Before the Sun

by Nephilinae

Rating: mature
Tags: Mystery, Adventure, Violence, Princess Celestia, Death, Princess Luna, Drama, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe
Length: 38476

Once apon a time, in a far away land, there lived a Unicorn filly named Celestia...

Long before their ever was a 'Princess Celestia', there was a land of strife, famine, and two tiny fillies in a forgotten village on the edge of the untamed wilds.

Side story to 'By the Moon', and prequel to the upcoming 'By the Sun'.

Written in Celebration of my 10 year anniversary on FIMfic!

Updates will be sporadic. :twilightsheepish:

Published 2024-08-21 01:20:00 UTC
Last updated 2025-02-17 05:29:46 UTC

Chapter 1 - The City of the Unicorns

~~~

White stone buildings surrounded Tia as she walked behind her parents.

Of course this was nothing new to the pink maned white Unicorn filly. She had lived her life on the road with the blue stallion and lilac mare. They brought her with as they traveled from town to town. By day, either one of her parents would be away for a while, but the remaining one stayed behind to take care of the young filly. When they came to a town, they would go straight for the local inn to stare at a strange board that was nearly always covered in parchments of paper. Tia's Mom and Dad would then whisper quietly to each other, pointing at one or two of the papers. They would then rip it off the board.

The one of them, usually Mom, would pick Tia up and they'd all go talk with the innkeeper. Mom and Dad would discuss adults things like 'payment', 'principle', or some such thing like that.

Frankly it all went over Tia's head.

All she wanted to do was run around and look at all the interesting things in the inn.

Then when they finished their adult discussion, and depending on what time of day it was... They would go to a new room for the night, or one of her parents would disappear for a time while the remaining one played with Tia for the day.

Today was no different.

The only thing that stuck out to Tia, was how many more Ponies, and how much taller the buildings were.

She followed the two older Ponies in almost a daze, openly gawking at the busy sights around her.

"Tia?" Mom asked, drawing the small filly's attention. "Are you getting tired? You're slowing down."

Truthfully, Tia wasn't tired. But she nodded her head anyway to get a ride on Mom's back.

"Up you come then." The large mare stated gently, lifting the three year old filly in her magic.

With a soft plop Tia was deposited on the older mare's withers, whom then sped up a little to match Dad's pace.

"If memory serves..." The blue stallion said to the mare. "There should be another inn around that corner." He pointed down the street.

"If they haven't closed." the lilac mare agreed.

Tia continued to stare at the bustling city, awed that there could be so many Ponies at one time!

Her parents however ignored everything around them, and seemed intent to get to their destination.

The three turned around the corner, coming into view of another bustling tavern.

Tia could only stare wide eyed at the plethora of Ponies dressed similarly to her parents. Traveling cloaks, leather bound books, swords, knives... And plenty more her parents didn't have. Ponies with full suits of armor, shields and pikes... Staves and bows. The sheer amount of exciting looking Ponies was mind boggling.

"If anything looks like business has gotten better." Mom murmured softly to Dad.

"I guess the famine is good for business." He replied with equal softness.

They made their way through the crowd, gently and slowly prodding their way towards the door to the tavern.

"Alright Tia, I need you to stay near me in there. And don't talk to anypony." Mom whispered to Tia as Dad opened the tavern door.

"Yes Mommy." Tia chirped.

"Good." Mom nodded as she followed Dad.

The tavern was even busier than it's outside. Ponies bustled to and fro with large wooden tankards. A group of stallions off to Tia's right started to laugh uproariously at the silly voice of somepony telling a story. A mare sat quietly in a dark corner, a purple lizard resting across her withers.

The atmosphere was alive and full of comradery.

As always, Mom and Dad made a beeline for the ever present board. Ponies moved out of the way to allow the three access. The two older Ponies stopped in front of the paper filled oddity.

"How about this one?" Dad asked.

"No, that'll bring the attention of my family." Mom shook her head.

"Hm." Dad hummed. "How about that? We can do that in an afternoon."

"Maybe if we can't afford Reaver's fee." Mom tapped her chin in thought.

"Come on... There has to be something here... This is Unicornia for crying out loud!"

"Keep your voice down!" Mom grumbled. "I see that twit Cold Iron! If he hears we'll be-"

"Well well well." a stallion's voice sounded, drowning out the entirety of the noise within the tavern.

"Damnit." Mom cursed quietly.

"Look over here lads! We've got a right hard ass over here!" cried a stallion who stood behind the counter, wiping a dirty glass with a rag.

"Cold Iron!" Mom greeted as she turned towards the stallion, suddenly cordial. "Didn't see you over there! How's business been?"

"Well enough I suppose." The rough looking Unicorn admitted. "But you already knew that didn't you?"

"What can we say?" Dad responded. "Everypony's gotta eat."

"Tell that to my boys you put in the dirt." 'Cold Iron' replied.

"You know as well as we do it's all part of the business." Mom replied. "If you can't accept that, get out while you can."

"Aye. Which I reckon is a mighty strange thing to say while babysitting a filly." Cold Iron nodded grimly.

"Well that depends." Mom snarked. "Are any of your boys on the board?"

Cold Iron smirked with a snort.

"Naw. They're all contracted with a merchant as a guard detail. Totally above board."

"Then you don't have to worry about me then do you?" Mom replied. "It'd be a shame to lead an old stallion on a merry chase again."

"Now you say that, but I wonder what your mum would say?"

"Don't know, don't care." Mom replied with a dismissive snort. "Is Reaver in today?"

"I'd wager she'd say differently." the stallion rebutted.

"Is. Reaver. In. To. Day?" Mom repeated slowly.

"Fine fine. Don't get your knickers twisted..." The stallion then leaned back and shouted into the kitchen. "'Ey Reaver! Got a familiar face out here that wants to see you!"

Tia watched all of this with wide innocent eyes, uncomprehending of what the adults were talking about.

The sounds of somepony moving in another room echoed, before a batwing door opened, revealing an aged but strong looking stallion whose back right hoof was a peg leg.

"Oh blimey!" He exclaimed in happy surprise. "Ain't seen yer ugly mugs 'round here for a good long while!"

It was only then did Mom and Dad smile.

"Hello Reaver." Mom replied. "Long time indeed."

"Hold on for a second, I'll be right out." The old stallion stated, walking around the counter to get closer. "Ya gotta be desperate if you're coming here." He said as he drew near.

"Could we discuss this at a table? Where every ear isn't turned to us?" Dad asked.

"That bad huh?" The stallion asked. "I'll see what I can do."

The stallion then turned and began walking down one of the rows of tables, looking for a an open table.

"Hm hm hmm..." he hummed as he searched. "Excuse me miss! Are you done for this evening?"

He was talking with the mare with the purple lizard on her withers.

"Hm? Oh yes, I've just finished." The mare stated, hopping from her chair.

"Thankee kindly miss. I hope our hospitality was warm this evening." He said with a genuine smile.

"Well enough." The mare nodded. "Have a good night."

"You as well miss!" Reaver replied. The stallion then turned back to Mom and Dad. "Shall we?" He asked, gesturing to the table.

Mom lifted Tia off her withers as she took a seat, setting Tia in her lap.

"So who's this little filly?" Reaver asked, nodding at Tia.

"This is Celestia." Mom replied, bouncing Tia gently in her lap. "Say hi Tia."

"H- Hi..." Tia said shyly.

"Aw... Cute filly." Reaver said, booping Tia's nose.

Tia's small hooves snapped to her snout, clutching her nose in surprise.

"Hahhahaha!" Reaver laughed good naturedly. "Oh she's a keeper alright." He then turned back to Mom and Dad. "Which is why I'm guessing you're here. This ain't no place for any filly."

"Correct." Mom nodded. "We're... Looking for something." She said cryptically.

"Lots of Ponies are. But what are you lookin' for?" Reaver replied.

"A job." Dad said simply. "One with a big pay day."

"That all?" Reaver asked with a raised eyebrow. "Hell we got plenty! How about the one with-"

"Those aren't enough." Mom interrupted. "We need a lot."

"... You two didn't get mixed up with any less than reputable organization have you? Bein' in debt isn't great, but surely you haven't taken that-"

"It's not like that." Dad interjected. "We've-" He shared a glance with Mom, who nodded. "We're planning on moving South. Take what supplies we can and leave before this famine gets any worse."

Reaver leaned back in his chair.

"I see..." He said gravely. "I suppose that makes sense... With the price of food going up all the time..."

"So you'll help us?" Mom asked hopefully.

"I can try. But I don't think anypony is willing to give out that much scratch. For any job. Only one I can think of is The One." His voice dropped into a whisper at the last two words.

To Tia, it felt like a cold breeze swept through the tavern. And barely, just barely, the various candles, lanterns, and the roaring fireplace didn't seem all that inviting anymore.

Mom and Dad shared a worried glance.

"We... See." Dad said slowly "Is it still in the same place?"

"You're not actually thinking about taking it are you?" Reaver asked.

"For now, no." Dad shook his head. "But we might be forced to. It'll be good to go get a look for a refresher."

"I can see you're desperate." Reaver replied. "But I have to ask you to think about your filly."

"It's because of her we want to leave." Mom snarled softly.

The old stallion sighed softly.

"Then all I can do is wish you the best of luck. Just remember..." He lowered his voice. "Trust nopony. You know how things stand."

"We know." Dad nodded.

"Then fortune be with you." Reaver said, pushing himself to his hooves. "And may the Alicorns bless your fate."

And just like that he was gone, disappearing into the crowd of Ponies.

Mom and Dad looked at each other.

"So the palace board eh?" Dad asked.

"I can go." Mom insisted. "If you don't want to."

"And risk your family recognizing you? I don't think so missy." Dad replied.

"Alright fine." Mom relented. "Do we want a room here then?"

"Nah, Reaver's a good stallion, but Cold Iron is liable to try something."

“I’d like to see him try. Finish what I started as a filly.”

“Easy girl.” Dad laughed. “We’re supposed to be good parents now.”

“Whatever.” Mom groaned. “Let’s just get out of here.”

With that, she removed Tia from her lap with her magic and slid out of the chair. Tia however was swiftly placed on Mom’s withers as Dad joined her in standing up.

“Just a bit more Tia, and if you’re a good girl we can get a treat later!”

“A treat?” Tia asked, her tiny ears perking. “What kind of treat?”

“We’re just going to have to see aren’t we?” Mom grinned as they made their way out of the tavern. The street was perhaps even more crowded now, as the evening sky began to dull into a bright orange.

“We better get a move on if we want a room tonight.” Dad said.

“Right.” Mom replied with a nod. “How about the Pickled Manticore? If we’re lucky we can get our old room again.”

“Sun’s sake mare… She’s right there!”

“Oh she’s too young to know what we’re talking about. Besides, when she’s down for the night and if we’re quiet…”

“You’re insatiable.”

“Is that a no?”

“Aren’t you nervous about being here? At all?”

“A bit.” Mom admitted. “But these are our old stomping grounds. While I don’t think I’d be able to fit into half the places I used to, I’d bet we’d still get away with a ruckus if we needed to.”

“I swear, Tia here will be a right and proper rogue if you get your way.”

Mom giggled at that but didn’t otherwise reply.

The two then walked in comfortable silence, allowing Tia to observe more of the city.

They eventually came to another inn, this one much more dingy and much less populated.

Even to Tia's young eyes it looked like it was falling apart.

Wordlessly, Mom and Dad entered the inn.

The smell of smoke filled Tia's nose as she was brought inside.

The occupants of the inn weren't like the cheerful inhabitants of the other inn. They wore their grimy and hole filled cloaks and the hoods were still up, mostly hiding their faces as they drank their 'forbidden juice'.

Mom and Dad went to the counter, where the barkeeper was pouring a drink for one of the customers.

"Excuse me." Mom asked after she drew the barkeep's attention. "Would you happen to have a room available?"

"Not sure ye'd want ta bring a filly here youngin." He grumbled, gesturing at Tia. "Pretty things like her tend to... Disappear around here."

"If you value the continued use of your testicles... I wouldn't recommend that." Dad replied mischievously. "Those sort of things tend to... Disappear around my wife." He grinned.

"Heh. Dun blame me if ye never see 'er again... Yeah, I've got a room fer ye."

"We'll take our chances." Mom said grimly, putting a few bits on the counter. "That'll be enough for you I think."

"... That'll do well enough." The barkeep stated, quickly scooping the bits underneath the counter. "Here's the key."

A key was slapped onto the counter, which Dad swept up with equal swiftness.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Mom smiled grimly.

"Not on yer life..." The barkeep growled softly as he turned away.

Mom ignored him as she turned and began walking away, heading towards a dark hall to the back of the bar.

"Not the same room." Dad reported, examining the key.

"Shame." Mom sighed. "Ah well. Can't win them all."

They swiftly came before a door that Dad stuck the key inside and turned the lock. The door opened with a creak, revealing a dark and musky room. Both older Ponies lit their horns as they peered inside; Mom a silvery lavender, and Dad a gleaming orange.

Cautiously they slipped inside, shutting the door behind them with a click.

"You check under the bed, I'll start the wards." Mom stated.

"On it honey." Dad said as he bent down and began searching under the bed.

Tia was used to this by now and hadn't moved from her place on Mom's withers.

"Bed's clear." Dad said as he stood straight. Mom's horn strobed as she continuously wove spells around the room.

"There." Mom said as she finished her ritual. "Nopony getting inside here now. Alright Tia, you can hop off if you want."

Despite permission being given, Tia instead yawned.

"'M tired..." She said, snuggling into Mom's coat.

"Aw, watching all of the strange Ponies sure was exciting huh?" Mom asked with a coo. "Okay then, we'll get you to bed then."

"Mkay..." Tia yawned again, snuggling further into Mom's coat.

The familiar warmth of Mom's magic wrapped around the filly, gently lifting her and placing her squarely in the center of the only bed.

Tia didn't open her eyes as the familiar weights of her parents pressed onto the bed besides her.

"So no good boy reward tonight then?" Dad said with a mirthful tone.

"With that comment, you're lucky you're not sleeping on the floor lover boy." Mom teased.

"Oh you wound me Neb!" Dad replied with mock hurt. "Besides. Weren't you the one who suggested it?"

"That was before I knew this place went to Tartarus. This place has always been cheap but damn, didn't know it had gotten this bad..."

"Do you want me to keep watch?"

"Nah, I'll stay up for a bit."

"... You want to stare out the window at the palace don't you?"

"... I do miss them sometimes." Mom admitted.

Tia finally fully succumbed to sleep.

~~~

Tia awoke with a twitch as she smelled something delicious. She lifted her head and took a sniff.

"Good morning sleepy head!" Mom called excitedly, sitting on the bed next to Tia. "Your father got us these." She said, waving a honey glazed bun in front of the filly's nose. "Because you were such a good girl yesterday." She smiled kindly.

Tia gasped as she took the treasured honey bun in both hooves.

It was still warm!

"Thank you daddy!" she squee'd adorably. But then her expression fell as she realized Dad was not there. "Where is daddy?" she asked.

"He has things he needs to look into." Mom replied easily. "He'll be back tonight."

"Oh..." Tia's ears drooped.

"Hey don't be like that." Mom cooed gently, cupping Tia's face with a hoof. "We've still got a new city to explore! We can go look at all the silly suits the well-to-dos are wearing, or we can go draw mustaches on all the important looking statues!" she continued, poking Tia in the tummy. "Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Tia giggled in reply.

"Yeah!" she squee'd bouncing in excitement.

"Then come on!" We don't have all day!" Mom smiled cheerfully, lowering herself so her withers were even with the bed.

"Yay!" Tia cheered, gleefully taking her usual place. "Onwards! To adventure and mustaches!"

"Yes! Mustaches!" Mom giggled as she fully stood up.

The trip back through the inn was uneventful, save for Mom stepping cautiously around one of the local drunkards... Otherwise the inn was quite unlike what it was the night before. Without the gloom of the night, all the dirt, grim, and various stains were on full display.

The street however was an entirely different story. Ponies bustled about in the fresh and bright morning air, going about their lives as they always had.

"So the trick to the mustaches Tia..." Mom began to explain. "It's not that you don't want to be seen, but you've got to be in a decent place to escape when you are spotted."

"Hmhm." Tia nodded, only half listening.

"Ideally, on the other side of a bush or fence, but in a tree works too."

"Hmhm." Tia nodded automatically.

"Normally you can get away with ignoring any regular Pony when they tell you to stop, but you've got to watch for the guard... They'll usually sound big, mean, and intimidating. But that's all for show. They're mostly a bunch of pushovers."

"Hmhm..." Tia's gaze began to wander.

"They'll chase you if they see you, but that's also when they're at their worst. That armor is heavy, and the academy mostly focuses on spellwork rather than physical prowess..."

Tia's ear flicked.

"Hm?" The small filly hmmed as her attention was grabbed.

"What is it Tia?" Mom asked.

"I... I don't know..." Tia admitted softly.

It was... A sort of music that tickled her small ears. Like a village of Ponies were singing. It was so beautiful and mesmerizing that she had difficultly turning her attention elsewhere.

But still, Tia being the good filly she was did her best to ignore the strangely magnetic noise. No matter how much she tried however, she kept wandering back to the singing that rose and fell as Mom walked through the streets.

It was when the music was at it's loudest when Tia broke.

"Mommy, what's that sound?" she asked.

"Hm? You mean the town crier?" She asked, pointing at a Pony who was loudly ringing a bell.

Truth be told, Tia didn't even notice the loud obnoxious brass bell.

"No." Tia replied. "It's like singing."

Mom cocked her head and swiveled her ears to listen.

"... I'm not entirely sure I understand what you mean." She confessed after a moment. "Do you mean the auctioneer?" She gestured up the street to a market square, where even here a fast paced voice was trying to sell something.

"N- No. The-" Tia tried to hum along with the distracting music, and to her surprise found it incredibly easy to keep in time with the notes.

Mom was silent for a moment as her ears swiveled again.

