"Chapter 1"

This is the first draft of the first chapter of the first story of my forthcoming work. I did not post it as a story as it is still a draft and I plan on posting the entirety of the work once I am finished. I hope this retains your interest as I complete the rest of the work. As always, I appreciate your reading.

There was something different about Luna.
The dark fabric of her mane hung motionless, like a dead sky. Her light and airy Cantorlot horseshoes were gone and in their stead were four black metal shoes that rose partway up her legs in armored spires. Her dark wings were folded and tucked across her back. Her entire body was the same shade of dark blue it had always been and her splattered Cutie Mark was still emblazoned with the white crescent.
The clear blue stars set into the dusk face of the princess stared down at Rarity. Below them hung the quiet and polite smile of Princess Luna.
“P” Rarity could scarcely comprehend the Alicorn before her and she only uttered the single phoneme before falling again into stunned silence. The ponies around the pair moved past as if they saw nothing, and the doctor who Rarity had just accosted for information shrugged and strolled away from the dumbfounded mare.

Rarity realized she was hallucinating. She began to suck in quick, light breaths. She was under too much stress; the shooting, Rainbow Dash, it was all too much for her. Rarity anxiously sank to her haunches in the middle of the hallway and closed her eyes. She felt her heart fluttering inside her chest and she swallowed. Doctors and nurses clopped by her as she took in several deep breaths in an effort to steady herself.
Rarity opened her eyes.
Luna was still standing before her. The dark princess moved. She cocked her head to one side.
“Something wrong?” There was no trace of her accent, yet her clear and subtly commanding voice unlocked her reality as it reached Rarity’s ears. Princess Luna was actually standing before her.
“Wh-what are you doing?” Whimpered the unicorn. Everything she’d heard and thought about Princess Luna for the past year had sculpted a very real terror of her and Rarity realized this fear as the Alicorn approached her.
“I need your help.” Luna stopped a foot short of Rarity’s seated form. Rarity stared blankly up at her. Luna waited. Rarity stared. “Please.” Added the Alicorn politely. Rarity began to rise carefully up from the floor. Luna held out her hoof. Rarity hesitated as she reached upward. Her hoof trembled as it neared Luna’s. Rarity touched the cold black metal of the horseshoe and she pulled back.
Luna’s mouth curved into a small smile to this.
“It’s ok.” She said gently. She held out her arm and Rarity again reached for it. This time she caught the crook of Luna’s arm and the Princess hoisted her to her hooves in an instant. Rarity fearfully bowed and took a few steps away from the Alicorn. “Oh.” Luna said in quiet surprise. “All right then.” Rarity slowly lifted her head from the floor and again made terrified eye contact with the Princess.
“What do you need from me?” She asked timidly.
“Let’s take a walk.” Luna suggested. “Please follow me.” She started down the hallway toward the elevator.
As Rarity followed Luna, she became distinctly aware that literally nopony besides her could see the princess. They all passed by and around the pair as they walked. Luna herself stepped around and past each pony without giving any indication that she noticed them either.
Once they reached the elevator, Luna pressed the button, then looked back at Rarity. She was still smiling.
“Walk beside me won’t you? It unnerves me when ponies walk behind me.” She said with a little laugh. It was the first time Rarity had heard Luna laugh in as long as she could remember. Rarity dutifully stepped beside Luna. The doors of the elevator opened and a few nurses shuffled past. Luna politely stood aside and allowed Rarity to enter first. “Allow me.” Luna turned to face Rarity. “To apologize for what happened tonight. I can assure you that there’s nothing more outrageous to me than diamond dogs being so bold as to launch an attack this far away from the mountains.” The doors opened and Luna led Rarity out into the waiting room. “I can only offer my condolences regarding your friend.” They passed out of the hospital and Luna took a left turn down the mostly deserted street.
