The light of the twin moons shined down on the planet below, illuminating the stunted shrubs and glowing moss patches in a silver shine, the darker stone underneath creating a pitch-black backdrop for the nearly phosphorescent foliage. Yet not all was quiet in the darkness, as a duo dressed all in black slowly and carefully made their way over the cold ground, drawing nearer to the orange light on the horizon with every muffled hoof step. The first, dressed in smooth fabric that rippled softly as she moved, was a slim mare with her pale mane and tail tied under her cloak to avoid catching the light on their silver hairs. Only her reflective eyes were visible from under the deep cowl of the fabric, catching the moons’ glow and shining out like twin beacons in the night. Her companion, in contrast, was completely covered in dull black metal plate, his head and face covered by a semi-clear visor that hid his eyes from view. Neither of them spoke, for they were nearing enemy territory, and being taken prisoner was the same as a death sentence when it came to their foes.
“This is foolish, my Lady.” The armored stallion growled out in a near whisper, “You know that the Twilight Temple has been under Solarian control for as long as either of us have been alive, and yet you want to go behind enemy lines to perform some hairbrained spell that will certainly get us caught.”
The mare let out a sigh as she continued to lead her uncertain companion through the darkness, “Night Blade, how many times must I tell you to call me Moon Glow? We’ve known each other since we were foals. And it’s not a hairbrained spell that I’m going to perform. It’s a call for help that might save our people from destruction.”
Even though she couldn’t see his face, she could hear the raised eyebrow in his tone as Night Blade replied, “And how exactly is a spell going to save our people? We’ve been at war with the Solarians for centuries, and yet there has never been anything that could give them an advantage in our homeland. They are helpless in the dark and therefore can’t go beyond the Twilight Border without making themselves shine like a fire in a cave. Face it, Moon Glow, you have no idea what you’re doing and simply want to see the Twilight Temple with your own eyes.”
Moon Glow sighed again and focused on the ground ahead of them, forging ahead despite her friend’s reluctance. While it was true that the duo had known each other since they were little, the fact that Night Blade was destined to be part of her family’s guard made their relationship more formal than she would have liked. He had taken to the role of guardian like a moth to a glow stone, leaving her with nothing but a formal and sometimes sarcastic suit of armor to interact with at the best of times. Moon Glow wanted to be friends with the stallion like when they were younger, and maybe a small part of her wished for something more, but in their current situation it seemed like a hopeless dream of a filly pining over a knight in obsidian armor.
They continued on for another hour or so, steadily moving closer to the light on the horizon until it provided enough strength to support more than the sparse bushes and moss that covered their homeland. Actual grass and small trees began to grow in the thickening soil, providing cover for the two shadows as they ghosted between the trees like a pair of spirits. Every once and a while, they would hear the clanking of metal on metal and would duck into a bush or hollow in the ground until all was quiet again, only moving once they were certain they had not been detected. They had seen flashes of the bright gold armor and flashy colors of the Solarian military and were even more careful as they stepped into enemy territory. One wrong move here could spell their deaths, and with only the two of them, it wouldn’t take much to overwhelm their little group.
Finally, as the small red star that their planet called host lifted above the horizon, they came upon their destination. A huge monolith of stone and wood, crafted long ago before the war began, stood the great Twilight Temple. It was a holy place, created directly on the border between the light side of their planet and the dark, and had served as the home of the Enlightened for hundreds of years as they offered guidance for travelers moving from one side of the border to the other. Now it stood abandoned, covered in dark and craggy vines that clung to the walls like creeping tendrils of sickness. Several of the outer walls had fallen to ruin, leaving multiple openings in the compound for them to use, but even with their goal so close, Moon Glow and Night Blade moved with caution and care. This was the last moment to lose their carefully-earned hoof hold, lest they get caught by a Solarian patrol.
Soft hoofsteps clicked off the walls as they made their way into the monumental construction, their eyes widening as they took in the art and carved stone that had been left untouched for so very long.
Moon Glow placed her hoof on one of the walls and whispered in awe, “How long do you think it took to make all this?”
