A Long Tale Of Sacrificeby KnightsofIronyChaptersChapter One: Luna DisruptedChapter Two: Relative DisturbanceChapter Three: The Journey BeginsChapter One: Luna DisruptedIn Canterlot, there is a great, large tower on the north-east side, connected to the palace. Now, that may not seem abnormal, or special, but in this tower is a very special pony. An Alicorn, to be precise. And this Alicorn is mostly called Luna. Luna is an Alicorn that had been forced to leave her beloved subjects more than a thousand years ago, to reflect on things on the moon. After a very long (and well deserved) vacation, she had come back, and found things very different. The ponies, they no longer had a stable structure, the walls and rooms, they held beauty rather than practicality. And Princess Celestia, her sister and ruler of all the land, no longer controlled all of the power. Not to mention that Canterlot had become bigger, and now housed multiple colleges and universities to help push along magically adept Unicorns. It has taken Luna seventeen years to adapt comfortably to this new world, but she has finally done it. The ponies now look at her as they once did. Majestic, regal, and ultimately awesome. But a gleaming coat and charming personality can only go so far. And for Luna, she still doesn't much have the charisma that her sister seems to. Still, Luna is very intelligent, and won't let a few nuisances stop her from enjoying her evening. Of course she wouldn't. Luna sat on a posh, and extremely comfortable cushion. She was meditating. To what end, you may ask. Well, she was composing herself, and everything she has ever learned, to form something new. In short, she was attempting to figure out why she wasn't very good at socialization, and neutralize the problem. As she sat here, performing rigorous mental and magical exercises in order to better herself, a commotion could be heard floating through the open window to her left. Luna broke concentration, and her magical parameters wavered ever so slightly, causing a scenic painting on the wall to have a sudden urge to greet the floor raucously. "Gah!!" Luna cried impatiently. She fixed the painting back onto the wall and refocused her mind to her task. Luna sat motionless for several moments, completely drawn into her own mind, until another irritating crash outside ripped through her concentration. Luna huffed angrily as one of the her telescope's three legs became bent from the pressure of intense magic. She bent it back, but had had enough. Luna stood up rather stiffly, and marched to the window, to see what had been causing her grief. The magnificent dark blue Alicorn cast her eyes downwards, down to the courtyard of Castle Canterlot. A young pony seemed to be arguing with Royal Guards. Luna rolled her eyes. Can't these guards do their job right? By guarding? I suppose I must go down personally and see what the problem is. Luna looked longingly at the soft cushion in the middle of her room. She sighed, and exited the room, walked down some steps, through some corridors, and soon appeared in the courtyard. The guards caught sight of her and instantly snapped into the rigid stance all guards and lower-ranked officials do when in the presence of Luna or Celestia. Luna scoffed. "Didn't they teach you not to lock your knees in Physical Training?" The two guards looked at her surprised, but still held their posture. "Oh alright, I understand. It's about respect." Luna saw something in their eyes. She hilariously realized it was fear and alarm. She looked in-between them and saw the young pony. "Right, this had better be important. I was roused from my tests you know." Luna watched one of the guards' throat bob as he swallowed nervously. The left guard bowed, and began an stammering explanation. "M-my lady, th-this ruffian here," he jerked his head towards the young pony behind him. "He stole into our c-courtyard, and m-made an attempt at r-reaching Princess C-celestia!" Luna gave him a confused look. "So?" She asked, making it clear that she didn't understand the problem here. The throat-bobbing guard on the right piped in. "It's against Royal Law, milady!" He cried. The realization dawned on Luna's face. "Oh... Well, there has to be a reason for it. Has this pony given you a reason?" Luna inquired. The guards both exchanged looks. "So he hasn't?" Luna prodded further. All she managed to gain from them was a stuttered "n-no". She pushed past both guards and fixed this pony in an analyzing gaze. The pony standing in front of her wore a hurried face upon a sharply edged head. The head and body were a silvery color. Upon the cranium ran a long mane, dark blue including an odd lighter blue streak. The streak started out thin at the bangs and progressively grew wider and less intense. The young pony's tail was longer than what was the normal style for colts. What represented the pony's specialty was an extremely dark blue comet, with a gradually lightening tail. Luna was taken aback by the strong emerald eyes that payed her a studying assault. "What is it that has brought you here?" Luna asked in the most regal of tones. The young pony bowed respectively, and then spoke in the most sarcastic of tones. "Danger. You know, the usual." Luna stood watching her sister, Celestia, talk with Fellstar, in the far corner of the Throne Room. Apparently his message and reason for trespassing was viable, as Celestia and he were in a deep conversation. Luna's eyes drifted away from the two and wandered to the massive stained glass next to her. It was of her inner darkness being conquered by six ponies, each a representation of the magical and ancient Elements of Harmony. She shuddered thinking back to then, to when all she felt and knew was rage, anger, and an overpowering sense of betrayal. Luna sat down and slowly fell into a bored sleep. She dreamed of flying in the vast expansive black of night. Luna had really caught a good air current, for she was zipping through the sky, a mere blur upon the moon before clouds obscured the light. She had just taken a daring dive downwards when she heard something terrible. A monstrous voice, one devoid of any happiness, one without any warmth, one icy cold, called her name. Luna. It called. Luna... Luna! Luna felt her wings collapse uselessly against her sides, and her stomach plummeted with her as she fell, the voice still calling. Luna!! LUNA!!! She was powerless as the ground rushed up at her, until-- Luna jerked wildly and smacked her head against something stone behind her. She tentatively held a hoof to her head as she realized where she was. Celestia stood over her, concerned. "Luna, are you okay?" Celestia bent down and helped Luna up. "Y-yes, sister, I'm fine." Luna reassured Celestia, though she was not so sure. "Just had a bad dream; must've been something I ate." "Are you sure?" Celestia asked. "Yes yes, I'm quite all right." Luna changed the subject. "Now what did Fellstar have to say?" "Well, he told me that a someone found him in his dreams. He told me that he had a conversation with a dark figure that claimed to know of a power that could cause quite a bit of complications for us." Luna hardly believed in this. "The more vague this is, the less I wish to place belief on it. I see no reason to trust that any of this is true. Likely a child's way of creating fun for himself." She then added. "Rather devilish, come to think of it." Celestia wasn't finished though. "I would agree with you but for one point that has yet to be brought up. Fellstar came with a map, and personally pointed out a location that he said was vital in the acquiring of this power. He also brought this." Celestia brought forth a roughly sewn quilt. It had sixteen patches on it, and was fairly small. Luna was lost. "What is this? Some sort of intricate way of mapping the land? I don't understand." "Watch." Celestia laid it out on the floor. She then closed her eyes, and a sudden brightness resonated from the quilt, momentarily blinding Luna. After regaining the ability to see, Luna looked down in shock at where the ugly brown quilt lay. Sitting upon the quilt, in all it's grandeur, was Luna's lovely maroon cushion. "I-it's a-a--" Luna stuttered. Celestia stated what Luna currently wanted to. "Yes, it is a manuport." "But these no longer exist!!" Luna retorted. Celestia and Luna had gone to their Map Room, to convene more appropriately. "They're extinct, gone, dust! It's impossible!! The Manis Order was stricken from this world, removed from power! But there it is, right before the two of us! Either we're both insane or this is really here, and that means..." Luna's sentence fell apart. "Our duty to keep safe these lands from the dreaded, vile creatures of our home is a fallacy." Luna looked at Celestia exasperatedly. "That we've failed..." "How can we have failed if there is no proof of them here? How can something be failure if present I find no results? We've not failed, Luna. It's a mistake, and mistakes can be fixed, fractures can be mended." Celestia paced back and forth in front of Luna. "Dear sister, we have been through so much together, seen so many horrors, can you please give me some confidence?" Celestia stopped, and Luna reluctantly nodded. Celestia started once more. "Listen. I need you to stay with me on this. I can't do this without you. Luna, I need you." Celestia stopped pacing again, but this time she started pouring over the large map table. "Fellstar showed me this place, here." She pointed to a small mountain next to a large lake, both of which were surrounded by a large forest. "He said that this is the area, and that here should lay ruins. I suppose we venture into them, and see if there's anything in there. If not, we come back here and stay on the alert. If we do, then... we'll just have to