XX: Departure
The procession was larger and longer than Celestia had ever expected.
The Maiden’s Battalion made up only the smallest part of Canterlot’s population when stationed there, in the single digits of percentages. Celestia was not sure of the exact numbers, but she had been told the battalion boasted just over a mere one-thousand soldiers, with an extra one-hundred and fifty non-combat personnel – small compared to most of Equestria’s army divisions.
However, the impact they made on the city of Canterlot was always tremendous, and it had nothing to do with their size. She had almost forgotten just how prestigious the Maiden’s Battalion was; not only were they Equestria’s elite, but they were Canterlot’s own mascots. The force had been bolstered by skilled ponies from far and wide since its creation, but nearly a third of them could still call the city of Canterlot home. Even those who did not have a family or house there felt particularly welcome amongst its shining white buildings and friendly people. They were, after all, heroes.
The citizens made sure they never forgot it.
The day had started busy for absolutely everypony. The soldiers were being outfitted with the armor, weapons, and personal belongings they would carry for the long march to the front. Covered wagons were loaded with food and munitions. Elsewhere, on the far side of Canterlot, a merchant-class airship, the Lazy Daisy, was being loaded with some of the battalion’s heavier cargo, including many of Cotton’s parts and tools. Crewed with a complement of pegasi, it would sail ahead of the battalion, and drop off supplies at a forward location.
All of this and more made for a very busy time for all of the Maiden’s soldiers, but, to Celestia’s surprise, they were no busier than the citizens of Canterlot. Celestia had seen the city countless times on a normal day. It was always thriving with activity, but today was different. The business had been doubled, and it almost seemed as though it were some holiday that she had simply forgotten about it. Ponies of all ages and professions hustled to and fro, making ready for… something.
The Maiden’s Battalion formed up in the barracks courtyard. All of them were donned in full gear, with both weapons and armor, as if their first battle were going to be right outside the city walls. The combined gleam of the battalion’s unique golden armor was almost enough to hurt Celestia’s eyes. Banners were held aloft in the midst of them; a golden, rising sun, set behind the silhouetted profile of a pony with angered eyes. On the left were the bold numbers “21”, and on the right, two short lines of the battalion’s motto.
Lucky Break stood at the head of them, passively inspecting his troops. Once his three lieutenants gave the all-clear, and his lieutenant-commander double-checked, he barked a loud, authoritative order, backed by the volume of the Voice and his own natural roughness. They began to march, filing in rows out of the courtyard with practiced, measured steps. As soon as they reached the main street, Celestia discovered exactly what that “something” was.
Citizens, thousands of them, lined the sides of the streets, screaming and cheering at the top of their lungs. Ponies of every age applauded, yelling praises of their heroism, wishes for their success, and prayers for their safe return. Some waved flags, tiny replicas of the battalion’s own banner. Many waved white handkerchiefs in farewell. Some older ponies, veterans, saluted in respect. Something soft landed on Celestia nose. She crossed her eyes, and squinted at it. It was a rose petal. Looking up, she saw pegasi flying overhead, intermittently throwing out hoof-fuls of petals, until the sky was more red than blue. Similarly, citizens ahead of the procession tossed whole bundles of flowers into the street, framing and paving their path with flora.
The battalion was divided into rows and blocks, at the front and corner of which stood Celestia. She had an excellent view of the crowds, and vice versa. When she passed by, their interest seemed particularly piqued. They either cheered louder, or became quieter, aiming to get a better look at the alicorn.
It felt odd, receiving praise for not having actually done anything, but as she looked around, she could not see a single soldier who was not smiling. They had accomplished things, Celestia realized. This was probably the kind of recognition her comrades deserved. In fact, Lucky had ordered they stay in rank, but did not seem to be enforcing a strict marching time, something Celestia presumed was for this very purpose; to give the soldiers and their families one last look at each other before leaving for another prolonged tour of duty.
A certain pony caught Celestia’s eye. Princess Obsidian stood on the side of the street, adorned in only a simple, unassuming robe, cheering just as enthusiastically as the rest. Their gazes briefly met. Obsidian smiled and nodded at her. They moved on before Celestia had the opportunity to return the gesture.
Next to Celestia, Cotton marched, behaving more ecstatically than them all. She called out to friends in the crowd so frequently it seemed as though she were trying to name them all. Celestia knew that, given enough time, she probably could.
At one point, she felt Cotton tugging on the chainmail at her arm. She looked towards her, and Cotton nearly jumped with excitement.
“Look, look!” she shouted over the noise, pointing in a certain direction. “See, over there? It’s my parents!”
Celestia looked, and sure enough, an older looking couple stood side by side, waving to their daughter with outstretched hooves and white handkerchiefs. Her mother, a green-coated unicorn mare, cheerfully called out her name, and her father, a blue-coated unicorn stallion, was intermittently using his handkerchief to dry his own tears. The words I love you could be heard clearly over the din.
Cotton beamed, trying to jump over the heads of her comrades as her parents disappeared out of sight.
