//------------------------------// // IV: Nakiketas Said, "I Know That What is Called a Treasure is Transient, for That Eternal is Not Obtained by Things Which Are Not Eternal." // Story: The Huntress // by The Quiet Party //------------------------------//         Sunset was completely surprised as she was suddenly glomped by the Speaker.  “I didn’t want to believe,” the Speaker said.  “I didn’t want to have my heart broken, but the prophecy came true!”  Sunset could hear the Speaker sobbing behind her mask, and she woodenly embraced the stranger.  “I never thought in my wildest dreams it would be true!”         “I’m sorry,” Sunset asked, pulling away from the unexpected hug.  “Do we know each other?”         “Very much so,” the Speaker said, reaching for both the mask and the hood that covered the rest of the head.  The Speaker then revealed a face that was familiar to Sunset: tanned skin, eyes the same color as hers, and hair that seemed to be two shades of midnight blue, catching the light of the sun at points as if it were filled with stars.  The woman looked to be in her late twenties, but Sunset had always known the owner of the face was older than she looked and carried her age well.         “Vice Principal Luna?” Sunset said, completely shocked.         “No, I….”  Luna chuckled.  “It has been so long that I forgot I once had a counterpart here on Earth.  Perhaps this will give a better answer, Little Light?”         Sunset froze at that statement.  “Little Light.”  I know that phrase!  I know it, but where do I know it from?         Meanwhile, the Speaker’s body began to shimmer and shift, like it was made of putty.  A second later, the human was gone, and in its place was a pony.  But not just a pony.  No, this one was taller than Cayde by far, with a coat of midnight blue, wings and a horn.           Princess Luna looked up at her niece – even an alicorn of her stature was still shorter than a human – with tears of joy in her eyes.  “Perhaps you recognize me now?”         “I…?” Sunset gasped.  “Princess Luna?”         “Yes,” the lunar alicorn said, a wide, loving smile on her face.  “Your aunt.”  Luna approached her niece once more and tried to hug her as a pony, though it was much more awkward.  “And Harmony has brought you back to me when you are needed most, my Little Light.”          Sunset’s head began to swim as something in her mind exploded.  Memories began to rush in like a flood, things she couldn’t remember a moment ago.  Memories of a happy life ripping into her, becoming a mental tornado of sorts. Sunset let go of Luna, backing away and clutching her head, wincing from the pain.  “Make it stop….” she moaned. “Sunset?  Are you okay?” Luna asked, worry creeping onto her features. Sunset collapsed to the ground and screamed as her eyes opened, revealing solid orbs of glowing cyan power. Sunset screamed once more, and Luna backed up for a second, momentarily afraid of what was going on. The world crashed in a blanket of aqua. ~*~ On holographic screens, Ikora and Zavala watched the recording of Sunset Shimmer’s first battle against the diamond dogs. “She’s manifested all three hunter training regimens at once?” Zavala asked, incredulous. “I know we tend to joke about the hunters as having no discipline whatsoever,” Ikora told him, “but in truth, they’re just as disciplined as my forces or yours.  It takes a lifetime to master the Gunslinger, Bladedancer or Nightstalker schools of methodology, and most only stick with one – it’s rare when you see a hunter with two of them.” “And unheard of with a hunter with all three,” Zavala agreed.  “But what about that power she's manifesting?  That doesn't look like any solar, arc or void magic I've ever seen.” Ikora smiled with the certainty of someone who knew a vast and ancient secret.  “Surely as an Awoken you know what true magic looks like?” Zavala looked at his companion as if she were mad.  “That's just a myth, and you know it.  Sure, we Awoken can use magic with more versatility than humans, earth ponies or pegasi, but even ours follows one of the three principles of magic, just like unicorns.  So-called ‘true’ magic is merely the stuff of legend.” “Then would you care to explain what we've just seen?” Before Zavala could answer, there was a booming explosion that rocked the Tower.  