find out I expect." "Should we gather the girls?" Luna asked. Celestia thought for a moment. "I think it's best if we just keep this to ourselves. Besides, if there is anything there, I don't want to throw them into unnecessary danger. We should get moving soon. Let's ride a train to Alphemi, get off and fly the rest of the way." "Sounds like a plan." Luna said affirmatively. She walked forward to the exit, ventured out into a grand hall, and purposefully cantered up to her room, going over everything that has come up, and hoping that there isn't anything in the ruins. For all of Equestria, not just herself and Celestia. Fellstar trotted down a cobblestone street. The moon had already risen a few hours ago, shining down it's light blue benevolence. Fellstar was heading home, after letting Celestia know about his experience in his dream. He took a right down a narrow way between two buildings, crossing between two main streets. The little crevice wasn't lit very well, and so he didn't see the little pony that he suddenly tripped over in the dark. "Woah!" Fellstar tumbled forward and smacked his chin on the hard ground. Fellstar's head spun, and his eyes watered. He got into a sitting position and rubbed his chin. Fellstar cried out in pain, as blood began dripping down his neck. A voice came out from the darkness. "You know, you could apologize for kicking me so hard in the side. It's quite rude." The voice was feminine. Fellstar saw two legs in front of him planted firmly on the ground. He followed them up and realized they belonged to a mare. He got up. "Sorry." Said Fellstar. Or would have said if his chin didn't feel like it had exploded. All he managed was a garbled "shurr-e". "Pardon me, what was that?" The mare responded. Fellstar only sat back down. "Is there something wrong?" She asked. "Hello?" He made an attempt at telling her his chin was busted, but couldn't move his jaw without searing pain shooting through his face. A disgruntled sigh came out as a bright, orange-red light filled the alley. It's source was a horn, standing tall upon a slim head. Chapter Two: Relative DisturbanceRelative Disturbance Now we come to Twilight's library tree-house, at the turn of the previous day. In this, we find a Unicorn, deep in slumber. Ah, but the evil twistings of an unknown power caused these sweet dreams to sour. The young purple mare stirred as she was driven from her now horrific nightmares, to become awake. Twilight sits up, or rather she moves the covers belonging to her bed, and she rouses herself. She gets up, now completely awake, and trots to her majestic, mithril-lined, great mirror. She gazes at the expert construction of her mirror. This mirror she had received as a reward for her part in the last time her and her friends saved all of Equestria. She didn't really want something so magnificent sitting in a tree, but Rarity and Celestia had persisted she accept. She then begins her staring contest with the purple mare in front of herself, examing every detail about her. This mare had a very deep blue mane, streaked with pink and purple, and beautiful eyes. Eyes that showed every past experience of her life up to this mark in history, like wells of knowledge. She wasn't looking at her for mere pleasure though, she was checking every detail for a more practical reason. She had had a horrendous dream. She doesn't really remember anything from it. All she remembers is a deep sinking feeling in her head, and an enormous fear of something unknown. She looks at her mane and almost laughs audiblely. "It seems that my mane has adopted a crazy new style in my absence from the physical realm." She runs her left forehoof through it and stops it's rebellion against her horn. She didn't feel tired at all. In fact, she felt renewed. "I guess sleeping has much more of an effect than before." She decides to do some reading until Spike wakes up. She walks down the stairs to the other portion of the tree, and she lights some candles, delighted how easy it was for her to ignite a fire. She looks at her massive collection of books, taking a while to find the right book. Twilight reads this book until it was bright enough to see clearly outside. I would assume that it would be about eight AM in your time, reader. It was then that Twilight's best assistant came down the stairs rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He stops his process of closing his claws and rubbing them on his eyelids to see Twilight sitting and reading. His astonishment and confusion is clear on his facial expression. Spike just stares at Twilight, mouth agape, for he had stopped in the middle of a very pleasant yawn. His face breaks it's frozen expression as he asks a question that was too common a few years ago. "Twilight? Is something wrong; why are you up and around so early?" Twilight responds, "it's a long story, but I am up because I woke up early, and because I wasn't tired after waking up." To Spike, that didn't explain anything. Spike asks, "but why are you up early, what caused you to wake?" "A dream, or more of a nightmare." As Twilight said this, a noticeable amount of worry crept into her voice. It was apparent to Spike that there was more to this than what Twilight had let out willingly. Twilight hadn't turned to look at Spike the whole time. He persists his questioning. "Twilight, is there something you're not telling me?" Twilight slowly turned to look at Spike. Spike gasped. Twilight's face was a mess. Not in the sense that she was a physical wreck, she was far from it. Her face was flawless, except for her eyes, and her poorly concealed amount of stress. "Spike, it's nothing." Twilight wasn't going to push Spike out! "Twilight, whatever it is, I'm sure that we could solve it with the help of our friends!" It seemed for a moment that Spike's argument had won Twilight over, but then her dream came vividly back into her head and routed that spark of hope. Twilight's capacity for keeping control over her emotions had finally burst, causing her eyes to gush tears. Spike had seen and heard enough! He leaves to go upstairs to write a letter. Twilight watched him turn and march up the stairs. Her anguish only increased. She put her head down in her forelegs so as to block out the world, and leave her alone with her thoughts and emotions. Spike found what he was looking for in a drawer next to her bed. He pulled out the pieces of parchment, and grabbed up the quill and ink on the desktop. He proceeds to dip the quill in the pitch black ink, and starts to scrawl a letter addressed to royalty. He seals it with a quick lick and sends it on it's way. Spike returns to find Twilight huddled over and sniffling. It seemed she had calmed down a smidge, so Spike walks over to her and puts his claw on her trembling shoulder. She doesn't make much of a reaction. Then, very quietly and slowly Twilight begins to speak. "I saw them... I saw all of them... all of our friends..." It seems to Spike that she can continue no further, but after a few moments, she reveals more. Twilight's voice was shaking uncontrollably as she said this. "They were strung up, like puppets... all of them. Not just them either, there were more ponies. And... Celestia was the puppeteer!" Twilight ended this with the words barely even reaching her lips. She began sobbing once more. Spike's companionship shows true, "but Twilight, it was only a dream! It didn't effect who Celestia or any of our friends are!" At this Twilight looked straight at Spike, her eyes seeming to bore a hole through Spike's face. "You're right. I-I am sorry you had to see me like this Spike. It just seemed so real!" "It's okay Twilight, no need for apologies. I couldn't stand to see like this, so I sent a letter to Celestia." With that Twilight blushed. "I am going to be so embarrassed! I hope I don't get in trouble for this! Celestia is going to be so ma-" She was cut short by the look Spike was giving her. The look said plainly enough that Twilight's reaction is way to over the top. Twilight giggles, and she continues her day, not forgetting this moment and never her dream... Later that same day in Canterlot... Fellstar reached the doors leading to the Hall of Celestia. The Stewardess puts up her right fore-hoof motioning for them to stop. The guards on either side open the door for her and she disappears inside. The group waits there for a moment before somepony can't stand silence and speaks up. "How come she made us wait out here?" It was Silver Wind, a pegasus who was rumored to be good friends with Rainbow Dash. Then Starchord spoke up in answer, "Probably because she was checking with Celestia, making sure she had the time." This received some approval from most of the ponies gathered around. Then Wolfshadow cuts in. "Well we've been waiting for a while, you would think she would be prepared to meet with us." Wolfshadow made a good point, Fellstar reflected. Just then the Stewardess came out, and told everypony that something had come up earlier, and that Celestia was heavily occupied with it. "Do we even get a hint?" Fellstar asked. "You get a small amount of time, maybe ten minutes, and then you have to leave and wait for a better time!" The Stewardess said this with immense amounts of dissenting voices rising around her. Suddenly the voice of a small pony breaks through the hate clumped around the Stewardess. "I'm sure that Celestia has a reason for the delay, everypony! And I'm positive that it is a valid one at that!" Everypony turns to see where this abrupt outburst originated from. They see a small Unicorn, without a cutiemark. Though young, it was evident this pony was wise. Fellstar examined her, noticing her deep brown eyes. What was most interesting was that not one pony had discovered her before. "This pony is right! We