Peace.
For the first time in almost as long as she could remember, Corona felt at peace.
The former ruler of Equestria was lying on top of a rocky outcrop rising up from a golden beach, legs tucked beneath her. She stared out into the azure sea; the sun was just starting to dip into the water. Her sun, she through with a moment’s irritation, unfairly stolen by her sister, but the feeling was fleeting. Around her a few butterflies flapped, collecting salt from the scrubby grass of the headlands.
She slowly grazed the area around her bare, chewing down mouthfuls of the rough vegetation. It was her secret shame that she, the goddess of the sun and supreme ruler of Equestria, liked the simple taste of fresh grass. It had not always been a secret, back when she was younger, all ponies had enjoyed such simple fare. She remembered the feast after she had slain Tiamat, mother of dragons; it had consisted of only grass drawn from all corners of Equestria, various subtle flavours and textures mixed together, wonderful. However, over time tastes had changed and it was seen to be beneath her to feed in such a way so she could indulge herself less and less. She remembered being so embarrassed when she was caught chewing her way through the Canterlot Royal Gardens by a griffin ambassador. Luna had saved her shame by persuading him that such “mouth gardening” was an Equestrian art form; smiling, she recalled how he looked trying to prune a hedge with his beak.
She raised her head and looked around at the natural beauty of the sea, sand and cliffs around her. It was places like this that reminded her that even after a millennia under her sister’s control there were still pure areas of Equestria. When she was first released from her imprisonment, Corona had been surprised at some of the changes that had overtaken her land. Tiny villages had grown into vast metropolises, while once-proud cities had been abandoned, but areas of natural beauty still remained, fewer but still present.
This particular spot was one of her favourites, Corona had visited this site several times over the months since her return from exile. It had started as a plan to decoy Luna’s forces from her main base; by starting rumours of her appearance in this part of Equestria, she could split the forces searching for her. That may have been her original scheme, but more recently she had come here just to be alone. In her base, surrounded by her servants, she constantly had to be Corona the All-Powerful, Alicorn of the Sun and Rightful ruler of Equestria. Here she could just be herself. There her slaves yapping made her head hurt and even her apparently faithful major-domo’s constant rhyming became annoying. Here, she was alone with only the sound of the wind and the waves. The nearest settlement was several leagues away, a small village where the common ponies scraped a meagre life from the bounty of the sea. Corona’s mystic sight allowed her to see it clearly even from here.
Once, many lifetime’s ago, she had had a beach house near here which she had occasionally escaped to when the stress of ruling had become too much. When she visited, the servants and local ponies would come and dance for her. Even before her sister had banished her such trips had become less and less frequent as her responsibilities became more and more important. At her last visit the monster Discord had decided the house and its staff looked better made out of molten Lava, they still danced for her as they burned and screamed. The Alicorn sisters had tried to be strong for their surviving people but after, in private, Luna had wept at the horror, Celestia could not allow herself that weakness even when alone. That might have been the first time she had hated her sister even fleetingly, thought Corona, that Luna could cry but she could not. After that she had decided it was not worth rebuilding the house, it held too many bad memories and she could no longer allow herself the luxury of a holiday lest another atrocity occur when she was not ready. Now, millennia later, even the ruins had been reclaimed by the sea as the cliff eroded away. It was likely that only herself and one other even remembered what had once stood here.
Unnoticed, a butterfly alighted on Corona while she continued deep in thought.
Luna had always had it easier than her, they had ruled together but as the eldest it was Corona’s right, and responsibility, to take the lion’s share of the duties. She had protected her sister from Discord and his ilk, when Tyrek had led his mind controlled legions against them it was Corona who had done what had to be done. When the threat of Sombra rose it was she who had crushed him before he could cause harm, not Luna, she who withstood his dark magic and how had she repaid her? Abandonment, treachery, exile.
First her sister had withdrawn from Celestia’s presence, given the lamentably short lives of her ponies Luna had been the only constant in her life and then she was there less and less missing official appointments, hiding away in her own rooms, forcing Corona to do everything herself. At first she had tried to reach out to her younger sister, she had missed her, but there was so much to do, she had so little time. Trying to interact with Luna had become a waste of time, her sister had always been a weight around Corona’s neck, she was better off without her, alone.
