Throne of Night
“At last, we’re here.”
The Vengeful Omen coasted smoothly back to realspace, into the capital system of the New Lunar Republic. It had taken a fair few jumps since the engagement in the Rakus system, their precious message too sensitive to be copied or transmitted in any way.
Horizon was the jewel of the Republic. It was the richest, most prosperous star in the entire cluster. It had no less than three comfortably habitable worlds, multiple asteroid belts with generous mineral deposits, and several other non-habitable planets with mining and production colonies. Megalithic construction frames and platforms orbited the primary world’s moons.
The feature that truly made this home for the New Lunar Republic was the celestial anomaly that hugged the sun. Forces of the universe had come together in this system to form a sparse dark nebula running through Horizon. Its tendrils of gas and matter obscured much of the light from the star, casting its shadow over the orbiting planets, shrouding them in perpetual twilight.
It had earned its name from the original explorers of the region. The captain of the surveying vessel said upon viewing the star and its planets ‘If darkness had a horizon, this place would lie upon its edge.’ And the term had stuck.
It was the crown of the system, the throne world, Obsidia that Princess Luna called home. The temperate orb was a dark ornament, hanging in the abyss, caressed gently by the radiation of its large yellow sun. Obsidia had gotten its name from the first settlers who had come, seeing the massive mountain ranges made of volcanic glass and its fertile volcanic soil. The world was close enough in the habitable zone of the star that in spite of the solar energy lost from the nebula, it still had four comfortable seasons and permanent ice caps.
Aside from its size, the main reason for Princess Luna’s choice was the eight moons that girdled the planet like foals around their mother. Two even had atmospheres and respectable gravity. They all housed their own populations, each serving as sources of rare minerals, military training, low gravity dockyards, and each was reinforced with enough defensive infrastructures to shame all but the mightiest of flotillas.
It was a cruel irony in a way, that Nightmare Moon could have had her paradise if she had only waited. It was indeed a planet of eternal night, in its own way.
“Transmit follow up identification codes and set course for Obsidia.” Winter Reverie instructed his bridge team.
“Incoming message from the Maelstrom,” Announced a watch-stander. An older, rather swarthy bluish-grey earth pony with an ageing black mane was on the other end of the line. The Maelstrom was one of three dreadnoughts on permanent rotation around the Horizon system, keeping a perpetual vigil around their princess.
“This is Captain Gale aboard the dreadnought Maelstrom contacting Commander Reverie aboard the Vengeful Omen. Admiral Blueberry has ordered me to escort you to orbital dock ring two two alpha. Foehammer, right?”
“That’s correct. We’ll follow you in.” Captains and commanders tended to swap stories and collected at officer’s lounges together, the barrier of rank keeping them from mingling with the majority of ponies enlisted in the service. Gale had long earned the right to retire, but his duty to the Republic had kept him on the Maelstrom.
Normally time in realspace dragged even more slowly than jump space, but before the Commander knew it, his ship was docking at one of the many military stations orbiting Obsidia and bidding farewell to Captain Gale and the Maelstrom. He teleported himself to his stateroom to get ready.
As he peeled off his armor and opened the trunk beside his bed, he tried to recall the last time he had worn his formal dress uniform. It was a thick material, heavily starched. A deep indigo dye colored it and was in keeping with most Republic standards. A polished silver brocade adorned the shoulders and a pair of thin silver ropes crossed the chest like a bandolier tastefully. He double checked to make sure that all the rank insignia and various honors he had earned were properly displayed. It was required of every officer to wear all decoration to which they were entitled.
The Commander frowned, trying to think of an excuse to wear his sidearm, but could find no decent reason beside his own obsession. He had gone too long from civilized lands and circles. Without a weapon, he felt well and truly naked.
The unicorn walked out of his stateroom and was surprised to find Nightingale waiting for him.
