Chapter 17: Luna's Orders
It was a calm, quite day. The northern villagers were just waking up and going about their daily chores. None amongst them noticed anything out of the ordinary except that a seemingly random influx of guards have brought a ton of business and they prospered because of it. Parents walked their fillies and colts to the school at the top of the hill. A small colt was amongst them, his name was Dusk Fall. He clutched tight to his favorite toy as his mother and father led him to his very first day. He didn't have his cutie mark yet and school frightened him. His mother assured him everything was going to be alright and that almost everypony had gone to school around his age. He hoped he would make friends. He was a bit of a shut in, preferring the company of books and he preferred the calm night to the busy day. He assumed his cutiemark would have something to do with keeping the streets clear and safe at night, like his father, Quite Knight or maybe something in the library like his mother, Pagedrop. He wondered if somehow he could do both. As the doors to the school house closed he looked out to see a final glimpse of his parents smiling faces as they waved at him. He held his Starswirl the Bearded limited edition plushy he bought from a traveling salespony close to his heart as the teacher introduced first himself and the other students.
***
Data Core sprinted towards Luna's study only to find that she wasn't there. He spun about and ran to the throne room and saw her sleeping atop a pile of papers awaiting her approval. "Princess! I have urgent news!"
"Mmph... How did Celestia do it *yawn* I can barely handle even my half of the paperwork and she would do it all alone? What is it Power hacks? Wait... no... your Data Code right?" She yawned.
"Not important! Princess, they have struck! Several Northern Villages have fallen!"
"WHAT!? NO! What do I do? I don't know what to do... I must ask her." Luna resolved. She flew toward the Solar Tower, where Celestia made her home. She landed and walked in. She shuddered when she saw the state of the room. Burn marks covered the roof and all the furniture, well, the furniture that was still intact. She shook her head and ventured down the stairs. It was dark, even for her as the winding staircase reached the landing of the Solar Sanctum. She unlocked the magically sealed door and went in. It had been a long time since she last entered here, Her Sanctum had been kept clean for a thousand years but Celestia had taken those years to decorate hers. A shelf stocked with Celestia's favorite books lined an entire wall. Everywhere the walls were plastered with pictures of her friends, currant and old. There was a great bed at the back wall, golden in color and the headrest had the photo's or paintings of all of her students. Including the ever changing picture. It was ever changing because every student Celestia had ever taught was featured and thus it needed reworking every century or so. It was odd to see how many lives she changed while Luna has gone. How many disasters she faced and would have faced alone were it not for those individuals. The bed glowed with a slightly golden red hue. Slowly the red would disappear and Celestia would regain her strength, normally the corruption of the Alicorn Amulet took a long time to take hold and is completely removed by simply removing the amulet, but there was a reason it was called the "Alicorn" Amulet. In them, the corruption was swift and lingered. Removing it took all the will Celestia could muster and left her in a coma. Luna hoped now she was awake enough to speak and offer council. Luna approached the bed she noticed a letter next to the bed but paid it no heed, "Sister? Are you awake? I need you now more than ever..." No answer came forthwith as Luna noticed upon closer inspection. "Celest... I promised I would never do this, but I need council. It was at this point Luna entered the dreams of her Sister, breaking her first oath.
***
Flashburn let out a huge sigh of relief when finally they marched through the gates of Cantorlot. "It is good to be back! Say Spike, where's that donut shop at?"
"Shouldn't we see the Princess as soon as possible?" Rainbowdash shamed him.
"Well... yeah... but, Auto and Twilight are really the only ones who need to hear all the orders... I'm sure they'll tell us where we're going! If it's anything like normal then we will be traveling for at least a couple a' weeks." Flash tried to convince her.
"What if it is something super-duper important and we delay it because they need to search for us?" Rainbowdash asked in a rather aggressive manner.
After a few seconds of think Flash replied, "Your logic is irrefutable! Let's hurry!" The ran through the streets until they reached the gate of the actual castle.