“I lo-”
She was bumped into by the soldier behind her, who quickly apologized for it, though he was only going the speed they were all supposed to be marching at. Cotton forgave him, and tried once again.
“I love you too! I love you too!”
**********
Eventually, they reached the city walls. On the other side, supply wagons were already waiting, falling in rank as the battalion passed.
Their celebratory farewell had followed them all the way to the walls, and even then, it did not stop. Canterlot citizens were already outside the walls, ready to greet them as they came and went. Even after they passed, many ponies trailed after them, flying or trotting at a distance, watching the departure of their heroes with awe.
They marched past the farming fields, past Cotton’s home, past Lucky’s garden. Their following began to peter out, but not until they reached the forest were they completely gone. After another while, Lucky shouted an order at the head of the company, and they were allowed to loosen up their formation. They still had to stay with their own block, but some drifted away, while others stood closer together.
Celestia sensed the merriment of their departure was fading. They still talked amongst themselves, and it was not grim by any means, but a certain sobriety had come upon them. Their friends, families, and homes were behind them, and they would only get farther away.
Their brief moment of respite had come to an end. Now, they were on the road, and truly, their endeavor had just begun. Or rather, it had resumed.
**********
“We marched about, oh…” Princess Celestia paused, looking towards the ceiling in thought. “Twenty, or so miles on the first day, and ended up stopping at-”
“Wait!” Twilight exclaimed. The princess raised a surprised eyebrow, but sat back and patiently waited. Her student jumped off of her stool and walked over to a wheeled cart behind her, shuffling through its contents. It was the cart she had brought her own materials in on, and as such, it contained far too many books, scrolls, and other resources than was healthy for its structural integrity. The metal groaned and creaked in protest as she shifted items around on its surface. After sifting through it for half a minute, Twilight triumphantly produced a large, rolled up piece of parchment.
Returning to the writing desk, she broke the string that kept the parchment rolled, and with her telekinesis, gave it a vigorous shake, unrolling it all at once before them. As it came to rest on the table, Celestia saw that it was a large map of Equestria.
“There,” Twilight said, giving a satisfied nod. “Oh! One more thing.” She made another quick trip to the cart, and came back with a compass, ruler, and graphite pencil.
Twilight settled back into her seat, snatching up her pencil with telekinesis and eagerly regarding the map. “So, you said you marched twenty miles?”
The princess gave a small, amused smile. “More or less.”
“Twenty miles is…” Twilight trailed off, traveling the distance with her compass and marking the ends. “…slightly longer than the trail to Canterlot. Did you continue eastward towards the front, and just stop along the way?”
“No. We actually went a few more miles southward, and made camp there.”
Twilight squinted down at the map for a moment, and looked back up. “You stopped in the Everfree Forest? Why?”
“Remember what I said Twilight? Back then, the forest was much smaller. In fact, there wasn’t much to begin with. It certainly wasn’t large or notable enough to garner its own name, because back then, the forest was much safer than it is today.”
Her student gazed back at the map. “So… where exactly…”
Celestia leaned forward, and gently took control of Twilight’s quill. “New Ponyville is obviously here,” she said, lightly tapping the map with the pencil, “and the ruins of old Ponyville are scattered about in this general area.” She circled a portion of the map. The entire circumference was contained by the forest.
Twilight looked at the princess’s addition. She would really have to go investigate sometime. Perhaps Zecora knew something about it; her house was almost in the center of the circled area.
“So you stopped in the ruins of the old Ponyville?”
“Not quite. We stopped here…” She put another dot on the map, even deeper in the forest. “…at Castle Everfree.”
Twilight’s brows furrowed as she stared at the dot. “Castle what?”
“Castle Everfree,” Celestia repeated, “just on the outskirts of the ruins of Ponyville. It was meant to be a foothold in the valley below Canterlot, acting as sort of an outpost where traveling armies could garrison. Or, in the more extreme case, where an advancing enemy could be held and distracted while Canterlot prepared its own defenses. Set on the edge of a plateau, it had only two ways of access, a long, heavily forested slope on one side, or a stone bridge on another, which I believe has since collapsed. All in all, it was highly defensible, certainly not a bad spot for an outpost. And, before you ask, the forest was named after the castle, not the other way around.”
“But…” Twilight shook her head, still scowling. “But there’s nothing there! There’s no castle in the Everfree!”
Celestia smiled. “Isn’t there?”
Twilight paused, giving her mentor a strange look. Gradually, however, that expression faded. Her eyes went wide with realization.
“That place where we… where we found…”
“The Elements of Harmony?” Celestia finished. “Indeed.”
Why? When? How? A million questions came to mind, but the princess continued before Twilight could voice them.
“To be fair, even before the forest overtook it, the castle was never in spectacular shape. It was still under construction when we reached it, and it still wasn’t finished when…” Celestia trailed off. “Well, it was never finished.”
It took a moment, but Twilight eventually returned to her normal, objective self. “So why did the battalion go there? What happened?”