Night Blade glanced up at the painted ceiling, whistling softly as he turned his head on a swivel, “Hundreds of years at least. It seems though that the Solarians have no interest in maintaining the temple.” He kicked a collection of cobwebs at the base of one of the statues with a hoof and sneezed when a puff of dust entered his helmet for his trouble. “I don’t think anypony has been here in decades.” He turned to face Moon Glow and jerked his head back the way they had come, “Come along, my Lady, we saw the Temple, now can we get out of here before some curious Solarian scout stumbles across us?”
Moon Glow shook her head, “I told you, we came here to perform a spell, and that is exactly what I’m going to do.” She pressed on deeper into the Temple, calling over her shoulder as she went, “Come along, my dear guardian, or would you rather I explore this old monastery by myself?”
Night Blade grumbled under his breath but followed anyway, muttering about stubborn mares and crazy ideas as he fell in at Moon Glow’s side. The mare smiled from behind her cowl as the armored stallion came up at her left, knowing full well he would never leave her alone, not even if it took them both to the heart of Solarian territory, he would be there to protect her.
Finally, they entered the heart of the complex, a huge open amphitheater that contained hundreds of broken and rotting benches. The high windows were all pointed towards the red sun that hung on the horizon to provide ample light, although this made the two Nocturnians more nervous than comfortable. The darkness was their home and being out of the shadows made both of them shiver slightly with fear. Here they were exposed and had nowhere to hide if the enemy found them. Yet even so, Moon Glow forged ahead, walking up the center aisle until she stood at the base of the altar, the shining sun mirrored on either side by the twin moons she knew and loved, the holy symbol of the Enlightened from ancient history.
“We shouldn’t be here.” Night Blade cautioned as he stepped up to her side once more, “we need to go before the Solarians find us. I may be able to protect you from one or two, but a whole patrol would mean the deaths of us both.”
“I will not falter after coming so far, Night Blade.” Moon Glow’s voice had taken on a slight edge as she turned to lock the stallion’s gaze with her own, “I came here to call for help, and that is what I am going to do. Our race cannot survive forever when the Solarians have a much bigger military and can come into our lands at will if they bring light with them. Have you ever thought about what would happen if they came in force, not just a couple patrols, but an entire army? We wouldn’t be able to stand against that for long, and even if we could, at what cost?” She stepped back from the altar and turned to face the rows of decomposing benches, “I will not stand by and let my people suffer if I can do something about it. Now guard the door, I need to be able to concentrate and I have a feeling this spell will attract unwanted attention.”
Night Blade sighed but did as he was bid, walking over to the main entrance and standing with his back to her as she began to call upon the magic of the land. It had taken many years of painstaking research and trial and error, but the spell she was about to cast was almost certain to work, and if it did, would summon the help her people needed in order to overcome their enemies.
Terram, aquam et ignem aera et audite vocem meam audi. Solem ad rapidum lunasque addat opes nostras liberans populum extrema hora.
A soft hum began to fill the room as Moon Glow felt the power she had summoned begin to flow through the ground and air around her. She knew any spellcaster worth their salt would be able to sense what she was doing if they were in range, so she continued to cast with ever increasing speed as she tried to control the immense magic under her command.
Sonitu vocare auxilium cau fortibus eripe fatis. Serve meus vocem meam, et mitte bene, aut hoc erit mihi in aliud extremum caput egit honestum.
The rock and stone of the monastery had begun to shake and groan and Moon Glow could hear the sounds of approaching armor as Night Blade called out her name, yet she knew at this point there was no going back, so she closed her eyes and spoke in a clear voice, hoping and praying that the spell would do as she had hoped.
“My name is Lady Moon Glow, eldest daughter of House Luminos of Nocturnia. I ask for your aid in battling the Solarian armies that have laid siege to my country and have taken the lives of many of my friends on the field of battle. We are outnumbered and overpowered, and only the darkness of our homeland keeps us safe from the hordes of soldiers that cry out for our blood.”
She paused as she heard the clash of swords from across the room and opened her eyes just in time to see a spear being blocked from hitting her. Night Blade was taking on an entire Solarian Patrol by himself, his twin obsidian blades carving through their ranks like butter.
