//------------------------------// // The Royal Surprise // Story: The Legend of the God-Hunter // by BobThePlaneswalker //------------------------------// The moon and its army of stars cast a midnight glow across Equestria, not a cloud in the sky to contest them. It was a serene illumination accentuated by the atmosphere, a paragon of stillness broken only by the occasional vibration from Ponyville's own gingerbread inspired sweet shop. It seemed as though nothing stirred outside of the party. However, had one with a keen enough eye been looking towards Canterlot they would have seen two small specs fall from one of the city's highest windows, one spec dark blue, the other white. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Luna plummeted through the air, her wings tight against her body and her nose pointed directly to the bottom of Canterlot Mountain. She looked to her sister just a few feet behind, gave a wink and returned her focus to the foamy mass that collected at the bottom of the waterfall. She estimated just how long it would be before she hit and closed her eyes. Five, four, three, two, she snapped her wings open and made a sharp change in course creating a small shock-wave. She opened her eyes. She was level, mere inches from the water! She rocked back and forth. She glanced back just in time to catch her sister's eyes mid roll. Celestia didn't seem ecstatic about her maneuver but she was right behind her nonetheless. Luna sent her a mischievous smile and veered off across the open ground. She darted back and forth dodging obstacles as they came, meticulously adjusting her altitude to stay just inches above the ground. It made her feel so... powerful. The feeling was short lived however. They were quickly approaching Ponyville and she needed to bleed off her speed to achieve nearly silent flight. After doing so, she navigated the outskirts of the town, careful to stay behind any form of cover she could find. She slowed to a halt and landed directly in front of the library. Celestia gracefully set down beside her. “I think, dear sister, that I shall need to give you a lesson in the art of inconspicuous flight.” Luna smirked. “Oh come now, art thou saying it was not fun?” Celestia smiled. Luna gave a rap on the door and waited. All the windows were dark. Celestia approached the little window next to the entrance and peered in. “She may be asleep little sister.” “Well then we must wake her!” Luna exclaimed as she flew up to the balcony. “Sister, poor Twilight may be very exhausted. Let us leave. We can inform her of our intent to visit and return again after she has had time to prepare.” “Nonsense big sister! The surprise of our arrival will energize her enough.” She entered the library, ignoring her sister's further protests. The ample moonlight revealed a tranquil abode. Luna approached Twilight's bed and nudged the lump in the blankets. “Twilight Sparkle, my sister and I have come to surprise you with our presence! Awaken so that we may partake in spontaneous fun!” The lump remained motionless. Upon inspection Luna discovered that it was nothing more than a pillow dressed in a mess of blankets. Perturbed, she made her way to the first floor. “Twilight Sparkle?” She, inspected a mess of books strewn about the floor in the hopes that she would find the young unicorn stuffed under one of them like some lost trinket. Such was not the case. She angrily kicked at the ground. Four whole months she had spent persuading her sister to come out here like this. Were it any other pony whose health she was concerned about she could simply come flat out and tell her that she was concerned. Not Celestia though; Certainly not Celestia. Any expression of concern would simply be met with the assurance that nothing was wrong and followed up with an order not to entertain the subject again. No, with Celestia, one had to be much more creative. Thus, when Luna had first caught the small echo of a terrified scream reverberating from her sister's room she began carefully observing her, collecting every piece of evidence she could. An out of character topical interest, a missed meal, or a rare slip of the tongue. It is also fortunate for Luna that she was blessed with the capability to traverse dreams. Although her sister had been able to bar her from mining the details of her nightmares, she was unable to prevent the Princess of the Night from ascertaining that they were, in fact, nightmares. Luna hypothesized that Celestia's record breaking stint of long work hours and meager sleep was beginning to take a toll on her sanity. She managed to use Celestia's selfless nature to her advantage, telling her that she was becoming quite aggravated with their subjects and needed time out with her older sister to unwind. Celestia graciously set aside a date but every time they neared it, something would arise within the kingdom causing it to be pushed back. Now that she had finally pried her sister out of Canterlot, it was extremely aggravating that the only pony whose presence she could truly count on to relax her was nowhere to be found. She exited through the balcony and set down by Celestia. She stared off towards the center of town as her mind churned