Before the Sun

~~~

The Windegos had been slain.

The freshly tilled farms had been planted.

Spring was in full bloom.

Celestia and Luna had been enjoying a lunch of young grass shoots. The silence was comfortable, just two sisters taking the time to spend time together in their busy day.

Celestia herself was somewhat frustrated with some of the Ponies designing the newly founded city, but she didn’t share that with Luna. The blue mare was enjoying the quiet after spending all morning at an anvil, and even if Celestia did share, Luna would’ve been unable to offer any help regardless.

The silence however was broken by a loud crash a few houses over.

Luna jumped to her hooves, surprised at the sudden noise.

Celestia jerked in surprise as well, but recovered faster than Luna and leapt forward into a gallop, already seeing the impacted awning over a porch.

In the middle of the crash a storm grey coat could be seen surrounded by broken clay tiles as the Pegasus lay in the crater.

“Hurricane!” Celestia exclaimed as she drew near, Luna hot on her hooves.

Another Pegasus was already on the roof and attending to the crashed Pegasus.

"Somepony find that house... Drunken bucker jumped in front of me... Think it landed over there." Hurricane groaned as she pointed vaguely.

"I think she hit her head..." The Pony said as she helped pull Hurricane to her hooves.

The storm grey mare shook her head, her mane flying wildly as she cleared her head.

"Guh... I'm too old to try tackling buildings anymore..." she groaned. "Is a Pony by the name of Celestia nearby? I've got urgent business with her."

"Hurricane! I'm here! I was nearby!" Celestia stated loudly, holding a hoof up to draw Hurricane's attention.

"Oh... Cool that makes my job easy." Hurricane wobbled, still slightly dazed.

Cool? What did she mean by 'cool'?

"Uh..." Celestia drew out slowly "What was it you had to say then?" she asked.

"Was Court Martialed, was scheduled for execution for treason, escaped." Hurricane slurred, almost falling down.

"Then... Then..." Celestia started to realize.

"Then we have a problem." Luna stated grimly.

~~~

"What are we supposed to do?! It's not like we can just walk up to Pegasoplis and demand that they join, we'll be flooded away before even a 'How do you do'." Split Decision argued.

"What I'm concerned about is if they all refused... We haven't heard from any of them all Winter." Plowshare added.

"It's never a good idea to travel while it's cold. Too much can go wrong. There's a reason Ponies only travel during the Summer Moons." argued Quick Wind.

"Ok ok ok!" Celestia shouted, hitting the table to draw the participants attention. "We can't argue about the why, we have to figure out the what to do in response."

"We can't really do anything without knowing who's with us or against us!" Shelled Seed spoke up.

"Alright, now we're getting somewhere. Step 1, find out the state of the tribes." Celestia stated. "Everypony can agree to that right?"

"I don't disagree, but what we do with that information? We don't have an army to challenge any of them with." Plowshare replied.

Celestia chewed her lip in thought.

What could she do with that information? It wasn't like they had the numbers... Or did they?

"How many Ponies do we have?" she asked.

"About 22,000." Timber Sprout informed. "Give or take."

"That's got to be a lot from every tribe..." Celestia thought out loud.

"As it warms up, we won't have as many jobs that need doing." Shelled Seed added. "It'll be easier to forage for larger amounts of food, and we won't be cutting as much fire wood."

"You aren't seriously considering raising an army?" Split Decision asked. "I thought the whole point of this unified tribe business was to stop waging war."

"I don't think we have an alternative." Celestia retorted. "We know at least Pegasopolis is against us. That means we need to at least consider the possibility of being raided."

"With all the tools fer farming made, we can focus all the metal ore they've dug up towards forging armor and spears." Master Brickwork grunted. "At least get a start with the equipment fer when we need it."

Celestia's hoof tapped.

"... Sun and Stars I wish I knew what the other two tribes are doing..." she spoke to nopony in particular.

A storm grey Pegasus chose that moment to kick the front door open.

"Hold everything!" Hurricane slurred, still wobbling from her adventure with the house's roof.

"Hurricane, you need to lay down." Celestia rolled her eyes.

"Nawww." Hurricane waved off. "I got more news."

"You do?!" Celestia asked, her eyes widening. "Please! Anything you can give us about the North!"

"Puddinghead's ok, but she's dealing with the Earthbreaker Order, Platinum was also locked up, but she ain't about to be executed because she's royalty, so she's safe." Hurricane stated, waving a hoof.

"How do you know this? I thought Pegasi didn't deal with land news?" Luna spoke up suddenly.

Quick Wind jumped in shock at Celestia's side, glaring at Luna, who sat in the shadows at the side of the room away from the candlelight on the table.

"Somepony put a bell on her!" she exclaimed, pointing at the dark mare.

Luna's cerulean eyes rolled, the whites reflecting the candlelight.

