A New Perspective

by portaljumper339

Ch. 12

A New Perspective Ch. 12

While I was almost certain that we hadn't travelled far by the time I woke up, my surroundings told me that I was definitely not in Ponyville anymore. The gray stonework of whatever cell or dungeon I was in was just as uncomfortable to look at as the ropes binding my limbs together. The various chains and shackles lining the walls didn't give me a vote of confidence either.

I expected to see those robed cultists standing on either side of me as I looked around, and I was flummoxed to see that there were royal guards standing next to me, as well as behind me and at the door. These stallions were different, though. Instead of wearing the golden plate mail armor of Celestia's troops, these ponies had midnight blue, and they were all a very dull shade of gray instead of pristine white. Maybe they were special forces or something.

The door opened with a loud creak of its hinges, and a tall, hooded unicorn mare walked into the room. I couldn't exactly make out who it was that was under that hood, but they certainly held themselves with a certain air. She whispered something in the ear of the closest guard, who then signaled to the other four to exit. They shut the door behind them, leaving me and my interrogator.

As soon as the sound of hooves and clanking armor ceased echoing down the hall the mare let out a sigh of relief and turned away from the door to face me.

"Listen lady," I began, "I have no idea who you are, or why you kidnapped me, but let's get one thing straight; you aren't getting anything out of me, clichéd though it may sound. My lips are sealed."

"I do not wish to 'get' anything from you, but to help you on what will soon be a most arduous journey," she answered, in a hauntingly familiar voice, but one that I could not for the life of me place. "However, I think that we would both be better served if we could talk face-to-face, instead of with you laying there, bound like a freshly caught hog."

Her horn flared to life and next thing I knew I was untied and on my hooves. Even more impressive was that she conjured a table and chairs from seemingly out of the ether, something that Twilight couldn't even begin to try and accomplish. We each took a seat and she began unfurling a map of the country and the surrounding lands.

"Wait, wait, wait," I said, moving her hoof off of the map. "Before we get into this, I think you owe it to me to tell me who you are, considering how you had your goons kidnap me."

"Oh, goodness me, where are my manners? One moment," she said as she pulled down her hood. I nearly fell backwards out of my chair at the revelation.

"P... Princess Luna?" I stuttered, getting down on my knees in a hasty bow. "Not to sound impertinent, but what are you doing here? You should be busy with the nighttime sky, right?"

"Get up, we don't need the formality, especially at this trying time," she ordered, helping me up. "As for my duties, they ended around three hours ago. It is currently 9:00 in the morning."

"9:00 in the... the fire... that was FIVE HOURS AGO!! No, no, no no no! I need to be back in Ponyville! There was a-"

"Yes, I'm well aware that the Everfree Forest caught fire following last night's meteor shower. Thankfully Ivory Scroll sent out several couriers, Rainbow Dash among them, to all the neighboring towns to ask for any assistance they could muster."

"And?" I asked, jaw clenched so hard in fear that my teeth were about to crack.

"... Do you want the good news or the bad news?"

"Look, I don't have time for this! Just give it to me straight.... Your Highness," I added, remembering my decorum.

"Very well, if you insist. The bad news is that the town was burned to the ground, the debris from the explosion at Froggy-Bottom Bog starting most of the fires. In addition to that, the Everfree Forest is now nothing but dead charred wood, completely devoid of all forms of life."

"And the good news," I asked, my mind trying to wrap around what I was hearing. All of Ponyville... that meant Sugarcube Corner, the library, Carousel Boutique... every building that gave my life there meaning, sent back to the earth from where they came.

"The good news is that, thanks to you and Flutershy's quick thinking and intervention, the entire populace was able to escape with their lives, even the zebra mare that lived in the forest itself. There were relatively few injuries, the initial reports stating that the worst was a broken leg. While most of the ponies in town lost almost everything, they are recovering well. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Ivory Scroll are busy organizing a refugee camp with materials provided by the neighboring towns, Pinkie Pie, the Cakes, and the Apples are heading up the food supply, Rarity and any other mares and stallions that can thread a needle are making bedding materials, Rainbow Dash is still leading out teams of couriers and messengers, and Fluttershy is working with Nurse Redheart and the entire staff of Ponyville Urgent Care to deal with any wounded. Or should I say she was until you turned up missing."

