sad mood hanging in the air. “Don’t say that, darling.” Rarity broke the silence. “At least you found something, that’s what really matters. Maybe we can find a way to work around the elements? Or, who knows, maybe it works with only five?” Starlight wasn’t convinced, but she appreciated Rarity’s effort to turn the situation around. “Starlight, I think you should at least try to finish the spell. That might be the most important part. We’ll try to fix everything else,” Twilight concluded and with that, the meeting was over. Nopony found Rainbow Dash after the meeting, and when Applejack asked the other soldiers, they said she’d gone out on a mission, bringing with her the captain and one of their strongest soldiers. Starlight had felt very out of place in the meeting. She was on her way back to the tower, but she still felt a weird feeling of discomfort. The five Guardians were all expecting something big and important from her, which was unusual, given how little trust she’d gained from most ponies after all these years. Maybe this was a good thing? It could be her big chance to prove that she wanted to do something good for Equestria, and that she’d learned and changed for the better. “Starlight, wait!” Starlight stopped and turned to see Pinkie Pie trotting up the stairs after her. “Let me come with you!” The pink pony came to a halt beside Starlight, who simply shrugged and continued walking up the stairs, Pinkie by her side. When the two ponies entered the library at the top of the stairs, Pinkie stopped and seemed to take in the room for a moment. “Was there any specific reason you wanted to come with me?” Starlight walked past them, putting her book down on the nearby desk, making sure the page with the unfinished spell was marked. Not taking the time to look at Pinkie, the unicorn instead focused on looking through her shelves to find any books on writing and modifying spells. “Well, this meeting ended up being a lot of fighting and I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Starlight dropped her books on the desk, meeting Pinkie’s eyes. She must have looked confused, because they continued explaining. “I guess it’s just a part of my old duties in Ponyville sticking to me, a bit of an old habit. I feel a need to make sure everypony are doing alright.” Starlight felt sympathy for Pinkie. They’d been ripped out of their old life so suddenly. “It’s alright, Pinkie,” Starlight said, after a small pause. “I’m okay. It’s nothing I’m not used to.” Pinkie Pie smiled, before they noticed the sun setting outside the window. “I should probably head to the kitchen. Almost time for dinner.” They walked over to Starlight, giving her a small side-hug before trotting back down the stairs. Starlight smiled, for the first time in a while. Maybe ponies were starting to trust her more than she’d realized. Author's Note Merry Christmas, everyone! Next chapter will be released next Friday, (european standard time). I'm very happy so many people like the story so far! Chapter 3Starlight found herself pacing nervously around her tower. None of the books she’d found had been any help. The book with the unfinished spell taunted her from the nearby desk. After a while she’d memorised it, so there was no reason she couldn’t just bookmark it and put the book away, but she didn’t want to go near it. The pressure of the expectations given to her were exhausting. Part of her even missed when she hadn’t been trusted. Nopony had expected anything from her then. “With these powers, with these hooves,” Starlight recited to herself. It was the only thing she could think of doing. “I will stop your every move.” The sun was setting through her window, and she decided it was time to go downstairs. She hadn’t left her tower all day, a break was probably needed. “With these feathers, with these horns.” The castle seemed to be full of life today. Soldiers and guards alike were standing in the hallway, crowding it a lot more than usual. It made the whole castle seem smaller. What was going on? “I’ll trap you in a cage of thorns,” Starlight completed her recitation of the spell, trying to make her way towards the other end of the hallway. She wasn’t going anywhere in particular, but her hooves led the way between the soldiers until she stopped in front of a large door. The entrance to the castle. Well, not just any entrance. This door led to the outside of the city. Starlight wasn’t allowed to go through it, she wasn’t allowed in the field after all. Now, it was crowded. Usually only coming and going soldiers were here. Starlight noticed even Applejack was here, standing nearby giving orders to some younger soldiers. “Applejack!” Starlight hurried over, but Applejack only gave her a stern, if slightly confused, look. “Sorry, Corporal Applejack. I just wanted to check in, see what’s happening. Why are so many soldiers here?” “The Commander hasn’t been seen since yesterday’s meeting.” Applejack turned her attention to Starlight, and the unicorn could see how exhausted she was. “And since she brought with her the General and the Sergeant too, I’m left to give all the commands here.” Rainbow Dash wasn’t back? She’d left to search for Fluttershy obviously, but there was no way she would stay out that long on a mission. Usually, the Commander was a very responsible pony. She was clear about when missions were over, or so Starlight had heard from the soldiers who had been in the field with her. “Corporal Applejack!” Everypony turned their heads as the princess walked towards the Corporal, Discord following behind her. Twilight was clearly scanning through the crowd, searching for the Guardian of Loyalty. It was easy for her, standing about a head taller than most ponies, but she kept looking even though it was clear Dash wasn’t there. “Still no sign of her?” Twilight finally met Applejack’s eyes. “Nopony’s seen her,” Applejack responded. Both Guardians kept looking at each other, as if they were having a silent conversation with just their eyes. “Maybe I should try to find her myself.” “No, Applejack. You can’t go out there too.” Twilight spared the other soldiers gathered around the door a glance, as if to say they were all dismissed. It didn’t take long before they took the hint, and started making their way back through the hallway. Twilight opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the door was kicked open. Soldiers still gathered at the end of the hall turned around, some of them trotting back to see what was happening. Outside the door stood a group of soldiers, some that Starlight recognized from the table she sat at during meals, while some she didn’t recognize. The group started making their way inside, silently removing their helmets. At the back of the group, Starlight could see the multicolored mane of the Commander. She was supporting the General, who looked like he was in very bad shape. The Sergeant was also trying to keep the General on his hooves, but being a shorter than average pegasus, he seemed to be struggling. One of the younger soldiers started up the stairs nearby leading towards the army medic. Applejack quickly headed towards the General, taking over for the Sergeant. The General seemed to be struggling to simply stay conscious, which didn’t surprise Starlight when she saw his wounds. He was losing a lot of blood. Once the General was sent to the medics, Twilight called for a meeting. She’d decided Starlight was going too. When the Guardians had gathered around the table, Starlight and Discord sitting off to the side, the room was quiet. Nopony said a word until Twilight sighed heavily. She looked so tired. “Rainbow Dash.” The Commander refused to meet Twilight’s gaze. “Do you realize what you’ve done?” “Of course I do. I’m not stupid.” “Oh really? You’re not? What you did sure does contradict you, Dash.” The room fell silent again for an uncomfortably long time. “Rainbow, you know I’m sad we’ve lost Fluttershy too.” “I know.” This time, Rainbow Dash turned to the princess, making eye contact. They shared a silent moment, both wearing an expression of fatigue. “I would do anything to get her back, but I have to face the reality of the situation so things like this don't happen.” Twilight gently put her crown down on the table. “We almost lost Golden Flare today. If we want to survive, we can’t let our most powerful soldiers die.” “I know, Twilight, I know.” Rainbow Dash rested her chin on the table, letting her gaze drop to the crown in front of her. “I’m sorry. I messed up.” Twilight nodded. “I trust you to not act this recklessly again. If you can promise me that, to make a compromise, I’ll let you go on a