Chapters Up in the sky, there was a blue flash, and then everything went black.
That was all that the Defender of the Night, Princess Luna, saw before she awoke in a forest. There were tree's all around her, but that was a given, and apparently she had been out cold for hours, for it was sunset. She hadn't the slightest idea of what brought her here, either. Indeed, all she could recollect was soaring through the night sky past an almost golden full moon as she always had at that hour. "Where in Equestria am I?" That seemed like an excellent place to start.
As the indigo alicorn picked herself off the dirt, her mind continued to ponder what brought her here. Regardless of what caused it, she thought. I must make it back home. But as soon as she tried to take flight, she felt a sharp pain shoot through her right wing. "Gaah!" From the feel of it, it must have been broken in several places. "Splendid," she uttered sarcastically. She sighed. "I suppose now would be as a time as any to find out what riding a train is like." And so the deep blue mare made her way through the forest, still not totally sure where she was.
"Fillies and colts!" A boastful voice called out to a half full audience. It was their first show in the beleaguered town of Ponyville. Right on the frontlines, too. But that's why they were there. The best magical duo in all of Equestia. "Prepare yourselves..." This colt was enjoying his job way more than he should have. "For the amazing, the stupendous, the out of this world show stopping skills of the Miraculous Trixie and Twilight!" Two clouds of smoke appeared on stage, one an off shade of blue and the other a dull purple. "From the humblest of origins, they came here to entertain you! The exhausted citizens of Ponyville!" Amazing fireworks, guided by purple aura, ebbed and flowed like water. "Why don't you give them a round of applause?!" The viewing audience obliged him, seeing the incredible show-mare ship of the two unicorns.
"We've got 'em in the palm of our hooves, Partner!" Trixie whispered to her friend as they manipulated the pyro techniques like they were nothing more than a foal’s play-thing. "This might be our best show yet!"
"Easy, Trixie..." Twilight had found Trixie about a year and a half ago, maybe eight months before the war started. Twilight never really was any good at general magic. Her failure to get enrolled in the Canterlot Academy for Gifted Unicorns proved that. But one thing she did have a knack for was research and showing off, so when she left home four years ago, at the age of 15, it was only natural that she become a traveling magician. And teaming up with Trixie? That was maybe the best career choice she ever made. "We're not done yet."
Finally, they ended that portion of the show with a fantastic dragon made purely of purple and blue flames that nearly engulfed the audience. They were met with a resounding cheer from everypony there. In fact, the dynamic duo didn't know any better, they'd say that most of the seats were filled now.
"See, Twi?" Trixie said with pride as their adoring public threw flowers at them. "In the palm of our hooves. Just like the Flim-Flam brothers."
"You and I remember that night with the Flim-Flam brothers VERY differently, Trixie." That night was not fun, by any means, for Twilight Sparkle. "But you are right. We did great." She continued to wave at all the ponies cheering them on. Over the course of the show, they did some classic tricks, like pulling an evil rabbit from a hat. Trixie decided to name it 'Angel', but Twilight was NOT amused. After that, they did some escape artist tricks until; finally, they ended the show with something classy: A box of swords.
"Keep your eyes on me, My Faithful ponies!" Trixie shouted with an excited grin. Joining up with Twilight was the best career choice she'd ever made. "For this next trick is not for the faint of heart!" Four swords surrounded by a blue aura appeared on stage. "What I intend to do is should NEVER be tried at home! And you should all leave these kind of daring theatrics to the Great and Powerful Trixie!" She moved the sabers above the heads of the audience, watching them stare at them in awe. "For you see... these aren't your average everyday swords you see the brave colts in the guard use, oh no... Because these swords... ARE ON FIRE!" They suddenly burst in a magnificent rainbow flame. Twilight Sparkle was rapidly reconsidering what she said about teaming up with Trixie being a good career choice.
Twilight's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "When did I agree to this?!" She whispered it, but it sounded loud enough to get the point across.
"You didn't." Trixie whispered back to her friend with the smirk of a smug snake on her face. "Now watch, my friends! As I skewer my best friend and patner with a fiery blades... OF DOOM!" Twilight sighed, relaxing her racing heart. Trixie enjoyed this job way too much. As each blade slowly entered the box that Twilight Sparkle lay in, she could feel the heat of the magical fires.
"If this goes south", Twilight Sparkle mumbled as her partner kept at her tricks. "I swear to Celestia I am haunting her flank."
"All the blades are in place, my beloved public!" Trixie shouted with much hubris. They were all on the edge of their seats. "Now watch, as my dear friend is... OH MY CELESTIA!" The box burst into a rainbow flame, causing the viewers to cover their eyes. There were several gasps and even a faint coming from within the audience. "She's fine!" Twilight moved all the rainbow flaming swords out of the chest and was let out. "And that is our show, Mares and Gentle-colts!" They both bowed to their beloved fans, basking in the sunshine of their glorious performance.
"Come again when we're in town next!" Then she etched closer to whisper something to Trixie. "Don't ever do that again."
"Sure..." she said with an ear to ear Cheshire smile. Twilight had known her long enough to know that hat meant she fully intended to try that again. She only sighed. Well, she thought. That's the hand you're given when you become one half of a traveling magician duo.
Luna walked briskly through what she now realized was Ever-free forest. She hated that place even before she was banished a thousand years ago, and a few centuries only made it worse. Even still, she had an idea of where she was, which meant she was close to the home of Twilight Sparkle, meaning she could get a letter out to her sister, Princess Celestia. That's when something rather odd struck her. She looked up to see that, for thirty minutes, the sunset hadn't ended. Strange. But that would only serve as a reminder of why she was needed back home in Canterlot.