"HALT! Just where do you suppose you're going? The castle has been closed to visitors until further notice! Oh, and yes that includes the gardens." A very stressed out looking Pegaguard glared at them. That was, until he spotted -> PRINCESS <- Twilight Sparkle. "My apologies your highness and retinue, I knew not you were coming, please... wait in the throne room, Luna is unavailable at the moment but when she is finished in the tower she will be glad to see you I'm sure!"
This irked Twilight Sparkle in a weird way, in but a few moments she went from excited to see her teacher to incredibly nervous. "Why would we see Luna? It's the middle of the day, Celestia should be awake and Luna asleep. Why is Luna awake?"
"I'm sorry, I have not a true answer... but none have seen Celestia for several weeks since the outburst and Luna has been facilitating control over day and night. To the best of my knowledge she sleeps maybe two hours a night and her days and nights are filled with paperwork, strategizing and other duties. So none have asked her as she hasn't the time to answer. We do know that certain members of the castle staff have sworn an oath of secrecy over something though..." The guard responded.
"What, "Outburst"?" Twilight inquired, on the edge of panic.
"Well, I was on garden patrol one day when there was a great flash of light and great explosions were heard. I thought I heard a voice cackling the cruelest and most evil things I can imagine before it was silenced and a great white orb, that looked much like the moon exited the throne room with Luna behind it. The orb went up into the tower and the explosions resumed, but from the tower. Several blasts of light seared across the sky from its entry but those too ceased. With time."
"Thank you Sir, you have been very helpful, now could you try to bring Luna here?"
"Your will be done, Highness." He bowed before flying off.
***
Luna was above a dark castle... she recognized it, it was their old castle. In what is now the Everfree Forest... What could Celestia be dreaming of? Luna could recognize a nightmare. This was one. Lightning shined and she heard a voice... I voice all too familiar... one she used for far too long. "The Spark didn't work! The Elements are destroyed! Now Night will reign eternal!" Luna flew down and looked in from a window. She saw Twilight and her friends vainly trying to stop her, Nightmare Moon, and she looked to where she knew Celestia was imprisoned by chains of darkness, in her eyes such terror and sadness that took the heart of Her.
She could hear Celestia's thoughts as if they were screamed aloud. "No! Luna, it does not have to be this way! You can come back! You can restore balance!"
Nightmare Moon became bored with the struggles of Twilight, "What? Am I not royal enough for you? Be gone foal!" The Nightmare became shadow and surrounded them. When she reformed, they were gone.
"NO! LUNA!"
"It is clear those here will never bow to me willingly. Perhaps those in Saddlearabia? You may have your precious kingdom back Celestia. Come searching for me and more than just your pathetic sentimental allies will die."
"Luna..."
Luna had seen enough, she moved in and destroyed the nightmare, Nightmare. Standing in its place she called out. "Celestia!" The chains faded away into nothingness. She could feel the dream begin to falter, "It is nothing more than a dream."
"If this is a dream then so are you, Luna swore never to enter my dreams." Celestia sobbed. Tears streaming down her face.
Luna was dying on the inside, she had made her own sister's worst fear come true, "The need is dire, you will not awake and I need your council. The Northern villages have fallen, What do I do!?"
"Sombra's blade must be remade." Celestia fought through her tears. "If the Elements cannot be found the Sword of Sacrifice may be our only hope."
"But that artifact can do naught but evil! You saw what it did to his people!"
"Did it? His kingdom's primary defense was the Crystal Heart which when powered by love, joy, love, hope, love, and LOVE creates a barrier of LOVE that keeps danger away. His people were attacked by the Changelings! Their Crystal Heart only fed the Changelings more! If Shining Armor's shield ran off of love longer than just to repel them for an instant they would have broken through ten times as quickly and have been twice as powerful! Back in those days the Changelings were at the peak of their power and numbered tenfold. Sombra sacrificed his place in history and the happiness of his people to weaken and hide from the changelings, if not for that the Changelings would've devoured his people and from them, gained the power to take the world. Through him, we survived and the Changelings almost starved. This action twisted him in the end. He went mad and his blade was broken. That, dear sister is where we came in. Now tell me, removing all love is evil and that is the sacrifice the sword made, but was it truly evil? The sword only takes what you give it freely. The wielder is all that matters."
