Chapter Ten: The Time of Old is Over
The next few hours were hectic as my unicorns searched for anything out of the ordinary and the Earth Pony soldiers stood ready to fight as did the Pegasus. Meanwhile Golden Sword, Regal Star, Luna, and I talked in private.
“Are you sure that is what it meant? Perhaps it was just trying to make you doubt yourself” said Golden Sword Regal Star nodding in agreement
“No, I had a feeling my sister was not well just before this whole thing started, and I ignored it.” Luna said sadly shaking her head, “This creature was the cause of all of this, and now we are at war, when we could be working together...”
“Are you suggesting we surrender?” asked Regal Star bluntly and the look of disgust obvious on Luna's face answered the question for her
“NO! For everything to have happened to easily, this was bound to have happened eventually. No we will remain independent from the Solar Empire, but we must try to get my sister to see reason” said Luna her voice firm as always when she made a decision
“And if we cannot?” I asked calmly which made Luna look at me in surprise, but seeing that I only wanted to know what the plan was in case we failed, she just sighed.
“Then we continue fighting, but we will make my sister see reason” she said before she motioned for us to leave her, but stopped me from leaving. “Moonlit, stay... I... I need someone near tonight, after what happened, and this news we received I do not wish to be alone” I smiled at her kindly.
“As you wish, Luna” I replied...
The next morning saw me and Luna laying in bed, this time however it was more romantic than the last time we had attempted this, we did both awaken, but neither of us wished to leave the bed just yet, preferring to snuggle up with each other. Kisses were exchanged between the two of us as we held each other close. Last night was still just us holding each other until we fell asleep, but neither of us cared. All we wanted was in the bed with us, the other person, and then she said something...
“Moonlit, why do you always care for me? I would have thought by now you would have moved on” I stiffened at the comment and she noticed, “I am not complaining, it is just that normally by now a pony would have realized all they felt for me was a crush, I do not think anypony can love someone who is immortal, not like that, despite how much I wish otherwise” With that I pressed my lips to hers silencing any further comment, and her lips molded to mine, as her hands ran themselves through my short red hair. I couldn't listen to anymore negativity, not from her, I was going to give her a reason to smile, come Tartarus or High waters. Though like all good things, even that kiss came to an end, when the need to breath became more and more prevalent, breaking the kiss, I gasped before saying something, something that made her stiffen.
“I love you, I know I love you, this is no crush, because I know, no crush could last as long as this feeling I have for you has, this need to be beside you through the darkest moments of your life, and to laugh with you during the brightest of your moments. I know you can never spend your life with me, but I want to spend my life with you, to give you a bright point to look back upon and know that you are forever loved. I will never forsake you, and nothing will ever make me do so” she stiffened in my arms, her eyes pinpricks for a moment. Moments past and I was worried that I said something wrong, and started to pull away in sadness, when her hands grabbed me tightly and held me there.
“Tell me that you are joking, tell me that you are lying, Moonlit, please, I do not think I can take another heartbreak when you die if we do grow any closer together, just tell me that you are lying, I beg you” she said her voice shaking and breaking every few word, and tears welled up in her eyes, this whole time we laid there and I finally answered her, with the only answer I could, the only answer my heart would let me answer with, despite her misgivings, however legitimate.
“No” I said in a tone of finality, “I can't lie to you like that... Neither of us would be able to forgive each other if I did that” Luna started to cry into my chest, which surprised me.
“Wh-what am I-I doing? F-falling in love while the world begins to fall apart?” she cried her body shaking with sobs, “All these l-lives lost... An-and for what? Someone's entertainment?!” she cried louder and I just laid there holding her, not letting her go. Even as she started to push away weakly.
“There is nothing wrong with falling in love” I whispered still holding her, knowing that she needed to hear it. “If there was, than why would anyone fall in love?” I asked rhetorically before kissing her the top of her head, her horn laying above my neck. We continued to lay there for about an hour with her sobbing every now and then. Soon though she gently pushed me away and this time I let her as she climbed out of bed and grabbing a change of clothes went behind the partition. She got dressed and left the room without speaking to me, even going so far as to not even look at me. What did I do? I mean, yes, I told her I loved her, and that I always will... So why was she upset?
- - -
'Why? I could have sworn that all he had for me was a crush! How could he love me? How can anyone love me like that? I tried to kill the world! All out of jealousy over my sister's day!' I thought as I left Moonlit in the room I refused to look at him, or even speak to him. Knowing that if I did I would climb back into that bed with him and hold him, and kiss him and not want to leave until this war was over. He didn't know but there had been several attacks, small skirmishes along the borders but each death hit me like a sledgehammer, and each death was my fault. I lead them to this war, and I would be the one to lead them out of it, one way or another.
“Princess! More reports for you” said a Pegasus messenger and I smiled sadly as I took them and thanked the messenger, “For the New Lunar Republic” he said with a genuine smile as if he didn't know about the deaths that were happening because of this movement, this war, this ideology...
- - -
I got out of the bed even more confused than usual at Luna's reactions to me this morning than ever before, but never-the-less I got dressed and headed out and saw Luna in the corridor, absorbed in what looked like combat reports, frowning I walked up to her and turned her to face me.
“Luna, talk to me” I kept my voice soft and reassuring, “What's wrong?” I asked her noticing that she seemed to be in another world until I shocked her out of it.