Celestia shrugged. “The reason was nothing special. The battalion simply stopped there to obtain some additional supplies. All in all, it was rather mundane, though it was my first experience with the 21st out in the field.” She paused. “Although, there was one thing worth noting…”
**********
“Th’castle burrucks’s still been bult, n’ we got those n’s thar, n’ so alls w’got er these wall tents.”
“Pardon?”
“Th’tents. S’all w’got.”
The construction stallion’s accent was the thickest, most unintelligible Lucky had ever heard. The night had fallen, and his soldiers needed shelter, but he could not understand a single one of the worker’s words. It was almost reminiscent to that of Apple Crumble’s, if Crumble’s mouth had been stuffed with a sock. And if he had no teeth.
Lucky leaned in a little closer. “Sorry, what?”
Crumble spoke up beside him. “He says all we have ‘er the wall tents here, seein’ as the castle’s still under construction, an’ the buildings that are completed are bein’ used by the workers themselves.”
Lucky blinked. “Oh. Can it fit twelve-hundred?”
The stallion mumbled to himself, turning away and counting the many cabin-like tents that had been set up as temporary alternatives to actual housing.
The stallion turned back, and shrugged. “Mmmmm, I ‘unno.”
“He says ‘I don’t know’,” Crumble said.
Lucky rolled his eyes. “I know.”
“No, no, I ‘unno,” the worker repeated.
“I know,” Lucky growled through gritted teeth.
The stallion took a step back. “Yeesh.” He walked off, grumbling loudly to himself.
“He says you’re a-”
“Don’t tell me.” He sighed, running a hoof through his mane. “Just, see if you can make it work, okay Lieutenant?”
“Yes, sir.” Crumble nodded, and trotted off.
Lucky watched him go. Normally, that would have been his job. While they both were tasked with making high-level strategic decisions, the Lieutenant-Commander had a number of other, smaller duties as well: delegating responsibility for food, shelter, and line of supply, keeping track of the overall health of the soldiers, and even their general morale. Of course, the Commander saw all these issues as well, but not until they had passed through a thorough filter in which the more mundane problems were solved. The logistics of an army could be utterly tedious.
He desperately wished it was still his responsibility.
“Well,” he mumbled aloud, “as long as it isn’t…”
He turned away from the makeshift camp, and began walking. Behind him, the dark stone of the unfinished castle stood as an impressive silhouette in the moonlight. It would be a magnificent structure when it was completed, almost like a miniature version of Canterlot’s palace. Defensive towers and walls had been erected, but they had also spared expense in the wide open interior space that was reminiscent of Canterlot’s own grand architecture. It stood on the edge of a short cliff, overlooking some of the more outlying houses of the destroyed Ponyville.
Ponyville… Lucky supposed it would never be rebuilt. A humble farming community next to the hub of Equestria’s military? Perhaps a merchant town, or another fortified city could be built in its stead, but it would likely never be the same.
Better visit the remnants before they’re cleared away.
He walked into the darkness of the night, mostly alone, towards the old town of Ponyville.
**********
The Nightbringers had seen fit to give them a bright night. By the pale light of the unicorns’ moon, he had no trouble navigating the open fields and sparse forests that surrounded the old town. He traveled at a normal, even casual pace, but kept as quiet as possible, loathe to disturb the tranquil symphony of night. If only the same could be said of his pursuer.
For now, he continued on. They were both curious, it seemed.
He traveled down an old, unused road, finally reaching the center of town. Ponyville may have been largely rural, but they indeed had a town square, which stood central to all the other buildings around, and served as a community market.
Lucky had pleasant, if somewhat distant memories of this place. Its activity had been impressive, given its humble roots. Ponyville had, after all, been a frontier town at the time; after the tribes’ unification, Equestria’s expansion had been rapid and aggressive. Towns like Ponyville saw a measure of growth with every passing day.
That was then, though. He wondered if it would have become a major settlement, given enough time. A lonely whisper of wind breezed through, giving voice to the crumbling structures all around him; the tumbling pebbles and creaking wood seemed to be the town’s sad concurrence, as if it too wondered the same thing.
All around, there were places of business and community gathering. Shops, bakeries, a general store, a tiny governmental building, a church, whose brass bell still stood atop its steeple, gleaming in the moonlight. They were all in a state of unhindered decay.
He kept walking. A free-floating cloud obscured the moon, and dimmed his path. He did not worry; he knew exactly where he was going, and even as each step fell, he sensed his safety was assured.
Soon, he stopped in front of a particular building, a large wooden shed-like structure. It, too, was in shambles, but at least three of the four walls still stood. The barn-style front door was intact, secured by a rolling metal wheel atop the doorframe, sliding to the side when opened. Miraculously, the sign still hung on a post jutting out from one wall, clinging on by a single ring. It swung in the cool midnight breeze, rusted metal lightly creaking as the joint swiveled against itself. He moved to get a better look at it.