“Oh! Commander, I figured you could use a little something to take with you.” She held out a ceremonial sabre in a black lacquered sheathe chased with platinum. The hilt was simple but elegant with a perfectly rounded blue sapphire set in the pommel. Winter pulled the blade out a few inches, admiring the laser sharpened steel.
“That gem there isn’t all that it appears to be.” Nightingale pressed a hoof to the stone and gave a careful push. There was a slight click and a faint hum as a glow infused the blade.
“Ah, a power field. Very clever.” Suddenly, he didn’t feel so naked. Nothing like a weapon that could part most known materials to put the mind at ease. He looped the strap for the blade over his shoulder. It rested neatly at his side, seeming like nothing more than a ritualistic addition.
“When you’re in the Lady’s presence, think of us okay? That way we’re there a little bit too.” Winter Reverie nodded. He would be carrying the will of all the faithful aboard the Vengeful Omen.
***
The shuttle ride down was uneventful. It gave Winter time to go over all that had transpired as he turned the data block end over end in his telekinesis. The royal palace on Obsidia was a beautiful place, carved of huge blocks of the obsidian mountain ranges. After numerous security checkpoints, the unicorn came to wait in a large room before the main audience chamber. A pegasus mare that looked strikingly familiar was checking in with the various ponies waiting to be seen by the princess.
“Excuse me miss.” The mare looked up from her clipboard, happily distracted from a nagging aristocratic pony. Winter Reverie was slightly surprised that the mare actually still used pen and paper for her record keeping.
“Yes, may I help you?” She hovered over, leaving the rather portly looking earth pony much put out.
“Does your name happen to be Dusk Breeze?” The pegasus mare had a surprised look.
“Why yes, have I met you before? Do forgive me, I see so many…”
“Is your daughter Dream Breeze?”
“Oh Luna, she isn’t hurt is she?” Winter Reverie gave a reassuring smile.
“No, no, I recently fought alongside your daughter. She’s a fine soldier. It was an honor and she acquitted herself and her crew admirably. I was just curious to see the mother that could raise such a foal.” Dusk Breeze tittered in relief and shortly stopped, looking at her clipboard.
“Sweet goodness, are you Commander Winter Reverie?”
“Yes I am.”
“I’m terribly sorry for the delay; you’ve been given top priority. This way please.” She showed him to the final hall before the audience chamber and said a quick goodbye. He strode down the long carpet leading to a large set of doors and was stopped by a unicorn in purple armor. He was not one of the famed bat-winged guards, but still carried great responsibility.
“What’s that you’ve got there?” Great, just what Winter Reverie needed: an overzealous guard. He could quite understand the need for intensive security around the Lady of the Night, so he did not begrudge the stallion any hard feelings.
“I’m sorry but it’s classified, for Her Majesty’s ears only.”
“Uh-huh” The guard said skeptically, his fellow on the other side of the door seemingly oblivious to the argument going on next to him. “I still need to see what’s in it.”
“No, actually you don’t. I have orders from Admiral Blueberry himself to waste no time bringing it straight to Princess Luna.” Reverie could sympathize with the royal guardspony’s position, but that didn’t stop him from getting annoyed.
“Not if I say you can’t. And another thing, you can’t bring a weapon into the audience chamber. Even if it’s ceremonial or whatever. Honestly, you nobles.” Winter Reverie bristled at the last comment. Comparing him to an aristocratic snob was an affront to his honor, which he would not stand for. Just as a scathing retort rose in his throat, a strong female voice rang out in the hall.
“Hold it there; I can vouch for this guy.” Winter turned to see a cyan pegasus wearing a uniform studded with medals and awards.
“Sky Marshal Rainbow Dash, ma’am!” The obstinate guard suddenly stood quite a bit straighter and saluted sharply.
“Yeah, yeah, marshal smarshal.” She sauntered up to Winter Reverie and her face broke into a wide grin. “Heya Winter, long time no see. How you holdin’ up?” The Commander felt a relieved smile creep onto his muzzle.
“RD! I suppose I can’t complain. What about you? I hear they’ve got you stuck behind a desk now.” The element bearer snorted.
