Before the Sun

~~~

"A single day?! How?!" Plowshare exclaimed, emphasizing his words on the surface in front of him.

Said surface being Celestia's mayoral desk in Townhall.

Celestia's confidants had gathered at the shocking news.

Quick Wind was perched on the arm of a chair, uneasily looking between the gathered Ponies. Shelled Seed stood to the side of Celestia's desk, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Timber Sprout looked gobsmacked, sitting placidly in a chair, the woodspony looking unnatural and out of place in such a civilized setting.

Split Decision was pacing the room muttering to himself.

"Who brought the news? Can we trust this Pony?" Quick asked timidly.

"Yes." Celestia nodded. "She was one of Luna's messenger Pegasi. Mare by the name of Vorpal Wind."

Of course Celestia herself had no reason to doubt the news. Luna was meant to drag the remaining tribes down into the annals of history, of that Celestia was absolutely certain.

"I just can't think of how she did it." Split muttered as he wandered past. "Casúrdomhain is- Was the absolute stronghold of the Earth Ponies. The Crown doesn't bother with it, and the Pegasi don't touch it... So how and why does a- And if you'll pardon my language Celestia - mere Unicorn filly of fourteen accomplish it??"

"Forgiven." Celestia remarked casually.

"Doesn't the messenger have details? Anything at all?" Quick Wind asked.

"I- I'm not sure..." Celestia admitted, scratching the fur on her neck. "Is she still here? She can't have left already..."

"I'll go see." Timber stated, standing up and speaking for the first time. "I feel damn useless right now, at least I can do something."

"Thank you Timber." Celestia nodded as Timber made a hasty exit.

Silence reigned in the office.

"So... What now?" Plowshare asked after a moment. "We know your sister won, we know she'll be heading for Pegasopolis next... What do we do in the meantime?"

"Hm..." Celestia hummed. "Well, the way I see it is... Luna had to have done something drastic to break Casúrdomhain... While she still has enough Ponies to march on Pegasopolis, she has to be missing some forces. Could we use the news of this victory to drum up some more recruits? As reinforcements?"

"There have been rumblings asking about another wave of recruits..." Split nodded as he passed by again, his eyes unfocused. "We could make it official."

"But what about the Windegos? We can't put more Ponies into a fight when we all know we should be backing off!" Shelled argued.

"If I know my sister..." Celestia rebutted with a slow nod. "She'll be targeting weak points and flaws in their walls. She'll be working to knock out her opponent as quickly as possible. How that pertains to Casúrdomhain I haven't a clue... But obviously she found one and broke the Grandmaster's back with it."

At that moment somepony knocked at the door.

"Mayor? I've got Vorpal with me." Came the deep voice of Timber.

"You can come in." Celestia called, straightening herself to speak with the unfamiliar messenger.

The face of Timber Sprout appeared in the door, followed soon after by the rest of him. The mare that followed was a cloud grey Pegasus with bright yellow mane, she wore nothing but a leather jerkin, and saddlebags.

In her hoof however was a wild grain pastry that she was busy eating.

“Corporal Vorpal reporting for duty ma’am!” She saluted with her food.

“At ease.” Celestia replied, mimicking the phrase and tone from other Pegasi she had seen training. “We just want to go over the details of my sister’s victory.”

“Of course.” Vorpal nodded.

“Start from the beginning, we want to know everything.” Quick Wind added with a small nod.

“General Luna’s plan was to sack Casúrdomhain so we could use their stockpiled supplies for the fight for Pegasopolis. This I’m sure you know.”

Celestia found herself nodding.

‘That was Luna’s plan, according to Luna’s last letters…’

“General Luna, thought it prudent to abuse the Order’s lax attitude regarding camping outside their wall.” Vorpal continued. “Which, all things considered, was warranted, as a tide of Earthbreaker Knights is better than any wall.”

Again, Celestia nodded.

‘Seeing Appleflower in a fight was terrifying enough, but facing a whole army of Appleflowers needed guts most Ponies simply didn’t have.’

“General Luna, decided to not play by the orders rules of open warfare. Instead she and a select band infiltrated the camp and slew any they found in their sleep.”

The mare had said this so casually and so matter of factly, that Celestia had to blink as she finally registered the words.

‘Luna… Killed them in their sleep…’

It made a sick sort of sense... You simply couldn't fight the Earthbreakers on an even footing. It was a suicide waiting to happen.

But still, Celestia found her self swallowing nervously at the thought of Luna stalking through the darkness, blades bloodied in the quiet night air.

Nopony had told Luna to do that. They had never even mentioned it. Luna - rule stickler to a fault - Ignored the generalized rules of warfare.

“… Why are you all looking disgusted?” Timber asked suddenly.

Celestia shook her head as she was recalled back to reality.

“What-“ Shelled asked, taken aback. “How can you say such a thing?! Don’t you get how barbaric that is?!”

“Have any of you ever been in a life and death fight?” Timber asked.

Vorpal raised her hoof but everypony ignored her.

Celestia technically had, but she had never gone hoof to hoof in Ullahmaiden. No, she kept the shield up and protected Ponies that way.

Celestia chewed her lip and kept her silence.

“Thought not.” Timber nodded. “You ever get between a mamma bear and her cub, you better be willing to defend yourself otherwise you are fucked six ways to Sunday.” He said matter of factly. “And Luna isn’t toying around with bears, she’s hunting Ponies who are even more dangerous than she is. I certainly can’t fault her for hitting the Order in their weak spots." The stallion looked around at the Ponies, seemingly addressing every single one. "And I suspect we all would've done the same thing if we were in her horse shoes.”

Quiet descended on the room as everypony retreated into their thoughts.

