Ever since Luna left, Celestia has been dreading the day she would return. With just days until she comes back, Celestia has to prepare the country, and herself, for what maybe the toughest days seen in nearly 1000 years.
The day had been equal to that of any other to the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia, in the sense that paper work filled her desk and ponies asked her questions aplenty; her opinion on one thing, policy of another, and others trying to book a meeting.
From her office window she could see Twilight Sparkle sitting under a tree and reading a book with much fervence. She watched her use magic to flip the pages with speed as she scanned for something. What exactly she was reading could be was not known to the Princess, but it did cause her to smile at her young student. Such a passion for learning. She had her failings--like everypony she wasn’t perfect-- but she was a good filly to the Princess.
Three ponies approached her student; Twinkleshine, Minuet, and Lemon Hearts--all three unicorns-- and well meaning students at the university. Celestia was aware that those filly’s were the closest that Twilight had to friends; even if they never hung out at all. She interacted with them for a few moments before running off, leaving the filly’s somewhere between annoyed and disappointed.
A sigh left Celestias lips. No matter how hard she tried, nothing she did could convince Twilight to make friends or be social. That mare was as stubborn as she was powerful and strong willed.
“A problem, your highness,” the voice of a stallion asked. She turned and glanced at the voice, which came from behind a stack of paper. She smiled and giggle cutely at the papers.
“Your highness?” the stallion asked again, this time making his presence known. He revealed himself to be a light brown unicorn with a blonde mane and blue eyes. Perched on his snout was a pair of glasses--that seemed to be moments away from falling off.
“No, no. Nothing is wrong, Dr. Quill,” Celestia said with a weary smile.
Quill just nodded. “Tea, perhaps then, to celebrate nothing being wrong?” he offered.
“That would be lovely. Ea-” she began with.
“Earl Grey, with three sugars, and one quarter lemon cut into three equal pieces in the white cup with the red marker so you can draw smiley faces on it,” Quill finished for her, his lips perfectly straight.
“That was only one time,” she said, playing with her hooves and looking down.
“And every time since, provided it has only been us in this room,” Quill added, setting two coasters down on the empty desk near a painting. “I shall return shortly.”
Celestia watched her advisor leave. He was only 28, but he was arguably the best she had in centuries. He connected well, kept her on task, and was both organized and a skilled negotiator when it came to dealing with the court.
“He could do my job,” Celestia noted as she watched the door.
A glow, followed by a flash and suddenly a letter floated in mid air, just in front of her face. Someone had been busy it seemed. A quick glance at the floating parchment before it fell to the floor told her all she needed to know. It was from Twilight.
Opening and reading it with a speed that few could match--honed by over one thousand years of reading forms and documents. The letter fell to her desk as she read the last word, and fell onto the floor. A gasp left her lips, and her eyes stared right ahead.
Writing quickly, she returned a letter to her student--letting her know there was nothing to worry about and letting her know that she, Twilight, would be sent to Ponyville to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. Effective immediately. All while she herself worried. In moments, the letter was sent off, hoping it would buy the Princess time.
She moved over to the table, and sat on one of the chairs near the painting. She glanced out a window, not far from the table.
“Has that time really come,” Celestia asked no one but the empty room and the glass of the window. “One thousand years, it’s such a long time. But it really isn’t.” The alicorn turned to the painting near her. She now stood in front of the painting, of her and Luna. She was playing the piano, and Luna was right behind her. It was a nice memory of their time in the old castle before her sister left. The door opened, but Celestia didn’t even register or acknowledge it. Her eyes glued to a pony that no one, but her, knew existed. She badly wanted to raise a hoof, to touch Luna, but she held back--if only just.
“Steuben, your highness?” Quill asked, standing with tea for her, in his hoof.
“Kuhfeld, Stueban came later,” Celestia noted quietly. “Thank you.” A simple nod left the stallion. “I see. Your sister looks well in that painting, doesn’t she?” Quill asked, sipping his tea. “Ah! This beverage I was about to enjoy is rather hot.” His tongue was out of his mouth, a bit of pink now visible behind his brown coat.
“You, you know?” Celestia asked, ignoring the antics of her administrator.
“Mhmm, of course I do.” Quill added. “I’ve told none, of course.”
“Even Twilight knows not, how could you know?”
“What is the likelihood that Ms. Sparkle has read Pre-Rebellion law?” Quill asked simply. “At least my thesis was on it.”
“Yes, I remember that,” Celestia noted. “It was the first time I was asked ‘Your highness, where might I find the legal cases from one thousand years in the past.’”
“I needed the information,” Quill stated simply. “And if anyone was to know, it would be you.
A simple nod left the Princess. Quill was right.
“I. I assume you know what happens now, right?”
“It’s nearly one thousand years since the start,” Quill stated. “And still, you’ve gotten better looking.”
“Flattery will get you no where, Doctor,” Celestia said with tight lips.
“And yet I am now here,” the unicorn said with a smirk, much to the Princess’ annoyance.
“Be serious. We don’t have much time.”
“Ah, the ultimate question: paper work, or the very incarnation of everything the Elements hate,” Quill asked. “Truly, the courts have seen no greater question.”
“Quill, I’m warning you,” Celestia noted, her voice losing any touch of motherly appeal.
“So you have a plan then?” Quill asked. “Excellent.”
“I...don’t. How do I combat someone like her?”
“Well, the prophecy for one,” Quill offered. “It would be convenient if the stars that aid in her escape, were to be little Ms. Sparkle.”
“That’s how prophecy works Doctor, you know that.” Celestia explained, finishing off her tea.
Quill said nothing, and gave no movement. The two ponies sat in a dark silence for a few minutes.
“Harmony,” He said. “The Elements of Harmony.”
“They’re gone--no where to be found.”
“They return as needed,” Quill stated. “We both know that. Magic can be really convenient when it needs to be.”
“So what do you propose?” Celestia asked. “Twilight will be able to, but how much time does she need?”
“More than we have,” Quill established. “Look at the sky, does that look like it’s going to be a downcast of friendship, harmony and cute little bunnies, or of hatred, anger and armies of evil.”
Celestia closed her eyes, and listened to the world around her. Although faint, she could hear the voice of, something. Something distant, something familiar. But something. And it was calling for her. And her alone. Screams? No, to soft. But it was there. And it wanted her.
“I, I feel it,” She said, her voice calm, but her tone betrayed her.
“What do you feel?”
“I. I don’t know. It's, distant. That’s for sure. But it is there. Not physical; the fact you didn’t feel it surprised me. But it’s there,” Celestia explained.
“I can see it.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. But I can see the fear coming.”
“What does it look like.”
“Nothing. It looks like nothing.”
“Colours? Smell? Anything?” Celestia asked, almost begging Quill. “Tell me.”
“What is there to tell? It is nothing,” Quill explained and paused for a few moments. “It is lost.”
“Lost?”
“Yes. Lost.”
“Lost how?”
“Lost like how it doesn’t know where to go,” Quill said, pausing for a few moments. His eyes got lost in the void of the room and he seemed to be not of the world anymore.
“Quill?” No response. Moments turned to minutes and he did not move--not even so much as a twitch.
“Quill?” Celestia asked, her voice stern and stiff.
No reply came from the bespectacled unicorn.
“Quill, what do you see?” Celestia asked.
“I see. Well, I don’t see anything. But it feels, evil? Yes, that would accurate,” Quill offered. “It feels evil.”
“What feels evil?”
“What is coming.”
Celestia paused, unsure if that was a question or a statement. “What is it?”
“Nightmare Moon,” Quill stated. “At least, I assume its her.”
“The time comes, days away at best.”
“The celebration, your Highness,” the unicorn said, elevating his desk top calendar over. “She will return then.”
“How do you know,” Celestia asked.
“The moon is at its greatest strength. If the legends are true, then it is when she will be at her greatest power and would be able to return from the moon, and fight,” Quill explained.
“Not possible,” Celestia noted. “The moons strength would not be powerful enough, until two days after the festival. It still would be too far.”
“But close enough,” Quill corrected her. “While she would be stronger in two days time, she would--in theory--be strong enough on the day of the festival.” A long sigh left the Princess’ lips. “Then what would you suggest? We are dealing in theories, not facts.” Quill took to his chair in silence, and stared at his desk, running a hoof over a few papers.
“There is, one suggestion.”