Then after so long Luna just turned up again claiming to bear news and worries from the common pony, but Corona knew she was just jealous, if the common pony had something to say they could have come to their true ruler not her sister. Luna had claimed that her ability to split herself into many and hide among the populous gave her a better insight into them. Corona had never felt the need to master that skill, it would weaken her and she never knew when a new horror would arise and require her full power. True she had heard rumours that some of her people were unhappy with her forced relocations but that was only a few trouble makers, and it was for their own good, they needed to be protected, they didn’t know how bad the world could be like she did. She’d made sure they didn’t have to know.
Around her the grass began to smoulder, the resting butterfly became a brief candle before being reduced to a speck of ash.
Then the final indignity, her own sister demanded that she stand down, she said that Corona needed a rest but Corona knew, she knew her sister wanted to usurp her rightful place, where had she been when she had needed her? Then, then, when Corona refused to just step aside to let Luna ruin all she had set up she turned that nightmare creature summoned from Tartarus itself on her, showing her true colours. Finally rather than surrendering when she was beaten, Luna corrupted the elements of harmony themselves and used them to banish Corona to her own sun for a millennia.
No doubt the Alicorn of the night then used her dark powers to crush the inevitable popular uprising as Corona’s loyal followers attempted to overthrow her to free their rightful leader. Then Luna created the corrupt and evil night court to enforce her will across the land. It was no wonder Equestria was in such a sorry state after such a long period of misrule. It was only because Corona had already vanquished the great evils that they had not destroyed the whole country while she was gone.
But, now she was back and although she was temporarily weakened she would still return Equestria to its rightful state with her at its head. She just needed time to regain her strength and to find a way to purify the elements to allow her to overthrow her treacherous sister and her allies.
Angrily she grabbed a further mouthful of grass and gagged at the taste of ash in her mouth, glancing around she noticed that her rage had blackened the ground around her and fused a portion of the beach to glass. Sighing she regretted the loss of control her sister had forced upon her, it has disfigured her pristine beach. Gathering herself Corona decided to stop delaying and carry out the mission she had come here for. She needed to reveal herself to the local villagers to decoy Luna’s forces here.
Forcing herself to relax Corona slowly extended her senses out over the dunes and cliffs that surrounded her looking for a likely target to bear word of her to the authorities. Something bothered her, something was wrong just at the edge of her senses, like an itch. She focused for a second and the discomfort resolved itself, there, a few miles to the east was a noticeable pulse of magic, somepony was sustaining an invisibility field. The spell was complex but subtle, few would have been able to pierce or even detect it. However, as the princess of the Sun, even if that station had been temporarily stolen, Corona could detect if even a single photon was out of place. Although remote this area was not uninhabited, ponies from the nearby settlement occasionally visited but who would be making such effort to mask their presence? Was someone searching for her? Had Luna’s forces already arrived? She had not expected so quick a response.
Silently the white Alicorn stretched out her mighty wings and leapt into the air, she circled twice gaining height and then headed inland to get a closer look at who had disturbed her. As the terrain opened out beneath her she saw that on top of the cliff there was a waterfall where a mighty river fell dozens of feet to the sea below, along the rivers path was a wide band of forest. There amongst the trees she found the hunters.
There were three of them, one of each tribe. A rather plump Earth pony stallion with a dark brown coat with green dapples and mane, his flank was embossed with a magnifying glass cutie mark. He slowly led the way his head low to the ground. Behind him was what appeared to be a Unicorn colt, did Luna recruit children into her armies? She took a closer look, no not a colt an unusually small Stallion, a midget. His horn glowed with a blue light so pale as to be almost white showing he was generating the invisibility field covering him and his companions. His coat was likewise pale blue and his mane was made up of stripes of black and dark red formed into spikes. A dotted outline of a pony adorned his flank. The third member of the group, and the only mare, hovered just above her ground dwelling companions, her head sweeping back and forth alert for trouble. Her pure white mane and tail were cut very short in a military style and stood out against her black coat; lethal looking wing blades adorned her outstretched limbs.