Alarms shrieked throughout the complex, while a blast door slid over the external window and and the normal warm glow of the overhead lights changed to the glaring red of emergency running lights. “What was that?” Zavala boomed.  “Are we under attack?” It was his Ghost that supplied the answer: ⟪I'm picking up a large unknown spike of energy in the North wing.⟫ Zavala and Ikora looked briefly at each other before the titan slammed a fist on a touchscreen recessed into the table.  “All Guardians in the Tower, to the North wing immediately.  Use of lethal force is authorized.  This is not a drill!”  Ikora then grabbed him, and showing her power as the Vanguard’s top warlock, blinked both towards the Tower, their weapons at the ready.. ~*~ With a bottle of amaretto in one hoof and a cup of coffee in the other, Cayde chatted along merrily with the bartender. “Oh, that new girl?  Man, what I wouldn’t do to be human again.  Seriously, she’s hot.  Almost makes me wish I was in the field and carefree again.  Heh – maybe I can talk Cawley into the Dare next time he checks in––” The bar shook, knocking the hunter off the stool and spilling his coffee.  Worse, spilling the precious amaretto.  A second later, alarms sounded, followed quickly by Zavala’s order. “Awww, fuck,” Cayde swore.  “There went my break.” ~*~ “I don’t feel too good,” Sunset moaned. “On the contrary,” Luna said, her voice tinged with pride.  “You have never felt better, my beloved niece.” “Trust me, I don’t.” “Trust me, you do.” The discussion was ended a second later as about fifty Guardians suddenly appeared, all of them pointing a variety of weapons right at Sunset.  Titans, warlocks and hunters, all of them aiming right at a single individual.         Luna reacted immediately.  She threw up a violet shield, just in time for an impressive array of firepower to slam into it.  Sunset jumped back by the amount of ammo crashing against the protective barrier, but it held firm. “ENOUGH!” Luna roared in the Royal Canterlot Voice, a tone that she hadn’t used in centuries.  “CEASE NOW OR I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!”  All the Guardians present suddenly realized that shooting at a being that could shout louder than a rocket engine was probably a bad idea and they set down their guns. “Speaker Luna!” Zavala shouted.  “What is the meaning of this?” “What is the meaning of what, Commander?” Luna said, her eyes angry.  “I hope you remember that you serve at my pleasure.” “You are not a princess anymore,” Zavala replied, “and you said you were the only alicorn left!” “I was elected to serve the people,” Luna responded, “and that means I am in ultimate command, my old title notwithstanding.  Furthermore, I never said I was the only alicorn left.  I said it was likely that I was the last remaining!”  She the looked at the rest.  “Please, all, stand down.  My niece is of no harm to any of us, I assure you.” “Your niece, Speaker?”  This time Ikora spoke up.  “Sunset – assuming that’s her – said she’d been a pony before she’d been human.  She’s an alicorn?” “I’m an alicorn?” Sunset asked, a stunned look coming onto her face.  Ignoring everyone, she walked over to a nearby puddle of water, looking at her reflection.  The image revealed Sunset, for the first time in ages in her pony form … and with wings on her side. She turned to Luna.  “I’m an alicorn!  I’m finally an alicorn!” “Yes,” Luna said, lovingly.  “Starswirl’s final prophecy is coming together.”  Luna approached the younger alicorn and nuzzled her.  “You are the last good thing in this world that Celestia ever did.” “WHAT?”  A new voice shouted from the back, stentorian and angry.  “That … thing is Celestia’s daughter?  The spawn of Nightmare Star?”  The speaker strode forward, revealing himself as Lord Shaxx, the head of the Crucible.  In one hand he held his shotgun, while in the other, his helmet.  His uncovered features revealed a weathered, craggy face with stringy blonde hair and deeply inset green eyes.  “I demand answers, Speaker!” “You are in no position to demand them,” Luna replied.  “Sunset is my niece.  My family has all but been decimated, and my sister is the evil the universe hates – would you dare rob me of somepony I love so?” “You said it yourself – she’s the daughter of the Taken Queen!  Darkness is in her blood!” “Except she was adopted, not birthed by my sister,” Luna snarled, “and this whole mess – all of it – started with Celestia murdering her own foal!”  