“What’s that?”
“Pacify.”
“Peace will not stop the nearest titan of evil this world has seen in near a millennium,Doctor,” Celestia said, her voice stern and solid.
“Not her, not quite. Pacify the locations.”
“You make no sense.”
“He presence will not come directly from the moon to the festival. She will need time to adjust herself from the moon to Equestria. Not a lot of time, but enough that just showing up in a place filled with ponies will cause her problems,” Quill explained. “If you can figure out where she could arrive in, and get there well before she does, you can pacify the locations and make sure that her evil will not bring back anything.”
Quill stood and looked at the Princess--his eyes locking on to hers.
“You are not at peace,” he stated firmly. “You relive the memories of that night everyday, and every hour. You have not forgiven yourself, and you have not forgiven Luna. Your highness, you need closure.”
“I. I will have my peace whe-” she tried to say.
“You will have your peace before she returns, or you will not see her return,” Quill noted. “How can you see her return with love, if you do not move past the time? You cannot.”
“Then she and I will heal together!”
“That will bring you failure, and you know that. She will have enough problems, and you looking at her with angry eyes will do no help,” Quill explained.
“Then we. We will. I,” the alicorn said with eyes to the floor, and finally her mouth stilled. “I see your point.” A hoof touched her chin, and Celestias eyes looked at Quills smile. “You are not alone. You do not do this alone.”
“Quill,” she said, her lips gave no smile, only a slight frown.
“You are strong your highness, of that there is no doubt,” Quill said, a small smile on his face. “Years alone have forced you to be strong. But you need not be strong alone. I am with you, and I stand with you at your side.” Celestia blushed, and gave her administrator a smile. “My right hand stallion,” she said.
Quill returned the smile before returning to his desk. “The old rebellion, what of it holds the most power,” Quill asked, pulling out a small map of Equestria.
“A few locations,” Celestia said, looking over his shoulder. “Fort Vanhoover was where is started, and where I saw my sister lead troops in battle against me.” Quills hoof visibly tightened at the name, but he said nothing. Celestia patted him with her own, but continued on.
“Skater, at the base of Canterlot Mountain. Then there is the Plains of Neighbra, and the old Castle,” Celestia added.
“Perhaps her old room as well?” Quill suggested.
“That might not be a bad idea,” the Princess agreed with, glancing at the painting again. “I shall start there.
“This will not be the easiest thing,” Quill explained. “But I am here should you need me.”
“I thank you Quill,” Celestia said, her face in better cheer then before. “See to it that all things are dealt with in my steed.”
“You have my word,” Quill stated, saluting the Princess with a stoic face. He smiled, after, and gave her a hug. “You also have my support, not just as your advisor, but as your friend.”
She smiled at his action, and returned the hug. “You’ll do me proud.” And with that, Celestia left the office--eyes focused and determined.
The door to Luna’s room had not aged since she had been banished to the moon one thousand years ago. The oak was bruised from bangings, and had little dents in it from single solid strikes against it. The handle was still the exact same brass from whence she had left, but looked as if it had been touched recently.
But the hall was cold, and not door in it had been opened in centuries. The torches were not lit until Celestia did so as she entered. From darkness, to a long row of red-orange lights filled the old hall of the Lunar Corridor.
The white alicorn walked down the corridor, glancing at the other doors and the barely visible tags on the door. “Night Guard Mess,” “Night Guard Bunk,” and “Office of the Night Guard Captain.” No true Night Guard had been appointed since the Lunar Rebellion, rather the task had been made up of the Solar Guard, which had been renamed, and moved to join the Canterlot Defence Force in light of the Rebellion.
“Another thing to deal with,” Celestia mused off with as she made it to Luna's door. She looked at the door and closed her eyes. She could feel pure evil coming from it, but something else as well was behind the oak frame. Jealously, to a level Celestia had not known in centuries.
“Your highness?” A voice asked, pulling her head from the door, and eyes to the bringer of the question.
“Yes?” She asked, looking in the direction of it. “Who calls for me?”
No verbal response, but the figure approached her and soon she knew who it was. The Captain of the Guard for Canterlot Castle.
“Captain Armour, your highness.”
“I can see that, Captain. What brings you here?” Celestia asked, standing in front of the door so as to hide the name plate.
“I could ask you the same question,” he replied with. “Isn’t this area restricted?”
“Then what are you doing here?” Celestia asked with an eyebrow raised.
“I have come to ask what is the meaning of my sister being sent to the town of Ponyville?” The stallion began with. “I understand, to oversee the festival, but could that job not be done by Dr. Quill? He has done so before, and to great effect.”
Celestia just gave Shining a smug grin. “You’re complement of Dr. Quill’s talents is noted,” she said. Shining could do nothing but drag a hoof on the ground and give a sheepish laugh.
“Well, I,” he started with before stopping and sighing. “It’s just that I-”
“Worry about your sister and that she has lost favour in me?” Celestia finished. A pause filled the air between the two.
“Yes,” Shining admitted, his eyes to the ground. “Twilight is scared, and I want to reassure her.”
“Then tell her what I tell you, Captain,” Celestia said, her tone calm, but mouth neutral.
“Yes?”
“Trust me. Trust me when I say follow my orders.”
“Your highness, I,” he tried to say.
“Follow your orders,” Celestia said with a firm tone. “Trust, and do what I say.”
“Ye-yes your highness,” Shining said, turning to leave her, his muscles tight and mouth still as he turned.
“A moment, before you go, Captain,” Celestia called out. Shining turned to face her, now standing several doors away. “How did you know where to find me?”
“Dr. Quill told me,” the unicorn stated, his voice neutral. Celestia frowned at him, but said nothing further on the topic.
“You are dismissed, Captain.” A salute, and Shining was gone.
When she was sure he left, and could not watch or hear her, Celestia pushed open the door to her long since gone sisters room. The evil, however held her back. However, the alicorn Princess was ready. She cast a rejection spell and sensed the evil was pushed away. Celestia pushed the door again, but it did not move.
“How can this be? I can feel no pressure, but it does not open,” she wondered, stepping back to examine door. She looked at the handle and tried to twist it. It didn’t move. A brief burst of her horn caused the brass annoyance to shine for a moment, before a soft click.
“That,” Celestia said. “Was not my finest moment.” She pushed on, and walked into the room. It was, like hall before, dark so she used her magic once again to light the torches in the room.
What she saw, however, was not what she was expecting. Rather than Luna’s old bed, desk, chair, tens of thousands of books, cabinet and stuffed teddy bear that had been given to her for Hearths Warming Eve, Celestia saw a new world; unlike anything she had seen in recent times. The room, if it could even be called that, was open and in a world of perpetual storms. Thunder and lightning, rain and snow. Trees fell every few seconds, and the wind howled with a fierce roar that punctured though Celestia’s coat and she soon felt very, very cold.
“This is not natural,” she said, trying not to shiver in the face of unbearable temperatures. “This world, it is not healthy.”
She began to trot deep into the frozen land, where the wind screamed, the nature was destroyed, and the cold froze all it touched. It was as if, to the mare, all hope was lost. Tree after tree fell, till only a few remained--standing against the wind, but if only just. She moved to the last of the trees, their pines poking her coat when she got to close and their fallen friends and branches were crushed beneath her hooves. The trees provided some shelter from the weather. Enough to protect her, but not enough to stop the armada that presented itself to her.
“How did this happen?” she asked, brushing off a stump and sitting down on it. She closed her eyes and focused her magic, trying to call nature itself.
But try as she might--and did-- she heard nothing. Not a word, not a feeling, nothing. She tried again, and got nothing. It was as if all sense of this world had been cut off to her. Nothing spoke. Her eyes opened and turned to the trees, finding them still fight against the storm. Celestia, despite years of living well beyond that of any mortal, was not an arborist, however even she could tell that the trees that stood before her, and the one that gave her a place to rest the royal rump, held little difference. Strong, and healthy bark, green needles, tall and thick. The two trees looked like near clones.
She closed her eyes again, and focused on the dead tree just feet from her. It did not speak, but she could tell it had once been alive and well. Unlike the world itself, however, Celestia could get a feeling from it, not a thought, but a translation of its internal magic. It felt warm, and made her smile; not unlike a hug from Twilight, or Quill when he remembered her preferences.
