//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 - A Thousand Years Ago 
// Story: Still Mountains, Silent Valleys 
// by Torrenta 
//------------------------------//


Still Mountains, Silent Valleys

Year 0, Day 0
"I think these roads should be torn up and set with stones properly, again," snorted Lucky Cinnamon (a bright red Pegasus with a yellow mane and sharp yellow eyes) as she trotted up to the pony-drawn cab with her husband and brother, "They are all too rough."

"Oh, wonderful," sighed Autumn Crown (a dark blue Pegasus with a pine green mane and aquamarine eyes), Lucky Cinnamon's husband, "Are Aff we talking about roads again?" He sighed in resignation as he turned to pay the cab-driver-drawer the fare for the travel ahead.

"Look at all of these uneven bumps!" continued Cinnamon, completely ignoring Crown's mutterings, "I mean, I won't be surprised if we hit a pothole that is so large that we topple over completely! Where we will be then, eh?"

"Sister, please calm yourself," interjected Shining Comet (a dark red Unicorn with a dark blue mane and dark eyes), Cinnamon's brother, "We can't have a good time if you always find something to complain about! Come, let us get into the carriage and be on our way."

"Oh, if you insist, Comet," replied Cinnamon, sighing in a rather exaggerated manner, "But while I get in please be a dear and remind me of exactly what we are to be doing. I will admit that I was not at all listening to our travel plans earlier today."

"We need to visit our cousins in the colony of Baltimare today," explained Crown, painstakingly, "They are soon to have a foal."

"Oh, wonderful! Dearie me, I had almost forgotten about the baby!"

"I'm sure you did," muttered Comet. He helped first Cinnamon and then Crown into the carriage. Before he himself got in he gave their surroundings one last glance. They were in Canterlot, just south of the massive shining Castle of Canterlot. Street vendors bustled about on the cobbled street, and smoke rose from mud-and-clay chimneys. The sun was shining bright in the sky, with only wisps of clouds dashing across the dashingly blue sky. Light from the sun reflected brightly off of glass windows, revealing rich merchandise that lay inside like treasure in a chest. A happy and content murmur rose from the masses of busy ponies as they went about on their daily business.

"Personally I will be glad to get out Canterlot," said Cinnamon suddenly, interrupting Comet's final observations of the grand capital of Equestria, "It is simply too crowded and stuffy. I will welcome the fresh, country air."

"There are more reasons that just that to be appreciative of leaving this place," added Crown, a little more seriously, "The Town Criers have been speaking of the invasion pressing closer. Some even say Equestrian forces are making a stand at the Galloping Gorge."

"Oh, and now we are talking about this dull war again?" cried Cinnamon, "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will handle this crises with ease, like they have with all of the others problems that have cropped up over the years!"

"The Shadowed Empire is not something to consider lightly, dear," replied Crown, his face somewhat worried, "I even hear tell those monstrous Changelings have been assisting them from inside Equestrian lines. We could be dealing with a serious problem. A serious problem indeed."

"The Changelings? Those jesters cannot even hope to fight against our fair princesses!" exclaimed Cinnamon, still as jovial as ever, "And, verily, the ladies and I were discussing some intriguing gossip relating to that very elements of military amalgamations! You see, Bright Harp said she heard Lady Twilight Velour saying that she heard from one of the Canterlot Head Guards that King Sombra was attempting to work out some form of alliance with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!"

"Cinnamon's information is actually true, I believe," added Comet, "Some of the guards talked with my friends and me about escorting King Sombra here earlier under the cover of night. It seems the Crystal Empire is in as much danger from the Shadowed Empire and the Changelings as Equestria is. I know you don't agree with Sombra's views on monarchal politics, but few do. But an ally in this war should be welcomed with alacrity at this point."

Crown said nothing, but doubt plagued his eyes, and his brow furrowed worriedly. Cinnamon laughed brightly and snuggled close to her husband.