“Pff, the day I get stuck behind a desk’ll be the day I officially retire.” The sky blue pegasus was getting on in years, but not so old that settling down and starting a family was out of the question. Both her and Winter Reverie had fought alongside each other in battles past, one of his old power armor squads having been assigned detail aboard her ship through a few of the nastier engagements of the war gone by.
“Those tin legs still holdin’ up, Winter?”
It was one of the many reasons the Commander hardly went anywhere without his combat armor. His front right leg was cybernetic from the shoulder down, and his left front leg from the knee down. The right he had lost in one of their mutual battles. It had earned him one of the larger medals on his coat. She had been the one to first pin it there. Rainbow Dash was a rather informal commander of her troops, brash, brazen, and unshaking in the face of danger, and was hard on herself for every loss of life or limb under her authority.
No pony alive could match her skill in an atmospheric fighter.
“About as well as can be expected. I’d love to catch up, RD, I really would, but I gotta get in and see Princess Luna.”
“Say no more.” She flapped her wings and hovered at eye level with the guard who had gone still as stone. The supreme commander of the spaceborne forces of the New Lunar Republic held there for just a moment and set back down on the polished volcanic glass floor. She turned to him with a smile. “Go right on ahead.”
With a grateful nod, the unicorn walked through into the audience chamber of Princess Luna.
The ruler of the night sat in regal perfection upon a throne of glossy black stone, polished and carved from a single piece of crystal. A stylized moon sat in glittering blue diamonds on the top of the royal perch. Rounded steps formed a slightly raised ziggurat, flanked by small pools of flowing water with glowing moon lilies. Royal guards stood arrayed behind the throne and along the walls as various ponies brought in a continuous stream of missives, messages, and battle reports.
Winter caught himself gaping at the threshold and quickly composed himself and spoke with a herald who asked his name and his business.
“Foehammer.” Was all the unicorn said. The herald nodded and turned smartly on his hooves.
“My Lady, may I introduce Commander Winter Reverie of the Assault Cruiser the Vengeful Omen. Bearing the urgent matter of which Admiral Blueberry and Sky Marshal Rainbow Dash spoke of.” Luna’s piercing eyes sharply focused on Winter Reverie. The stallion found himself unable to meet the gaze of his goddess and looked away.
“Everypony, leave us. This is matter vital to the security of the Republic, and secrecy is of the essence.” Her voice rang clear as a bell, and everyone, even the guards bowed respectfully, and exited. A few moments later it was just Winter, and Luna. The snow white unicorn walked before the throne and abased himself, bowing as low as his body could. He could find no words, his mind unable to summon the will to think as he basked in the radiance of Princess Luna’s presence.
Only once before had he had the pleasure of basking in the aura of the alicorn’s power during a group ceremony where she gave out various awards and posed for news cameras. Even with past exposure, his senses still felt close to overload. There was no preparing for being in the same room as divinity.
“Rise, Winter Reverie, I must hear and see this Foehammer you bring. Time may already be of the essence.” The soldier did so, but kept his eyes lowered, satisfied with her in his peripheral vision, feeling unworthy of truly drinking in the image of her grace. He opened his mouth to begin when motion made his warrior’s instincts look up and sharply to the left of the throne.
A pegasus in a servant’s livery was creeping towards the flank of the seat of power. Aside from the young colt’s clear violation of Luna’s order to vacate the audience chamber, was the glint of steel extending from under the sleeve of his left leg. At that moment, the yellow colt launched himself into the air straight for the Princess who was too distracted with Reverie to notice until the pony let loose a blood-curdling cry as he flew.
“For Celestia!”
“Princess Luna!” The Commander shouted. The alicorn mare turned in surprise to see her assassin. Mid-way through the killer’s leap, Winter Reverie appeared in a flash on the top step between his goddess and the Imperial agent. The yellow pegasus raised his hoof to strike with his hidden blade, and met the point of a sabre. The sword pierced the feathered colt through the sternum, not stopping until it emerged partway down his back, buried from tip to hilt.