She ceased her magic and did the same spell on a tree that stood with little issue. It, like its fallen companion, had feeling. More so than the previous tree--it was stronger, more evident, and with a dangerous aura to it. Celestia, for a moment, was nervous. Sweat gathered on her brow as she released the spell, She took a breath, and let the cool environment return her to a calmer state.
“That,” she noted. “Was not something I hope to experience again.”
Celestia, however, redid the spell on the tree until she got a true feel for what it had to say. Where as the dying tree on the ground gave her a smile, this one did no such thing. The only feeling for what the tree had was pain. Not physical pain, but deeper. She closed her eyes and let the pain of the tree wash over her. In moments, she had fallen to the ground and let out a gasp of pain. It was as if the voices of all she knew had silenced. Not death, but like if the magic of everypony from Bean Counter, an earth pony in accounting who just started working for her two weeks ago, to Dr. Quill, to Twilight Sparkle. As if all their voices and all the magic that made them up had been silenced. No screams, no torture, nothing. Just. Stopped.
Celestia disengaged the spell, unable to take it anymore.
“No. No. No,” she said, stepping away from the trees and into the cold. “Not this, not this.” She started shooting bolts of magic in random directions, her eyes shut, before she unleashed a massive spell that left her horn and shined as bright as the sun she raised. Opening her eyes, she saw the room she expected to see. A dark room, with a bed, a desk, a few bookcases, and curtains that were torn. Boards kept the windows from bringing in light, adding to the darkness of the room. But something else was not going right.
She wasn’t alone.
“Stand,” Celestia yelled to the figure on the ground. “Who goes there?”
The figure stood, and turned to face her. It wore a cloak and appeared to be a unicorn. It started off firing spells at her, but Celestia absorbed them into her shield.
“Did you cast that illusion,” She asked the figure, refusing to attack. But she got no answer, only more spells. Weak spells, but oddly enough, they were also low level, easy to learn spells. The military didn’t even start training with spells this weak.
She fired a single bolt of magic at the cloaked figure, hoping to stun it. But her aim was truer than she hoped, and the figure collapsed with ease. She ran over to the unicorn, and moved the cloak away. She knew the pony before her--the yellow mane and the soft blue coat with her dark green eyes--she was Luna’s last student before the rebellion--a pony named Waterwheel. She was from Manehatten, and was about seventeen before the war, she had gotten her cutie mark when she became Luna's student.
“Waterwheel? But, but you died, centuries ago,” Celestia said, her voice astonished to see the living dead. “You died at-”
“I did, and I am, but I am not,” Waterwheel said, a weak smile on her face. “It’s good to see you again, your highness.”
“You’re, you’re not angry,” Celestia asked, her voice in shock. “I thought you’d be furious with me.”
A cough left the unicorns lips, along with a bit of blood. “I’ve been here a long, long time. Anger left me about two centuries ago. But by then it was too late. Please, Princess, I beg of you. Save Princess Luna, she needs you.”
“Two centuries? Waterwheel, what are you talking about?”
“I don’t have time to explain, my existence will end soon. Get to Fort Vanhoover soon, stop Nightmare Moon, and save Princess Luna,” the mare explained, blood starting to trickle down her lips, and down onto her grey cloak.
“I will, I will,” Celestia said, nodding as she spoke.
“Be warned, Fort Vanhoover is not alone. The army of old will still stand there,” she explained, now coughing and sputtering after each word, spraying blood all over the place. Some of it landed in her yellow mane. “Let the dead rest, for once.”
“What? Waterwheel I don- Waterwheel? Sweetie, can you hear me?” Celestia asked, as the pony’s last breath left her nose and mouth.
“Waterwheel?”
The unicorns body lost all colour in an instant, and became a pile of dust in seconds. The room, however, was put to peace. The wood panels on the windows cracked, and fell off. Light shined through them for the first time in centuries. The room was no longer dead. It was alive. The objects shined a mixture of brown, black, and blue. The dust of Waterwheel, on its own, left the room out of the window and shot off in all directions. It was, in a way, a peace.
“This, this is.” Celestia tried to say. “This is strange, but, I feel. I feel a calm?” She closed her eyes and breathed a deepness of which she did not do often. Her sisters scent was no where to be found, but she found a natural air in the room--the likes of which she could find anywhere in castle.
She left the room, and returned to her office.
Dr. Quill, it seemed, had not found her time away to be pleasant. His head was bandaged, and his front left hoof was bleeding--enough to worry her, but not enough for it to drip on the rug.
“Your Majesty,” Quill said, as she walked in, as he organized his desk. “Good to see you again, should I get tea?”
“And you as well Doctor, is everything alright? And no, I need to leave soon.”
“Yes, yes, why do you ask,” he asked, pausing to look at her. A genuine look of curiousness was plastered on his face.
“You are wounded. And you work in an office,” she mused. “What happened?”
“I, I fell,” Quill said, returning to his work. His eyes avoiding the alicorn. “I fell and banged my head against the table, right there.” He said, pointing to her desk where a small dent that was not there when she left eariler.
“And your leg?”
“I dropped a tea cup, I cut it as I used my magic to pick it up,” Quill explained, his voice stable, but his eyes never left what he was doing. “How did it go in Luna’s room?”
“Quill.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Look at me.”
Quill did as she asked, and his eyes joined with hers. She walked closer to him, and put a hoof on his shoulder. The unicorn shuddered as her hoof connected with his body, and he winced, bracing for impact.
“Are you alright?”
“Your highness, I-”
“I asked you a question, Doctor. Are. You. Alright,” she asked softly, looking deep into his eyes.
“I, I will be fine, your majesty,” Quill said, looking away. “I should return to work.”
“Quill.”
“Really, I’ll be fine. I’m, I’m used to this, its typical, it’s what happens to me. The dif-different pony. I’m, I’m fine. I will be fine. I, I don’t have a choice,” he explained, walking back to his desk. “Right?” he asked, turning at the last second, before he resumed his work.
Celestia just used her magic to pull him close and ruffled his mane with a hoof as if he was a foal. She said nothing, but let him go and nodded.
“How, how was Luna’s room,” he asked, looking at her with a neutral face--as if nothing happened.
“It went well, I think. I know where to go next,” she explained.
“You were gone for awhile, anything happen?”
“Illusion magic, very strong too,” she noted.
“What happened?”
“Trees, a storm. It’s painful to talk about. I think I felt my sister, at least her emotions,” Celestia explained, struggling to find the right words. “It’s difficult to say.”
“I don’t follow.”
“Illusion magic does that, but I was in a snowstorm, and I watched trees fall. I checked each tree, to see what was going on, the trees were emotion,” Celestia explained.
“That’s pretty detailed magic,” Quill noted. “To have a tree give off emotion, it must have been powerful magic.”
“The conjuror, was Luna’s last student. She’s gone now. Away into the world,” Celestia explained.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry you had to say goodbye again, its never easy,” Quill explained. “Waterwheel was a talented unicorn. Her books should have achieved more fame.”
“You know of her? I am surprised,” Celestia noted. “Well done.”
“Waterwheel wrote one of the few documents about Luna during the rebellion. ‘The Greatest Student,’ was what Luna’s diary called her, and ‘The Most Faithful follower,’ was what she called herself,” Quill explained, his tone calm. “Any connection?”
“No, we always called our students ‘The Most Faithful Student,’” Celestia explained. “But good thought.”
“Where are you off to,” Quill asked. “Fort Vanhoover?”
“I, how did you know?”
“The birthplace of the rebellion,” Quill noted. “My home, they always told us the story of the day we became strong, and famous.”
“And the day that it ended?”
“With only the most bitter of remorse. They remember that day well,” Quill explained, his tone quiet. “I assume you will be heading to the Fort at once?”
“Yes, I must ask of you t-”
“Stay, and keep the country running, got it,” Quill said, with half a smile on his face. “Go, I’ll keep the world at bay.”
Celestia could do nothing but smile at him. “You deserve better Quill, I swear it,” she said before trotting out of her office, and though the castle, ready to pay a visit to the long since disabled fort.
The flight to Fort Vanhoover was not one that most ponies would do; it was long, harsh and rather boring for most of the flight. The sights didn’t change until one crossed the border in the disputered territory of Vanhoover. And even then it didn’t change until one flew over the city of Langneigh, the first populace hub in the territory.