Using her power, Corona summoned an invisibility field of her own many times stronger than that generated by the mortal unicorn below her while at the same time dampening any other indicator of her presence, sound and even smell were affected. Thus covered she moved closer to her would be hunters.
The trio were moving slowly and stealthily through the trees making their way towards the sea by a meandering route. To her surprise Corona realised they were following the path she herself had made the last time she had visited this area last week. They were following her! Her sister must has dispatched them to locate her, Corona was momentarily perturbed by this, until she realised this was what she had planned when she had started to make these outings to this and other areas around Equestria.
These hunter’s might even be members of Luna’s spy group, the shadow bolts; many of her allies had spoken of them in fear. Clearly created to mock her own lightning bolts, which she had used to locate those mislead ponies who turned against her when she ruled. This could be a useful time to test their abilities, and, she thought with a smirk, maybe a chance to have some fun.
Without a sound Coronal lowered herself to just above the wary Pegasus before inverting and then floating down further until she was close enough to clearly make out the circular saw cutie mark adorning the Black mare’s muscular flank. Idly she wondered if that flank had gotten the mare her role, she had heard that Luna had taken mortal lovers from among her guard. It had been one of the perks of her younger sister’s position, to allow herself to take lovers, spending time being held in the arms of another, like any other mare, feeling comforted and safe. Corona herself could never allow such closeness it would be undignified, even if she did sometimes ache to feel that way, it was just another thing she had had to sacrifice for her people.
Shaking herself back to the present Corona drifted closer to her target and, with less enjoyment than she had previously expected, softly blew into the flying pony’s ear. The response was lightning fast and violent. The black mare spun on the spot blades flashing, striking at the air, only Corona’s inponyly fast reactions allowed her to avoid the blow. The pegasus’s companions were not so lucky and the wild swing opened a shallow cut on the earth pony’s flank.
Jumping back in surprise and pain the wounded stallion turned towards his companion, “What the tartarus, Buzz cut” he hissed “What was that for?”.
“I’m sorry sir, but there’s something here“ stated the Pegasus staring straight through Corona’s hidden form “We should retreat, now!”
“There’s nothing there” assured the earth pony examining his wound “If there was, me or Loony would know, you’re just jumpy.”
Magically investigating the earth ponies injury Corona deftly used her powers to ensure the cut would quickly heal. It would not be right for this pony to suffer unduly for her pleasure just because he was deluded enough to side with her sister, he did not know any better. She could afford to show her merciful side.
Righting herself and jinking to one side Corona allowed one of her pinions to glide down the Pegasus’s barrel. Once again her target struck out with her blades, a blow the Alicorn only just avoided, this time she was careful to avoid her colleagues. Most impressive reactions, thought Corona, if only she was not so misguided as to follow my sister she would be a useful addition to my servants. Now to test the unicorn. Glancing around she noticed a brown object among the tree canopy ahead, just the thing.
The pegasus rose further in the air her head jumping from side to side “I tell you something touched me” she said.
“If you want something to touch you, you only had to ask ma grande fille” said the unicorn in heavily accented Equestrian “Like he said there’s nothing here that can see us, let alone get close without me or Holmes noticing”
“No, but anything for miles can hear your flapping mouths” barked the earth pony “We’re on a mission here, so shut it.” He paused “Wait, do you hear something?”
“Only Loony being crude” muttered the pegasus, ruffling her feathers. Then her ears snapped up “Is that buzzing?” she queried.
Suddenly a cloud of flying insects erupted from the trees in front of the trio and enveloped them. The pegasus desperately flapped her wings in an attempt to drive off the stinging attackers, while the earth pony screwed up his face and crouched down onto the ground apparently attempting to reduce the amount of himself in contact with the annoyances while swatting around wildly with his tail.
“I’ve got them” muttered the unicorn, his horn flaring. Suddenly the air around them was filled with a myriad of twinkling blue lights.