"Hmm. Perhaps since I'll be in town," she began to muse. "I should go and visit Pipsqueak." Even in a town full of her closest friends, Pipsqueak was always the highlight of her visits to Ponyville. He always made Princess Luna feel every bit as important as her sister. That's when she saw something stranger still.
A mysterious hooded figure in the twilight of the day, lurking about. Perhaps she could shed some light on the situation. It wasn't until later when the indigo princess found out that the figure would leave her with more questions than answers.
The night princess slowly stalked her target, being sure not to alert the mysterious figure to her presence. It seemed as though she was gathering herbs for something. Perhaps a medicine-mare? Regardless, she might be able to help her out.
Finally, after stalking her prey for what seemed like an hour, she found her entering her home. It was a small wooden hut. It was perfect for a pony that preferred to keep to themselves. “If you intend to give me a scare, I’ll tell you right now, I see you there and you have the stealth of a cow!”
Princess Luna, guardian of the night, was stunned. She was one of the most adept masters of stealth in all of Equestria. For this mare to be able to detect her… she must truly be more than what Luna had thought initially. She moved from behind the tree she was taking refuge behind. “I am sorry, I was merely trying too-“
She removed her hood as she cut off the alicorn. Did she not now whom she addressed? “Do not fret child, but be careful, for the world has gone wild.” She opened the door to her hut; releasing some warmth from what Princess Luna could only assume was a warm fire. “Well? Are you coming in or not?”
Perplexed by this zebra’s attitude towards a princess of equestrian, Luna humbly accepted the old mares offer. As she walked through the old wooden door, she couldn’t help but admire the old-fashioned style of decor that the zebra surrounded herself with. “Might I ask why you live in the Ever-free?”
That drew some quiet response from the blue mare’s gracious host. “Ponies stay away from what they fear, which is why I am here.” Luna couldn’t help but wonder, was the rhyming really necessary. “But I should ask you the same thing. What were you doing, hiding among trees?”
It was a fair question, Luna thought, so she gave her an honest answer. “I am Princess Luna of Canterlot, and I believe I crashed into this forest sometime last night.”
“That is where you must be wrong, child. For the night has not come in so long.” What did she mean by that? “What’s more is that your guise is poor. It is said Princess Luna returned and fell trying to defend Equestria from a dire hell!”
Luna’s mind raced in circles, confused at what the black and white striped mare meant by that. “I’m sorry? You must be mistaken, for ‘I’ am the only Princess Luna.”
The zebra walked over to the alicorn, choosing to take a good long look at her eyes, no doubt wanting to know the truth. “You have wings and a horn, but even so… where you came from, you must go.”
This was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. First she crashes to the earth to find a sunset that was particularly long, then she finds out there hasn’t been night in a long time, and now she finds out that she was dead. “What is your name?”
As the striped mare tended to a pot that was either medicine or food, she answered. “I am called Zecura.”
“Why does the moon not rise?” It seemed like an excellent question to start with.
Zecura only tended to her cauldron as a vaporous illusion appeared from the steaming hot liquid. “A year and a half ago, trouble began to brew. For Night Mare Moon came, and placed all to shame,” a vision of Luna’s former evil alter ego showed from the steam. “She came and destroyed like we were nothing but toys. It is said that Princess Luna arrived and saved Celestia, who would have died.” This was confusing. Luna and Night Mare Night was the same princess, despite the corruption the latter was formed from. To kill Luna would be to kill Night Mare Night. “Ever since, the sun and moon had rested in the same sky, in eternal twilight, while war wages and many die.” She sounded very remorseful as she said that.
"What of Twilight Sparkle and the others?"
"Ha! You must be a fool! Twilight and Trixie are the only ones who..." Luna took some small satisfaction in knowing that Zecura couldn't think of something to rhyme that with. Still, the news about Twilight was unsettling. "Trixie and Twilight only perform. They could do no one any harm."
"Then I must find my sister," Luna trusted her sister, Celestia, with her life. If anypony could make true sense of this, it was her. "Farwell, Zecura!" She spread her wings, but to her surprise, a familiar pain shot through her right wing. "Gah!"
"Not with that broken wing you, won't!" She was being stopped by a medicine mare who spoke in rhymes. Perfect. "You have to many broken bones."
"Well what would you suggest I do? Sit here and wait for someponies help?" The heat of the moment had gotten to the usually poised and calm princess, but she could hardly help it.
"If your word is true, then you are right in what you seek," the medicine mare said as she reached for some salve and bandages. "Perhaps it is best if to princess you speak." She began rubbing the mix onto the princess’s wing, and soon the pain began to subside, leaving only a dull ache. The bandages came next, but instead of just covering one wing, she covered up both, hiding them completely. "But be forewarned, your majesty. For you to be caught would end in travesty."
Luna considered what she said. It was an excellent point and, if she really was supposed to be dead then a disguise would help immensely. "Might this help?" She reverted back to a smaller form, roughly the size of the average blue-violet unicorn. Her voice changed as well, becoming younger and more youthful. Zecura was shocked to say the least.
"That'll do." She gave the bluish mare a smile of satisfaction. She gathered some dried breads and fruits for the princess and handed her the bag. "Head north by a lot, my dear, and you will find Canterlot."
"I understand, and thank you," she didn't have to help her, especially after being stalked by the princess. But she was selfless in her aid. She'll have to remember that.