“That’s where Quill’s from,” Celestia noted, glancing over the city from several hundred feet in the air. “Seems like little has changed.” Houses were in a row on one side of the street, and business and the schools were on the other. Typical format for a Vanhoover city.
Fort Vanhoover, despite having the namesake of the largest city in the territory, was actually located on the other side of the river that served as the boundary between Vanhoover and Suri. The Fort, having been constructed in the early days of the city of Vanhoover’s existence, was built in front of the walking bridge that connected Vanhoover with Suri. It was later expanded to include the railway that insured travel and trade between Vanhoover and Canterlot took no longer than 40 hours.
As Celestia landed, however, she could see that Fort Vanhoover had yet to receive the upgrade to accommodate the rail line--and wouldn’t for another two hundred years. Her forces, she remembered, were just outside the train station to the Fort. Colonel Armour, a Pegasus from Manehatten, was preparing the troops just as she approached them from the forest.
“What’s the situation?” Celestia asked, as she glanced at the troops, and then the fort itself. She felt as if she had no control over what she said, as the memories of this battle came rushing into her brain and body. Time, it seemed, had not passed to heal the memory, but rather served as a band-aid upon her.
“Your Majesty!” the Colonel said in surprise. “I didn’t see you come in, welcome.”
“Thank you, Colonel,” she said with a smile. “I am here to assist however I can in this battle.”
“No such need, your highness,” the Colonel said with a smug grin. “The Vanhooverites retreated into the Fortress the second we got here. We’re just preparing for the assault on the building, then we end this annoyance.”
“I don’t know Colonel, Fort Vanhoover has stood for a long time without anyone ever taking it. Or even coming close. Plus, with their backs up against a wall, how can we even say we’ll take it with ease? They have more to lose then we do,” one of the Colonel's officers explained with a worried look. Celestia recognized him as one of the few officers from Vanhoover to join the officer corps. He was a blue unicorn, and was a rising star in her personal guard--which made sense, as his cutie mark was a shooting star.
“The L.T. makes a good point, Colonel. Are you sure we can take this building?” Celestia asked, her tone nervous as she stared at the fort. It was an impressive piece of engineering that had been built before she and Luna took control of Equestria.
“Yes your highness. The fort has no emplacements, they’re in the armoury in the city itself, and they have no officially trained soldiers. Plus, we outnumber them on a ten to one ratio,” Armour explained with an understanding nod.
Celestia said nothing, but waited for a few moments. “How soon can we begin the attack?”
“As soon as the next train comes, your majesty.”
She nodded in response, and trotted over to her guard, whom had been standing at attention since she landed.
“Prepare yourselves,” she said to them with calm, but commanding tone. “The battle begins soon.”
Her guard said nothing, but did as she spoke. Within moments, they were ready for combat. “Give the order, your highness,” the captain said, no emotion on his face or in his voice.
“Your Majesty, may I speak?” the lieutenant from earlier asked, as he approached her. “Freely, that is.”
“You may,” she said, watching the fortress.
“I do not see us taking this fortress. There is something off about it,” he explained. “Something isn’t connecting with it.”
“How do you mean?” She asked, turning her head to him as he spoke.
“They have taken no shots at us. No magic, spear throws, knife tosses, anything. For untrained, and undisciplined troops, they are doing quite well, don’t you think?” the lieutenant explained. “It just doesn’t make sense. They want us to attack. I think they are planning something.”
“Any idea what?” Celestia asked.
“Not one. I understand we must attack, but please. Becareful; I don’t think this will go well.”
“Then I would ask you follow your advice as well,” Celestia said with a little smile. “It would be a shame to lose and officer such as yourself; not many speak up when the situation demands it.”
The lieutenant just blushed, and nodded, returning to his spot in the line up as the troops prepared. Colournal Armo
“Train. Return!” a voice yelled out from a tree. “The train has arrived.”
“Size?” the cournal called out.
“Troop transport. Seems to be, empty?”
“What the…” the colonel said, before turning to Celestia. “Your Majesty, do you know of this?”
I do. Was the first thing that ran through her mind. By the sun. I do.
“No, colonel, I don’t.” was all she could say. “Shall we investigate?”
“At once,” he said, making his way to the station as the train settled down. The doors opened, and out walked an officer, a major to be exact, Celestia recognized as one of the sons of a noble.
“Your Majesty, Colonel, I bring news,” the major said as he approached them, taking out a scroll.
“It better be good,” Armoire said, taking the scroll with a wing. He read it quickly, and his face dropped as he finished it. “Lieutenant!”
“Sir?”
“Take a look at this,” the Colonel said, handing him the paper. “Get your detachment ready.” The lieutenant said nothing after he finished reading it, aside from giving the Colonel a nod.
“What is it?” Celestia asked, approaching the Colonel.
“A status report,” Armoire explained. “It seems General Thundercloud and his Third Army joined the rebels.”
“What?” Celestia asked. “How can this this be?”
“They march on Canterlot as we speak. They'll be there in a few days."
"The entire Third Army?"
"The General can be very persuasive, it seems," Armoire noted. "We need to send some troops back to Canterlot to defend it."
"Why not the entire division? Surely protecting to capital is most important," Celestia asked.
"If we take Vanhoover, we can stop General Thundercloud without a battle. Do you really want to fight your own kind?"
"I'd prefer not to fight at all. This war, it has to be a misunderstanding," Celestia explained, looking over at the fort. It almost looked deserted, but occasionally one could see movement up on the walls.
"That is not an option, we need to fight them, as soon as our troops leave. They can't be well trained in combat," Armorie stated. "Even if the detachment joined up with them."
"How many strong was it?"
"297 troops, three officers, and one deffector who came to Saddle after the take over," the Colonel said. "That was six days ago."
“You said they had no officially trained troops,” Celestia noted with a frown.
“They don’t those who joined up were part of the town guard, nothing more then ponies hired to keep watch. The guards in hospitals are better trained then them,” Armoire
Celestia left her officer and found the lieutenant she was speaking to earlier.
"Your Majesty? What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Looking for you. Are you leaving?"
"No, I've been asked to stay and join in the assault, is something amiss?"
"No, not at all. Just wanted to check in. Stay safe, yes?"
"Yes madam."
Celestia just smiled and found the Colonel, readying his soldiers before the assault.
"All present and accounted for?"
"Yes madam, we march now," he said.
"It doesn't have to be this way, we can return back to Canterlot," Celestia added.
"Headquarters ordered me to fight, I will not disappoint them."
She paused for a few moments, looking down at the ground, which seemed to be unable to hold the weight of the stallions in armour.
"Colonel, hold off the attack,"
"Why would I do that?"
"The ground, look at it. It's muddy."
"So was basic training."
Celestia sighed. "They haven't attacked, because this isn't suitable ground. None of us can get good footing."
Armorie paused for a few moments, looking around. She wasn't wrong. Some had issues standing properly, and others seemed to be getting eaten alive by the ground.
“I know what you are saying Princess, but I don’t have a choice. I must attack,” he said, before walking to the front of the detachment.
Celestia tried to call out to him, but it was no use, no sound left her muzzle; history would be repeated. She ordered her guards to take flight and join in the assault, and after a few moments, she joined her stallions in armour.
The battle, of what would become known as the First Battle of Fort Vanhoover, cost her 30% of her troops. Most were just wounded or unable to fight, but that did not stop blood from joining the ground to create a giant puddle of brown and red. She watched ponies drown in the ground, and choke on blood. Before the battle was out, no area between the fort and the station was clean.
The battle drew to a close, as Celestia watched it speed by at a rate she could not say. She did, however, re watch the deaths she did before. Her guards took no loses, but when it was over, not a wing was clear and not a piece of armour was undented. The Colonel, to his credit, lived as well, though he was not willing to speak to anyone. He was the last to leave the field, and rumour spread around that he hoped to be killed by a chance bolt from a unicorn. The lieutenant from earlier also made it though, but he took a wound though the hoof that made his days often on clouds, and not on earth.
The visions left Celestia’s eyes, and returned her to Fort Vanhoover, stationed by guards who could not see her. The ground was normal, and not a drop of blood could be seen. However, one pony remained on the ground, not moving and attracting no attention. She ran to him.
“Are you hur--” she asked the pony, before noticing who it was.
“Princess, good to see you again,” the pony said looking at her. “Bit of a horrid time, isn't it?”
“Ace, what are you doing here? You've been dead for centuries.”