~~~

The second recruitment drive was of middling success.

The news of Luna’s victory did invigorate the City, but there weren’t nearly as many Ponies as the first time. Most of whom didn’t have any jobs to do while they all waited for the crops to grow.

Ponies lined up at the town hall by the dozens.

Celestia and her assistants spent days organizing everything, relying mostly on what they knew about Luna's rather arcane organization skills. Eventually however, they did start to see the patterns involved. After that they found organizing Ponies by their skillsets to be much quicker and easier.

It was on the fourth day when Celestia found herself staring at a sheet of paper.

The number of new recruits had dropped off, leaving the town hall in a position were they were ready for more, but weren't entirely sure if they should get back to their normal jobs quite yet. Leaving Celestia alone with her thoughts as she stared at the sheet of parchment.

It was the master list.

With paper being a scarcity, Luna had devised a standardized way to ensure she had all the information she needed in once place on as little of the precious material as possible.

Horizontal lines formed two columns, which at the right side of each line was a collection of five tiny squares. At the top of the columns, above the squares, were the letters. 'M', 'W', 'A', 'N', and 'O'.

This was the most confusing aspect of Luna's paperwork.

Nopony had known what it could possibly mean.

The lines were simple enough, it was where the names of Ponies were put.

But in Luna's master lists, each and every Pony had at least one of these boxes filled in with a check mark or a circle, depending on who filled out the list.

It wasn't until Celesta happened to find Luna's own name did she figure it out.

The boxes under the 'W', 'A', and 'O' columns were marked with Luna's own hasty checkmarks

'Wizard', 'Artisan', 'Other'.

"Oh they're skillsets!" She had proclaimed, breaking the semi quiet atmosphere.

Which again, led Celestia to this quiet moment.

Her sheet was half full, filled with the names of the latest Ponies she herself had dealt with. Her eyes however were fixed on the next blank space.

She played with her quill, tapping its dry tip on the desk.

Indecision marked her features.

‘Should I or shouldn’t I?’ She thought dourly to herself.

Celestia didn’t think she was needed with the army, in fact she was pretty certain she didn’t want to go.

The life of being the de facto Mayor was a difficult one to be sure, but it afforded her comforts she wouldn’t otherwise have.

While it wasn’t much yet, in the fledgling and yet unnamed City, but her needs and basic comforts were all taken care of. She never had to worry about her larder, or about a thin blanket… Or even if her fireplace ran out of wood.

Ponies all did that for her. While she was by no means lazy, she worked very hard everyday to make sure the City was growing smoothly.

It was rather nice to not worry about, and she didn’t want to give that up.

But-

There was a certain appeal to being on the road again.

While she didn’t feel like she did miss traveling at all, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed to go.

The silhouette of a pink maned Pony wearing a gleaming crown swam before Celestia’s eyes.

She tapped her quill incessantly against the wood.

"You'll blunt your quill if you keep doing that."

Celestia jumped in surprise, too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice the Pony standing on the other side of the desk.

"Oh Master!" She breathed when she saw the old and gray stallion most knew as 'that kooky old has-been'. "You scared me!"

"I can see that." Starswirl remarked, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "But still, may I ask what exactly that quill has done to make you hate it so?"

Celestia winced.

"Sorry Master, I just have a lot on my mind." she replied.

"Hm." Starswirl nodded, his ridiculous hat bobbing. "Must be of something of great importance... May I have a look?"

Before Celestia could protest or correct the bearded stallion, the single sheet of parchment became enveloped in the stallion's light grey magic as he pulled it from under Celestia, turning and lifting it so he could read.

