//------------------------------// // Ch.7 Firefight // Story: Past Actions, Future Consequences // by Rill //------------------------------// Luna stood silently along the shore of Blue Lake at what had once been the only beach for the lake's lone island. The report she had received earlier that evening had been frighteningly accurate. Around her, nothing stirred because there was nothing left to stir. Every blade of grass had been incinerated; every tree on the island had been burned down to the roots. Overhead, she could hear the near-silent flaps of her guards' wings as they circled overhead. Closing her eyes, the lunar princess sighed as she blocked out what little noise she could hear. Igniting her horn, she let her magic cover the island like a blanket, letting it creep into every crack and crevice. While a small part of her hoped to find what she was looking for, she knew that she wouldn't. Luna knew that any magical signatures that might have been, had vanished before she had set hoof on the island, likely before the fire had burned itself out. Shifting her weight, Luna heard the unmistakable crack of glass beneath her hoof. Looking down, she gently levitated a piece of the beach until it was at eye level. How hot had the fire gotten to turn the beach into glass? She knew from visits to a number of artisans in Canterlot’s arts district that turning sand into glass required high temperatures, but could an uncontrolled fire do it too? Even with the limited amount of fuel the island had? Tossing the shard of glass into the lake, the younger of the Royal Sisters crouched to take off. Luna paused, her wings extended, as she spotted the nearly invisible divot in the otherwise smooth glass beach. Igniting her horn, Luna cut around the blemish before lifting the piece into the air. Turning it over, the princess stared at the perfect cast of a hoof print. Leaping into the air, the younger diarch placed the piece of glass into her saddlebag as she rose above the lake. Coming to a stop, Luna let her magic roam across the lake's surface before forcing it beneath the waves and all the way to the lake's bed. Smiling at finding only fish and plants, the princess let her magic explore the lake's shore. Feeling a tug on her horn, Luna let herself glide over the lake before gently spiraling to the ground. With a simple illumination spell, she found what her magic had hit on; drag marks and a pair of hoof prints in the sand. Pressing her cast into the sand, Luna smiled at the size match. Calling on the detection spell again, the alicorn let her magic blanket the area. Feeling another tug on her horn, the princess took to the air, flying over the scrub until she came to a stop above it. With a quick modification to the spell, Luna watched as a number of small black feathers floated out of the brush. So he survived she thought, before turning to the east, now I really want to meet him. Without a word, Luna's escorts fell in beside her. Feeling the subtle tug of the moon, Luna smiled at the thought of slipping into bed, finally being able to relax after spending most of the night among ash and destruction. The smile slowly faded as she thought about telling Celestia about what she had found, knowing that it would only add to her sister's burden. While they had allowed the possibility of Shadow just being an innocent pony and not the one the sprites were after, Luna now knew that any such thoughts were folly. Of the two ponies that had been on the island, Luna knew enough about the abilities of Shadow's companion to know that she couldn’t be the one the fire sprites wanted. Flapping her wings to gain altitude, Luna found her doubts about the cause of the fire rapidly vanish. While she couldn't find a shred of Sprite magic that would prove they had started the blaze, with the glass hoof print and feathers at her side and knowing who was there during the fire, Luna felt her final doubts vanish like fog before the sun. As she flew, the princess's thoughts wandered to how she would have responded to this if she had defeated her sister. Luna knew how her sister had forced the sprites to the bargaining table, but if she was still Nightmare Moon, would she have relented? Would she have shown the sprites mercy after all the death and destruction they had caused, or would she have not stopped until every last Fire Sprite had been dealt with? The lunar princess shook her head, banishing the thoughts. She was no longer possessed by that monster and any thought that revived it was not worthy of existence. With Canterlot growing in the distance, Luna found herself hoping they found this colt before the sprites attacked while he was around other ponies. Groaning, Twilight slowly opened her eyes. Feeling her body slowly awaken, she took a moment to stretch, groaning in pleasure. Sighing, the young princess lifted her head, squinting at the small clock next to her bed. 5:15. Moaning, the young alicorn’s head hit her pillow a second later. It never failed; just when she was enjoying a nice dream involving her and a good book, her mind would decide that it was the perfect time to wake up. Sighing, Twilight sat up in her bed, her horn glowing as she silenced the clock before it could go off. Around her, the room slowly started to glow as the palace detected that she was awake. Throwing off the sheets covering her, Twilight slowly crawled out of bed. Taking a moment to stretch, she looked over herself in a nearby