"Oh we don't, not directly anyway." Hurricane continued, ignoring the yelling mare as it didn't seem to concern her.

"What are you talking about?" Split Decision asked the Pegasus, following in said mare's hoofsteps.

"Scout corps." Hurricane explained simply. "We send lone scouts on regular routes all over the continent. Helps keep the higher ups in Pegasopolis informed about what's going on ground side."

"Why would a disgraced Commander, facing execution, be told that information?" Master Brickwork asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Wasn't arrested until day before last." Hurricane shrugged. "They finally got sick of my shit and threw me in a cell. Escaped as they lead me to the edge."

"You flew all the way down here in a single day?!" Luna asked, surprising nopony this time.

"Naw." Hurricane slurred. "Flew all the way down here since sunrise."

"Sunri-?!" Luna started, sputtering in shock.

"Wait a moment! The... Edge?" Split Decision interrupted, cutting Luna off before she could form a coherent sentence.

"Yeah, to tie or clip my wings and toss me over." Hurricane said casually. "Why bother with a hanging or beheading when a long drop will do?"

"... I'm glad I can't walk on clouds." Split remarked.

"Eh, it's not too bad." Hurricane shrugged. "I mean really, what's worse? A long drop or dangling from a rope unable to breath for a few minutes?"

"We're getting off topic." Celestia interrupted, clapping her hooves to draw everypony's attention again. "Are you sure? Puddinghead is with us but Platinum is imprisoned?" she continued, addressing the storm grey Pegasus.

"Certain. The Clans are in a stand off, and the Crown is practically trumpeting to anyone with ears about how 'the mud Ponies and birds' were lesser Ponies because they resort to lies." Hurricane nodded.

"Thank you Com- Hurricane." Celestia corrected herself. "Now could you please go lay down? You're still a bit dazed."

"Bitchin'." Hurricane grinned as she turned, tumbling as she lost her balance.

Celestia rolled her eyes at the Pegasus as she fell to the floor.

Pegasi were all a few nails short of a barn...

'Guess Hurricane's insanity comes whenever she gets hit in the head.' She thought to herself.

"I'm ok!" Hurricane exclaimed, holding up a hoof and leaning on a wall as she pushed herself straight.

'Or maybe she just hit her head harder than any of us thought...'

"Split, could you go make sure she gets to the infirmary?" Celestia asked. "I'll catch you up with anything you miss later."

"Of course." Split nodded. "Come Commander, er... Former Commander Hurricane."

"Naw. They can Court Martial me, but they can't stop me from calling myself ComANd-er..." she choked on the word, holding her throat for a second "Well what'd y'know..."

"Split?" Celestia asked, reminding everypony about the crisis at hoof.

"Right." Split picked up the smaller, but more muscled mare and opened the front door way.

"They don't own the name! I can call myself whatever I want!" Hurricane ranted as the door closed behind the pair.

"Ok." Celestia sighed, reorganizing the reports on the table "Now that she's taken care of... Do we have any qualms with the army idea now? It sounds like even the only tribe on our side is having problems with rebels."

"If what she said is true." Plowshare remarked.

"It's the only way. We can send messengers to Puddinghead to confirm, but we need the army anyway when Pegasopolis decides to be a nuisance." Celestia nodded.

"You're acting as if anypony can lead an army!" Shelled Seed argued. "You can't take anypony and expect them to be a General!"

Celestia grinned.

The Shadow will bring the Queen of Light... Light from hope. Hope from despair. Despair from Darkness.

"Good thing I know just the Pony." Celestia smiled. "Lu? Are you willing to pick up that sword again?"

"I am." Luna leaned forward into the light, nodding.

"Then I appoint you as General of the- What are we calling the town again? I'm still a bit unclear on that..." Celestia admitted sheepishly as she turned towards the other Ponies.

"I think Unity is the popular choice right now." Timber chimed in.

"Commander of the Unity Army?" the pink maned Unicorn asked with the face of someone who had smelled something mildly unpleasant. "That doesn't sound quite right..."

"We'll work on it." Plowshare shrugged. "Nothing's quite official yet anyway."

"Right..." Celesita admitted. "Uh... Luna, I appoint you General of... The Army of Unity-?" she trailed off and shook her head. "No still not liking it..."

"I understand Tia." Luna chortled. "I don't care what you call it."

"Then as my first militant order, I order you to bring the North under control." Celestia intoned solemnly.

"I understand." Luna nodded.

"I don't make this decision lightly or because of nepotism." Celestia stated as she looked around the table at the other Ponies. "I can think of nopony I trust more to fight for our cause. Luna? Do you have anything to add?"

Celestia then stepped back, offering Luna her own space to speak at the table.