It still sported the faded design of an anvil, hammer, and broken horseshoe, along with some very faint lettering.
Fortune’s Forge
General Blacksmith
He stepped forward, and carefully rolled the door open. The rusted hinges scraped against each other, and moved slowly. Eventually, the door was open wide enough for him to fit comfortably through. He snaked his body through the opening and stepped into the darkness, leaving the door open behind him.
A series of hoofsteps clopped quietly nearby. He ignored it.
The eastern wall had long since collapsed, along with a large portion of the roof, letting a trace amount of moonlight stream in, just barely enough so that he could see. He did not bother taking in the sights yet.
A cobblestone furnace stood on one side of the room. It was in remarkably good shape, considering the wreckage around it. Lucky made his way towards it, and found a kit of fire-starting supplies in a sealed box on the mantle, right where he had left them. A small cone of tinder was already sitting in the furnace fireplace. A few deft strikes of flint and steel later, and he had a small ember going. He kept it fed until gradually, it became a comfortable fire. Only then did he stop to look around.
Shadows dancing in the flickering firelight, the walls were decorated with tools of the blacksmith trade. Lucky began casually walking around the edge of the room, touching some of them as he went past. Hammers, tongs, chisels, molds; they were all in terrible condition. A box of nails sat in one corner of the room, on a work table. He picked one out, idly examined it, and tossed it back in. Eventually, he came full circle back towards the furnace, stopping at the metal anvil that stood close by. A rusty hammer sat atop it. He grabbed it in one hoof, and lightly tapped it atop the anvil. It resonated with a metallic ring. He fell silent, savoring the noise before it faded.
His already tuned ears twitched at a quiet noise from outside, like a creature scuffling in the dirt.
Lucky sighed. He gently set the hammer back down, and dropped to his haunches in front of the fire, simply staring into it, and waiting.
For a long time, its crackle was the only audible thing. Every once in a while, he stoked it with an iron poker, or fed another log into the modest blaze.
After some time, he heard another scuffle come from outside the door of the shop. Lucky spoke without turning.
“Wait.”
The sound of his voice could have been an explosion for all the suddenness it carried. It was as if he had shattered some unwritten rule of the night, the result of which was an even greater dead silence. And it was most certainly a command.
Eventually, however, the rules were doubly broken as a second series of hoofsteps eschewed their own subtlety. Somepony opened the sliding door a little wider, and walked into the shop. Dust fell from the rafters as they treaded across stone floor, and stopped behind him.
Lucky hung his head, closed his eyes, and took a slow, deep breath. Crickets chirped, the wood creaked, the wind blew, the sign lightly rapped on the outside wall; all of these things seemed to accentuate it. After, he raised his head and stood, turning to face his spy.
“Why are you following me?”
The question hung in the air for a long time without being answered.
Celestia’s stance was rigid, and not out of simple formality. “I don’t know, sir. Sorry, sir.”
Her legs were faintly quaking, and she was not entirely sure why. Perhaps from the shock of being discovered. Her heart was still a little frozen over from the sudden scare of his voice, which, as she formally addressed him, had gotten no less scary.
“Why are you shaking? Are you cold?”
“No, sir.”
He eyed her for a moment.
Celestia hated being at his mercy; she was not afraid of Lucky, but he was her superior officer. He had the power to make her life quite unpleasant. It had certainly happened before.
But, to her surprise, he did nothing. After seeming to think long and hard about her answer, which was not so very complex, he simply turned back towards the fire, and gazed into it without saying another word.
Celestia waited for him to do something, but after a minute, he still had not moved. Testing the waters, she took a step back, and then another. He made no reaction. Finally, she turned around, and started towards the door.
“You can stay. If you like.”
Celestia froze.
Lucky still gazed into the fire, but his ears were straining for sounds of her movement, eager to hear which direction it went. Eventually, she moved.
Sitting on her haunches next to, and slightly behind him, she followed his gaze to the fire. He glanced towards her, and quickly looked back. By the flickering firelight, on his face she thought she saw-
**********
Both Twilight and the princess stopped, and were silent. Their eyes wandered to the door of the study.
“Did you hear something?” Celestia asked.
Twilight looked back, and quickly shook her head. “No. What happened next?”
Princess Celestia cast another suspicious glance at the door, before looking back at her pupil. “Where was I…?”
**********
Minutes passed before either of them spoke. By now, they were both sitting on the floor. Lucky seemed content to simply let time pass. Celestia, however, was anxious; her gaze kept switching from the fire, to Lucky, looking for the tiniest change in either. She felt like she should say something, but the idea of breaking the peaceful quiet seemed wrong.
Eventually, she could stand it no more, and spoke.
“What is this place?”
Lucky did not answer immediately. He got up, stoked the fire, and threw another piece of wood onto it. After making sure its arrangement was to his liking, he turned to her.
“These are the ruins of Ponyville. We’ve walked through them before. But…” He looked around himself. “I assume you meant this building?”
Celestia nodded.