need not blame the Stewardess, she's only performing duties. But that doesn't mean we don't have a right to be irritated. Everypony needs to calm down and be grateful for being allowed this miniscule amount of time with the ruler of Equestria!" Fellstar's voice flowed to the others, causing their hatred and irrational anger towards the Stewardess to cease. The pale green pony walks the others into the hall, and they see Celestia's magnificence, not for the first time, and certainly not the last. They walk up to her, each enraptured by her majesty. None have the gall to speak up, so Celestia's kind character shines on them. "How can I help you today my little ponies?" Celestia's voice is pure delicacy. Fellstar gains enough courage to state his mission. "We- I should say I, have encountered something most troublesome, and would ask of your assistance." Fellstar looks up at Celestia, his eyes desperate. She gives a brief (and very un-princess like) sigh, and turns to her one of her great windows. She turns, and begins speaking. "It would appear to me that we share a common purpose. I have received a letter from one of my most esteemed pupils concerning something that has been plaguing her night. Would you come with me, Fellstar and companions? Your history would be... appreciated." As she said this, her voice began to pick up a note of omnipresence. At this, Fellstar's head exploded as a million different questions arose. He stemmed them and narrowed his inquisitiveness to one question. "Where to?" Celestia turns back, giving Fellstar a smile of reassurance. "Why, to Twilight's house of course." Fellstar looked up at Celestia, curiosity plain to read on his face. Even later that day in Canterlot... Luna looks up at the place that had been her prison for such a considerable amount of time. She stares towards the surrounding stars, like her friends she had gained through her time back in Equestria. She thinks about everything that has happened to her since returning, and she receives mixed feelings from her heart. Her friends, like that young and admirable pony, Twilight Sparkle, she realizes she holds dear. After living as long as an Alicorn age doesn't come into the equation of friendship. She remembers the first time she met Twilight. It was when she came to Ponyville for the Nightmare Night celebration to meet her subjects. It was Luna who recognized Twilight's costume, and it was Twilight who repayed debts do to Luna by integrating her with the rest of that small town. Luna turns and gets into a very comforable position on her pillow. She hardly ever slept, she had performed that action many times over in her exile. She casts her gaze about this tower, and rolls her eyes. Celestia's design choices were admittably poor, at least to Luna. She leaned more to silver and mithril lining, with a sparsity of gold and bronze. But she loves her sister, who showed mercy to her younger sister, even when she was evil. She recalls the conversation she had had with her elder after the events of her return. And she remembers what Celestia had told her. That no matter how badly she was received by the other ponies, she should always lend a helping hoof to those in need of a strong friend. Luna reflects on how too few follow this policy in today's society. Luna's thoughts go towards her regret. The regret she felt every day of her life since she came once more unto Equestria's lands. Her regret was directed at her sense of debt to Celestia. To her, she could never repay a debt so merciful as Celestia's actions. If presented with such an opportunity, she would gladly go to it. Ah, but there are ponies and others in which lies the desire to prove themselves, only to back down when their enthusiasm is most yearned for... Chapter Three: The Journey BeginsThe Journey Begins Fellstar and his companions stayed at Canterlot in some lodging provided by Celestia through the night. When morning came they packed up some supplies by the order of Celestia. When interogated by her followers, she told them that it wasn't as simple as she thought. She researched the night before and came to the conclusion that they'd have to go far away from Canterlot or Ponyville, to Fellstar's original beginning. Alphesedima. A land that is settled by mostly Unicorns, and is older than Celestia's first appearance. That is all Celestia said, leaving them with doubt as to what was next. They departed Celestia's abode, and moved for the Canterlot Train Station. All of them had to wait for the next train to Ponyville, so they had a few hours to kill. They did this by playing a game. The group was split into two, and they played a game called Blup Ball. There were two goals, much like soccer, but these were covered by a Magical Protection spell. This is why each team had two Dissipaters. These had to be Unicorns, so that they could counter the Magical Protection spell being performed by the teams' Safeguarders. These also were coincidentally Unicorns. Don't worry, this isn't just a game for Unicorns. Earth ponies were Defenders, they were charged with keeping the Scorers safe from the other team's Scorers. The Scorers were usually Pegasi, and they flew the Blup, or the small metallic ball, to the other team's goal to score. It's really simple when you've played it for a while, and it doesn't consume much time in readying the field, which Celestia conjured. They played this game until their train's arrival was near. "Come on my little ponies, the train will be here soon." As Celestia made this obvious she dissolved the field where they had played on, which had been suspended in the air. The ponies' general excitement was distributed evenly throughout the whole group. Many had not even ever heard of Alphedesima, and all except Celestia had ever met Twilight, though her adventures were much known all over Equestria. They've all heard about Discord, and Nightmare Night, not to mention that she is the most bagic pony anypony knows of. The train ride persisted through to the night. Earlier In Luna's Tower... Luna sat in her tower. That was very direct. She sits in this tower on most days, and occasionally speaks with her sister. Her thoughts of worry were gone now, and she was meditating once more. Something broke her silence again, but this time, it wasn't voices that did it. It was the sudden occurance of her memory returning, and she was thrown back into the physical realm of Equestria. Her memory was about what had happened a few days ago, when this same thing happened. Both times she was meditating and both times she was disturbed by outsiders. But the difference this time was that Celestia was involved. She stopped her thoughts to stand up, and she walks over to the window she stood at before. That was when she saw Celestia leaving with the other ponies whom had arrived and disturbed her before. Her surprise was written all over her face as she saw this. She wanted to leave, but thought it best to keep Celestia's mission private. In Canterlot, when the ponies see Celestia AND Luna departing from the city, they know something is up. "My destiny seems to be intertwined with loneliness once more." Luna may have said this with a light-joking voice, but little did she or anypony realize that somethings happen that you try your best to prevent, but can't do so without sacrifice. Luna walks away from the window and decides to follow them when night has fallen, using her ability to fly and a Tracking spell. Using this she will catch up with them after they've arrived at Twilight's house. As night falls around Luna, she begins performing her Tracking spell. Spells of Tracking are advanced spells, and require much concentration if you were to go about casting them successfully. She finds Celestia a few miles from where she was, Ponyville she guessed, and left her tower. She stopped outside the entrance to her tower, and looks at the sun as it was setting, admiring Celestia's power strength consistency. Luna looks up at the sun once more as she spreads her wings in preperation of flight. She flexes her wings back and sends them down in a powerful down stroke. As she sped throught the air, the feathers on her wings kept her flight quiet. The night came down fast, and soon Luna could see the moon once more. The land beneath her was small, and went by slowly, or so it seemed, for she was at a high altitude. Luna's coat protected her from the chilly temperatures associated with hight altitudes, as she reached the outskirts of Ponyville. In Twilight's Tree-house... "Twilight, my dear student, let us have some more privacy for the details of your night terror." Said Celestia. The group of companions had just reached their destination, and gone into Twilight's house to discuss Twilight's plight. Celestia and Twilight Sparkle both walked up the stairs to her room, to talk about the details of her dream. Luna would cringe if she was here, "this is just great. They go up there and we're stuck here for who knows long waiting for them to get back and lead us to a place that none in this group know too much about and-" It was Electric Shadow. He was cut short by a familiar voice, one full of collectiveness. "We waited before, I'm sure waiting for them to finish their discussion will not hurt anypony none too badly." Once more, everypony looks in surprise to find this young Unicorn, who had consouled them earlier. And again Fellstar is taken aback by how mature and calm she was. He never asked her name before, "might as well now" he thought. "Excuse me, miss-" "Germanica, my name is Germanica." "Well, Germanica, my name is Fellstar, and I'm pleased to make your aquaitance." Fellstar said this with much genuine respect. Then he addressed the rest of the group. "This is the second time this pony has stated a fact so true, yet