"Uh..." Luna stammered, looking like she was staring at a bright light in the darkness. "For my first order of business as General, I want word spread across the city. I'll take anypony who wishes to volunteer."

~~~

Luna was single minded in her new duties. Celestia watched as the next few days passed seemingly in a blur. The young blue mare spent most of her time going over the supplies they had, and how she wanted a command structure to function.

All three tribes had differing rank systems, none of which were truly equal.

Luna went about by combining them all and deciding who did what and where.

There could be only one captain on a ship. Which is why Pegasi had 'Commanders' instead of 'Captains.' Pegasi had privates, while Earth Ponies had squires and Unicorns had Legionaries.

When Luna wasn't sorting out confusion, when she was supposed to be 'resting', she was in the practice rings with every other recruit. She swung with relentless vigor, even as other Ponies of similar experience and age slowed down with fatigue. Her sword, which had rocks tied to the hilt to increase it's weight, swung tirelessly, going through the forms the more experienced Ponies could remember endlessly.

Several of the teachers were trying to convince several of the better students to go at her two at a time, desperately trying to keep up with Luna's rapid learning.

When she was 'done' for the day, she would wander the settlement and saw what needed seeing to.

Ration stores. Alchemist brews. Tool orders. Weapon orders. Armor orders...

Luna had a vision! And everything had to be just so and to her surprisingly exact standards.

Not in the sense that she took things slow and careful, instead she was nearly breakneck. Any who did not consistently meet her standards found themselves subject to her irritation, while those she found reliable were greeted kindly, but efficiently.

Luna did not tolerate any she saw as a 'fool'.

More and more, Celestia had overheard several of the surviving minor Unicornian nobility being confused why they were regarded as 'privates', when Ponies of less standing were elevated to higher ranks.

Celestia was going to confront Luna about that, considering that the nobility were more learned than the common Pony... But that was until Celestia saw the sort of Ponies Luna surrounded herself with.

Ponies who clearly had seen war before. Ponies who knew how to survive when the going got tough.

Those of soft or glory seeking nature were not tolerated amongst her staff.

Celestia pretended she was merely walking this way on happenstance business.

Luna had a vision.

And she was learning at a frightening rate.

~~~

Five weeks had passed since Luna had marched her army North.

The affair was a somber one, columns of soldiers marching out of the palisade walls that formed the city's perimeter along the most Northern path. The families of those departing waved to their loved ones as they passed by.

There was no troubadour entertaining the masses that day, only the steady march of dozens of war drums.

Luna was subdued and half present when the time came for Celestia to say her goodbyes.

She kept getting distracted by her own thoughts, drawing her attention away from Celestia as she thought of more things to be done.

Celestia had never seen Luna like this. She was always a diligent filly to be certain... But Luna had never been so distracted as to forget she was conversing with Celestia in the middle of conversing with Celestia. Her thoughts were scattered to the wind focusing more on the army than saying good bye.

Currently, Celestia was seated at the bar of one of the freshly built taverns she liked to frequent.

It may have been 'improper' for the Mayor to be out like this, but she didn't care. The energy in the tavern - even during a quiet day like today - reminded her of her Mother and Father during their adventuring days. She had fond memories of coming in from the cold into a warm but subdued atmosphere as farmers huddled together and kept each other warm with fire and company.

Today was no different. Except it wasn't terribly cold outside.

Celestia took a sip from her tankard, her the taste of the bitter liquid lost amongst her concerns. The City was doing well, despite having a reduced workforce. But problems did crop up that demanded her attention. Most of her concerns however regarded Luna.

Word from the North was more infrequent now as everypony who would make the long journey had already done so... But it wasn't unheard of.

The travelers spoke of an army on the march, but little else.

But Celestia expected that to change soon.

If she had done her calculations correctly, and barring Luna didn't run into any unforeseen circumstances... News of her reaching Casúrdomhain was due to reach the newly founded City any day now.

Celestia was stuck between worrying for Luna, and dreading news of her engaging the Earth Pony city.

And yet through her worry, the image of a mountain cleaved in half cut through all the noise in her head.

Celestia wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

She took another gulp from the tankard.

'Can't wait for the hops to be harvested...' she thought to herself. 'This wild grass stuff tastes awful...'

That was when the door to the tavern slammed open with a resounding clatter, drawing the attention of everypony in the tavern.

The panting form of Split Decision greeted Celestia's vision.

"Celestia!" the stallion gasped.

"What? What is it Split?" She asked, calling across the tavern.

"It's Luna ma'am! She- She defeated Grandmaster Ebony Rain!" He called out, manic with urgency.

Celestia felt her eyes widen.

Luna wasn't supposed to have won yet! She should've just reached the city! How could she take down the city in a single day?!

The vision of the broken mountain once more came to Celestia's mind.

While Celestia doubted Luna had literally split the mountain with a giant axe... The message was not one to be misinterpreted.

Luna was strong enough to break the fortress with a single blow.

A single attack.

A single day.

Casúrdomhain had indeed been sundered.