From her vantage point Corona studied the magic at work, in this situation most unicorns would either generate a dome field which would require a lot of energy and probably trap a number of the pests inside with them, or would instinctively generate a field around themselves alone which would leave their companions defenceless. Instead of either of those options the pale stallion was individually grasping each hornet and guiding them away from him and his companions a much more efficient use of energy, although the control and multi-tasking skills needed were astounding, he hadn’t even dropped the invisibility field. Luna apparently chooses her agents well.
As the cloud of insects passed the fatter stallion got back to his feet “Everybody, OK” he asked, the others nodded “Good work Loony.”. The tiny unicorn glowed at the praise.
“Something’s definitely up here,” he announced “I got a trail here a few days old, big hooves, some of the biggest I’ve seen and shod with some fancy shoes, very distinctive”.
Corona brought a gold covered hoof up to her face, maybe having her slaves steal these from the Trottingham museum hadn’t been a good idea, but they were one of her favourite quads and it was so hard to find them in her size. Anyway, she thought, that slob didn’t need to make it sound like her hooves were huge, they were quite petite compared to her overall size, and after she had healed him to.
“I doubt the primary targets still here” he continued “but she might have a base in the area. Whatever spooked Buzz Cut and those bugs suggest she’s left some spells or minions here to guard it. So there must be something she doesn’t want us to find, which makes me want to find it even more. Get yourselves together and follow me, and keep it quiet this time.” He said glaring at the unicorn. With that the spotty stallion turned and started to make his way carefully towards the river, snout glued to the ground.
Following, Corona began to use her powers to try and disrupt her previous tracks without alerting her pursuers of her continued presence. To her frustration the Earth pony proved to be very good at his job and continued to doggedly follow her original path, her efforts only slowing rather than stopping his progress.
Thinking ahead the Alicorn tried to recall her previous trip to this area. She had mostly wandered through the woods enjoying her time away from her responsibilities then followed the river to the cliffs to see the sea, but had stopped because … oh that was right.
Shooting ahead of the slowly moving trio the former solar tyrant headed downstream senses focused downwards. There in a clearing at the cliff top she found a slow ophidian life form dormant beneath the ground, a hydra. It was likely a hatching, with only two or maybe three heads, recently forced from its mothers territory and just staking out its own, sleeping in the muddy banks of the river. If she remembers correctly they could detect heat and had excellent hearing, the unicorns spell would not stop it. A little heat would be all that would be needed to awaken it, and a group of trained ponies such as the ones following her should have no problem subduing or at least escaping from it. Waving her horn over the water she was rewarded by movement far below. Her job done she cantered off to the tree line to get a better view, awaiting Luna’s pony’s arrival. As if on cue the team cautiously entered the clearing with the pegasus taking point, followed by the tracker, with the Unicorn acting as rear guard.
“Trail stops here” announced the earth stallion raising his head as his colleagues fanned out around the clearing “Looks like Corona, if she was here, flew away or ‘ported”
“Can’t see anything that would get her interest” said the Pegasus hovering over the river. Suddenly a long sinuous neck broke the surface and the large jawed triangular head mounted on top snapped at her. The Pegasus’s reactions were quicker and she gracefully rolled out of the way avoiding the attack. She shouted a warning to her companions, “Hydra”.
At that moment a further trio of heads erupted from the river, one joined its sister snapping futilely at the jinxing Pegasus while the others whipped out at the unicorn standing at the water’s edge. With a flash of magic a shield suddenly materialised in the heads path, they impacted with a loud crashing sound shattering the spell but stunning them in the process.
Four heads, thought Corona, its older than I thought, this should give them a good workout.
Having recovered from her initial surprise the Pegasus went on the offensive slashing at one of the heads attacking her. Her blade cut a deep furrow through its face blinding one of its eyes and causing it to howl in pain. Taking advantage of its distraction the black pony dived lower and with a second blow cut through the thick neck decapitating it. Blood flew for a few seconds before a muscular contraction stemmed the flow and the remains of the neck dropped back into the water.
“No so tough now are you” taunted the pegasus “One head or a hundred I’ll ..” she was interrupted as four more heads flashed out of the mud towards her companion unicorn who seemed stunned by the feedback from the destruction of his shield “Look out” she screamed. At the last moment the plump earth pony body checked his magical companion and both of them went flying out of the way as the hydra’s jaws snapped shut around thin air.