"... Ah." He nodded. "You want to go join your sister, but are loathe to leave the City behind is that correct?"

"Astute as always Master." Celestia nodded.

"Have you considered the pros and cons of such a choice?" Starswirl asked.

"I have." Celestia nodded again.

"Hm." The stallion nodded knowingly, setting the sheet down on the desk again. "A thought experiment perhaps. If you were to keep your name off this parchment, would it keep you up tonight when you're trying to sleep?"

"Of course n-" Celestia stopped herself from fully answering.

She hadn't considered that.

If she were to set her quill down right this second and walk out the door of the town hall...

She set her quill down, trying to trick herself in believing she had made her decision.

The feeling that she was making the wrong choice was pervasive.

"And... How would you sleep knowing you will be marching with the army?" Starswirl asked.

Swallowing, Celestia picked up her quill again, and held the tip against the paper. Before she knew it, she was writing her own name on the line.

The quill however was dry.

She paused, lifting the quill when she realized what she was doing.

"It seems to me-" Starswirl said with a somewhat smug and knowing tone. "-That you've already made your choice my student. You just need to come to the realization that you've made it. May I?" He asked, holding a hoof out for the quill.

Still partially in a daze, Celestia put the quill in his hoof.

Starswirl dipped the quill in Celestia's ink pot and scribbled quickly over the page before stopping.

"Do you suppose Alchemy counts as an Artisan or Other?" He asked.

"Pardon?" Celestia asked, coming to her senses.

"These ingenious boxes." Starswirl indicated, pointing at the parchment. "It is a refreshing and interesting way of boiling a Pony down to their bare essentials. To look over hundreds in minutes and get a feel of what each Pony is like."

"It took us days to figure that out..." Celestia admitted. "How'd you do it so fast?"

"I recognize a few names on this list." Starswirl admitted. "Knowing what they do for a living and understanding what your sister would consider 'useful' in this context made the logic self-evident."

He slid the paper back to Celestia.

Starswirl the Bearded [ ] [x] [x] [ ] [x]

"I put both, I think of Alchemy more of an artisan skill, but who knows what is lurking around in my head that may be helpful?" Starswirl shrugged.

"You wish to go with the army?" Celestia asked with surprise.

"Indeed. When your sister reaches Unicornia, I may be able to save or ransack my own laboratory. Depending on how the siege goes about of course."

“O-oh…” Celestia realized.

“Don’t be sad my student. Unicornia is merely the place I chose to store my equipment and conduct experiments. Home for me is under this hat and in this cape.” He informed, touching the brim of his hat and flourishing his cape slightly.

“I just never considered what I was asking Luna to do… She’s leading Ponies against their own homelands…”

“Worry not. The North has been on the brink of destruction for some time now. Even my words of caution to your Grandmother went unheeded. All it needed was a strong spark to catch amongst dry kindling. And your sister has the remarkable tenacity to stay alight, even when suppressed.”

“Suppressed? When has Luna ever suppressed?” Celestia asked, confused and mildly shocked.

“Suppressed might be the wrong word…” Starswirl admitted. “It would be more accurate to say, ‘holding herself back’.”

Celestia found herself to be thoroughly stunned.

“I know you’ve noticed it.” Starswirl continued, leaning on the desk. “During our lessons together, do you remember how she was always ‘screwing up and needing my help’?”

“I- Yes I do…” Celestia nodded slowly.

“She wasn’t screwing up. She was poking and prodding at the spells to see what part of the matrix did what. If she hadn’t been experimenting, she would’ve been learning at a frightening rate!”

The old stallion chuckled.

“I don’t think she was aware of it herself, but I think she was loathe to leave you behind…”

"How could you possibly know that Master?" Celestia asked, somewhat dismissively as she pushed herself out of her chair. "I've known Luna all her life and I've never known what she's thinking at any given time."

"You forget so easily my student, I have quite a few more years on me than you do." Starswirl retorted with amusement.

"But have only known her a hoof full of Moons!" Celestia snorted, letting irritation getting the better of her.

"Have patience my student. One day you too will learn how to read such Ponies." He leaned forward, murmuring with amusement. "You'll have Luna beat when it comes for the inverse at least."

Celestia fumed at that.

"Perhaps it is time for both of us to turn in for the night." Starswirl stated, patting Celestia on her withers. "Sleeping on your decision would be wise."

"Of course Master." Celestia said through grit teeth.

"Have a good night then." the stallion nodded, turning and starting to walk away.

Celestia looked back at the sheet, now uncertain if she really did want to stay in the City.