many choose to see different. We need patience, and we should be lucky to even be in this house." As he said this, a poorly stifled laugh escaped a scaled mouth. Fellstar turns to see a purple dragon, and wonders at the familarity of this character. The dragon speaks, "It is just a tree-house, it isn't like a castle or anything." Fellstar is astonished at this dragon's "blatant disregard for a legendary place," as he'd put it. He responds to this dragon's remark. "I swear I recognize you, I just can't quite place you. Hmm......... you must be...... Spike! You're Twilight's assistant!" Spike says something about a "number one assistant" under his breath. Then, out loud, he says, "yes, I am Spike. And I do help Twilight stay organized and help her out. After all, she did hatch me." As he says this, Wolfshadow hears a heavy THUD sound that came from upstairs. Then everypony hears Celestia's voice raised. To them, it sounds bad. They all panick, Spike says something about helping Twilight, and they run upstairs to find Celestia, and Twilight. Fortunately, Twilight is fine, but what surprises them next was that another mare had mysteriously arrived and was sitting on a cushion. This mare had a dark blue coat, and a flowing blue mane. Silver Wind identifies wings AND a horn on this Alicorn, and Darkwing had immediately realized that this was, of course, none other than Luna. Celestia was amused by this outcome,"and what do we owe you for this pleasure, my little ponies?" Twilight asked Spike what this was all about, and Spike explained about the noise, and their reactions. Then Luna spoke up. "I am sorry for the intrusion, my dear sister, but I saw you leave Canterlot earlier today and waited for nightfall, to suppress suspicions." As Luna said this her head bowed down slightly, expressing her regret. Celestia responds with much kindness in her voice,"I had hoped you would follow me, Luna. I am more at ease knowing you will be there to assist us in our task." Luna's heart lifted at these words. Luna got a chance to cringe as this question was asked, "and what is this task you speak of?" Twilight joins the conversation, "we have to go to Alphesedima, and then we have to find the city's library and find a book. It'll be easy, but maybe not so for later." Confusion spread on the faces of the surrounding ponies like butter. "Twilight was affected by a spell. A spell that I'm sure Fellstar has warned you of. It is ancient, and it is used for deceit and evil. Long ago, when my sister and I first came into power, Equestria's kingdoms were in a time of great strife and chaos. They were plagued by a certain type of magic, Mind Domination. When we came here, we found that many of the leaders were being controlled, and we had to find each caster of the spell individually, and deal with them. It wasn't easy, it was far from it, we lost one of our family members in fact." Many gasped. Well, all gasped except Luna. Celestia continued in spite of rising uncomprehension. "After that, we did our best to recover as many minds as possible. And that's how we ultimately came to rule Equestria. In a period of our weakest, a Unicorn, named Solara, became powerful, and greedy. He demand we turn him into an Alicorn. We saw that his heart was black, and refused. This angered him greatly. He foolishly attacked Luna and I, but his power was not strong enough for the both of us, and we exiled him to Alphesedima. That was our gravest mistake, I now know. There, he must have found some tomes on Mind Domination. We haven't heard from him since his exile, but we've been on the lookout, watching for his return. Now that this has happened, it is now too clear what must be done. We must go to Alphesedima, and find out how to counter this. If we fail, then Equestria will fall completely into darkness, and everypony will be his puppet." This was some hard news for the young and old ponies in the room. Fellstar couldn't believe it. His home was so ancient, there were so many secrets he didn't know about! That must have been how his father knew how to cast Mind Domination. "How come you two can't just do what you did to the other casters, the ones before?" Starchord asked a very good question that you had probably asked just a second before. "The casters before were weaker than him. Celestia explained. "They were also foolish, for they left many traces of their magical activities. But Solara is much more clever, and he is much more powerful. Luna and I believe he is still hiding somewhere in Alphesedima, and he is definitely hiding his magical signature, or else we would've found him already. He is a very malevolent colt, and he should NEVER be underestimated!" Luna joins in again, "if it wasn't for my older sister, I would have been defeated when he attacked. He is a terrible colt, and deserves the mercy of no pony any longer!" She said this with conviction. Fellstar's mind starts working properly enough to say something, "so we have to go to Alphesedima, my old home?" "Yes, and we are going first thing in the morning!" Celestia stated this as fact, so everypony had to accept it as such. Then she explains the supplies they had to bring with them, "the train will only take us as far as Ellipsa, so we must walk the rest of the way to Alphesedima. That's why we needed all of those cumbersome supplies." Fellstar remembers his escape from Alphesedima. It was horrid! There isn't a train station in Alphesedima, so he had to gallop all the way to Ellipsa, and board a train illegally to Pronte, where he enrolled as a student at the University of Magical Studies. They only reason he got into the school in the first place was his extensive knowledge regarding magic. "At least my father gave me SOMETHING" he thinks to himself. "Ah, but he did cause a many problems with mother, and of course he was none to nice to me either." The group breaks up to converse with each other as Celestia and Luna go and discuss the journey by themselves. Everypony broke into two or threes, Starchord with Wolfshadow, Darkwing with Silver Wind, Germanica by herself, Electric Shadow with Thunder Call, and Fellstar finds himself face to face with a purple Unicorn, Twilight of course. She asks him about Alphesedima, and he finds himself fairly forthcoming. He tells her about his escape, with much surprise to her, and how he was enrolled at the University. He asks her about Gravity spells, and she explains them very clearly, especially when he was confused on how to focus his mind to alter reality, and asks her to "clarify." He finds a deep connection with this mare, and he enjoys the time they have discussing magic. At this time, Fellstar forges a friendship with Twilight Sparkle that seems as perpetual thirty years from now as it did then. Fellstar shares his knowledge on Mind Domination, and Celestia and Luna finish their conversation to tell them that they need to sleep now. "It's been a long day everypony, and we all need some sleep. Tomorrow we head for Alphesedima!" And with that, all of the ponies make arrangements on the floor, couch, and anything else remotely comfortable, and fall into deep sleep, thinking of everthing that has happened. Around Midnight... Fellstar closes his eyes once more, trying, in vain, to fall asleep. He stops his tribulations, and gets up. He walks over to the upstairs balcony, and puts his fore-legs on the balcony's rail. He looks up at the stars, and decides to stay awake until dawn, for he knew why he couldn't sleep and he knew it was a false hope. As he does this, a slight movement to his right catches his eye. He looks to his right, and sees Luna, standing on the balcony with him, doing the same as him. "I was wondering when you'd see me." Luna said, in a light tone. "I-I'm sorry Princess, it's just that I have a lot on my mind right now, so my situational awareness is low." "I can see. Why are you still awake, I thought everypony was asleep?" "I'd ask the same. I can't sleep right now, too much is on my mind. Besides, I enjoy watching the stars at night. They always seem to calm my mind." "Something, it seems, that we have in common." "Pardon me, but why are YOU awake? I thought you would be asleep, after all the flying you had to do." Luna embarrasses Fellstar, "being in exile for a thousand years with nothing to do but sleep and think can have some interesting effects." Fellstar splutter, "I-I-I did not mean to offend you, Princess. I was just-" He was cut off by Luna's laughter. He blushes a bit. "It's alright, Fellstar. I understand you query, and I am not offended in any way. Just fairly amused." Fellstar sighs. "I best try to sleep. I don't want to be tired tomorrow!" Fellstar walks out and lays down on his makeshift bed upstairs. "So much for staying awake until dawn, Fellstar" he laughs to himself. Twilight's Balcony... As Fellstar walks away, embarrassed, Luna stays. She stands there looking up at the moon, her old prison, and sighs a sigh of somepony who is used to being alone. She looks at the craters covering the moon, and remembers them clearly, for she had explore much while on the moon. Luna identifies Perscylafe, one of the many names she gave to the moons' craters. Then her gaze drifts down to the drowsy Ponyville. She remembers this place before her exile. It has changes so much since then, grown......larger, and more active. Everything and everypony has grown MUCH more active, they move faster. Everything is so much more different than before her exile. "But am I really surprised? I've been gone for a thousand years, what did I expect?" She thinks many thoughts, most floating in that direction. Luna stays here until just before daybreak, thinking about so much. The next morning, everypony gets read to go on their adventure. They are all excited and light-hearted, though if they knew what was to happen, their attitudes may have been different...