"... I'm sorry sweetie but I don't know what you're talking about." she apologized.

"Why not?" Tia asked with a whine. "It's so loud! How can you not hear it?!"

"I don't know what to tell you sweetie, but I don't hear anything."

Tia was silent for a moment before she frumped.

"... Fine." She relented, keenly focusing her gaze on a brick wall on the other side of the street.

"If I hear it I'll let you know Tia." Mom soothed, turning her head to give Tia a brief nuzzle.

Reassured Tia, met Mom’s nuzzle. But her frown returned as the larger mare went back to walking.

The singing… It was so attention grabbing!

How could anypony else not hear it?!

Even now as Mom walked calmly on, the music rose.

Tia felt her ear twitch in irritation as Mom began to steer away from the song, making it go slightly quieter.

It was when Mom took the completely wrong turn that Tia had enough!

She leapt to the ground decisively, and galloped away with the impulsiveness of youth!

“Tia! What’s gotten into you?! Come back here!” Mom yelled behind her.

Tia ignored Mom, focusing only on getting closer to that beautiful music!

She dashed past Ponies and carts alike! Squeezing through what ever she had to! One notable example was between a mare’s legs, or even disrupting a game of tag between other foals!

“T- Celestia!” Mom exclaimed. “Get back here at once!”

Again, Tia ignored mom.

The music was practically calling Tia’s name.

Things came to a head when the music came from inside a large iron banded door.

Tia was about to try forcing it open when familiar warm magic wrapped around her barrel.

“Gotcha!” Mom exclaimed in triumph, breathing heavily. “Little scamp!” She clutched Tia to her chest as she caught her breath. “Sun above… Now I know how my Mom felt…”

“Ma’am?” Asked the strange voice of a stallion.

Tia - who wasn’t struggling in Mom’s embrace looked up to see a Unicorn in golden armor, regarding her and Mom with a curious expression.

“Sorry sir, my daughter here just decided to scamper off! She didn’t mean anything from trying to enter the Cathedral.”

Indeed, as Tia looked around her surroundings, she was now at the base of a tall building, one who’s spire reached high above the already impressive door, carved out of intricate stone work.

“Just keep your foal under control ma’am.” The Unicorn stated. “The Sun Priests are performing a delicate ritual today and shouldn’t be disturbed."

“Yes sir.” Mom nodded. “Thank you for being understanding.” She continued keeping Tia clutched to her chest as she backed away.

It was the next street over before Mom sat on her haunches and lifted Tia to her face.

“What has gotten into you young lady?” She asked. “You know better than to run off in strange places.”

“Yes’m.” Tia mumbled, throughly chastised already.

Mom’s face softened.

“No harm done I suppose… But I will be telling your father about this.”

“Yes’m.” Tia repeated.

“Now what do you have to say for yourself?”

“‘M sorry…” she mumbled dejectedly.

Tia wasn't sorry for running away, she was sorry for scaring Mom. Even now, those heavenly notes called to her.

Mom clutched Tia to her chest again, this time in a hug.

"I'm just glad you're alright..." She said softly.

Tia returned the hug, clutching at the older mare's barrel with her short arms.

And yet... The small filly could not help but glance longingly as she pressed her face against her mother's chest fluff, in the direction that the music was coming from, faint now... But undoubtedly present.

"Alright Tia, come on up." Mom urged gently. "I want to show you how to quietly pry open barrels."

"... Okay Momma..." Tia said looking up at the older mare's face.

~~~

Night found Tia laying on the hotel bed, playing with an interesting knot she had liberated from a wooden barrel that had come loose earlier that day. Mom paced the room as the sky outside drew dark.

"Come on Astral... Where are you?" She muttered.

Tia hummed happily, making the hunk of wood hop across the bed.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The two Ponies froze.

Tia didn't know why Mom did, but she did because she always did when somepony knocked on their room in a tavern.

Mom crept towards the door on silent hooves.

"Who is it?" She called.

"Best student in the academy!" A familiar voice called.

Mom sighed and opened the door, revealing Dad.

"In your dreams." She responded, before enveloping the stallion in a hug. "Missed you ya big lug."

"Missed you too." Dad said, nuzzling her shoulder.

"Did you find it?" Mom asked.

"No... Had to forge a few papers to get a new license." Dad replied, pulling away from the hug.

"Damnit." Mom cursed, stomping a hoof.

"Just a few days... Just enough to get a few rewards under my new belt."

"That's dangerous Astral..." Mom warned.

"Hey." Dad grinned. "It's me we're talking about."

"That's precisely why I'm worried." Mom retorted.

"You worry too much." Dad defended, turning towards Tia. "Oh there's my little girl!" He cooed. "Have you been a good filly today?" He asked.

"Pf. No." Mom snorted. "She decided to run off and tried to get into the Cathedral."

"Aw! Already looking for the good stuff! She's a natural rogue for sure!"

"What's a rogue?" Tia asked innocently.

Mom gave a rueful snort.

"Now you've done it." She stated as she leapt onto the bed and lay next to Tia.

"Have not." Dad replied, shedding his cloak and throwing it over a chair. He then joined the mares on the bed opposite Mom with Tia in the middle.

"But what's a rogue?" Tia asked again.

"Don't worry about it." Mom said, kissing Tia's forehead. "Just get some sleep sweetie."

"But I'm not tired!" Tia protested.

Mom smiled knowingly.

"Hush quiet now It's time to lay your sleepy head..." She began to sing, her voice sweet and melodious. "Hush now quiet now it's time to go to bed..."

Tia was out like a light.

~~~

The next day found Tia and Mom wandering the streets of the giant city again.

"So Tia, was there anything you wanted to see today?" Mom asked.

At first Tia was about to say something along the lines of 'I dunno', but right at that moment a few faint notes of the siren song from the day prior whispered in her ears.

"Mommy? What is a cath-e-dral?" She pronounced slowly, trying to get the word right.

"I should've seen that coming..." She sighed. "A cathedral is a grand building that Ponies go to worship at."

"What is... Worship?" Tia asked.

"That's..." Mom paused. "That's something I'll tell you when you're older."

"Ah come on Momma!" Tia whined. "What is it?"

"You're really taken with the Cathedral aren't you?" Mom asked, sounding tired.

"Uh huh!" Tia nodded.

"... Fine." Mom sighed. "We can visit the Cathedral."

"Yay!" Tia cheered, bouncing in place on Mom's withers.

"Ow!" Mom winced. "Could you not do that sweetie?" she asked.

"Sorry Momma." Tia apologized, stopping immediately.

“Thank you dear.” Mom replied. “Do you want to walk there yourself? You seem awfully excited for this.”

Instead of replying, Tia hopped down and started prancing in place.

“Can we go now can we go now can we go-“

“Very excited.” Mom said with an eye-roll. “Yes we can go now.”

“Yay!” Tia squee'd, running in the direction the music was coming from.

“Whoa! Slow down Tia! We have all day!” Mom protested as she cantered to keep up.

The Cathedral was much the same as it had been the day prior, except this time the large doors were wide open and the guards allowed Ponies to enter and leave freely.

“Ok Tia, remember-“ Mom said, having finally reigned in the rambunctious filly. “No running, and no shouting. You are to be on your best behavior.”

“Yes Mommy!” Tia chirped.

“Good, I’ll hold you to that.” Mom said sternly as she herded the small filly through the doors.

The Grand Cathedral was grand indeed. A high vaulted ceiling, featuring a mosaic of a grand crème colored winged Unicorn, his wings forming a circle directly at the highest point in the ceiling. In his hooves, was a large ball of light that he was offering down to the multitude of Unicorns that rimmed the entire room.

Colonnades then traveled down the walls, forming alcoves in which stained glass windows were set into the wall letting in shafts of daylight fall onto the ground below. The windows depicted various scenes that Tia had no context for, although they all prominently featured the cream colored winged Unicorn stallion.

Of the floor itself, Tia couldn’t see much, as two spiral staircases rose before her, leading from a low entrance to a higher yet open floor.

Tia stared up with awe at the architecture, flabbergasted that such things were even real. She even forgot for a moment the enchanting music that drew her here.

“Tia?” Mom asked, already ahead and looking back at the white filly. “Are you coming?”

Tia nodded and scampered to rejoin the older mare.

“Those Ponies in the robes are the priests, they take care of the place.” Mom pointed out. “Watch out for the orange and yellow robes though, they tend to be… Just point them out to me if you see one.”

“Okay momma.” Tia nodded, glancing around and taking everything in.

Ponies of all sorts filled the Cathedral, ranging from the extreme poor who sat on various wooden benches, to Ponies like Mom who looked like they could handle themselves. The third and final sort of Pony was one that Tia had always known existed, but had never met in person before. A Pony dressed in crisp, clean, and flamboyant dress strolled past, attended by what appeared to be three personal servants.

Tia however kept at her mother’s heels, making sure to keep close regardless of the angelic music that filled her ears.

“Come on Tia, let’s go look at the windows.” Mom encouraged.

Tia nodded, quickly catching up with the older mare.

The windows were indeed magnificent, little shards of multicolored glass were arranged, forming a picture. There was that horned Unicorn flying over all the other Unicorns! And there was the same Pony! This time sitting in a throne! At his sides were more winged Unicorns! Letting the regular Unicorns bow below!

The next one Tia saw... Confused her.

It was a hooded Pony standing on a cliff, with their hoof pointing towards what Tia could only describe as a 'swirl'. Blue, green, and purple shards of glass formed to what Tia would call a flower, but was held high in the air, like the Sun would've. Below the hooded Pony, the winged Unicorns marched, their heads bent sorrowfully as the Unicorns looked on and wept.

Her confusion only intensified as her face was suddenly filled with the dusty smell of red cloth filled her nostrils and eyes.

"Aah!" She jumped, bouncing backyard in fright.

The Pony she had accidentally walked into glared at her from underneath his red hooded robe.

"Oh I'm so sorry Father!" Mom exclaimed, jumping between them with startling speed. "This is her first visit to the grand Cathedral! She doesn't know the proper decorum yet!"

"Hmf." The red robed Pony grunted. "That is no excuse to be letting your filly be off her leash." He stated testily.

"That is my fault I admit." Mom said pleadingly. "I'll be sure to watch her closer in the future..."

"See that you do. If she had run into one of the cardinals, or light forbid his excellency... This conversation would be a very different one indeed."

"Thank you for your kindness and benevolence!" Mom bowed deeply.

"Quite... I- Say... Have I seen you before?" The robed stallion asked.

Mom froze in fright.

"Ha- Ahah... I don't see why you would- I'm just a merc from the outer country showing her filly the grandeur of the Light while we're in the city on Business... I have been able to visit once or twice in my years... Perhaps you have a good memory for faces?

"Celestia..."

Tia turned her head, surprised at the voice that sounded directly in her ear.

"I thank you for the compliment madam... But I don't think that's it... I see so many Ponies a day I can't keep track of them all."

Nothing. Only the rustle of a passerby's cloak several lengths away...

""Come Celestia..."

Tia looked around, searching for the voice she could hear so clearly.

"I guess I just have one of those sorts of faces! Everypony thinks they recognize me!"

"Follow my voice..."

That time the strange noise seemed to float away, swiftly disappearing amongst the bustle of Ponies.

Tia walked forward.

"No that's not it..."

The conversation Mom was having faded out of Tia's ears as she listened for the musical voice.

"From light to life..."

Tia dodged Pony, focused solely on her task.

"From life to death..."

Tia came to a wall, which was closer than she thought.

"From death... To Darkness."

The voice was moving quickly to her left, along the wall.

"All must one day give up their light, and return to the fires in which we all came."

The voice seemed to stay still, as several red and a single orange robe fluttered past, letting a door close behind them.

"But the torch must be renewed..."

The voice continued, quickly fluttering between the closing door and the wall.

Tia dashed quickly, narrowly getting her tail in at the last moment before it closed with a heavy thump.

"The light must be reignited."

The voice continued to zip strait into a dark and foreboding hallway only occasionally lined with candles.

Tia huffed as she followed, her small hooves making slight clicks against the stone floor.

"Yet the renewal cannot happen with the old."

The voice turned, leading Tia into a dark shadow as a door opened somewhere in front of Tia, light spilling in from a window.

The quiet mutterings of the passing priests dulled the voice somewhat, but it remained clear to Tia as she listened.

"To make room for new growth, the garden must be trimmed." The voice murmured in Tia's ear, directing her to be quiet.

"But the garden will not give up it's soil."

The voice began to move again, prompting Tia into action.

"From Light to life."

The voice repeated, turning into a corner.

Tia followed dutifully.

"From Life to Death."

The voice stopped, causing Tia to skid to a halt on the floor.

"From Death to Darkness..."

Tia didn't know why the voice had stopped, for nopony came to see Tia as she stood plainly in the open.

"From Darkness..."

The voice started to move again, but to Tia's amazement, it instead faded into the wall.

"-Light!"

Tia was confused.

She had to get past this wall... But didn't see a way how.

While she couldn't ordinarily open a door anyway, she could wait for somepony to open one if she needed.

But this was bare wall.

There wasn't even a window or tapestry.

It was just wall.

Tia tapped on the wall, wondering if this was one of those... Trick doors Mom and Dad sometimes talked about.

She tapped a few, but grew frustrated with every tap.

The voice was moving ahead! She had to hear everything!

But the wall didn't open up to allow her through.

Upset, the small filly began to push on the wall.

"Tia!" called a voice.

Tia turned to see Mom galloping down the hall, Ponies in red robes and golden suits of armor behind her.

"Tia!" Mom exclaimed, all but tackling the small filly in a hug.

"Momma?!" Tia shouted in surprise.

"Oh I'm so glad to see you!" Mom assured Tia. "But don't you ever walk away like that again young lady!" She admonished in the next breath.

"Momma I-"

"You two are under arrest for violating the inner-" A guard stated, thrusting a spear in front of the mare and filly.

"Enough Flame Fury." A quiet but solid voice interrupted.

A mare in an orange robe approached, the crowd of Ponies clearing the path to allow her easy passage.

"Can you not see this is merely a mare collecting an innocent foal?" She asked the guard, gesturing at Tia and Mom. "A foal whose only crime is doing what foals do?"

"Thank you milady. Thank you-" Mom thanked the Pony in orange.

"If I may ask however," The mare asked, leaning around Mom to address Tia directly. "What would excite a filly in such a dreary hall as this?"

"I uh..." Tia searched, looking for an answer that didn't sound like a lie.

"Chasing an imaginary friend perhaps?" The mare asked.

Tia froze in astonishment.

"Yes..." She said slowly, nodding her head.

"I see." The mare said rather sharply. "Would the words 'From Light to Life' mean anything to you?"

Tia was more astonished.

"From Life to Death..." She nodded.

"From Death to Darkness." The mare intoned solemnly. "From Darkness-"

"Light." Tia finished.

Mom glanced between the two uncertainly, utter confusion on her face.

"... Um?..." She asked slowly.

"Worry not dear madam." The mare explained. "There is no harm done. I would however, like to invite both of you into my sitting room for tea."

"O-Oh!" Mom gasped in shock. "I'm flattered your eminence Really, But I am just a humble-"

"Leave us." The mare interrupted, turning to her gold armored lackeys and her fellow priests.

"Y-Your eminence?" The guard who had just been threatening Mom with a spear asked. "Are you sure that-"

"I said ‘leave us”.” The mare insisted testily.

“A-as you wish.” The guard stammered, he and his ilk backing away.

Silence fell as the other Ponies shuffled back out if the hall.

“Apologies.” The mare stated, turning back to Mom and Tia. “My name is Cardinal Morning Glory. And I’d like to discuss a few things with you.”

“… Oh… kay?” Mom replied slowly. “Thank you for the offer you eminence. Really. But we need to get moving. My husband is waiting for me and-“

“Don’t lie to me Nebula Glow.” Morning Glory interrupted.

Mom froze again.

“Yes I know who you are.” The mare nodded.

“… What do you want?” Mom asked, all pretense of friendliness gone.

“From you? Nothing at all. I won’t even tell your family you’re in the city.” The mare stated with a smug smirk. “I merely wish to speak with the filly.”

“… You want to speak to my three year old filly…?” Mom asked slowly.

“Oh I don’t care if she’s yours or just some wretch you found on the street. By all the rules of the land, she is what she appears to be. A peasant.” Morning Glory brushed past Mom, stepping to the wall that Tia still was leaning on. “Let me help you little one.” She said to Tia, her horn glowing a rosy pink.

Cluck.

Tia jumped back in surprise as the wall started to move!

“Whoa!” She gasped as a portion of the wall slid back to reveal a dark corridor.

Morning Glory shot Mom another smug smirk.

“After you.” She stated.

Mom shot the mare a glare and picked Tia up.

“We are leaving.” She growled.

“Those words your filly spoke.” Morning Glory interjected before Mom could turn away. “Do you know what they mean?”

“You know I’ve never been the greatest student in theology.” Mom muttered.

“Quite. Let me explain then.” The mare said fully turning to address Mom. “Those words are ones my order consider sacred. You will not however find them in our holy books.”

“Then what’s so special about them?” Mom asked.

“Come in and find out.” The mare gestured into the opening in the wall.

“No. You tell me here and now.”

“If you insist on being difficult I can easily call the guard back. Your mother would reward the clergy for your capture.” The mare informed. “I hear she’s dying to meet you again.”

Mom looked conflicted.

“… Fine. But I won’t suffer any funny business.” She relented, stepping into the opening and lighting her horn.

“I wouldn’t dream of it for this.” Morning Glory replied bluntly.

“… What is your game Cardinal?” Mom asked warily, glancing backwards.

“My ‘game’ is what it always has been Nebula.” The orange robed mare stated. “The preservation and safe keeping of the light.”

“If this is some convoluted attempt to ‘convert’ me -“

“Do you want to know why your filly is attracted to this wall or not?” Morning Glory huffed.

Mom put her hoof down with a clop.