At that pronouncement, the area fell into uncomfortable silence, with Sunset suddenly finding the floor very interesting, while the Guardians had no idea what to do.  Zavala and Shaxx glared at Luna, who returned the challenging stare, and Ikora’s features were unreadable. As if the situation needed desperate defusing, Sunset’s Ghost suddenly floated down from where it had been.  Floating in between the dozens of Guardians and the two alicorns, the Ghost said, ⟪Hey, you might think I’m going out on a limb here, but … I like Sunset.  She protected me even before she knew Ghosts were vital to her existence.  And she felt sad – really sad – when we came across a dead Guardian and his Ghost.  She’s one of us, I know it.⟫  The Ghost turned slightly back and forth, as if addressing the group before her.  ⟪All of you are Guardians now … but you weren’t always that.  How many of you remember parts of your lives?  And if you do, were those lives worth it?  I’m sure one or two of you have a skeleton in your closet.  So why blame Sunset for what her mother did?⟫ Ikora thought on that logic, and a smile crossed her face.  “Speaker, I’m sorry we took up so much of your time,” she said.  “Enjoy your family reunion, and if you need me, I’ll be back in the Hall of the Guardians – and given your niece’s abilities, I know you’ll be needing me soon enough.”  With that, the warlock holstered her infamous shotgun, Invective, and calmly walked off towards the central spire.  A few other Guardians lingered, but they eventually left as well, the looks on their faces showing various emotions.  The ponies amongst them all looked with an instinctive awe at the new alicorn, but seeing the look of anguish on Luna’s face, opted to leave their historical leader be for the moment.  Finally, with a sense of wariness, both Shaxx and Zavala departed, neither putting their weapons on safety as they left – and making a very clear statement in that way. As they walked off, Luna watched them leave.  “Forgive them, Sunset,” the elder alicorn stated.  “To all of them – even ponykind, now – alicorns cause nothing but hardship and pain.  Sometimes I suspect even I’m merely tolerated because I abandoned my title and have lived as a human all these centuries.” “Is that why you gave up your title?” Luna nodded.  “I am not the Princess of the humans or the Awoken, and furthermore, my throne – my realm – is gone, destroyed by Nightmare Star’s inequine crimes against life.  I….”  Luna shook her head, and with a flare of her horn, her body shifted once more, becoming the human woman once again.  “Little Light, there will be time to discuss everything later.  You will need to know all that has occurred … and much of it isn’t pleasant.  But for now, I wish to spend time with the only family I have left.” Sunset looked at herself, still in her alicorn form.  “Um … help?” Luna smiled.  “What, Celestia never taught you amniomorphic spells?”  When Sunset shook her head, Luna chuckled.  “Changing forms is natural, Sunset.  Just let your magic flow and think of your human form.  The rest will come naturally.” Sunset nodded, closing her eyes, and letting her horn flare.  A second later, she felt her body warp and woof in unnatural ways, and when the sensation stopped, she felt taller and thinner – a sign she was in her human body once more. ⟪Wow, that is seriously awesome!⟫ the Ghost replied.  ⟪See?  I knew you were special!⟫ “Of that I have no doubt,” Luna answered.  She then turned to her tower.  “Tiberius?  Please cancel the remainder of my appointments for the day.” A golden Ghost floated out of the entryway, looking at Luna.  ⟪Speaker, you have the weekly meeting with the factions at 1530.  And while I’m sure you would love to avoid it, it gets to be a madhouse with–--⟫ “Yes, with the Three Stooges there,” Luna said, shaking her head in disgust.  “Contact Belard and ask her if she would chair the meeting for me.  The Three Stooges absolutely hate her, and the minor factions will be too busy trying to curry favor from her to care what Hideo, Lakshmi or Jalaal think.” Tiberius nodded.  ⟪And if they get out of hand, she’ll just Fist of Havoc the table?⟫ Luna laughed.  “Well, she is a large earth mare for a reason.  Anyway, my niece and I are off to the city, and then to my personal residence.  Finish up here and catch up with us there.”  