The sun was starting to rise and the lumpy shadows of the dunes were climbing up the buildings and down the roads. There was no wind and the air was dead and noiseless around them. Luna was silent for a time and she simply looked down the road. Rarity’s heart pounded in her chest and she grew more and more terrified as Luna led her out of the town and toward the desolate dunes. She was about to apologize for whatever she’d done when Luna suddenly halted. Rarity stopped too.
Luna was chuckling. For a few seconds, Luna grinned and even gave a small shake of her head. Sweat ran down Rarity’s body as she waited to find out the joke.
“Four diamond dogs?” Luna looked down at Rarity as if she thought maybe the number was an exaggeration. “Automatic rifles?” Rarity was unsure of how to answer and Luna shook her head once more. “There was that bomber in Cloudsdale, then my guard.” Rarity realized in horror what Luna was referring to.
“Please, your majesty-”
“Rarity what happened?” Asked Luna bluntly, the smile still present on her face. Rarity bit her lip and Luna spoke again. “From what I’ve heard, it’s been an interesting year for you.”
“I-I didn’t mean to do any of those things. I was trying to protect Twilight, I’m very sorry about your guard. I didn’t mean to get involved with the bomber, I just.” Rarity stopped. What would Luna say to learning she had been drunk when she’d attacked the bomber? “I’ve had a difficult time adjusting to the Blast.” She said softly. “I really didn’t mean any of-” Rarity had been slowly backing away from Luna as she spoke and she was nearly ten feet away when Luna addressed this.

“Stop!” So thundering and ominous was her voice that a chilling dread overcame Rarity and she shrank down toward the sand. Luna took three steps and covered the distance between them. “I’m sorry for scaring you.” Said Luna gently. She stopped just a foot from Rarity. The princess leaned toward Rarity, narrowing her eyes. “What’s hurt you the most about the Blast?” She asked, her voice now gentle.
There were countless things that hurt Rarity about the Blast. Losing her business, learning how cruel her town could be. Seeing Rainbow Dash become so frail. The cancerous wound of Fluttershy’s death that she avoided at all costs. Rarity had hurt more from the Blast than anything else in her life.
“Losing Celestia.” Rarity answered without hesitation. Luna gave an interested “hmm”.
“That makes two of us.” Luna with the same small smile.

Luna flew much faster and much straighter than any Pegasus Rarity had ever ridden. She was horrified of course, of the notion of seating herself and then riding on Princess Luna; but it had been Luna’s suggestion, and Rarity was not in the habit of declining any such suggestions. They had only flown for a few minutes, and Las Pegasus was still a large blotch of grey amidst the tan dunes when Luna spoke again.
“You’re a multifaceted mare.” She said, her voice just loud enough to be heard over the rushing wind. “You used to make that wonderful clothing and I imagine everypony in Ponytown respected your culture. Then I leave for a year and come back to find you somepony I’d fear running into in an alley.” Luna laughed, her clear voice cutting through the wind. “I read in the report that the bomber was twelve feet from you. You made an accurate and powerful throw with a kitchen knife, then covered that distance, subdued the canine, and disarmed him. All without a scratch.” Rarity thought to mention how scared and largely harmless the dog had been, though she had no intent to actually speak. “You survived a serious knife wound to the abdomen, then overcame one of my royal guards. You annihilated your place of business with cider and matches.” Rarity looked down, it was a long fall to the dunes, which were growing rockier and greener with each moment. “All of this being the mark of a pony with either too much or too little time on her hooves.” Luna looked back at Rarity. She was smiling, the same small smile she had worn when she’d first spoken at the hospital, the same small smile which kept appearing more and more frequently in their conversation. “Then last night. Four canines break into a nightclub. You stood up, drew a hoofgun of all things.” The smile grew to the point where Luna was grinning as if she were recalling a hilarious hijink unrelated to a bloody gunfight. “Killed three of them, then charged the last and broke his neck after being shot yourself.” There was a pause and Rarity heard herself squeak out a “yes”. Luna banked to the right and they rolled through the foggy shroud of a cloud.
