//------------------------------// // Ch.1 Red Lake Valley - Part 1 // Story: Past Actions, Future Consequences // by Rill //------------------------------// The sun slowly rose over the valley, its light slowly chasing away the night’s shadows as it began painting the surrounding snow-capped mountains in purples and blues. At the base of one of the mountains lay a simple wood and stone house, its chimney just starting to emit the first ghostly tendrils of smoke into the cool air as one of its occupants began to start the day. In the room above the kitchen, a young filly’s head slowly rose over the side of the other bed, her sleeping target still blissfully unaware. Barely managing to stifle a giggle that threatened to ruin her plan, she raised one of her wings and slowly brought the tip to the sleeping colt’s nose. At first, nothing happened. Moving the wing’s tip around, the colt’s nose twitched at the irritation. Pulling back slightly, the young pegasus waited until her brother stopped moving before moving in again. As her target’s nose twitched, she could see the pressure building, before exploding a second later in a sneeze that left her ears ringing. Opening his eyes, the young colt’s view was blocked by a pair of large green eyes that he’d recognize anywhere. Lifting his head slightly, the colt’s horn lit up briefly, his pillow flying off the bed and straight into the offender’s grinning face, knocking her back onto her tail. Rubbing her nose with a hoof, she glared at the young magic user. “What in the name of the Lunar Queen was that for?” “What do you think; for waking me up and ruining a great dream!” the colt said, his pillow flying back to its former position as its owner turned his back to her. “Did it have anything to do with Honeycrisp?” “It’s not smart to tease your older brother, Star.” Star Gazer snorted, “By two minutes, maybe.” Not getting a response, the pegasus returned to looking out the window at the slowly brightening sky, her breath hanging on the still air like a lone cloud. Another smile slowly lit up her face as an idea began to form. “You know, I was hoping on doing a little flying this morning.” Looking back at the occupied bed, she saw that her brother’s ear was turned toward her. Gotcha. “But you know mom’s rule, so unless I can find somepony to come with me, I can’t go, and since I don’t want to wake up dad or bother mom…” “You’re not going to give up, are you?” “Nope!” “Or let me sleep?” “Correct,” she replied, smiling. Sighing, the young colt turned over in his bed, trying to give his sister the harshest glare he could, only to fail miserably as she broke out laughing. “If I go, will you promise to let me sleep in from now on?” “Filly Scout’s honor,” the young pony responded, solemnly lifting a hoof. “I thought they wouldn’t let you join?” “Not because of anything I did.” Her face darkened as that unpleasant memory surfaced. “But I promise not to wake you up early…for now.” Knowing that was the best he was going to get, the young colt sat up in his bed, yawning as he threw off the heavy quilted blanket. Jumping down to the wood floor as quietly as possible, he arched his back like the orange cat that was currently curled up under his bed. As he stretched, he let his wings slowly unfold, the simple move eliciting a small moan of pleasure as the muscles loosened. Straightening out a few rebellious feathers, the black colt looked up at his roommate, who simply stared back with an arched eyebrow. “What?” “Nothing. You ready?” “Can’t a pony stretch first?” “Not if they want to get in some flying today.” “Fine, but if I pull something and have to walk back, I’m blaming you.” “If that happens, I’m not the one who didn’t stretch,” she replied, not waiting for her brother’s response as she jumped out the open window. Muttering a few choice words better left unheard, the young colt ran toward the window, leaping through the opening. As he cleared the window, he felt a familiar thrill flutter through his chest as gravity took over before he spread his wings, feeling them catch the crisp morning air. A few beats later, the tree tops passed underneath, the top most leaves gently brushing his underbelly. Out ahead, he could see his sister hovering in the air, waiting for him. “About time,” she said as he caught up. “I’ve been waiting forever.” “Ten seconds is not forever.” “It was twenty, and it can be, especially when you’re involved.” “Are you saying I’m slow?” “No, but I have seen butterflies fly faster than you.” “What’s the challenge?” Shadow asked, knowing what she was getting to. “First pony to White Head Glacier wins. Hard deck at five thousand. No magic.” “Won’t