Three hundred years after the fall of Princess Luna, Equestria teeters on the brink of disaster. Bitter political infighting and power-hungry nobles threaten to tear the country apart in a bloody civil war, while in the south old enemies prepare to reclaim their ancient homeland from the ponies.

As Princess Celestia desperately strives to hold together her splintered nation, she sends a young pony on a quest to the northern lands that border Equestria in order to plead for aid against the threat of Grypha. This unlikely messenger is Rye Strudel, the flightless, magicless, half-breed son of a guard and a baker. Rye must do the impossible and unite the thanes of the north... for if he cannot, there may be no home to come back to.

At first glance, Princess Luna's charioteers might appear to be little more than Royal Guards dressed in festive apparel for Nightmare Night. However, there is far more to the story than that - the Night Guards once played a pivotal role in the history of Equestria, and have sacrificed more for their beloved princess than most ponies are even aware of.

Luna has returned to Equestria, but she is as cold and distant as the moon that held her captive. Celestia broods on her throne, regretting mistakes made and prices paid. Twilight Sparkle contemplates betrayal, and as her faith drains away, bitterness takes its place. And in the darkness, a relic of an ancient tragedy watches, his life consumed by greivances that he can neither remember nor forget. Betrayed and betrayers all, four ponies in need of a redemption that only one seeks. Will Honesty be enough to save them? Can one hoof, extended in trust and forgiveness, mend four wounded hearts?

Includes Applejack X Luna and slight Twilight X Celestia shipping.

With thanks to my editors, peppermint-roo.deviantart.com and sosweetntasty.deviantart.com

Written prior to season 2, so severely jossed by canon.