"Do not ruffle your mane," she won't miss the rhyming, though. "For destiny swirls about you like a hurricane."
She only nodded and left. She knew how to get from Canterlot from here, but she needed to make a side trip first. There was only one pony in any world or any timeline she trusted more than her sister, and that was Twilight Sparkle. If she needed help, then Twilight Sparkle would be the best one to give it.
The battlefield south of the Ever-free was a massacre filled with bodies from both sides beneath the eternal twilight. And the battle wasn't even finished yet. The golden armor of the Equestrian guard filled fox holes with unicorns and pegasi. The Equestrian army outnumbered Night Mare Moon's forces three to one. How could they have been defeated this easily? That's when the Princess Celestia's surviving troops saw her. A wraith in black and red armor and cape bearing her mistress's symbol, a winged crescent moon. She brandished a large axe that would have labored even the most stalwart of stallions, but she wielded it as though it were nothing more than a toy. As the destroyer carved through some of the last of troops in the area, they realized that the rumors of an unstoppable warrior under Night Mare Moon's command were true. There she was: Knight-Mare.
"C'mon, Summer!" A black pegasus named Thunderlane with a wing, not broken or wounded, but straight up GONE, carried his comrade in arms, an orange unicorn named Summer Blaze, across the carcasses of those slain in a pointless battle. The goal here was to move the front lines farther south. It didn't work. Night Mare Moon's infamous night guard came out of nowhere, surrounding them and taking them totally by surprise. "We can get out of here!" He had no idea how he was able to move like he was with the amount of blood he'd lost. Hell, he thought to himself grimly. I probably won't even survive the hour, let alone the battle.
"Nah, Thunder," he muttered from under his breath, his voice devoid of any hope. He had small cuts all over his body, but he would probably live through all of this if he escaped. "We're screwed. Ain't no way we're getting out of here except in a body bag."
"Don't talk like that! We just need to... Oh clop." He let out a swear as he saw the axe wielding monster impale one of his friends with her great weapon. Then she turned to him, her dark blue visor staring him down and the horn atop her helm pointed directly. At. Him. With a sigh a regret, he let down his friend. Maybe he'll get smart for the first time in his life and play dead. As the Knight-Mare casually strolled passed the hundreds of fallen soldiers, he thought about all the things he never got to do. He was going to propose to his girlfriend next time he saw her. Fat chance of that happening now. Even if she didn't kill the both of them, he was going to die from blood loss. "Well, she's not taking me without a fight." Brave last words. He picked up a knife with his one wing left and charged at Knight-Mare. "AAGH!" Half his blood was probably adrenaline at this point, although with the amount of blood he had left, that wasn't saying much. Good. He needed every advantage he could get. "IF I'M GOIN' DOWN THEN I'M TAKIN' YOU WITH ME, KNIGHT-MARE!" He finally made contact; at least he thought he did. Then he felt a sharp pain go through his abdomen as his blood and guts began to spill from a last of many wounds the day had given him. "But..."
From his right ear, he could hear the hellish voice of the mare unkillable. "Far better than you have tried, soldier boy." She pulled the spike of the axe out of his stomach. I'll be damned, he thought his last to himself. It hurts a lot worse going out than in. The last thing he saw before the white light was his girlfriend’s beautiful face. Worse things have happened.
The black and red adorned mare strode further across the field, finally stopping at the orange unicorn, playing dead but not well enough. Summer Blaze looked in awe at what would be his death. "I don't suppose you'll be taking prisoners today, will you?"
With both hooves, she lifted her axe up in the air. "Sorry." No she wasn't. "Jails are all filled up." Summer braced himself of the cold impact of oblivion. So this was how it was really going to end, eh? He closed his eyes, resigning himself to his fate. But it never came. What did come, however, was a loud noise of metal colliding with metal.
The orange stallion looked up to see his savior, seeing the golden armor shine brilliantly in the never ending sunset and a rainbow mane flowing in the breeze, standing above him crossing her arm mounted blade with the axe of the shadow warrior. He'd never actually met her before, but her reputation in the guard was legendary. It was none other than the Blue Flash, Lieutenant Rainbow Dash, of the royal guard. Summer felt a small smile creep onto his face. His chances of living through this just got a whole helluva lot better.
Princess Luna of the night wandered through the Ever-free forest. Few animals crossed her, even in her smaller and more compacted form. In her travels back to Ponyville, she had time to finally gather her thoughts on this crisis. Equestria was at war with Night Mare Night, meaning that she hadn't been stopped when she first returned in this Equestria. She understood that part well enough. But then she ran across something that she wasn't certain about. Why hadn't Twilight and the others brought together the elements of harmony and stop the threat that this Equestria's Night Mare Night posed? Luna came to only one conclusion. This was a timeline totally separate from her own. The tiniest change between worlds had caused something undeniably horrifying. And now? Now Princess Luna's home was caught in the chaos and anarchy of a war.
Luna shook her head in sadness and dug desperately within herself to find out what caused this, but nothing came to mind. The world might be even more drastic if it was something from a thousand years ago, and Twilight Sparkle had once told her in passing about a zebra medicine mare living in the Ever-free, although to be honest she really wasn't listening at the time. But if Zecura still lived in this forest, then the changes to this world must have only occurred within the last few years. And if that be the case, then it could be any number of things that caused it. Regardless of how it happened, she had to help stop it and save this world.