help you Star, I’ll still kick your flank.” “Tell that to my tail, which is all you’re gonna see.” “On three?” he asked. She smiled, “One.” “Twothreego!” the young colt yelled, not waiting for his sister to start the race as he blasted past her. Below him he could hear her cry out as she chased after him. She’d call him a cheater the first chance she got and probably wouldn’t let it go until recess, but Shadow didn’t care. Unlike him, she could fly in the open, so if he wanted any chance of winning, he needed to take every opportunity he got. As he climbed, he could feel the air getting colder as it started to bite at his fur, his breath trailing him as he pushed higher and higher. Looking behind to see his sister steadily gaining, Shadow forgot to pay attention to the currents around him, and was promptly rewarded for violating his mom’s first rule of flying when a cross breeze slammed into him and sent him tumbling. Below, Star Gazer wanted to shout at her brother to watch the currents, but saw him go tumbling before she could call out to him. Without thinking, a slight change in the angle of her wings sent her to the left, barely in time to avoid a mid-air collision. Pulling out of her climb, she hovered for a second, trying to find her twin. As she was preparing to dive to save his flank, she saw him flare his wings, breaking his fall as he regained control. Sighing in relief as he began to climb, she rocketed towards the finish line, having decided that since he was fine, the idiot could eat her contrail as punishment. Flaring his wings to stop his free fall, Shadow shook his head, trying to make the world stop spinning. As the world graciously complied, he spotted his sister flying off with a lead that he couldn’t hope to beat. Mentally slapping himself for forgetting something so simple, he had to admit that the accident did have its reward. Slowly rising, he watched his sister reach White Head glacier, a large tongue of ice that started deep in the island’s jagged western mountains and slowly inched its way toward its end at Red Lake Valley. At the foot of the glacier, Shadow could see chunks of ice the size of his house break off the face and crash into the green lake at the glacier’s base. Located atop a large cliff, the lake’s water roared over the cliff’s face, slamming into the jagged rocks hundreds of feet below, before gently winding its way through forests and fields until finally ending in the large blue lake in the center of the valley. Out on the lake, he could already see a few small boats plying the calm, fog-covered water, their owners going out to check the nets laid out the previous day, their wake shattering the lake’s otherwise mirror like surface. In the town along the shore, plumes of smoke were already rising from the numerous houses and businesses that made up the main part of the village as the residents began to stir. Shadow could see a few early risers gently walking along the grey cobblestones of the main road that passed through the town. Following the road’s path, he could see it gently snake into the surrounding forest as it headed for its end at the thestral colony, their caves dotting an otherwise pristine grey vertical mountain face. Returning to reality, the young colt began the flight to the glacier, allowing himself a few lopsided barrel rolls just for the fun of it. Below, the forest canopy remained as impenetrable as it always was. Passing over the glacier, he shuddered at the freezing air rolling off the river of ice. Reacting on instinct, Shadow tucked in one of his wings, rolling to the side as a small object rocketed past his face. Below, he could see his yellow maned attacker. Even as he recovered, she had already launched another half dozen frozen white missiles his way. Hastily tossing up a shield, the snowballs spun around their target before zipping back to their sender faster than they had been launched. Star Gazer jumped out of the way, the snowballs cratering into the spot where she had just been standing. Ahead of her, she could see her brother hit the snow, a golden shield already up. Grabbing the rest of her stash, she leaped into the air, barely avoiding her target’s return salvo. Closing the distance in a heartbeat, she launched her attack, firing her ammo at her brother’s unshielded back and flanks. Before the snowballs had traveled half the distance, a shimmering citrine wall of magic appeared, stopping the balls well before they could hit. Screaming in frustration, she banked, trying to get out of range. With a smile better suited for a predator, Shadow’s horn glowed. Dozens of hoof sized snowballs formed, and then began floating in