“Ten, to be precise,” Ace said with a grin. “I’m not here for much longer, and am I glad for it.”
“Don’t like being sustained by pure magic itself?”
Ace laughed for a few moments. “So thats what it was, Waterwheel tell you?”
“Yes, how did you know?”
“Long story short, we each got choose by Luna before you confronted her in the Castle. She sent us on our way before you walked in,” Ace explained, looking around the area, not once having sat up. “Once I got here, I couldn’t move. Been here ever since.”
“What’s it like being sustained by pure magic?”
“I miss eating,” Ace noted, looking at his hooves. “And ponies. I don’t like ponies, but I missed ‘em.”
Celestia rolled her eyes, nodded. “Anything you can tell me to stop her?”
“Love? Sounds stupid, but she never really showed any love; and I was one of the early defectors to her side,” Ace stated. “That’s all I can think of. And I have to go any ways. Good bye Celestia.”
And before a single word could leave her mouth, Ace, like Waterwheel hours earlier, was gone into dust. The area returned to normal, and she watched several guards notice her. Before they could fully react, she flew off in the direction of Canterlot.
Celestia flew into her office and touched down, watching Quill run around--his bandages flapping as he moved. She wasn't sure he had seen her, until she sat at her desk and a tea cup landed with a coaster before her rump hit the ground.
“Miss me?” Quill asked, sitting in front of her desk, his eyes going over paper work that she recalled putting on her todo list earlier that day. She watched him with a small smile, and laughed softly to herself.
“How was Vanhoover?” he asked, glancing to meet her eyes for a moment, before returning to look at the papers again.
“You were right, though it was Ace who visited me,” Celestia noted.
“Aerial Ace? One of the best flyers the Kingdom ever saw. He’s a local hero in my home town,” Quill explained. “Was the first officer from Langneigh.”
“You were the tenth, right?”
“And second in the Airforce,” Quill added with a grin. “Well, that paperwork is done.”
“You speed never ceases to fail, Doctor,” Celestia admitted, sipping at her tea.
“Where do you travel to next?” Quill asked, flying three more documents in the air around him with his magic.
“I am unsure, but there is something I wished to talk to you about.”
“I’d say Skater, where the mountain pass lies before Canterlot and Ponyville,” Quill offered. “It’s always been a magically sensitive area and was the site of one of Equestria’s most famous battles during the rebellion.”
“There is logic in what you say,” Celestia noted.
“Now what was it you wanted to talk about?”
Celestia took a few moments to compose herself and her thoughts. “I have learned something about this rebellion.”
“Which is?”
“I owe a big apology to Luna, and to Vanhoover,” she admitted. “I didn't want to face it at the time, but I owe an apology to Luna.”
Quill just smiled at her, but returned to his work. His smile not breaking at all.
“Skater awaits,” he said softly, scanning through the document. “Skater awaits.”
The winds command the pegasi. Where they blew, they flew. When they blew fast, the ponies flew fast,. When they blew slow, they flew slow. It was an uneasy relationship, at least to those on the ground it seemed uneasy. The pegasi, ever ready to defend their kind, never viewed it uneasy; they viewed it as a challenge. A challenge for the dominance of the skies; but not the typical command and conquer dominance, but a who was more important dominance. Neither won; the wind needed the pegasi to command anything, and the pegasi needed the wind for a challenge.
As Princess Celestia flew from the castle and to the nearby area, just beyond where the rails to Canterlot ran, the challenge of the pegasi was her only friend. It did not comfort her, provide support, or assist, but it did not hurt, or desire her to fly in a single direction. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she was at a content peace. She knew what lay ahead, as any pony who studied knew.
The area was called Iron Pass, as it was the area where ponies would travel to Canterlot before the rail line was put. Since most of those who travelled were soldiers, or merchants pulling carts of iron, it was called Iron Pass. The locals called it Iron Trot, since it was a very difficult trot; steep, long, and not often having the most coloured characters as one would expect. Nowadays, it was kept clean and clear, and left for exercise buffs, and the Special Forces to use.
Still, as Celestia landed, she closed her eyes. The sounds of nature filled her ears, and the smell of the trees filled his nostrils. It was peace and quiet, not known or found in many places around Canterlot. The natural greens, and browns, and colours of the world surrounded her, and did not judge. The harmony of the world, was calm.
Soon, her nose picked up the scent of copper, steel, iron, and her ears heard the cries of stallions. She opened them, fearful of what was around her. Her nose was not mistaken, as her eyes showed. They showed thousands upon thousands of ponies deep in combat, just a little ways away from her. It seemed time, once again, for another moment of combat for her wings and horn.
“Ah, Princess Celestia, so good of you to join us,” a voice boomed out. “The enemy has already engaged our forces.”
Celestia looked on to the battle. While the Pass was an uphill area, the troops seemed to be fighting on one of the more level areas--a little ways up the mountain from a larger area called Skater. The unicorns were up away from the fighting, waiting for a chance to let out their magic blasts--blasting, the Generals called it. She could see the pegasi up in the air, dropping rocks, and other heavy objects, trying to prevent the enemy from engaging. But rebel unicorns were shooting them, or at least trying to, out of the air. Every now and then, she’d see a few bodies come crashing to the ground, or barely stay in the air.
“Yes,” she said, watching the fight. “What is the plan?”
“Better terrain; this area is too level, we need the height advantage,” Colonel Armour noted. “Then we can blast them and send them routing.”
“Thundercloud isn’t stupid, he’ll have the unicorns killed, even if he has to lead the airforce himself,” an Earth pony said, finally turning to face the officers and Princess.
“Sir, with all due re-”
“I’d be careful what you said next, Colonel. I am not sending my stallions to their death; there will be no baaaing,” the officer said. “I know General Thundercloud; his dislike of blasting is well known, and I know he’d be pleased to wipe out any unicorn caught blasting.”
“I understand, General, but will he be willing to take the losses reqired to do so?” Celestia asked.
“You’re implying that he’ll lose anything worth a damn, You’re Majesty,” he said, looking at her with a straight face. “He could lose half of his troops, yet if he takes Canterlot, he won’t care, because this rebellion will be over.”
“What about Manehatten, and other major cities?” Armour asked.
The General started laughing, almost to the point where he fell over. His voice filled the group with dread. “Manehatten couldn’t put up a defence even if they had all the troops in the world, and I assume Thundercloud already occupied it before he left. The East Coast might be able to hold out for a while, but they don’t have any idea how to mount a defence on their own. The West, well they have Vanhoover, meaning Saddle will just be concerned with defending itself--until it falls. The South is just a matter of marching in, and the North, well Gryphon wars, if I had to make a claim. Really, Canterlot is too much of a hub. We lose it, or they gain it, and the battles over,” he explained. “And once you have the major cities, the rural areas will follow; they require them too much to rebel for any length of time.”
“Then what do you suggest, General Altrotaire?” Celestia asked.
He paused, for a moment, and surveyed the battle. It looked like a mess--and it was--but Altrotaire seemed to read it like a scholar with an old text. More time passed, and he said nothing, but give him so much as a glance and he looked as if he was talking notes.
“General?” Colonel Armour asked. Yet he said not a word, nor made any indication he was asked a question--let alone that others were with him.
“Here is fine,” he finally said. “I can see the enemy is being worn down, and our troops are still fresh. I’d suggest we let them retreat, then if we must, we blast them then.”
“But we’re greenhorn; the Third Army is decorated and professional; we have no such detachment with us tha-”
“And I’m aware of that, Colonel. However, we outnumber them, and we’ve got superior weapons; the Third Army had yet to be upgraded, nor has it been reinforced since it left Manehatten. They can fight as hard as they like, but they’ve been in enemy territory for far too long and have been only given the barest amount of substance. This is a battle of attrition, and we are going to win.”
“Princess, what say you?” asked Armour.
“I trust the General,” she said without wasting a moment. “His loyalty has never been in question, and his talent and respect have earned him the love of his troops, officers, and support staff, isn’t that right?”
Altrotaire turned to face the battle, but for the smallest possible moment, one would swear they saw a blush or light smile on his face.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Armour said. “The Generals orders stand?”
“Until they are changed, yes,” Celestia ordered. “Have you any requests for me and my guard, General?”