“Send help as soon as you can, or else we will be overtaken and destroyed by those who would see our lands burn. Please, you are our only hope.”
With that the spell completed with a thunderous bang, the sound sending all the ponies present to the ground as the thunderclap echoed around the cavernous room. Night Blade and Moon Glow recovered first, charging past the gold armored ponies as they sprinted back for the border, hoping against hope that they could outrun their pursuers once they got back into the darkness of their homeland.
The blood-red light of the sun faded steadily as they sprinted back through the woods, the calls for their blood echoing through the trees as they spotted more and more gold between the trunks and bushes. Yet they never stopped to rest, never paused in their mad dash for home, breaking from the cover of the plant life as the last of the sunlight faded over the horizon.
Yet, just as they thought they were in the clear, a thunderous voice echoed over the rocks and moss, “Sphaera lux!!”
A blinding flash of light exploded into being over the two ponies, their eyes squinting in pain as the painful glare destroyed their night vision. Moon Glow wiped her face with a fetlock in the hopes of clearing her eyes but was immediately stopped as a severe pain erupted from her left hind leg.
She cried out as her body slumped to the ground, the arrow in her pastern digging into her flesh as she felt Night Blade dragging her by the cloak around her neck. Her vision was fuzzy from the pain, but she could see Solarian soldiers charging towards them, and with no strength left to cast a counterspell, there was nowhere for them to hide.
“Go.” She managed to croak out as she felt the sting of poison begin to surge through her body, “You are of no use to my family if we both die. Leave me and save yourself.”
“I would never leave you,” he countered as he got them both into the relative shade of a large boulder, although the approaching clank of metal did nothing to calm her nerves, “you are my Lady, and more importantly, you are my friend. I would sooner die than abandon you to those insects like a yellow-blood coward.” He lifted her chin with a gentle hoof, “We’re in this together, always.”
Moon Glow nodded, a smile on her face as the soldiers rounded the boulder on both sides, their spears leveled against them as her vision began to fade. With the last of her strength, she lifted her hoof and pushed Night Blade’s visor up, her lips pressing against his in a chaste kiss before her body fell limp. She had just enough strength to hear him call her name before the darkness rushed in from all sides, and in that moment, she prayed that her message had gotten through.
Author's Note
And thus, we begin anew. Hope that everypony is enjoying the new book so far, and I will be looking forward to your thoughts in the towel section below. Remember, comments are authors' food, so feed me well so we can have more chapters sooner.
See you all next time,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.
Twilight and her friends knew something was up. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had both passed urgent messages through Spike telling the mares that they were needed in Canterlot immediately. So, they were on the train to the capital, and the attitude within the private car was less than positive as the six mares brooded over what they might be needed for. For one thing, Twilight felt that it might have something to do with her new status as the Princess of Friendship, although she had no idea if this was some kind of test or something even more pressing. Yet the only information they had been told was that the royal sisters had received a message and that they were needed in the city at once to address the contents of said message.
The alicorn shifted on her seat as various possibilities ran through her mind, each more unusual and outlandish than the last. Her thoughts swirled in an endless storm as the group of friends sat in silent contemplation, the ride to the capital and the subsequent gallop to the castle gates completed in an unusual silence. Even the ever-exuberant Pinkie was in a subdued mood, her mane and tail hanging just a bit less poofy than normal and her usual rapid-fire ideas about what they might be facing being noticeably absent.
The six mares charged into the throne room, where Princess Celestia and Luna were seated side by side, their expressions serious as they gazed upon the heroines before them.
“Welcome, my little ponies,” Celestia stated with a strained smile, “I wish I could say it is good to see you all again but given the circumstances I am sorry to say that pleasantries will have to wait.”
“My sister and I received a message of unknown origin shortly before dawn,” Luna added, equally serious in her tone, “we have never encountered a spell of this type, nor have we seen a pony that looked anything like the caster before. We are uncertain of what should be done in response to this message, but the meaning of the missive was perfectly clear.”
“What was it, Your Highness?” Twilight asked, her wings fidgeting at her sides in nervous energy.