Distracted the mare did not notice a final two heads rising up from below her as the creatures body pulled itself out of the sucking ooze. She screamed as one set of jaws closed around her wing and another around her foreleg. With a mere twitch the hydra tore the wing from her body and swallowed it down while the other head shook her like a dog with a rabbit before tossing its prey dismissively aside to focus on her companions.
The broken pegasus flew through the air and crashed to the ground at Corona’s hooves. The goddess of the sun was so shocked at these sudden events that her concentration slipped and she became visible again leaning over the wounded pony. The stunned pegasus gazed blankly at her, confusion and pain in her eyes. Then she started and tried to drag her broken body away from Corona’s form “Monster” she whispered, blood pooling around her, then her wounds claimed her and she became still.
Corona recoiled in shock, had the pony just called her a … no it must be the creature that had attacked the fallen pony. Yes, that was the monster she’d meant, It must be stopped, No more of my children will be killed this day, she swore.
Reacting swiftly Corona charged into the clearing containing the Hydra and the surviving ponies, hooves sparking, “Face me monster!” she bellowed.
The beast slowly turned its ungainly body toward her as its heads whipped away from the other ponies towards this new larger prey. Up close the beast was enormous, its body at least half a dozen meters high and the necks twice or more that again. Corona surveyed the creature noting two fresh heads, currently tiny, but growing quickly, sprouting from the severed stump. A Lemurian she thought, I believed I had killed them all millennia ago, this one must have been slumbering for ages and have been missed in my purge, no matter I will destroy her now.
Taking to the air and weaving in-between its dozen striking heads Corona concentrated and released a small fragment of her power causing her horn to burst into flame before extending into a burning blade several meters in length. With a sweep of her head one, then two of the beasts writhing necks were severed and cauterised. Enraged the remaining heads snarled, baring their fangs and snapping at the glowing Alicorn as she swooped by. A further blow from her horn dispatched another pair of heads and half severed a third. Dark red blood spurted from the wound drenching Corona in sticky liquid which instantly began to evaporate from her form.
Finally realising the danger it was in the leviathans body attempted to retreat from the burning creature, however Corona was not to be denied and gave chase, tiring of killing the beast one head at a time she focused a beam of solar energy through her horn at the creature’s misshapen back. She let fly with all her rage, pain and frustration. The resulting force blew the beast apart in a massive explosion and ignited the trees around it. A great chunk of its body was simply vaporised, the force of its blood boiling fragmented the rest of it splattering the clearing in gore.
It had been too long since she had carried out her true purpose, thought Corona, protecting her little ponies from monsters. She felt good, she felt powerful, she felt righteous.
The alicorn of the sun, still splattered in the blood of her prey, turned and slowly sank back to the ground in front of the shocked survivors, her chest puffed out in pride, the grass around her blackening in her fiery aura. She gazed at the two dazed stallions awaiting their thanks for saving them.
For a second all was silent, apart from the crackle of burning wood and the soft rain like sound of the remains of the Hydra falling to the ground. The two surviving ponies stared stupidly at the sight before them.
“S’enfuir mon ami” shouted the Unicorn bolting into action first “Run Holmes, Run. I’ll hold her off as long as I can”
“Wait” called Corona “I command you to” but her announcement was interrupted by a bolt of blue energy, which broke across her face with more force than she would have thought possible, enough to make even her flinch.
The Earth pony broke into a panicked gallop heading for the cliff top as fast as his hooves would carry him.
Bursting into action Corona started forward to catch the fleeing green and brown pony but suddenly the midget Unicorn was in her face firing off another spell, momentarily blinding her. She instinctively struck out with her wings at the annoyance and felt an impact, followed by the sound of a crash a short way off. Blinking off the effect of the pests spell Corona orientated on the fleeing pony and with a single flap leapt into the air after him.
The fleeing pony had reached the top of the cliff and desperately looked for an escape route before gazing back in fear at the rapidly approaching Alicorn behind him. His hooves scrambled at the edge and a look of desperate dedication passed over his face. He seemed to steel himself, “For Luna” he whispered and tumbled backwards over the cliff.