“This, Celestia,” he said, waving his arm vaguely around him, “is-”
**********
Both Twilight and the princess stopped and fell silent, again.
“Did you hear that?” Celestia asked, gazing again towards the room’s entrance.
This time, it had been too loud to ignore. “I think so,” Twilight murmured.
After a moment of silence, Celestia stood up, and started towards the door.
“It almost sounds like-”
Without warning, the door swung open, nearly hitting the princess’s hoof as she reached to open it. She recoiled backwards, and Twilight fell off of her stool in surprise.
“Luna!”
The princess of the night rushed through the door, and grabbed Celestia’s hoof, trying to pull her out of the room. Celestia recoiled, and retracted her hoof away.
“What’s wro-”
“Sister Celestia!” she bellowed, not waiting for her to finish. “Knowest thou the time?”
Celestia lightly shook her head, and looked up in thought. “Umm, it must be-”
Luna stomped an angry hoof on the stone floor. “’Tis seven o’ clock!”
Celestia’s eyes went wide. “Oh my… that’s…”
“An hour past sunrise! We must away!”
Without needing to be pulled or convinced any further, Celestia darted out of the door, Luna quickly following suit.
A half second later, her head appeared back through the doorway. “Oh, and greetings to you, Twilight Sparkle. Have a pleasant day.” She smiled, and then rushed away.
Twilight, still lying on her back after falling off of her stool, scrambled to her hooves, and galloped towards the door. Sliding out into the hallway, she saw Celestia, moving faster than she could ever hope to match. The pair of princesses began to round a corner.
Twilight held a hoof out towards them. “Wait!” she desperately shouted, a moment before Celestia disappeared completely from sight. “What did you two talk about?”
Twilight heard hooves skidding to a stop across the marble floor. Celestia peered back around the corner. “Oh, just- I understand, sister- Just, we, it… Ponyville! We talked about Ponyville! And his foalhood, and some other things!”
“Other things? What other things?” Twilight shouted back. She levitated a quill and parchment towards herself.
“It’s- I know, Luna, one moment- It’s a fascinating story, and I promise we will talk about it next time!” Her head disappeared from sight. It looked as though Luna had yanked her away.
“I promise!” came her distant voice. The halls echoed with their hoofsteps as they raced away towards a view of the horizon.
Twilight’s ears drooped, and she gave a disappointed sigh.
**********
It was truly a wonder to see a pair of godlike beings racing down a castle corridor at top speed. They passed guard and diplomat alike as they galloped through the corridors of the palace, even flying in some of more open areas. It stuck everypony they passed with awe; to see the princesses truly physically exert themselves was not an everyday occurrence. The trail of wind alone was enough to knock some of the more frail or unprepared ponies onto their sides. Some were left wondering if a sonic rainboom had ever been performed without the use of wings.
“What was Twilight Sparkle speaking of?” Princess Luna asked in between pants. “What did who talk about?”
“I was telling her about-” Celestia paused, twisting to avoid a collision with the royal cook. She jumped and corkscrewed in midair, sailing straight over him and landing gracefully on the other side. “-about Lucky.”
Still galloping, Luna looked at her. “Lucky who?”
“Break.”
It took her a moment, but eventually, her eyes lit up with recognition. “Truly? The Lucky Break? I… never thought you would.” Luna gave a sideways grin. “That is a good story, dear sister. I am sorry to have interrupted you.” Her tone almost sounded as though she were trying to tease Celestia.
“It’s okay.” They rounded another corner, and began to ascend a staircase. “It can wait.”
A few seconds went by, as their rapid hoofsteps echoed off the narrow walls around them.
“Wait. Did you say his foalhood?”
Celestia nodded as much as her galloping gait would allow. “Yes indeed. Please be ready, Luna, I may need help with this.”
The two reached the top of the staircase, and exited into the Canterlot Observatory.
“Exactly what story are you telling her?”
They burst through a set of double doors, and barreled through the observatory room, dodging around the telescope in the center.
“I told you, the one about Lucky Break.”
They went through a second door, and exited onto an open air balcony. It was minimally furnished with only two chairs and a table. A small spyglass sat upon a tripod at the end. The two sisters came sliding to a stop, both of them only inches away from the railing.
Celestia looked upon the landscape, at a perfect view of the sky and east horizon. The moon was gone, and the sun sat below the edge of the world, not even a trace of dawn’s light shining through. The land itself seemed to be dull, blanketed in a stretching overcast, with color bleeding into the open air. It was much too lifeless, almost unnaturally grey.
“Exactly how much are you telling her?” Luna asked, a mix of curiosity and concern creeping into her voice.
“Focus, Luna.” Celestia closed her eyes and lowered her head. Her horn began to glow a golden yellow, and she thrust herself out, searching for the sun below the horizon.
Like a line being cast into a deadly calm sea, the heavens were disturbed by her presence. She could almost see it in her head. Tiny waves rippled out across the sky’s ocean, celestial impressions that beat in time with the tugging of a cosmic hook and the syllables of an uttered prayer. But the hook was not catching. Her lips moved faster, and the prayer became less of a covenant, and more of a bargain, and then a plea.