“Fine.” She repeated. “I’ll play along for now.”

With that, Mom finally plunged into the darkness with Tia.

Tia’s ears flicked as the slight echoes of hoof steps surrounded her. The next thing she knew however, was that she was in a dimly light room. Illuminated by gently glowing yellow crystals that were mounted in candlesticks. There were shelves full of books and jars full of different things that Tia recognized from various alchemy shops.

The center of the room however held her attention.

There were several overstuffed armchairs, all surrounding a small table and a lectern.

The lectern however was the centerpiece of the room, for a gently glowing book rested on top, waiting for somepony to open.

The room was stuffy, but cozy.

Mom froze as she laid eyes on the book.

“I-is that-?” She stammered.

“It is.” Morning Glory said, sliding past Mom and Tia. She quickly busied herself with one of the cabinets. “If you would be so kind as to take a seat please.”

Mom approached the nearest armchair, but did so as she expected something with teeth to jump out of the glowing book.

“You and your filly are perfectly safe.” Morning Glory said appearing next to the table with a tray of over turned teacups, a plate of some sort of dry pastry, and a large sort of mug that had a bent spout reaching from it’s side. “You should know as well as I do that you need to open the cover to be in any danger.”

At the mare’s side, a strange metal ball that was filled with holes now hung, which made a soft clunk as the mare sat on the opposite side of the table.

“All you need to do is look away and flip the cover open for Tia and I to die.” Mom retorted.

“Not today I’m afraid.” Morning Glory smiled, righting the cups and beginning to pour from the strange mug and its bent spout.

A gently steaming stream of a clear brown liquid emerged from the spout and fell into the small cups.

“Oh do sit down Nebula, at least act like a civilized Pony.”

Mom glared at Morning Glory, but slowly sank into the chair, transferring Tia to her lap with her levitation.

“What is this about?” Mom demanded when she settled.

“Straight to the point then? Very well…” Morning Glory sighed. She picked up the hole filled metal ball and set it on the table. "Do you know what this is?"

"It's a censer." Mom stated, rolling her eyes. "Everypony knows that."

"Does your filly?" the Cardinal asked.

"I- No she doesn't." Mom answered quietly.

"What is it?" Tia asked, looking up at Mom.

"It's-"

"It's an incense burner young one." Morning Glory interrupted. "By fire we are made, and by fire we send our prayers up to the Sun."

"If you're going to interrupt me explaining things to Tia, could you at least use smaller words?" Mom asked testily.

"My apologies." Morning Glory amended. "We burn certain herbs in the censer so the smoke rises and takes our prayers with it."

"Oh." Tia replied, slightly disappointed.

"While new to my daughter, this doesn't explain why you wish to speak with her." Mom stated, growing more impatient by the moment.

"Yes indeed. An excellent question." Morning Glory nodded. "There are several mixtures we use as incense. But there is one such mixture that we guard jealously." Morning Glory then produced a small velvet bag and placed it next to the censer. "While it may seem like a common incense, this mixture has a secret effect to it."

The mare then opened a part of the curious metal sphere and the bag, and began to feed several pinches into the ball.

"Get to the point." Mom practically growled.

"It is an open secret that our order is gifted with foresight." Morning Glory continued. If she had heard Mom speak she had made no sign of it. "Ponies come to those of the cloth for advice, and we oblige... There are... Certain individuals amongst us however who are true oracles."

"The point." Mom repeated, actually growling this time.

"If you'd allow me to explain like a civilized Pony we would've already been done with this conversation." Morning Glory snapped.

Mom looked like she was about to explode. But she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Continue then." she breathed out.

"Thank you." the strange mare nodded before she continued. "How do you suppose we find such individuals?"

"I'm certain you'll tell me." Mom replied bluntly.

"This is where our special incense comes in." Morning Glory smiled smugly. "If I were to light this censer, you in particular Nebula would only remember the scent. From your coming of age ceremony. But for those certain few - including myself - we would see glimpses into the beyond."

"... You parade this drug in front of everypony just to see if they hallucinate?!" Mom asked, disgust evident on her face.

"How else would we search for those amongst us who will achieve great things for the Light?" Morning Glory asked.

Mom pinched her nose in frustration but was otherwise silent.

"... Presuming you aren't trying to abduct my filly, what does this have to do with Tia?" she finally asked.

"Oh come now." Morning Glory rolled her eyes. "There's no need to be droll."

"You lot have had a feud with my family for generations." Mom stated. "Don't deny it. Even if Tia didn't smell your incense, you'd have plenty of reason to keep her as a hostage."

"I believe I already made it clear that I do not care who her mother is Nebula." The Cardinal replied coldly. "Do you know how many of my order find themselves standing before that hidden door?" she asked, pointing to the dark hallway where they had entered.

"Four." She stated before Mom could reply. "Four Ponies in the thousands of years since our Lord left us. Each and every one was an oracle of great renown." She then pointed at Tia. "And now I find a mere filly of three years old pawing at our sacred wall! Do not think me to be so crass as to suggest you leave her here! You know what this city is like! Once word gets out everypony and their mistress will be wanting to have a 'helpful' word with her! I do not care what you do or where you go, all I'm asking is to make sure I'm correct in my assumption." She gestured at the censer.

"... You're trying to protect her." Mom realized.

"Yes." Morning Glory nodded.

"Why?" Mom asked bluntly. "If you were to weasel her away from me, she would be on your coat tail."

"Because of my own vision I had when I was first exposed to this mixture." Morning Glory stated. "I remember it like it was yesterday... A tiny filly who emanated light, but who I knew must remain uncorrupted by my, or anypony else's designs." The mare informed, a far away look in her eyes.

She shook her head.

"But I must know." she reiterated, now picking up the censer from the table and holding it forward.

Mom looked between Tia and Morning Glory, uncertainty on her face.

"... Alright." she relented finally after several tense moments. "But if you harm one hair on her head... I will rip you in half and your order will never see that thing again." Mom pointed-

-at the glowing book on the lectern.

"She will never leave your arms." Morning Glory reassured her. "I swear my life on the Element of Honesty."

Mom looked the mare up and down.

"... Very well." She said finally, apparently finding no deception.

"Thank you." Morning Glory dipped her head in thanks. She then flicked her horn, sending a single ember into the strange ball. The mare then closed the lid, and stood up. "It will take a moment to take effect." The mare informed, gently swinging the censer back and forth.

Tia watched in confusion at the adults.

There was much about the conversation she didn't understand.

Adults were wei-

~~~

Tia found herself in an open field, buffeted by a violent and cold breeze.

She blinked in confusion.

Wasn't she just in a warm and slightly stuffy secret room? How did she end up here? She didn't remember leaving...

What do you see child?

"I..." Tia stammered, answering the strange voice without question. "I see a..."

What did she see?

The wind whipped at her mane! Forcing her to squint as she looked around the strangely dark field.

What do you see?

Ponies... A crowd of Ponies shuffling forward! Devouring the dry grass with every step! They were so gaunt and their eyes were so maddened with hunger, that Tia saw more than a few shovel whole clumps of dirt into their mouths as they ate at the sparse grass.

"I see Ponies... Ponies who are starving." Tia stated.

Anything else?

"No I- Wait." Tia stopped herself as the Ponies disappeared.

While the wind persisted, Tia now found herself standing on a smooth stone floor, with black, white, and grey patterned tiles.

Before her, lay a mare who faced away from the filly, dressed in exquisite finery that was worth more than Tia had ever seen.

A golden crown lay besides her head, dull and unpolished.

The mare wasn't moving.

"I see a Queen, who is dead. But I don't know how..." Tia stated.

Can you go further?

"No I-"

A mare in an orange robe approached the fallen Queen, exchanging her orange robe for a yellow one before she knelt respectfully before the corpse.

The mare was startlingly familiar...

"I see the Cardinal Morning Glory... Putting on a yellow robe and mourning the Queen..."

Good... Good... Is there anything else?

Again Tia's surroundings changed. But rather than stone, she stood in a field of snow. Ahead, a crowd of Ponies clamored.

But above them all... Stood a white Unicorn with a pink mane, speaking over the crowd even as they quarreled.

"I see a mare..." Tia began.

But as she spoke, the Ponies before her faded away, leaving a dark void in their wake.

A dark shadow of a mare stalked out of the darkness, aggressively drawing a sword as the mare's eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"A shadow... Who's drawing a sword..." Tia stammered, shocked, but not horrified by this shadow despite it's disturbing nature.

Again, without her input the scene shifted. But she found herself back in the desolate grass land, the thunder of hooves approaching.

Tia turned to see a living tide of Ponies, angry and holding weapons of all kinds.

Above them, the shadowy mare orchestrated the tide like a puppeteer. But their was no malicious glee on her face, only grim determination.

"A rising tide... Controlled by the shadow..." Tia gasped.

The living tide of Ponies disappeared, fading away into the ground before they drew close to Tia. In it's place however grew a mountain, dark and tall. However, it was split in half... Like a giant had taken an axe to it and split it open like a melon, causing it to leak a river of fire from it's heart.

"A sundered mountain..." Tia said in awe, unable to think of another word to describe what she saw.

The mountain became enveloped in a raging storm, which roared and shook with fury as it covered and swallowed the mountain. But as Tia watched, chains shot up from the shadowy mist, surrounding the storm and dragging it down into a waiting cage.

"A storm brought to heel..." Tia said in wonder, her eyes reflecting the silent thrashing of angry lightning.

As quickly as it came, the storm cloud shrank, now forming the shapes of two Ponies.

One was the mare of shadow. The other was a faceless Pony, but one who wore the crown that was previously on the ground.

The Queen was kneeling.

"A humbled Queen..." Tia said quietly.

A bright light pierced the darkness, drawing Tia's undivided attention.

The mare was gorgeous. While her face was hidden in her own shadow, brilliant light illuminated her shape from behind.

Soft pink hairs surrounded a long and brilliantly white horn, which in turn sat in front of a gleaming crown of gold, appearing perfect and almost divine on her head. The mare's white coat looked pure, spotless, and extraordinarily well groomed.

The mare calmly regarded Tia, her facial features remaining utterly hidden in her sillohette.

"A... A mare of Light..." Tia said in awe as she met the figure's gaze. "Who will be Queen..."

~~~

Tia jerked awake!

"Huh? Where am I?!" She asked as she hysterically searched her surroundings.

It was the hidden sitting room, with it's soft crystal lights and dusty books.

Morning Glory had taken a seat, her mouth wide open in shock.

"What happened?" Tia asked, now calming down when she felt the familiar warmth of Mom behind her.

Mom's face matched that of Morning Glory's.

"What?" Tia asked. "Why are you staring at me?"

"Uh... Ahem!" Morning Glory cleared her throat with a cough. "Tia was it?" She asked,

"Y-Yes...?" Tia responded uncertainly.

"How... How clear was your vision? How 'real' was it?" She asked.

Tia took a moment to remember what was going on.

"Oh. Oh right!" She said excitedly.

But then she remembered the exact shocking experience, causing her ears to droop.

"It was... It was like I was there..." She muttered quietly.

"Hm." Morning Glory hummed, before sliding the plate of dry cakes towards her. "Here. I believe you may need some cheering up little one."

Tia looked up at Mom to see if it was fine.

Mom only had eyes for Morning Glory.

"What was that?!" She all but shouted. "I thought you said it would be harmless!"

Morning Glory jumped at the sudden noise.

"I'm as surprised as you are!" She defended herself. "Everypony else sees one maybe two things! I didn't think we'd be getting a whole prophecy!"

"Momma, what's a prophecy?" Tia asked, quickly grabbing one of the cakes but not eating it.

Just in case Mom said no.

"Don't worry about it honey." Mom replied, sparing Tia a quick glance before she rounded on the orange robed mare again. "I don't care what it is! You're very lucky she doesn't seem hurt!"

Tia quickly shoved the cake in her mouth while Mom wasn't looking.

It was the best thing she had ever tasted.

She wasted no time grabbing another.

"Look I'm a mare of my word!" Morning Glory said, standing up and standing aside to lead them away. "Not a hair on her head! She's yours to do what you wish with!"

"You're damn right I'll be doing what I want!" Mom exclaimed, standing up as well and rearranging Tia so she was once again on her withers.

Tia's horn sparked, and the plate of cakes became enveloped in a cheery yellow glow.

"I am going to leave! I am going to go find my husband! And we are all going to leave and never darken your doorstep again! But I swear to the Sun, if you try to push any of this 'prophecy' shit on us I will be very willing to put everypony who you send to the torch!" Mom exclaimed angrily, brushing past Morning Glory, but not before rudely smacking the Cardinal's nose with her tail.

The plate of cake followed, still held firmly in Tia's newfound magic.

Her hooves were moving rapidly, shoving the delicious cake into her champing mouth.

"I don't need to Nebula! Nopony escapes fate! Not you! Not me! And not whatever is in store for your daughter!"

Mom didn't reply, instead she huffed and marched quickly through the dark hallway. Her horn sparked, and a crack of light appeared before her as she stomped forward.

Once more Tia found herself in the hallway that started this all, now seeming bright and airy compared to the stuffy room they were just in.

Tia didn't dare drop the plate of cakes.

Mom continued heedless of the red robed priests happening to pass by, almost pushing one over as said Pony didn't get out of the way fast enough.

Mom continued her angry march all the way to the initial door, which she tore open with a snort.

The gold clad guard on the other side of the door jumped in surprise at the sudden disturbance.

He stared wide eyed and mouth agape at Mom.

"What?" Mom asked irritably, steam coming out of her nose.

"N-Nothing Ma'am!" The guard saluted.

"Good." Mom growled before she once more began her march.

The crowd split before her, unwilling to irritate the mare who had so easily cowed on of Unicornia's finest.

Before Tia knew it, the Grand double doors to the Cathedral itself slammed shut behind her.

It wasn't until she had joined a crowd of passerby and the Cathedral disappeared out of sight before she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew..." She sighed, wiping her brow with the back of her hoof. She then sat on her haunches and levitated Tia into her hooves to hold the filly. "Are you alright Tia? You're not hurt are you?" she asked tenderly.

"Cake!" Tia chirped, holding up the now empty plate.

Mom's gaze drifted down to Tia's now bulging belly.

"... Oh your father's going to kill me..." She sighed.

~~~

Tia stood in darkness.

But she wasn't afraid.

Mostly because it wasn't total darkness.

Above her, the golden Sun and a silver orb circled each other.

Perfectly in balance.

It made Tia's heart happy beyond words to see this, although she couldn't explain why.

But she did find herself giggling at the display.

But it wasn't to last.

The silver orb flickered before it fell, landing a few lengths away from Tia.

Confused, Tia looked between the now dull orb and the golden one up above.

She cocked her head in confusion before she got to her hooves and approached the dull orb.

"Hey!" She squeaked. "Hey you're supposed to be up there!" She admonished the orb as she walked closer.

It was only when she drew within a single length did Tia hear the orb sniffling. She stopped in surprise.

Since when did orbs sniffle?

"Hey... Are you alright? Why are you crying?" Tia asked, approaching slowly.

And suddenly the dull orb wasn't an orb, it was a Pony who lifted her head, and her coat was no longer grey, but jet black.

The mare rounded on Tia so fast that the filly could barely blink before the mare was in her face!

The shadow's teeth were sharp like a wolf's, her mouth twisted into a furious snarl. Her eyes were a blazing teal, burning with utter hatred.

I WILL END YOU CELESTIA!

~~~

"Gah!" Tia exclaimed as she sat up.

"Hm? What's wrong sweetie?" Mom asked, jolting at Tia's sudden movement.

Tia's heart hammered in her chest as she came to the present.

It was the next morning... She was in the inn her family had been staying in these past few nights...

All was well.

But that didn't stop her heart from running it's race.

"I... Nothing." Tia stammered. "Bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mom asked.

"Do I have to?" Tia asked timidly.

Mom looked like she was about to reply when somepony chose that moment to knock at the door.

Mom held a hoof to her lips to indicate Tia should be quiet, but Tia found herself shutting up regardless.

Cautiously Mom approached the door.

"Who is it?" She called innocently when she reached the door.

"Husband to the second best student at the academy!" Came the cheerful voice of Dad.

Mom rolled her eyes but undid the locks anyway.

The door opened to reveal the tired, but smiling form of Dad.

"Did you get it?" Mom asked.

"Got it!" Dad replied with an excited nod. "Just like we thought!"

"Oh thank the Sun..." Mom sighed, pulling him inside and relocking the door. "You'll never guess what happened yesterday." She continued.

"Depends." Dad replied. "What hornets nest did you still your nose into this time?"

"I didn't do anything." Mom said, before she produced Tia's former cake plate. "But Tia here is definitely going to be a rogue."

"Whaaaat?" Dad asked dramatically, taking the plate from Mom and examining it. "This is one of the Cathedral's! How'd she manage that?" He asked, looking at Tia who was still gathering her bearings.

"That's were the hornets nest comes in..." Mom admitted pulling Dad down to sit on the bed. "Tia wanted to go to the Cathedral... Y'know to see the building."

Dad nodded in understanding.

"Turns out... Tia here is... I don't know how to say it... Like an Oracle or something? A really damn good one at that." Mom stated.

"... So how-?" Dad asked, holding the fancy plate up.

"She got that because the Cardinal we were talking to gave her an entire plate of oat cakes for what she went through as an apology... She just didn't return the plate as the Cardinal and I were arguing out the door."

"What'd she go through?" Dad asked, the plate drooping in his grasp.

"She gave a full prophecy. The real deal kind." Mom insisted.

"Was it about-?" Dad gestured between him and Mom.

"No I don't think so." Mom shook her head. "But you know how those get, vague and cryptic and all that. She was going on about shadows and dying Queens and goodness knows what else."

"That's certainly a damper on our plans..." Dad said quietly.

"Yeah... I can't imagine the big guy dying without one of those big deal sort of prophecies." Mom nodded before scooting back to sit comfortably on the bed.