Then she came to the last question about this Equestria. The rumor that Night Mare Night had killed this world's Princess Luna. Obviously the truth that they were one in the same was kept from the world at large. While the details were still foggy at best for her, one thing was clear as day. Princess Celestia had been the one to spread that lie. With a small smile and a tear, the princess of the night understood why. Even if Luna was evil, Celestia couldn't bear to have her sister be remembered as an unrepentive monster. And even as an unrepentive monster, the princess of the day still loved her sister. With a deep sigh of regret beneath the amber skies, she finally saw some buildings in the distance, although it was far from the welcomed sight she thought it would be.
From atop a small hill, she saw what she had always recognized as a small and happy community were everypony knew one another. Instead, she saw a beleaguered torn with war-torn villagers. It was almost too much for her heart to take.
As she wandered through the village, she saw what she had recognized over a thousand years ago during the old wars as a town near front lines. Buildings were damaged and ponies of each race were either hurt or starved. Even the once jovial bakery at sugar cube corner was derelict and dying.
"Lady?" Luna felt a tug on the cloak that Zecura gave her. She turned around to see the familiar brown and white face of the earthpony that held a very special place in her heart back in her world. Pipsqueak. "Do you have any food?" He looked at her with his brown eyes, begging at her. It tore her apart to see him like this.
She forced a smile on her face. A violet aura lifted up the flap to her sack and revealed a small loaf of dried bread. She tore it in half and gave it to the small spotted foal. "Here." Luna was happy that her face was half covered up by her off-blue mane. Not because somepony might recognize her, but so that the child wouldn't see just how difficult it was for her not to cry at seeing Pipsqueak being forced to beg for scraps. "Just make it last, alright?"
Gratefully, the young earthpony grabbed the bread floating above his head. "Thanks, Lady." She saw him scamper off to a sick looking mare, wearing the same brown and white spotted pattern for her coat. The idea of her people living like this was almost totally alien to the princess of the night. That was when she heard something totally out of place in this small and suffering village. Princess Luna heard cheering.
She looked across the field of the fallen, the pungent stench of the dead assailing her senses. A lot of good colts and mares died today. "Are you the one who killed all these soldiers?" Her voice was strong and full of unyielding and stoic resolve.
"Only most of them." The blue mare looked across the scores of fallen soldiers, feeling rage as the one known as . knight-Mare said that as if their lives meant nothing. "Honestly, I was hoping that some of them would have provided more of a challenge." As the Knight-Mare arrogantly finished her sentence, she broke the weapons lock she had with her golden armored adversary, causing her to stagger back and complementing that move with a wide swing of her axe. "But I guess I'll just have to settle for you!"
The lieutenant just barely moved in time to dodge. "Whoa!" Whoever this mare was, she was fast. Real fast. The blue flash grimaced. This wasn't going to be easy. The first thought she had was to take the high-ground, flying as to put her at a tactical advantage. She swooped down to make contact with the enemy, but was only met with a sharp parry of her axe. She carried that thing like it was only a tooth pick. Still, Rainbow Dash was faster. She had to be.
As the two traded slashes and hacks with their blades, Knight-Mare finally spoke again. "You fight well!" The golden clad guard could almost hear a smile behind in that voice. "What's your name?"
She grunted as she tried to match the amount of force given out by the black clad menace pound for pound. "Rainbow Dash." Like it mattered. One of them was going to die here today, anyway.
"Never heard of you." It was almost like child's play for Knight-Mare. Rainbow Dash had a feeling that she could end this duel any time she wanted, but didn't. It was a game for her, and Rainbow Dash was hardly even a player. Slash after slash and strike after strike, Rainbow Dash was hardly able to keep up with her. She was like a flash of lighting in black armor. The lieutenant then realized: she wasn't going to make it out of this one alive. A blunt pain shot through her unprotected stomach as Knight-Mare pulled back her right leg. Rainbow Dash didn't even see her move. The pain almost too much to take, the blue mare fell to her knees, barely able to keep from falling completely and using her lade to support her weight as much as she could. "A shame," the black adorned enemy stood above her praising. "You could have been so much more, given more time and practice." She lifted up the great spiked axe above her head.
This was it, Rainbow Dash thought to herself. She disobeyed orders to come here and try to save some soldiers, but it backfired spectacularly. Not only was there only one survivor, and now not only was she going to die, but he was too. "You'll have to forgive me if I don't feel all warm and fuzzy from the compliment." One last snark.
"Don't worry, Dashie. You're forgiven." She brought her axe down on the mare, relishing the crunch of her bones and the fountain of blood pouring on her axe head. Only it wasn't her adversary. It was a royal guard that she'd killed an hour ago. Knight-Mare smiled beneath her visor. "Well, well." She turned to see an imposing pegasus wearing the war combat dress of the Wonder Bolts. It differed only through a helmet and some small armor, segmented so as not to impede the great speed of Equestria's greatest flyers. "It looks like I have somepony new to play with."
"Or a few someponies!" She heard the voice of a colt shout out from the distance along with a magenta blast from his horn, separating her from her beloved axe. As she turned to see whom it was, she felt her heart sank. "I am-"
She cut him off mid-announcement. "Captain Shining Armor of the Royal CANTERLOT Guard. The honor guard." Knight-Mare hid the fact that her heart began to sank. Strange. Was this what defeat felt like? "Your reputation precedes you."
"Then you know we want our lieutenant back!" A strong yet high pitched voice rang out from the wonder bolt. "Surrender and we won't have to make you a part of the scenery!"