Once upon a time, only a single unicorn need find the sun, and the rest would gravitate towards her. Every morning, the cosmos would be a veritable mural of not just ripples, but stunning waves whose majesty could only be appreciated with the mind. And sometimes, in that storm of presence, one’s projection would brush against another, and you could feel them, and know them. It was beautifully intimate.
In the Equestria of today, such a thing was a rarity. If Luna was not aiding her, and she usually did not, then nopony was. Here and now, she was alone, and these solitary ripples were all she had.
Contrary to what ponies might think, raising the sun was not all that difficult. The hardest part was finding it. Performed at a very precise time, finding the sun was easy, since it followed a predestined pattern, one she had long since memorized. Left too long without direction, though, and it fell into unpredictable paths, into obscurity. She let herself search a little wider, sink a little deeper…
And there it was. She felt it. Her frantic probing had finally caught something. She tugged back, enjoying the firm but pleasant resistance put up by an unknown body on the other end. Of course, it was not truly unknown, and it never had been. In the sky, at this time and on this horizon, there was really only one thing to catch: the sun.
She let the covenant light fill her soul just as the first beams appeared over the horizon, striking her kingdom with the an equal peace.
Only when her features relaxed did she realize her face had been scrunched into a tight scowl.
Finding the sun had taken all of ten seconds – nine seconds above her usual time. A thousand years of practice had given her great power and precise control when it came to the sun, and anything less than perfection worried her. She cursed herself for being late; raising the sun had consistently been her most important duty.
Or, perhaps she would have cursed herself. Right now, the sun’s morning rays were simply too wonderful to see, to feel. She took a deep breath, and smiled.
It was a few minutes before Celestia had completed the task. She had to pull the sun a little farther into the sky in order to catch up with what was supposed to be a normal time, but once it had found her grasp, it was an easy task. The grey overcast was banished from the land, dissipating into nothing. Eventually, sensing the ritual was complete, she released her hold on the sun, and looked at her handiwork.
All was well. One of the great things about being a Daybringer was the ability to admire the sun to its fullest. She could gaze into the blaze with wide eyes, and never go blind.
“Sister,” Luna emphatically repeated, “How much?”
The peace and inspiration left her heart, just a little, as reality came spiraling back to her.
“All of it.”
**********
Twilight watched the sun climb over the distant mountains. For six minutes and thirty-two seconds, it rose abnormally quickly. It was interesting, and even entertaining, to watch the landscape’s shadows shift so dramatically, especially in the city below, where the square silhouettes of buildings flowed in concrete and measurable distances.
Finally, it came to a relative stop, still half-hidden by the mountain horizon, appearing static and rising at what was supposed to be its normal rate.
She sighed. If the sun was in the sky, then class was dismissed until further notice. It would not be for another week or longer until they reconvened. Princess Celestia had duties that lasted even into the night, and her schedule was not easily rearranged.
At least now she had more material to work with. Twilight could tide herself over with what she had learned this past night. Speaking of which…
She turned away from the window, and looked back at the study. Books and papers were scattered everywhere. It was hard to believe she had created most of the mess, and harder still to believe that most of the scattered materials had been brought in on a single cart.
“Well, no sense in wasting time,” Twilight muttered. She began to clean.
An entire week until their next session, maybe longer. The thought killed her. She knew the princess was busy, but sometimes Twilight wondered if the elongated breaks were a subtle form of encouragement to get her to rest from her studies. If so, it was not working as well as she was sure the princess hoped; between their first session and now, Twilight’s research had progressed in leaps and bounds, and she worked more fervently than ever. Unless anything unexpected came up, she planned to do it again.
“Whoops!”
She cried out as a stack of books and papers tumbled out of her hooves, splaying in every direction on the ground, papers twirling chaotically in midair before coming to rest.
She grumbled. Why was she not using her telekinesis?
Twilight’s horn glowed, and, with the practiced technique of a librarian, she raised all the books from the floor, sorted them into alphabetical order, and lowered them neatly on the cart. She did the same with her papers, magically shuffling them into order by subject and aligning their edges by tapping them firmly against the writing desk.
Before putting them away, Twilight brought the stack of papers close to her, and flipped through the corners. The combined thickness of the parchment was considerable; thicker than some of the academic books she had brought with her on the cart.
She scowled. “One’s missing.”
After setting the remaining papers down on the writing desk, and packing the remainder of her supplies, she began to search. There were only so many places to hide, and after looking underneath the chairs and tables, she peered on top of one of the nearby bookshelves. Sure enough, there it was, her dossier on the stallion Lucky Break, lying atop a small, unassuming box on top of the bookshelf.
It was too high for her to reach. Thinking quickly, she grabbed a stool and climbed on top of it, balancing on her hind legs as she reached towards it. Her hoof was only a hair’s breadth away before she tumbled and fell backwards, knocking both the box and the letter from the top of the bookshelf.