"... We don't have to kill him." Dad said after a moment.

"What are you on about? Of course we do! That's what the bounty is for!"

"It isn't actually! I saw the sheet as plain as day! Any information at all is worth it's weight in adamantium!" Dad said excitedly. "All we gotta do, is poke around, see what we find, and come back. Damn near nothing is known about him, so it's a literal gold mine waiting for the first prospector!"

"It's dangerous and you know it!" Mom replied. "While a bounty that big and nothing is known about him? Hello? That means every poor sap who's found the edge of his influence has been squashed!"

"Oh come on, we're two of the best mages around!" Dad rebutted. "We can deal with a few minions at the edges!"

"I'm not worried about us!" Mom replied. "I'm worried about her." She gestured with her head at Tia, who was watching with interest, but unknowing of what they were talking about.

"Okay. Not a problem." Dad replied with a nod. "You take Tia to our place in Queensford, lay low for now. I'll go start an early investigation. It'll be easier for me to travel and get in and out if we don't have to watch both our backs and for our filly."

Mom looked between him and Tia.

"Ugh... Damnit. I don't like it, but you're right." She groaned, putting her head in her hooves. "I hate it when you're right..."

"Look on the bright side." Dad replied with a smirk. "It's early spring, you'll have all Summer to get settled in for the long haul, and if I'm quick I can be back in your arms before Autumn."

"I'm holding you to that." Mom said, perking up and pointing a hoof in Dad's face. "If you don't I'll-"

"You'll what?" Dad smirked. "Hug me and love me even more?"

"Sun above I hate you sometimes."

"Love you too dear." Dad replied, leaning over and laying a gentle kiss on Mom's forehead.

The two held each other for a moment.

"... So do you wanna sell this to the barkeep downstairs? I doubt he's ever set hoof in the Cathedral and may not know where it came from."

"I knew I loved you for a reason." Mom replied with a giggle.

Author's Note

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA :flutterrage:
Fuck this chapter took me a long time to write! :twilightoops:

As for why there's barely any names used, keep in mind this story is drawing from Tia's knowledge, so things in the beginning will be... Slightly childlike.

Chapter 2 - The Birth of the Sister

~~~

It had been nine Moons since Tia and Mom had come back to Queensford.

The most boring place ever in Tia's opinion.

There were no interesting Ponies to watch. There were barely any other foals to play with... The closest being the twins two years younger than she... And she wasn't allowed to wander the woods around the incredibly tiny village.

It was just straight plain old boring.

It was even worse now because Winter had set in, leaving little to do but huddle next to Mom and the fire as the days wore by.

Everytime Tia complained about being bored, Mom would snort and say:

"Not for much longer I'm afraid."

Tia didn't know what that meant.

When she asked Mom what that meant, she would only pat her belly.

"You'll see." she said cryptically.

The only plus side was she was allowed to get as close to Mom as she could under the blankets. But that happened every year during the winter. The only difference was the lack of a warm Dad on her other side.

And that was clearly a change for the worse.

Even worse, everytime Tia asked about him, Mom would get this really strange look.

“D-don’t worry about it.” She’d say.

And then later, Tia would get woken up by the sounds and shaking of Mom sobbing into a spare blanket.

She stopped asking that question after the third time.

Mom didn’t move much, even before Autumn set in.

Tia didn’t notice it at first. But now that she had little to do, she couldn’t help but pay attention.

Mom’s belly was getting huge.

She looked like a somepony had stuck legs and a pony head on a violet pumpkin.

Ponies kept saying she was pregnant, but that only confused Tia more.

When she asked Mom, she’d sniffle and reply:

“You’re going to have a sibling.”

But that didn’t make sense either!

How could a brother or sister come out of a Pony?!

To Tia’s knowledge only poop and pee came out of a Pony, and those tended to be very poor siblings.

It was evening when Mom suddenly grunted in surprise one day.

Tia could barely hear her over the howling wind between the ramshackle sticks and dry mud.

“Tia…?” Mom called, sounding sick.

“What’s wrong Mommy?” Tia asked, cocking her head and ears.

“Tia… I need you to go to Warm Hovel’s… Tell her ‘it’s time’… She’ll know what to do. Listen to whatever she says.” Mom gasped, seeming to fight herself.

“Mom?” Tia asked.

“NOW.” Mom groaned suddenly.

Tia jumped back in fright, unused to seeing Mom snap at her.

“O-okay!” Tia stammered, quickly getting from out under the threadbare blanket and dashing for the door, where slightly warmer cloaks hung from a hook. She quickly pulled hers down and bundled herself up as best as she could.

“Grrrh!” Mom groaned behind her.

Tia bundled herself up as fast as she could.

She was out the door in a flash.

While the meager hut they lived in offered some protection from the cold, it did nothing for Tia as she fully stepped into the rushing wind.

Night had fallen, but still Tia could see the flurry of snow between the glow of other fires in other huts.

The thought that she was alone and outside during the most dangerous time of the day made itself known to the filly… But she pushed past it and took her first steps in the gathering snow.

“Miss Hovel!” Tia shouted, pushing her way through the weather as quickly as she could. “Miss Hovel!”

Warm Hovel’s hovel was not far, in fact ahead of Tia, a door opened to reveal the face of the very mare she sought.

“Tia! Whatever is the matter?” She asked, concern and worry creasing her face.

Tia huddled against the mare as she tried to regain the warmth she had lost even in that breif stint in the blizzard.

“Is your mother alright Tia?” Warm Hovel asked.

Tia nodded.

“She- She said you’d know what to do…” Tia managed to say through chattering teeth.

“I see.” The larger mare stated evenly. “Come in and stay the night next to our fire.” She ushered Tia inside, quickly depositing the filly next to a roaring fire.

“T-thank y-you…” Tia said, still shivering.

“Dear!” Warm Hovel called, addressing her husband Torchlight as he looked from across the fire. “It’s time for Nebula. Keep this one safe for the night. I’ll be back come morning.” She informed.

“Aye marm.” The stallion nodded.

Before Tia could glance back at the mare, the door had closed, and Warm Hovel was gone.

"W-What's happening?" Tia asked, warming up but still cold.

Torchwood fixed Tia a long unreadable look.

"... I'm not sure it's my place to tell you." He said at long last. "It'd be best if you tried to get a good night's sleep little one."

Tia wanted to protest, but Torchwood's daughter - Firelight - a filly of eight beat her to the punch.

"Oh come on Dad. She's gonna figure it out eventually. Just tell her now!" the other filly snorted.

"It's not our place." Torchwood insisted, chiding his daughter. "I won't be saying anything, and I better not be catching you saying anything either young lady. It's Nebula's decision and I will be abiding by it."

The conversation died away as Firelight grumbled.

Tia however could not bring herself to fall asleep. Instead she held her ratty cloak tight and stared into the roaring fire.

Outside, the faint voices of Ponies shouting across the village reached Tia's ears, but the words were hard to make out against the gale wind.

Conversation was light inside the hovel as the minutes became hours however. Whispered mostly between Torchwood and Firelight. They sometimes tried to bring Tia into the conversation, but Tia wasn't paying enough attention to answer more than 'yes', 'no', and 'I dunno'.

Instead her ears were trained on the foreign hut's door, hoping beyond hope that Warm Hovel would return and tell Tia she could go back home, and that everything was alright.

The only thing that answered was the howling wind, which sounded disturbingly like a chorus of ghosts in the night. Singing their lamenting praises in a rising tide of noise.

She must've dozed off for a time, for she found herself jumping at the voice of Warm Hovel, already returned and speaking with her husband.

"Oh never mind. I guess she's awake." The mare stated as she saw Tia.

"Huh?" Tia asked, sounding tired to her own ears.

"Did you want to go home Tia?" Warm Hovel asked. "Your Mom's got a surprise for you."

"W-hat kind -f surprise?" Tia asked.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise." Warm Hovel smiled. "Did you want to spend the rest of the night at home?"

"Plz." Tia nodded.

"Up you come then little one." the mare smiled, walking to Tia's side and gently helping her rise to her hooves.

The next thing Tia knew, she was trudging through the snow again. But this time, the wind was not nearly so violent, and the red Moon shone above, illuminating the snow covered village as if it were day.

The cold shocked Tia into wakefulness, although she still wanted to cuddle into Mom's side and fall asleep.

As she and Warm Hovel approached home, several more of the village's mares shuffled out of the hut, looking tired and ready for bed themselves.

None of them paid Tia any mind as they passed.

Warm Hovel opened and held the door open for Tia.

"Th'k yoo..." Tia muttered as she passed the threshold.

The smell slapped Tia awake once again, the hut now smelling of sweat and something Tia couldn't identify.

There were still several mares in the hut, but Mom herself lay where Tia had left her.

The other mares looked freshly woken compared to the tiredness that lined Mom's face as she held a bundle in her forehooves. But despite that, she was smiling.

"Tia..." She sighed, exhaustion tainting her voice. "Come here... Come meet your sister." she said with a dreamy sigh, slightly opening the bundle of blankets for Tia to observe.

Tia didn't know what the feeling was that settled in her stomach as she approached, but she kept calm as she peered down when she got close enough to see.

Bright blue eyes peered up at Tia from the bundle. Small dark blue hooves waved in the air, reaching for things unknown to Tia. A happy gurgle tickled Tia's ears.

"This is your sister, Luna." Mom smiled.

The shadow that haunted Tia's dreams had been born.

Author's Note

Okay... Back to the normal chapter lengths... For now. :applejackconfused:

Chapter 3 - The Long and Dark Night

~~~

Celestia grunted in effort as she lifted.

It had been nine years since Luna had been born...

And once more Celestia's family had grown smaller.

Nebula Glow was dead.

The young Unicorn that was named Celestia didn't know how to feel. She had so many conflicting emotions it was hard to keep track of everything inside her head.

She had lost family before, nearly ten years ago before Luna was even born. She knew the sharp tongued stallion she had known was likely dead, laying undiscovered in a ditch somewhere... But emotionally she had always held onto hope that one day the stallion would come through the doors back into her life.

So she had never really mourned his passing.

Nebula Glow... Mom, was a different story.

She was dead. Dead and gone. There could be no mistaking that.

The Hydra's acid was much too powerful.

Which led to Celestia's final conflict.

Luna.

Emotionally Celestia was frustrated with the blue filly.

Why hadn't she been faster?!

Why wasn't she crying?!

Didn't she care?!

Intellectually however Celestia knew that Luna was still dazed from her ordeal with the Hydra. But there was nary a tear welling in the corner of the filly's eyes.

Additionally, if Luna hadn't done what she did when she did, they all would've died.

Celestia still wasn’t sure how Luna had slain the beast…

All Celestia knew was Luna had been standing alone and still as the Hydra approached. The next moment, the Hydra was dead, and Luna was covered in its blood.

Celestia heaved, dropping the body of Warm Hovel into the fire.

Poor mare didn’t deserve this.

But then again, who did?

Celestia turned away from the roaring blaze, content to let Torchwood do his grim work while she did hers. Luna plodded after her.

Luna was helping… As much as a filly of nine - whose magic was tenuous at best - could anyway. She would mindlessly follow Celestia, helping hold a limp off the ground while Celestia held the brunt of the weight.

It was when the two got to the half melted body of Mom did Luna finally react.

But instead of hysterical crying or sobbing - which Celestia herself could not stop - Luna merely averted her gaze. She stared wide eyed at the trees, the trampled grass, even other bodies if they happened to cross her vision.

But never once did she look at Mom.

Finally, Celestia heaved, tossing the melted form of the mare who raised her into the fire. Luna vanished in a small puff of ash as she ran away. Celestia could only stand at the edge of the fire and sob.

A hoof wrapped around her withers.

Celestia looked with blurry eyes to see the shape and colors of Firelight.

“We’ll be alright…” the older mare stated.

“I don’t see how.” Celestia managed. “Us twelve are all that’s left, and three of us are fillies.”

“One of those fillies brought the beast down.” Firelight reminded.

Celestia snorted.

“Look at her Firelight, she doesn’t care. She acts nice but there are times I’m not sure she has a heart.”

“Is that what has you upset?” Firelight asked, surprise creeping into her voice.

“Look at her!” Celestia whispered. “She’s not shedding one tear!”

“Oh is that all?” Firelight asked.

Celestia sputtered in outrage.

“How dare-“

“Take a look at her again Tia.” Firelight nodded towards the blue filly. “She’s not standing around like Emerald and Sapphire, she’s throwing herself into the job and doing what she can.”

Celestia cocked her ear in confusion, but took another look at her young sister.

Luna walked right past the other two fillies, who watched the fire with equally dazed expressions, their mouths hanging slightly open.

Luna’s expression was of hard determination, her eyes boring into the ground.

“She’s trying not to show weakness.” Firelight nodded at Celestia’s side. “Some Ponies are just like that. Look at my Dad for example, he’s the doing the same thing.” She pointed toward Torchwood, who’s face was stone like as he tended to the fire.

“… Why aren’t you more sad about this?” Celesta accused.

“I am.” Firelight nodded. “But this isn’t my first. There used to be four other foals my age when I was around their age.” She pointed towards the three young fillies, two of whom were slowly backing away from the third.

“… What happened?” Celestia asked.

“Timberwolf attack. We were playing in the woods nearby… I was the only survivor.” The mare pulled back digging through the fur on her right foreleg. “Bastards gave me this.” She continued, showing a vicious looking scar that looked like irregular teeth marks. “Thankfully, there were some older Ponies nearby who heard us screaming and drove them off.”

“That’s awful…”

“Yeah.” Firelight nodded solemnly. “I won’t say that fucker wasn’t bad-“ She pointed at a nearby head of the Hydra that wasn’t burned yet. “But there isn’t much that compare to seeing your friends being torn to shreds and getting close and personal with their wooden jaws… At least with the Hydra you get swallowed quickly or get melted so there isn’t much blood.”

“But there’s so many…” Celestia argued.

“And we shouldn’t forget that.” Firelight nodded. “But we’re only peasants. Only Hoarfrost is a trained guard and he’s a frosty jerk who won’t teach us anything meaningful… Like it or not this is our lot in life. We die, we mourn, we move on. That’s just the way things are.” She jerked her head towards Luna. "Your sister, if she realizes it or not, at least understands that. Probably thanks to Emerald and Sapphire."

“It shouldn’t be…” Celestia muttered.

“Well, until somepony comes along and changes that, we’re stuck with what we have. And good luck getting anyone with any amount of power to change that.”

Celestia didn’t say anything, but the visage of a pink maned Unicorn wearing a gleaming and polished crown swam in her vision.

Her gaze wandered back to Luna, who was gathering the crude spears that had been abandoned and putting them into a neat pile.

The shadow was going to bring about that Queen of Light…

‘How could darkness bring about light?” Celestia thought to herself.

“You’ve made your point Firelight…” Celestia said finally, getting up to leave. “I’ve… I’ve got a lot to think about…”