Chapter One: Luna DisruptedIn Canterlot, there is a great, large tower on the north-east side, connected to the palace. Now, that may not seem abnormal, or special, but in this tower is a very special pony. An Alicorn, to be precise. And this Alicorn is mostly called Luna. Luna is an Alicorn that had been forced to leave her beloved subjects more than a thousand years ago, to reflect on things on the moon. After a very long (and well deserved) vacation, she had come back, and found things very different. The ponies, they no longer had a stable structure, the walls and rooms, they held beauty rather than practicality. And Princess Celestia, her sister and ruler of all the land, no longer controlled all of the power. Not to mention that Canterlot had become bigger, and now housed multiple colleges and universities to help push along magically adept Unicorns. It has taken Luna seventeen years to adapt comfortably to this new world, but she has finally done it. The ponies now look at her as they once did. Majestic, regal, and ultimately awesome. But a gleaming coat and charming personality can only go so far. And for Luna, she still doesn't much have the charisma that her sister seems to. Still, Luna is very intelligent, and won't let a few nuisances stop her from enjoying her evening. Of course she wouldn't. Luna sat on a posh, and extremely comfortable cushion. She was meditating. To what end, you may ask. Well, she was composing herself, and everything she has ever learned, to form something new. In short, she was attempting to figure out why she wasn't very good at socialization, and neutralize the problem. As she sat here, performing rigorous mental and magical exercises in order to better herself, a commotion could be heard floating through the open window to her left. Luna broke concentration, and her magical parameters wavered ever so slightly, causing a scenic painting on the wall to have a sudden urge to greet the floor raucously. "Gah!!" Luna cried impatiently. She fixed the painting back onto the wall and refocused her mind to her task. Luna sat motionless for several moments, completely drawn into her own mind, until another irritating crash outside ripped through her concentration. Luna huffed angrily as one of the her telescope's three legs became bent from the pressure of intense magic. She bent it back, but had had enough. Luna stood up rather stiffly, and marched to the window, to see what had been causing her grief. The magnificent dark blue Alicorn cast her eyes downwards, down to the courtyard of Castle Canterlot. A young pony seemed to be arguing with Royal Guards. Luna rolled her eyes. Can't these guards do their job right? By guarding? I suppose I must go down personally and see what the problem is. Luna looked longingly at the soft cushion in the middle of her room. She sighed, and exited the room, walked down some steps, through some corridors, and soon appeared in the courtyard. The guards caught sight of her and instantly snapped into the rigid stance all guards and lower-ranked officials do when in the presence of Luna or Celestia. Luna scoffed. "Didn't they teach you not to lock your knees in Physical Training?" The two guards looked at her surprised, but still held their posture. "Oh alright, I understand. It's about respect." Luna saw something in their eyes. She hilariously realized it was fear and alarm. She looked in-between them and saw the young pony. "Right, this had better be important. I was roused from my tests you know." Luna watched one of the guards' throat bob as he swallowed nervously. The left guard bowed, and began an stammering explanation. "M-my lady, th-this ruffian here," he jerked his head towards the young pony behind him. "He stole into our c-courtyard, and m-made an attempt at r-reaching Princess C-celestia!" Luna gave him a confused look. "So?" She asked, making it clear that she didn't understand the problem here. The throat-bobbing guard on the right piped in. "It's against Royal Law, milady!" He cried. The realization dawned on Luna's face. "Oh... Well, there has to be a reason for it. Has this pony given you a reason?" Luna inquired. The guards both exchanged looks. "So he hasn't?" Luna prodded further. All she managed to gain from them was a stuttered "n-no". She pushed past both guards and fixed this pony in an analyzing gaze. The pony standing in front of her wore a hurried face upon a sharply edged head. The head and body were a silvery color. Upon the cranium ran a long mane, dark blue including an odd lighter blue streak. The streak started out thin at the bangs and progressively grew wider and less intense. The young pony's tail was longer than what was the normal style for colts. What represented the pony's specialty was an extremely dark blue comet, with a gradually lightening tail. Luna was taken aback by the strong emerald eyes that payed her a studying assault. "What is it that has brought you here?" Luna asked in the most regal of tones. The young pony bowed respectively, and then spoke in the most sarcastic of tones. "Danger. You know, the usual." Luna stood watching her sister, Celestia, talk with Fellstar, in the far corner of the Throne Room. Apparently his message and reason for trespassing was viable, as Celestia and he were in a deep conversation. Luna's eyes drifted away from the two and wandered to the massive stained glass next to her. It was of her inner darkness being conquered by six ponies, each a representation of the magical and ancient Elements of Harmony. She shuddered thinking back to then, to when all she felt and knew was rage, anger, and an overpowering sense of betrayal. Luna sat down and slowly fell into a bored sleep. She dreamed of flying in the vast expansive black of night. Luna had really caught a good air current, for she was zipping through the sky, a mere blur upon the moon before clouds obscured the light. She had just taken a daring dive downwards when she heard something terrible. A monstrous voice, one devoid of any happiness, one without any warmth, one icy cold, called her name. Luna. It called. Luna... Luna! Luna felt her wings collapse uselessly against her sides, and her stomach plummeted with her as she fell, the voice still calling. Luna!! LUNA!!! She was powerless as the ground rushed up at her, until-- Luna jerked wildly and smacked her head against something stone behind her. She tentatively held a hoof to her head as she realized where she was. Celestia stood over her, concerned. "Luna, are you okay?" Celestia bent down and helped Luna up. "Y-yes, sister, I'm fine." Luna reassured Celestia, though she was not so sure. "Just had a bad dream; must've been something I ate." "Are you sure?" Celestia asked. "Yes yes, I'm quite all right." Luna changed the subject. "Now what did Fellstar have to say?" "Well, he told me that a someone found him in his dreams. He told me that he had a conversation with a dark figure that claimed to know of a power that could cause quite a bit of complications for us." Luna hardly believed in this. "The more vague this is, the less I wish to place belief on it. I see no reason to trust that any of this is true. Likely a child's way of creating fun for himself." She then added. "Rather devilish, come to think of it." Celestia wasn't finished though. "I would agree with you but for one point that has yet to be brought up. Fellstar came with a map, and personally pointed out a location that he said was vital in the acquiring of this power. He also brought this." Celestia brought forth a roughly sewn quilt. It had sixteen patches on it, and was fairly small. Luna was lost. "What is this? Some sort of intricate way of mapping the land? I don't understand." "Watch." Celestia laid it out on the floor. She then closed her eyes, and a sudden brightness resonated from the quilt, momentarily blinding Luna. After regaining the ability to see, Luna looked down in shock at where the ugly brown quilt lay. Sitting upon the quilt, in all it's grandeur, was Luna's lovely maroon cushion. "I-it's a-a--" Luna stuttered. Celestia stated what Luna currently wanted to. "Yes, it is a manuport." "But these no longer exist!!" Luna retorted. Celestia and Luna had gone to their Map Room, to convene more appropriately. "They're extinct, gone, dust! It's impossible!! The Manis Order was stricken from this world, removed from power! But there it is, right before the two of us! Either we're both insane or this is really here, and that means..." Luna's sentence fell apart. "Our duty to keep safe these lands from the dreaded, vile creatures of our home is a fallacy." Luna looked at Celestia exasperatedly. "That we've failed..." "How can we have failed if there is no proof of them here? How can something be failure if present I find no results? We've not failed, Luna. It's a mistake, and mistakes can be fixed, fractures can be mended." Celestia paced back and forth in front of Luna. "Dear sister, we have been through so much together, seen so many horrors, can you please give me some confidence?" Celestia stopped, and Luna reluctantly nodded. Celestia started once more. "Listen. I need you to stay with me on this. I can't do this without you. Luna, I need you." Celestia stopped pacing again, but this time she started pouring over the large map table. "Fellstar showed me this place, here." She pointed to a small mountain next to a large lake, both of which were surrounded by a large forest. "He said that this is the area, and that here should lay ruins. I suppose we venture into them, and see if there's anything in there. If not, we come back here and stay on the alert. If we do, then... we'll just have to find out I expect." "Should we gather the girls?" Luna asked. Celestia