day-long mission to see if you can find any sign of life in the Everfree.” Rainbow Dash lifted her head, clearly surprised. “What’s going on?” Starlight whispered. “The princesses are the only ones who can send soldiers on day-long missions. Those missions usually need a lot more supplies and soldiers, so they’re few and far between.” Discord responded. Starlight nodded, processing the information. In a way, it seemed like Twilight was rewarding bad behaviour with this, when Rainbow Dash had already been outside for over 24 hours. “Starlight?” Starlight snapped out of her thinking and headed towards the table. “How is the spell coming along? You think you can complete it?” Twilight looked at her with expectation. “Well, I haven’t gotten far,” Starlight mumbled. Could she really tell the council that she hadn’t gotten anywhere with the spell? “I’ll… probably be able to finish it. Don’t worry, princess.” “Geez, Starlight, don’t call me princess.” Twilight gave her a little nudge. “And don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll do great.” Starlight nodded. She couldn’t bring herself to complain when she was responsible for the hope of these ponies. The meeting was dismissed, and Twilight stayed behind with the Corporal and the Commander to plan out the day-long mission. Starlight headed out the door as she wasn’t supposed to stay and listen to official army business. “You know, I believe you’re more than capable of finishing this spell.” Starlight turned around to Rarity, who was smiling at her. The two trotted down the hallways together until they were outside Rarity’s workshop. “When the Nightmare sees who they’re up against, they’ll pray their final prayer!” Rarity nudged Starlight’s shoulder before heading into her workshop. “Praying their final prayer, huh.” Starlight started walking towards the dining hall while going over the spell in her head again. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, reciting the spell out loud to herself. “With these powers, with these hooves I will stop your every move With these feathers, with these horns I’ll trap you in a cage of thorns Give up, pray your final prayer There’s no room for the Nightmare!” Turning back around, she ran back to the meeting room and opened the door, interrupting the meeting. “I think I just completed the spell!” Author's Note The Equestrian Army is structured like this: 1. Commander Rainbow Dash (only royalty have the power to give her orders) 2. Captain Golden Flare, a yellow unicorn stallion (original character) 3. Sergeant Firesky Frost, a black pegasus stallion (original character) 4. Corporal Applejack 5. Privates (I usually only refer to them as soldiers in this story) I thought that the explanation of how I set this up would be useful for some to enjoy the story fully, or if anyone was simply curious. Chapter 4The castle hadn’t seen days this busy in a long time. Ponies were rushing about, back and forth in the hallways, in and out doors. Starlight hadn’t thought the day-long mission would be such a big deal, but it was clear now it was a bigger thing than Discord had made it out to be. Twilight was standing in the middle of it all, giving instructions. “She’s working hard,” Starlight commented. She’d felt uncomfortable standing in the crowd of ponies, most of which probably didn’t trust her. “I don’t understand how she’s able to keep track of it all.” “Well, somepony has to,” Rarity responded as two of her assistants provided extra clothing and armor for the soldiers getting ready for their mission. “I think this is the first time in a while I’ve seen her so determined. Poor thing lost her spark once everything went down six years ago.” Starlight remembered. Twilight, even though she’d kept pretending like she believed Equestria would be saved, had lost all faith that it would actually happen. Starlight knew that Twilight had sold herself short in the past and succeeded when it looked like it’d be impossible, but this time she wasn’t the only one who’d lost hope. Over time, they all had. This spell was a fragment of hope for everypony, one they’d been too scared to hope for previously. “Alright, I think they’re almost ready to leave.” Twilight had made her way over to Starlight and Rarity. Her mane was messy, a sign that she’d either been working a lot or losing sleep. Either way, she looked surprisingly happy. “I don’t really want to say this too early, but it looks like we have a decent chance to find her!” Suddenly, Twilight’s smile disappeared. She shook her head, and quietly left for the library. Rarity and Starlight shared a concerned look. “I should follow her. You’ve got things to do.” Starlight gave Rarity a small smile before quickly hurrying after the princess. She wasn’t hard to find, she was in her favorite spot in the library. The princess was sitting by a large window in a reserved corner of the big room. You could only see through the windows from the inside, letting the pony in the library observe the Everfree and the door which was just below the library. “Hey princess,” Starlight whispered gently, somehow still startling Twilight in the process. “I know this is probably hard for you, but you know you can talk to us if something is up, right? I mean, I know you have Discord, but maybe it’s nice to talk to someone else too?” “I’m sorry, Starlight.” Twilight forced a small smile, and beckoned Starlight closer, gesturing for her to sit down. “It is a little hard. I don’t feel like it’s appropriate for the ruler of Equestria to talk about their issues like this.” “Twilight, you’re allowed to talk to us about things like this. Celestia talked about her emotions, even with me at some point!” Starlight took a deep breath before continuing in a calmer manner. “I just want you to know that you can talk about complicated feelings with us, even if you are a princess.” “I appreciate it Starlight, but you really have to stop calling me princess.” “I didn’t even call you princess this time! I just mentioned that you’re a princess. Since you are.” “I know. I just don’t like it.” “Alright, fine. I’ll try not to call you that anymore.” Starlight sighed. “I don’t get it, but I’ll respect your wishes. Now, would you please talk to me about whatever you’re dealing with?” “Alright, I can try to explain.” Twilight brushed her mane out of her face, pulling it back into a ponytail. “I’ve been trying to keep quiet about my hopes in public. I really hope Fluttershy is still alive, out there somewhere. Hell, I feel like she could be. She was too strong to let the Everfree be the end of her. I just don’t want anypony to have too much faith. If it turns out she’s really dead, everypony will be devastated.” “Well yeah, that makes sense.” Starlight took a small break, taking in what she’d just been told. “But isn’t it better to have hope than to give up before you’ve even tried?” “Maybe you’re right.” Twilight smiled now, a genuine smile. “I guess it’s just that now that we have even more to lose, it’s even scarier to hope. If Fluttershy is gone, the spell would be useless. For the first time in six years we have a chance to save Equestria. I just hope it isn’t ruined by something out of my control.” “I understand that.” Starlight internally slapped herself for not finding a more creative response. Nervously, she tried thinking of something to say to make it better. “I appreciate you trying to cheer me up Starlight, but you should probably go back now.” Starlight panicked, thinking she’d said something wrong, but Twilight smiled at her. “You didn’t do anything wrong, I just need some time alone. A break from the crowd out there.” Starlight nodded, letting out a silent sigh of relief. Twilight turned back to the window and Starlight took it as her sign to leave. Not breaking the silence, Starlight left the library. Out in the hallway it seemed like the crowds of ponies running back and forth were leaving the areas, done with their jobs most likely. Starlight could hear voices coming from a room close to the library. She guessed it was the cafeteria and hurried towards it. Right now, she wanted anything but to be alone. In the cafeteria, a small group was gathered. Commander Rainbow Dash, General Golden Flare, Sergeant Firesky Frost, Corporal Applejack and Rarity were gathered at a small table. Otherwise the cafeteria was empty. Applejack caught sight of Starlight, her expression seeming softer than before. “Come over here, Starlight,” she said, placing her hoof on one of the empty chairs at the table. Starlight trotted to the table and sat down, joining in on the conversation. “I’m not saying that I’m planning to die or anything.” Rainbow Dash was drinking a cup of what looked like watered-down cider. Which wasn’t surprising. A pony couldn’t get drunk before being sent on an important mission. “I’m just saying that we don’t know what could happen. If I somehow were to die, in this hypothetical scenario, you’d all move up ranks. That’s what I’m saying, AJ, you’d have to find yourself a Private with potential as a Corporal.” “Geez, Dash. If I’d have known you were going to be talking about sad subjects like this, I wouldn’t have joined ya!” Applejack exclaimed, but she was smiling. “Besides, I already know a promisin’ recruit who’ll take my place if I’m promoted.” “Oh yeah?” Golden Flare seemed thoughtful as he met Applejack’s eyes. “Who were you thinking of?” “Scootaloo, actually.” Rainbow Dash’s smile twitched. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she muttered, seemingly already knowing the answer. “Yes Dash, I do.” Applejack sighed, taking a drink of her coffee before continuing. “I know you and I don’t see eye to eye on this, and I know it’s because you want to protect her, but she’s a talented soldier and chose this path herself.” Rainbow didn’t respond. Forming her mouth into a small frown, she slowly nodded. “Well, in any case, we’ll all keep track of things here while you’re gone,” Rarity said, swiftly changing the subject. Pinkie Pie came out from the kitchen, dropping a tray of sandwiches on the table before sitting down beside Starlight. “Thanks guys. I’m glad to know that Canterlot is in good hooves.” The Commander looked at each of the ponies at the table in turn. “I’m coming with you.” Sergeant Firesky didn’t usually smile, but his serious expression was more intimidating now than it usually was. “Are you sure?” Dash responded. “I’m sure everypony would be grateful if you stayed here. “What, with Golden Flare out of commission and all.” She gestured to the unicorn, who’s hooves were mostly covered in bandages. Firesky’s eyes moved over to Golden, who shrugged. “I’m fine,” he said, still smiling. “Firesky is a strong fighter, you know he’s better out on the field than hanging around here. Besides, I don’t think I’ll need my hooves to shout commands here.” “Alright, if you’re sure,” Rainbow said. “Just make sure you’ve got everything you need by noon.” Firesky nodded to this, but didn’t leave. It was a while until noon, after all. “You know what? I think I’ll catch some sleep.” Starlight stood up, pushing her chair back towards the table. “Good luck, both of you. I’ll hopefully see you again tomorrow.” The two soldiers nodded, and with that, Starlight left the room. Talking to Twilight and the other ponies had made her feel so much more trusted than ever before! Maybe, once this war was over, she’d be used to this feeling. Maybe it was finally her time to shine. Author's Note The next chapter is a special one, as it'll be multiple ponies's POVs. It'll also contain some relationship exploration. I also have some news regarding the length of the story. Originally, it was supposed to be around 10 chapters long excluding the prologue and the epilogue. I will add another chapter, because the aftermath I planned for the epilogue is a bit long, and I think it'd fit better as its own chapter. The full story is now planned to be prologue + 11 chapters + epilogue. Hope to see you all next Friday! Chapter 5Author's Note This chapter contains queer themes because representation is good. If I recieve negative feedback because of that, so be it. I hope you all enjoy. Chapter 5 “It’s been too long!” Twilight was trotting back and forth in the meeting room. “They should have been back a couple of hours ago!” The rest of the Guardians were watching her stressing, concern visible in their eyes. “Twilight, it’s not like this hasn’t happened before. Day-long missions tend to take a little longer than expected,” Applejack said, keeping her voice calm and steady. “I know, but if something has happened to Dash we’ll lose a second element instead of finding the first one!” Twilight stopped her pacing, and sat down. “Maybe I should send someone out? No, that’s not a good idea.” “Alright, that’s enough.” Discord stood up from one of the chairs by the wall. “I know I’m not supposed to make decisions here, but I’m taking Twilight upstairs to have a break for the day.” “What?” Twilight looked surprised, she stood up again. “I have so much work to do, Discord. I can’t just leave!” “I can get some work done for you,” Starlight offered. “Me and Pinkie will help as well.” Rarity added. Twilight didn’t respond. She turned to Applejack. “Me and Golden can handle a couple of soldiers, Twi. Take the day off.” She was smiling kindly. For just a moment, Starlight could see signs of the ponies the council had been before the war. “Alright,” Twilight finally said, reluctantly. She left the room with Discord, only looking back once to meet Starlight’s eyes. Starlight smiled and gave a little nod. And then they were gone. *** “Alright, take a quick break everypony. We’ll get back to those kicks in 15 minutes.” Applejack wiped her sweat on a towel. Golden Flare who was sitting by a table handed her a water bottle. “Thank you.” Applejack looked out at the soldiers. They were chatting in groups now. They seemed so happy. “You think they’re just used to it?” Applejack asked, not letting her gaze leave the young ponies. “Used to what?” Golden Flare responded, now at Applejack’s side. “Everything. Everything we had to adjust to because of the war.” “Well, I assume many of them are. They’ve practically grown up with it.” “Yeah.” Applejack turned around, starting towards a chair, when Scootaloo trotted up to her. “Hey Applejack,” Scootaloo said, walking alongside the earth pony. “I just wanted to ask if I could have some more private combat lessons later?” “Yeah, I don’t see why not.” Applejack handed Scootaloo a cup of water once they reached the table. “You have great potential Scootaloo. I hope you know that.” Scootaloo nodded and accepted the glass of water. *** “Alright Applebloom, what should we make for dinner tonight?” Pinkie asked. Applebloom turned to the pink pony. They were holding a cookbook in their hoof. “I don’t know, Pinkie,” Applebloom responded. “We’re low on some ingredients at the moment, but I’m sure we can make something good!” Pinkie nodded, dropping the book between them on the kitchen counter. “Alright, let’s take a look then.” Applebloom looked at the book beside Pinkie, but she couldn’t keep her focus on the recipes as Pinkie turned the pages. “Oh, man.” Applebloom laid her head on the counter. “I can’t focus. I’m sorry, Pinkie.” “Is something on your mind?” Pinkie looked concerned. They closed the book and shoved it away. “Well, I’ve been having dreams of… before.” Applebloom sighed, letting her ears droop down. “Of when me and the crusaders were having fun, running around and solving cutie mark problems.” “I used to have dreams of before too.” Pinkie patted Applebloom’s mane. “It was weird, I used to have the weirdest dreams, but right after the war started my dreams were of our friendship quests.” Applebloom sat up. “How about we make some hay burgers and you tell me about the friendship quests?” Pinkie nodded and the two got to work as Pinkie started telling their stories. *** Twilight’s gaze followed the sun as it lowered behind a hill. Stars were slowly starting to shine in the sky, and the sky itself was a warm shade of purple. “Twilight, are you sure there’s nothing you want to talk about?” Discord asked from inside the room behind her. She turned her head and saw him just inside the door, lying across a hoofstool. “I shouldn’t.” Twilight turned back around and continued looking at the darkening sky. “I shouldn’t talk about myself at a time like this.” “So there is something.” Discord sighed as Twilight didn’t reply. She felt a bit bad, but she’d feel worse if she started worrying about her own problems now. Equestria needed her, so she would have to focus on it. “Twilight, you shouldn’t ignore your needs just because of the war. What would Equestria do if we lost you? You’re the princess-” “Stop calling me that! I am not a princess!” “Twilight, when you say things like that I feel like there is something you need to get out of your system.” Discord stepped out on the balcony, standing beside her. She noticed that he wasn’t that much taller than her when he wasn’t standing on two legs. “I don’t think you’ll like it.” “Twilight, you don’t have to be scared of how I’ll feel. This is about you.” “I think… I might not be a mare.” Twilight closed their eyes, waiting for something. Something letting them know that Discord was angry. “Alright.” He