Chapter 4 - The Morning Comes

~~~

“Hello? Tia?” Luna’s voice called from the nearby room.

Seven years had passed since that fateful night with the Hydra. In that time Celestia and Luna had both grown considerably.

Celestia had become the Mayoral assistant under Mayor Treesong. She had found a knack for organization and speaking with Ponies on the behalf of Treesong. It was a satisfying job that she liked. While yes she could be called on all hours of the day, it was very irregular and thought provoking work.

It gave her an appreciation for all sorts of Ponies.

That included Luna.

While she would never admit it out loud, she had quietly disliked Luna a tiny bit when she was a filly. Her knack getting into trouble was astounding, and with Mom preoccupied most of the time, that meant Luna often scurried to her side, which severely limited Celestia’s freedom.

That had changed in Ùllahdmaiden.

With Sapphire and Emerald gone out of their lives, Luna was given a clean slate to work with. The ‘knack’ for finding trouble had disappeared overnight. Luna was quiet, and mostly kept to herself. Several similarly aged foals had tried to replace Emerald and Sapphire, but they had found that Luna was too quick and easily stepped out of the way when they tried something.

Celestia remembered seeing one such instance, very early on in their residence, where somepony had tried to ambush Luna with a bucket of stagnant water. Luna hadn’t even looked at the filly. The dodge was so effortless and smooth that she continued on her way as the filly was left with her own bucket overturned on her head, dripping wet.

Whatever their problem was, it was nothing compared to the personal vendetta Emerald and Sapphire had.

And so the bullying had died off, finding the ‘fertile’ ground to be too hard and inhospitable to root.

Luna herself had become an apprentice at the blacksmith. She would calmly work at the anvil and forge for hours, quietly going about her business.

It was during when Celestia was accompanying Treesong to the Blacksmith when she saw that Luna was not as heartless as she had thought as a filly.

Woodsong had been visiting, regarding an order for farming tools. Brickwork had been too busy with Appleflower’s armor, so Luna was the one who did the forging.

Luna was showing Woodsong all of her work regarding the order, but instead of making the same tools over and over again, each one was subtly different.

When asked why, she replied:

“Because I assume this is for the farmers, and they all like certain things.”

She then pointed at a hoe.

“Spring Onion gets too excited while hoeing, so he prefers duller hoes so he doesn’t dig too deep.” Down the line she went. “Hardwood doesn’t know his own strength, so I reinforced the head…”

It was a startling thing to Celestia, who watched with a growing realization.

Luna did care.

Luna cared an awful lot actually.

But she didn’t show it like everypony else.

So Celestia started paying attention.

It was the little things, the things that nopony really paid attention to. Like making tools to exacting personal specifications. Or preparing something so it is as easy as possible for the next Pony to use.

Celestia had never noticed it before, and most Ponies would never know.

The only reason Celestia noticed it, was when somepony irritated Luna.

She would make her displeasure known by leaving things as she found them instead of optimizing them for the next Pony.

Celestia blinked several times to return to the present.

“Hey Lu. Give me a moment to finish this sheet.” She replied, quickly going down the sheet and checking over everything.

“Take your time.” Luna replied as she closed the door behind her. Celestia finished her paperwork with the flurry of a quill to sign her name. “How was the blacksmithery?” She asked, turning around on her chair.

“Good, same as usual.” she approached, sitting on her haunches. “But there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“Oh? What’s wrong Lu?” Celestia asked with concern.

Luna almost never ‘needed’ to speak with anypony unless it was important, which was usually something she couldn’t do by herself.

“Well…” she sighed, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. “Lately I’ve been thinking…” Her hooves started to nervously tap. “I love it here in Ùllahdmaiden, but lately I’ve-”

Celestia lunged, enveloping the smaller Unicorn in a hug.

“Oof!” She grunted as Celestia squeezed.

“You’re a young mare and you’ve been wondering what else lies out in the world.” Celestia stated knowingly.

“H-how did you know?!” Luna stammered.

Celestia put a hoof to her mouth and giggled.

“I’ll tell you a secret Lu, everypony feels that way at least once.” she smiled.

“But you-” Luna began to protest.

“I was having the same feeling about the time we left Queensford Lu. I was trying to gather the courage to bring it up to Mom.” Tia interrupted.

“O-oh. I never knew that.”

“I know Lu. I didn’t want to hurt you until my decision was made.”

“I’m sorry Tia.” Luna sighed.

“For what?”

“For holding you back when you could’ve been out there in the world.”

While it was true Celestia did feel that Luna was in the way at the time, there really wasn’t all that much she truly stopped. And now that Emerald and Sapphire were truly gone out of their lives and no longer forcing Luna to take cover behind Celestia, it was the least true it had ever been.

“Oh Lu.” Celestia tittered. “You’ve never held me back. Besides, I got my wish and I even got to bring my family too… For a short while.”

The mood in the room grew somber as both sisters fell quiet.

“I made this for you today.” Luna broke the silence, changing the subject. “To remember me by.” She held out a hoof, where something gleamed in Celestia’s candle light.

Bright polished silver greeted Celestia’s eyes.

“Luna!” Celestia gasped. “You made this?!” she took it from Luna’s hoof to examine it closer.

It was round, like a river stone. But it’s surface was etched with smooth and crisp lines.

A crescent Moon ringed the outer edge, and stars decorated the remaining space.

Iron wasn’t exactly abundant in the area, but it was enough to feed the farming community.

Silver and gold however was rare.

Celestia didn’t want to know how much Luna had spent or begged for it’s use.

“Y-Yeah… All by myself.” Luna said shyly.

“I love it Lu.” Celestia clutched it to her chest.

She wasn’t too enthused about the night motif, but it was still a very well made amulet for someplace outside of the big cities. Additionally, it did remind Celestia of Luna, so it did serve it’s purpose.

“T-Thank you.” Luna smiled, tears leaking from her eyes.

Luna wasn’t the sort who made big and obvious displays of affection.

She must’ve felt an awful lot to go to this length for Celestia…

Luna embraced Celestia in a hug, squeezing tightly.

It was several minutes later when Celestia realized.

‘Oh right, she doesn’t know when to stop a hug.’

Celestia pulled away.

“So… When are you thinking of leaving?” she asked.

“When the snow melts. I wanted your and Master Brickwork’s blessing before I started gathering supplies.”

“Did you get his blessing?”

“Of course, he watched me make your gift.” Luna replied with a nod.

“Then you have no time to waste. Do you have the money to get supplies?” Celestia asked.

“I’ve got plenty of money Tia. I’ve- I’ve been taking commissions on the side to buy what I need.” Luna admitted.

“Come then, it’s not too late in the evening, I’ll come help you.” Celestia smiled.

“I’d like that.”

~~~

The whole village had come to see Luna off on her big day.

The crowd was quiet, but cautiously optimistic as Luna said her goodbyes. It wasn't everyday that one of their own left to make their way in the world.

As Luna hitched herself to her cart, Celestia could not help but notice how little Luna resembled a filly anymore. Her foalfat was long gone, taken by the trip South. But now her legs were lithe, but were still visibly muscled. She had grown into a strong Unicorn because of her apprenticeship.

Brickwork didn't let Luna do everything by magic after all.

Celestia waited next to the three other Ponies Luna had become friends with. Struggling to keep her tears in check.

We’ll hate to see you go Luna.” Treesong stated on Celestia's right.

“I know.” Luna replied. “But I must go.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget when a young filly ki- Did something so shocking that even our Clan decided to adopt a band of refugee Unicorns into our fold.” the Mayor continued. “You’re a special pony Luna. Don’t forget that, wherever you end up.”

“I won’t.” the blue Unicorn promised.

“Aye lass. Won’t be the same without ye during our drills.” Appleflower rumbled, putting a hoof on Luna's shoulder.

“I’ll take care to remember everything you taught me.” Luna nodded, returning the gesture.

“The forge ain’t goin’ ta be the same without ye lass.” Master Brickwork bid.

“I’m certain Flame Etch and Ironplate will be able to pick up the slack.” Luna snarked.

“‘Ey! What about me? Am I too old to pull my own weight?!” Brickwork exclaimed in mock outrage.

“You said it Sir, not me.” Luna grinned.

It was interesting to Celestia to see Luna making a joke. It wasn't that she didn't think Luna wasn't funny, far from it. In fact some of her jokes could be quite clever.

It was how little Luna actually made a joke that wasn't dry wit.

She never did it while at the market, nor did she while working.

It was only in the privacy of her own home or amongst her few friends did she do anything beyond a witty reply.

“Hohohoho!” Brickwork began to laugh as Luna turned to Celestia.

Celestia stood still, finding herself racked with worry and anxiety for Luna's future.

Luna didn’t say anything, but pulled Celestia into a tight hug.

“I’ll miss you Tia.” She mutter into Celestia's ear.

“I’ll miss you too Lu.” she replied in kind, letting some of those tears escape.

~~~

Celestia found herself sitting at the tavern's counter that night, a half empty tankard of ale in her hoof, the crowd bustling with the regular evening get-together.

While Celestia did frequent the building rather often, it was actually because it was the only place in the village that never reminded her of Luna.

She had stayed here the first few nights while a home was made, and then never again stepped hoof inside.

Celestia took a drink and set the tankard back down.

"What seems ta be the trouble lass?" the husky voice of Appleflower sounded, as the giant mare sat in the chair to her right.

"Everything reminds me of her." Celestia muttered bitterly.

"Aye... Ah know whatchu mean..." The mare stated, holding up a hoof to get the barkeeps attention. "Ain't easy ta let yer kin go."

"She's not dead, she's just traveling." Celestia replied grumpily.

"Aye." Appleflower agreed. "But she's takin' 'er first steps in tha world. A baby bird's gotta fly sometime right?"

Celestia was about to drink from her tankard again, but put it down and sighed.

"She's already seen enough of the world." Celestia stated. "She's young and too inexperienced to go walking around alone with the monsters and the bandits out there."

"Oh Ah wouldn't be worrying about that lass." Appleflower nodded knowingly. "She's got a good head on them withers. She'll get by with that, and when she can't she's tough enough to give her problem a right headache!" the mare laughed.

Celestia picked up her tankard and took a gulp.

"What about what she can't?" she asked.

The image of a split mountain, a caged storm, and a kneeling Queen flashed before Celestia's eyes.

"She's the sort who'll make a way if she can't find one." Appleflower reassured Celestia.

'That's what I'm afraid of.' Celestia thought to herself.

The stool to Celestia's left creaked.

One of Luna's fellow apprentices, Iron Plate raised a hoof to order a drink.

"I see we're all looking in the dumps today." He said in greeting. "I don't suppose you all are here because of our mutual friend?" He asked.

"Ah suppose so." Appleflower nodded. "Ain't everyday we send a Pony off."

"Hear hear." The coltish stallion nodded, raising a freshly poured tankard that had just been given to him. "To Luna. May she find whatever her heart contents."

"Oh posh." Appleflower waved away. "Yer only sad because she doesn't content you."

The poor colt had this crush for a long time.

Luna had never noticed.

'Although...' Celestia thought to herself. 'She is getting to be that age... But her eyes tended to linger more on other mares... Poor colt indeed. He was always going to get his heart broken.’

~~~

Celestia wandered into her home, just as the light of the Sun was beginning to fade. Dark dusky purple shadows crawled up the walls of the hut as Celestia locked the door behind her.

The house was quiet.

Whenever Celestia returned from the tavern, Luna was nearly always present. Having finished her apprenticeship chores and products for the day and resting.

Tonight however the house was abandoned.

There was none of the ambient noise of another Pony in the other room, making the living space feel strangely empty. But the presence of the blue Unicorn lingered, as if she were only gone for a few hours.

If Celestia closed her eyes, she could even hear Luna running down the street.

“Unicornia marches South!”

Wait... Luna didn't run or shout all that often!

“Arise ponies! There is no time to waste! The Crown of Unicornia approaches!”

Celestia rushed back out into the street, just in time to see Luna and her cart streak past.

“Take up your arms! Don your armor! Unicornia marches South!” Luna exclaimed, as she rushed heedless through the town.

Celestia could only stare in shock as Luna passed by.

But then the words she was saying started making sense.

Celestia jerked as she started moving, following after the manic Luna as she continued her tear across the village.

She caught up with Luna who had been stopped by Treesong.

“Luna slow down! You’re panicking!” she tried to soothe, gently trying to lay a hoof on Luna's shoulder in an effort to stop the hysterics.

“No! Everypony must know! I have to tell them! I have to warn them! I ha-”

Celestia had heard enough. She came up to Luna and pulled the lithe Unicorn into a hug.

“Lu slow down, we can barely understand you.” She said softly to the panicking Pony.

That did the trick.

Luna visibly reigned herself in and took a few moments to take deep breathes.

“Ponies of Ùllahdmaiden!” She cried. “I have seen them with my own eyes! A column of gold clad soldiers marching under the banners of the Royal House of Unicornia!”

A crowd had gathered, drawn by the ravings of Luna as she announced the danger.

“They march South! Directly towards Ùllahdmaiden! They will be here within the day! There is no time to lose!”

“Ponies! Quiet!” Mayor Treesong exclaimed over the din of the mummering crowd. “Luna, if what you say is true then Ullahdmaiden is in grave danger-”

“What if she’s lying?!” A voice cried from the crowd. “She’s one o’ them! She could be raising the alarm over nothing!”

“Ponies!” the Mayor chastised. “This is our Luna! We have known her for years! We have known her since she was a filly! Unicorn she may be, but she has worked at our sides faithfully for a decent portion of her life!”

“Aye!” Master Brickwork stepped forward from the crowd. “I’ve worked with Luna everyday since she came to our walls! Never ‘ave I known ‘er ta tell a lie!”

“Not once!” Appleflower boomed, standing over the crowd. Several ponies seemed to nod along and agree.

“Who says she hasn’t been paid off or promised something in Unicornia for raising a false alarm?! She’s a unicorn after all!” Another voice exclaimed.

“How dare you!” Celestia exclaimed, rounding on the Pony who had spoken. “You were not there when the crown abandoned Queensford! You were not there when we were forced from our homes! You were not there when we had to tend with the hydra without the Queen’s help!” she screamed. “Ask any one of the Queensford Unicorns! The Crown betrayed us and we have no love for them!”

Everypony turned to the Mayor, waiting for her decision.

“... Fortify the village.” She decided. “We will defend our home.”

~~~

Spellfire impacted Celestia’s magic. The shield strained under the assault, rippling at every impact.

Ùllahdmaiden was lost.

Luna, and the rest of the Queensford Unicorns lay about Celestia, knocked out or dead she wasn't sure.

Celestia grit her teeth and held the shield.

The flash of spellfire partially blinded Celestia as she forced the shield into existence. With every impact, her brain throbbed.

"Is that fear We smell?" whispered the face of a black mare, whose eyes were baleful slits, and whose jaws were filled with needle like teeth.

The vision came from between the impacts, the mare's face rippling in time with every impact.

"Look in the mirror Celestia." The beast snapped. "It is not Us who is the monster."

Celestia clenched her jaw so tightly she felt like it would shatter.

A sword slashed at Celestia, it was so fast that if it wasn't a hallucination it would've taken her head off.

The impacts were impatient now, eagerly trying to collapse Celestia's shield.

The black mare stood on a rock before a barren forest, silhouetted by silver light.

Two branches of skeletal branches stretched out behind the mare...

Forming wings.

An army of Ponies was arranged below her. Clad in Unicornian gold, Pegasoplian steel, Earthbreaker adamantite... And more. Ponies with bat wings, Ponies who looked more like a polished glass then flesh and blood, Ponies whose horns were split like branches. All of their eyes gleamed with the silver light in the darkness.

All of them had streaks of blood running down the front of their barrels and staining their weapons.

All of them were staring at Celestia and the Ponies she protected.

Fury rose in Celestia's chest.

She had made the promise, when she was elected Reeve of Queensford so many years ago...

'I promise I'll do my best to watch over each and every one of you.'

She may have been addressing the Queensford Unicorns, but the Ùllahdmaiden Earth Ponies had come under her care as the Mayoral Assistant.

To hay with what Firelight said.

'Until somepony comes along and changes that, we're stuck with what we have. And good luck getting anyone with any amount of power to change that.'

Celestia had never seen many Unicorns to compare her magic to, but she was holding onto a shield that was being pounded on more than a few lineponies.

That meant she had the power to do what Firelight had said right?

Well why not start now then?

YOU SHALL NOT TOUCH THEM!

The words echoed throughout both the vision and the half blinding impacts of spellfire. The vision shuddered at her raw fury, dispelling it and leaving only the staggered impact of spellfire on her shield, which had become rock solid with her will.

A grey streak of light impacted the shield, sending it wobbling like a drunken toddler.

Celestia fell to the ground as her horn winked out.

Her brain throbbed with every heartbeat. The pain was so intense her entire world collapsed in on the steadily throbbing in her head.

“I can walk.”

“Ye sure lass? Ye’ve been-”

“I’m fine. It’s just a headache, go help somepony who’s actually injured.”

“I- Aye lass.”

Celestia groaned as somepony started to tug on something that felt vaguely hers.

“Come on Tia, we gotta go.”

"Lu?" Celestia asked, recognizing the voice.

"You gotta get up Tia."

"Strangest dream Lu." Celestia said dreamily. “You… You were fighting me… And you were so dark and angry…”

"I’ll never fight you Tia. But I need you to work with me here…”

“I-I’m so sorry Lu…” Celestia said sadly, unable to get the image of a mare with branch wings out of her mind.

“I need help!”

“I love you so much…” Celestia got out as she felt the peculiar sensation of rising.

It was true. Despite her mixed feelings about Luna, she did love the teenage filly.

Luna may not have been like most Ponies, but she did try. She tried to do good when she could.

Which was more than the likes of Hoarfrost could claim.

Now if only Celestia could think of a way to save Luna from her fate...

Chapter 5 - The Growth of a City

~~~

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.

Chapter 6 - The March of War

~~~

"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.

Chapter 7 - Return to the City of Unicorns

~~~

Celestia sat on a log, a roaring bonfire before her as Ponies celebrated Pegasopolis’ surrender. She however was deep in thought.

Luna’s… Problem was one she wasn’t sure how to feel about.

On one hoof, it was good to see her so serious about winning this war that she was guarding her supplies so fervently…

On the other…

Well, it was good that she was showing so much remorse. When she did mess up…

But shouldn't she be a bit more selective when it came to picking somepony to hunt down?

How hard was it really to not attack anypony without a weapon?

A gaggle of soldiers went past, interrupting her thoughts with their revelry.

“Down goes the feather brains down goes the feather brains!” They sang loudly.

Celestia’s ears pressed themselves against her skull at the loud obnoxious noise.

More than a few starving Pegasi looked at them with a mix of shame, envy, and hatred.

That was before a single voice cut through the din.

“And what do you think you’re singing about?!”

Everypony who had been with the Everfree army for longer than a few days froze.

The captured Pegasi - and those who had come with Celestia - could only glance awkwardly around, trying to determine who was speaking.

Celestia was the sole Pony who wasn’t unduly impacted.

The diminutive form of Luna stormed past Celestia and her bon fire, her teeth set into a growling grimace and her brows furrowed.

Like a tidal wave, everypony got out of the way, that was until she got to the targets of her ire

The band of merrymakers were all mares and stallions who had come of age, having the size to back that claim up.

And yet they all trembled before the blue teen.

“I said, what do you think you’re singing about?!” Luna raged.

“B-begging your pardon General… We were just-“ a spokespony decided to respond.

“I thought I made myself clear in Casúrdomhain!” Luna cut through. “I don’t care who or what you are! I don’t even care if one of them slew your best friend! They are under my protection, and they will be treated with the dignity and respect you’d give your own brothers and sisters!”

By now everypony in the immediate vicinity had fallen silent.

Luna sighed, pinching her nose.

“You lot are done for today. Each of you go relieve one of the on-duty guards. You will handle the rest of their shifts."

"But- Ma'a-"

"Captain?" Luna called out, cutting off the delinquents. "Make sure they get to their new assignments."

One of Luna's Captains, whose name Celestia didn't know, stood up from one of the nearby campfires.

"Aye ma'am." She nodded, setting down her own meal and approaching. "Go on. You heard the mare." She addressed the group.

"... Yes Ma'am..." They all reluctantly agreed, abandoning their drinks and food.

Luna sighed to herself as they led themselves away.

The party had come to a dead standstill.

"... Well go on." Luna remarked. "Do I look like I'm upset with any of you?"

And just like that, the party began again... More tame and chaste, but begin it did.

Several of the starving Pegasi wasted no time in scooping up the rations that were abandoned.

Celestia however couldn't help but watch in wonder as Luna calmly sat down and accepted a loaf of bread.