"Surrender? Please! Knight-Mare surrenders to nopony!" Knight-Mare began to weigh her options. Her axe a good six paces away. One on one, that was no problem. But given what she was up against, a wonder bolt, the honor guard captain, and the blue flash, this might have been more than even she could handle. "But you may have a point." She reached for her belt to take off a small black ball. "A retreat may be in order." She threw the small ball down and in its place arose a black miasma.
"GET HER!" Captain Armor shouted out, but to no avail. As the dark mist disappeared, it was made clear that so too did Knight-Mare. She'd even managed to take her axe with her. "Damn it!" Shining Armor looked angrily with his one eye at his subordinate. "You!"
He was staring right at Rainbow Dash. "Me." Being a smart-flank wasn't going to get her anywhere, but hey, it's not like she was going to get court martialed. They were in war and she was one of their best soldiers.
"Was flying out here really so damned important?!" His left eye, his only eye, was staring right at her. "The battle was already lost! You knew that there wouldn’t be any survivors from this and yet you broke from the group and went searching for them. WHY?!"
Lt. Dash only looked to the side, pointing to her best friend as she held her boyfriend’s corpse in her arms, his blood staining her yellow coat and her blue eyes streaming with tears. "Because THAT... sir." Even though she only added that last word in as an afterthought, she made it very clear that it was supposed to sound more like "flank-hole" than anything respectful.
"Thunderlane knew what he was getting into when he joined the guard during a war! So did Fluttershy and so did you!" True, but that didn't make it any easier. Especially when they were dying in droves in battles like this. Battles that didn't mean a damn thing. "We all know that when we put on our uniforms in the morning, we could very well be dressing for our own funerals." If Rainbow Dash didn't know any better, she would have thought that the captain almost sounded sad. But she knew that couldn't be true. Everypony in the guard knew that Captain Shining Armor was an unrepentive hard-case off the field, and essentially a ghost on it. Some of the others thought it had something to do with his little sister running off a couple of years ago, but that was all just hear-say. Everypony knew that the captain never talked about anything personal. It was almost like he really was a ghost.
"Sir," she only saluted him, knowing that arguing with her CO would be pointless. "Yes, Sir!" He scowled at her, then turned away, probably figuring he had better things to do than argue with a soldier that was more or less seen as a hero in the guard. "Hate that guy," she turned to her oldest friend, Fluttershy, still holding on to the body of her beloved for dear life. "Fluttershy?" She called out, but she didn't get an answer. No wonder, the lieutenant thought. Fluttershy had been distant ever since she met her about ten years ago. Rainbow Dash saw she was getting picked on by some bullies, so naturally she came to the rescue. A race for them to stop ensued, but in the takeoff, the yellow foal started falling to the earth. Rainbow Dash couldn't just ignore it, so she abandoned the race to save her. That was when the Blue Flash discovered her love of saving others. She got a rainbow shield cutie-mark and everything. After that, it was only natural that she'd eventually join the guard.
"I shouldn't have let him join the guard!" She was weeping as she caressed his white mane and held him in her arms. "It was stupid and I knew it was a bad idea, but I let him do it anyway!"
Boy, was she right. But he would've followed the yellow Wonder Bolt anywhere. Even to hell if she asked him too. Too bad that's exactly what it came down too. Rainbow Dash walked over to her friend’s dead beloved and hoisted him on her back. “C’mon, Fluttershy. We can bury him under that one tree he liked so much.” It probably wasn’t as comforting as she meant it to sound, but still. He deserved a good burial. So the four of them, including Summer, left for Canterlot. This battle was over. And there was still a war going on.
"Twilight Sparkle!" The princess of the night ran and hugged the familiar violet unicorn underneath the caramel colored sky. Finally, she thought to herself. A familiar face. Ever since she came to this topsy turvey version of her home, she was so uncertain about so many things, but now that she had found her dear friend, Twilight Sparkle, everything was certain to be resolved soon. "It is so good to see you again!"
"Um... Twi? Luna heard an unfamiliar blue unicorn call out from behind the stage. She wore a star spangled cape in a contrast to Twilight Sparkles indigo and constellation adorned one. "Do you know her?"
"No..." Damn, Luna thought to herself. She totally forgotten about this worlds Twilight Sparkle not knowing whom she was. "Ma'am? Who are you?"
While in her world, Twilight Sparkle had been an occasional student of Princess Luna, here she was nothing more than a stage magician. “I am..." The night princess struggled to think of a name suitable for her. She couldn't use her real name, after all. Princess Luna was supposed be dead here. "My name is Serenity." Luna praised herself for her quick and decisive thinking. She let the purple unicorn go. "I am sorry. You must not remember me."
"I'm sorry, but are you from Canterlot? It's possible we went to class together when we were young." She could say that.
"Yes. But that is not where I know you from."
"Those are some bandages," Showing a nervous smile, Twilight Sparkle saw the great amount of bandages wrapped around the royal mares abdomen meant to hide her wings. "Can I ask what happened to you?"
Damn, she thought to herself. She still hadn't come up with a good enough story to describe what happened. She of course couldn't say that she fell from an ill-fated flight. She needed to maintain her cover as a unicorn. "I fell from a tree."
"Oh? That must have been some fall." She had no idea. She seemed to have totally recovered from the princess hugging her from clear out of nowhere, at least.
"Did you come to see the show?" The blue mare with a white mane asked. "Because if you did, then you came too late. This was going to be our last stop before heading to Manehatten." She bluntly informed as she loaded some of her things into a wagon.