“Most Princesses would give you a medal. But I’ll do you better.” The puffy mist buffeted Rarity’s forehead and she felt the rolling sweat turn cold. They passed out of the cloud. “I’ll give you a job.” Rarity felt her stomach turn. She’d been building a mostly unconscious idea of what the post-Blast Luna might be like, and somehow the lucid and cordial mare before her was far more disturbing than the psychotic and violent princess Rarity had occasionally envisioned.
“Nearly a year ago, my sister was killed in an explosion. Today I’ve come to ask for your help in finding who that explosion came from.” Luna said calmly. “I come to you because there are no other ponies in this nation that can do what I’ve seen you do, or at least, that aren’t in jail.” Here she laughed, which disturbed Rarity all the more. They passed through another cloud and Luna looked once more to the horizon. “Before you become coy, I will state that payment will not be an issue and there are many more matters that I’d like to attend to before I learn what abandoned cave to send however many million bits to.” Luna looked back at Rarity. “Foremost however, I’d like to make sure you’re comfortable working with me.”
There was nothing in the world that made Rarity more uncomfortable.
“Absolutely.” Rarity answered without hesitation. The dunes were gone and now they were flying over grasslands. Luna nodded once.
“Good, I appreciate your camaraderie.” She said, a touch of her accent returning. “I know you must have many questions regarding myself, my return.” That small smile. “Your new job.” Luna bowed her head and they flew faster. “But I’ve a few things to take care of before that.” She looked back, this time the smile was polite and even sincere. “You wouldn’t mind would you?” Rarity’s mouth had gone dry and her “Not at all” was lost to the winds. She simply smiled and shook her head.

Celestia’s palace was covered in a thick slather of marble. The walls, gate, towers and chambers were all layered in the slick, chilled stone. Sourced from a single quarry in the Rail Mountains, the marble had been refinished twice and was cleaned once a year by the most prestigious masons and jewelers in all of Equestria. Rarity knew these, and other pointless facts regarding the aesthetics of the palace from a class she had taken freshman year of her education at the Academy of Advanced Arts. However as Rarity followed Princess Luna up the steps through the main entrance hall, the most relevant trait of the marble seemed to its paining quality of giving of a reverberating clack with each step they took.
The palace was typically bustling with ponies attending to royal matters, but today the halls were entirely empty. Rarity was mortified. Luna was suspected of being an accomplice to or even the mastermind behind the Blast; she was supposed to be arrested on sight. Rarity feared that she too might be arrested for not attempting to restrain or call attention to the wanted princess. Each echoing step seemed to be another call to anypony inside that Luna was back, and Rarity wasn’t doing anything to stop her.
Oddly, her apparent fugitivity didn’t seem to cause Luna any anxiety and she strolled down the velvet lined halls with all of the ease of a Princess who’d been doing so all of her life. Rarity followed close behind, her nerves growing tighter and tighter with each step.
“Madam!” Rarity sprung into the air. The voice came from behind them and despite her follower’s panic, Luna turned to the speaker without the least degree of surprise.
A grey stallion stood in the hall behind them. He was softly closing the door to one of the rooms they’d just passed. His mane was a rich black and was narrowed and trimmed so that it ran down his head evenly and did not spill over his ears. His eyes were a icy blue and he wore a tightly fit overcoat that covered nearly all of his body. A polished horn pointed from his head and it glowed as he pulled a wooden crate nearly the size of another pony over his shoulder.
“It’s good to see you Madam.” He said formally.
“Kaiser.” By Luna’s tone, Rarity could tell that the stallion was a close acquaintance of the princess. “How long have you been here?” She asked, stepping around Rarity and walking to greet him.
“Arrived within the hour. I was-”
“The old room.” Luna interrupted him and a silence that terrified Rarity followed. It was the first time Luna had interrupted anypony and Rarity uneasily waited as the princess eased the door open and looked inside. Kaiser lowered his eyes as she did so. Luna looked inside for only a second, then shut the door and turned back to the unicorn. She watched him for a moment. “Well.” She smiled pleasantly. “I can understand. Consider it your recompense for the Tides.” She said with a surprising warmth. The stallion nodded to this, but did not look up. Luna thumped the crate he carried. “Has it kept?” She asked in a louder voice.