"Do not worry your head, dear Crown," she said, "Look about us. You see these buildings and that castle? This is Canterlot, the grandest city of Equestria. Not even Manehattan can equate to this glorious place. How can you even imagine those silly Shadowed Soldiers and those dull Changelings marching upon this place?! Equestria will pull through this… It always does."



Year 0, Day 12
"Can these steam engine contraptions take any longer?" whined Rushing Boulder (an earthy brown Earth Pony with a mossy green mane and dark green eyes) as he leaned against the ticket booth, pressing his muzzle into the thin pane of glass that separated him from the pony dispensing tickets for the train from Baltimare to Canterlot.

"I'm sorry, sir, but these trains are liable to be delayed from time-to-time," replied the pretty young female Unicorn from behind the counter, "You will simply have to bide your time."

Undeterred, Boulder pulled out a crumpled letter from his saddlebag and waved the wad of paper in front of the glass for the Unicorn to see. "You see this?" he asked sharply, attempting unsuccessfully to sound like a disgruntled father, "This is a letter from my employer in Canterlot. He said that he recalculated my holiday times, and decided that I have overstayed my vacation! And so he sent me this letter stating that if I was not back at the firm within six days, I was going to be fired. I got it today, but it was sent from Canterlot four days ago! How fast do these trains go, again?"

"If this one is not stopped by the greatly-increased war effort, then it will be here with enough time to take you to Canterlot by the deadline set by your employer, sir," replied the Unicorn.

Boulder groaned again, and seemed like he wanted to keep whining, but he was (fortunately) distracted by a group of ponies who were talking with an Baltimare town crier who had just finished his rounds.

"What is the issue with the transportation to Manehattan, Vanhoover, and the Crystal Empire being completely cut?" exclaimed one disgruntled pony to the town crier.

"The Shadowed Empire apparently cut through our defenses in the northern sections of the Unicorn Range, adjacent to the Smokey Mountain. They – along with the Changeling masses – are right now supposed to be marching southeast to our emplacements in the southern ranges. Due to the fact that the whole northern section of Equestria (aside from Manehattan) is overrun, Canterlot saw fit to cease any attempts for public transportation in that area." replied the crier, almost apologetically.

"Why doesn't anypony seemed worried about this?" cried another pony, who fairly much looked like she was going to faint.

"I do not mean to prematurely create glad expectations for anypony," explained the town crier who was as calm as a cucumber, "But Princess Celestia did indeed released a statement yesterday declaring that King Sombra of the Crystal Empire has formed an alliance with Equestria. Crystal troopers are supposedly en route now to our southern emplacements on the Unicorn Range."

"Excuse me sir!" exclaimed Boulder, "I could not help but overhear that you said you have information pertaining to Celestia making a statement yesterday! How is it then that this letter I have in my hoof was sent six days ago, and it takes four days to arrive?! I claim civil injustice and inequality!"

Everypony promptly ignored Boulder.

"So," said yet another pony, looking up at the town crier with apprehensive eyes, "I still don't see how this should affect me going to see my grandmother in Vanhoover! She has rheumatism! What happens if she falls over?"

The town crier shook his head. "I am very sorry indeed, but Canterlot cannot risk sending out steam engines packed with civilians willy-nilly through enemy lines!"

"Is this what this is all about?" cried Boulder, attempting to be heard over the crowds again, "The war? Is that why my letter was delivered in such a grossly sluggish manner?"

Everypony just continued to ignore the disgruntled Earth Pony.

"And what about my dress supplies?" cried another pony from the growing crowd, "I ordered lace and a plethora of sequins absolutely eons ago from Manehattan! I want my money's worth!"

This rather selfish statement sent the rest of the crowd into an uproar over the shutting down of the northern-running railroad systems.

"I wanted a vacation in Tall Tales!"

"I want my sequins!"

"My grandmother probably fell over! I feel it in my bones!"

"My letter arrived four days slower than Celestia's stupid message! I want a refund from the postal system!"