"No. Actually, I came here for a rather different reason." Luna sighed. Well, she thought to herself. Here goes everything. If this didn't work, then she may as well failed already. "Twilight Sparkle, why are you here?"
"I'm here because Trixie thought it would be a good idea if we did a show for this ratty-flank town." Ratty flank town? That settled it. This was NOT her world's Twilight Sparkle in the least, but even so. The potential to become something great still rested within the small mare. "Why?"
"Because you have the touch of greatness within you, Twilight Sparkle," Princess Luna tried so hard to instill faith in her words so that the unicorn would believe her. "What if I told you that in another world, you were the student of an alicorn princess?"
Twilight Sparkle was visibly irritated now. "I'd say that you were stark raving mad." Interesting choice of words. It was also interesting to see that her friend, Trixie, was staying completely out of it. "I could never be a student to the princess. I never even passed my magical academy entrance exam." She seemed almost seemed disappointed in herself. "What kind of stupid test is hatching a dragon egg anyway?"
She muttered that last part, but Luna didn't care. What she did care about was what she said before that. She never passed her magical entrance exam in this version of Equestria? Slowly but surely, the dots began to connect within the mind of Princess Luna. She vaguely recollected a story that her sister, Celestia, had told her. She said that there had been an earth-shaking rainbow just prior to her finding Twilight near miraculous display of raw magical power. It wasn't until the wedding of her niece, Princess Cadance, that she finally connected the story of the earth-shaking rainbow to the legendary Sonic Rainboom. "Twilight Sparkle, did you not feel the earth tremble before you as a Sonic Rainboom as you were given your exam?"
"What?" She was back to confused. "No. Everypony knows that Sonic Rainbooms are just an old mare's tale. Only legend."
"Not like King Sombra," they both turned to look at Trixie, who was still helping pack things into their wagon. "Because a unicorn made out of living shadow that protects a crystal empire in the middle of the arctic north TOTALLY makes sense." Twilight Sparkle shot her companion a dirty look as she basically shot down her skepticism of what was and was not possible in the magical land of Equestria. "By the way, Trixie wouldn't mind help with all of this. No rush, though."
"Here," a bluish violet aura enveloped all of their belongings that could fit in their wagon. "Allow me." They were both surprised to see an almost total stranger help them out. How did all of that even fit in there? "Now back to the matter at hoof."
Twilight Sparkle let out a deep sigh. "Look, I don't know who you are or why you even came here asking for my help, for Celestia knows WHAT, but you have the wrong mare." She gave the princess a smile that barely contained her bitterness at the situation. "I'm an entertainer and that's all I'll ever be. And I think it's time you left." Then she pointed to the north. "Thirty miles north of here, there's an orphanage. The owner there will probably give you lodgings for the night. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for the trip to Manehatten." She closed the door to the wagon, almost completely ignoring the other half of her duo.
Trixie waited for a few seconds before she spoke up to the mare she thought was named Serenity. "What did you need her help for anyway?" A fair question, but not one that Luna felt wise to answer fully.
Princess Luna looked to the moon and then the sun as they hung in the sky that was neither day nor night. "This world has things that must be set right. And I wrongfully thought that your friend could help." A tad more cryptic than she would have liked, but she was left little choice. "I must leave now." Her mane flowing in the wind, she headed north to the orphanage. Perhaps there she could find somepony that could help her. "My home needs me." Trixie Lunamoon just starred at her as she left, leaving behind with more questions than answers.
"You're thinking about her again, aren't you, Mom?" Spike the dragon asked his adoptive mother, Princess Celestia, gazed at the stained glass of her sister defending her from Night Mare Moon. She couldn't bear to think of her own little sister as a monster, even after all that she'd done.
She placed her right hoof on the shoulder of her son. "I am." She had found his egg fourteen years ago while on a vacation to clear her thoughts and unwind. Originally, it had been intended as the entrance test for some foal trying to get into the Canterlot Academy for Gifted Unicorns, but after said foal had failed, Celestia took the egg for herself. Why not? Little was known about dragons and it might have served to enlighten her on the topic. Little did she know, however, that she would learn to love the small, violet and scaly creature as her son. The one immovable object of her life. She felt truly blessed the day he first called her "mommy". "It's all my fault."
"You know that isn't true." He knew only a few of the specifics, but he was still one of the only ones that knew Princess Luna and Night Mare Moon was one in the same. "You're just telling yourself that so that you won't think she was a monster."
"She is what she is because of me, Spike," she looked down to his green eyes, knowing that her son felt every sympathy for the princess of the day's plight. "If I had been more attentive and helped her while she was feeling so unappreciated, then none of this would have ever happened. The war is my responsibility, my fault, and my hell. And now everypony is paying for it. If only-"
"Didn't you have a big war meeting to get too?" Spike honestly couldn't care less about the meeting, but he hated seeing his mom beat herself up about anything, especially the war, and double especially her sister. "Because I'm pretty sure it started five minutes ago."
She wryly smiled at the dragon. "Right you are, Spike," she knelt over to give him a kiss on his scaly right cheek, much to his chagrin. "Right you are.
"Ah, gross,” he tried to squirm away, but she wouldn't let him. "C'mon, Mom!"
She let out a small chuckle as she left for the war room. "I'll see you at dinner, Sweetie." Although if recent events had any effect, few things would be decided there. She walked down the halls of glass as the golden sky filtered through the great windows. Tragic though the cause may be, she did have to admire the sheer beauty of the eternal twilight that cursed her land. As the princess and regent of the lands of Equestria, master of the day and formerly of the night, she finally found the grand door made marehogany, an incredibly expensive wood found only in the forest surrounding the city of Maredrid. With a deep breath, she used her golden magic open the exceedingly arrogant doors. Well, she thought to herself. Here goes everything.