wasn’t mad? “What pronouns do you want me to use then?” “Uh, he/him - you’re not angry?” Twilight opened his eyes again. “Of course not, I have no reason to be angry. I love you no matter what.” “Even if I’m a stallion?” Discord chuckled at that. “Yes, of course.” Twilight felt a rush of emotions. He was happy, energetic, but somehow finally calm. His earlier stress disappeared. He leaned against Discord, letting his body relax. Discord ran his claw through Twilight’s mane. “I could cut it for you if you want.” “Please.” *** The Commander was still going, heading deeper into the Everfree. Firesky knew he should say something, but he kept his mouth shut. There were traps covering this part of the forest. The Commander had every reason to keep going past their missions time. Hoofprints could be seen here and there on the path. Suddenly, she stopped. Firesky came to a halt behind her. Voices. Just in front of them were bushes and trees, overgrown plants, but behind them there was no doubt. There were other ponies here. The Commander walked forwards, but just before she reached the bushes, the ground disappeared from under them. The three pegasi of the group leapt from the ground, while the rest fell into a hole the height of three ponies. The voices on the other side of the bush quickly disappeared, but just after that someone appeared. One was a zebra, another was a green pony with red dreadlocks. Firesky didn’t recognize either of them. The third pony, however, was a familiar yellow pegasus with a long, pink mane. She looked surprised to see ponies in armor, but then she caught sight of the Commander. “Rainbow Dash?” Chapter 6Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
PrologueLong ago, in the magical land of Equestria, there was peace and harmony. A wonderful land filled with a kind and loving population. This land was ruled by the young Princess Twilight Sparkle, a fairly new princess, and her council. The council was also called the Guardians of Harmony. They had together saved Equestria from countless threats and dangers, making them fit to serve it together after the previous rulers retired. They had made Equestria the perfect home. Then, there was the Nightmare. A creature so vicious and dangerous, it had taken out one of Equestria’s two rulers and greatly hurt the other for 1000 years. And now, it is back. No ponies or creatures were safe, as the Nightmare had raised an army of its dark magic. Creatures of shadows, almost unable to fight off without magic, and even with it, harming them is almost impossible. Equestria fell into despair. Princess Twilight Sparkle and her council started dividing the land into three. One of these three, was the Friendship region. Ponies within this region traveled to the Castle of Friendship in Ponyville where they would be protected by the previous rulers of Equestria, as well as the most trusted assistant of the princess herself. The second region was the Crystal region. Ponies within this region traveled to the castle in the Crystal Empire, where they were protected by the princess who rules it, as well as her family and her royal magician. The third region was the Royal region. Ponies in this region traveled to Canterlot, the only city in Equestria that was fully protected. Canterlot was protected by Princess Twilight Sparkle and her council, as well as a powerful draconequus. Once the land was split and ponies were evacuated, the princesses used their powers to create powerful protections around the castles, and in Canterlot’s case, the whole city. That is how the ponies have survived. Every day troops are sent into battle, fighting so they might one day get one step closer to freedom. Every day they come back, sometimes hurt, sometimes less than when they left. Young ponies are raised to be future soldiers or to contribute in some way to the war. We’re only alive because of that. We’re only alive because of the safe spaces in the castles, because of the princesses and the council. We’re alive, but our hope is dying. There’s so little left. No one knows what to do anymore because one wrong step, and we might all die. One wrong move, and Equestria will be lost forever. Author's Note This story will be about 10 chapters long, excluding the prologue and the epilogue. I hope you enjoy it! I might use cusswords at some points in the story if I think it fits, but I'll just use normal swears and not the Equestria versions.
Chapter 1“Equestria is not falling apart as long as we are here to put it back together!” The council and some extra audience were all looking at Princess Twilight Sparkle as she finished up her speech. Starlight was invited there as she didn’t have a lot else to do, but now she was getting tired of hearing the same words over and over. It had been years since the war started. Twilight had barely had enough time to settle down as a princess before the biggest problem she’d ever faced had slapped her in the face. Her, and the rest of Equestria. Now she was done having her weekly speech filled with hope. It helped in the beginning. Everypony were feeling motivated and ready to face their problems like they’d done so many times before. They were ready to save Equestria again. And days passed. And weeks, months, years. Even Twilight herself looked like she didn’t believe in what she was preaching. Discord, who found a way to entertain himself and everyone else in most situations, no matter how serious, sat in a corner with a dull expression on his face. Pinkie Pie, the happiest pony around, looked like they found it hard to smile. Starlight herself had given up once she realized that nopony were going to trust her enough to allow her to help in any meaningful way. It did make sense, she’d done some horrible things to Equestria, but she was still Twilight’s student, wasn’t she? It just felt so unfair. Twilight closed the magical communication portal she’d opened to speak to the other two regions. This was the usual signal that the meeting was dismissed. Starlight stood up, and by habit, she trotted towards Twilight. “Hey, Twilight?” she began. “I thought, you know, since it seems like the troops are struggling to fight the shadow creatures and stuff…” she trailed off. Twilight looked stern, and most of all annoyed. She never gave Starlight looks like this before the war. “Starlight, how many times do I have to tell you? You’re not allowed to fight in this war!” “But princess, I just want to help! It’s not fair that I have to sit inside and watch people leave the castle, maybe for the last time, without getting to help at all!" “You are helping enough already. And don't call me princess.” “By studying in the towers by myself? You don’t think I realize that you only gave me those stupid assignments to keep me busy?” “Seriously Starlight? This is where you want to take this fight?” “Maybe it is! I have been outside around four times this year! I barely get to breathe fresh air for God’s sake! When are you going to realize that I need to fight?” “Starlight, that’s enough! You’re dismissed!” Closing her mouth before she said something she’d regret, Starlight left. Once she got out in the hallway outside the meeting room, she kicked one of the pillars by the wall. It wasn’t fair. Walking down the hallway towards her lone tower, she started doing what she normally did in the castle. Watching other ponies. Commander Dash was clearly having some strategy planning with some of the soldiers. Applejack was heading towards the training rooms. Pinkie Pie was on their way to the kitchen, which reminded Starlight that it was almost time for dinner. While staring after Pinkie, Starlight bumped into someone. “Oh! Darling, you need to watch out!” When she looked up, she saw Rarity carrying many boxes. She’d clearly dropped some and was trying to pick them up. Starlight quickly picked up one of the boxes for her and Rarity smiled in return. “Would you mind joining me to my workshop?” “Not at all, I don’t really have anything better to do,” Starlight replied. Rarity seemed to have missed the last sarcastic remark, or she was pretending to. So instead of continuing an awkward conversation, Starlight walked with her to the workshop. Once they got there, she could see Rarity’s assistants hard at work. Originally, the Guardians of Harmony had all had their own work to do and they all seemed to work alone. Then, over time, more ponies joined in on their work. Now, meals were ready faster because Pinkie didn’t have to work alone, clothes were created faster because Rarity had received help, and both Rainbow Dash and Applejack were joined by fellow soldiers. In fact, most ponies who joined