"Time is running short... I have one more question. A Freezer came to me with the Element of Kindness asking for forgiveness and I accepted him into our ranks. Should I send him with Auto to fight in the North or keep him close in my gaze? Lest he betray us?" It was at this point the dream collapses began to repel Luna.
"I think that Auto can handl..." And the dream collapsed.
***
Twilight turned around to see a mixed group of reactions from her "retinue" ranging from panic to worry to joy. "What do you think that outburst thing was?" Auto asked Twilight.
"I think I know!" Flash blurted. "I used to have them all the time! Things typically go like that when somepony tries a spell too out of their league or when having more power than they can control or even begin to understand! I didn't get to see Luna last time I was here! Obviously Celestia tried to summon something very powerful but it was too much for her to control and she failed. I'm glad we decided not to wait for a response to our letter!"
"That's not very likely." Twilight scoffed. "I've failed plenty of spells before and at worst a single laser flies of in a random direction."
"Oh but it does! Think about it! What spell did you fail?" Flash inquired.
"An age spell, only castable by the highest level of Unicorn." She said, still doubting.
"Oh, very powerful, unheard of in my time, but think about it. Your special talent is magic and that gives you an advantage, but you can't be older than early twenties." Flash continued.
"Never guess a mare's age Flash..." James face hoofed.
"Now Celestia has been around for thousands of years. One scoffs to think of a spell difficult enough for her to fail. Or the ramifications of the failure. Besides if she almost succeeded a summoning spell but failed at the very end, a different, unintended creature may arrive for a few seconds. Hence the cackling at the beginning but not in the end. Either that or the guard was just too far away to hear it anymore... but that's my theory. Do any of you have a better one?" They all looked about at each other and shrugged. "So, until we have an answer, let's act as if that is true but keep looking for things to disprove it! Like a scientist!" It was at this time some secretary pony ran through the room with a stack of papers floating in front of him... He was bluish and had a snowflake for his cutiemark... Flash had seen it before but he didn't remember where... Anti-Freeze did though.
"YOU!" She yelled as she drew her blade and charged him.
It was at this time Flash remembered as well. "THAT SON OF A MULE!" Flash turned, "No offence."
"None taken." The mule carrying burnt bedding to be thrown out. Flash spun about and sprinted after Anti.
She had slid into a wall because of the now ice covered floor and dropped her dagger which upon clattering to the ground became stuck fast as it too was covered in ice. Flash used the now much less dangerous, thanks to Twilight's tutoring, teleport spell to get in front of the knave that froze him and Anti solid. "Nowhere to run. Now drop the paper and I swear to Celestia, Luna, Mi Amore Cadenza, Twilight Sparkle and Rogue, if your horn starts to glow even the slightest bit I will give you a serious burn!"
The knave dropped the papers as the rest of the group slid in and began to speak, "Allow me to explain myself."
A voice came from behind Flash, but he didn't turn as he had learned not to be distracted when you're the only one with a weapon trained on a pony like that one. "You don't need to explain yourself, Snow, We, err, I will." That sounded like Luna! Maybe it was just the use of the royal "We" that he was used to but confound it all, that sounded like the Luna he saw a thousand years ago! A bit older though... He wanted to turn around to see but none of the others turned to watch the treacherous pony in front of him so he couldn't. "Snow is my version, of you Flash. A mage of great power, here to aid us. To aid you and Auto and your friends, lower your horn. We have much work to do.
"I just have one thing to say." Flash growled.
"What?" Snow asked timidly.
"Sorry for calling you a son of a mule!" Flash broke into a smile and brohoofed him. "No offence." Flash looked around, "Where'd he go?" They looked around for the mule but he was nowhere to be seen.