"Oh and by the way-" Starswirl called out when he reached the town hall's front door. "If you want my advice, don't worry about Luna. Worry about what comes after her.”

The door shut.

Leaving Celestia alone in the hall has the light of the sunset shone on the wall behind her.

"... That's what I'm afraid of..." Celestia muttered, crossing her forearms as leaned on the table. She then put her hooves on her head and rubbed vigorously.

"Grrr!" She grunted in frustration.

'This shouldn't be this hard.' Celestia thought to herself. 'Luna will handle the North. I know she can. I know she will. I just need to leave her be...'

But.

There was the pesky urge that she had to go.

And she wasn't sure if it was because she missed Luna, or if she was jealous of Luna. Or-

A Queen with a gilded crown and a pink mane.

Celestia turned the paper back around so she could read it once again.

She dipped her quill again, taking care to make no mistakes again. The quill tip hovered over the parchment.

But still she couldn't bring herself to put ink on the page.

A drop of ink hit the paper.

Celestia sighed, took a nearby cloth and wiped the tip clean, setting the quill aside.

'Maybe Starswirl's right. A night's rest will set my mind straight.' she thought wearily, standing up and looking around the building for still burning candles.

It would not do to have the town hall burn down overnight.

By the time she shut the outside door behind her, she was looking up into the orange and purple sky.

She sighed, resigning herself to walking in partial light.

~~~

It was five hours later when Celestia returned, the light of the red Moon above her as she reopened town hall.

It was madness to be out so late.

Goodness knew what sort of monster could sweep her into the night, never to be seen again.

But still she could not wait.

She could not take the constant flip-flopping.

So she had decided.

She was going to the townhall.

She was going to sign the paper.

And she would go to Luna.

Not because she was jealous, but because she missed her and wanted to help. Only she herself knew of the prophecy she had made all those years ago. No Pony could fault a sister wishing to support her family. So what if she happened to be in the exact place she needed to be should the worst happen...

She shook her stoppered ink bottle and popped the cork. Setting it down and replacing it with the quill she had abandoned.

The paper lay on the desk where she had left it.

Celestia dipped the quill in the ink, taping briefly to knock off excess ink.

She only needed enough for this one thing.

She set the quill tip on the paper...

She signed it.

~~~

It was a few days later when Celestia found Split Decision standing in front of her desk.

“Can I help you Split?” She asked.

“You signed up for the army.” He stated bluntly.

Celestia sighed.

‘I value you for your ability to look at both sides of an argument Split… But you’ll never intimidate me with aggressive bluntness. You are a pale imitation of Luna when it comes to that.' she thought to herself.

"So I have." Celestia replied with a nod. "What of it?"

"I must protest your inclusion." Split stated. "You are Mayor of the City. Not a common soldier."

"Split..." Celestia replied. "I value you for your ability to look at both sides of an argument. You have a remarkable ability to consider both options. But in this I must insist."

"What possible benefit could you gain by going with the army?" Split asked, disbelieving. "If you only want to see your sister it can be arranged. But signing up is a bit much for that."

"Split." Celestia repeated. "Sometimes in an argument, you must look beyond facts. But!" She exclaimed, interrupting the stallion before he could supply a rebuttal. "Trust me when I say, I have an extremely good reason. One that doesn't involve my sister."

'Not directly anyway...' she inwardly remarked.

Split glared at Celestia, trying to pierce her secrets.

"... This is most irregular." he insisted.

Celestia let slip a sigh in relief.

"On that we can agree..." She admitted. "Now was there anything else you needed from me?"

"You're not even going to consider my argument are you?" Spilt asked.

"Not even remotely." Celestia confirmed.

Now it was Split's turn to sigh.

"I see... Well then... The other thing I wanted to talk to you about is it appears we have another call for a vote."

"Have they finally decided on a name?" Celestia said, rubbing her forehead with a hoof.

"Everfree - as in 'forever free' - and Ponyland... As in 'land of the Ponies'." Split informed.