the cause seemed to be soldiers. “There we are!” Rarity said and one of her assistants hurried to help with the boxes Starlight was carrying. “Thank you for your help, Starlight.” “What are you working on at the moment?” Starlight asked. Looking around the room she could see both fabric and metal lying in heaps on the floors beside the different workstations. “We’re actually creating a bit of armor.” Rarity pulled some metal out of one of the boxes she had been carrying, similar to that already on the floor. No, the ones Rarity had were cleaner, less dusty. “It’s a bit out of our comfort zone if I’m being honest, but some armor gets damaged beyond repair in battle, and - oh dear, you probably think this rambling is boring.” "You know, I could probably help you!" Starlight picked up some fabric and a piece of metal. "It can't be too hard, and you seem like you need an extra pair of hooves!" "Listen, Starlight, it's not like I don't appreciate the offer." Rarity used her magic to take the things Starlight was holding. "But as far as I know, you don't really have the clearance to work here. And I'm sure Twilight has some important work for you elsewhere." Starlight almost started arguing back, but realizing there wasn't really any point to it, she simply nodded before leaving the room. Rarity was one of Twilight's council members, so it wasn't surprising that she agreed with whatever the princess said. Heading towards her tower once again, she decided that maybe it was best to just do what she was told. If she could at least prove that she was a good student, maybe Twilight would throw her a bone and let her do something more meaningful. Picking up the books Twilight assigned her, she sat down on a nearby cushion and started skimming through it. Nothing was really interesting, a lot of the magic this book discussed was things she already knew. Every so often there would be an entry that piqued her interest. There were some about the anatomy of timberwolves, and something about merponies that seemed to be a lesser known fact. Stopping suddenly, Starlight realized she was looking at a picture of a shadow creature. There was also something about the elements of harmony and… a spell? Throwing herself onto her hooves, she ran down the steps of the tower. Did Twilight not know about this book? It always seemed like she’d read every book in the world, but maybe she’d missed this. “Princess Twilight!” Starlight kicked open the door to the throne room. Both Twilight and Discord looked surprised at the sudden intrusion. “Starlight, I’ve told you not to call me princess.” Twilight began. “Is there something you need to talk about?” “Yes, yes there is! I think I found something in this book concerning the Nightmare and you might already know about it, but if you don’t I think you should have a look and -” Everything came out in a blur, but she stopped as soon as Twilight stood up. She looked more surprised than Starlight had expected her to. “What did you find?” “Uh, just something talking about the elements. And a spell.” Twilight’s surprised expression seemed to hold so much more, but she turned away from Starlight and spoke to Discord. “Could you find the council members for me? I’ll need them to hear this.” Discord nodded and just like that, he was gone. Twilight turned to Starlight with a smile. Author's Note I'll try to add the next chapter every Friday.
Chapter 2Starlight didn’t like talking in front of other ponies. It’s not like she wasn’t good at it. She was very convincing, actually. However, it made her nervous because usually when she did, she was not prepared in the slightest. In front of her stood the five most powerful ponies in Equestria. They had passed judgement on her decisions before, and it was just as scary now. “So what I’m saying is,” Starlight continued, giving herself just enough time to think of a good way to formulate her words before continuing. “I believe that we’ll be able to use the elements against the Nightmare using this spell.” “I don’t want to disagree with you,” Applejack replied, meeting Starlight’s gaze. “But you said yourself that the spell is unfinished. How much will an unfinished spell be of use?” “Twilight has finished a spell before,” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “I’m sure she could find a solution again, right Twilight?” “Well, it’s not nearly that simple.” Starlight didn’t think she’d ever seen Twilight so nervous before. “While it’s true that I finished a spell before, it was under very different circumstances and I have more than enough to do trying to help Equestria survive this war.” “You clearly have some faith in this endeavour, though,” Rarity replied. “You did call us here for a meeting to discuss it, and I’m sure you wouldn’t need us to dismiss a bad idea for you.” “Right, I actually did have an idea for the spell.” Twilight turned to Starlight again, all nervousness gone from her eyes. “Starlight, I want you to finish the spell.” “Wait, me? How am I supposed to do that better than the Guardian of the element of Magic?” “You already have experience in modifying spells, and I need you to help me with this. You’re my student, Starlight, and I can’t do this alone.” “I think you’re all forgetting the most important thing here.” Twilight and Starlight broke their eye contact and turned to Rainbow Dash, who looked like she was challenging them both. “You know what would be nice to have if we’re going to use the elements again?” “Dash, come on,” Applejack said, giving Dash a stern look, but Dash ignored her. “It would be nice to have all the elements!” She looked like she was ready to up and fight the other Guardians. Starlight shrunk back in her seat a little. It wasn’t like she hadn’t heard this debate before, but Rainbow Dash was aggressive and a strong soldier. She was intimidating. “Rainbow, you know we’ve done everything we could.” Twilight stood up and put her hoof on the table they were all gathered around. “It’s no use having this fight again. Nothing good will come of it.” “We needall the element bearers present for them to work anyway!” Rainbow Dash stood up as well, planting both her hooves on the table. “We need her!” “She is gone, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight raised her voice. Everyone seemed to either look away, or stare at her in shock. She never raised her voice like that. “Fluttershy is as good as dead. There have been no reports of seeing her for years, and she couldn’t survive on her own outside the castles. You know that!” Rainbow Dash didn’t respond. Instead, she turned her back on the rest of the Guardians and walked towards the door. “Dash, where are you going?” Twilight called out. “You can’t just leave, we might finally be close to finding a solution!” “I’m going to look for her.” With that, the commander disappeared through the door. A heavy silence was left in the room. Starlight took a deep breath. “Maybe she has a point. We’ll never get anywhere without the elements.” Everyone turned to her, a sad mood hanging in the air. “Don’t say that, darling.” Rarity broke the silence. “At least you found something, that’s what really matters. Maybe we can find a way to work around the elements? Or, who knows, maybe it works with only five?” Starlight wasn’t convinced, but she appreciated Rarity’s effort to turn the situation around. “Starlight, I think you should at least try to finish the spell. That might be the most important part. We’ll try to fix everything else,” Twilight concluded and with that, the meeting was over. Nopony found Rainbow Dash after the meeting, and when Applejack asked the other soldiers, they said she’d gone out on a mission, bringing with her the captain and one of their strongest soldiers. Starlight had felt very out of place in the meeting. She was on her way back to the tower, but she still felt a weird feeling of discomfort. The five Guardians were all expecting something big and important from her, which was unusual, given how little trust she’d gained from most ponies after all these years. Maybe this was a good thing? It could be her big chance to prove that she wanted to do something good for Equestria, and that she’d learned and changed for the better. “Starlight, wait!” Starlight stopped and turned to see Pinkie Pie trotting up the stairs after her. “Let me come with you!” The pink pony came to a halt beside Starlight, who simply shrugged and continued walking up the stairs, Pinkie by her side. When the two ponies entered the library at the top of the stairs, Pinkie stopped and seemed to take in the room for a moment. “Was there any specific reason you wanted to come with