“Left flank could use your support, but I would prefer if you stayed out of the fight. Colonel Armour can take the right, and I’ll assume command of the center,” Altrotaire said, adjusting his armour. “Orders are to live. Send a report to me if there is any issue.”
“Yes, sir!” Armour said, and took his leave, galloping over with his guards.
“He’s a good soldier,” Celestia noted.
“He’ll make a better officer, “ Altrotaire replied with. “He has the trust of his troop, and respect of his fellow officers, he just doesn’t get combat.”
“He was following orders at Vanhoover, General.”
“Orders that anyone could have told you weren’t update. But he refused to change them,” he explained. “I’m not saying he made the wrong choice, Your Majesty, but I am saying sometimes Headquarters shouldn’t get all the love. Orders can change, even if they aren’t issued.”
Celestia said nothing, but motioned for her guards to come over. They were bandaged up in some areas, but appeared willing and ready to fight. Their armour was still chipped and bent a little, but their weapons were clear and ready to go.
“Left flank,” she said, leading the way. She donned her own armour, a dull gold coloured metal that allowed movement in key areas, but protected her vitals.
Her eyes closed for a few moments, and she let the noise of the battle get louder, as her hoof steps got closer. Yelling, orders, metal on metal, metal on wing, clashes of bodies and final breaths filled the air around her. She felt blood fly and land on her wings, staining the ground.
With a deep breath, she opened them, and looked around.
Bodies. Iron. Blood. Bits of wings. Feathers. The scent of magic being used as a weapon. The occasional cough escaped from near dead lips, sending spurts of blood and saliva into the air, only to fall on the cheeks of those who made the noise.
She looked down, and saw between her front legs was a leg, lightly bruised and cut. Between her back legs was a wing, nearly destroyed. Below her was a body, bloody and almost entirely covered in dirt--like it had been hastily buried, but really had just been done in after death. Hooves would kick up dirt, and almost bury a pony. If they couldn’t get up in time, they might be buried alive--the soldiers called it going home.
Glancing around, while avoiding looking at the ground, she saw what she was looking for. Several ponies surrounding something. She took to the sky, trying to fly to it, but before she could make it, the vision ended, and she was left looking at the path further down from Canterlot mountain. The sun was high in sky--perhaps it was just after noon. The area was clean, and smelled of trees. It was no longer the battle ground. Without hesitation, she took to the sky and flew back.
---
Working in the castle wasn’t the most glamorous life, but it did beat a lot of things. To Quill, it was just another day of approving plans, and filling out paperwork for other plans. Repairs on the castle, in the city itself, approving budgets, and hiring new ponies. Just another early afternoon--save for the bandage that drooped down from his head and covered his eyes every now and then, that wasn’t typical.
The door to his shared office swung open, and Celestia walked in. Without so much as a glance up, Quill had tea being poured. Celestia took a seat at the table near the window, and looked out it.
“Everything is on schedule, Your Majesty,” he said pouring her a cup. “How was Sk--”
“I couldn’t finish it.”
Quill said nothing but took a seat across from her, glancing out the window.
“What happened?”
Using her magic, she lifted her tea and holds it on a hoof. “I had my eyes closed.”
“Did you see General Altrotaire?”
“Not his final moments.”
“How about Colonel Armour and his barrage?”
“Not the barrage.”
“The retreat?”
“Not even when I took the flank.”
Quill looked outside again, his eyes closed and slips sealed.
“You missed the entire battle.”
“Nearly every moment.”
“See anyone after the site was finished?”
“Not a one. Didn’t think I would. Aerial Ace and Waterwheel were two of my most loyal retainers who joined her. Who would I see that was not them” She asked, looking into Quills eyes.
“He dies soon.”
“I know.”
“The next battle, was the last in the Rebellion.”
“I know.”
“You need to see it, Your Majesty. I know it isn’t easy, but you need to make peace with these moments; not only for your sake, but Luna’s sake,” Quill explained. “You-”
“Damnit Quill, don’t you think I know what’s at stake here?” She asked, glaring at him and throwing the cup to the ground. “A thousand years of darkness, I get it.”
“Then act like you care,” he retorted. His voice wasn’t raised, and his tone didn’t change. His eyes only met her for a moment in time. “We don’t have much time. The Plains of Neighbra is now farm land, just a bit west of Ponyville. If you hurry, you can make it their soon.”
“We?”
“You’re not alone, I’m still here, aren’t I?” Quill asked, giving her a smile. “Its not easy, but it needs to be done. It’s our best hope of buying Twilight time.”
“You’ll hold down the castle?” She asked, looking at him in the eye.
“Unless you want me to do something else?”
“Be honest, what are our chances of succeeding?” She asked, seeming unsure of what faced her.
“Failure isn’t an option. It’s never an option when it comes to this,” Quill noted, trotting back to his desk. “I’ll keep the wheel of bureaucracy turning, you make it so we have a wheel turn and a bureaucracy to get angry with.”
Celestia smirked. “I think you got a few metaphors mixed up, but thank you. I shall continue on.”
Quill just smiled, and resumed his work. “As I was, as I shall continue,” he mused out as Celestia left the table and made her way to the door.
The Plains of Neighbra was an old name for an area that seemed to always to be filled with troop movement in the old days. The north part started a little west of Ponyville and ran down till the river. It bordered the Everfree forest, and White Tale Woods. Nowadays, it had train tracks, small villages, and farms. But, as Celestia remembered, the Plains were soaked with the old blood of long since dead ponies. Modern day Ponyville was originally a fort, and still was at the time of the rebellion, the last stronghold outside of Canterlot in Central Equestria that was still under threat from the rebellion. No where else was the rebellion active; all forces had been concentrated in a final push for Canterlot. They now sat, just a little ways away from the fort.
Celestia’s flight between Canterlot and the Plains of Neighbra was short, uneventful, but nerve wracking. This was not a location any who knew of the day wished to visit. Although Iron Pass was closer to the castle, the Plains encouraged a more set piece battle. Just because they couldn’t win on the pass, didn’t mean that the rebels couldn’t win; it just meant that they wouldn’t win by taking the castle.
Hence the fort stationed at what was now Ponyville. So ingrained was this fact, that it became the whole of Equestrian defence policy; hold Iron Pass, and hold the Plains of Neighbra. Everything else will happen on its own. Anything could fall, but so long as Iron Pass and the Plains were held, it didn’t matter.
She landed, just behind the Officers Staff. Acting General Armour was finalizing the details. A bandage was wrapped around his head--same with most of the senior officers. She looked out at the troops, lining up for the defence. Most, it seemed, had wounds and bits of them missing; clipped ears, cut noses, and other small chunks missing. Some seemed more bandage then pony, and others still seemed barely able to stand.
“Everypony in Equestria must be here,” she noted as she approached the senior officers.
“Whosoever is not here, is holding the pass, or on their way,” Armour noted. “But they won’t be needed.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I have a plan to crush this rebellion. If all goes well, by this time in three days, we will be rebuilding,” he said, his voice stern, but proud.
“What plan is this?” she asked, an eyebrow raised. Of course she knew, but she had to ask for she did not control herself.
“Triangle attack,” he said with sly smile. “We lull them to attack a third of our forces, then hit them on the sides while they are engaged.”
“Its not going to work; General Thundercloud won’t fall for it,” a heavily wounded staff officer said.
“The traitor has no idea how many troops we have here; we could a single man and he’d order a full attack. He is blinded,” Armour stated.
“By ideology,” Celestia added, her voice low, but loud enough for all those around her to hear.
A silence overtook the group. It wasn’t a simple silence, but one of some inner regret. Something stronger that wished to be called, but no noise could come about to explain. Celestia knew, of course. Rebuilding was name. Her officers weren’t stupid, but they could only learn, while Celestia could only remember.
“We have a job todo. Dismissed!” Armour said, rolling up the map of the field. “Your majesty, I must humbly request your assistance.” A smile, one of desperation, but also bond filled his lips. “If you please.”
She returned it, not knowing what force made her do.
“I will. How may I be of assistance?”
“I wish you to join me, in leading the center that will be attacked. The traitor will have no choice but attack such an alluring target,” Armour explained. “It’s too good to pass up.”
“Will he not catch on? You and I are something worth attacking,” she noted.
A sigh left his lips and he spoke in a whisper. “Your majesty, Thundercloud outnumbers us quite badly. Even with the plan, he may still win, if taking heavy losses. However, in order to succeed, we need the entirety of his army attacking us at once. He will try and force a surrender, and once he gets close, he will attack.”