for a solution. Celestia intercepted her gaze. “Let us return to the castle Sister. We will reschedule. I promise.” Oh no, no, no Sister. Thou needst this tonight. “The night is young yet big sister. Let us walk the town. Perhaps we will cross paths with Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia joined her in gazing into the town. “It is certainly a nice thought little sister, but we risk catching the attention of our subjects. With as much as they have been bothering you, I'm not sure that we should take that risk.” Luna forced herself to repress the scream boiling up in her vocal chords. “It is night sister, I am sure that very few ponies will see us, if any at all.” “I just don't think it's a good idea little sister.” “You promised that we would do as I wished tonight!” Luna barked. Celestia sighed and turned an affectionate gaze on her sibling. “Alright, if it would please you so Sister, then I will not contest the idea any longer.” Luna moved to her side and nuzzled her. “Thank you.” Celestia nodded. “Of course dear sister.” They took a moment to embrace and ambled off down the street. For a while no words were spoken. They simply took in the town's winsome details, enjoying the contrast the peaceful stroll presented to marching with a pack of ponies attached to each hoof. Luna pondered breaking the silence but she found herself unable to produce any fitting collection of words to say. She'd comforted ponies before, but they were always younger than her and very open about their problems. Celestia was neither. Fortunately her sister spoke on her own accord. “You know, this was a wonderful idea Sister. It is a shame to even think that this is the first time I've really admired Ponyville. It's truly beautiful.” Luna felt a small tingle travel throughout her body. Maybe her efforts would pay off! “Yes it is. So rare it is for us to spend leisure time here. I suppose we have never really had the chance to take it in.” “Let's change that Sister.” Luna kept her leap of joy at bay, vowing to let it out when she was no longer in Celestia's presence. “We certainly shall Sister!” Celestia playfully pushed Luna with her wing. “An absolutely perfect night for it too, wouldn't you say?” Luna chuckled. “Absolutely sister! We are fortunate you and I.” Their laughs trailed off into another strain of silence. Celestia looked to her sister as a mother looks to her child. “Luna... I know how you long for the approval of our subjects.” Her mouth opened again but she held back, grabbing a few more moments to find the perfect way to phrase her next statement. The suspense drew Luna's attention and the two locked eyes. “I want you to know that, regardless of what they see now, you have all the makings of a great leader.” Luna's stomach knotted up and she found herself scanning their surroundings for something to feign interest in. She could barely remember the last time they had been so open with each other. It was... uncomfortable. Celestia wrapped her wing around Luna's shoulders. “I think the day will soon come Sister when you are called upon to prove yourself as a leader. If you continue to train yourself as you've been, you will answer that call with such perfection that nopony in Equestria will be able to stop themselves from loving you.” Luna's stomach finally adjusted to the climate of their conversation. As uncomfortable as it was, hearing those words come from Celestia was empowering. She gathered her courage and looked at her. “Are these feelings true sister?” Celestia stopped and nuzzled Luna's cheek. “Undeniably my little sister.” Luna rested her head against Celestia's. “Thank you...” No more words were spoken. No more needed to be spoken. They simply sat together, enjoying one another's company until they noticed a faint noise reaching their ears from the other side of town. “Did you hear that Sister?” “I did.” Luna grinned. “Shall we investigate?” Celestia cocked her brow. “Are you sure our subjects have been bothering you little sister?” Luna looked towards the source of the sound and a warm smile peeked through. “Not all of them... My visits to Ponyville have been very pleasant off late to be completely truthful Sister.” Celestia sighed. “Yes they do have a certain charm about them don't they?” Luna eyed her, expression now suggesting a mischievous intent. “Sooo... investigation?” After a few seconds of consideration Celestia's face fell in harmony with her sister's. “Investigation.” They opened their wings and took off, circling to gain altitude. Celestia spotted the lit residence of the Cakes and pointed it out to Luna. Noticing the party goers carrying on in the back yard they dropped to street level before approaching. They crouched under the window, poking their heads up just enough to see inside. The building was teeming with ponies. Luna looked over them, hoping to find any signs of Twilight but none of them stood out as being particularly close to her. Then she saw her. Peeking out from the others was the rainbow maned pegasus. She would never forget that inseparable gang of mares. If the loud mouthed one was there, the chances of Twilight also being there were very high. Luna ducked under the window, her voice only a