mirror, a comb rising into the air to attack and subdue her mane and tail. Satisfied, the princess stepped into the hallway outside her room, which darkened as she left. After a quick check on Spike, who was curled up in his basket and dead to the world, Twilight was halfway to the kitchen when she stopped in her tracks. Swiveling her ears, she could hear the fading echoes of a draconic burp, which she had long ago learned meant only one thing. Cantering toward Spike’s room, she stopped as her assistant stumbled out of his room, one clawed hand rubbing the sleep from his eyes while the other held a rolled up piece of parchment. Knocking on her door, the young dragon called out her name “Twilight?” “Behind you” Twilight gently laughed as the young dragon jumped. “Sorry.” “Eh. Forget it.” The young reptile replied while trying to stifle a yawn, “Letter from the princess.” Twilight gently lifted the proffered item with her magic “Thanks.” “No problem.” Spike yawned again. “What time is it?” “Five twenty.” “They make a five twenty in the morning?” The young assistant shook his head as his mind resolutely refused to think about it. “I’m going back to bed; ‘night.” “Morning, actually.” “Whatever,” The young dragon replied, closing the door behind him. Smiling, Twilight turned around, the letter hovering next to her, as she headed for the kitchen. She couldn’t blame Spike for not being in the greatest of moods, especially after being unexpectedly woken so early. Yawning, the young alicorn flipped a switch on the countertop range, the pot of coffee she had prepared the night before slowly heating as the crystal beneath it glowed to life. Grabbing a bagel, Twilight sat at the room’s crystalline table, slowly nibbling on the bagel as her mind slowly woke up. Not a stranger to late nights and early mornings, Celestia’s former student still found herself struggling. Since the accident at the weather factory that spring, the country had been doing what it could to fight the drought that had set in shortly after. Yawning, Twilight looked out the window, the sun not even a faint promise on the eastern horizon. She could hear her bed calling to her, her mind being the only thing between her and sweet temporary oblivion. Shaking her head, she felt herself wake up a bit more as she began to smell the brewing coffee. Glancing at the clock, Equestria’s youngest princess cracked the seal on her mentor’s letter. While it wasn’t unusual for the solar princess to send her letters, it was unusual for Celestia to send one so early in the morning. Her curiosity piqued, the young alicorn unrolled the single sheet of paper, a small photograph falling onto the table as she did. Dear Twilight, Please excuse my intrusion at this early hour, and please convey my apologies to Spike as well, but I have received information that I felt you should be made aware of. As I'm sure you know, on the road from Ponyville to Manehattan, there is a small island on Blue Lake that is a popular rest stop for travelers. I received word a few hours ago that sometime during the night before last, everything on this island was burned to the ground. At the time of the fire, there were two ponies camping on the island. One managed to escape while her companion fended off the flames so she could flee. When she returned to the island with help, the pony's companion was missing and the island was reduced to ash. A search of the island and the lake has yet to reveal a body. I'm sorry to give such news at so early an hour, but I felt you should know that I believe that Ms. Trixie's companion escaped the island alive. I tell you this because according to some information I have received, he may have answers to a number of questions that I have and may be heading your way. Attached to this letter is a photograph of the pony in question and a description. Twilight paused as she picked up the small color photo, staring at the young black and grey unicorn in it. I am telling you all this because, while I do not believe he is directly responsible for the Blue Lake Island fire, there have been a number of incidents recently that have caught our attention, and he has been involved with them, one way or another. Please show this picture to your friends, along with anypony you trust. If any of them see this young colt, please let me or my sister know immediately, and please be careful if you do see him; he is extremely powerful, and may not know the true extent of his abilities. If you see him, try to delay him if possible, but do not under any circumstances detain him. Sincerely, Celestia Twilight stared at the picture. What had this colt done to attract Princess Celestia's attention? He was barely older than the crusaders. Flipping the photograph over, she saw that somepony had written down everything they knew about the young pony. Name, height, age, color, cutie mark, tribe, it was all there. Before she could continue thinking about him, Twilight jumped at the sound of a hoof knocking on the window next to her. Glancing quickly at the clock, Twilight waved at the sky blue pegasus hovering on the other side of the glass. Annoyed at the lack of coffee, the young princess shut off the range before casting a temporary time dilation spell on the pot, which would now stay hot and fresh for at least the next six hours. Trotting down the staircase to the ground floor, Twilight lit her horn, grabbing her checklist as the doors slowly opened for her. Outside, she