“This sounds less like a plan, and more like a gamble; where the winner still loses. The losses will be catastrophic,” Celestia noted.
“I know, I know. Believe me, I know. But we can’t fight a battle in our current state; and if we lose the Fort, we lose everything. The pass will be cut off, and communication will be based upon luck. No matter what; we gamble,” Armoire explained. “If you don’t want to join th-”
“I’m not letting my little ponies die alone. They will die with me as close by as possible,” She stated. “Allow me to prepare my guard.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. And thank you, your ponies have trusted in the right pony.”
Armoire left to finish the final touches, and Celestia turned behind her. She looked over the ponies, dressed in the finest armour known around: The Solar Guard. Well trained, equipped, and all technically officers, they were the troops she lived to for.
“We stand with you,” they said in unison as she approached them. “Always.”
She smiled brightly. “It has been an honour to know you, each of you. Are you all able and willing?”
They stood at attention, wounded and bloody. Dented armour, and missing feathers. Scars, and red splotches. Weapons dull to the eye, but lethal to the touch. Matted coats, but firm bodies. She looked over all of them; 15 in total were with her.
“We take the center, and hold it till breaths after the last,” the highest ranking one said. “Nothing passes until the order is given.”
She smile softly, her only future emotion. “Then we go,” she said, leading her finest troops at the head.
She made no eye contact with any senior officer, and she watched a third go to the left, and another third go to the right. She marched forward with furrowed eyes, and tight lips. Passed Armoire, who simply nodded, and to the center of the field. Between two low hills, and stopped.
“Look around,” she said. “Take in the beauty of our land.”
Armoire’s troops came up to her groups left and right.
“See the blue skies, and while clouds. The green grass, and yellow, pink and blue flowers. The bright colours that fill the world around them.”
They held their position.
“Remember this sight, remember this beauty, because even if it is not your last time seeing the nature of this world, it is the last time. The last time before the last day of the Old Equestria.”
Thunderclouds troops started to move, a huge army of ponies.
“The last day will give birth to the first day New Equestria; a world where we stand together, and work together. Mare and stallion, filly and colt.”
They moved fast, and soon were close.
“A New Equestria where we are the makers together, and not separate. Where leadership is for the ponies and for tomorrow.”
Thundercloud roared, and raced to the head, his distance was too close, he could not stop.
“None alive will see that day,” she whispered as Armoire shot a flare from his horn. Within moments, there last two thirds changed Thunderclouds army. Celestia watched the last few seconds before spear filled her vision. It was a vision of one of her guards. A blue stallion, who held his weapon just enough in front of her to protect her--the only one--but far enough that she had mobility.
“Thank you,” she said to the stallion, before the first enemy made contact with her third.
The Battle of the Plains of Neighbra took a little under 20 minutes. To say Thunderclouds plan worked would have been an understatement. It was a total success. Although the Equestria Army took some casualties, about ⅓ were wounded, that didn’t tell the other story. 75% were removed from conflict on the side of the rebellion. The entire Third Army was, effectively, removed. The blood ran deep, and created a red lake around the area. Small groups managed to escape, but they were hunted down.
But still, the vision did not end, and Celestia knew why. Two ponies were unaccounted for.
“We’ve got him, Your Majesty,” Armoire said, approaching her, limping. He had nearly lost a leg. That was fine, in about a year he’d have a son, and take up organization of the military, post-Rebellion at the request of his soon to be wife.
He led her to the wounded, but still moving Thundercloud. He seemed dazed and confused. He held a sword in his mouth and was moving in a circle, fighting off eight soldiers. She watched them close in slowly.
“Persist thing, isn’t he?” Armoire noted.
Celestia said nothing. She watched him try and flap his wings, but they were stabbed by spears. He yelled and howled in pain, but stood, his wings to his side, before falling to the touch the ground. In his spinning, he slipped on his wing falling. The eight rushed in.
Thundercloud, as she heard, made no call of pain, but called out: “My home, forgive me!”
The greatest general of the age, was gone.
She glanced at Armoire. He watched with a soloum expressing. “Traitor to the crown,” he muttered, before turning to leave, as his body was removed to be thrown into a pile.
“That was messy.”
Celestia spun around. A wounded, armed with a sword, and barely flying Aerial Ace was there. He spat his sword to the ground, out of his mouth.
“Relax, Princess, I’m surrendering,” Arial said, holding his good hoof up.
“Are you now,” she asked.
“Well, no. I’m actually about to get out of here. But I thought I’d return my sword to you. It was a gift from you,” he explained.
Using her magic, Celestia raise up the blade. “Bolt,” she read, carved into the handle. “Yes, I remember. Part of fliers, the Wonders.”
He smiled. “Not much of a Wonder, so I figured I’d give it back. Give it to someone else. Someone better.”
“Where will you go?”
“Back to Luna, she isn’t far.”
“Luna? Where is she?”
But Aerial Ace just smiled. “The place where it should have started, but didn’t. You’ll find her in the court of the Castle, hidden in the forest. Come alone.”
“Ace, wait!” she called out, but he didn’t listen. “Wait!”
Present time came back to Celestia, and she found herself standing in a flower field, a little outside town. The hour was late, maybe 8 or 9. She could see the library lit up, and other buildings dark.
She smiled. It was where Twilight was, and she knew it well. It was an ok library, as libraries went, but Twilight wouldn’t care. She’d love it no matter what.
With a shade of her head and body, Celestia took off and with a jump, flew to Canterlot.
Quill didn’t get paid enough, as far as he was concerned. It wasn’t that he hated his job, he rather enjoyed it actually. No, it was more about the ponies he dealt with. Some were nice, some were polite. But the majority seemed to hate his existence.
At least the feeling was mutual?
He glanced outside the window; live music placed and he watched Shining and Cadence stand near one another. Talking, from the looks of it, though Quill watched the hoofs for behaviour. Cadence seemed closer than she’d like, and he could have sworn he looked up to his office window at least twice.
Then again, her room was in a different tower in the same direction as his, so that wasn’t likely.
Right?
He looked at his bandages, tapping his head, and hissing. Yep. Still hurt. He was in pain. He looked down at his desk, and admired how much he had done. It was a lot, even by his standards. He smiled at the stack of paper, and patted the top of it.
Chuckling, he leaned back in his chair and watching the ceiling do nothing. He closed his eyes, and smiled.
“Does Neighbra ever get easier?”
He sighed, but kept in his position. So much for a break.
“Which pony are you asking?”
“You?”
“You know what I mean.”
Silence filled the room for a little while.
“Vanhoover.”
“No.”
“Equestria.”
“You tell me.”
“The Last Hurrah, right?” Celestia asked, changing the subject.
“Yeah. That’s it. The Last. Always capitalized,” he noted, sitting properly and looking at her.
“What was this civil war really about, in your opinion.”
“I don’t think anyone can answer that question, Your Majesty,” Quill noted, looking out the window. Cadence and Shining were still together.
“I asked you opinion.”
“And you got it; never said you had to like the answer.”
“Well I want to like the answer.”
A bitter laugh left Quill’s lips. “You won’t.”
“Try me.”
“It was about Vanhoover being free, and independent. We wanted freedom, and Luna wanted recognition. We gave that her, and inreturn, she gave us freedom. Even joined, en mass, her army.”
“Then explain the Third Army.”
Quill sighed. “Most of the army were from Vanhoover, and Thundercloud was from my hometown even. Left behind a daughter and a son. Luna got them back to Vanhoover from Manehatten, as per his request to join.”
“Loyalty to the land, over Equestria?”
“I said you wouldn’t like the answer. Vanhoover isn’t Equestria. It’s distant, far, and while we speak Equus too, we don’t live Equestria; we live Vanhoover,” Quill explained. “And until you deal with that fact, or learn to live with that fact, Vanhoover will always be Vanhoover. Both have their own people, it’s just hard to tell the difference without knowing them.”
Silence returned. Quill watched the air in front of his desk, while Celestia watched the floor.
“I. I should go. Finish up the nightmare,” Celestia noted.
“I’ll be here,” Quill said, turning to look at her. “Doing my job.”
“You deserve better, Quill,” Celestia said, walking up to him, and kissing his bandage. “A lot better.”