whisper. “Sister, dost thou see the table towards the center?” Celestia honed in on it nodded. “Yes sister, I see it.” “It is clear. Let us aim for it.” “Aim for it?” Celestia shot a confused glance to Luna but Luna had already begun an ominously drawn out series of knocks on the front door. Luna gave a short nod to her sister and prepared her horn for the spell. Hopefully Celestia would catch on. She waited for the small movement in the doorknob, syncing her teleportation with the opening of the door. The results were remarkable. Everypony had their eyes fixated on the entrance, not a single one anticipating anything to come warping into the center of their gathering. Even the loud mouthed element of loyalty was sent screaming into the air. “Hazah!” Luna cried out. Celestia pressed a hoof against her mouth to stifle her burst of laughter. The crowd was astonished. Not a single equine moved. They just stood there staring up at Luna and her sister with goofy looks plastered on their faces. Luna let out a nervous laugh, the tempo of her heart rapidly increasing. “Princesses?!” Twilight's voice rang out, breaking the horrible silence. Ponies began to talk amongst each other. Luna even caught a few chuckles. Her heart discontinued its acceleration. For now, it would seem that a potential panic attack had been avoided. Celestia and Luna stepped down from the table and found themselves standing directly in front of Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Celestia quickly addressed them with an compuctious bow. “I apologize for our mounting of your table. It seemed like the point in the room which would... maximize the surprise.” The Cakes were still petrified on the spot. Mrs. Cake forced her fore hoof to wave off the wrongdoing. “Oh no trouble your majesty. It was very surprising, wasn't it dear?” She jabbed Mr. Cake in the side. He shook himself free of his paralysis and made an exaggerated nod. “Oh yes your highne —” the realization of who they were talking to finally hit them “— oh dear.” “Get the broom!” “I'm on it honey bun! What should we serve?!” “Mr. and Mrs. Cake please,” Celestia tried to interject. “Oh heavens I don't know! I'll make something!” “Mr. and Mrs. Cake!” Celestia called. Her tone had struck the perfect balance of authority and geniality required to stop the hysteria and grab the Cake's attention. It was a talent that Luna deeply envied. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake,” Celestia said, her voice much softer now that they were listening. “My sister and I have come here, to Ponyville, at this hour because we wish to enjoy a reprieve from the exhausting weight of authority. So please, I beg of you both, and of everypony here. Please treat us as you would a neighbor, or a new pony from out of town, or even a family member if you like. Just, please, do not refer to us, or treat us, as your princesses tonight.” Mrs. Cake looked to the kitchen, her internal strife plainly visible. “Please Mrs. Cake.” Mr. Cake draped a hoof over Mrs. Cake's shoulder. “We can still make those cupcakes Pinkie asked for honey bun,” he offered. She gave a determined nod to her princess and walked off with her husband, the couple supporting one another against the urge to pamper their new guests. Twilight pushed her way through the crowd. “Prin-... Your High-... Uhm?” Luna noticed a few small beads of sweat fall from Twilight's brow. Celestia giggled. “Celestia Twilight. Just call me Celestia.” “Oh... right.” Twilight let out a nervous chuckle and swallowed her own urge to begin frantically making the party royalty caliber. “So, uhm, prin-” She took a deep breath and collected herself. “Celestia, Luna, how fantastic to see you!” Celestia smiled. “It is fantastic to see you too my faithful student!” Luna nodded. “Yes, greetings to you Twilight Sparkle! How goes thy gathering of fun?” “It's going great! Even better now that you two have showed up!” The loud mouthed pegasus flew over and landed by her side. “You know I gotta give it to you mares, that scare was pretty good. Almost my caliber!” Twilight rolled her eyes. Luna admired her sister as she simply smiled and giggled at the comment. Personally she wanted to humble the arrogant little pony up a bit. Instead, however, she did her best to follow her sister's example and simply laughed it off. Judging from the looks she received from the others, it didn't work. Celestia motioned towards the massive cake at the desserts table. “Sooo my little ponies, what's the occasion?” Twilight's face lit up. “Oh that's right, Rei!” Both Luna and Celestia sent her blank stares. “Sorry. Rei is a new pony in town. He's who Pinkie is throwing the party for. Would you like to meet him? I know he'd love to meet both of you!” Celestia nodded. “Yes I think meeting a new pony would be lovely; how about you sister?” “Yes, I agree. Let us be acquainted with this newcomer.” “Great!” Twilight chirped. “Right this way.” Luna and Celestia followed their two hosts as they led them through the house. They made their way to the back yard where they were met with an assembly of ponies surrounding fair Applejack and her bobbing for apples stand. The crowd's attention was immediately drawn to Luna and