"I got that." Celestia sighed, already sick of the raging debate. "Hopefully they're sure this time..."

~~~

The valley outside Casúrdomhain was a graveyard.

Literally.

Freshly overturned earth and grave markers filled the land before the mighty walls in the form of both mass graves and individual markers. The sky was over cast and ominous as Celestia passed row after row of the neatly organized markers, safely ensconced in her place aboard the lead cart.

Dark eyed and tired looking Ponies walked between the graves, both mourning and exhuming desiccated forms who wore decorated suits of armor.

The smell of rot was prevalent, but bearable in the fresh air.

More than one Pony glared at the column of newly trained soldiers as they passed.

A Pony who wore an ill fitting cape approached the front cart from the gate, which was held open by thick timbers as Ponies made repairs to the doors.

"Halt!" She shouted. "Who goes there?"

Celestia stood up and held herself up high on the cart wall.

"Hail! I am Mayor Celestia of the South! To whom am I speaking?"

"Dam Gentle Rain Ma'am. What is your business here?" The extremely young mare asked.

Celestia couldn't tell if she was older or younger than Luna.

"We are traveling through the area. To reinforce my sister Luna Northwest of here."

"Oh." The young filly realized. "You're the Pony she conquered us for."

"Ex- Cuse me?" Celestia asked, genuinely concerned.

"Come inside. My Grandmother would like to speak with you." The filly stated, standing aside and waving the convoy through the open gate.

Before Celestia could stop her Ponies from advancing, the cart lurched into motion.

The city of Casúrdomhain was a subdued one, wherein the literal graveyard outside the walls seemed like a festival in comparison.

The young knight, scampered in front of the Ponies pulling Celestia's cart very soon after, leading the way through the streets to the dark keep that had been carved into the mountain side. The buildings, all made with the same sort of brick, looked disheveled... With the occasional charring on the sides of buildings.

The height of depravity however was the town square, where the half decayed corpse of a Pony was still enshrined in the stockade.

The smell was awful as Celestia was pulled past.

"Excuse me?" Celestia called out to the Knighted filly. "Why hasn't anypony removed that body?"

The filly glanced at the stockade, which everypony steered well around.

"He was a Pony who broke the General's word." The filly replied curtly. "She was very insistent. 'Until her neck chaffs'... And so far-" She glanced towards the corpse with worry. "So far she hasn't told us if she has chaffed her neck yet..."

"Oh for goodness sake." Celestia stated loudly. "She was being metaphorical!"

The filly looked at Celestia with dead eyes.

"No she wasn't."

The filly turned back, silently leading the way.

Celestia didn't ask anymore questions.

The front of the keep was remarkedly intact, with the exception of part of the courtyard that was charred and warped by extreme heat.

An elderly mare was waiting for them, dressed in intricately carved and black armor, who looked like she was feeling the weight of her years. At her sides stood a trio of Ponies, dressed in what Celestia recognized as products of Everfree City's forges. A Unicorn, a Pegasus, and an Earth Pony.

"Mayor Celestia." Nodded the Pegasus respectfully, stepping forward and giving a short salute. "Captain Chain Lightning. We are at your service."

"I'd like to speak with the Grandmaster. Alone." Celestia stated, narrowing her eyes.

These were Luna's Ponies, and goodness knew what her orders were...

"As you wish Madam." The Pegasus stepped back.

"Mayor Celestia." The elder mare stated, stepping forward easily. "I've heard a lot about you."

"And I you Grandmaster." Celestia nodded, jumping down from the cart and shaking the Grandmaster's hoof in greeting.

It was true, she had spent the past week or so on the march learning what she could about the elderly mare.

"Shall we then? You must be anxious to speak to me."

"Yes. There are a few... Concerns of mine." Celestia stated diplomatically.

"I'll do my best to accommodate you. I have a spare room this way if you want a private conversation."

"Lead on then!" Celestia agreed.

"Madam, are you sure it's wise-" Chain Lightning started to protest.

"She may be the Grandmaster Captain, but look at her. She looks like the armor is holding her up and not the other way around. I'll be fine." Celestia rebutted before the Captain could complete her protest.

"As you wish Ma'am." The Pegasus saluted again, allowing Celestia to walk away with the Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster led Celestia to a side door, providing access to the castle walls that protected the inner keep.

A brief walk later, the elder knight held a door open, revealing what appeared to be a totally empty storeroom. Celestia entered, the Grandmaster closing the door behind her.

"So you're the Pony who inspired that monster?" She said.

"I'm... Sorry?" Celestia asked, shocked at the rudeness.

"Your sister. Luna." The Grandmaster stated, walking around Celestia and maintaining her distance. "You've had to have heard the stories."

"I've... Heard of a few yes." Celestia admitted. "But I want to hear about what happened from you."

"She killed my whole army in a single night." The Grandmaster stated, visibly controlling her emotions. "Good colts and fillies... Each of them I knew by name. And they are all gone." The mare seethed. "And I have nopony but myself to be mad at."

"I'm... Aren't you angry with my sister?" Celestia asked, confused about what the Grandmaster had said.

"I should be." The mare nodded. "But I can't. She gave us every opportunity to surrender. All of those Ponies - many of whom I held as foals - They could all still be alive right now. If only I didn't let my own pride get in the way of peace." The Grandmaster shuddered. "She asked. Once - the day when she got here - and then again to my face the next day at that big door out there!" She was speaking loudly now, visibly shaking and pointing towards the Keep. "I should've followed the Chancellor."

"So she did wipe your entire army out?" Celestia asked.

"Yes... And even that's my fault. I always trained them to never surrender, even during a last stand. All your sister could do was make a point so all of us didn't share the same fate." The Grandmaster admitted. "And the worst part? She was nothing but nice to us after our surrender. Reinstated the government she had torn down, taking only our store of supplies, and leaving enough for the remaining of us to last a full year."

Again, she shuddered.

"She even condemned one of her own soldiers when they tried to harm a civilian colt. He's the one you saw in the main square on your way here."

"The one who 'broke Luna's word'?" Celestia asked.

"The very same." Ebony nodded. "He should've been cleaned up weeks ago. But nopony dares move it, Luna had made it clear she is quite literal with her word. And wasn't opposed to making it clear she did not approve of anypony attempting to break that word."

"Then what do you want me to do? I'm not going to punish her for no reason."

"I can't expect you to do anything. Your sister is the worst kind of monster... A good one."