“Yes Madam.” Luna nodded, stepped past Rarity and resumed her walk down the empty hall.
“Wonderful.” She looked back at Rarity who was trying her best to not disrupt anything. “Come along please.” Luna started down the hall again and Rarity frightfully scurried after her.

They had been walking for nearly twenty minutes. Rarity had no idea the palace was so expansive. They had descended several flights of stairs, only to ascend different sets later. They’d looped through chambers and halls and past a few dining rooms. Luna walked with a graceful yet decidedly brisk pace and Rarity was starting to grow winded. The plush red velvet under her was temptingly soft and Rarity realized she hadn’t slept in a day. Kaiser had since taken his place directly to the right of Luna, leaving the white unicorn to trail behind. Nopony spoke and despite the terrifying circumstances, the soft mash of hooves in the cushy carpet started to coax sleepiness over Rarity.
“Here.” Luna abruptly halted. Kaiser followed suit and Rarity’s nose bumped into the corner of the crate trailing his back. She was still rubbing the sting away when she heard Luna speak her name.
“Yes?!” Rarity quickly answered. They were standing in an utterly arbitrary point of yet another hallway. A few doors lined the white marble walls and a single window on the left wall shone the daylight outside into the corridor. Luna flicked her head toward the wall.
“Which of these is not a gem?” She asked. A glazed mosaic was built into the wall. A series of topaz and white diamonds formed the iconic sun of Celestia’s regal administration. Rarity hesitated and Luna let out an impatient sigh. “One of the stones is not a gem. I’ve been gone a long time and I don’t remember which.” She explained. “Use your magic.” She ordered.
Rarity instantly launched her beloved gem indication spell onto the mosaic. Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked over the tiny polished stones. Even as a former jeweler, Rarity could not tell the flawless stones apart and waited anxiously for the spell to trickle over the entire image. One of the bright yellow stones in one of the upper rays of the sun did not glow and Rarity hastily singled it out.
“H-here it is!” She cried.
“Press it.” Commanded the Princess. Rarity’s hoof shook but she quickly nudged the small stone. Nothing happened. “Harder.” Clarified Luna. Rarity swallowed and pushed a bit harder. She was careful not to scratch or crack the glass. She also did nothing. Luna repeated herself and Rarity, now breathing audibly, pressed firmly against the stone.
She flinched instinctively as Luna impatiently swept her hoof from the panel and placed her ironclad hoof against the stone. Luna gave the resilient stone a firm press and a distinct click came from the panel. The low metallic twang of elevator cables ran up through the ceiling. In a moment all was silent. Luna looked down the hallway in the direction that they had entered.
“First door on the right.” She strode toward the door. Luna pushed the door open and revealed an elevator car. The car was constructed of thick metal powder coated a glossy grey. A single caged bulb hanging from the ceiling of the car gave off so much light that it hurt Rarity’s eyes to look at it. Luna stepped in, followed by Kaiser. Luna looked out at Rarity. “Wait here.” She stopped, her head cocked, then righted itself almost immediately. “No, you ought to join us.” She decided.
Rarity obediently squeezed into the car, which appeared to be designed for a maximum of two ponies. She stuffed herself behind Kaiser, who still stood at Luna’s right side. Luna clicked the button on a panel which Rarity couldn’t see and they jerked downward. The sudden movement animated the crate and it knocked into Rarity’s snout once more. The blow felt merely like a soft thump, as Rarity’s heart was now racing in panic.
The elevator, clearly a clandestine installation, was taking her to a secret destination somewhere in the belly of the royal palace. With her was the ominous Princess Luna herself, accompanied by a quiet stallion nearly as unsettling. And finally, the only thing Rarity knew about the contents of the crate currently crushing her was that it was something that Luna found important.