Tiberius nodded his assent, and with that, Luna escorted Sunset across the way to the Tower’s transmat station.   ~*~ A few minutes later, the two were walking the streets of the City.  Sunset looked around in amazement at the mélange of cultures and styles that reflected the nature of the last major civilization on Earth.  Gleaming steel spires stood adjacent to sedate brick buildings.  A bodega and a Japanese tea house shared the same artificial pond, and no one commented on the dichotomy.  An Arabic-styled building sat next to an Equestrian treehouse – that is, a tree grown into a house.  Open-air markets existed next to shopping malls, and in the center of it all was a massive domed building that sat on a mesa directly underneath the ever present, monolithic Element.  It was, needless to say, breathtaking. The people of the City, as well, were a sight as well: humans of every ethnicity and culture.  Awoken, in a rainbow of colors, matching the ponies that walked or flew about.  At one point, Sunset even thought that she saw a zebra, dressed in the robes of a warlock.  Oddly, it was what she didn't see that concerned her: no sign of bat or crystal ponies, griffins, or many of the other species from her homeworld. But one thing that did catch Sunset’s eye was the change in Luna.  From the previous times she'd met her aunt, the lunar alicorn came off as timid and retiring, much like Fluttershy on a good day.  But now, Luna was laughing and smiling, taking frequent pauses to talk to those that approached her, gave candy to the various children she came across, and generally being more open than Sunset had ever known her to be. As if discerning her niece’s thoughts, Luna voiced, “I know I'm more open than I used to be.  But the peoples of the City need a leader who guides them and is close to them, not a distant ruler who only counsels them in dreams.”  Luna looked to the sky and added, “Besides, the dream realm is forever closed to me now, in any case.” “You lost…?  But how?” Sunset asked, completely surprised that Luna was calmly discussing the loss of one of her main duties as if it were a mere trifle. “I've had centuries to grow used to its loss, dear.  Besides, its loss forced me to engage people and speak to them on an individual basis.  It made me a better leader, and so it's a trade I have learned to live with.  Besides, until now we've all had to learn to live with the Shattering.”  Luna have a wistful look.  “It was the only way Twilight could save the world.”  Luna put up a palm, and three balls of magefire appeared in her hand: blue, orange and purple.  “I still have magic, it’s just … well, that will be part of my explanation tonight.” “So what now?” Sunset asked. “Well, I’m sure you haven’t eaten in quite some time – about seven centuries or so, if my guess is right.  And I thought it might be nice to pick up some lunch and take in some shopping before we sit down for a long, long talk.”   ~*~ The sun had begun to set over the horizon as Sunset’s dinner grew cold.  She could feel the giant star moving over the sky, part of her nature as a unicorn and an alicorn.  But as she looked at her aunt with tear-stained eyes, her heart was shattering into a million pieces. “You’re lying,” Sunset said, more out of reaction than actual belief.  “You have to be lying.” “I wish I was,” Luna said, her own cheeks wet with lacrimation.  “Little Light, if it could change what happened over these hundreds of years, I would happily admit to lying through my teeth.  But that won’t change anything, Sunset.” Sunset’s Ghost looked at Tiberius.  ⟪Is it true?⟫ Tiberius nodded as only a Ghost could.  ⟪I have served my lady since the day I first came into being, and I cannot count the number of nights she’s openly wept, or lost sleep because of what happened, or nearly had a breakdown.  Yet she perseveres, and that makes me proud to be her Ghost.⟫ Ignoring their robots’ conversation, Luna looked at her niece.  “Do you understand everything I’ve told you over dinner?” Sunset shook her head and hugged herself.  She could practically feel the warmth draining out of her.  “I … I don’t want to understand.”  She then wiped her eyes.  “But I have to.  So explain it again.” Despite her sorrow, Luna couldn’t help but smile.  “You make me proud, you know that?”  Sunset nodded, and Luna reached over to a worn, hide-bound book.  “It started the day after you returned home from Twilight’s castle….”