"Everypony please!" shouted the town crier, "I understand that all of you are disgruntled, but you all have to understand how deep Equestria is in this massive war. I know all of you want to be travelling north again, but you will all have to be patient. This alliance with the Crystal Empire only recently was forged, but assuredly good things will result. If all of you will only wait a couple weeks, you will all see the Shadowed Empire and the Changelings vanquished, and the northern-running railroad systems up and running again!"

"He's right!" cried the ticket-dispensing Unicorn from behind the ticket counter, "Our wonderful and beautiful alicorn sisters have never let us down! This war will be nothing but another victory story for the annals of history soon enough!"




Year 0, Day 30
"This rain is dreadful," muttered the carriage-driver-drawer, Bubbling River (a dark purple Earth Pony with a shockingly bright red mane, and an azure pair of eyes), as he trotted up to the massive, shining, iron-wrought gates of Canterlot Castle, "Figures I am the one chosen to perform night duty just because I slept in on Monday by accident."

Dark clouds had gathered heavily in the skies above Canterlot, and massive drops of water were bucketing from the skies above to pound down on the leather top of the carriage and the head of River. The streets were completely abandoned because of this onslaught of water, and, more importantly, because of the threat of a siege that was hanging even more prominently over the heads of the denizens of Canterlot than the rainclouds themselves. Water ran in wide rivulets through the uneven cobblestones of the many paved roads that ran like a gigantic spideweb through Canterlot and Canterlot Castle.

River snorted out droplets of the rainwater as he drew up as close as possible to the overhanging battlements adjacent to the gates. Shaking the rain from his mane, he rapped a hoof sharply against a gigantic steel bar, one of the hundreds that intricately made up the ornate front gates of Canterlot Castle. Rubbing his eyes as if he had been woken from sleep, a Canterlot guard poked his head over the ramparts arching over the gates and called down, "Who goes there? Friend of foe? If ye do not come in peace, then be off forthwith! However, if thou hast the blessing with our fair ladies, then come forth and step in!"

"You must be new here!" shouted up River, unamused by the silly little spiel he had been forced to listen to, courtesy of an obviously green-nosed guard.

There was a pause…

"You can't tell."

River rolled his eyes. "Young sir, I have picked up ponies from these very gates more times than you have had hot dinners. Not a single gate guard has ever said something that long and pompous. You clearly are new here."

There was yet another moment of silence as the guard up above thought of the most cutting comeback.

"I am wearing a uniform."

"Look, sir, I am not amused by your youthful rants. I am glad that someone died and made you 'king' but I really have a job to do. Please open up the gates and let me into the courtyard. The Captain of the Guard requires me to ferry him to downtown Canterlot."

"You can't just bully me like that! I'm a Canterlot Guard! And I'm not glad that someone died and made… you… taxi driver…?"

"You can't even make original insults."

"You're an original insult!"

River did not even attempt to say anything. He simply facehoofed nice and hard. Fortunately for him, another pony came to his rescue: the Captain of the Guard, Shining Night.

"Woah there, private. I know Bubbling River. He is a friend. Go back to your post, I will take it from here."

"Yes sir!"

There was a moment of silence as Shining Night (a bright white unicorn with a royal blue mane and pair of eyes) watched the young guard pony gallop back to his post. Then the captain poked his head over the ramparts and called down, "Greetings Bubbling River! I will be down in an instant!"

Shining Night retracted his head, and in less than a minute he was shoving one of the massive iron doors slightly ajar through the thick, sloppy mud so that he could squeeze through.

"Wonderful weather, eh?" snorted Shining Night, wincing as he glanced up at the ocean's-worth of water pouring down on top of his head.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, sir," replied River orienting his carriage so that Shining Night could scrambled into it with ease.

Shining Night did so with alacrity, and the carriage was on its way. For at least a dozen minutes there was nothing but an uncomfortable silence, but suddenly it was broken by Shining Night, who began to babble rather nervously.

"I must say this weather really reflects the mood that is hanging over the grand courtyards of Canterlot," murmured Shining Night.