"Your Highness!" The Captain of her Honor Guard stood at attention, along with the other leaders of each branch of the Royal Equestrian Armies. First to the right of her round table, also made of marehogany, was Shining Armor, still wearing his purple armor and with his helm on the table. His sole vanity was his missing right eye. Second from the right was Captain Soaren', leader of the Wonder Bolts, Equestria's premiere elite flying team. He wore his dress blues had something of a legendary rivalry with the leader of the guard. His flyers had been indispensable in several failed incursions by her sister. To the left was Princess Cadance, her niece and student for many years, wearing her crown and jewel adorned red armor. She was by no means the leader on the field that Soaren' or Shining Armor was, but she was every bit the warrior, even if she was used as a dignitary and representative to the other nations more often than not. And lastly was the nobleman, Fancy Pants. At one time, Shining Armor openly questioned why the upper-class and "spoiled" unicorn had been placed on the war council, that was, until, he proved to be the sole reason for the guards victory at the first Battle of Ponyville. Eventually, he found out that Colonel Fancy Pants once went by the infamous nick-name, "Thunder Hoof, the Renderer". He'd never questioned his place on the council again.
"Please," she lifted her golden covered hoof, signaling them to all sit down. She hated when ponies stood up like that, but such was the life of royalty. She turned to Captain Armor. "What is the situation on the lines? Have they been pushed farther down? Is Ponyville safe from further raids?" She hated placing that town so close to her and her sister’s old palace. Because of it, the town had suffered frequent attacks before the lines were moved further south.
"Ma'am," he began with a sigh. This wasn't going to be good. "No. The force that was moved south to push down the front lines and relieve Ponyville was completely annihilated by this," he slid a sketch of a warrior in red and black across the table. "The rumors about Knight-Mare? They're all true. And as of right now, your majesty, Dodge City and everything south of it belongs to Night Mare Moon."
She took time to examine the picture the honor guard had given her. "I see." Rumor was that there had been a near unkillable soldier under Night Mare Moon's command that could slaughter hundreds without any aid. Princess Celestia's heart sank as she realized that they were true. This did not bode well at all. "Princess Cadance? How have the negotiations with King Sombra of the Crystal Empire and King Garth of the Griffons gone?"
"Aunt Celestia," her demeanor seemed only slightly better than Captain Shining's. "The Griffon King has declared this a 'pony only' matter. It looks like we can't expect any help from them any time soon. As for King Sombra..." she seemed to grimace as she began that sentence. Truth be told, King Sombra had handled the ponies in his charge MUCH better than Princess Celestia had thought. Maybe it was because the crystal ponies actually FLED to him for his protection. He was as shocked as anypony else and, as the king they actually needed, he could do nothing else except be less of a volatile beast than he had been over one thousand years ago. Better was still a relative, however.
"Princess Cadance?" Celestia called out to her niece as she began to lose herself in thought.
"He needs proof that you won't seal him away again after all of this is over with." The pink alicorn looked bitterly to the side. "He requested the hoof of an Equestrian princess in marriage as a show of good faith. Namely me."
"We should do it," Captain Shining stated simply, as though his logic was infallible.
"Shining!" Captain Soaren' called out his rival and comrade in arms. Apparently, he didn't like the idea. "What the hell?!" Under normal circumstances, he would have been berated by Col. Fancy Pants for acting that way in front of royalty, but as Princess Celestia looked at the white unicorn, she could see that his gaze at his successor in the guard saying the exact same thing.
"We need his resources. We don't have a choice, Soaren'." Celestia was highly doubtful of that last part. "If we don't accept his request and his help, the Equestria could very well fall to Night Mare Night."
"But to stoop to his level, Captain," Fancy Pants finally spoke up, and everypony listened when he did. "He has only now discovered mercy because we share a common foe. What should happen were the war to end? What if he was to revert back into the beast that he is?"
"Perhaps we should move on." Princess Celestia thought it best if they changed the topic, because If it dragged on any longer, then she may very well be out an honor guard captain. "Col. Fancy Pants? Have the dragons decided to lend their aid to us?"
"Alas, your majesty, they would not," he gave her a very serious expression. "They consider this to be a personal affair.” Fancy Pants was one of her closest friends. He was also one of the only ones she's trusted with knowing about Night Mare Night being Luna. But it was truly no surprise that the most elderly of the dragons would know of her relationship to Night Mare Moon. Dragons are extremely long lived, after all. "I believe they can still be reasoned with, but it would take a long time to do it. As for Discord..."
Oh great. Him. "Yes, Colonel?"
"He thinks it best for his health if he were to stay out of this one. Although he has given his word not to interfere for her as much as us."
Princess Celestia knew how little the embodiment of chaos's word was worth. Absolutely nothing. "And why would that mean anything?"
"Even Discord has his standards, Your Majesty." True. Discord loved making ponies lives miserable, but he had always been above murder. “And even he is above the brutality found on Night Mare Night’s level.”
“Very well,” she turned to her honor guard captain. Now she knew why he was so unpopular with all the colts and mares under his command. “Was there anything else we needed to address, Captain Shining?”
“Your Highness,” he began, already feeling a adamant tone in his voice. Oh great. He was in THAT mood. “There is one last matter that we should discuss. It’s about one of the lieutenants you placed under my command.”
“Lt. Rainbow Dash? What of her?”