thought for a moment. "I think it's best if we just keep this to ourselves. Besides, if there is anything there, I don't want to throw them into unnecessary danger. We should get moving soon. Let's ride a train to Alphemi, get off and fly the rest of the way." "Sounds like a plan." Luna said affirmatively. She walked forward to the exit, ventured out into a grand hall, and purposefully cantered up to her room, going over everything that has come up, and hoping that there isn't anything in the ruins. For all of Equestria, not just herself and Celestia. Fellstar trotted down a cobblestone street. The moon had already risen a few hours ago, shining down it's light blue benevolence. Fellstar was heading home, after letting Celestia know about his experience in his dream. He took a right down a narrow way between two buildings, crossing between two main streets. The little crevice wasn't lit very well, and so he didn't see the little pony that he suddenly tripped over in the dark. "Woah!" Fellstar tumbled forward and smacked his chin on the hard ground. Fellstar's head spun, and his eyes watered. He got into a sitting position and rubbed his chin. Fellstar cried out in pain, as blood began dripping down his neck. A voice came out from the darkness. "You know, you could apologize for kicking me so hard in the side. It's quite rude." The voice was feminine. Fellstar saw two legs in front of him planted firmly on the ground. He followed them up and realized they belonged to a mare. He got up. "Sorry." Said Fellstar. Or would have said if his chin didn't feel like it had exploded. All he managed was a garbled "shurr-e". "Pardon me, what was that?" The mare responded. Fellstar only sat back down. "Is there something wrong?" She asked. "Hello?" He made an attempt at telling her his chin was busted, but couldn't move his jaw without searing pain shooting through his face. A disgruntled sigh came out as a bright, orange-red light filled the alley. It's source was a horn, standing tall upon a slim head.
Chapter Two: Relative DisturbanceRelative Disturbance Now we come to Twilight's library tree-house, at the turn of the previous day. In this, we find a Unicorn, deep in slumber. Ah, but the evil twistings of an unknown power caused these sweet dreams to sour. The young purple mare stirred as she was driven from her now horrific nightmares, to become awake. Twilight sits up, or rather she moves the covers belonging to her bed, and she rouses herself. She gets up, now completely awake, and trots to her majestic, mithril-lined, great mirror. She gazes at the expert construction of her mirror. This mirror she had received as a reward for her part in the last time her and her friends saved all of Equestria. She didn't really want something so magnificent sitting in a tree, but Rarity and Celestia had persisted she accept. She then begins her staring contest with the purple mare in front of herself, examing every detail about her. This mare had a very deep blue mane, streaked with pink and purple, and beautiful eyes. Eyes that showed every past experience of her life up to this mark in history, like wells of knowledge. She wasn't looking at her for mere pleasure though, she was checking every detail for a more practical reason. She had had a horrendous dream. She doesn't really remember anything from it. All she remembers is a deep sinking feeling in her head, and an enormous fear of something unknown. She looks at her mane and almost laughs audiblely. "It seems that my mane has adopted a crazy new style in my absence from the physical realm." She runs her left forehoof through it and stops it's rebellion against her horn. She didn't feel tired at all. In fact, she felt renewed. "I guess sleeping has much more of an effect than before." She decides to do some reading until Spike wakes up. She walks down the stairs to the other portion of the tree, and she lights some candles, delighted how easy it was for her to ignite a fire. She looks at her massive collection of books, taking a while to find the right book. Twilight reads this book until it was bright enough to see clearly outside. I would assume that it would be about eight AM in your time, reader. It was then that Twilight's best assistant came down the stairs rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He stops his process of closing his claws and rubbing them on his eyelids to see Twilight sitting and reading. His astonishment and confusion is clear on his facial expression. Spike just stares at Twilight, mouth agape, for he had stopped in the middle of a very pleasant yawn. His face breaks it's frozen expression as he asks a question that was too common a few years ago. "Twilight? Is something wrong; why are you up and around so early?" Twilight responds, "it's a long story, but I am up because I woke up early, and because I wasn't tired after waking up." To Spike, that didn't explain anything. Spike asks, "but why are you up early, what caused you to wake?" "A dream, or more of a nightmare." As Twilight said this, a noticeable amount of worry crept into her voice. It was apparent to Spike that there was more to this than what Twilight had let out willingly. Twilight hadn't turned to look at Spike the whole time. He persists his questioning. "Twilight, is there something you're not telling me?" Twilight slowly turned to look at Spike. Spike gasped. Twilight's face was a mess. Not in the sense that she was a physical wreck, she was far from it. Her face was flawless, except for her eyes, and her poorly concealed amount of stress. "Spike, it's nothing." Twilight wasn't going to push Spike out! "Twilight, whatever it is, I'm sure that we could solve it with the help of our friends!" It seemed for a moment that Spike's argument had won Twilight over, but then her dream came vividly back into her head and routed that spark of hope. Twilight's capacity for keeping control over her emotions had finally burst, causing her eyes to gush tears. Spike had seen and heard enough! He leaves to go upstairs to write a letter. Twilight watched him turn and march up the stairs. Her anguish only increased. She put her head down in her forelegs so as to block out the world, and leave her alone with her thoughts and emotions. Spike found what he was looking for in a drawer next to her bed. He pulled out the pieces of parchment, and grabbed up the quill and ink on the desktop. He proceeds to dip the quill in the pitch black ink, and starts to scrawl a letter addressed to royalty. He seals it with a quick lick and sends it on it's way. Spike returns to find Twilight huddled over and sniffling. It seemed she had calmed down a smidge, so Spike walks over to her and puts his claw on her trembling shoulder. She doesn't make much of a reaction. Then, very quietly and slowly Twilight begins to speak. "I saw them... I saw all of them... all of our friends..." It seems to Spike that she can continue no further, but after a few moments, she reveals more. Twilight's voice was shaking uncontrollably as she said this. "They were strung up, like puppets... all of them. Not just them either, there were more ponies. And... Celestia was the puppeteer!" Twilight ended this with the words barely even reaching her lips. She began sobbing once more. Spike's companionship shows true, "but Twilight, it was only a dream! It didn't effect who Celestia or any of our friends are!" At this Twilight looked straight at Spike, her eyes seeming to bore a hole through Spike's face. "You're right. I-I am sorry you had to see me like this Spike. It just seemed so real!" "It's okay Twilight, no need for apologies. I couldn't stand to see like this, so I sent a letter to Celestia." With that Twilight blushed. "I am going to be so embarrassed! I hope I don't get in trouble for this! Celestia is going to be so ma-" She was cut short by the look Spike was giving her. The look said plainly enough that Twilight's reaction is way to over the top. Twilight giggles, and she continues her day, not forgetting this moment and never her dream... Later that same day in Canterlot... Fellstar reached the doors leading to the Hall of Celestia. The Stewardess puts up her right fore-hoof motioning for them to stop. The guards on either side open the door for her and she disappears inside. The group waits there for a moment before somepony can't stand silence and speaks up. "How come she made us wait out here?" It was Silver Wind, a pegasus who was rumored to be good friends with Rainbow Dash. Then Starchord spoke up in answer, "Probably because she was checking with Celestia, making sure she had the time." This received some approval from most of the ponies gathered around. Then Wolfshadow cuts in. "Well we've been waiting for a while, you would think she would be prepared to meet with us." Wolfshadow made a good point, Fellstar reflected. Just then the Stewardess came out, and told everypony that something had come up earlier, and that Celestia was heavily occupied with it. "Do we even get a hint?" Fellstar asked. "You get a small amount of time, maybe ten minutes, and then you have to leave and wait for a better time!" The Stewardess said this with immense amounts of dissenting voices rising around her. Suddenly the voice of a small pony breaks through the hate clumped around the Stewardess. "I'm sure that Celestia has a reason for the delay, everypony! And I'm positive that it is a valid one at that!" Everypony turns to see where this abrupt outburst originated from. They see a small Unicorn, without a cutiemark. Though young, it was evident this pony was wise. Fellstar examined her, noticing her deep brown eyes. What was most interesting was that not one pony had discovered her before. "This pony is right! We need not blame the Stewardess, she's only performing duties. But that