Chapter 9
Distance
Celestia sighed as she sat on her throne, looking around at the two rows of guards that lined her throne room she chuckled. Both of her Captain of the Guards she's had in recent times are no longer there, due to circumstances she had not expected. Though she, and Luna, had expected the Crystal Empire's return. It wasn't supposed to be for another century or two, and off went Shining Armor and his wife Cadence.
And the other, a pony named Flash Sentry, he was sent as Ambassador to the Lunar Republic. Another event she hadn't expected. For the longest time her sister Luna had looked up to her, as many other ponies did. She, and she alone, had ruled Equestria and much of the known world for a thousand years. This, in Luna's words 'was a feat worth praising.'
The thought of Luna and their younger years, before Discord going crazy and Nightmare Moon, brought a smile to her face. Though, it was quickly replaced with a frown as the event leading up to he colonies full on Annexation from Equestria, and declaring itself the Lunar Republic. Since then she didn't know what was going on there, as her spy there seemed to go silent.
It was this spy, who had informed her about Rainbow Dash and Shinze's search into who was behind Green Hunter. Though at the time, she did not know if it was only a ploy, to force her to show her hand. It seemed obvious looking back.
"Hello Celestia." Somepony said, as a statue she didn't notice at first began to move, and as a result the guards surrounded the statue, pointing spears and swords at it. "Such an honor to be greeted in this way." The statue, which was a statue of The First One, said smiling. "Sad though, that ponies have forgotten who I am."
"There was no need to teach them." Celestia said, bowing to him slightly, before turning to the guards. "Now, leave. I will speak to him alone."
"Ma'am?"
"Go!" She ordered, as the guard ponies scurried out of the room. "Now, why are you here Teacher? You have no business here."
"Oh?" He said, chuckling. "Are you absolutely sure about that? You are aware that I am, and always will be, much more powerful then you."
"Are you sure?" Celestia said, a soft smile on her face. "I know you Teacher, you and your kind." She said, approaching the statue. "Your kind, gain power through belief. That means, if no pony believes in you, you have no power."
"Ah, but can you really have no pony not believe in me?"
"I have."
"Don't forget the Guardians." He chuckled, patting Celestia's back. "They still trust in me, their leader."
"Yes," Celestia sighed, shaking her head. "And that is always going to be a problem. You really should step down. It's my turn to rule."
"No, I don't think it is." Teacher said, before the statue returned to how it was. "Lunamaria is a more appropriate leader then you."
Luna sighed, as Pinkie Pie chased a chocolate cake that Discord magicked to life. This recently has become a common pass time for both of them. She looked around the room, piles of books and papers spread across it as her and Twilight searched for an answer. An answer to a question that seemed to elude them. "Are you sure these books hold the answer Twilight Sparkle?" She asked, sighing again.
"I'm positive." Twilight responded, from behind one of the piles of books. "They have to."
"We don't even know the question we have to ask."
"I know Luna," Twilight sighed, moving to see Luna from behind the books. "But from what Rainbow told us of her trip... where ever it was, then it has to be something extremely important. Maybe even more so then the elements."
"We don't know though."
"You know, you could just ask me..." Discord said, as he sat on one of the larger piles. "I mean, I've been hanging around here long enough, I think I'll know the answer you seek."
"How do we know Discord?" Twilight asked, looking over at him. "What we are looking for could even be from before your time."
"Honey," Discord sighed, patting Twilight's head. "Nothing is from before Chaos."
"That's true..." Luna said, nodding her head. "All the old stories say that the universe started from Chaos."
"Yes, and what am I?"
"The embodiment of Chaos."
"But I'm not the first."
"Come again?"
"I'm not the first embodiment." Discord chuckled, a soft smile on his face. "Then again, I'd be pretty old if I was."
"So..." Twilight sighed, looking at one of the books on the table. "If we are to find what Rainbow Dash mentioned, we'll have to find the one from before you Discord?"
"Probably, but..."
"But?"
"He's dead." Discord said, a solum tone in his voice. "He died before my time."
A cloaked pony stood on the towns outskirts. He did not like that he was here, or that he had returned to the town of his birth. It was, small. A small town, of not to many ponies. Each pony knew their neighbor, and there were few secrets, if any. But, he had return here. And in the years that had passed in his absence, the town barely changed. A tree here, a flower pot there. Barely a change. He sighed as he looked at the property he had bought from the town's bookkeeper. He didn't remember the name of the town. No pony knew it any way, it was too small of a town. He smiled as he walked into the main room of the stone tower. "Et hic erit Umbra. Di parce: Peccavi, et peccare.[1]" He sighed, as he looked into a mirror, with one red eye, an eye that held a strange sigil. "And I do it, for the kingdom."
"Starseeker?" An older mare said, as the stallion walked out of the tower. "Is that really you Starseeker?"
"Do not speak that name to me." The stallion said, looking at the mare. "It is a name that is dead."
"Dead?" The mare said, blinking. "You mean Starseeker is dead?" The mare laughed, as she went up and patted the stallions back. "Now don't play those games with me Starseeker," she chuckled. "I'd recognize you from a mile away. You've grown up, you look much like your father now. Sad that they... aren't here." The mare sighed, patting Starseeker's back. "But no matter, what brings you back here? I thought you left to be a Knight? Is the war still going on?"
"Of course it is Madam." Starseeker sighed, looking away. "The three races will always be at war. And the Alicorns have left, to where we do not know."
"How sad..." The mare sighed, smiling softly. "The Alicorns leaving, not so much. We knew they'd leave before the turn of the decade. But the war... So many ponies have died... So many... Haven't they even tried talking about peace talks?"
"No." Starseeker said, looking away. "Peace is not something the races are planning on. The anger... The hatred is rampant."
"Sad..."
"Now, I have work that needs be done." He sighed, turning to leave the mare. "Important work."
"Oh, I see." The mare sighed, before chuckling softly. "Oh, If Starseeker is dead, then what do we call you now?"
"Rourke." Starseeker said, turning to look back at the mare. "Rourke of Chaos."