That certainly was a load off of my mind. Sure, the town may be nothing but ash, but at least everypony got out safely.

"Thank you, Luna, for bringing the good news, but I really must ask, why?"

"Why what?"

"Why all of this? The kidnapping, the dungeon, everything. What's the point?"

"Glad you asked, actually. Please, sit," she said, gesturing to the table that had been sitting there like the elephant in the room. She then unfurled the map, which I noticed had several locations outside Equestria marked with red X's.

"Now, you already know my feelings on how the Senate has treated your... let's say 'unique' case, and I could not be anymore disappointed in Celestia than I was in that meeting."

"Yeah, why did you side with me anyway? I mean, not that I'm ungrateful or anything of that nature, but it is a bit perplexing, especially the fact that you would challenge Celestia on it in front of the Senate."

Luna let out a hearty chuckle, her voice echoing off the walls like a harp. "What, do you think that I would sit idilly by and let my sister decide another pony's fate without my input? Sure, I may still be a bit of a greenhorn when it comes to how things are run now, but I still know an unfair trial when I see one, and yours was the biggest subversion of the justice standards we uphold since my own."

"You had a trial? From what I read, I just assumed that Celestia hit you- I mean Nightmare Moon- with the Elements, and that was that."

"Well, yes, I did have a trial, if you could call that kangaroo court a trial. Still, looking back on it, I could see that I shouldn't have let my anger and jealousy take over, and Celestia was truly sorry about what she had done, so let's just call it water under the bridge and be done with it."

"Fair enough. Getting back to the topic at hand, you were saying how disappointed you were in Celestia."

"Right. Anyway, she would never let me hear the end of it if I invited a convicted felon due for banishment back to the palace, so I needed to capture you in secrecy so as not to arouse suspicion. I'd had my own private guard watching Ponyville for the last several days, waiting for a time when they could take you without anypony seeing."

"And the bell tower was the perfect spot, apparently."

"Precisely. It was the perfect cover, especially with the fire raging in the forest. The reason that you were brought to me is so that I can help you strategize for when the guard comes to escort you out of the country, and hopefully give you some sympathetic contacts outside of Equestria for you to hunker down with until this whole disaster resolves itself or blows over."

"And that would explain all the red X's dotting the map."

"Yes, these are all locations of squadrons of my guard that have been placed along our borders for the protection of Equestria. I have given them all standing orders to not arrest you, as well as to provide any aid that you may require of them. Unfortunately, they cannot harbor you for longer than one evening, as you are technically not allowed to have anything to do with Equestria until the terms of your re-admittance are met. It's even a bit of a stretch for them to do that for you, but they only answer to me and not Celestia or the Prime Minister, so no harm will come to you."

Wow. Just wow. It's official, Luna is my favorite of the princesses.

"Then I guess that takes care of that. Luna, thank you so much for doing this for me, and mainly for sticking up for me."

"You are most welcome. While Celestia may be the face of this land, I was and always will be the pony's princess. Call it a secondary talent, if you will. Now, we need to get you out of here without anypony seeing you." She backed away from the table and trotted over to the door, opening it with a nearly deafening creak. She took a couple of quick glances down the corridors, and then motioned for me to follow.

We crept out of the dungeons, doing our best to avoid any roving patrols of Celestia's guards. You could cut the tension with a butter knife, and Luna constantly forcing me against a wall or telling me to get down wasn't helping the atmosphere. I almost felt like a convict.

After fifteen grueling minutes, we finally hit the open air of the main courtyard only to find- who else- Celestia standing right out in the open. Luna quickly shoved me behind a nearby statue, throwing her cloak on top of me, and put her horseshoes, collar, and tiara back on.

"Sister," she called over to Celestia, in an attempt to draw her attention.

"Ah, Luna, how are you?" she answered back.