River said nothing, but he cocked his head to one side to imply that he was indeed listening to whatever the Captain of the Guard had to say.

"Dark things are going on, I tell you," continued Shining Night, "It's been fourtenn days and not a single pony has seen Princess Luna. Celestia has said nothing on the matter despite our pestering, and Crystal Empire King Sombra keeps to his room in the far eastern towers. Many of the guards have begun to speculate that Luna has gone missing from this land altogether. Banished, fled, eloped… We don't know…"

Shining Night paused to sigh loud and long. River glanced at his old friend, prompting him to continue.

"Either way, mayhap Princess Luna is doing the right thing… By going missing, I mean. I tell you, something terribly dark is going on between King Sombra and Princess Celestia. The two are almost never absent from the Magical Arcaneium. They spend nearly every second of every day working in there, and all the while countless good ponies are dying on the Unicorn Range, fighting against that cursed juggernaut that is those Shadowed Empire ponies and those hideous Changelings. Many guards are even beginning to wonder if we need to actually prepare for a siege upon Canterlot… But Celestia has still said nothing on the matter yet."

River slowly rolled the news over in his head like a foal inspecting an intriguing pebble. After a moment of consideration he said, "King Sombra and Princess Celestia spend almost all of their time in the Magical Arcaneium, you say? Well, I may not know much about the magickas, but I reckon those two are thinking up a spell of sorts."

"Yes! I was actually about to comment on that!" exclaimed Shining Night, leaning his head out of the carriage to look at River, ignoring the water being dumped upon his head by the heavens, "Just yesterday I talked to the court mages. It seems… It seems that they are detecting colossal magical signatures from the Arcaneium. In fact… In fact they are so strong that… that Midnight Lily, the youngest of the mages, died of a magic-induced stroke. That is how strong the magical signatures are. But Princess Celestia will let no pony aside from King Sombra into the building. She says that 'all will be revealed and all will be well in two days' time,' or something like that."

A worried rumble escaped River's throat as this news reached his ears. This was worrisome news indeed. Shining Night continued with his narrative.

"Anyway, it has been an absolute hoof-full in the barracks. The guards, the mages, and even the scholars are thinking of naught but mutiny. As you already know, everypony else in the city seems to think the same. Hence the curfew, the restriction of inter-city travel… The unselective army drafts… Mutiny and panic everywhere… It seems everypony within the walls of Canterlot have lost faith in our fair princesses."

River cocked his head back slightly so that he use one of his eyes to look at Shining Night's worried features. "Have you?"

Shining Night slowly sat back in the water-free environment of the interior of the leather-covered carriage as he murmured, "I do not know, my friend. I heard from the field generals yesterday. The Unicorn Range is total lost cause… and Crystal Empire soldiers never came. But King Sombra is still here, Princess Celestia is being secretive and enigmatic, and the two spend all their time in an Arcaneium that is starting to have a massive influx of magical power. And now Celestia claims all is to be put to rest within the next two days… Well, I went to school, I can put two and two together…"

Shaking off droplets that were running rivulets down his soaking mane, River said, "A spell, I would say. Perhaps something to help with this war?"

Shining Night's eyes brightened. "Of course! King Sombra and Princess Celestia must be creating a spell of sorts to help fight against our enemies! Perhaps even Princess Luna – wherever she may be at this moment – is helping! We must not lose hope. 'All will be well in two days' time.' That must be when the spell will be released. It will be released, and the enemies will be vanquished. Life will go back to normal. Right?"

River looked off into the distance. The cobblestone roads had fairly much become rivers, and dirty water cascaded around and over the polished stones. All cottages visible were shut tight, and not even a small spark of light could be seen from any of the windows. The abodes looked like grotesque faces, with black, dead eyes. All was silent. The hills beyond the grand city of Canterlot were also dark and disturbingly obscured by the falling rain, and the distant rumble of thunder rolled lazily across the water-soaked sky. No lighting was to be seen.

"Right…"