~~~

A blue filly stood over a cowering shadow, a sword raised high as she was about to deliver a killing blow.

A bloodmoon... Whose red hue turned pale... Scarlet slowly becoming red... Pink... And finally so white and bright that it hurt Celestia's vision to look at.

The rise of a silver crown, anointing a Pony's head whose face remained in shadow.

A yellow bright Sun overhead, orbiting around the silver white Moon in harmony with it.

A looming shadow diving down at a blue mare.

The rise of winged and horned shadow.

A mare with a pink mane crying tears.

Celestia returned to herself, opening her eyes as the cart she was riding came to a stop.

"Whoa..." The stallion pulling the cart whinnied.

"Guh?" Celestia groaned, sitting up in the bed.

It was early morning. The world still seemed dark as golden rays began to illuminate the world. The Sunlight shone brightly into their eyes as they faced the East.

Below them, still shrouded in the darkness, a storm could be seen. Filling the valley between the Mountain they stood on and another, farther to the East. The occasional flash of lightning could be seen, briefly lighting up the dark land underneath.

Even rarer, was the much duller flash, consisting of all the colors of the rainbow.

"Looks like your sister is busy." A voice she recognized as Timber Sprouts said on the other side of the cart wall near Celestia.

"If she's even still alive..." Shelled Seed grumbled, sitting up next to Celestia.

At that moment, a particularly bright flash of light blue illuminated the clouds.

"Actually I think that was her." Celestia remarked, referring to that out of place light.

"Can't argue that..." he admitted.

"Looks like something pissed her off." Timber stated, lifting his head to look over the wall of the cart and nodding.

Another bright blue flash, in the same place.

Followed swiftly by another.

And another.

'Made her angry indeed.' Celestia drolly remarked to herself as several bolts of lightning flashed at once, seemingly aiming for a single point.

Almost immediately the blue flash returned, which proceeded what looked suspiciously like an orange fireball in the hazy mist.

A nearby Pony whose name Celestia didn't know remarked.

"Gee what a way to go... Have you ever heard of somepony exploding to death?" He asked.