"Just fine, although I have been doing a bit of thinking lately."

"Well, you know that I am always here to talk to. What's on your mind?"

"It's the matter of that pegasus that was sentenced to be exiled. I still feel that it was a little short sighted of you to follow along with the Prime Minister's decision."

"Luna," said Celestia, placing an exasperated hoof to her forehead, "please do not start with this again. If you are going to try and use what happened in Ponyville as any sort of justification for his character, then you need not waste your breath."

"Even though you may not want to hear it, you can't deny that he did help bring awareness of the fire. I have been to the town personally since the disaster, and Fluttershy has certainly vouched for him amongst the townspeople. She is also at her wits end since he went missing, as is everypony else."

"Yeah, and they wouldn't be if you hadn't kidnapped me," I thought to myself, still wrapped up in her cloak.

"Luna, you know that I trust you completely, but we both need to think of the security of our dominion. If the cult follows him out of Equestria, then we will certainly send out everypony that we can spare to assist him, but we cannot have a full-scale confrontation where their might be civilian casualties."

"Isn't this just wonderful!" retorted Luna. "Not only are we going to treat him as a common criminal despite everything he has done, but now he's BAIT as well?! What on earth are you thinking, Tia?"

"Sister, I don't want to do this any more than you do, but the ponies have demanded it."

"Doesn't that sound familiar! The last time you used those words, I lost you for a thousand years! Do you think that all I did up there was sit in a crater plotting revenge? I weeped day in and day out to be freed, just so that I could see you again! It will be no different for him. He has known true love, but you would be content to force him into a life of solitude!"

"LUNA! Believe me when I say that the last thing that I wanted was to do this to him. I couldn't even stand to look at myself in the mirror after I was forced to banish you, and I fear that that will be the case again this time. I am not any more comfortable with this than you are."

"Then do something about it. Exert your authority as the Regent of the Sun and take a stand. What could the senate even say to you, no?"

"... I'm sorry Sister, but this is simply the way it must be." She turned and left before Luna could respond, but her stride said more than her words ever could. Luna walked back over to my hiding spot, fuming.

"I'm sorry that you had to hear that, but... GRRRR, she just makes me so mad sometimes. I hope you won't think any less of her because of me."

"No, if anything, I think a little more of her. Did you see how she walked away? She's probably as broken up as you are, but is also feeling trapped by what the ponies want."

"Be that as it may, Tia definitely needs to exert herself more often than she does. I guess a thousand years of solitary rule has broken her once formidable spirit."

"Yeah," I added, looking thoughtfully at the door she had exited through. "Maybe so."

"Okay, enough of this talk, we need to get you out of here. Running into Sister proved dangerous enough, so it would be best not to tempt fate by having you leave by chariot. I'm going to use a teleportation spell on you which should put you about 200 yards away from the refugee camp, but there are a few things I want you to have first."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really. First, I would like you to have my cloak, for two reasons. First off, I've been told that the weather can be harsh and unpredictable outside of our lands, and secondly, I have enchanted it so that it is as strong as the plate mail that the guard uses."

She handed me the rough brown cloak, which I quickly slipped on. Sure, the fabric was so rough and worn that Rarity would faint at the sight of it, but it was warm and could double as a makeshift sleeping bag.

"Thank you, I'll take good care of it, even return it to you if I get the chance."

"You need not worry about it, I have several just like it. Anyway, next I have an enchanted mirror, which will allow you to see anypony who's name you say to it. I understand how mind crushingly lonely exile can be, and I don't want you to suffer like I had to. And lastly, I have this," she added, placing the mirror in a small satchel.

Out of her bag she pulled the necklace that Fluttershy had given Twilight nearly a month ago for her birthday, and I was astounded to see that it had survived the fire.

"How did you find this?"