The box’s lid flew off of it, and a dozen other pieces of parchment flew out of it, mixing with her own as they came to rest on the floor.
Twilight shook her head, and gave a frustrated moan. Why did she not just use telekinesis?
She yawned, and began to clean up yet another mess.
In any case, Twilight only had one loose paper, and it was easy to find. It stood out well enough in the mess. Her parchment was brand new; the papers from the box seemed to be older, much older. They curled inwards on the edges, and contrasted to a newer page’s pale brown, these were dark and murky, almost appearing to be an orange color. Wrinkles across each page suggested they had been handled extensively, or read many times.
It was only until she had put all of the strange papers back into the box that Twilight wondered: What are these?
She pulled the lid back off, and peered inside. She was about to reach for the top piece of parchment, but something caught her eye. Catching light and glinting from the corner of the box, mostly buried by the parchment, there was something else. She carefully pulled it out with telekinesis, and took a closer look.
It was a necklace. Made of simple, unassuming chain, most of the metalwork seemed to be of steel. A hook and clasp was situated at one end, and on the other...
Twilight brought it closer. It was a curious charm made of precious materials, much finer than the rest. Was it... a sword? Sure enough, as she turned it in her hoof, the simple, unassuming shape of a miniature longsword glinted in the warm glow of the study's lights, only a few inches in size. She could tell the charm was of quality make, though it was very plain and lacking in detail, save for the single tiny emerald gem set into the hilt. It was connected to the chain in such a way that if worn, it would be pointing downwards.
She examined it for another moment, shrugged, and put it back in the box, reaching for an actual paper. She had not bothered to organize them after scrambling their order, and she simply took the parchment off the top of the stack. Her tired eyes skimmed across the page without really reading the words. The ink was faded, the parchment was coming apart, and her vision was slightly blurry besides. She was moments away from dismissing it as nothing important until she read four words at the bottom of the page.
Loyally yours,
Lucky Break
She stopped, and reread the words. And reread them again. And again. Her heart skipped a beat every time.
This parchment was not just old. It was ancient.
And it was a letter written by Lucky Break himself.
“I… I have to read this!” Twilight exclaimed aloud. “Writing from the commander himse-”
A soft knock came from the door, and Twilight immediately fell silent. She did not answer, but regardless, a moment later, the door gently opened, and a royal guard peered around the edge.
“Twilight Sparkle?”
She rubbed at her eyes and squinted at him, but did not respond. The door swung all the way open, and a brown-coated earth pony guard stepped inside.
“I’m supposed to help you with your things.”
Twilight looked back at the parchment. “But… But I…”
“It’s no trouble, Miss Sparkle.” He made towards the cart, and tried pulling it towards the door. It did not move. He moved to the other side of it, and tried pushing, with minimal success. “I’m… glad… to help…” he spoke in between grunts.
As he moved closer, Twilight levitated the box behind her, keeping it out of sight. These letters were probably intensely personal to the princess. Did the guards know that? Were they under orders to protect it?
She considered taking the box home, to read the letters in the comfort of her own library. But should she really be taking them from the study? It felt an awful lot like stealing. Then again, if they were in the room at all, Celestia had probably planned to show them to Twilight, at some point at least.
So, if she would be shown them eventually, what harm was there in being patient?
Or, if she would be shown them eventually, what harm was there in reading them now?
Twilight bit her lip, struggling, taking two steps forward, and then another back. The box was still floating behind her.
“Graaaah!” The guard grunted with one final push, finally having managed to get the cart out of the door. He turned back. “Are you coming?”
Twilight stood there for a moment longer, before finally nodding and sighing. “Yes.” Defeated, she trotted towards the cart, rearranging it just a bit before nodding her affirmation to the guard. He began pushing forward, straining every last muscle in his body to put the wheels in motion.
In his effort, the guard did not see the old box stowed away, hidden by a thin covering of books and papers.
Curiosity won, as it always did.
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Twilight will learn one day that curiosity killed the cat, deep fried the human, and turned the pony into glue... but I don't think today is that day and it certainly will be worth it.
I think I have an idea... If what I think is true is happening, then, well, HOLY SH**, this is gonna get insane, is it not?
I would be hard pressed to wait if I were her too.
I sense a shitstorm coming...
Bad idea Twi, you'r going to end up reading spoilers!
Bad idea Twi, you'r going to end up reading spoilers!
Nooooo! Twi! Put the letters back! Those are likely extremely personal! Not to mention you need to keep... Twi just put them back... come on Twi... Pwweease?!
...not that I really blame her for being so curious.
You would think that for being so scared of Celestia punishing her sometimes, Twilight would be a bit more concerned about making off with her personal letters... Twilight must have a serious addiction to curiosity.
Two great chapters and then... well not so much. Did you enjoy writing this? I'm rather curious because I think their is a correlation between enjoying writing and being an enjoyable read. This chapter was boring. The end was kinda interesting, but that was about it. Also, even though their leaving is significant, we already knew that was coming. So ending aside, what exactly did this chapter accomplish?