could see the town's unicorns milling around on the ground, while the pegasi hovered or circled lazily overhead. "Morning Twi" Rainbow Dash managed to say, before yawning. Twilight smiled at her friend, knowing all too well where she and the other ponies outside would rather be, "Morning Rainbow." “So, what’s the plan for today?” “Same as yesterday; water the farms and maybe the town if we have any left over.” The unusually languid pegasus nodded before a smile slowly crept onto her face. “I have some good news: we might not have to do this much longer. I saw a large delivery flight heading straight for Cloudsdale yesterday. I couldn’t see what they were carrying, but my guess is that it’s replacement equipment for the Weather Factory.” The stunt flyer’s words caught everypony’s attention. Finding herself ignored as the assembled ponies chatted about the much welcomed news, Twilight had to flash her horn several times before the rising conversation quieted back down. “That is definitely good news Rainbow, but until the Weather Factory is up and running, we still have a job to do.” Trotting down the palace’s front steps, Twilight slowly started making her way through town. Already a couple of windows were lit as the ponies inside started their day. As she passed the town’s bakery, Twilight could occasionally see her friend Pinkie Pie moving around in the back as she heated the store’s ovens. Looking up, she watched her energetic friend cutting through the still, cool air. Reaching a hill on the edge of town, the young princess turned to face the town. Along the river that flowed through the small town, she could see a number of small lights from Ponyville’s unicorns as they got into position to do a job that at that point, they knew like the back of their hooves. Above the town, she could see the pegasi circling overhead, waiting for the clouds to form. Glancing at her checklist one last time, Twilight ignited her horn, her magic joining the unicorns’. While it would have been easier on her to be along the river, from where she was, she could see the town and the surrounding farms, allowing her to make any changes more easily. As Rainbow Dash passed overhead with a cloud bound for Applejack’s farm, Twilight recalled the letter she had received. She’d invite Dash over for breakfast at Sugarcube Corner, which would let her tell Pinkie as well. Smiling as another black cloud formed over the town, the alicorn found herself wondering about the delivery to Cloudsdale. Perhaps she should look into it. Shadow groaned, swatting at the light that gently filtered through his eyelids. Hearing a gentle crunch when his flailing hoof hit the ground, the young colt reluctantly cracked an eye open. Wincing at the sudden light, he took a deep breath, the smell of dirt and leaves convincing his sleep soaked mind that waking up might be a good idea. Slowly opening his eyes, it took the young alicorn a moment for his surroundings to come into focus and several more for him to remember where he was and why. As the memories of the ambush and chase filtered back into his mind, Shadow suddenly found himself awake and alert as his head shot up, surveying his surroundings. Above him, the tops of the tallest trees swayed in a gentle breeze while the rest of the surrounding trees remained still. The forest had taken on a golden tinge and it took the colt a moment to remember the shield spell he had cast the previous night. Gently prodding the shimmering wall of energy, he felt a pulse of energy crawl up his leg when he touched the golden barrier. He knew that the shield would be there when he woke, but Shadow found himself surprised at how strong the barrier had become during the night. Shaking his head, he slowly stood, stretching his legs as he got up. How he missed sleeping in a bed. A week on the road had him wishing for the sling that he collapsed into every night back on the Tranquility. It might have been rough and uncomfortable, but at least he wasn’t sleeping on the ground. Straightening a few feathers on his right wing, Shadow examined his other wing, pleased that the bandage he had wrapped it in was still holding. The limb still hurt, though now it had subsided to a dull ache that would throb on occasion as if reminding him what had happened. Checking the books in his saddlebags, Shadow pulled a pair of apples from the left bag. He’d have them for breakfast as soon as he relieved himself. Tightening his saddlebags’ strap around him, the colt stepped through the barrier that had protected him through the night, leaving the apples behind. Pausing for a moment at the remains of the previous night’s fire, Shadow could feel a small amount of heat radiating from the ash and coals, along with a few sickly tendrils of smoke. Satisfied that it wouldn’t do anything, Shadow made a beeline for the nearest bush as nature’s call started to become more insistent. Colonel Ash sat behind his desk, fuming as he glared at the map of Equestria on the wall across from him. How could one pony, a colt no less, escape from him? How could he let such an easy target escape from him when he had it cornered on a freaking island! Groaning, the colonel leaned back in his chair, massaging his forehead with a couple fingers as he felt a small headache form. He knew that it wasn’t what he had done days earlier that was causing the throbbing in his head. He had no doubt that no one, Sprite or pony, would be able to connect