her sister. “Well howdy princesses!” Applejack greeted. Twilight cringed. Rainbow Dash sped over to Applejack's side and whispered to her. “Right... Oh... Oh Ah see... Okay will do RD.” She addressed them with a rueful look. “Sorry about that girls, Ah had no idea.” Celestia smiled. “Think nothing of it Applejack. Thank you for being so considerate of our reprieve.” “Sure thing Princeeeleeessstia...” She pressed her hat against her head and let out a nervous chuckle. “Uh... So, did ya'll come out here to do some bobbin?” “Actually,” Twilight interjected. “I was hoping we could introduce Celestia and Luna to tonight's guest of honor.” Applejack frowned. “You mean this little cheater here?” She motioned to Rei who had his head dunked deep into the apple tank. “Ain't nopony that can keep their head under as long as he has. He's usin magic, no doubt about it.” She grabbed his head and yanked it out of the tank. He coughed and pounded on his chest. “Applejack for the last time, this is not magic. It's a technique I learned-” “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Would ya quit tryin'a steal all my prizes for ten seconds and say hello to our new guests? They'd really fancy meetin ya.” “New guests?” Rei grabbed the towel and buried his face in it. Celestia extended a hoof to him. “Hello newcomer, and welcome to Ponyville!” Rei froze. He remained motionless for a few seconds, head still buried in the towel. He carefully put it down, placed his glasses onto his face, and looked up to her. “Kilia... you're even more beautiful than I remember...” Had he just? Luna looked to her sister. Judging by the size of her eyes she too had heard the same name. Celestia backed away from him. “Twilight, what did you say this stallion's name was?” “Uh-” “Rei, Kilia,” Rei interrupted. “They know me as Rei.” Celestia glared at him. “What are you doing here?” she demanded with her voice quaking. Luna's heart raced. It had been centuries since she had seen Celestia get worked up that quickly. She wasn't the only one picking up on it either. Everypony was visibly uneasy. “Sister, who is this?” she asked. “Who is this?” Rei exclaimed. “Umarak I'm offended! How could you fail to recognize...” he stared into his reflection. “Oh my, I do apologize. How foolish of me.” He raised a hoof. “One moment please. I'll clear this right up.” Celestia braced herself. Seeing her concern the others backed away. Rei's eyes lit up with a crimson hue. His horn discharged a mass of energy that enveloped him and raised him into the air. He became a crackling ball of red light floating above them and growing brighter by the second. They shielded their eyes as the ball exploded, illuminating the entire town. Ponies filed out of the house, curious about the phenomenon. Luna blinked, trying to clear her vision so she could assess what had just happened. She could make out the blurry form of a dark black stallion sitting where Rei had once been. As her vision cleared, she could see that he had gained wings. They were draconic, rigid and featherless. As his head became clearer she saw that he no longer had ears like a normal pony. Instead he had two black protrusions similar to antlers, however much sharper, straighter, with no branches, and sitting much closer to his head. His horn was darker and lacked its prior elegance. His eyes were both consumed by a red glow that made the pupil and iris indistinguishable from the rest of the eye. His mane had disappeared, replaced by a row of spines that ran from the top of his neck to the end of his reptilian tail, peaking in size right between his shoulder blades. In the absence of a fur coat his pure black flesh was plainly visible, resembling that of a lizard's but with a certain shine to it that Luna had never seen in any reptiles. He sat before them, tail casually wrapped around his legs and a grin spread across his draconic snout. “There, now do you recognize me Umarak?” Luna waded through centuries of memories. There was something familiar about him. She looked him over, trying to find any part that would give her a clue as to where in her memory she needed to search. She looked to her sister who was still glaring at him. She hadn't seen Celestia this upset since they had come to Equestria. Ifringale... Memories long forgotten flooded her mind. “Mr. Dragonface.” Rei chortled. “Huh, even I had forgotten about that nickname.” “Enough of this,” Celestia growled. Luna looked at her sister, confused by her aggression. “Sister it is Mr. Dragonface! You remem-” “Umie please,” Celestia snapped. Luna shrank down and her ears glued back against her head. “What are you doing here?” Celestia asked. Rei smirked. “Well, Kilia, I was invited. What are you doing here?” Celestia stamped her foot. “Stop playing games.” The ponies around her, save for the Spirits and Luna, took a step back. Twilight stepped forward. “Princess what's going on?” Celestia gave no response. Applejack took a step towards her. “Princess please, talk to us.” Again there was no response. “It's rude to leave your poor subjects hanging like this Kilia,” Rei mocked, giving one last chortle before dropping his jest. “Your princess is upset about my presence because I represent a