"When I went to Ponyville, or what remained of it, I thought it best to speak with Twilight and the other Bearers. By that time they had already noticed you were missing, and Fluttershy didn't stop her search for you even to speak with me. Twilight gave me the necklace and told me that if I found you to give it to you. So, here," she added, placing the chain of gold around my neck and tucking it into the cloak. She handed me the satchel with the mirror in it and took a few steps backwards, charging her horn as she did so. "Alright, I'm going to send you on your way, but be forewarned that I'm still a little rusty on teleportation spells used on other ponies. It may take a few minutes for you to get there."

"Luna, hold on," I said, holding up a hoof.

"Yes? Is there something that you need?" she asked, magic dissipating from around her horn.

"More of a statement that needs saying." I walked over to her and threw my front legs around her neck in the biggest hug I could muster. "Thanks, for everything."

At first, Luna didn't know how to take it, tentatively lifting a hoof and placing it on my back. As I tightened my grip, she reciprocated in kind, giving the first honest hug she had in probably a thousand years. I gently let go and looking up I could see that her eyes were watering.

"Thank you," she said, voice thick with emotion. "You have no idea what that means to me. The life of royalty is a very impersonal one, even when you share your rule with your sister."

"Well, consider it a gift, from one exile to another. Also, don't be so hard on Celestia. She has a good heart, at least from what I've seen of her, but the pressures that you both share have taken a heavier toll on her. She'll probably come around."

"... Maybe you're right. Anyway, enough with the emotionalities," she added, wiping her eyes and regaining her composure, "let's get you on your way." She took two steps back from me, charged up her horn, and fired.

===============

Have you ever had that weird feeling, like your body and your mind are existing seperately, like they're sort of compartmentalizing each other? Well, that's a bit like what teleportation feels like, only each molecule of your being is separated out from every other one, and you can't even tell which way is up anymore. All I could see was a swirl of vibrant colors, all I could hear was the sound of rushing wind, and all I could feel was my head spinning.

I'm not sure how long it was until I landed, but I was sure of was how dizzy I was. I stumbled around for a good five minutes, trying to gather my bearings. If I had known that teleportation was this discombobulating, I would have just flown.

When my eyes had finally stopped rolling and I could actually focus, I saw a hastily erected shanty town off in the meadow. There were hundreds of tents set up, some bigger than the others, with several ponies milling about. Some of them I even recognized, like the mail mare with the crossed eyes and Rose, the local flower salesmare.

"Whelp, this is it," I said under my breath before making my way down the hill. I ambled into the camp, trying not to draw too much attention to myself. This proved a little bit difficult, as everypony who saw my face immediately got a look like they had seen a ghost. Just as a note, that's not a look you want thrown your way.

As I was making my way towards the heart of the camp, I couldn't help but notice a slight bouncing sound growing louder as I went along. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a quick flash of pink right before I was tackled to the ground, and I was pretty sure I knew who did it.

"EVAN!! You're back!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, staring down at me. "Ooh, this is so AWESOME!! I told everypony else that you were alright, and now look! I was right! Everypony is going to be so happy that you're back, you're practically the town hero!"

"What do you mean, hero? And, would you kindly get off of me?"

Pinkie clambered off of me and helped me to my hooves. "Well, by hero, I mean HERO!! Fluttershy told everypony in town how you rang the bell to help warn everypony about the fire, and everypony that hasn't been working on the camp has been searching the town for you. Or, I guess I should say, what used to be the town," she added, a bit of sadness breaking through her normally bubbly exterior.

"How bad is it?" I asked. Even though I already knew the answer, I really just wanted to see it for myself.

"If you really want to know, then you should follow me," she said, gesturing towards the front of the camp. We weaved our way through the tents, passing the occasional pony as we went along. When we finally got out of the camp to a spot overlooking the town... words cannot describe how I felt.

Before me lay the smoldering wreckage of Ponyville, smoke still wafting up from the husks of the buildings and homes that had made it up. Even through the destruction, I could still make out some noticeable landmarks. The cupcake section of Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie lived... the burnt up oak that used to house the Library... the fields of burnt apple trees from Sweet Apple Acres. Everything, gone in the blink of an eye.

"Are you alright?" asked Pinkie.

"Y... yeah, I'm fine," I answered, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. "Just, tell me what needs doing around here, and I'll help anyway I can."