***
A mule sitting atop a pile of burnt bed sheets shoveled down ice cream as he sobbed, "I say none taken when really it hurts me deep inside! I didn't choose this!"
***
"Wait so you're actually just going to trust me? Just like that? After what I did and where I came from?" Snow was truly perplexed.
"Well, that's just me..." Flash sighed, "They may take some time, but the way I look at it is, we all have come from terrible situations before this! I won't gossip about the others, but when I was recruited I had twelve active warrants ranging from petty to major arson. Not my fault by the way, I lost control. Before that though I burned down my entire village and was sent spiraling into this time by Discord as a foal." Flash squeed leaned forward and smiled.
"How much of that is true?" Snow asked skeptically.
"All of it, trust us. Discord himself confirmed it." Auto sighed, "Even though it makes next to no sense. Now that we are all acquainted, Princess, how is he your version of Flash?"
Princess Luna cleared her voice and after several seconds spoke only the truth, "I thought of that on the spot. You see Celestia had you recruit him, a pyromancer. Sun, Fire, get it? Well then I recruited him, Moon, Ice, see? And with Celestia's blessing he will be journeying with one of you when you sneak into Freezer territory to steal back the Elements. Oh by the way your mission is to divide into groups of two and sneak into the forts and bring the elements back. Now you may be counting your numbers right now, fourteen divided by two equals seven. Funny how there are five elements huh to take huh? Well three of you must stay behind to guard the Northern Villages that have yet to fall and reclaim those that have. Flash you must stay."
Flash's world collapsed in on itself. Left... Left behind? Again? To face wave on wave of Freezers!? "Bu-bu-but WHY!?"
"Evendra has recruited Windigos, creatures of hate and cold that I feel you can best repel, what with your, excuse me, blind optimism and fire magic." Luna explained.
"Nononononononononono... I do not want to be left behind again! Not after last time! Who knows what will happen!" Flash panicked.
Luna leaned over to Auto and whispered, "What's he talking about?"
Auto hastily whispered back, "He got dragged into the Everfree by a giant spider, we assumed him dead and so continued our journey."
"Yikes. Drama bomb." Luna straightened herself, "Worry not Flash, two others will accompany you. I thought Twilight and Rogue would be the best choices as both are excellent strategists and skilled in combat, also they are both Alicorns and thus could never hide in the Freezer ranks.
Flash sat down and stared at a wall, then in a monotone voice replied, "Yes, I guess this is the wisest course of action."
"Now I have decided the most logical teams would consist of..." Luna went on as a shadow slipped from the windowsill into the gardens below.
***
Absol smirked and thought, If this Flashburn is left behind my mission will be both easier and more difficult. I need only observe a bit more, from the way he acted around the others he seems to trust that Pegasus Guard completely... I can use that. Absol looked closely at the Pegasus, analyzing every feature and movement so as to better disguise himself. Flash will be mine Sister, he... will... be... mine...
***
Shining Armor looked at his Crystal Guard with pride, any of them would gladly give their life for the Empire. "You are all volunteers and so I give you this final chance to back out, but before you make the decision remember what Equestria did for us! They may not have called for aid yet but we will come to it none the less. Several Northern Villages have fallen already and if we stand idly by, more are sure to follow. Evandra made a mistake by attacking Equestria with us at her next door! Now those who do not wish to stay exit and the rest stallion up and follow me! FOR THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE!" He then turned and led those who were following toward the first target, a small fort still under Equestrian control that was about to be struck by the Freezer's vanguard.
***
"Sir!" A wildly distressed scout ran up to the Sapphire Mountain Fort Captain of Operations and yelled, "Evandra intends to strike here next with over a hundred soldiers!"
"Celestia save us..." The Captain knew that his squad numbering only thirty-five had no hope of survival but he knew his duty. "Ready the defenses! We fight. The longer we hold the longer the Princesses have!"
"Aye, Captain..."