the air. A heartbeat later, the icy missiles were hurtling toward his sister in a seemingly solid line that followed her flight path. He could see her heading for the ground, so he sent half a dozen rounds towards her landing zone. Moments later, he could hear her scream as they hit, drenching her coat in ice and slush. Keeping his shield up, he leaped into the air. Hovering for a second as he gathered more rounds, he imagined that he looked like some kind of god bent on vengeance. Flying as fast as he could, he launched the snowballs at his attacker, who barely managed to dive for cover behind an outcrop of solid ice. The salvo hammered where she had just been, and Star knew she couldn’t stay there. It would take him a few seconds to gather more snow, and then she would be doomed. In a heartbeat, the young filly knew what she had to do, though it disgusted her to no end. She fled. She bolted from her shelter, not bothering to grab any snow; it would only slow her down. She could hear her brother’s shout of surprise as she flew. Trying to put as much distance between her and the black and grey maned snow throwing demon that was her twin, she blasted across the glacier’s frozen surface. Knowing that until she was out of his magically enhanced range the open sky was her enemy, she flew low, hugging the jagged contours of the glacier. Smiling as he saw her flee, Shadow released his grip on all but one of the snowballs hovering nearby, hearing them gently plop to the ground. The lone snowball hovered nearby, practically begging to be thrown. It wouldn’t take more than a spell or two to hit his sister from this distance. Letting his shield dissipate, he took to the air, leaving the snow behind. He didn’t need to rub her defeat in her face with another round; he had all day to remind her. Rising into the air, he could see his sister disappear into the distance. Knowing he could never catch her, he still chased after her. The trip back home was short, and as he glided in, he gently banked to the right. Hidden among the trees was a small stream that his dad had diverted slightly, creating a small waterfall that proved useful when a pony needed to wash off. Trotting the last few feet to bleed off excess speed, Shadow stepped under the curtain of water. Gasping at the expected cold, he wiggled under the sheet of water, working as fast as he could. A minute later, he fled the simple shower, shaking his body like a dog, followed by his wings. Flapping his wings a few times to dry them out, he leaped into the air, reaching the open second floor window a moment later. On his bed, he could see the curled up ball of fur that was his cat. Quietly walking up to it, he gently stroked the feline’s head. “You were just waiting for me to leave, weren’t you?” he asked. The orange tabby looked up at his owner for a second, as if contemplating an answer, before laying its head back down. “Yeah, yeah I know that ‘let-me-sleep’ look. You cats have it so easy,” Shadow answered as his horn lit up. Hanging on a post by the door, a red and black vest floated toward him, a look of disgust and loathing passing across Shadow’s face as he put it on. Sliding his wings into the two pockets on the inside, he zipped it shut a few seconds later. Staring at himself in a mirror, as far as anypony was concerned, he looked like any other normal unicorn. Opening the door, Shadow’s nose was assaulted by the scent of fresh pancakes. A second deep breath told him that blueberries were involved as well, causing the young colt to practically gallop down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, he could see his sister sitting in the kitchen, wolfing down her plate of pancakes. Next to her stood their mom, who was giving her young son one of her looks. “Shadow Dancer, what have I told you about galloping down the stairs?” “Not to,” he responded, his ears flattening when he heard his full name. “Did you forget that particular rule?” “No…” “Then why did you?” “Blueberries,” he said, as if the answer was obvious. “If I didn’t hurry, Star Gazer might not have left any for me.” Behind her, his sister stuck her tongue out, which quickly disappeared as their mom turned around to look at her. “Fair enough,” their mom said, having thought over his response for a few seconds. “Get over here and eat or you’ll be late for school.” Trotting over, he jumped into the open chair, his fork already cutting into the syrup laden pancakes. Across the table, his sister wasn’t too happy to see him, if the dirty looks and the odd stuck out tongue was any indication. “Ahem.” Shadow looked up at his mom, whose gaze was solidly fixed on her young daughter. Glancing