'... It's like she's totally forgotten about her woe...' Celestia remarked. 'Like it never... Happened...'

~~~

"Come on!" Luna shouted at the crowd. "Fight me! All of you!"

Celestia sighed as she watched the debacle, leaning on a crate as she watched the practice ring.

There Luna stood, surrounded by a large crowd who were keeping their distance.

Her latest opponent was pulling himself up, beleaguered and woozily falling over himself as he retreated into the crowd.

"How do you expect to beat one Unicornian soldier if you can't beat me!" Luna raged.

The armed soldiers all cautiously glanced at each other, unwilling to make the first move.

"You seem busy." replied an elder stallion's voice from behind Celestia.

"Hello Master." she greeted blandly, not even bothering to turn around.

The form of Starswirl appeared on her right.

"Hm..." He hummed as he lowered himself to his haunches. "Would your current mood somehow be related to this particular travesty?" he asked, gesturing to the theatre as Luna continued goading her soldiers into attacking her.

"First Pony to hit me gets an extra ration of whiskey!" She raved.

"How do you do it Master?" Celestia asked, still watching Luna as one particularly stupid stallion lunged at her when her back was turned.

Luna casually stepped aside, grabbing the spear and using it to lift and throw aside the stallion.

"An extra ration of whiskey for a week!" Luna promised.

"You'll have to be more specific." Starswirl mused.

"I give up." Celestia groaned. "I have no idea what is going on inside her head." She admitted.

"Ah. I see." Starswirl nodded as Luna ducked under two spears and pulled, making the spear wielders who were emboldened crash into each other.

"All of you have to try!" Luna ranted. "You'll never earn the ration if you come at me one at a time! You have to surprise me!"

"A particular act of wanton violence has you concerned?" Starswirl asked.

"I just don't get it." Celestia mused. "I've never seen her like this... She's always been quiet and shy... Not... Demanding and Aggressive..."

"Hm." Starswirl hummed, choosing his words carefully. "Would you happen to know your namesakes?"

"Master?" Celestia asked, confused. "What does that have to do with Luna?"

"Consider my student... What is wisdom?"

"Wisdom is being knowledgeable and experienced. Why?"

"Have you ever considered, that being aggressive and uncompromising in one's ideals can be wise in certain circumstances?" Starswirl asked.

"Come on!" Luna raged, parrying a sword and side stepping. "I am one filly! One of you has to get it eventually!"

"... I- No I haven't I guess..." Celestia replied, watching Luna as she dismantled the Pony.

"I thought not." the elder Wizard remarked. "It's not something most would consider."

"Master?" Celestia asked, cocking an ear sideways.

"It's an old legend. Coincidentally, I believe the same legend might be your namesakes."

"Is this all you have?!" Luna continued, seemingly unbothered as she dodged, occasionally pushing Ponies away, disabling them with quick jabs, kicks, clashes with the hilt of her sword, and minor stinging spells.

"No... Mom never told us if we even had namesakes."

"Not surprising if I'm being honest... The only record I've seen is in the Royal Library in Unicornia... And there are doubts that it is a factual account."

Celestia fell silent as Luna passed close by.

"Come on!" Luna seethed, advancing towards her target. The crowd thinning more and more, as those who were nursing headaches or bruised limbs pulled themselves back, out of the way of the fighting.

"I uh..." That poor particular stallion stammered, realizing he was going to have to deal with the Pony of his immediate terror by himself.

"The tale is fairly light, but it tells of two wise sages from before the Rule of the Alicorns... Celestia and Luna." Starswirl continued, as Luna stalked away. "Celestia was a patient and kind teacher who led her students by example... Luna, was a noble paladin, who smote those in the wrong with a wild and untamed fury. Together they taught Ponykind how to be kind to each other, but to not allow those who would wish us harm to have their way."

"... You think Luna and I are taking after these namesakes then?" Celestia asked.

"Perhaps-"

At that moment, the crates the two were leaning on thumped as something crashed into the front.

The Master and student peered over the lip, to see a Pony - a mare- drunkenly sit up.

"Crazy bitch..." The latest victim of Luna's rampage cursed as she forced herself up, limping back away from the fight. "It's not worth it... Sun above knows when she kills one of us..." she murmured quietly to herself.

"... Perhaps." Starswirl continued. "However speaking as an old stallion... Wisdom is not something so easily attained. You two show great promise... But both of you are still young and have plenty of room to grow still."

"I just don't understand how this-!" Celestia gestured at Luna as she stomped after a Pony.

"Come on you coward!" said navy filly raged. "A whole month's worth of whiskey rations! A whole Moon's worth to the Pony who hits me!"

"-Can be wise!" Celestia finished.

"Ah." Starswirl nodded in understanding. "You will note my student, your sister is trying to bribe her opponents into hitting her. By doing so, she's forcing them to learn how to fight against a Pony as talented or skilled as she is."

"A whole festival! For anypony! For everypony! Any Pony at all!" Luna continued, advancing on passerby and urging attacks from onlookers.

"Although I admit she's being a little... Excessive." Starswirl allowed.

"It's barbaric." Celestia half growled.

The onlookers backed away, not fully armed or dressed to meet the advancing mare.

"Perhaps." The Wizard allowed. "But please understand my student... Your sensibilities are more in line with peace and prosperity... Your sister however understands that in times of crisis it is ruthlessness and strength that will ensure that peace will return..."

"Come on!" Luna started to complain. "I'm a filly of fourteen! How is it that none of you can touch me?! You are all stronger than me! You should win against me!" She raged.

"Even if it means bullying her fellow students into learning properly." Starswirl softly chuckled.

~~~

Celestia and Luna sat together in Luna's tent, enjoying a private meal in the hustle and bustle of setting up camp for the night.

Celestia watched as Luna ate her soup, pouring over the reports of the day.

'She's obsessed...' she noted as Luna barely looked at her bowl, idly scooping with her spoon as she mechanically ate. 'So what is her plan? It can't be too hard to figure out...' Celestia thought to herself.

'Okay... She wants to bring down Unicornia because it's what I told her to do. She will obviously march to Unicornia.' Celestia began to reason out. 'But she will not waste a second, nor will she waste any resource she has. Any spare hoof or unoccupied horn was an appendage to hold a quill, or read a report, or to slowly eat and hold food as she look over countless documents...'

Celestia found herself neglecting her own soup as she thought deeply.

She quickly scooped a bite and tried to multitask like Luna.

'So to defeat Unicornia, she wants to be as prepared as she can be. The more advantages she can gather, the more chances of success she will have. That means things like training both herself and her troops... Endlessly counting and recounting her supplies... Reading the general reports attentively... Occasionally requesting more information from a nearby Pony, usually to ask for another Pony... She pays endless attention to her reports...' Celestia thought, listing the evidence she knew about Luna's plans.

Luna set her empty bowl and reports aside, calmly getting up and grabbing her water skin.

"Of course he would..." The blue filly remarked softly to herself before taking a long drink. When she was finished, she picked up her bowl again and made for the tent flap, gently placing the bowl on the ground outside for a 'cleaning' officer to find and return to the mess.

Celestia rolled her eyes.

She refused to believe Luna willingly called something so necessary: 'the mess'.

Luna shook herself before laying down on her bed roll.

"Goodnight Tia." She said clearly.

"You aren't going to keep reading your reports?" Celestia asked in astonishment.

"No." Luna replied with a yawn. "Everything is working as expected."

"Oh..." Celestia stated, unsure what to make of that. "Well um that's good." She encouraged.

"Not quite. There's a Diamond Dog camp to the Northwest of here. I'm having Pegasi investigate from a safe distance. To see if they have any captured Ponies." She explained.

"Oh... I wasn't aware Diamond Dogs were in the area..." Celestia remarked. "They weren't here when we came through last year."

"They must've moved in during the winter, probably chasing and hoping to corner more than a few of us." Luna agreed, rolling over and closing her eyes. "Anyway, that can all wait for morning..."

"Oh... Right. Goodnight Lu."

"Goodnight Tia."

~~~

"Is that all you've got?!" Luna raged, the next day. "I've taken punches form other fillies that were harder!"

The poor stallion - whom Luna said 'had promise' - staggered back unexpecting the swift parry of his spear. Luckily he managed to keep hold of it as he backed away.

"Come on keep your spear pointed at me." Luna instructed. "Never let your foe control your weapon. The moment you lose that you are defeated."

She lunged with her sword.

The stallion managed to block it and step out of the way, dodging Luna's preempted punch.

Unfortunately she was expecting that and hip checked him into a stumble.

"Don't be predictable." Luna continued. "Predictability is a death sentence. Be random with your dodges. And don't repeat your movements. Keep your opponent on edge and second guessing their own judgement."

Celestia watched all of this happen, observing Luna's fighting style to learn how she did what she did.

"The more they're uncertain of your intentions, the less certain they'll be to move themselves and may hesitate." Luna continued, waiting for the stallion to recover himself. "And remember... Everything is a weapon." She finished, lowering herself back into a fighting stance.

The stallion looked like he wanted nothing more but to go to his tent and sleep for a long while, but he sighed and lowered himself into a loose fighting stance.

'That poor. Poor. Poor stallion.' Celestia remarked to herself, watching with interest how Luna seemed to dismantle him.

Luna wasn't just telling him pointers, she was practically giving him her own secret weapon.

Anything could be a weapon in Luna's hooves.

Hooves. Flank. Tail. A hoof full of dirt or sand. Her cloak.

She had even once found a discarded corn cob in the mud and lobbed it at another mare as a distraction.

The Ponies Luna fought were learning this, slowly. But still they remained unable to match Luna’s tenacity.

It was in watching Luna that Celestia began to really and truly see through Luna’s eyes.

She was hard on her fellow students yes, but it was because she saw the potential they could reach.

However Luna was still being too hard in Celestia’s opinion. There was pushing others to be greater yes, but Luna’s method of teaching was too much. A very ‘sink or swim’ approach.

Celestia could only watch in apparent disinterest - leaning on her elbow - as she studied Luna.

~~~

“Excuse me?” Celestia politely asked a stallion that evening, gently putting a hoof on his withers to draw his attention.

“Hm? Oh yes how can I help you?” He replied.

“Would you happen to know if there’s a Solarist priest in the camp?” Celestia asked.

Celestia did not consider herself to be a true ‘practitioner’ of the faith, yet she found some solace in it’s ideals. Namely their reverence to the Sun, which she had always admired and felt a connection with.

Her stint in the Cathedral when she was a filly had left a remarkable impression on the now 19 year old mare.

While it was strange to ask for any Solarist priest, considering that Luna’s white crescent Moon banner flew everywhere… Luna herself did nothing to dissuade any sermon. Although Celestia never failed to notice how Luna’s eyes narrowed whenever they happened to be nearby or brought up in conversation.

“Oh! I think I saw one thata way.” The stallion replied, pointing in a direction.

“Thank you!” Celestia replied in kind, leaving the stallion to his business as she cantered away.

Once more the army was camping in the wilderness, and the endless tasks such as collecting firewood for everypony was making very conspicuous clearings where ever they stayed. The hustle and bustle of the living camp felt familiar, yet foreign with the density of Ponies living together.

It did not take long for Celestia to find a sort of... Communal space where several logs had been arranged around a makeshift altar, one that had a golden effigy of a Sun placed upon it.

Currently a mass was underway.

There were mainly Unicorns in attendance, but there were a few Earth Ponies and Pegasi who were present.

If they were curious or actually finding some solace in the Deacon's words, Celestia couldn't tell.

The Deacon himself was a tall but thin Unicorn in a simple brown gown.

"Give not into the darkness of despair!" He preached. "For it is only in the good of Ponies do we find salvation!"

Celestia sat on her haunches in the very back, listening in.

"So sayeth- uh..." The Deacon stumbled. "So... Sayeth the good book!" He finished.

Several of the Ponies chuckled.

"That's- Uh... Something I think we all can agree on as least..." He finished lamely. "Glory be to the- Um..."

A few more polite chuckles.

"Well... Glory be to Hope..." The Deacon finished lamely. "Go! Uh... Go- and be good to your fellow Ponies... Have a good afternoon... And if you need an ear to listen, I'm always willing to lend one."

With that, the congregation adjourned. Standing up and dispersing. Most went off to go do their chores, while a few went to have a word with the Deacon.

Celestia wiggled her way up to the little altar, where the Deacon greeted each Pony.

A few exchanged small talk, while others asked for a quick word of advice.

The thin but kind looking stallion said hello and gave what advice he could to who ever needed it.

It wasn't until the crowd had left did Celestia approach.

"Hello Deacon." She greeted. "I've uh... I've been having some issues with my faith and need some advice..."

"And hello to you my good mare..." He smiled. "May I ask if it involved being with Earth Ponies and Pegasi?"

"Not... Necessarily" Celestia admitted. "But it does involve that..."

"I see..." The Deacon nodded.

"Might I invite you onto a walk then?" He offered. "Or would you rather sit down?"

"I think I'd prefer sitting down..." Celestia replied.

"There's no shame in that..." The Deacon turned and sitting on one of the front row seats. "Many Ponies have been experiencing the same thing."

Celestia nodded, sitting down next to him.

"Uh... Forgive me Father for I have-"

"There's no need for that." The Deacon waved away. "But it does tell me what your faith is... What ails you fellow Child of Light?"

"It's... Hard to explain... So I have a sister who I love dearly... But she's... She's getting a bit too involved with this whole... Being a soldier thing... and I fear she'll be- Changed from this war... But it makes me... Question why the Light would allow her to be tormented so?"

"Ah..." The Deacon nodded in understanding... But choosing his own words carefully. "Tell me uh... Would you happen to be part of the reinforcement group?" He asked.

"... Yes I would... Why?" Celestia asked.

"And your sister... Would she have been part of the original army?"

"She- Yes she would." Celestia said slowly.

"I see..." The Deacon sighed, before turning and looking directly at Celestia. "Tell me how your sister has changed..."

"I don't know she's... Less happy, but more excited than she used to be as a filly? I'm worried I'll lose her to this war!"

"Oh... Oh I see..." He replied again, nodding slowly.

"My problem is... I... I can't see how..."

Celestia found herself unable to say the words, but she pushed on through.

"How this isn't an improvement!" Celestia admitted.

"... You've lost me." The Deacon admitted.

"My... Sister was always such a... Sad and lonely filly... All the foals around her age picked on her relentlessly, and she didn't really have any friends... But now she's become some sort born warrior who's brave and strong and... It just isn't who I knew before..."

The Deacons started to nod sadly.

"I see..." He admitted. "Well um... War changes Ponies. And Sometimes... Sometimes those who are weak and fragile as foals become some of our mightiest heroes? It isn't about who we're born as... It's about who we choose to be when the stakes are at their highest." He explained.

"But she's... So angry all the time..." Celestia rebutted.

"Being such a Pony isn't about having flaws, no pony's perfect... It's about having those faults, putting them aside and go out to fight anyway... Anger could come from a need for righteousness... Take our General Luna for example..." The Deacon explained.

Celestia fought to keep the surprise of that sentence from her face.

'He... He... He doesn't know who I am!' she realized.

She must've been successful because the Deacon continued heedless.

"Only a filly and she's already kept all of us fed for more and longer than the Crown ever did... I truthfully have no idea how she's capable... But sunlight take me if she isn't doing it on pur-"

At that moment, the camp suddenly seemed to deaden...

Except for that of the voice of a filly... Yelling at someone for wasting rations.

"..." Celestia and the Deacon both turned to look.

While a crowd was in the way between she and Luna, Celestia could make out Luna's features between legs.

"For stealing an extra portion of rations, you will get no rations tomorrow to pay for the one you bartered away..."

The stallion she was shouting at looked like he was afraid Luna was going to bite him.

"Y- Yes General!" He shakily saluted.

From there the camp remained frozen, as Luna sufficiently satisfied herself in her example making. Before she left however, the congregation caught her attention out of the corner of her eye.

The blue filly didn't scowl or frown... But Celestia knew her well enough to see that she wanted to spit at the makeshift altar.

After that the crowd quickly vanished, leaving the path almost completely deserted; with the exception of those who were staying in the nearby tents.

"...It's a shame..." He remarked. "Once... Just once I wish she'd attend one of my sermons... Just so I knew she'd see the glory of our light..."

"Sh- She doesn't?" Celestia asked.

Truthfully, Celestia already knew that about Luna... Was 'time wasted' in her own words.

"No... I'm afraid Darkness has already settled on the heart of that one... Doomed to live the life of a heretic... A shame, she could become a saint some day if only she'd embrace the Light..."

Celestia didn't reply... Instead chewing on her lip in thought.

"... Are you alright?" The Deacon asked, looking over back to Celestia. "You look like you've-"

"I think I know what to do Deacon..." Celestia cut him off and getting to her hooves.. "You've given me a lot to think about."

~~~

“Alright… You all know why you’re here.” Luna stated, speaking to her Captains around the crate she had taken to using as a meeting table.

“Diamond Dogs wasn’t it?” One of her Captains asked, raising a hoof to draw Luna’s attention.

“Correct.” Luna nodded, smoothing out a roughly drawn map on birch bark and with charcoal smears.

Celestia sat in the corner of the tent, observing Luna and the proceedings.

“So we are going to hit them?” Another Captain asked.

“Scout Pegasi have confirmed the presence of captured Ponies.” Luna confirmed, setting two pebbles down on the map. “They’re to the West of us, and with the ridge between us they might not know we’re here yet… I want one battalion to go downwind of them, and launch a surprise attack under the cover of night.”

There were grumbles, but they had all worked with Luna long enough to know her offensive preferences.

“Who’s going?” Short List asked.

“A good question.” Luna allowed. “Appleflower, you and your neophytes are barred… Otherwise are there any volunteers?”

“What?!” The huge mare bellowed. “How come we ain’t goin’?!”

“Because Appleflower-“ Luna explained. “I don’t want one of the inexperienced Ponies running headlong into a tree and breaking their neck. We don’t have time to train anypony else, and you’re all needed to breach Unicornia’s wall.”

“… Fair ‘nuff Ah suppose…” Appleflower relented, sitting back in her seat.

“I’ll volunteer General.” Captain Bright Shine offered.

“Excellent.” Luna nodded. “You’ll take some Pegasi chariots and deploy. If the scout report holds true, then you’ll be Southwest of the camp. Keep that in mind if you need to retreat. You’ll have two objectives. Secure the Ponies, and slay any Dog you find. I don’t want any vengeful slaver haunting us from behind when we reach Unicornia... Any questions?"

None seemed to think of anything.

"Good, extra watch on the West side of the camp... If Bright Shine needs help I want to know about it as soon as I can... Otherwise? Bright Shine? Good luck... Dismissed."

With that, the war room adjourned.