“This war... Moonlit... I... I'm sorry but I had been hiding the battle reports from you, there...” I silenced her with a peck on the lips, oh yes I was upset that she hid this from me, how can I do my job if I don't know what happens around me? But how could I not forgive her? “How can you love someone like me? I'm broken goods at best...” It was at this point I realized how deeply her betrayal of her sister cut her, and instead of correcting her, instead of fighting her, I simply kissed her again, pouring all my love for her into it, pulling away I pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear
“I love everything about you, I love how you are willing to try to protect us even though you don't have to. I love how you are putting your subjects ahead of that of your own family, even though it is killing you on the inside. I love how you are there for the wounded when they take their last breaths, I love how you don't let any of this harden your heart, when any lesser pony would have become heartless by now. I love how you are watching yourself, so that you do not make the same mistakes you did all those centuries ago, the mistakes you are fighting to keep our sister from making even at the cost of the Princedom that was once all of our homes. I love that you let this get to you, instead of becoming callus and unfeeling. So no you are not broken, you are a pony, and no one ever said we are perfect, so why beat yourself up for not being such?” I asked punctuating each sentence with a kiss to her neck while I stood there holding her, there in the middle of the corridor, where anyone could walk in and see us, but neither of us cared. All that mattered was each other...
We walked down the corridor, this time together, Luna wasn't all better, she still looked like someone just beat her puppy, but now she was stronger as we walked into the war room she took her place, her face the picture of grim confidence.
“We are at war, we already know this, but now is the time to stop defending, it is time to take the war to the Solar Empire. General Golden Sword, I know our troops here are spread thin, but I need you to send runners to every loyal city far behind the front lines, and inform them we need troops” said Luna Golden Sword nodded, “Regal Star, I want you and your forces to start harassing Solar Empire troop camps and garrisons” Regal Star nodded as well a little put off by the comment, this was far more aggressive than they had been. “Moonlit, I need you to gather any and all scientists, it is time for this stagnation that began under my sister's rule to end, it is time to charge forwards in the sciences” I nodded not understanding where all of this was going, “I know that for the past few months I have been increasingly quiet when I should have been voicing my opinions and giving orders, but I am now, so it is time to show my sister that the New Lunar Republic is here to stay, and if she truly wants to fight us, we shall give as good as we get! Regal Star, when you have a moment, send your fastest Pegasus to Skyville and tell Rainbow she is to abort the attack on Dewdrop, if it is not already in progress, and return here as fast as she can get her forces, the 12 wings are to remain, but the Shadowbolts are needed here” Regal Star nodded.
“Yes your highness”
“Now all of you go, you too Moonlit, I want this war done, I want to look my sister in the face and tell her that she fell, that it was my turn to pick her up off the ground, as she never did with me” said Luna and we all nodded and went our separate ways...
- - -
I stood there at the head of the war room's table, trying to keep from shaking, unbidden memories of my brief attempt at taking over Equestria via the celestial bodies flooded into my head, as I remembered the unbridled hatred that I had felt for the ponies that slept through my beautiful night, and how Celestia could have stopped it oh so long ago, not just ignored it and let that hatred fester and grow, and how I would NOT let that happen to my sister, she may have failed me, but I would not fail her, even if I had to put her on her flank to save her from herself, but no more would there be a United Equestria princedom, no, she chose her title, and I chose mine, I would from now on be known as Consul Luna, leader of the New Lunar Republic, nothing else, 'well maybe something else' I thought as my mind turned to Moonlit, 'An Alicorn is born when a pony does something that had never been done before... So that means perhaps we spend our lives together forever' I shook those thoughts out my head, right now I needed to focus on this war and I would make sure that it would be one for the history books, one where the underdog came out on top, and extended the hand of mercy, not the poison of hatred.
I got up and went into the cabinets in the room and pulled out a scroll and some ink, it was time I showed that me being royalty was not just for show, it was time for me to write my last royal decree, it was time to formally recognize the Republic as just that, a Republic, not a monarchy.
- - -
I was surprised by Luna's orders that day, but I obeyed them willingly, if she wanted to have the learned men researching technology than research technology they would. And research they did, I had never seen so much in the way of science during the peaceful reign of the diarchy, but now it seemed new technology was always just a step or two away from being discovered, no longer was it outside the realm of reason for a pegasus to carry a melee weapon and a long range weapon, the new metals discovered were stronger and lighter than before. No longer did our ground forces have to carry everything themselves, there were now carriages that could move themselves, the machine that moved them however where huge and would be useless in the battlefield, but it meant that now our forces would be fresher than before and ready for combat sooner. There was now hand held cannons as well, they did have the same tendency to misfire but they also had a better chance to cause damage to our enemy. Our medical field also benefited, we now had machines that could do the separation process in far less time which meant that we would have to wait for results, and so much more in all fields of science.
“I read your report Moonlit, please tell the researchers I am proud of them” said Luna and I nodded smiling. Ever since she gave her last royal decree, naming herself Consul of the New Lunar Republic, and completely renouncing the old government that had long since been abolished, a senate was formed, but for the most part the power still resided in Luna's position, the reasoning the senate gave was that we were at war, that this was not the time for political squabbles, that now was the time to band together and rid ourselves of an enemy. No one could tell you how proud we, that is the Generals and Luna and I, all were to hear that, we had no time to worry about the political mess that was sure to follow after this war, but as sure as I was alive, we would make it through and we would be all the stronger for it, it was time that the New Lunar Republic made it's stand. Rainbow Dash received the message before she ordered the attack on Dewdrop and managed to return to Ponyville with her Shadowbolts without much issue not a few days ago. Now was the time to show the world, now was the time to them we could stand for ourselves. That the New Lunar Republic was a nation all its own...