“A cry for help.” Celestia stated plainly, “One of the highest magnitude. There is much that we could discuss about the message and its mysterious sender, but I feel that time is of the essence, and we must make a choice as soon as possible. Come closer, and I will use a spell to show you all our memories, so that you may see what we are faced with, and so we can decide on what must be done.”
The six friends shared a look amongst each other, a collection of nods being shared between them as they stepped up to the base of the dais. Celestia and Luna stepped down from the thrones and stood in the middle of the mares, their horns igniting in a bright, shared glow as the throne room faded from sight around the ponies.
Twilight and company gasped as the night sky appeared from the darkness, a balcony appearing under their hooves that the young princess recognized immediately as the one the sisters used to raise and lower the sun and moon. A second pair of princesses stood to one side; their forms slightly distorted as the mares gazed about in wonder at the shifting shadows and light around them.
“The memory spell only passes on what we are aware of,” Celestia explained, “thus the balcony behind Luna and I will be less detailed, as we were focused on our duties above all else.”
The eight ponies watched as the past princesses raised and lowered their respective heavenly bodies, a soft smile being passed between them once the sun had crested the horizon. Yet the peace of the early morning didn’t last for long, as a thunderous cracking sound echoed across the city from seemingly nowhere.
Twilight and her friends gasped once more as the past forms of the princesses spun around, their horns alight with power as their gazes locked onto the cloaked form of a pony on the balcony behind them. Yet, fright quickly shifted to confusion, as it was immediately apparent that the pony was not truly there, due to their form flickering and shifting like an illusion that wasn’t cast properly. The princesses’ past selves looked on in shock as the pony lifted her head to face forward, her hood falling down around her shoulders and revealing the mare beneath.
Twilight and company were dumbstruck as they beheld the stark white fur and silver mane of the mare, her ice blue eyes reflecting some of the light back at them as her resolute gaze stared at a space between the past princesses. Twilight opened her mouth to ask her mentor what kind of pony they were looking at but was interrupted as the mare began to speak, “My…ame is La...y Moon Glow……dest dau…ter of House Lu…nos of ……I ask f-f-f-f-for your aid ……tling the Sol…ian armies that have laid siege…………taken the lives of many…friends……of battle. We are…numbered and overp…ered, and only the……our homeland keeps us safe……for our blood.” The message was heavily distorted, with sections of it completely unintelligible to the mares as the ghostly pony faded in and out of view, “…end help as soon as…or else we will…overtaken…destroyed……our lands burn. Please, you……only hope.”
With that, the message ended, and the last thing the mares saw was a flash of gold and the glint of metal to the mare’s side, leaving nothing but empty air in its wake. The balcony and early morning sky faded to black once again before the throne room rematerialized around them, the royal sisters taking a step back as the group of friends gathered their wits.
“That was the message we received,” Celestia stated plainly as the young mares before her shared uncertain looks, “and it is plain as my day that this mare does not originate from Equestria, nor is her plea for help one to be taken lightly.”
“Indeed,” Luna added, “she spoke of a grave threat to her people, a war that threatens the lives of her friends and family, thus why my sister and I are hesitant to respond.”
“Even if we could send word back,” Celestia continued, “we do not know where this message comes from nor how long it would take to send aid even if we wanted to, and so Luna and I have asked you six to help us come to a decision regarding this matter.”
“Us?” Rainbow Dash asked, “I know we’re awesome and all, but are we really cut out for choosing the fate of a nation like this?”
“Come now Rainbow Dash,” Rarity retorted, “You don’t think the Royal Sisters would ask for our opinion if they didn’t think we were qualified. Although I do express similar doubts to Rainbow. Are you certain you should be asking us? You are far more experienced and wiser than any other pony alive.”
“While it is true that Luna and I have ruled for far longer than other ponies,” Celestia replied, “given the unprecedented nature of this message, and the potential hazards sending aid could bring, we felt a fresh perspective on the matter might be helpful.” A smile graced her lips as she added, “Besides, you six have done so much already to protect our lands, it is only fair that you have a say in potentially protecting another.”