up, Star saw her mom’s raised eyebrow. The tongue disappeared in the blink of an eye and she suddenly developed an interest in the breakfast on her plate. Hearing a noise behind him, Shadow swiveled his ear, recognizing the sound a moment later. “Morning Dad,” he said around a mouthful of breakfast. “Good morning, my young stallion. And how are my two favorite mares in the world doing this morning?” “Just fine, thank you,” Willow said, as her husband walked in and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Hungry,” Star responded, gulping down her water. “I see,” Silver Maple said, watching his daughter. Looking at the clock on the wall, the pegasus mare walked over to the pair of saddle bags sitting on the floor by the front door. Picking them up, she laid them next to their owners, “Time to get going you two.” Her children’s response was to shovel as much food into their mouths as possible as they left the table. Tightening the strap of his bags, Shadow felt the weight of the bags on his haunches, doubting that, even if he was allowed to fly into town, he could with all this weight. Waving to their parents as they left, the twins started trotting down the road that led to town. “You just had to cheat, didn’t you?” Star Gazer said as soon as their home was out of sight. “Come again?” “You cheated.” “How?” “You used magic.” “No I didn’t.” “Yes; you did. My flank has the welt to prove it.” Sighing, Shadow looked at his sister. “You never said anything about not using magic on the glacier, only during the race to it.” The look on her face told him all he needed to know. As they walked, they came to the top of the final foothill. Stopping at the top, Shadow looked down at the valley, which was only now starting to be bathed by the sun’s light. Off to the east, he could see hints of the first clouds of the day as they began to form above the mountain gap that the town’s only road out passed through to get to the ocean. Breaking into a trot, he raced to catch up to his sister, who hadn’t bothered to stop. Smiling to himself, he looked at his sibling. “Clouds are forming over the gap. Think it’ll rain?” Taking a deep breath, Star glanced to the east for a moment “Nah; wrong type, wrong smell. Probably get rain in two or three days, possibly some hail too, but not today, fortunately.” “How is weather prediction not your talent? You’re almost always right!” Star shrugged. “How in Tartarus should I know? My flank is still empty so it must not be.” The rest of the trot into town passed by in silence, allowing the colt to think. If weather prediction wasn’t her special talent, what was? He figured that it had to be weather related, because her predictions were too bucking accurate to be coincidence. Glancing at his sister, Shadow knew the lack of a mark bugged her, no matter how much she tried to hide it. She’d joke about it, laughing it off as only being a matter of time, but he could tell that it ate at her. Her smiles never quite reached her eyes when her cutie mark was involved, and the bullies didn’t help the matter much either. On more than one occasion, he’d had to jump in and defend his only sibling, throwing up a shield around her that only he could pass through. The bullies had dropped their blank flank remarks against him when he got his mark – a shield with a red and yellow starburst in the center – defending his sister, but they only had to switch tactics for him, giving both him and his sister flak for having a unicorn for a dad and a pegasus for a mom. They hadn’t given him a moment of peace since then. On more than one occasion, they decided to get physical, but Shadow usually managed to toss up a shield, or more recently, create a hoof-full of clones that would go in different directions, giving him a chance to escape. As they entered the town, he could smell the scent of bread being baked. Stopping to glance in the shop’s window, he could see dozens of golden brown loaves cooling on the other side of his reflection. Glancing at the sign next to the door reminded him that he wasn’t welcome. The image of a horn and a pair of feathered wings with large red Xs over them under a line made that notion clear enough for a foal to understand. Enraptured by the cooling bread, Shadow didn’t notice the shop’s owner, a slightly overweight earth pony standing behind him. “Get moving you little bastard. You’re blocking the customers’ view.” Feeling a shiver slowly crawl down his spine, Shadow slowly turned to face the frowning shopkeeper. “Um, not to be rude or anything,” he said, looking around, “but what customers?” Indeed, there weren’t any other ponies standing at the window, though a few