doesn't mean we don't have a right to be irritated. Everypony needs to calm down and be grateful for being allowed this miniscule amount of time with the ruler of Equestria!" Fellstar's voice flowed to the others, causing their hatred and irrational anger towards the Stewardess to cease. The pale green pony walks the others into the hall, and they see Celestia's magnificence, not for the first time, and certainly not the last. They walk up to her, each enraptured by her majesty. None have the gall to speak up, so Celestia's kind character shines on them. "How can I help you today my little ponies?" Celestia's voice is pure delicacy. Fellstar gains enough courage to state his mission. "We- I should say I, have encountered something most troublesome, and would ask of your assistance." Fellstar looks up at Celestia, his eyes desperate. She gives a brief (and very un-princess like) sigh, and turns to her one of her great windows. She turns, and begins speaking. "It would appear to me that we share a common purpose. I have received a letter from one of my most esteemed pupils concerning something that has been plaguing her night. Would you come with me, Fellstar and companions? Your history would be... appreciated." As she said this, her voice began to pick up a note of omnipresence. At this, Fellstar's head exploded as a million different questions arose. He stemmed them and narrowed his inquisitiveness to one question. "Where to?" Celestia turns back, giving Fellstar a smile of reassurance. "Why, to Twilight's house of course." Fellstar looked up at Celestia, curiosity plain to read on his face. Even later that day in Canterlot... Luna looks up at the place that had been her prison for such a considerable amount of time. She stares towards the surrounding stars, like her friends she had gained through her time back in Equestria. She thinks about everything that has happened to her since returning, and she receives mixed feelings from her heart. Her friends, like that young and admirable pony, Twilight Sparkle, she realizes she holds dear. After living as long as an Alicorn age doesn't come into the equation of friendship. She remembers the first time she met Twilight. It was when she came to Ponyville for the Nightmare Night celebration to meet her subjects. It was Luna who recognized Twilight's costume, and it was Twilight who repayed debts do to Luna by integrating her with the rest of that small town. Luna turns and gets into a very comforable position on her pillow. She hardly ever slept, she had performed that action many times over in her exile. She casts her gaze about this tower, and rolls her eyes. Celestia's design choices were admittably poor, at least to Luna. She leaned more to silver and mithril lining, with a sparsity of gold and bronze. But she loves her sister, who showed mercy to her younger sister, even when she was evil. She recalls the conversation she had had with her elder after the events of her return. And she remembers what Celestia had told her. That no matter how badly she was received by the other ponies, she should always lend a helping hoof to those in need of a strong friend. Luna reflects on how too few follow this policy in today's society. Luna's thoughts go towards her regret. The regret she felt every day of her life since she came once more unto Equestria's lands. Her regret was directed at her sense of debt to Celestia. To her, she could never repay a debt so merciful as Celestia's actions. If presented with such an opportunity, she would gladly go to it. Ah, but there are ponies and others in which lies the desire to prove themselves, only to back down when their enthusiasm is most yearned for...
Chapter Three: The Journey BeginsThe Journey Begins Fellstar and his companions stayed at Canterlot in some lodging provided by Celestia through the night. When morning came they packed up some supplies by the order of Celestia. When interogated by her followers, she told them that it wasn't as simple as she thought. She researched the night before and came to the conclusion that they'd have to go far away from Canterlot or Ponyville, to Fellstar's original beginning. Alphesedima. A land that is settled by mostly Unicorns, and is older than Celestia's first appearance. That is all Celestia said, leaving them with doubt as to what was next. They departed Celestia's abode, and moved for the Canterlot Train Station. All of them had to wait for the next train to Ponyville, so they had a few hours to kill. They did this by playing a game. The group was split into two, and they played a game called Blup Ball. There were two goals, much like soccer, but these were covered by a Magical Protection spell. This is why each team had two Dissipaters. These had to be Unicorns, so that they could counter the Magical Protection spell being performed by the teams' Safeguarders. These also were coincidentally Unicorns. Don't worry, this isn't just a game for Unicorns. Earth ponies were Defenders, they were charged with keeping the Scorers safe from the other team's Scorers. The Scorers were usually Pegasi, and they flew the Blup, or the small metallic ball, to the other team's goal to score. It's really simple when you've played it for a while, and it doesn't consume much time in readying the field, which Celestia conjured. They played this game until their train's arrival was near. "Come on my little ponies, the train will be here soon." As Celestia made this obvious she dissolved the field where they had played on, which had been suspended in the air. The ponies' general excitement was distributed evenly throughout the whole group. Many had not even ever heard of Alphedesima, and all except Celestia had ever met Twilight, though her adventures were much known all over Equestria. They've all heard about Discord, and Nightmare Night, not to mention that she is the most bagic pony anypony knows of. The train ride persisted through to the night. Earlier In Luna's Tower... Luna sat in her tower. That was very direct. She sits in this tower on most days, and occasionally speaks with her sister. Her thoughts of worry were gone now, and she was meditating once more. Something broke her silence again, but this time, it wasn't voices that did it. It was the sudden occurance of her memory returning, and she was thrown back into the physical realm of Equestria. Her memory was about what had happened a few days ago, when this same thing happened. Both times she was meditating and both times she was disturbed by outsiders. But the difference this time was that Celestia was involved. She stopped her thoughts to stand up, and she walks over to the window she stood at before. That was when she saw Celestia leaving with the other ponies whom had arrived and disturbed her before. Her surprise was written all over her face as she saw this. She wanted to leave, but thought it best to keep Celestia's mission private. In Canterlot, when the ponies see Celestia AND Luna departing from the city, they know something is up. "My destiny seems to be intertwined with loneliness once more." Luna may have said this with a light-joking voice, but little did she or anypony realize that somethings happen that you try your best to prevent, but can't do so without sacrifice. Luna walks away from the window and decides to follow them when night has fallen, using her ability to fly and a Tracking spell. Using this she will catch up with them after they've arrived at Twilight's house. As night falls around Luna, she begins performing her Tracking spell. Spells of Tracking are advanced spells, and require much concentration if you were to go about casting them successfully. She finds Celestia a few miles from where she was, Ponyville she guessed, and left her tower. She stopped outside the entrance to her tower, and looks at the sun as it was setting, admiring Celestia's power strength consistency. Luna looks up at the sun once more as she spreads her wings in preperation of flight. She flexes her wings back and sends them down in a powerful down stroke. As she sped throught the air, the feathers on her wings kept her flight quiet. The night came down fast, and soon Luna could see the moon once more. The land beneath her was small, and went by slowly, or so it seemed, for she was at a high altitude. Luna's coat protected her from the chilly temperatures associated with hight altitudes, as she reached the outskirts of Ponyville. In Twilight's Tree-house... "Twilight, my dear student, let us have some more privacy for the details of your night terror." Said Celestia. The group of companions had just reached their destination, and gone into Twilight's house to discuss Twilight's plight. Celestia and Twilight Sparkle both walked up the stairs to her room, to talk about the details of her dream. Luna would cringe if she was here, "this is just great. They go up there and we're stuck here for who knows long waiting for them to get back and lead us to a place that none in this group know too much about and-" It was Electric Shadow. He was cut short by a familiar voice, one full of collectiveness. "We waited before, I'm sure waiting for them to finish their discussion will not hurt anypony none too badly." Once more, everypony looks in surprise to find this young Unicorn, who had consouled them earlier. And again Fellstar is taken aback by how mature and calm she was. He never asked her name before, "might as well now" he thought. "Excuse me, miss-" "Germanica, my name is Germanica." "Well, Germanica, my name is Fellstar, and I'm pleased to make your aquaitance." Fellstar said this with much genuine respect. Then he addressed the rest of the group. "This is the second time this pony has stated a fact so true, yet many choose to see different. We need patience, and we should be lucky