//------------------------------// // (Prologue) In the Beginning // Story: Luna's Return, Rise of the Lunar Republic // by vx2254 //------------------------------// For as long as people could remember; the Princess' have ruled over all with a fair, but firm grip. It was know that in ancient times, three tribes ruled the land; A Militaristic Tribe worshipping a winged goddess of War; a reclusive, xenophobic tribe dedicated to the ways of magic and science, making new discoveries and protecting their secrets to the death from those deemed "less worthy"; and finally, an Agricultural tribe worshipping the Earth, simple folk living relatively peaceful lives, normally pushed around frequently by the brutal, violent Warrior-Society from the Mountains, and denied the protection of the powerful Mages, for the most part. These people lived in chaos and disorder, until the rise of two mysterious newcomers in the seemingly endless power struggle; named Celestia and Luna. These two young women, rumored to be the incarnation of ancient Goddess', united all under their banner, whether through superior diplomatic skill or forceful Military conquest; their war of Unification ending in the formation of the Celestian Empire; a young nation lead by two powerful leaders, adepts in the ways of magic and the sword, and great leaders, appealing to the majority of both their Citizens and their Soldiers. Never aging, it seemed, the Princess' lead their Empire through thousands of years of hardship; disasters, wars, famine, the worst of incidents laid down directly at their feet, which they overcame to the best of their abilities, which proved far beyond that of any mortal being. For a time, things were good; peace, order, and stability reigned; the odd border-conflict between Griffons to the East and Dragon-Hunts filled the gaps between major incidents. However, as time passed; the younger of the two sisters began to feel discontent; always living in her sister's shadow. While she and Celestia were officially co-rulers, the older of the two took a much more active and assertive role in the affairs of the Empire, the Military, and the day-to-day lives of the Citizens, being adored by many, the Empire itself even being named after her! Princess Luna couldn't help but feel jealous, her older sister dismissing her feelings as "childish" and that she'd eventually grow out of them and mature. As a result, the younger of the two rulers resorted to treachery. On the day of the Summer Solstice, Princess Luna refused to lower the moon to make way for the sun, declaring her sister "Unfit to rule", Luna's force of Loyal soldiers and airships turning on the capital of Canterlot. The brief, bloody coup ended in defeat for Luna and her forces, Celestia's superior numbers and support amongst the people winning the month-long struggle. Luna and those loyal to her were then forever banished from the Empire, the young Princess stripped of her great power, and forced to live in dishonor and exile, her current whereabouts unknown. Twilight Sparkle turned her gaze away from her book, a rare thing for the young mage to do, especially when a book caught her interest like this. Still; she had to tell what time it was, the young, personal student to Princess Celestia herself calculating the position of the sun and... Realizing she was in danger of being tardy. She slammed her book shut, tossing it in her side-bag, sprinting to reach her quarters at the Canterlot Library, passing several other mages, student at the Academy, who she nearly knocked over in her desperate attempt to reach her quarters in time. "I swear, this is the third time this week." One of the newer students commented as Twilight quickly ran out of earshot. "Don't worry about her; she's too absorbed in her studies to care about the well-being of others." A long-term student explained, the three heading on their way as Twilight reached her destination, slamming her door open, inadvertently hitting a small, scaley figure unfortunate enough to have been standing nearby. "Spike!? Spiiike!?" Twilight called, hearing a groan from down below, looking to the young dragon sprawled across the floor. "Oh... Sorry." She said, kneeling down to help the baby-dragon up. "It's fine..." Spike said, taking Twilight's hand with his free claw, the other containing a scroll. "Is that from the princess? How long ago did you get it? Was that the only one or was there another!?" Twilight asked, speaking rapidly and hyperventilating as she went over the possibility that she had been ever more late than she thought she was. "Slow down, Twilight!" Spike exclaimed, his head still aching from being hit with the door, Twilight's panicking not helping either. "This is the only one she sent so far, and I only just got it; I was gonna come get you." Spike answered, relieving his friend and caretaker. "Phew... Well then; what does it say?" Twilight asked, taking the letter when Spike handed it to her. "Dear Twilight Sparkle; as you know; I've been impressed with your progress lately; your powers showing great potential unlike anything I've ever seen before." Twilight read, happy to receive such positive feedback from her mentor. "But there's something missing; a connection to others that will surely help you on the long road you still have ahead of you. This is why I am relocating you to the nearby town of Ponyville to make some friends!?" Twilight exclaimed, wondering who had done what with the real letter from the Princess, or what madness had overcome her teacher! The signature below was clearly written in Celestia's handwriting, however, Twilight taking a moment to absorb all this before sighing and standing. "Well... Pack your things, Spike. It looks like we'll be setting out for Ponyville tomorrow morning." Twilight said, resigning herself to her fate. She didn't dare question Celestia's judgement, though she couldn't honestly say she was too fond of the idea of interacting with other ponies, as they only got in the way of her studies and research. Still; there was no escaping it; tomorrow she'd be bound for Ponyville, which was coincidentally the town hosting the Summer Sun Celebration, the thousandth one since the banishment of Princess Luna and her followers... All coincidences set aside, Twilight went to bed early that night; troubled and feeling she'd need the rest; as tomorrow was going to be a long day.