Winter Reverie teleported again, taking the assassin with him to thrash and bleed out a safe distance from the throne just in case he had some other trap rigged to a dead switch. The Republic Soldier gripped the humming blade tightly in his magic, pinning the colt to the floor like a butterfly specimen. The crimson pool spread out around the pony and his thrashing grew weak. When he was almost still, Winter pulled the blade from its fleshy sheathe. The last of the blood flowed even faster from the fatal wounds.
The energizing field that empowered the sabre to slice through even metal with ease vaporized the leftover blood and the Commander replaced his clean blade. He stared down at the dying pony, caught between pity and scorn.
A soft sound broke Reverie out of his combat trance.
Princess Luna had descended from her throne, her elegant shoes clacking on the hard floor as she approached. To his shock, the Lady of the Night knelt beside the bleeding pegasus and bowed her head, tears shimmering at the corner of her eyes.
“Oh my wayward child,” she spoke softly. “I am sorry. You did not deserve such an end. This war between sisters should have been settled between sisters long ago. Be at peace, weary soul, and know that I bear you no ill will. Pass beyond without regret, and sleep.” Luna place a hoof gently on the shoulder of the prone colt as his last breath whispered from his lips.
The scene only further cemented Winter’s belief in Luna’s divinity and he found himself bowing low in obeisance.
“My lady, I’m sorry, but he was going to-“ Luna stood and interrupted him.
“No, Winter Reverie, no, the blame of this needless death lies upon my shoulders. This war has gone on too long, and now you bring me tidings of a Foehammer. It is a sign I think, that perhaps the end is in sight, one way or another. Please, come with me. Let us hold our conversation elsewhere. The scent of blood is now too thick in these halls. I shall have the captain of my guard address this breach in security.” Her tone carried a terrible burden of sadness, undercut by an edge of steel.
The unicorn followed his princess obediently through the hallways of her palace. They walked in silence, and soon Winter Reverie was quite lost past all the twists and turns of the long corridors. Artistic works of great magnificence lined many of the passages, statues, tapestries, and paintings of different scenes and important looking ponies. They came to a rather innocuous chamber, a circular turret with a ceiling that reached a hundred feet into the air at least. Solar maps of all kinds lay scattered about in shelves or spread out on tables.
A large holographic representation of the stars of all known settled space rotated serenely above a center console. This was clearly Luna’s private observatory, where the Princess of the Night might relax among the constellations picked out in jewels along the walls. The soldier waited patiently for his princess to gather her thoughts.
“Let me tell you something, Commander Reverie, there is another secret that only a hoof-full outside this room know of.” She paced a few regal steps towards the floating map.
“The Lunar Republic is losing this war.”
Reverie had had fears, with his own experience and the tales of other battles across the lines with the Empire. But to have his concerns validated, his suspicions proven true… and by Princess Luna of all ponies! It was one thing to think it, and another for it to be spoken aloud.
“I mustered our forces as best I could at the beginning of the war, hoping to topple my sister with the element of surprise and superior numbers. Only after the first attacks did we learn she had been secretly stockpiling weapons, ships, and covertly training soldiers for as long as we had been. In her decreasingly unstable state, her paranoia had pushed her to prepare for impending invasions from imaginary threats. Unfortunately my attack only served to agitate her suspicions and fears.
“We do not have the Solar Empire’s capability of absorbing such grievous losses. Her totalitarian rule enforces stricter requisition and recruitment practices. Not that my subjects are wanting in conviction, it’s just a matter of numbers. Celestia controls the oldest worlds, with huge population bases to draw from. They simply have more soldiers, more workers, and more resources available.