were watching the pair from a distance. The shop owner’s left eye twitched for a moment before he reached for his trusty broom. Knowing what was coming; Shadow jumped to the side and ran, narrowly avoiding the broom’s welt inducing smack. Once he was a safe distance from the shop, he stopped to look back. Behind him, the shop keeper was sweeping the front of his store. Looking up, he spotted Shadow and shook his broom at the young colt, as if daring him to try something. Sticking his tongue out at the earth pony, Shadow turned to head to school. “Sun loving plot head,” he muttered under his breath. Looking around, he could see the looks on the faces of the other ponies. They said what the ponies wouldn’t. Idiot. Fool. Did the half breed expect something else to happen? Poor colt, you can’t expect a half breed to pick up on things normal ponies would. He had learned early on not to expect any sympathy, and he got none. Realizing that his sister had continued on without him, he trudged toward the school house, feeling slightly lonelier than before. Off in the distance, he could hear the school bell tolling. Spurred on by the single off-key note breaking the morning’s silence, the young colt broke into a gallop, the staccato of his hooves on the cobblestones an early warning for all those around. Focused on the sound of the bell, Shadow didn’t notice the cart slowly backing out of a nearby alley. Glancing back at a parked cart he had had to dodge, Shadow barely turned his head in time to see the new obstacle in his path. Unable to run around it, he turned slightly to come at it at an angle before diving beneath it. He could feel the bottom of his vest scrape along the unforgiving stone street before catching on the exposed edge of a cobblestone, sending him tumbling. Coming to a halt a few feet from the cart, he shook his head to clear it before bursting back into a full gallop. Behind him, he could hear somepony, probably the cart’s owner, yell something, but the object of the owner’s anger was around the corner and out of sight a second later. In the distance he could see the white, slate-roofed school house. The building sat on the top of a small grass covered hill next to the lake. Along the shore was the playground with the standard set of swings and jungle gym. Putting on a small burst of speed, Shadow could see his teacher, Mrs. Honey Pie at the base of the school’s bell tower, rhythmically yanking on the bell’s rope with her mouth. As he approached, he could see the last few stragglers trotting through the school’s door. Finally slowing to a trot, his teacher gave the bell a final yank before spitting out the rope. Spotting one of her star pupils, she smiled as he approached, though the smile faded somewhat when she saw his vest. “You alright, Shadow?” “Huh?” Mrs. Pie gestured to the front of his vest. Looking down, he could see streaks of dirt and mud running down the front of his chest. “I kinda tripped.” Raising an eyebrow, she knew that his explanation was a lie, but she didn’t push it. Figuring that a few older colts had decided to rough him up, she let the topic drop. As long as he was under her school roof, he was safe, and if he needed any help with bullies, he could always come to her. She had told him as much on multiple occasions. “You might want to clean yourself up before you come in,” she suggested. Nodding, he started to channel some energy through his horn. Around him, the grass perked up slightly as the dew was lifted off the ground. A slight shift in magic, and the millions of tiny droplets rushed together to form a ball of water the size of his head. Turning his body so he wouldn’t hit his teacher, Shadow channeled the water into the space between the vest and his body. Another slight shift in magic sent the water bleeding through his vest, taking most of the mud and dirt with it. Sending the excess water flying into the lake, he finished with a simple heat spell that his dad had shown him. In seconds, his vest was as dry as it had been when he put it on. “Small wonder you’re acing your magic class,” she commented dryly, as she nodded her head towards the open door. With a slight spring in his step, Shadow walked up the building’s faded pink stone steps. Taking a left halfway down the hall, he could hear the chatter of his classmates, which died a little as he entered. Up front, several of the earth pony students glared at him, and he responded in kind, silently telling them where they could take their thoughts and shove them. Shucking his saddle bags, he sat at his beaten desk along the back wall of the room, where he and the other half dozen unicorns of his class had been