Rarity’s stomach turned as the elevator slowed to a halt.
“Here we are.” Luna whispered to no one in particular.
The doors opened.
At first Rarity could see nothing, as her face was still pressed to the side of the elevator by the crate. Wherever they had arrived at was nearly silent, and the only noise was the clink of Luna’s metal horseshoes stepping out of the elevator. Kaiser followed after her.
Four grey walls, matching the elevator, greeted them. The room was not very big, with the opposite wall standing only about fifty or so feet away. More of the same caged lights hung from the ceiling, casting spider shadows over the floor and walls. There were some cots and a few tables around the room and a couple filing cabinets massed in the corner.
The only noteworthy aspect of the room was that Twilight was in it.
Her back was turned and she appeared to be reading something off of a table that stood in the center of the room. Rarity’s heart jumped as she saw the unaware Alicorn. Something jabbed into her snout and Rarity focused on a golden point that hovered less than an inch from her nose. She followed the point along an equally gold shaft, until she reached the end of the spear and came to a royal guard. Six royal guards in total had surrounded them. Rarity now saw a few chairs and cots sitting on either side of the door. Somepony shouted something and Twilight turned.
Neither Alicorn had seen the other for over a year. Twilight’s face, which had previously exhibited the furrowed brow of a mare deep in thought, now grew soft, very soft. Her eyes widened a small bit, the frown on her face disappeared, and her mouth fell slightly agape. She looked like a filly.
Rarity happened to glance up at Luna. The mare’s rich blue eyes were equally wide and her face, unsuited to emotion, had actually grown nearly as soft. For a princess who had not seen the successor who had risen and taken the throne of her fallen sister a year before, Luna looked almost disinterested with Twilight. Then Rarity saw the small smile beneath the softness.
“Twilight.” Luna spoke first and her voice sounded exactly as it had when she had greeted Rarity for the first time.
“Princess Luna.” Twilight said politely, the shock muting her.
“I’ve returned to speak with you.” Luna said casually. There was a pause and Rarity saw the gears working in Twilight’s mind. It was a long pause and Twilight’s voice was slightly more formal when she spoke again.
“Your majesty, I am sorry but we-”
“Proconsul, Legionnaire, Derma, stand down.” Luna commanded. Three of the guards raised their spears and stepped back without a word. Luna looked to the other three. “Seems Queen Twilight has taken to augmenting my defense force.” She pointed to the other three stallions. “I personally oversaw the training of your superiors and ingrained in them the knowledge that they should avoid conflicts which they could not win, especially with Alicorns.” The other three waited a moment, then raised their spears.
“Guards, Princess Luna is a suspect in the-”
“Twilight.” Luna’s gentle but chastising voice sounded eerily like Celestia’s. “If I’d wanted to kill you, do you think I would plan it like this?” Twilight swallowed.
“Princess Luna-”
“I would like to speak with you Twilight” She stepped past the compliant guards and began to walk toward Twilight. “Face to face.”
“You don’t need to get any closer to talk to her!” There was a closet in the right wall of the room, the door was open and Spike stood under the threshold. He looked as horrified as Twilight and Rarity, but there was a fearful anger to his voice as he saw Luna approach Twilight.
“Spike, how you have changed.” Mused Luna as she glanced to the source of the cry. She walked undeterred to the table and stopped a foot from Twilight. There was an awful moment of silence as she gazed at Twilight.
“That’s enough!” Shouted Spike, jogging toward the pair. “You’ve been gone far too long, this is not-”
“What are you going to do about it Spike?” Asked Luna suddenly. “I get the impression you’re about to say a lot of things that lead up to a threat of some sort and I am very interested.” Spike stopped midway as Luna looked over at him. “In what you plan on doing about all of those things.” She cocked her head as she waited for him. “I’d like to speak to the Queen please.” She repeated after a moment.