~~~

Celestia paced between several unloaded carts, using the privacy to think.

'Diamond Dogs...' She thought to herself.

While she had never seen one before... It was common knowledge you were generally safe when in a group... It was when you were alone or lost you had trouble.

But... Something was eating at her regarding them.

She wasn't ready for war... She knew that.

Every Pony who had been in the original Army had a 'haunted' look to them.

The Battles had been brutal... Storming Casúrdomhain in a single day, and then weeks under Pegasopolis...

Remembering all the bodies from Casúrdomhain... It wasn't odd to be unsettled at the very least...

But the Pony who had been at the forefront for all of it was also the one affected by it the least.

Luna.

Celestia knew she cared... Luna wouldn't... Couldn't fake such heavy sobs... And yet the haunting in her eyes was only slight...

'I know if I were to... To try and join Luna for the attack on Unicornia... I won't be ready... I'll crumble before I'm needed...' She thought to herself.

Hence her current consternation.

'But this Diamond Dog camp will probably be the last chance to at least get used to battle before Luna breaks into Unicornia like Casúrdomhain and Pegasopolis... There was no reason to believe she wasn't going to break it open like a clam...'

Around and around Celestia paced.

'So should I volunteer for fighting the Diamond Dogs? It will be valuable experience before the real thing...'

Still she paced.

'But Luna would never allow it... If Luna wanted me to go than she would've told me...'

'But Luna is fallible... She's not perfect...' she continued. 'She can't think of everything...'

'...' She considered.

'... Fuck it. I don't need Luna's permission. If she can handle a fight so can I...' She decided.

~~~

It was just before dark

The sun was setting, and the sky was dark orange and purple... The camp already illuminated by campfires as darkness truly started to settle over the land.

Celestia had spent the afternoon and evening scrounging up a 'full soldier's kit, donning the heavier armor and strapping a sword to her belt as she held her spear with both hooves as she waited.

She was sitting amongst a group of second wave replacements, also ready to join the attack that night.

The other recruits had taken off their helmets as they waited for the order to fall in, but Celestia didn't dare remove hers.

These Ponies would likely recognize her if she did.

So Celestia waited, only nodding or shaking her head when spoken to... Pretending to be nervous.

Although it wasn't entirely a lie...

It was when the final ray of Sunlight vanished when Captain Bright Shine urged them to rise.

"Come on! Up and attem! Quietly now! We don't want to alert the Dogs!" She called out as she passed Celestia's group, not quite fully yelling but able to risk a bit of noise because they were still in camp.

Around the white Unicorn, other Ponies got to their hooves.

Glancing around, Celestia followed what the more experienced Ponies were doing.

Most of them were donning their helmets or speaking softly amongst each other, finishing conversations that had been started while they had been waiting. However they quickly began to shuffle out, walking into the forest beyond the light.

As Celestia was swept along, she instinctually froze just inside the circle of light.

'I've... I've never been outside the light while in the wilderness before...' She realized, suddenly regretting ever putting on her armor.

One of the veterans noticed and patted her withers.

"You'll be fine." The unfamiliar mare encouraged. "We're in a big group, we aren't gonna get attacked by any monster... Just keep in sight of your fellow Ponies and you'll get home."

Celestia weakly nodded, allowing herself to be shepherded into the night.

The Ponies surrounded Celestia grew quiet as they became enveloped in the darkness, surprisingly so to Celestia.

Occasionally, a quiet clang of metal on metal plates would ring out, much to the utterly palpable irritation of everypony around the guilty Pony.

Celestia was happy to admit she was only that Pony twice.

Being silent was harder than it looked...

'How does Luna do this all the time?!' she inwardly complained.

On and on the column crept through the woods, with only faint starlight to navigate by...

Finally somepony authoritative quietly whispered to all to hear.

"Here... We're on the ridge... Creep up and get lines of sight..."

Celestia stopped, before swallowing and doing as the voice had said.

Soon enough, the warm glow of camp fires shone through the night.

Now that she could see light, she was astonished how much she could see in the dark.

The forest surrounding the distant camp was practically lit with candlelight the fires were so strong.

It was... Strange to Celestia.

She had always thought the darkness sat just outside camp... Waiting for somepony foolish enough to wander past the short perimeter to meet their doom.

But Celestia had never considered how much something in the darkness actually could see...

It was... Ironically illuminating.

The shapes of Ponies huddled on either side, a few daring to get even closer on their bellies to not be seen.

Whispers were exchanged between Lieutenants and messengers, exchanging relevant information.

"On the birdcall, start walking towards the camp... No shouting." The nearest Lieutenant informed.

Celestia found herself nodding, but immediately felt foolish because nopony was likely to see it, but she remained quiet instead of answering otherwise.

Bored, and feeling a bit daring, Celestia got onto her belly and joined those out in front.

The minutes stretched on, seemingly turning into hours as they waited patiently.

"Tw-ee!"

Celestia's eyes widened in the darkness.

That was a bird call!

As quietly as she could, she stood, taking a few steps forward.

She was not alone.

Other shapes joined her, rising like undead creations as the long walk towards the distant light began.

The thing that scared Celestia the most was how quiet the initial approach was... Now that even the unexperienced Ponies even had practice, not a soul dared to be the one who gave everypony away.

As she drew nearer, the campsite grew larger in Celestia's vision.

It was smaller than the Everfree Army's camp, and much more shoddy... To offset this though, hulking biped shapes stalked between the campfires. The faces of canines gleamed in he firelight, singing merrily and gorging themselves on their meals.

Celestia wasn't the first Pony into the village, but she saw the first watchdog get his throat slashed with a horizontal strike from Captain Bright Shine.

With so many Ponies walking into the camp, it wasn't long before the dogs became aware they were under attack.

"Dogs! We're unda attack! Git yer mangy hides up! We've gotta- URK!" A rough and tumble voice called out.

Another Pony put her spear through the tall Dog that Celestia assumed had blown their cover.

And then the fight began in earnest.

The beastly Dogs - few but large and tall in the firelight - picked up their weapons as Ponies began to swarm them like wasps.

Celestia then realized at some point, she had been left behind by her fellow Ponies, meaning she was out in the open as a brutal melee between Dog and Pony erupted around her.

One of the Dogs had managed to get it's jaws around the neck of a mare, and was shaking her back and forth savagely... Her body little more than a bloody rag-doll after a few shakes...

Celestia turned away, bile rising in her throat at the scene...

A voice that sounded like another Pony cried out over the sounds of combat.

"Somepony! Secure the captives!"

'Captives... Right captives...' Celestia reminded herself as she started to move.

'Just do what Luna would do... If she can do it so can you... Just do what she'd do..."

A Diamond Dog lunged for her, a crude stone hatchet raised high.

"Eek!" Celestia exclaimed, levitating her spear in front of her reflexively.

As the strike struck her spear, the impact felt like it rattled through to her horn, and then into every bone she had...

"Dum Pony!" The Dog growled, it's gleaming teeth dripping with drool as it lowered it's head to face Celestia. "Night is Dog territory! Ponies too weak ta fight hwen da Moon iz hoigh!

Indeed, by then a pink crescent Moon hung ominously above the camp.

Bathing the land with it's bloody sacrament.

'What would Luna do-?'

Celestia put her hooves on her spears shaft as she started to gather focus for her magic.

"Da toime of Ponies iz endin'!" The Dog growled, it's teeth frighteningly close to her throat. "Da toime of da Dogs iz he-"

Celestia's horn flashed.

"Arf!" The Dog squealed, taking several back steps as it started wiping at its eyes. "Bloody Pony! Yull pay fer dat!"

What would Luna do?

Celestia didn't waste any time, she swung her spear like a bat to knock away the hatchet before flipping the spear around and impaling the Dog in its chest.

Emulating the movement that Luna made look so natural when pulling her weapons out of a straw dummy, Celestia yanked her spear from the dead canine's chest.

'Right...' She thought to herself somewhat deliriously. 'What now?'

What would Luna do?

'Luna would... The captives!' Celestia turned, looking through all the chaos and bloodshed, hoping to see anything resembling a-

'A cage!'

Making sure a Dog wasn't about to lung at her again, Celestia started pushing her way towards the cages of wrought iron.

A Pegasus zipped by overhead, his crossbow spitting a bolt that took out a Dogs eye.

"Arf!" The Dog squealed in pain, clutching around where the bolt stuck out of its head.

Celestia ducked reflexively as the Pegasus moved on, already pulling back the string for another bolt.

What would Luna do?

The young Unicorn stabbed at a Dog that was wrestling with an Earth Pony, sticking her spear into its ribs.

"Yowl!" The Dog howled before the Earth Ponies strength got the better of it and pulled it to the ground, before furiously jumping up and down on top of the canine's head.

What would Luna do?

Celestia retrieved her spear, further advancing towards the cages.

Thankfully, by the the fight was beginning to move as the Ponies started pushing the Dogs away, However a few Dogs were fighting one on one with Ponies across the camp, pushing towards the captives.

Celestia broke into a run as the way opened up for her.

The cage was full of Ponies... All of whom who had gaunt sunken cheeks and showing ribs.

The watched Celestia with a mournful hoping expression.

What would Luna do?

Her horn lit up again, this time blasting the crude lock with a quick mana-ray.

The lock shattered quickly and easily, allowing the gate to swing partially open.

The Ponies inside looked amazed as Celestia held the door open.

"Come on!" She waved. "Get to safety!"

The Ponies inside the cage didn't hesitate... Getting to their hooves and running in the opposite direction of the Dogs, where even more Ponies were still showing up out of the darkness.

The other two cages - there were three in total Celestia suddenly realized - looked at Celestia with pleading expressions, having watched her blast open the lock of the first cage.

Two more mana-rays made quick work of them.

The Ponies were clambering towards the doors so much they practically pushed the doors open as the locks shattered.

Both groups of Ponies started running, following their fellows as the fighting raged.

"Stoopid Pony!" A Dog wearing an elaborate collection of metal plates roared, swinging what looked to be a rusted, old Earthbreaker great sword. "Oi'll make ya pay fer dat!" The Chief roared.

Before the giant sword could even start descending on Celestia, a missile of an Earth Pony tackled the huge canine, knocking it off its feet as she started to pummel the Dog with armored and spiked hooves.

It didn't take long for several Pegasi to join in with their javelins, landing and stabbing through whatever chink in its armor with vengeful grimaces.

"G' off me!" The Dog roared as it tried to defend itself.

Before it could do anything more, more Ponies joined the fray.

Celestia could only watch in horror as the Ponies suddenly dispersed, leaving a thoroughly ruined corpse behind that looked distressingly like a smashed cherry pie.

And just like that... The battle was over.

Across the camp, Two Unicorns held a Dog down before slitting it's throat with a sword.

"Victory!" A Pony exclaimed, to which responded a resounding cheer from the rest.

A Pony passed by Celestia, putting her on the withers.

"Good work with the Captives." Captain Bright Shine congratulated before walking away.

Celestia could only stare dumbly as Ponies started to erect a banner...

The banner depicting a white crescent Moon on a field of navy.

Luna's Banner.

"Somepony go look through their supplies! Take anything we can use! And somepony strip and gather these Dogs! Take what metal they have, we can hand it to the metal smiths!" the voice of Bright Shine called out.

'It's... It's over...' Celestia realized as Ponies began to carry out the orders.

Celestia couldn't help but look up at the banner that flew over the smoke filled camp of the Diamond Dogs, illuminated by the light of the crimson Moon in the sky...

As as she looked up, something clicked- causing Celestia to realize something vital about her sister.

The Solarists that were in her own army were correct.

Luna WAS a heretic.

What they failed to notice however, she was a heretic in both directions.

By the light of the Sun, she was an irreverent iconoclast.

But to the creatures of Darkness… She was so much worse.

‘Not only do I spit on everything you believe, but I also challenge your right to rule the Night. I even lay claim to the ultimate symbol of your dominion!’

The most frightening part of this realization to Celestia, was the fact she knew Luna didn’t have a death wish.

She seriously thought she could challenge - Celestia couldn’t even think his name, not at night - and win.

Additionally, the fact she wasn’t already dead spoke volumes about her sincerity.

The Solarists could squabble amongst themselves all they wished over Luna’s apostasy or lack thereof…

But her supposed heresy went far deeper than anypony dared to guess.

Celestia could only stand and think about what she had learned that night as canine bodies were piled up and burned.

~~~

A wide shield that was covering a city, cracking open like a split split rock under a hammer blow.

A glowing golden book.

A Pony with a pink mane wearing a golden crown, and a Pony with a blue mane wearing a silver crown, peacefully coexisting.

A bloody sword that had an Emerald in the pommel.

The silhouette of a winged Pony before a bright silver white orb.

Teal eyes burning in the Darkness...

Hoofsteps in the sand... A path not yet tread... And such a burning sensation that Celestia-

~~~

-woke up.

"Gah!" She gasped, sitting up in her cot, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Nightmare?" Luna asked calmly from across the tent.

It was the next morning... The night before she had wandered back into camp in a daze... But some part of her must've still been conscious, for she was able to 'return' the armor and weapons she had amongst the equipment of the fallen.

The revelation last night made Luna a Pony she didn't want to cross. So she had done her best to hide that she had been out at all last night.

"... Yeah..." Celestia replied after a moment. "... Yeah a nightmare..."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Luna asked, concern in her voice. "I can postpone the action report... We'll have all day to-"

"No I'd- I'd rather not talk about it." Celestia shook her head.

"Alright, but I'm here if you need me." Luna promised, pushing herself out of her own cot as she began the daily ritual of packing the tent in the morning.

Celestia was barely able to finish tearing down her own cot when Luna was finishing up putting the tent itself away... Including all of her 'General equipment'.

That was when Captain Bright Shine appeared, saluting Luna.

"Good morning General." She reported smartly. "I've come to give my after-action report."

"Very good Captain." Luna replied with a nod.

"Total success, the tribe of Dogs has been wiped out, and the Ponies have been freed. 189 injuries sustained, 12 of which are life threatening and 23 dead."

Luna's brow winced, but otherwise her face was stony.

"How many rescues?"

"29." Bright Shine replied.

"Damn..." Luna cursed. "It's unfortunate we didn't get a better trade, but it's better than leaving them prisoner... If you can, give them easy menial jobs around the camp with full pay, if they want to leave that's fine, but I want Pegasi trailing them for at least two days to make sure they don't run to Unicornia."

"If they do?" Bright Shine asked.

"Capture them if you can, but if push comes to shove don't be afraid of putting them down." Luna replied.

"Of course Ma'am... Is there anything else?"

"No thank you Bright Shine... Go pack up and get yourselves a spot to sleep on the carts... Your section has earned it."

"Thank you General." Bright Shine put a hoof to her chest before splitting off and walking away.

When she was gone, Luna sighed.

"Damn... I was hoping we'd get better numbers..." She admitted. "23 dead and nearly 200 injured for 29 who won't get enough time to train as replacements?"

She shook her head.

"I don't like it... But it's better this way... At least we didn't leave those Ponies in the claws of those Diamond Dogs..."

"... Yeah..." Celestia nodded, somewhat lost in her own thoughts.

A wolfish face filled with gleaming teeth swam in her vision.

"... Are you okay Tia?" Luna asked.

"I'm fine Lu... Just didn't sleep well last night..."

Celestia had been certain Luna wasn't in their tent most of last night... Not until everything was sorted out at least.

Celestia had made sure to note where Luna stayed up to watch with the watchponies... in case Bright Shine needed help after all.

So Celestia was in bed before Luna herself turned in for the night.

Although Luna looked far more wide eyed and bushy tailed than Celestia.

"... Go join Bright Shine's section and get some rest, you look beat." Luna recommended.

"... Yeah that sounds nice..." Celestia agreed.

~~~

Several days had passed since the raid on the Diamond Dogs, and Celestia had - for a lack of a better term - pulled herself together.

By day the army traveled, and by night they trained and did everything they could to prepare for the final siege.

It was one beautiful late Summer day when Celestia suddenly perked.

"Stop the cart." She stated suddenly, breaking the monotony.

She and Luna had happened to be in the same open cart that day, along with several other Ponies as they were being pulled along.

"Tia? What is it? What's wr-" Luna began to ask, but stopping suddenly... Frozen in place.

Curious, and confused, the other Ponies watched as Celestia jumped out of the cart, her nose in the air like a bloodhound.

Memories of a life long gone swam in her vision.

"Is that-" Luna started to ask.

"Yes." Celestia nodded, stepping off the trail and into the woods.

"W-Wait! We- Ugh!" Luna groaned behind her. "Stay here." she continued, presumably to the Ponies pulling the cart.

"As you wish General..." One of the stallions muttered.

Any further discussion was lost to Celestia as she became immersed in the woods.

Stones that had been used countless times as stepping stones through the brush rose to met Celestia's hooves as she lost herself in the memory filled forest.

"Y'know Tia, if I didn't know better... I'd say we could be sisters."

"I don't see it."

"Oh? Why not? I like burning things, you like burning things... It's a match made in Heaven."

"Except I wouldn't want to be the daughter of a Linepony... Not when I know my Mom used to be a merc."

"No way! Your mom's a merc?!"

"It's true! I remember my parents taking me to Unicornia when I was very little! Mom taught me all about the city!"

"Wow... That's way better than being a former Firestarter..."

Celestia shook her head, chasing the memory away.