to even be in this house." As he said this, a poorly stifled laugh escaped a scaled mouth. Fellstar turns to see a purple dragon, and wonders at the familarity of this character. The dragon speaks, "It is just a tree-house, it isn't like a castle or anything." Fellstar is astonished at this dragon's "blatant disregard for a legendary place," as he'd put it. He responds to this dragon's remark. "I swear I recognize you, I just can't quite place you. Hmm......... you must be...... Spike! You're Twilight's assistant!" Spike says something about a "number one assistant" under his breath. Then, out loud, he says, "yes, I am Spike. And I do help Twilight stay organized and help her out. After all, she did hatch me." As he says this, Wolfshadow hears a heavy THUD sound that came from upstairs. Then everypony hears Celestia's voice raised. To them, it sounds bad. They all panick, Spike says something about helping Twilight, and they run upstairs to find Celestia, and Twilight. Fortunately, Twilight is fine, but what surprises them next was that another mare had mysteriously arrived and was sitting on a cushion. This mare had a dark blue coat, and a flowing blue mane. Silver Wind identifies wings AND a horn on this Alicorn, and Darkwing had immediately realized that this was, of course, none other than Luna. Celestia was amused by this outcome,"and what do we owe you for this pleasure, my little ponies?" Twilight asked Spike what this was all about, and Spike explained about the noise, and their reactions. Then Luna spoke up. "I am sorry for the intrusion, my dear sister, but I saw you leave Canterlot earlier today and waited for nightfall, to suppress suspicions." As Luna said this her head bowed down slightly, expressing her regret. Celestia responds with much kindness in her voice,"I had hoped you would follow me, Luna. I am more at ease knowing you will be there to assist us in our task." Luna's heart lifted at these words. Luna got a chance to cringe as this question was asked, "and what is this task you speak of?" Twilight joins the conversation, "we have to go to Alphesedima, and then we have to find the city's library and find a book. It'll be easy, but maybe not so for later." Confusion spread on the faces of the surrounding ponies like butter. "Twilight was affected by a spell. A spell that I'm sure Fellstar has warned you of. It is ancient, and it is used for deceit and evil. Long ago, when my sister and I first came into power, Equestria's kingdoms were in a time of great strife and chaos. They were plagued by a certain type of magic, Mind Domination. When we came here, we found that many of the leaders were being controlled, and we had to find each caster of the spell individually, and deal with them. It wasn't easy, it was far from it, we lost one of our family members in fact." Many gasped. Well, all gasped except Luna. Celestia continued in spite of rising uncomprehension. "After that, we did our best to recover as many minds as possible. And that's how we ultimately came to rule Equestria. In a period of our weakest, a Unicorn, named Solara, became powerful, and greedy. He demand we turn him into an Alicorn. We saw that his heart was black, and refused. This angered him greatly. He foolishly attacked Luna and I, but his power was not strong enough for the both of us, and we exiled him to Alphesedima. That was our gravest mistake, I now know. There, he must have found some tomes on Mind Domination. We haven't heard from him since his exile, but we've been on the lookout, watching for his return. Now that this has happened, it is now too clear what must be done. We must go to Alphesedima, and find out how to counter this. If we fail, then Equestria will fall completely into darkness, and everypony will be his puppet." This was some hard news for the young and old ponies in the room. Fellstar couldn't believe it. His home was so ancient, there were so many secrets he didn't know about! That must have been how his father knew how to cast Mind Domination. "How come you two can't just do what you did to the other casters, the ones before?" Starchord asked a very good question that you had probably asked just a second before. "The casters before were weaker than him. Celestia explained. "They were also foolish, for they left many traces of their magical activities. But Solara is much more clever, and he is much more powerful. Luna and I believe he is still hiding somewhere in Alphesedima, and he is definitely hiding his magical signature, or else we would've found him already. He is a very malevolent colt, and he should NEVER be underestimated!" Luna joins in again, "if it wasn't for my older sister, I would have been defeated when he attacked. He is a terrible colt, and deserves the mercy of no pony any longer!" She said this with conviction. Fellstar's mind starts working properly enough to say something, "so we have to go to Alphesedima, my old home?" "Yes, and we are going first thing in the morning!" Celestia stated this as fact, so everypony had to accept it as such. Then she explains the supplies they had to bring with them, "the train will only take us as far as Ellipsa, so we must walk the rest of the way to Alphesedima. That's why we needed all of those cumbersome supplies." Fellstar remembers his escape from Alphesedima. It was horrid! There isn't a train station in Alphesedima, so he had to gallop all the way to Ellipsa, and board a train illegally to Pronte, where he enrolled as a student at the University of Magical Studies. They only reason he got into the school in the first place was his extensive knowledge regarding magic. "At least my father gave me SOMETHING" he thinks to himself. "Ah, but he did cause a many problems with mother, and of course he was none to nice to me either." The group breaks up to converse with each other as Celestia and Luna go and discuss the journey by themselves. Everypony broke into two or threes, Starchord with Wolfshadow, Darkwing with Silver Wind, Germanica by herself, Electric Shadow with Thunder Call, and Fellstar finds himself face to face with a purple Unicorn, Twilight of course. She asks him about Alphesedima, and he finds himself fairly forthcoming. He tells her about his escape, with much surprise to her, and how he was enrolled at the University. He asks her about Gravity spells, and she explains them very clearly, especially when he was confused on how to focus his mind to alter reality, and asks her to "clarify." He finds a deep connection with this mare, and he enjoys the time they have discussing magic. At this time, Fellstar forges a friendship with Twilight Sparkle that seems as perpetual thirty years from now as it did then. Fellstar shares his knowledge on Mind Domination, and Celestia and Luna finish their conversation to tell them that they need to sleep now. "It's been a long day everypony, and we all need some sleep. Tomorrow we head for Alphesedima!" And with that, all of the ponies make arrangements on the floor, couch, and anything else remotely comfortable, and fall into deep sleep, thinking of everthing that has happened. Around Midnight... Fellstar closes his eyes once more, trying, in vain, to fall asleep. He stops his tribulations, and gets up. He walks over to the upstairs balcony, and puts his fore-legs on the balcony's rail. He looks up at the stars, and decides to stay awake until dawn, for he knew why he couldn't sleep and he knew it was a false hope. As he does this, a slight movement to his right catches his eye. He looks to his right, and sees Luna, standing on the balcony with him, doing the same as him. "I was wondering when you'd see me." Luna said, in a light tone. "I-I'm sorry Princess, it's just that I have a lot on my mind right now, so my situational awareness is low." "I can see. Why are you still awake, I thought everypony was asleep?" "I'd ask the same. I can't sleep right now, too much is on my mind. Besides, I enjoy watching the stars at night. They always seem to calm my mind." "Something, it seems, that we have in common." "Pardon me, but why are YOU awake? I thought you would be asleep, after all the flying you had to do." Luna embarrasses Fellstar, "being in exile for a thousand years with nothing to do but sleep and think can have some interesting effects." Fellstar splutter, "I-I-I did not mean to offend you, Princess. I was just-" He was cut off by Luna's laughter. He blushes a bit. "It's alright, Fellstar. I understand you query, and I am not offended in any way. Just fairly amused." Fellstar sighs. "I best try to sleep. I don't want to be tired tomorrow!" Fellstar walks out and lays down on his makeshift bed upstairs. "So much for staying awake until dawn, Fellstar" he laughs to himself. Twilight's Balcony... As Fellstar walks away, embarrassed, Luna stays. She stands there looking up at the moon, her old prison, and sighs a sigh of somepony who is used to being alone. She looks at the craters covering the moon, and remembers them clearly, for she had explore much while on the moon. Luna identifies Perscylafe, one of the many names she gave to the moons' craters. Then her gaze drifts down to the drowsy Ponyville. She remembers this place before her exile. It has changes so much since then, grown......larger, and more active. Everything and everypony has grown MUCH more active, they move faster. Everything is so much more different than before her exile. "But am I really surprised? I've been gone for a thousand years, what did I expect?" She thinks many thoughts, most floating in that direction. Luna stays here until just before daybreak, thinking about so much. The next morning, everypony gets read to go on their adventure. They are all excited and light-hearted, though if they knew what was to happen, their attitudes may have been different...