assigned. Next to him, his desk mate stretched. “What happened?” he asked around a sizable yawn. “What do you mean?” “You’re late. You’re almost never late.” “Yeesh, first the teacher and now you? Should I expect an interview with the town paper later?” “Hey, no need to take my head. Just concerned, is all. We unicorns have to watch out for each other, after all.” Shadow sighed. “I stopped at the bakery, and Mr. Food saw me.” Shadow’s friend winced in sympathy. “Since you’re sitting, should I assume that he missed?” Shadow nodded as he levitated a few books from his bags. “Lucky.” “Serves you right for not keeping up; cheater.” In the shared desk ahead of him, Star Gazer used a front leg to pull the other behind her head, a small pop coming from her shoulder as she stretched. “Maybe, but Ididn’t run like I was auditioning for the Solar Guard this morning.” He knew he had struck a chord when she suddenly stopped moving and her face grew a few shades redder. Before his sister could respond, Mrs. Pie walked in, a large box balanced on her back. “Morning class,” she called out as she reached her desk. “Good morning, Mrs. Pie.” The reply was much more enthusiastic than normal, and did not go unnoticed by their teacher. “My, aren’t we full of energy this morning?” the blue and pink earth pony commented. A few students giggled at this. “Is it because you’re all excited to learn?” A few of the more sarcastic fillies and colts cheered. “They have the right idea. Is it because of the three day weekend coming up?” More students cheered. “Could it be because of tomorrow?” she asked rhetorically. “What is tomorrow again?” The entire class exploded as one “Ascension Day!” Mrs. Pie looked at a nearby calendar dramatically. “So it is! Thanks for reminding me. I was wondering why I picked these up this morning.” At this, she pulled back the cover on the box, revealing two dozen freshly baked doughnuts. Her student’s response made their last outburst pale in comparison. As they celebrated, she slowly made her way around the room, each student grabbing a steaming pastry as she passed. Relieved of her sticky burden, she slowly made her way back to the front, enjoying the faces of her students as they savored her little gift. “I’ve got a proposal for you,” she called out from her desk. “If you behave and we get through today’s lesson plan quickly, I’ll let you out early. How does that sound?” At first there was a silence that could only be described as stunned. Several students looked at their neighbor as if they weren’t sure they heard her correctly. Get out early? That never happened. They almost never got out on time. Shadow looked at his friend, who was smiling like an idiot. He raised his hoof to his friend “Best Ascension Day Eve ever.” “And it’s barely even begun” His friend added, bumping Shadow’s hoof. “So, I gather from your expressions that we have a deal?” Mrs. Pie asked, drawing Shadow’s attention back to the front. “I want everypony to open their copy of The Diary of Summer Breeze to June 20th.” Smiling at the enthusiastic sound of books opening, Honey Pie moved to the chair behind her desk. “Who wants to read it for the class?” Looking across the forest of raised hooves, she closed her eyes and pointed at a random name on her attendance list. “Night Hunter, go for it.” Smiling, Shadow got comfortable as his friend cleared his throat. This was his favorite part of the book. June 20th: So much has happened today that I can barely sit still! Our plan was perfect and thanks to everypony involved, especially Luna, we succeeded. The castle is ours! That bitch Celestia never saw it coming and was caught completely unprepared, but I should probably explain. First, I must apologize for not confiding in you diary, but I couldn’t take the risk. The best security charm I can cast could have been broken, and if they had read you, all would have been lost. We started planning shortly after our beloved empire disappeared. Leading up to that horrible day we had been training hard, waking before the crack of dawn and collapsing into our beds at night, sometimes not even bothering with minor things like dinner or taking off our armor. Even then, from our beds we could hear them arguing and yelling. Luna and her sister would go at it for what seemed like hours, their shouts slowly fading into the background as we finally surrendered to the sweet call of temporary oblivion. After the loss of our home, things only got worse. The sisters’ conversations would quickly devolve into shouting matches, seemingly sooner than the last one. Within a week, they had stopped talking to each other entirely. It was after one particular