Firelight was currently living a comfortable life in Everfree City... Being well paid to keep the hearth's lit.

So onward Celestia effortlessly dashed her way through the forest...

That was... Until she came to a clearing... Where the old remains of a familiar sight loomed out of the wilderness.

The ruins of Queensford...

Like a pilgrim, Celestia respectfully trod forward as if she were intruding on a tomb...

The huts had fallen into serious disrepair, with only half still standing; The rest however were partially overgrown.

Past and present merging before her eyes, Celestia watched countless memories replay themselves as she wandered through the village.

The sound of a Pony spitting briefly broke her out of her fugue, but a quick glance backwards revealed Luna had been following her... But she spat at the collapsed hut that had once belonged to Hoarfrost.

"Good riddance." Luna snarled to herself, storming away from the ruin.

'... I can't really blame her for that...' Celestia admitted to herself quietly. 'Goodness knows she has enough reason to...'

The next thing Celestia came to was a pile of stones she didn't remember being there...

But the crude effigy of a Sun sticking out of it at one end gave her a good idea what it was.

'I bet Mrs. Amethyst is buried there...' Celestia inwardly thought. 'It's in front of her house... And I bet Sapphire and maybe Emerald gave her a proper burial if they had gone back to Unicornia to join the Royal Guard...'

There however was only one place she wished to see.

Celestia only came to a stop when she reached it.

The collapsed hut where her family had last been complete.

'Twice ironically...' Celestia inwardly sighed.

The place where she had last seen her father... And the place where she, mom, and Luna had lived peaceful lives.

Home.

As Celestia stood there, she couldn't help but think back on what she remembered of her Mother.

'... My memories a bit fuzzy... And I can't remember everything... But some of those conversations make a great deal more sense knowing Mom was once the crown Princess...' She thought. 'But... I know she was a capable mage... And I know she had a spellbook... But whatever happened to it? She didn't have it when she- When the Hydra attacked...'

Luna came up besides the white Unicorn.

They stood in silence for several minutes before Celestia broke it.

"Mom had to have stashed away some of her things from the Palace." She thought out loud. "Like a spellbook or some of her Warmage robes."

'Lu will like being pragmatic... Surely she would see the benefit of having access to a Warmage's spellbook...'

"If she did-" Luna replied. "-I doubt it would've been inside the hut. One of us would've come across it at least once." She reasoned.

'... That's a really good point... The hut was far too small for the three of us to hide anything...' Celestia inwardly winced.

"Where else could she have put them?" Celestia presented Luna. "You don't just get rid of such things when you're one of the few who can use them."

"I don't know what to tell you Tia." Luna shook her head. "If you want to try and find anything I won't stop you... But we both spent so much time in there I doubt there's anything we could've missed. Especially since we were two curious fillies who got into everything."

And with that, Luna turned and walked away.

Celestia quietly watched her go... Leaving the village ruins behind without a second glance.

She didn't blame the blue filly for regarding the village with a level of disgust... She had far fewer happy memories inside this village than Celestia had...

'But you're always three steps ahead aren't you Lu?' She thought with some bitterness.

'No... No that's not fair.' Celestia inwardly sighed. 'More often than not Lu is right... It's just hard to not feel like I'm constantly falling behind is all...'

And with that... Celestia turned and walked away from the village.

~~~

A burning burden... Heavier than all the world... Worth more than a thousand crowns...

A Queen whose Light will herald the dawn of a new age...

A familiar song...

~~~

The next morning found Celestia attending another of the Deacon's masses.

"The Night is full of terrors!" The Deacon preached. "The wilds full of monsters whose hearts are full of hate! Only the spread of despair and misery amongst devout followers of the Light truly gives them happiness!"

Celestia could only wait patiently for the mass to end.

Eventually, after cajoling the virtues of Ponykind and the vileness of the Night, the Deacon finally stepped down from his podium.

Celestia wasted no time in joining the que to speak with him.

"... Ah, good to see you again Miss." He smiled as he saw her. "Are you still having trouble?"

"Yes... No... I don't know." Celestia admitted. "I know what choices I have, and what I want to do... But I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do."

"Hm." The Deacon nodded. "I see... Then how can I help?"

"Oh how do I put this?" Celestia asked out loud.

'Oh how do I put this?' She inwardly asked. 'I can't tell him what my heart yearns to do... That would be heresy by any measure... But I can insinuate a more measured approach...'

"When I was a small filly... My mother actually brought me to the Great Cathedral." Celestia began to explain. "While there I- I happened to catch a glance of the First Book."

'... Bit more than a glance but I'm not lying.' Celestia reasoned.

"I've only seen it once myself." The Deacon admitted. "You are extremely fortunate to have seen it as a filly."

"Yes." Celestia agreed. "But my current dilemma is this... Seeing it as a filly was an illuminating moment in my life... And- And I'm afraid the Church would rather destroy it than to let us get our hooves on it."

"Ah..." The Deacon nodded. "You're afraid of losing such a precious relic?"

"Yes." Celestia nodded.

"I see... I will admit, you have valid concerns... The Priests of Unicornia are a jealous bunch... It's why I moved away from the city to spread the word of the Light as a humble Deacon."

"So how can I save it?" Celestia asked.

"Well..." The Deacon considered. "For starters, they won't destroy it until the last possible moment... Even if they're willing to, they wouldn't want to. That book is as important to them as it is to us."

"But what if they do try? How do I get to it?" Celestia asked.

"That's a very good question." The Deacon nodded. "The First Book isn't any normal artifact, within it's pages hold a vast amount of powerful Light magic... So it can't simply be burned in lamp oil. Destroying it would take a dedicated ritual... One that is long and arduous."

"So... If they wait for the last moment..." Celestia asked.

"They might start the ritual early if things take a down turn." The Deacon amended. "But so long as somepony stops them before that happens..."

"Then it'll be safe?" Celestia asked.

"I can't say that for sure..." The Deacon admitted. "But you can delay them even before that happens."

"How so?" the young Unicorn asked.

"It isn't a well known fact... But the First Book was always meant to be shared." The Deacon began to explain.

"Even if it- You know, kills the reader?" Celestia asked.

"What my brothers and sisters don't understand is that knowledge has always meant to be shared." The stallion nodded sagely. "Yes it is dangerous... But it was always meant for the worthy to read."

Celestia swallowed nervously.

But the Deacon continued on without noticing.

"Since it's impossible for the Church to go through everypony in Unicornia... They had to have a way for anypony to demand access. That doesn't stop them from hiding the fact it is a rite, or dictating what requirements the aspirant must meet."

"... I don't follow." Celestia admitted.

"There must be a way for anypony to enter a castle, but the way can be protected and hidden." The stallion explained.

"So... What's the requirement?" Celestia asked.

"The rite of the Ascendant Dawn needs only one test... The aspirant must defeat all of the present clergy in a magic duel."

"... That's it?" Celestia asked.

"The Church of Light teaches many potent spells to it's ordained members." The Deacon chastised. "They are one of the most elite magical organizations in Unicornia... It would be very foolish to underestimate any of them."

"... I see..." Celestia chewed her lip as she considered.

'That might stop them from performing any ritual...' She inwardly reasoned. 'While I wouldn't trust them to keep to their own laws... It would further legitimize any claim I make towards it...'

"I see you are seriously considering this information." The Deacon nodded.

"Yes." Celestia admitted. "This has been on my mind for some time now... Thank you Deacon."

"You're quite welcome Miss..." He smiled. "Good luck and safe travels on your quest... I'll pray for your success."

"Thank you Deacon." Celestia nodded. "But I'm still afraid of what's to come."

"Being afraid is natural... It's what we do while afraid that shows us who we really are."

"... I'll keep that in mind Deacon... Thank you for your advice."

~~~

Unicornia was just as Celestia remembered. Maybe even grander and more polished even...

But now that Celestia was older... She could see the cracks in the façade.

While the towers gleamed with fresh polish... The quality of the city degraded as her gaze traveled downward.

It was just before noon when the army came upon the city, Luna having stopped slightly early the day before in order to time their arrival to give them as much time as they could get to establish camp.

That meant however Luna was very busy, leaving Celestia alone as she walked besides a cart.

The army had barely started unpacking when Luna and several of her staff went to parlay.

It was a short while later when they returned, with Luna looking severely annoyed.

"Luna?" Celestia asked, approaching the blue filly as she finished giving out her fresh orders.

She stopped, sighing.

"Yes Tia?" She continued, not turning around and meeting Celestia's gaze.

"What happened? You seem... Tense." Celestia remarked.

Luna was silent for a moment before she answered.

"... Guess who's the commanding General for Unicornia?" She asked at last.

"Uh... I'm not sure I know anypony who would-" Celestia began to say.

"It was both Emerald and Sapphire." Luna stated through grit teeth.

'... Oh... Oh that isn't good...' Celestia inwardly winced.

"... Really? Aren't they a little young to be commanding Unicornia's forces?" Celestia asked.

"Look Tia..." Luna sighed. "I don't know what to tell you. They're the ones who came to parlay, and they both wore high rank marks."

"Lu please. I'm only trying to understand." Celestia frowned.

'What is the Queen playing at?! There has to be more senior and more experienced soldiers in the Royal Guard!'

Luna sighed.

"I'm sorry Tia..." She replied softly. "I know it's not fair to you... I just need some space is all."

"What are you going to do with that space then?" Celestia asked.

'I know you're upset Lu... But please for the love of light don't do something stupid just because those fillies happen to be in charge...'

"I'm going to help erect the trebuchets. And then I'm never giving anypony in that city a chance to rest or sleep until they give up or break." Luna stated, a dangerous edge to her voice.

"Be careful Lu. I gave you this duty to make them surrender, not slaughter everypony in those walls... I don't want you to condemn all the innocent Ponies inside because of two Ponies you happen to know." Celestia cautioned.

"I know Tia... I'm trying." Luna replied, her ears laying themselves back.

Before Celestia could reply any further, the blue filly began to walk away, quickly disappearing into the camp.

"..." Celestia watched her go, chewing her lip in thought.

'... Grandma Iridium may be a bigger fool than I thought...' She considered. 'She's had months to speak with Platinum about Luna... Whom I don't doubt is the subject of every rumor mill and tall tale across the continent at this point... But still Iridium chose Sapphire and Emerald to be her combatants... I don't know what's worse for her... Being fool enough to try and bait Luna so obviously... Or that she's going to get exactly what she wants...'

~~~

The next week passed with little fanfare.

At all hours, day and night, rain or shine... Luna's trebuchets worked and groaned, flinging countless boulders across the valley at Unicornia, all while the occasional Pegasi wrangled storm cloud shot bolts of lightning with devastating effect.

It was so loud and so constant, Celestia found she had to sleep covering her ears with part of her blanket at night.

All the while... Whenever Luna wasn't doing her various rounds or in the practice rings... She would sit on her haunches, patiently watching the bombardment with a rare, indulgent half smile that reminded Celestia of how a cat would play with a cornered mouse.

But still... Just as Celestia could watch Ponies working the trebuchet's mechanisms, so too could she watch wheels and ropes spin behind Luna's eyes.

It was the morning of the sixth day when all this changed.

As Celestia took a morning walk around the camp, an aura of expectation and bated breath permeated the air.

The shield was going to fall today.

The news was everywhere... It was on every set of lips, in every ear, and most importantly... It was whispered while soldiers donned their full armor sets and sharpened their weapons one last time.

At the end of her walk, Celestia glared at the failing Unicornian shield... Indecision tainting her mind...

A pink maned mare wearing a crown...

A truly horrendous weight...

A blue filly falling to darkness...

She was alone as she watched the shield wobble dangerously... But she could hear Starswirl's voice in her head.

'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?'

The words didn't make sense in this context, but the lesson was the same.

'If I were to go... Would I regret it?' She asked herself.

No.

'If I were to stay... Would I regret it?' She asked again.

Yes.

Without further thought, Celestia turned on her hooves and marched towards the nearest armory to replace the equipment she had ditched after the Raid on the Diamond Dogs.

It didn't take her long to get the armor, as the armories had once again opened up and started doling out full sets like festival candy.

Donning the armor right then and there just off to the side, Celestia was soon fully armored.

Learning from her past experience... She grabbed a quick bite to eat as she made her way to the front line.

As she sat down at one of the fires near the muster area, she couldn't help but notice it had a wonderful view of Unicornia and it's precarious shield.

"Tia?" A voice broke her out of her trance.

Celestia found herself with a half eaten sandwich, dry and itchy eyes from staring, and a blue filly looking at her with concern.

"Oh! Lu!" Celestia half exclaimed, still somewhat started from zoning out. "Sorry I wasn't paying attention... Do you need my help?" She asked.

"Uh... Actually, I think I need to be asking that of you Tia... Are you alright?" Luna asked, her concern deepening.

"Oh! Never better actually!" Celestia beamed.

'Deciding on important decisions is surprisingly relaxing...' she realized.

"Uh... Huh." Luna replied slowly. "Then could I ask you why you're wearing armor?"

'... Oh right... Forgot Luna didn't know I took part in the Raid... Well um... Better to ask forgiveness than permission?'

"Oh I'm going to join you during the counter attack!" Celestia stated with a bit too much cheer.

'What are you doing Tia?! That's asking for permission!'

"No you're not Tia." Luna stated firmly.

'... I knew this was coming... Yet hearing her say that still hurts...'

"What?! Why?!" Celestia cried. "Shouldn't I be able to contribute to uniting the last of the tribes?"

'That'll play to her sense of duty... Surely she'll-'

"You're not going." Luna repeated, stomping a hoof for emphasis. "First off, you are much too valuable to be put on the front line. The tribes are following you. Even if we win, but you do not make it back, our efforts are going to be wasted."

Celestia couldn't help but notice all the white moon on blue banners all around the camp... As well as how many Ponies reverently whispered Luna's name in hushed and fearful tones...

"You're exaggerating." Celestia retorted. "Why couldn't you do it? Or anypony else for that matter?"

"Am I?" Luna argued, raising an eyebrow. "The only reason I'm here fighting this war is because I'm good with the sword, and because you told me to fight it. None of which are good leadership qualities."

"The Ponies respect you because you killed two of the Windegos!" Celestia countered. "You could lead if anything happened to me!"

"What if something were to happen to me as well? We are only two Ponies amongst thousands." Luna insisted. "As much as I don't like it, it is very likely at least two Ponies are going to die when the fighting starts. And even if I were to be the survivor, I am the worst candidate. You know as well as I do I have no patience for Ponies and their absurdities. The army doesn't obey me because they like me, they follow because I keep winning."

The blue filly than pointed a hoof at the white mare.

"Ponies on the otherhoof actually like you. When this war is over they'll be much more willing to listen to you than they would me."

Once again, Luna stomped a hoof.

"So as your designated General, I'm putting my hoof down. You. Are. Not. Going." She enunciated, stomping her hoof at every word.

The words struck deep into Celestia's heart.

She had been so confident she had an argument that could best Luna's excuses...

But it seemed Luna wasn't as oblivious as Celestia thought in regards to how the army felt... And had somehow calculated her decisions accordingly... To exacting detail...

"Alright Luna." Celestia stated, feeling like she had been ran over with a wagon.

Calmly, she took off her helmet and turned away...

Walking back to return her armor so somepony who was actually going to fight could use it...

The camp was silent having heard the argument. As she trudged back into camp, Ponies could only watch her with pity in their eyes.

Celestia wasn't what you'd call a shameful Pony... But in that moment she felt like she was utterly exposed to the world. Each and every pair of eyes watching her was one more Pony who saw for how she truly was... A weak mare who depended on a mere filly to get anywhere in life...

Unable to take the stares any longer, Celestia ducked behind some supply carts, trying to regain a modicum of privacy.

She tore off her helmet and threw it on the ground in disgust.

'I've been such a fool...' She started to sob silently, falling to the ground and sitting against the wheel. 'Just a stupid filly chasing dreams... Luna's right... She's always fucking right...'

With her eyes full of tears, Celestia looked back at the helmet she had thrown down.

'... She can't be right all the time. It's not possible...' She thought as she wiped her tears away with the edge of her gambeson.

Slowly, she picked the helmet back up, staring into it's empty eye holes.

While she had never seen Luna wear a helmet... A habit she assumed from trying to discourage getting hit by lightning... It didn't take much to see Luna's cerulean eyes inside.

A crushing, world ending weight...

A pink maned mare wearing a golden crown...

"... What would you do if you were wrong Lu?" She asked softly. "You know you're not perfect... So you have to be wrong once in a while... Why not this?"

With that, Celestia turned the helmet around and jammed it back on her head. Then quickly standing up, she started moving between the tightly packed tents where hoof traffic wasn't supposed to be.

'This war isn't over Lu...' Celestia inwardly steeled herself. 'Not by a long shot...'

~~~

Celestia refused to be left behind.

Not now... Not ever again.

So she had skirted across the line, joining part of the charge that was away from Luna.

But since she was so late, she had been left behind the majority of the Ponies who were getting ready.

Celestia could only watch anxiously as the distant shield wobbled, more unstable than ever.

Then... There was a spark... A cascade through the shield matrix that caused the bubble to pop like a soap bubble.

The shield was gone...

As one, the army of Ponies rose, donning their helmets and picking up their weapons.

To Celestia's astonishment, the only exception to this was a team of Pegasi and a-

Celestia's eyes widened.

She had thought she had gotten more used to the noise... But she was wrong.

The thunder merely had stopped... Saved up for one final shot.

Celestia dropped her spear as her hooves snapped to her skull, her eyes squeezing shut.

"FIRE!"

ZzzzzRACK!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Even with her hooves covering her ears, she wasn't sure she'd be able to hear again as the world slowly began to make sense again.

Quite a few Ponies had missed the rising Pegasi, and thus were caught unprepared when the thunder hit.

More than a few had been dazed as the dust began to settle over Unicornia.

Or rather, most of Unicornia... For it quickly became obvious that a large hole had been blasted in the outer wall of the city.

Unicornia was breached.