Usually kind words of your story come naturally and I have to search for criticism. This time it is completely the other way around. I'm not sure if its me who isn't the top of my reading game or you not being at the top of your writing game, but better luck next time mate.
1615437
yes indeed, but satisfaction brought that said cat back my friend...
so the real question we should all ask is: Will she find satisfaction?
1617983
That is a good question my friend, I suppose we will have to wait and see.
1616562
Okay, that made me laugh.
Hah!
1617748
You caught me. This chapter was somewhat boring to write. For all intents and purposes, it was supposed to be a bridge between events; the party leaves Canterlot, and Twilight finds those letters (and that necklace). And that's it. I will say it was necessary... but then, doing my taxes is necessary, and that isn't very much fun either.
If it makes you feel any better, the next chapter is already 13k words in, and is many times more interesting than this one. Tune in next time for "Chapter 21: Twilight Reads Spoilers"!
1618350
I know what you mean about a chapter being necessary but not interesting. I think I've hit one or two of those myself. The question is what does one do about it? Should one find a way to make it not necessary? Idk. Regardless yay, my correlation has slightly more evidence!
And actually that does make me feel better. Especially since your honesty here ensures me that you probably do know what is interesting and what isn't. I look forward to it. And always bear in mind no matter what I say I will never lose respect for your talent. *Scratches head* Come to think of it you might be my favorite author in the fandom. It's hard to say for sure off of just one story though.
1618350 awesome! I'm glad whenever a random thought from my head makes someone smile
well twilight better read those letters fast, I'm guessing Celestia is smart enough to notice there gone relatively quickly, and will probably have some choice words for twilight on stealing not only ancient texts/documents, but very personal letters. I'd be pretty pissed if some of the only reminders of my friends were stolen, so I'm actually quiet excited to see how Celestia handles this. (here's hoping for magic kindergarten XD)
I see what you did there.
1621175
Kekekekeke...
Oh Twilight, forever young.
Twi, why would you steal something with very obvious incredible sentimental value? That's bad.
Was the part where Lucky needed an interpreter a refrence to "Hot Fuzz" ?
1631422
I'm afraid I've never seen that. Just a coincidence, I guess!
1632768>>1632768
No matter, your scene made me laugh anyway.
1631005
Curiosity is her drug! Or rather, learning is her drug. Overbearing curiosity is the unfortunate side-effect.
1633281
Yeah, but seriously. Celestia decides to open her heart up to her, and Twilight goes and pulls that shit. Talk about a breach of trust.
"Dearest Celestia,
I'll meet you behind the barracks. You can fit that frilly saddle of yours under your armor right? ;)"
1636592
Celestia bursts into the room.
"By the gods, Twilight, stop reading! Those are the wrong letters! Those are the wrong letters!!"
...
I'm going to make a shot in the dark here and say that Lucky Break was more than Celestia's Paladin - in the fullness of time, he would sit on his own throne beside her. She insisted, even though he said it wasn't necessary.
1649663
I'm quite fond of the paladin achetype... but does Lucky really filly that role? He is as you said, brash, tactless, and cruel. Perhaps the real paladin is already gone, and Lucky is all that's left. (+1 author vagueness point)
1650397
Ah yes, the Fires of Friendship (or Harmony, or what have you). No matter what Clover's role ends up being in the story with regards to the Elements of Harmony, she's certainly had some experience with the style of magic, which is just awesome from a storytelling standpoint.
Hey, thanks for all your comments! I really appreciate them! And those are some interesting predictions you have there...
It's always great to see what people think (if only so I can laugh evilly when they're wrong, or squirm uncomfortably in my chair when they're right).
Awesome chapter! I loled when Luna burst into the study alerting the princess that the sun was late
and: Tsk tsk Twilight Sparkle. You really should study how to keep your curiosity at bay, that'll keep you busy for awhile
Bad Twilight. How would you like it if Tia stole and examined your private stuff? Like that story you wrote when you were 13 where the two of you get married and have three kids and live together forever. You know, the one you keep buried beneath a bunch of boring mementos of earlier days in a box in the back of your closet. Would you like it if she read that?
1650588 Is that really worth an author vagueness point when you're obviously talking about Daylight? There's not actually much of a supply of significant dead characters, and Joe didn't seem very paladinal. That's a word now.
troll.me/images/angry-samuel-l-jackson/oh-no-you-didnt.jpg
Considerable, potentially.
The only part of this chapter that really stood out to me was the sun-raising scene; otherwise I agree with prior commentators. This chapter felt like it used a whole lot of words to not say very much.
As for Twilight, I can understand why she would be willing to steal the letters, and what it adds from a narrative perspective, but I can help but cringing, knowing that there will be dire consequences for this.
I’m excited to see the outside world more now, and seeing Luna brought into this is great too! I’m still wondering where she fits in.