“Spike, it’s ok.” Twilight said quietly. She looked to Luna. “What is it you wish to talk about your majesty?”
All eyes came to rest on Luna. For once, the dark princess seemed unsure of what she should say. Luna looked over Twilight, then at the concrete wall. She stared at the blank surface, her dark eyes glancing back and forth as if she were trying to recall what she had planned on saying.
She looked down at Twilight again.
“How long, Twilight, do you plan on being our enemies’ little XXXXX?” The words, though no louder than her normal intonation, were sudden and sounded like Luna was trying to fit a lot of meaning into the sentence. The vulgar accusation caught everypony off guard and Rarity heard Spike gasp.
“What do you mean?” Asked Twilight softly. Luna sighed and she grew animated once more.
“A terrorist plot so asinine and convoluted the bomber doesn’t even know what he’s doing, taking place beside the hotel where you’re so conveniently staying. An assassination attempt on your very life.” Luna turned and began to walk around the table. “Your best friend kills one of your guards who was apparently paid or blackmailed well enough that he’d overlook the technicality of a centuries old oath of honorable conduct and protection towards you. A civil war to the north, occurring amongst the most violent and degenerate of cultures during the first year of your reign.” She paused and looked down at the papers on the table. “And you are attending to trite matters of state while hiding inside of a fallout shelter after you were very nearly assassinated by a yet unknown conspiracy.” She looked at Twilight. “All of this a year after my sister’s murder.” There was a pause. “You are a terrible queen, Twilight.” She said severely.
“How dare-”
“Spike I will kill you if you say anything more.” Luna didn’t look over to Spike but kept watching Twilight.
“Your majesty, we have gone to great lengths to investigate the source of the-” Twilight began.
“Where is your fury Queen Twilight?!” Shouted Luna.
“Where is your responsibility your majesty?!” Twilight’s shout was frightened and unsure, but it seemed to strike Luna and for once the Alicorn was quiet. “You’ve been gone for the entirety of these events.” Twilight continued. “We’ve entered a recession and many businesses and entire industries have suffered tremendously. I’ve learned the entirety of Equestrian leadership in less than four months and assumed control over a nation before I’ve gone on my first date.” She paused to take a breath and Rarity saw that Twilight was shaking. “Now all of this has happened after the death of one of my closest friends and my mentor. It’s true, I have made stabilization of the economy a priority; I would rather a conspiracy roam free than an entire country collapse. After the incident of the bombing, I devoted nearly all of our intelligence agencies to investigating the nature of the diamond dog conflict and am awaiting their determination before wantonly sending troops into a war we are not affiliated with. However our entire budget has been reduced by one third across the board and I am more concerned with maintaining sanitation and clean water than I am with learning why the burrowing chalcedonies are a target of extreme violence. And after my betrayal and attack, I spent several long weeks reconsidering my stance toward the possibility of a conspiracy existing to kill me.” There was another pause as she took a breath. Twilight looked up and matched gaze with Luna.
“Ultimately I thought it best to execute my duties in hiding, rather than flee the land without explanation.” She said quietly. “And now I’d like to ask you your majesty, what have you spent the last year doing? And what gives you the right to claim both your innocence from your sister’s death and absolution from not attending to Equestria in her hour of need?”
A frown, small and contemplative, had come over Luna’s face. During Twilight’s speech she had grown still and almost seemed pacified. She waited for a time after Twilight spoke, seemingly processing her lambasting. Then she suddenly looked back toward the elevator. Rarity shrank down instinctively.
“Kaiser.” She called. “Come here.” The grey stallion walked toward her, carrying the crate. Luna looked back to Twilight. “Perhaps it’s a disconnect in ruling philosophy between us.” She said casually. “I see royal assassination and wars as direct threats to my nation, and I would stop at nothing to bring those responsible to brutal justice.” Kaiser set the crate between them and took his place beside Luna. “I suppose that when my enemies come knocking, I answer them.”
“What is this?” Twilight asked.
“Absolution.”