Understanding mutters passed between the mares as Twilight stepped forward, “How can we help, Princess?”
The royal sisters’ faces lit up with surprise and a hint of pride, “You would provide aid that quickly,” Luna asked, “even with how little we know about the situation?”
“Does it really matter?” Twilight said, “That mare looked like she was making a desperate request, one that could very well mean the difference between life and death. I think we wouldn’t be the ponies you can be proud of if we didn’t try to help. After all, we are the Elements of Harmony, what would it say if we refused to help somepony in obvious need?”
Celestia stepped forward and nuzzled along the back of Twilight’s neck, a warm smile curving her lips as she spoke, “You continue to make me proud, my former student. If that is your wish, then we will do everything in our power to support it. Now,” Celestia’s regal bearing returned as she stepped back from the smaller alicorn, “we still need to figure out how to send aid to these ponies, and in what form it will take.”
“Send us, Princess!” Rainbow cried as she hovered above the group, “We’ll send those jerks packing and be home in time for breakfast tomorrow.”
“Yeah!” Pinkie added, “It’s like Twilight said, we wouldn’t be very good Bearers if we made other ponies do the work for us.”
“Ah agree,” Applejack nodded to the other mares, “they need our help and it’ll take too long to gather up a group as capable as we are if their situation is that serious.”
Celestia and Luna shared an uncertain look, “Are you certain of this?” Luna asked, “You do not know what trials you will face, nor the dangers that may await you.”
“We can do this, Princesses,” Twilight reassured them with a bright smile, “you can count on us to do our very best.”
A duo of nods met the purple mare’s determined gaze, “Then we must get to work right away.” Celestia said, “Finding a way to send you to aid these ponies may not be any easy feat, but we will do everything in our power to find a solution.”
A cheer rang from the group of friends, although it was cut short as a cacophonous crack echoed around the throne room, making everypony present covered their ears as a bright flash of light illuminated the space. The gathered ponies turned to see what had happened and were shocked to see that a glowing portal had opened up in the center of the throne room, its border rippling with huge amounts of power as a white tunnel spiraled off into the distance within the vortex.
Pinkie was the first to recover, a wide smile finding its way to her muzzle as she bounced over to the swirling portal, “Well that was easy. Looks like they gave us a way to get there all on their own.”
Twilight gasped as the pink mare reached out with a hoof, “Pinkie, stop!”
The party pony simply turned her head and winked at the others, “Last one there is a stale cupcake!” And with that, her outstretched hoof contacted the portal, her form seeming to stretch as it was sucked into the vortex.
“Oh no you don’t!” Rainbow yelled as she flew headlong for the opening, “You’re not going in alone, not if I have anything to say about it!”
The prismatic pegasus was gone in an instant, the rainbow contrail of her rapid departure fading away as the others shared a look.
“Oh, if we must.” Rarity sighed as she trotted up to the portal, “I do hope this doesn’t mess up my mane, though.”
Applejack snorted as she pushed the fashionista with a hoof against her tail, causing the white mare to tumble screaming into the vortex before stepping up herself, “Honestly, you’d think she would be thinking of more important things than her mane right now.” The cowpony held a hoof over her hat as she turned to Twilight and Fluttershy, “See ya’ll on the other end.” And with a slight hop, she was gone.
Twilight turned to face her mentor one last time, a fond smile being shared between the two of them, “Wish us luck. We’ll make you proud.”
The alicorn stepped up to the portal with a wing over Fluttershy’s back, the quivering pegasus doing her level best to keep putting a hoof in front of the other. With one last burst of energy, the duo disappeared into the portal, the opening to places unknown closing with another thunderous crack, leaving the royal sisters alone in the throne room once more.
Celestia wiped a tear from her cheek as she whispered, “You already have, my little ponies, and good luck.”
Author's Note
Whooooo boy, two chapters for the price of one!! How about that?! I hope you all enjoy the latest book to grace my shelves and be sure to leave a like and comment on what you all think below in the towel section. Comments are an author's food and I need fuel to keep these chapters coming!!
Hope everypony is doing well, and I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.