him to the island, so long as he and the scout kept quiet. Instead, he found his pain increasing as he thought about that blasted colt. How could a snot-nosed colt be strong enough to nearly open a hole into the sprite’s realm? At the time, the sprite officer hadn’t given it a thought when he had attacked the colt. The young pony’s magical signature had matched the one that had nearly ripped a hole in their world, and he had attacked out of reflex. Now that he had had time to reflect, the sprite found himself uneasy with himself. On one hand he had attacked a child, admittedly a pony child, but a child none the less. On the other hand, this pony was a threat to him and everything he held dear and needed to be eliminated as quickly as possible. Growling in frustration, the colonel hurled a ball of fire at the map in front of him, only for his attack to explode against the wall to no effect. Why did the universe seem to take such pleasure in torturing him like this? Hearing a knock at his door, Colonel Ash sat up “What!” he barked as the pain in his head flared. “Sorry to interrupt you sir, but there’s a message here that you need to see” The colonel’s assistant handed him the note. The officer glanced at the note once and felt his heart stop. Breach target located. Orders? He reread the four word message several more times, barely unable to comprehend what he was seeing. Was it possible? “Who sent this?” “Major Flare, sir.” The colonel smiled at the name. The Major was a capable officer and leader the troops looked up to. He was also present at the breach when it occurred and had been the one to get a sample of the target’s magical signature. The colonel had no doubt that the officer wasn’t mistaken about the target’s identity. “Orders sir?” “Contact Major Flare immediately and tell him to get Alpha and Bravo companies ready to move as soon as I arrive.” The colonel’s assistant didn’t say a word as she ran out of the room. As she left, Colonel Ash smiled, the headache he had been suffering only moments earlier a now distant memory. He didn’t like the idea of killing a child, but if doing so meant that those he loved would remain safe, he would gladly do it. Colonel Ash felt the almost non-existent breeze play with the tip of his head as he slowly forced himself out of the still warm chunk of charred wood. What should have normally taken a few seconds to complete took him over a minute, which annoyed the senior officer to no end. As he scanned his surroundings, he smiled to himself knowing that while it was hard for him, it would be impossible for that pony loving idiot who still clung to the rank of General and had even convinced the council to make him their official ambassador to his beloved ponies. While the general had given him orders to report anything he found, he had never said how quickly. In most cases that would be a small oversight, and one worthy of forced retirement in the colonel's opinion, but to the senior officer it was a loophole he planned to fully exploit, should he get the chance. Getting to his feet, the colonel found himself wondering if it wasn’t time for the general to retire. Once he and his troops were done here, he might have to make the end of his superior’s career happen one way or another, and the colonel didn’t much care about the means. Before he could think about how he might end the pony lover’s career, or the pony lover himself, the officer heard a snap to his left, his head whipping around to face the maker of the sound. Shadow sighed as relief washed over him. Rolling his shoulders, the young pony trotted out from behind the bush, smiling as he felt the warmth of the sun’s light splash across his fur. Opening his eyes, Shadow came to a sudden halt as he spotted the creature standing in the remains of his campfire. Could it be? Thinking back to Zetani’s description, Shadow found himself barely able to contain his excitement at seeing a Fire Spirit for the first time. The being was exactly as the zebra had described, though it looked a bit taller than the doctor had said, the creature’s eyes being nearly level with Shadow’s. As he got over his initial excitement, Shadow found himself slowly starting to panic. He remembered the doctor teaching him the traditional Zebran greeting, but now that he needed it, he couldn’t remember a single word! Silently groaning to himself, Shadow slowly moved forward. Feeling the stick beneath his hoof, the young alicorn was unable to stop himself from stepping on it, the sharp crack seeming to echo around the still, quiet woods. In the campfire, the spirit’s head snapped to the side, its black eyes registering shock at the young pony’s presence as they made eye contact. Finally remembering the words, Shadow lowered his head, bowing to the creature as his lips began to form the words of the foreign greeting. Focused as he was on not messing things up, Shadow didn’t notice the glow in Colonel Ash’s hand. Closing his eyes as he lowered his head, the young alicorn missed the blindingly bright ball of fire the size of a grapefruit suddenly appearing in the sprite’s hand. Hearing what sounded like a quickly growing wind, Shadow looked up to see a ball of white light racing toward him. Without thinking, the colt threw himself to the side, the heat of the fireball singeing his fur as it narrowly missed him. Hitting the ground, Shadow cried out, feeling a flash of pain shoot through him as he rolled over his injured wing