'Clearly not one of the inhabitants of Ùllahdmaiden...' Celestia thought bitterly. 'Nor is he a friend of Tickled Pink..."

~~~

The trip down into the valley took two days. While it was fair weather at first, the second was waterlogged and muddy, slowing their progress.

Thankfully, they arrived underneath Pegasopolis just before Noon.

There ad been so much traffic in the area that a clear muddy path had been carved into the area. All leading almost directly to the lakeside.

But as Celestia went through the two wooden posts driven into ether side of the path, she could see the lakeside.

It was both barren, and muddy.

The only things she could note about the field were the slight ditches that she couldn't see the bottom of. The only Ponies she could see were a group of 20 who guarded the 'gate'.

They didn't stop the procession, instead all they do was nod.

"Ma'am." They stated when they saw Celestia as she sat on one of the front seats.

She nodded back, inwardly surprised on how covered in mud and water logged the Ponies were.

The smell of wet Pony was constant.

A Pony appeared near the hitched Ponies, pointing and giving them directions. The Ponies nodded and veered off to the side of the main path. More Ponies appeared, but for the life of her Celestia didn't see them walk up. The Ponies pulled up alongside a nearby ditch.

A Pony trotted up to the cart as Ponies began jumping off.

“Hello your Mayorship!” She greeted.

“Oh hello. How can I help you?” Celestia asked.

“Don’t need no help marm, just formally inviting you lot to the Victory Feast!”

“A Victory Feast?” Celestia remarked with a raised eyebrow, looking up to the heavens.

Pegasopolis turned overhead.

“May I ask why?” She asked, turning back to the ground bound Pony.

“General Luna ordered it marm.” The Pony shrugged.

"Is- Has Pegasopolis surrendered already?" Celestia asked.

"No marm!" The Pony reported smartly.

"Then why the feast?"

"No idea marm! General ordered it, and the General gets what she wants!"

'What is Luna playing at?' Celestia thought to herself.

"Very well, thank you for the invitation." Celestia replied down to the Pony.

"Ma'am!" The Pony put a hoof to her chest before she scampered away, leaving the cart and it's Ponies alone.

"Tia!" cried a familiar voice.

Celestia turned to see the newcomer who had called, before her eyes settled on a Pony she didn't recognize. But the clear cerulean eyes beaming up at her was very particular.

"Lu!" Celestia replied, leaping from the cart and lunging to embrace Luna.

"I missed you Tia." Luna murmured in Celestia's ear.

"And I you." Celestia replied, nuzzling Luna's dirty coat.

The blue mare pulled away first.

'She must be learning how to be social...' Celestia mused to herself.

"So... Um... How've you been?" Luna asked.

"Busy." Celestia sighed. "Everfree City has been expanding with all the refugees. I've been working at all hours of the day getting things figured out."

"Everfree City?" Luna asked, one of her ears cocking sideways.

""Oh right. A vote was held. It was between 'Everfree', as in forever free, and 'Ponyland', as in the land of Ponies." Celestia nodded. "The consensus was Everfree was a better name for a city, but Ponyland would be a better name for a united tribe."

"Everfree..." Luna said slowly, the gears in her mind turning. "I like it. It makes a degree of sense, being free from the mistakes of our past."

"I agree." Celestia nodded. "Anyway, Everfree City got so many refugees we had to start making up jobs so everypony was actually doing something. That was when word got back to us that you defeated Grandmaster Ebony Rain at Casúrdomhain."

"Hm." Luna hummed with a nod.

"Somehow, the idea of a second call for volunteers got around and we started getting more volunteers." Celestia shrugged. "Since you had already bested one of the remnants of the old tribes, we decided to make it official and started raising reinforcements for you. But it looks like we were too late to help with Pegasopolis."

"Uh... Heh heh... Funny you should say that..." Luna chuckled uneasily.

"How do you mean? I've only been here for ten minutes and I already know you're holding a feast." Celestia inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"It's... A bit more nuanced than that." Luna said cautiously. "So as you know, nopony but a Pegasus can enter Pegasopolis."

"I'm aware." Celestia said slowly.

"So, since we can't actually attack the city directly, I opted for a... Alternate way to attack the city. We can keep them here, but we can't step hoof in the city. So I decided to use the supplies I took from Casúrdomhain to starve the city out. The feast I'm throwing is to tempt the defenders into surrendering, which I have reasons to believe is likely." Luna sat on her haunches and tapped her hooves together nervously.

Celestia's eyes went wide.

"I... See..." she said eventually.

"I know it wasn't exactly what you wanted when you gave me this task." Luna continued to explain. "But I've been giving them a chance to surrender every morning. Breakfast for two, brought to Breakfast Outlook every day. I try to goad them into surrendering by offering food everyday, but when they refuse I come back and give the spare meal to the first Pony I see. Usually Stygian here or Gold-"

"If you've been offering them a chance to surrender everyday, why do you think they're close to? Sun knows how much food they have stashed up there." Celestia interrupted, looking up towards the foreboding city.

"That's..." Luna winced. "If I must talk about it, I'd rather do that in private." she finished.

"... Why Lu? What's wrong?" Celestia asked with concern.

"Tia please... In private." Luna responded.

"I... Ok Lu." Celestia replied softly. "I put you in this position because I trust you. So I'll trust your judgment."

"Thank you Tia." Luna replied.

The two fell into silence as the camp moved around them.

"So..." Celestia stated suddenly. "Interesting camp you have."