shouting contest that I’m sure all of Canterlot heard that Luna came to me. I had just been released from the infirmary and was on my way to the room Burnt Umber and I shared when Luna and I ran into each other (though not literally, fortunately). I quickly found myself in my Princess’s room, settled comfortably on some pillows as she prepared some tea. As we waited for the water to boil, I happened to glance out the window and was left breathless by the beauty of the night sky. It pains me to say that I had been neglecting Luna’s night. The stars burned with a passion I had never seen before, their glow lighting the world below so that a pony could travel from Canterlot to Phillydelphia without needing a lantern. I made an off-hoof comment about the night’s beauty and it took me a moment to notice that my friend hadn’t responded. Curious, I turned to look at her. She was crying! Luna confided in me that she was tired of her treatment. Her night court was a joke, an exercise in mind numbing futility since everypony was asleep. She was fed up with how she and her night went unappreciated, while Celestia and her sun were practically worshiped. All this you already know diary, but what came next I left out until now. After pausing to enjoy some now extremely rare and mind numbingly expensive Crystal Empire tea, Luna confessed that she had been thinking about finally doing something about her situation. As she talked, I could see that she had been giving this some considerable thought. When she was done, I pledged myself to her cause. You might think me rash diary, but Luna is my friend and was the first pony to help us when we fled Sombra. As the weeks passed, what started out with just me and Luna grew. Burnt Umber joined as soon as I told him what Luna had said. A few discrete inquiries among the thestrals soon saw them joining in. Considering how they and their families had been treated under Celestia, I guess I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was when every last Thestral pledged their support. Our small band of survivors, along with those we managed to free during the chaos of the battle, also joined in. Our plan was conceived in Luna’s room and perfected in the crystal caverns below Canterlot. My beloved Umber suggested we strike on the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration and once everypony saw the irony, they agreed. That was our last meeting. I must confess that I could barely contain myself during the week leading up to the planned date. The week seemed to drag, but it passed, albeit with much reluctance and hoof dragging. That night, I took my position as personal guard to Princess Luna, joining her as her night began. After dinner, we retired to the throne room. Court that night went like all the others before it. I lost five straight rounds of chess to the princess before I conceded defeat. I would have gone on longer diary, but I didn’t want to run the risk of my bad luck rubbing off on our plan. Eventually the night passed, and as usual, Luna gently lowered her moon beyond the horizon. At that moment, the plan went into action. As planned, my Princess left the throne for the lightly used passageway behind it. Moments after she disappeared, the doors to the great room opened in a glow of magic, allowing in Princess Celestia, who strode in like she owned the place. Knowing what I had to do, I approached the ruler of the day and bowed, much as it sickened me, telling her that Luna wished to speak with her privately. Nodding her thanks in that stomach turning benevolent way that she had perfected, Celestia dismissed her guards with a nod and as they left, I followed close behind, closing the doors behind me. What was said between the two sisters remains a mystery to me, but the calm didn’t last long. About a minute after I closed the door, there was a tremendous crash and as one, the Solar Guards turned to charge the throne room doors. The foals never got the chance. Before they could take one step forward, Luna’s Night Guard attacked, jumping them from the sides and from above. The fighting was violent but brief as the Solar Tyrant’s guards fell quickly, save for one who managed to make a break for the doors. Before I could stop him, he flew over my head and threw himself into the doors, slamming them open and crashing to the marble floor on the other side. As the thestrals were occupied, I chased after the lone pegasus. Thinking quickly, I fired a spell at him as he stood, hitting him squarely in the face. He was unconscious before he hit the ground. Looking up, I could see shock clearly etched on the Solar Princess’s face. Behind her stood our