“Ma’am, she directly disobeyed orders in going to a failed battle on a botched rescue mission, nearly costing us her own life, and the life of me and a wonder bolt to the ‘Knight-Mare’.” The regent of Equestria had a feeling that she knew where this was going. “I would recommend a transfer to somewhere that she didn’t threaten the lives of her fellow soldiers.”
Princess Celestia nodded, mostly just to satisfy her captain, but also from understanding the situation somewhat better now. “I see. I will deal with this manner as I see fit, Captain Armor. As for the complications concerning King Sombra.” She turned to her niece, who still seemed very uneasy about this matter.” We will talk about that in private. Good day, everypony.” And so they all left the great round table and took a deep breath. She was wrong earlier. While nothing was really decided, there were a few genuinely important developments that seemed to arise. The news of King Sombra requesting Princess Cadance’s hoof in marriage WAS unsettling, to say the least, but at least she knew that Discord would try and stay out of this damned war. There was one more matter to attend to, however. “I know you’re there, Lieutenant.”
From the highest chandelier, she heard the legendary blue flash drop down, dressed in her casual attire. “How did you-"
Celestia gave the blue mare a wily grin. “You didn’t think it would be that easy to spy on a one thousand year old alicorn princess did you?” Celestia asked that almost cheerfully. She knew she was there the whole time, but decided not to call attention to it. She was lucky Rainbow Dash was there, actually. She needed to discuss something with her. “Follow me. We need to talk.”
She could here Rainbow Dash gulp as she followed her princess through the halls of her grand castle. “Captain Shining Armor says that you disobeyed a direct order in going to rescue soldiers from a failed battle.” She turned to see her soldier, looking to the side like she wanted to say something, but didn’t. “Feel free to speak candidly, Lieutenant.”
“Captain Shining Armor can go clop himself… Your majesty.” That actually made Princess Celestia laugh a little bit on the inside. “I joined this outfit to save lives, and if you want to court martial me for that, then fine. I’ll just operate by myself. Like that one mercenary that lives north of Ponyville.”
The princess of the day took on a Cheshire smile of epic proportions. “Now whoever said that I was going to court martial you? Rainbow Dash of Cloudsdale!” Princess Celestia turned around, using her magic to take out a winged star emblem she had hidden. “I am hereby promoting you to the rank of Commander.” As she pinned the badge to the blue mares shirt, she could see her beaming with both surprise and pride. “You are to answer only to me, unless otherwise stated.”
She also seemed confused. “But… why? I diso-“
“Leadership isn’t just about following orders, Rainbow Dash. It’s also about doing the right thing,” And here came the hammer. “Which is something that maybe Shining Armor needs to learn a thing or two about. You risked everything to save the lives of soldiers that were as good as gone. Maybe we NEED to disobey some orders.”
“Ma’am!” She snapped into attention, saluting her princess. She’d never seen a mare so proud. “I promise I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t, Commander Dash,” her eyes beamed as she said that. Princess Celestia would be lying if she said that one reason for promoting her was to piss off the honor guard captain, but she was telling the truth about how Rainbow Dash was a leader. The army desperately needed more like her. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a dinner with my son to attend to.”
Trixie Lunamoon, in her signature regalia of a star spangled cloak, walked into her wagon to see her dearest, and really only, friend pouring herself into a book. Uh-oh, Trixie thought to herself. Every time she did that, she was in some kind of personal problems. I hate when that happens. “Alright, Egg-head. What’s eating you?”
“Nothing.” Nothing Trixie’s flank.
“Do you honestly think that Trixie believes that for a second?” Twilight didn’t respond. Perfect, Trixie thought. It looked like she had to do this the hard way. But as her grandpa Luna moon once said, ‘If you want to get a point across, don’t be subtle. Use a Sledge hammer.” “Twilight, how long have we known each other?”
“A few years,” she answered that almost absent mindedly. “Why?”
“Which is why the great and powerful Trixie is going to say this to you,” Well, she thought as she took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “You’re a better unicorn than me.”
That caught the purple mare’s attention. “What?” Trixie never admitted ANYTHING like that.
“Twilight, you can do so much more than me. You can take my best and make it look like child’s play.” She looked at her best friend dead in the eyes. “You always could. Twilight, you could be so much better than just some stage magician. Even after all the mistakes we’ve made, you can still outclass me any day of the week if you wanted to.”
“Are you saying that the night with the Flim-Flam brothers was a mistake?”
“I admit nothing and Trixie bewildered why you hated that night so much. I had a great time,” they were getting off topic now. “The point is, if you could be the student of a princess, then why wouldn’t you?”
Twilight Sparkle felt a tear fall down her left cheek. “Trixie…”
“You deserve this, Twilight.” Her blue friend hugged her. “And if you don’t go, then the great and merciless Trixie will bucking kill you and take that spot for myself.” There was the Trixie she knew and loved.
“Well, I guess that settles that,” Twilight Sparkle uttered with a less defeatist and more triumphant tone in her voice. She gathered her belongings in a suitcase, which basically included some food, her constellation covered cloak, and a few books. Finally, she looked at her only friend in the world, staring at her and trying to hide the sad expression on her face. “Trixie…”
“It’s been real, Twilight. Now go help save the world.” That was all that she needed to here from her friend before she left the wagon to go pursue a greater destiny. For some reason, Twilight Sparkle just felt something click when she decided to leave home. She thought for a moment, waiting until her best and only friend was just out of ear shot. "I wonder if she has any of those pizza bagels left..."