part of her past that she very much hoped would never reach her in this place.” The ponies' confused looks fell upon Celestia. She broke her focus on Rei and glanced at them. Their gazes forced her back a few steps and her eyes took on a shimmer. Rei stepped towards her. “Please believe me Kilia that I did not want to do this to you. I wanted to believe that you were capable of handling the fate that is looming down upon us. I wanted to believe that you could shake off your fears and take hold of your destiny.” He sighed and walked around her. “But you've continued to live this fantasy, ignored the grim future that awaits life itself, handed off tasks that were YOUR responsibility to Twilight and her young friends, presumably training them to permanently relieve you of your duties. And on top of all of this, you've allowed your magical prowess to slip so much that you were bested by a changeling.” He stopped in front of her, face somber. “I am sorry Kilia, but in the face of all of this, I can no longer ignore my duties to these creatures. I must ask that you relinquish your throne.” There was a unanimous gasp. Celestia looked at her terrified subjects. “No... no, I will not abandon these ponies.” “You've already abandoned them Kilia. However I anticipated this reaction from you. Since it is not my intention to harm you I've concocted an ultimatum that I think will dissuade you from any combative resistance. As much as it pains me to do this, I see no other option. Kilia, If you resist, it will not be you that I will punish. It will be your beloved student and her friends.” Celestia stepped back in horror. “What?” He motioned a hoof across Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow. “What will it be Kilia?” She looked to Twilight and to her friends. “I... I...” “Don't let this jerk force you out of the throne Princess!” Rainbow shouted. “He can threaten us all he wants because we're behind you every step of the way! Right girls?” She was met with affirmative calls from the Spirits of the Elements. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie emerged from the crowd to stand by their companions. Some sort of realization caught Celestia and she stood up firm again. “You're not that sick.” Rei let out a low growl and walked directly towards her, forcing her to fall back. “Think, for one moment now Kilia, because I think you have an idea of just what I've had to do to keep our world the way it is. Consider those things and re-assess just how confident you are that I will not stay true to my word.” “Get away from her!” Rainbow bolted to intercept. Her comrades united with her. Luna felt their confidence and joined them. “Stop! All of you!” Celestia ordered. They turned back, directing confounded gazes on her. She looked past them to Rei. “What are the terms?” “Permanent Exile,” he said. “Any presence in Equestria after leaving or any attempt to meddle with my duties will be punished as I see fit.” Celestia gave a solemn nod. “NO!” Luna shouted. “I'm not going to let you do this to her!” She readied her horn for an attack. “No Umie!” Celestia screamed. “Stop this!” She warped in front of Luna, blocking her shot. Luna hung her head, ears once again falling back. Celestia approached her. “Listen to me sister, it is too great a risk to try and challenge him like this. There is no other option. I... I need you to be smart now Umie. It is a horrible irony I know but it would seem that today is the day we talked about. These ponies need you now.” Luna's chest felt as though it was being crushed. “No sister, we will stand by you! All of us! We will cast him off just as we have cast off every challenger before him!” “No Umie. He's not like the others. We can't risk fighting him like this. For now I think... I think it would be better if I left with him.” “But where will you go? When will we see you again?” Celestia embraced her. “I don't know.” “Sister I don't want you to go. I can't do this without you...” Luna choked. “I love you.” “I love you too Umie, I always have. I'm so proud of what you've become. You CAN do this, and you will. You'll do better than I ever could. Just stay strong okay? I'll try and get back as soon as I can. Please, trust me sister.” Luna rubbed a tear from her face and nodded. “Okay...” Celestia turned to Twilight and her friends. “Girls, I need you to stay by her side. You all have made me proud, just like her, and I know with you beside her she'll be able to do great things.” They nodded. She looked to Twilight and smiled. “And you my faithful student, please don't stop growing after I'm gone. You can find a way to keep on learning even without a mentor. I know you.” Twilight couldn't say anything. She dashed up to Celestia and laid against her, a tear soaking into her fur. Celestia put a hoof on her shoulder and gave a benevolent nod. Twilight responded with a weak smile and stepped back. Celestia signaled to Rei and sat beside him. His horn emitted a crimson aura that consumed them both. Celestia smiled at her subjects. “Goodbye, and thank you. You've all been so good to me.” With a flash and a loud snap the princess they had loved for so long was gone, leaving nothing but a small tear falling in her wake.