He just smiled; a pained one. But a smile nonetheless.
“The Castle won’t be easy. The Chronicles tell of ‘everlasting pain, and death of never dying.’,” Quill explained. “They don’t like to be happy, do those writers?
The Princess just smiled. “Summon the guard, I have no idea what will happen.”
“Victory, or a fight. I like those odds,” he said with an eye roll.
“You know your role; keep to it and no more. Understood?” Celestia ordered.
“Clear as the crystals.”
Celestia said nothing, but left the office. Quill just looked at his desk and sighed.
“So much for the evening off,” he said before pulling out the list of garrisons to mobilize.
The Castle in the Forest was known by many names. It’s official title was ‘The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters,” but it was also known as ‘The Last Place of Time.’ No one knew exactly what that meant, but anytime it was brought up, Celestia ensured it wasn’t said for a long time.
A she touched down, she was taken back to the last time her hooves were there. 1000 years ago. Her solders, and what remained of the Rebels stood outside it. The door was guarded by two ponies, wearing radially different robes; one of white and yellow, the other of blue and black.
“Your Majesty, thank you for coming. The situation is getting serious,” the pony of white and yellow robes said.
“Yes, my colleague is correct. The moon will not lower,” the pony of blue and black robes said.
Celestia had to blink for a moment. “The moon?”
“Yes. While the rebellion took place; Princess Luna still lowered and raised the moon, and you the sun,” her pony official said looking a little off. “Oh dear, has the day been that long?”
‘“It seems like its about to get longer,” Celestia said with a smile. “Why won’t she lower it?”
“Final act of rebellion,” Luna’s advisor noted. “She’s practically dismissed all of us; hence why the army has been disarmed. She won’t talk to anyone, or listen. But she isn’t alone.”
“Who is with her?”
“Her student Waterwheel, and Ace went in as well. I have no idea where they are, but before you came, some of the unicorns in her army, and yours mentioned they could sense ponies being teleported out of the castle," the advisor added. "I would assume she is alone in the castle currently."
"Any idea where?" Celestia asked, glancing at the towers of the castle.
"She mentioned the Hall of 1000 Ponies, before she went in. So that would be my guess. Otherwise, I don't have a clue."
She said nothing, but looked through the gate to the large building in the center. It was a little dark, but mostly visible if one knew where to look. Her eyes focused on it and she blocked out the noise of the ponies around her. She stared on and, if only for a moment, felt the plus of magic. A kind of magic she knew, but distant as well. It was not only of her kin, but of something else. Not a one, but a thing.
"I will go in," she said, pushing the gate open with her hoof. "Do not close it behind me, and do no enter. Leave it be. I will return shortly." Before those around her could reply, she was in the castle's inner walls. No pony had walked the courtyard since just prior to the rebellion, and it showed. The grass was unkept, the flowers were dead, and the trees seemed empty. Still, she had a job to do. Celestia pressed on to the doors. The giant things of oak were unlocked, and she pushed them open, revealing Luna, sitting on the rug in the center of the room. She entered and closed the doors behind her.
"That's close enough," Luna said after Celestia took a few quiet steps towards to Princess of the Night. "That's close enough indeed."
She stopped, and took a seat on the rug. She watched Luna with soft eyes, and a small smile.
"It's good to see you again," Celestia said after what felt like long enough silence. "How have you been?"
"I didn't want this to happen," Luna mused with. "A rebellion, that is."
"I know."
"I just wanted to be known."
"I know."
"To be loved, respected. That's all I wanted. No blood."
"I know."
"And I found it, I found love and respect."
"Did you really find it?" Celestia asked, kind of regretting asking after the glare from Luna.
"They talked to me, asked me for advice. Respected by opinion. I don't know what it might be to you, but it was love to me," she said sternly. "I was allowed to be a ruler, and they wanted for it to happen."
"Yet here we are."
"They wanted to be free. They wanted me free, free to dictate life with them. They wanted me to be their ruled, Celestia," Luna explained, her eyes cool and composed.
"And you?"
"I wanted what they gave me. It was to be a win-win situation."
"Yet here we are. Mounds of corpses across the country, lives broken, homes ruined, and civilians hurt," Celestia noted, her tone bitter and dry. "Tell me, who won?"
Luna said nothing, but looked away from her sister. She stood and walked to a nearby window.
"A whole army, mobilized for me, marched for me, fought for me, it's uplifting, isn't it?"
"What in Equestria are you talking about? Ponies are dead, Luna," Celestia all but screamed out, yet she made no move closer to her.
"Don't pretend to have the higher ground, ponies did all that for you as well," Luna mused. "The only difference is you forgot what that kind of love feels like, while I only just learned it."
"I am not some heartless-"
"I call you nothing of the sort, Celestia. You seem to not be listening," Luna said with a smile. "I am simply telling you what I finally got to feel. Any issue you take of that, is your own."
"Luna, just raise the moon," Celestia said with a sigh. "We can discuss this later."
Luna watched Celestia with a neutral expression, before giving a long sigh.
"You do not listen."
"Luna, not now."
"Then when? When will you actually listen?" Luna yelled out with. "You know as well as I do you can raise the moon right now. But you don't. This isn't about the moon at all, is it? It's about things going back to normal. Don't you? Admit it!"
"Raise the moon!"
Luna said nothing, but ran deeper into the Hall of 1000 Ponies. The Hall wasn't long, but Celestia really didn't want to chase her far.
"Princess!" the oak doors opened behind her. "You must hurry, the moon needs to be lowered soon; there isn't much time left."
"I know, I know. I'll deal with Luna, just hold on," Celestia said, running down the hall. Former Prime Ministers of Equestria, some Generals, civil servants of note, and some inventors; the Hall held them all. Portraits of them, ready to remember. Celestia ran past them all, unable to meet their eyes, but she could feel their painted ones cover her.
"Not. Another. Step," Luna yelled out as Celestia entered the room. "Did you really expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious light?"
Celestia watched Luna, stand upon the podium and yell at her, unable to respond. Her thoughts filled with wondering how this could have happened, and how to stop her. For a split second she felt a bit of magic in the area, not from her or Luna, but someone else.
q"There can be only one Princess in Equestria! And that Princess, will be me!" she yelled, destroying the podium.
"Luna, I will not fight you. You must lower the moon!" Celestia begged. "It is your duty."
"Luna? I am Nightmare Moon! I have but one royal duty now: to destroy you!" Luna yelled. Celestia took flight, trying to escape. "And where do you think you're going?"
Luna attacked Celestia, striking her with a bolt of magic; it's aim was true and slammed into the Princess' body, causing her to fall. With Celestia down, Luna took flight, through a hole in the ceiling she made. The army may have fallen, but not her.
Celestia, her pride wounded more than her physically, stood, held her head low and sighed. "Oh dear sister, I am sorry," she said softly, more to herself then the air around her. If only to alleviate her own pain, and accept the future.
"But you've given me no choice but to use these," she said, raising up an old statue with six stone orbs. She smiled at them for a moment, and spun them around her in a perfect circle. Celestia shot into the sky, and flew around, looking for her sister.
She didn't have to look long, seeing her flying around the castle.
The two engaged in battle for a short while, but Celestia easily won. With a tear in her eye, she shot the final blast at her sister. Striking her in the chest, within a second, the blast took its effect and sent her higher, flying towards the moon. Luna cried out in distress, but nothing came of it. She was gone, moments later. Her time in Equestria, no more.
Celestia flew down, touching down in the bushes, in present day. The castle had become old, since the last time it had been visited. She watched her student, Twilight, and her friends run into the castle. A sigh left her lips, and a smile. She was ready to confront Luna, once and for all, and deal with what had happened.
Memory was a strong thing to the alicorn, and she wasn't about to let it ruin her future. Luna would be brought into Equestria society. Luna. The Princess of the Night, would be her co ruler, as she should have been. No longer would the country be deprived of its other Princess, regardless of the limelight. Soon, there was a massive flash from the castle, from the old audience room if she guessed correctly. It was bright, and reminded Celestia of the last time. It wasn’t something to be feared, or violent, but a call. A call to a chance to come back.
Celestia wasted no time in flying towards it, as fast as her wings would take her. A smile not on her face, but in her soul. Her lips read a calm, if excited demeanour, but her eyes, her eyes told all the stories she’d tell Luna. Her eyes betrayed her.