“We’ve kept them stalemated by staying ahead of the technological curve, faster drives, better weapons, and more advanced troop tactics. Our guns, our ships are better, but there simply aren’t enough of them.” Luna continued her pacing. “Our spy networks report serious discontentment throughout the Empire despite the network censorship and news blackouts. They predict total planetary uprising if the war continues as it has or if they are given the right push. By the time we reach that point however, the Lunar Republic will have been conquered. It is simply a matter of time.”
Winter Reverie could stay silent no longer.
“My lady, please, is there nothing we can do? You speak as if there is no hope.” She gave him a reassuring smile that made his heart soar.
“There is always hope, my little pony. First though, I must see the Foehammer you bring.” Winter floated out the tiny data receptacle and dutifully floated it over to Luna. The alicorn took it and slotted it into the center console. The floating moats of light were replaced with the schematic specifications entombed within the innocent looking data brick.
Luna took her time, examining the aspects of the equations, measurements, and sparse material listing. She would zoom into one particular piece, rotating it this way and that, and then retracting back to piece it back into the whole. The white unicorn stood by silently, part of him hoping that he was wrong, that it would turn out to be some new corporate mining laser, or perhaps plans for a luxury yacht.
“This is… real.” Princess Luna unplugged the data brick. “This will have to be analyzed further, but in my mind there is no doubt. How awful that we have come to this point.” Her gaze fixed on Winter, and once more he had to avert his own. “The Foehammer Protocol was put in place in case any evidence was found to suggest the Solar Empire was developing a superweapon. You have fulfilled your duty to the letter, Commander Reverie. I only wish that it hadn’t been necessary.
“Both the NLR and the Solar Empire are close to collapse. My sister is blinded by her rage, her paranoia; she will try to grasp at anything she can, even if it means this horror. The reason the Foehammer Protocol was established was for just such an emergency, in case she really had gone over the edge and decided to make something like this.”
“There is a secret however, guarded even more tightly than that of the state of this war. For you see, my little pony, the Republic has its own Foehammer.” Winter Reverie’s thoughts came to a crashing halt and he looked up at his goddess.
“What… how? It’s not a weapon, is it?”
“Yes, and no. It is a culmination of nearly twenty years of effort. I helped drafted some of the design myself.” She said with pride. “It will however, end the war. Of that I guarantee.”
“How familiar are you with the legend of the Leviathan?” Winter Reverie shook his head.
“Not much your majesty. It’s a creation story isn’t it?” She smiled and he launched into what of the story he knew.
“Before the worlds and stars, there was only the Leviathan. It swam the dark emptiness alone, searching for other life. But it could find none, and finding itself gripped by grief at being so alone, it gave up looking and drank up even the void. In consuming the void however, it swallowed something even greater than itself and burst into infinite pieces, for the Leviathan itself was greater than all. Its many scales scattered, creating the stars. Its right and left eyes became the sun and moon. While the body of the Leviathan became the world of Equestria and life grew from its bones.” Winter felt embarrassed, afraid that he had gotten it wrong.
“It’s a story of how the Leviathan was a creature of such titanic proportions that the whole of the universe was simply the leftovers of its death after it consumed the nothingness around it.” Luna smiled. “That’s the basic idea, I think. It’s a popular story among sailors.” The mare gazed upward to the many wonderful vistas of the sky.
“There is a task I would ask of you, Winter Reverie. Something I’d like for you to do.”
“You need but ask, and it shall be done, your majesty.”
“I do not believe there are gods in this universe, but I do believe that the living energy of the stars shape the lives we lead. That you brought this Foehammer from so far away, that you saw what you have, that you stopped the assassin when you did. All is connected. I know some ponies believe I can see the future. I cannot.
“I can however, see when a conflux, a chain of events all link to each other. And I know, to the core of my being, you have a further part to play.”
(Okay, two updates so close together! Oh the joys! I love writing this story because its everything I ever wanted to see in a space combat drama thing. Ohhh how I'm rubbing my maniacal hooves together! Leviathan is coming. And don't worry, I have plans for nearly all the characters in the show. Element bearers, CmC, and others besides! But, their roles shall be revealed as they come.)