me?” Starlight walked past them, putting her book down on the nearby desk, making sure the page with the unfinished spell was marked. Not taking the time to look at Pinkie, the unicorn instead focused on looking through her shelves to find any books on writing and modifying spells. “Well, this meeting ended up being a lot of fighting and I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Starlight dropped her books on the desk, meeting Pinkie’s eyes. She must have looked confused, because they continued explaining. “I guess it’s just a part of my old duties in Ponyville sticking to me, a bit of an old habit. I feel a need to make sure everypony are doing alright.” Starlight felt sympathy for Pinkie. They’d been ripped out of their old life so suddenly. “It’s alright, Pinkie,” Starlight said, after a small pause. “I’m okay. It’s nothing I’m not used to.” Pinkie Pie smiled, before they noticed the sun setting outside the window. “I should probably head to the kitchen. Almost time for dinner.” They walked over to Starlight, giving her a small side-hug before trotting back down the stairs. Starlight smiled, for the first time in a while. Maybe ponies were starting to trust her more than she’d realized. Author's Note Merry Christmas, everyone! Next chapter will be released next Friday, (european standard time). I'm very happy so many people like the story so far!
Chapter 3Starlight found herself pacing nervously around her tower. None of the books she’d found had been any help. The book with the unfinished spell taunted her from the nearby desk. After a while she’d memorised it, so there was no reason she couldn’t just bookmark it and put the book away, but she didn’t want to go near it. The pressure of the expectations given to her were exhausting. Part of her even missed when she hadn’t been trusted. Nopony had expected anything from her then. “With these powers, with these hooves,” Starlight recited to herself. It was the only thing she could think of doing. “I will stop your every move.” The sun was setting through her window, and she decided it was time to go downstairs. She hadn’t left her tower all day, a break was probably needed. “With these feathers, with these horns.” The castle seemed to be full of life today. Soldiers and guards alike were standing in the hallway, crowding it a lot more than usual. It made the whole castle seem smaller. What was going on? “I’ll trap you in a cage of thorns,” Starlight completed her recitation of the spell, trying to make her way towards the other end of the hallway. She wasn’t going anywhere in particular, but her hooves led the way between the soldiers until she stopped in front of a large door. The entrance to the castle. Well, not just any entrance. This door led to the outside of the city. Starlight wasn’t allowed to go through it, she wasn’t allowed in the field after all. Now, it was crowded. Usually only coming and going soldiers were here. Starlight noticed even Applejack was here, standing nearby giving orders to some younger soldiers. “Applejack!” Starlight hurried over, but Applejack only gave her a stern, if slightly confused, look. “Sorry, Corporal Applejack. I just wanted to check in, see what’s happening. Why are so many soldiers here?” “The Commander hasn’t been seen since yesterday’s meeting.” Applejack turned her attention to Starlight, and the unicorn could see how exhausted she was. “And since she brought with her the General and the Sergeant too, I’m left to give all the commands here.” Rainbow Dash wasn’t back? She’d left to search for Fluttershy obviously, but there was no way she would stay out that long on a mission. Usually, the Commander was a very responsible pony. She was clear about when missions were over, or so Starlight had heard from the soldiers who had been in the field with her. “Corporal Applejack!” Everypony turned their heads as the princess walked towards the Corporal, Discord following behind her. Twilight was clearly scanning through the crowd, searching for the Guardian of Loyalty. It was easy for her, standing about a head taller than most ponies, but she kept looking even though it was clear Dash wasn’t there. “Still no sign of her?” Twilight finally met Applejack’s eyes. “Nopony’s seen her,” Applejack responded. Both Guardians kept looking at each other, as if they were having a silent conversation with just their eyes. “Maybe I should try to find her myself.” “No, Applejack. You can’t go out there too.” Twilight spared the other soldiers gathered around the door a glance, as if to say they were all dismissed. It didn’t take long before they took the hint, and started making their way back through the hallway. Twilight opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the door was kicked open. Soldiers still gathered at the end of the hall turned around, some of them trotting back to see what was happening. Outside the door stood a group of soldiers, some that Starlight recognized from the table she sat at during meals, while some she didn’t recognize. The group started making their way inside, silently removing their helmets. At the back of the group, Starlight could see the multicolored mane of the Commander. She was supporting the General, who looked like he was in very bad shape. The Sergeant was also trying to keep the General on his hooves, but being a shorter than average pegasus, he seemed to be struggling. One of the younger soldiers started up the stairs nearby leading towards the army medic. Applejack quickly headed towards the General, taking over for the Sergeant. The General seemed to be struggling to simply stay conscious, which didn’t surprise Starlight when she saw his wounds. He was losing a lot of blood. Once the General was sent to the medics, Twilight called for a meeting. She’d decided Starlight was going too. When the Guardians had gathered around the table, Starlight and Discord sitting off to the side, the room was quiet. Nopony said a word until Twilight sighed heavily. She looked so tired. “Rainbow Dash.” The Commander refused to meet Twilight’s gaze. “Do you realize what you’ve done?” “Of course I do. I’m not stupid.” “Oh really? You’re not? What you did sure does contradict you, Dash.” The room fell silent again for an uncomfortably long time. “Rainbow, you know I’m sad we’ve lost Fluttershy too.” “I know.” This time, Rainbow Dash turned to the princess, making eye contact. They shared a silent moment, both wearing an expression of fatigue. “I would do anything to get her back, but I have to face the reality of the situation so things like this don't happen.” Twilight gently put her crown down on the table. “We almost lost Golden Flare today. If we want to survive, we can’t let our most powerful soldiers die.” “I know, Twilight, I know.” Rainbow Dash rested her chin on the table, letting her gaze drop to the crown in front of her. “I’m sorry. I messed up.” Twilight nodded. “I trust you to not act this recklessly again. If you can promise me that, to make a compromise, I’ll let you go on a day-long mission to see if you can find any sign of life in the Everfree.” Rainbow Dash lifted her head, clearly surprised. “What’s going on?” Starlight whispered. “The princesses are the only ones who can send soldiers on day-long missions. Those missions usually need a lot more supplies and soldiers, so they’re few and far between.” Discord responded. Starlight nodded, processing the information. In a way, it seemed like Twilight was rewarding bad behaviour with this, when Rainbow Dash had already been outside for over 24 hours. “Starlight?” Starlight snapped out of her thinking and headed towards the table. “How is the spell coming along? You think you can complete it?” Twilight looked at her with expectation. “Well, I haven’t gotten far,” Starlight mumbled. Could she really tell the council that she hadn’t gotten anywhere with the spell? “I’ll… probably be able to finish it. Don’t worry, princess.” “Geez, Starlight, don’t call me princess.” Twilight gave her a little nudge. “And don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll do great.” Starlight nodded. She couldn’t bring herself to complain when she was responsible for the hope of these ponies. The meeting was dismissed, and Twilight stayed behind with the Corporal and the Commander to plan out the day-long mission. Starlight headed out the door as she wasn’t supposed to stay and listen to official army business. “You know, I believe you’re more than capable of finishing this spell.” Starlight turned around to Rarity, who was smiling at her. The two trotted down the hallways together until they were outside Rarity’s workshop. “When the Nightmare sees who they’re up against, they’ll pray their final prayer!” Rarity nudged Starlight’s shoulder before heading into her workshop. “Praying their final prayer, huh.” Starlight started walking towards the dining hall while going over the spell in her head again. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, reciting the spell out loud to herself. “With these powers, with these hooves I will stop your every move With these feathers, with these horns I’ll trap you in a cage of thorns Give up, pray your final prayer There’s no room for the Nightmare!” Turning back around, she ran back to the meeting room and opened the door, interrupting the meeting. “I think I just completed the spell!” Author's Note The Equestrian Army is structured like this: 1. Commander Rainbow Dash (only royalty have the power to give her orders) 2. Captain Golden Flare, a yellow unicorn stallion (original character) 3. Sergeant Firesky Frost, a black pegasus stallion (original character) 4. Corporal Applejack 5. Privates (I usually only refer to them as soldiers in this story) I thought that the explanation of how I set this up would be useful for some to enjoy the story fully, or if anyone was simply curious.