Luna snorted in amusement as she looked over the barren lakeshore.

"Come then. I'll show you how we've lasted so long." Luna smiled, gesturing for Celestia to follow. "The wind's not bad right now, but that changes when they come raiding. Same thing with the rain, except that never stops." she explained.

Celestia looked up at the clouds, suddenly very conscious of the water drops impacting off her armor.

"Never stops? What do you mean, 'never stops'?" she asked her younger sister.

"The last time I saw dry weather was when we first surrounded the city." Luna shrugged.

"Then... How-" Celestia began.

"Oh that's easy. Follow me." Luna said casually, before jumping into one of the ditches. Celestia scrambled forward, expecting to see Luna standing in the 'shallow' ditch.

Instead the ditch dropped into a long trench, where Celestia saw an absurd amount of Ponies gathered within.

"Whoa..." She gasped. Luna's beaming face shone up at her.

"Earth Ponies have been fighting Pegasi for centuries, and they developed a few methods to keep them at bay. Come on, there's more to see." Luna explained, gesturing for Celestia jump down and join her.

The impact jostled Celestia's bones as she hit the bottom of the trench.

"We had to excavate most of this while Pegasopolis was trying to drown us out." Luna continued to explain. "Beneath these boards, the trench goes a bit deeper, providing an irrigation system that feeds back into the lake." she pointed towards the lake in the distance. "Would've drained away elsewhere, but the valley's low point is directly underneath Pegasopolis." Luna started walking. "The trenches extend all around the lake, providing cover from Pegasi above. Trust me, it's a nice place to be when they swoop down."

While the idea may have been Earth Pony in origin... There was no doubt in Celestia's mind that the extreme over engineering aspect of the trenches was Luna's doing.

The almost-mare adored going above and beyond with her efficiency.

"That's all well and good, but where is everything else?" Celestia asked as Luna effortlessly brushed past a group of Ponies heading in the opposite direction.

Celestia found herself muttering a few apologies as she found herself partially in the way of their passage.

"See for yourself." Luna grinned, pulling at what looked like a broad wooden board that was keeping the trench wall intact despite mostly being wet mud. The blue filly revealed a dark opening, from which the hum drum of Ponies could be heard.

Before she knew it, Celestia was being gently pushed inside by Luna, who had somehow gotten behind her.

And once more, Celestia found herself as a mere filly being dragged into one of a myriad of taverns and inns by her parents.

Only this time the smell of sweat and mud pervaded everything.

It would've been a mistake to assume that the atmosphere was anything akin to the nightly merry making that took place in such locations, but the overall feel was very much the same.

Ponies who were taking a load off after a hard day's work and taking what enjoyment they could in each other's company.

"You've... Your whole camp is underground..." Celestia realized.

'That explains the wide barren expanse near the lake! They'd have to clear everything to excavate so extensively! Lu you clever...'

"Yup." Luna nodded with a self satisfied grin as she proceeded further into the common room. "I knew it'd be necessary from the start. With all the rain and wind we would've been miserable on the surface. Nevermind how much we'd need to replace with the lightning."

"I see." Celestia hummed, dodging a stallion.

"This way. It'll be calmer deeper inside. We can talk in my quarters." Luna replied, holding another door open for Celestia.

"Thank you... You have quarters?" the white mare asked.

'Even with her projects... She's never been ostentatious... Even as a General I half expected her to cram herself in with the rest of the soldiers...' Celestia thought.

"Yeah. Is there anything wrong with that?" Luna asked.

"No! I'm just surprised is all. I wasn't sure if you'd stay with the other soldiers or not." Celestia insisted as Luna led her into a room that seemed to double as storehouse and kitchen.

"It's been nice to have a place to meet Ponies privately." Luna explained. "It's also been nice to have a place to keep things that should be kept secret."

'Ah. There she is.' Celestia remarked to herself. 'There's that shy filly I know.'

"You don't have to justify it to me Lu. I have a similar situation at City Everfree." Celestia agreed. "Running the city as Mayor is exhausting with so many Ponies."

"At least you don't have to worry about another Mayor wiping you out." Luna remarked as she lead Celestia into another common room, this one much less crowded, but more filled with containers.

"Small blessings I suppose." Celestia chuckled.

"This way." Luna stated, turning suddenly around a stack of barrels.

Something about Luna caught Celestia's attention just then as the blue filly opened another door. On the surface, or at least a few seconds ago, she was relatively normal. But suddenly her movements had become stiff and mechanical.

As if she was being forced to keep moving.

"We can have that private conversation in here." Luna stated, her voice sounding normal, but to Celestia's ear sounded slightly strained.

"Oh? I thought it'd take longer to get here..." Celestia remarked, trying to delay reaching their destination so she could explore this odd behavior even as she stepped inside Luna's door.

"I uh... Uh... Sometimes need to rush outside for something." Luna stated, obviously distracted by something.

"Are... Are you alright Lu?" Celestia asked, concerned about Luna's sudden change in behavior.

All Luna did was calmly close the door, but then to Celestia's surprised she fell onto the log that served as a sort of stool.

"Lu? Luna!" Celestia exclaimed as Luna began to sob uncontrollably.