beloved Queen Moon, who used the momentary distraction to hurl a spell at her older sister, sending the white alicorn flying across the room. As my queen moved towards her fallen sister, the pegasus at my hooves started to moan and move. A quick buck to his armored face kept him quiet for the next few hours. Getting back up, Celestia turned to face her sister. Sensing a buildup of magic, I threw a magical shield in front of my queen, who laughed as her sister’s attack splashed harmlessly against my barrier. As the truth finally dawned on the former Princess of Equestria, she fled for the door, casting a shield to deflect the spells that my queen and I threw at her. She didn’t even slow down as she ran like a coward past her guards, who had at least put up a fight. The rest of Canterlot Castle fell in short order, and by mid-morning, the last of the free Solar Guard had fled, their princess having retreated to the old Everfree Castle long before. I’d go into more detail diary, but I wish to celebrate with my husband. Judging by his behavior, I know exactly how he wants to celebrate, and I have no intention of denying it to him, especially today. The young unicorn looked up at his teacher, who nodded her thanks to the smiling young colt. “Well done, Night Hunter.” Turning back to her students, Mrs. Pie looked over her charges. “So, can anypony tell me how long the war lasted?” She nodded at a young earth pony filly in the front row. “A week.” “Correct. After the fall of our beloved queen, what happened to her supporters?” “They were banished.” “Yes, eventually making their way to our island, the founding of which happens to be our history lesson today. Now, can any of you tell me how long it took for our ancestors to cross the Great Ocean?” Hours later, Shadow found himself lying on the grass by the playground, enjoying the cool breeze rolling off the mountains as he dug into the lunch his mom had packed. Above him, Star Gazer lay stretched out across a large tree branch, noisily munching on a few crackers. Looking across the playground, Shadow watched some of his classmates sail back and forth on the swings, wishing he was there now. Sighing, he turned his gaze to the lake instead. He knew it wouldn’t do him any good wishing for something that wouldn’t happen. Thanks to their proximity to the door and individual desks, the earth pony students had all bolted from the classroom within five seconds of being dismissed for recess. By the time he had gotten out, all of the swings were occupied and knowing that none of the swingers would voluntarily give up their seat for a unicorn, even if he asked, Shadow opted for the tree’s shade instead. Hearing a belch from above that he was sure could be heard miles away, Shadow looked up to see his sister licking her lips. “Beautiful. Did Dad teach you that?” “Nope,” his sister responded as she stretched her wings, “Learned it myself.” “Not very mare-like.” “Do I look like I care?” Before she could continue, Star noticed a black-maned brown filly trotting towards them. It took her a second to recognize Honeycrisp, but a quick glance at her brother told her that he knew who it was, judging by how stiff he had suddenly gone. A smile slowly grew on Star’s face. Shadow and the filly of his dreams talking together; this was too good to miss. “Hey Shadow.” “Hey Honeycrisp,” Shadow replied, trying to loosen his suddenly tight muscles to no avail. “I was wondering if you had any plans for tomorrow.” Star stopped breathing, desperately hoping she had heard correctly. Shadow coughed, trying to cover his surprise “Tomorrow? Not that I can think of…why?” “Some friends and I are planning to get together and spend the day at the fair, and I just thought….” “Uh…yeah, sure” Shadow stammered. The filly smiled. “Awesome. Meet you here at ten?” Shadow nodded, suddenly speechless. “See you then.” Honeycrisp turned around and headed back to the playground. Above, Star couldn’t contain herself any longer; rolling onto her back, she broke into peals of laughter. “Oh sweet Luna, that was perfect! You and Honeycrisp!?! Did you invent some kind of luck spell, because we got a test coming up that I could use some help with.” She paused, wheezing as she tried to catch her breath. “If you want, I’d be glad to give you a few tips bro. Luna knows you’ll need them.” Below, Shadow wasn’t as amused as his sister seemed to be. Standing suddenly, he turned, slowly heading for the lake shore. As he did, his horn lit up, a ball of water launched itself from the lake, whizzing past him to explode against the limb his sister was on. Behind him, he could hear her sputter a final question. “Is that a no?”