"Well, I think Twilight needs some help sorting out supplies. Maybe you could help her."

Hmm... that actually doesn't sound so bad. It'd give me time to think, and I also had a few questions I needed to ask her.

"Sure, if it needs doing. Where is she?"

"Over in the big tent right in the middle. You can't miss her."

"Thanks Pinkie. If you see Fluttershy, tell her that I'm back, alright?"

"Okey-Dokey-Lokey!" I turned to leave when Pinkie shouted back, "Hey, wait!"

"What's up?"

"Where'd you get the neat-o cloak? And the pretty necklace?"

"Uh... I... I found them, while I was gone," I lied. She could probably see right through me, but it'd be much harder to explain what exactly had happened. Better to wait until I could get them all together.

If she was even capable of giving a skeptical look, she sure was giving me one now.

"If you say so," she said, completely unconvinced. I decided to hoof it over to Twilight before Pinkie could give me the third degree, if that was even physically possible for her. Besides, I had a few questions to ask Twilight, and I didn't need any more delays. Lord knows Luna's faux kidnapping put me behind schedule enough.

===============

The center tent was pretty much the nexus of the refugee camp, with ponies going to and from it in droves. Everypony there looked like they had important business to attend to, so most of them didn't notice me, much to my relief. It wasn't until I walked inside that ponies started paying attention to me, and unlike the ones outside, they were smiling as soon as they clapped eyes on me. I guess Pinkie was right about the whole "town hero" thing.

At the far side of the tent Twilight was giving instructions to a team of pegasus couriers, who took off through a hole in the canvas ceiling when I got close to her.

"Hey, Twi," I called to her, making her jump before turning to greet me.

"Oh, hey Evan. It's about time you got back. We've had ponies searching the town for three hours looking for you, and Fluttershy's been worried sick. I think everypony will be able to breath a sigh of relief, and it means we can devote more to keeping the camp running. What's up?"

"Well, first off, Pinkie said that you needed some help organizing supplies, and I need a mind numbing task to clear my head. Secondly, I also want to ask you a couple things."

"Sure, anything you need."

"Well," I began, pulling out the necklace from inside my cloak, "could you explain how this came to be in Luna's possession?"

Twilight was absolutely flabbergasted, to say the least. "Ho... how did you get that? I thought Luna still had from when she came to vis..." she trailed off, the moment of dawning comprehension hitting her square in the head. "That's where you went," she declared. "Luna took you to Canterlot, didn't she?"

"Took, kidnapped, same difference. She had had her personal guard watching the town ever since the Senate hearing, waiting for when she could round me up, and the fire proved just enough of a distraction that they could take me without anypony noticing."

"But we did notice! Everypony thought you were dead! How could she do this, and mainly why!?"

"I think we are both aware of the how, but I'll fill in the why. See, she is still opposed to the Senate's decision to banish me, so she's informed her guard that if they see me to provide any aid they can legally get away with. The regular guard shouldn't be able to interfere because Luna's guard only answers to her. After hammering out all the plans, she gave me her cloak, an enchanted mirror, and the necklace which, if I heard correctly, you told her to give to me if she found me."

"I guess I did say that. Well, it's good to have you back, even if you disappeared because of a phony kidnapping. Now, I believe you said something about organizing supplies?"

"Right. Just point me in the right direction."

"Over there you'll find a bunch of the bedding materials that Rarity's been making, and it needs to be sorted out by sheets, comforters, and pillows. Think you're up for it?"

"After the night I've had, I don't think a few sheets are going to stop me. Oh, before I forget, don't tell the others what I've told you just yet. I want to get them all together before I completely spill the beans."

"Sure thing," she said before turning to see to the rest of the crew. I trotted over to my monstrous pile of bedding materials, threw off my cloak, and set to work. It may have been mindless repetition, but it is really cathartic, especially when you're nerves are as frayed as mine were.

That, plus who doesn't love the feeling of soft bedsheets running through their hooves?

Comments

[Bookmaster]

Wow that was pretty good I need moar