//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Bane // by canonkiller //------------------------------// I awoke to a warm body beside mine. For a few moments I thought it was all a dream; that I had never left the bed I shared with my sister, that I had never met a ghost pony, that the foals and the old ones had not been killed. But then I felt the chill of wet fur and was filled with thirst and hunger. The warmth beside me shifted as whatever was emitting it moved away. "You are awake." I jolted and rolled away, panic setting in as I considered my options. The pony that had kept me company sat patiently, her pure white coat bright against the pale gray of the hairs running down her neck and sprouting at her flanks. She shifted to look at me, and I saw she had wings and a horn, just like Cadence. Her eyes shone a gentle not-gray. She - at least, I believed it was a she - seemed to notice that I continued staring at the longer hairs. She laughed and smiled, tossing her head. "You do not seem to have manes and tails anymore." I blinked. Manes sounded vaguely familiar, while I knew other creatures had tails. I looked at my own rump, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Of course; we got our manes and tails pulled out when we were young. They would only get tangled and slow us down in the forests. "My name is Celestia, little pony." "What's a Celestia?" "I am, of course." She smiled, but worry flickered through her eyes. I noticed her pupils - what I believed they were - were shaped like little wavy stars. "No, what did you get your name from?" She took a deep breath, her smile turning fake and plastic. "What's your name?" "I am Bane, like the plant that keeps the Timberwolves away. What is a Celestia?" "Call me Sun." She replied, annoyance leaking into her voice. I considered telling her I didn't know what that was either, but she looked irate, so I left it. "Are you a ghost-pony like Cadence?" "You met Cadence?" Sun questioned. I nodded. "Are you a ghost-pony?" She laughed again. "Somewhat. I guess I must be dead, but I don't feel like it." "Why are you here? Did you die here?" She winced, and got up. "...No. I... died... a long way from here." "Why are you here?" I repeated. She seemed to be practiced in avoiding questions. "To guide you." She answered vaguely. "My sister sees a great destiny before you, Bane." "Your sister?" "Yes. Lun- Moon." Sun and Moon. I assumed they were opposites of each other. "Where is she?" "She'll be around." Sun replied. "Come on, we have ground to cover." "Huh?" She stood up, tossing her head for me to follow. "Where are we going?" "To Haven." "Why?" "You'll be safe there." I frowned, trotting after her. She was taller than Cadence too, double her height maybe, and her legs were as long as I was tall. She slowed down slightly when she noticed I was having trouble keeping up. The silence stretched for a couple moments. "Who are you?" "I am Sun." She replied, snorting softly. "I told you." "No... like..." I frowned, pinning my ears back. "Who are you?" "You want to know about me?" "I guess." She sighed, fluffing her wings. "I was once very high-ranked. Ponies looked up to me as a teacher, a mentor, a mother. They found me perfect. I protected them; probably too much. They couldn't stand up for themselves like the first of their kind could. Whenever something bad happened, I would fly in and fix it. "It was too much for me to handle, so I decided to seek out ponies with close ties genetically to the first ponies. I formed groups for them, groups that I could command to protect the people as I had. Foals, stallions, mares, all clambered to be regarded as special. "There were four main groups, later divided between myself and Moon. There were the Wonderbolts, which were the fastest and bravest Pegasi, my sister had the Shadowbolts, the same Pegasi of the Wonderbolts that enjoyed the night; my own Royal Guard, made up of Unicorns and Pegasi; my sisters' Guard, Earth Ponies enchanted to with night magic so they could fly. "The workload was lifted then. Moon and I still ruled, but we had split the power. We made the law, we kept control, we took care of the large problems, but Equestria was one step closer to being a true nation again." She fell silent. I wondered how long it had been since she had talked to somepony. "What's Equestria?" "This la... the lands I used to rule." She half-closed her eyes, sorrow welling up in them. "Oh." The silence fell again. The bushes ahead darkened as a deep black smoke blew through them, congealing in a small ball on our side. It expanded quickly, taking the form of a pony my size, a winged unicorn like Sun. "Moon?" I guessed. "We are Luna!" The shadow pony proclaimed loudly. "It is a pleasure to meet you!" "Luna? But Sun said-" "Luna, please let this pony call you Moon." The other pony frowned. "If that is what you wish, sister." "Thank you." Sun nodded gratefully. "Moon, this is Bane." Moon was only slightly taller than I was, her pupils shaped like sideways hoofprints. Her mane and tail sparkled like crystal, and were the same not-gray as her irises. She seemed much more excited than Sun, but it was obvious the two shared a close bond. I wonder how old she was; if she died alongside her sister. "Oh, we have heard about you!" Moon smiled, prancing over to Sun's side. "We have been watching over your sister!" "Stone?! Is she okay?" Moon nodded happily. "She is only a few hours walk from here, as she has stopped to rest." I turned to Sun. "Can we go now?!" She laughed. "Of course. You can go ahead with Moon, I'll be right behind you." The dark mare galloped ahead, waiting at the treeline for me to follow. "Come on, Bane!" "Coming!" I looked back at Sun, grinning. "Thanks. For helping me." "It was my pleasure." Sun replied softly. "Run along now. I took off after Moon, leaving Sun alone. ----- Something shifted deep in the Badlands, under layers upon layers of sand and stone. A pendulum of dusty diamond swung down from it's place in the ceiling, striking into another crystal ball. The object rolled down the track it had been placed on, knocking away eons of dust and grime. It came to a rest against a solid pillar of not-gray crystal, a single crack running up the side of it. It sheared perfectly in two, revealing a single pony suspended by a magical aura, the same color as the crystal around her. Slowly, she floated down, coming to a rest on the chipped crystal. She opened her eyes, the star-shaped pupils shining white. The mare lifted her head, small crystals lighting up along the leather armor on her head and shoulders. She stood up, two arcane wings spreading from her shoulders. She moved into the pinpoint of light filtering down from the surface, her eyes shimmering not-gray in the sun. "She has come." ----- A mare in the center of Terria lifted her muzzle to the sky. "She has been." ----- A Pegasus stood up, her many-shaded mane billowing in the wind. "She is young." ----- An elegant monarch sat upon her throne of riches, smiling gently. "She is strong." ----- Two mares awoke from parallel slumber, their eyes the same not-gray. They smiled as one. "We are ready."