“No” gasped Corona as she saw the earth pony disappear from view, reaching out with limbs both physical and mystical she attempted to reach for him. However, in the few seconds it took her to reach the cliff top it was already too late. The remains of her target lay at the foot of the cliff, smashed on the jagged rocks below, the flank she had recently healed slashed open.
She remained frozen in the air for some time looking down at the gruesome tabue below her, bile rose in her throat and she almost expelled her recent meal. What could have made him do this, she thought, why had he run from her, what did he think she was going to do? He had died with her sisters name on his lips, why? Why? Why? Then she remembered the unicorn, she had saved him from the hydra, he could explain what had happened, why his companion had, jum.., had fallen. She turned and surveyed the scene behind her, the unicorn laid where she had struck him in her blindness, silent, unmoving, impaled through his chest on a broken branch.
Rushing to his side she felt herself start to tremble and she couldn’t seem to stop, a thin quiet moan escaped from her lips. She tried to raise a shaking hoof to touch the corpse when one of its eyes opened and seemed to stare past her, “Maman” slurred the Unicorn through his broken jaw “Hurts” he moaned. Desperately Corona reached out with her power to try and help the unfortunate in front of her, but he was beyond even her god like powers, it was a miracle he was still alive and that situation would not last long. Feeling helpless the only thing she could do was stop the pain, cocooning his body in golden light. “Don’t worry my child” she whispered trying to sound strong “I’m here now, it’s going to be alright”
Taking the Unicorns tiny childlike body in her arms she nuzzled it gently trying not to damage it any further, accidentally anointing herself in its blood. “Tired Maman” whimpered the dying unicorn “Sleep now, Luna bless” She tried to return the blessing, to comfort the shattered form she held, but the words were bitter in her mouth even in her current state. She felt the unicorn stiffen momentarily then go limp, forever.
Throwing back her head the white alicorn howled, her cry of pain and sorrow heard by the ponies of the coastal village several miles away. Celestia started to weep, deep hollow sobs were drawn from her lungs, her burning tears evaporating as they struck the body before her.
Her thoughts seemed to run in circles. How, How had this happened ,she asked herself as she looked down at the doll like body in her arms. Three of her little pony’s just snuffed out, only a monster would do this, a monster. Was she a monster? Others had said she was but she had never believed them, thought them crazed, but now, three dead in less than three minutes one at her own hoof, could they have been right. Two of them had died with her sisters name on their lips, they feared and hated her but they loved Luna, why?
Suddenly as if a switch had been thrown in her head Corona raged, losing the last vestiges of her control a wave of heat and light billowed out from her form striping the flesh from the corpse’s bones and igniting the grass and trees in a great swave around her.
“It shouldn’t be this way” She screamed “I protect ponies, I don’t kill them, I don’t do that. Not me!”
Luna, she thought desperately, this was all her fault, she was the monster, not me, not me. She’d known that I would be here, she had arranged for the Hydra to be nesting in the water and then sent her ponies here primed with lies to hate and fear me. She had known that the beast would attack and that I would have to protect them and that her lies would lead to their death, that had to be it, it just had to be. She’d killed them not me, not me.
Breathing heavily, and trying to pull herself together, Corona looked at the desolation around her and the charred skeleton at her feet. Spoiled it was all spoiled now, her place of peace, Luna had ruined it all to spite her, just like the rest of Equestria. She could never return here now, it was tainted. With several wobbly beats of her mighty wings the Alicorn took to the sky, the very feel of the ground beneath her hooves disgusting her. She had to get away, back to her base to redouble her efforts, Luna had to be stopped. Until her monstrous sister was overthrown and her people safe in her control there could be no peace, she thought.
As Corona flew out of sight in the west the sun passed below the horizon and turned the sky blood red while the moon slowly rose.
Author's Note
I'd like to thank RainbowDoubleDash for creating the Lunaverse and calming my fears that this didn't fit into it, FizzyOrange for setting the challenge and being supportive and InsertAuthorHere for proofing and showing me what a comma is for.