Chapter 4The castle hadn’t seen days this busy in a long time. Ponies were rushing about, back and forth in the hallways, in and out doors. Starlight hadn’t thought the day-long mission would be such a big deal, but it was clear now it was a bigger thing than Discord had made it out to be. Twilight was standing in the middle of it all, giving instructions. “She’s working hard,” Starlight commented. She’d felt uncomfortable standing in the crowd of ponies, most of which probably didn’t trust her. “I don’t understand how she’s able to keep track of it all.” “Well, somepony has to,” Rarity responded as two of her assistants provided extra clothing and armor for the soldiers getting ready for their mission. “I think this is the first time in a while I’ve seen her so determined. Poor thing lost her spark once everything went down six years ago.” Starlight remembered. Twilight, even though she’d kept pretending like she believed Equestria would be saved, had lost all faith that it would actually happen. Starlight knew that Twilight had sold herself short in the past and succeeded when it looked like it’d be impossible, but this time she wasn’t the only one who’d lost hope. Over time, they all had. This spell was a fragment of hope for everypony, one they’d been too scared to hope for previously. “Alright, I think they’re almost ready to leave.” Twilight had made her way over to Starlight and Rarity. Her mane was messy, a sign that she’d either been working a lot or losing sleep. Either way, she looked surprisingly happy. “I don’t really want to say this too early, but it looks like we have a decent chance to find her!” Suddenly, Twilight’s smile disappeared. She shook her head, and quietly left for the library. Rarity and Starlight shared a concerned look. “I should follow her. You’ve got things to do.” Starlight gave Rarity a small smile before quickly hurrying after the princess. She wasn’t hard to find, she was in her favorite spot in the library. The princess was sitting by a large window in a reserved corner of the big room. You could only see through the windows from the inside, letting the pony in the library observe the Everfree and the door which was just below the library. “Hey princess,” Starlight whispered gently, somehow still startling Twilight in the process. “I know this is probably hard for you, but you know you can talk to us if something is up, right? I mean, I know you have Discord, but maybe it’s nice to talk to someone else too?” “I’m sorry, Starlight.” Twilight forced a small smile, and beckoned Starlight closer, gesturing for her to sit down. “It is a little hard. I don’t feel like it’s appropriate for the ruler of Equestria to talk about their issues like this.” “Twilight, you’re allowed to talk to us about things like this. Celestia talked about her emotions, even with me at some point!” Starlight took a deep breath before continuing in a calmer manner. “I just want you to know that you can talk about complicated feelings with us, even if you are a princess.” “I appreciate it Starlight, but you really have to stop calling me princess.” “I didn’t even call you princess this time! I just mentioned that you’re a princess. Since you are.” “I know. I just don’t like it.” “Alright, fine. I’ll try not to call you that anymore.” Starlight sighed. “I don’t get it, but I’ll respect your wishes. Now, would you please talk to me about whatever you’re dealing with?” “Alright, I can try to explain.” Twilight brushed her mane out of her face, pulling it back into a ponytail. “I’ve been trying to keep quiet about my hopes in public. I really hope Fluttershy is still alive, out there somewhere. Hell, I feel like she could be. She was too strong to let the Everfree be the end of her. I just don’t want anypony to have too much faith. If it turns out she’s really dead, everypony will be devastated.” “Well yeah, that makes sense.” Starlight took a small break, taking in what she’d just been told. “But isn’t it better to have hope than to give up before you’ve even tried?” “Maybe you’re right.” Twilight smiled now, a genuine smile. “I guess it’s just that now that we have even more to lose, it’s even scarier to hope. If Fluttershy is gone, the spell would be useless. For the first time in six years we have a chance to save Equestria. I just hope it isn’t ruined by something out of my control.” “I understand that.” Starlight internally slapped herself for not finding a more creative response. Nervously, she tried thinking of something to say to make it better. “I appreciate you trying to cheer me up Starlight, but you should probably go back now.” Starlight panicked, thinking she’d said something wrong, but Twilight smiled at her. “You didn’t do anything wrong, I just need some time alone. A break from the crowd out there.” Starlight nodded, letting out a silent sigh of relief. Twilight turned back to the window and Starlight took it as her sign to leave. Not breaking the silence, Starlight left the library. Out in the hallway it seemed like the crowds of ponies running back and forth were leaving the areas, done with their jobs most likely. Starlight could hear voices coming from a room close to the library. She guessed it was the cafeteria and hurried towards it. Right now, she wanted anything but to be alone. In the cafeteria, a small group was gathered. Commander Rainbow Dash, General Golden Flare, Sergeant Firesky Frost, Corporal Applejack and Rarity were gathered at a small table. Otherwise the cafeteria was empty. Applejack caught sight of Starlight, her expression seeming softer than before. “Come over here, Starlight,” she said, placing her hoof on one of the empty chairs at the table. Starlight trotted to the table and sat down, joining in on the conversation. “I’m not saying that I’m planning to die or anything.” Rainbow Dash was drinking a cup of what looked like watered-down cider. Which wasn’t surprising. A pony couldn’t get drunk before being sent on an important mission. “I’m just saying that we don’t know what could happen. If I somehow were to die, in this hypothetical scenario, you’d all move up ranks. That’s what I’m saying, AJ, you’d have to find yourself a Private with potential as a Corporal.” “Geez, Dash. If I’d have known you were going to be talking about sad subjects like this, I wouldn’t have joined ya!” Applejack exclaimed, but she was smiling. “Besides, I already know a promisin’ recruit who’ll take my place if I’m promoted.” “Oh yeah?” Golden Flare seemed thoughtful as he met Applejack’s eyes. “Who were you thinking of?” “Scootaloo, actually.” Rainbow Dash’s smile twitched. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she muttered, seemingly already knowing the answer. “Yes Dash, I do.” Applejack sighed, taking a drink of her coffee before continuing. “I know you and I don’t see eye to eye on this, and I know it’s because you want to protect her, but she’s a talented soldier and chose this path herself.” Rainbow didn’t respond. Forming her mouth into a small frown, she slowly nodded. “Well, in any case, we’ll all keep track of things here while you’re gone,” Rarity said, swiftly changing the subject. Pinkie Pie came out from the kitchen, dropping a tray of sandwiches on the table before sitting down beside Starlight. “Thanks guys. I’m glad to know that Canterlot is in good hooves.” The Commander looked at each of the ponies at the table in turn. “I’m coming with you.” Sergeant Firesky didn’t usually smile, but his serious expression was more intimidating now than it usually was. “Are you sure?” Dash responded. “I’m sure everypony would be grateful if you stayed here. “What, with Golden Flare out of commission and all.” She gestured to the unicorn, who’s hooves were mostly covered in bandages. Firesky’s eyes moved over to Golden, who shrugged. “I’m fine,” he said, still smiling. “Firesky is a strong fighter, you know he’s better out on the field than hanging around here. Besides, I don’t think I’ll need my hooves to shout commands here.” “Alright, if you’re sure,” Rainbow said. “Just make sure you’ve got everything you need by noon.” Firesky nodded to this, but didn’t leave. It was a while until noon, after all. “You know what? I think I’ll catch some sleep.” Starlight stood up, pushing her chair back towards the table. “Good luck, both of you. I’ll hopefully see you again tomorrow.” The two soldiers nodded, and with that, Starlight left the room. Talking to Twilight and the other ponies had made her feel so much more trusted than ever before! Maybe, once this war was over, she’d be used to this feeling. Maybe it was finally her time to shine. Author's Note The next chapter is a special one, as it'll be multiple ponies's POVs. It'll also contain some relationship exploration. I also have some news regarding the length of the story. Originally, it was supposed to be around 10 chapters long excluding the prologue and the epilogue. I will add another chapter, because the aftermath I planned for the epilogue is a bit long, and I think it'd fit better as its own chapter. The full story is now planned to be prologue + 11 chapters + epilogue. Hope to see you all next Friday!
Chapter 5Author's Note This chapter contains queer themes because representation is good. If I recieve negative feedback because of that, so be it. I hope you all enjoy. Chapter 5 “It’s been too long!” Twilight was trotting back and forth in the meeting room. “They should have been back a couple of hours ago!” The rest of the Guardians were watching her stressing, concern visible in their eyes. “Twilight, it’s not like this hasn’t happened before. Day-long missions tend to take a little longer than expected,” Applejack said, keeping her voice calm and steady. “I know, but if something has happened to Dash we’ll lose a second element instead of finding the first one!” Twilight stopped her pacing, and sat down. “Maybe I should send someone out? No, that’s not a good idea.” “Alright, that’s enough.” Discord stood up from one of the chairs by the wall. “I know I’m not supposed to make decisions here, but I’m taking Twilight upstairs to have a break for the day.” “What?” Twilight looked surprised, she stood up again. “I have so much work to do, Discord. I can’t just leave!” “I can get some work done for you,” Starlight offered. “Me and Pinkie will help as well.” Rarity added. Twilight didn’t respond. She turned to Applejack. “Me and Golden can handle a couple of soldiers, Twi. Take the day off.” She was smiling kindly. For just a moment, Starlight could see signs of the ponies the council had been before the war. “Alright,” Twilight finally said, reluctantly. She left the room with Discord, only looking back once to meet Starlight’s eyes. Starlight smiled and gave a little nod. And then they were gone. *** “Alright, take a quick break everypony. We’ll get back to those kicks in 15 minutes.” Applejack wiped her sweat on a towel. Golden Flare who was sitting by a table handed her a water bottle. “Thank you.” Applejack looked out at the soldiers. They were chatting in groups now. They seemed so happy. “You think they’re just used to it?” Applejack asked, not letting her gaze leave the young ponies. “Used to what?” Golden Flare responded, now at Applejack’s side. “Everything. Everything we had to adjust to because of the war.” “Well, I assume many of them are. They’ve practically grown up with it.” “Yeah.” Applejack turned around, starting towards a chair, when Scootaloo trotted up to her. “Hey Applejack,” Scootaloo said, walking alongside the earth pony. “I just wanted to ask if I could have some more private combat lessons later?” “Yeah, I don’t see why not.” Applejack handed Scootaloo a cup of water once they reached the table. “You have great potential Scootaloo. I hope you know that.” Scootaloo nodded and accepted the glass of water. *** “Alright Applebloom, what should we make for dinner tonight?” Pinkie asked. Applebloom turned to the pink pony. They were holding a cookbook in their hoof. “I don’t know, Pinkie,” Applebloom responded. “We’re low on some ingredients at the moment, but I’m sure we can make something good!” Pinkie nodded, dropping the book between them on the kitchen counter. “Alright, let’s take a look then.” Applebloom looked at the book beside Pinkie, but she couldn’t keep her focus on the recipes as Pinkie turned the pages. “Oh, man.” Applebloom laid her head on the counter. “I can’t focus. I’m sorry, Pinkie.” “Is something on your mind?” Pinkie looked concerned. They closed the book and shoved it away. “Well, I’ve been having dreams of… before.” Applebloom sighed, letting her ears droop down. “Of when me and the crusaders were having fun, running around and solving cutie mark problems.” “I used to have dreams of before too.” Pinkie patted Applebloom’s mane. “It was weird, I used to have the weirdest dreams, but right after the war started my dreams were of our friendship quests.” Applebloom sat up. “How about we make some hay burgers and you tell me about the friendship quests?” Pinkie nodded and the two got to work as Pinkie started telling their stories. *** Twilight’s gaze followed the sun as it lowered behind a hill. Stars were slowly starting to shine in the sky, and the sky itself was a warm shade of purple. “Twilight, are you sure there’s nothing you want to talk about?” Discord asked from inside the room behind her. She turned her head and saw him just inside the door, lying across a hoofstool. “I shouldn’t.” Twilight turned back around and continued looking at the darkening sky. “I shouldn’t talk about myself at a time like this.” “So there is something.” Discord sighed as Twilight didn’t reply. She felt a bit bad, but she’d feel worse if she started worrying about her own problems now. Equestria needed her, so she would have to focus on it. “Twilight, you shouldn’t ignore your needs just because of the war. What would Equestria do if we lost you? You’re the princess-” “Stop calling me that! I am not a princess!” “Twilight, when you say things like that I feel like there is something you need to get out of your system.” Discord stepped out on the balcony, standing beside her. She noticed that he wasn’t that much taller than her when he wasn’t standing on two legs. “I don’t think you’ll like it.” “Twilight, you don’t have to be scared of how I’ll feel. This is about you.” “I think… I might not be a mare.” Twilight closed their eyes, waiting for something. Something letting them know that Discord was angry. “Alright.” He wasn’t mad? “What pronouns do you want me to use then?” “Uh, he/him - you’re not angry?” Twilight opened his eyes again. “Of course not, I have no reason to be angry. I love you no matter what.” “Even if I’m a stallion?” Discord chuckled at that. “Yes, of course.” Twilight felt a rush of emotions. He was happy, energetic, but somehow finally calm. His earlier stress disappeared. He leaned against Discord, letting his body relax. Discord ran his claw through Twilight’s mane. “I could cut it for you if you want.” “Please.” *** The Commander was still going, heading deeper into the Everfree. Firesky knew he should say something, but he kept his mouth shut. There were traps covering this part of the forest. The Commander had every reason to keep going past their missions time. Hoofprints could be seen here and there on the path. Suddenly, she stopped. Firesky came to a halt behind her. Voices. Just in front of them were bushes and trees, overgrown plants, but behind them there was no doubt. There were other ponies here. The Commander walked forwards, but just before she reached the bushes, the ground disappeared from under them. The three pegasi of the group leapt from the ground, while the rest fell into a hole the height of three ponies. The voices on the other side of the bush quickly disappeared, but just after that someone appeared. One was a zebra, another was a green pony with red dreadlocks. Firesky didn’t recognize either of them. The third pony, however, was a familiar yellow pegasus with a long, pink mane. She looked surprised to see ponies in armor, but then she caught sight of the Commander. “Rainbow Dash?”