and bone ground against bone. Coming to a halt, the alicorn looked up at the spirit, which already had a second ball of fire growing in its hand. Scrambling to his hooves, Shadow heard the being in front of him shouting as it pointed a single clawed finger at him. Glancing behind him, Shadow felt his heart stop as he saw Fire Spirits pouring out of a massive tree that had been hit by the attack meant for him. For a brief moment, the colt’s mind flashed back to stories he had heard told around campfires; stories of Tartarus and the creatures that inhabited its greatest depths that would drag a pony back with them if given the chance. As they poured out, Shadow felt his stomach sink as he saw their hands glowing, balls of fire growing in their palms. Without thinking, the young alicorn bolted; the spot where he had been standing exploding into flames a heartbeat later. Twilight stepped out into the warm morning air. Behind her, she could hear Pinkie Pie shouting something to her, though whatever it was was lost a moment later as the energetic party planner greeted a pair of ponies as they entered the bakery. Behind her, the mare didn’t turn around as she heard a set of hooves approach, the wince inducing belch that would have sent Rarity into a tirade about proper manners being all she needed to identify the pony next to her. “Nothing like breakfast at Sugarcube Corner” the rainbow-maned racer said as she joined her friend. “By the way, thanks for paying Twi.” “No problem.” Both lapsed into silence as they enjoyed the cool morning of what promised to be another scorcher. “I still can’t think of a reason why Celestia would want that colt” Twilight said after a while. It was true for her friends as well. After dealing with watering the town’s farms, Twilight and Rainbow had gone to the bakery for breakfast, and had spent several hours trying to figure out why Celestia had sent that letter. Even with Pinkie’s random and occasionally insightful comments, by the time they had left, none of the mares were any closer to an answer. “I don’t know either, Twilight.” The prize-winning athlete said a few minutes later. “If he doesn’t know his own strength, maybe she wants to find him before he causes more damage. Who knows, maybe she wants to make him her new student or something.” Rainbow Dash glanced at her friend’s face as a slight frown crossed the youngest alicorn’s face. While she hadn’t said anything, it wasn’t hard for the racer to see that Twilight missed the bond she once had with the solar princess. Looking off to the Everfree Forest, Rainbow saw a plume of smoke rising above the trees “Heh. Zecora must be brewing her tail off. You think she has a potion for a nice storm front?” “I wouldn’t be surprised, though I don’t… think…” Twilight said, trailing off as she saw the thick plume of smoke. While it wasn’t uncommon to see smoke coming from the home of the town’s lone zebra, it was almost never this thick. Feeling a chill slowly crawl down her back, Celestia’s former student stopped, taking in her surroundings and ignoring her friend’s confused look. Knowing where she was in the town, she looked at the smoke plume again. Unless I’m lost, shouldn’t Zecora’s hut be over there? Twilight looked to her left to where she’d expect to see a thin strand of smoke rising from the trees. The newest Equestrian royal wasn’t disappointed. Feeling something catch in her throat, Twilight crouched before leaping into the air, pulling off a perfect imitation of her companion. Beating her wings as fast as she could, the alicorn quickly rose above the town, coming to a stop several hundred feet above her home. It took her a moment to recognize what she saw, and several more for her mind to comprehend it. Tucking in her wings, Twilight plummeted toward the street below. At the last moment, her wings shot out, catching the air and sending her streaking down the street. Behind her she could hear Rainbow Dash’s startled yell, followed quickly by the athlete as she easily caught up with her. “What’s wrong?” “Fire in the Everfree!” Twilight quickly dodged a slow moving cart as she roared down the street. “Tell AJ, then help Fluttershy get her animals to safety!” “On it!” Within seconds, Twilight’s friend was halfway across town. Seeing her destination quickly growing, Twilight flared her wings as she approached her friend’s home. Skidding to a halt, the door to the Carousel Boutique slammed open under her magical influence as the alicorn rushed in. “Spike!” Not seeing her assistant in the front, Twilight raced up a flight of stairs to where she knew Rarity liked to design her dresses. To say that the young dragon and the pony of his dreams were shocked by her sudden appearance would have been an understatement. Before either could say anything, Twilight’s horn burst to life, a quill and scrap piece of paper flying into position in front of her before all but being thrown at the young dragon. “Spike, I need you to send this to the princess immediately!” Without waiting for a reply, Twilight turned and bolted from the building. She would have said more, but she had a lot to do and no checklist to help her. Shocked and more than a little confused by her sudden appearance and disappearance, Spike un-crumpled the piece of paper before reading it. Oh horseapples. A quick breath later, the note was airborne and on its way as the room’s two occupants chased after the young princess. Cinder, Commander of the fire sprite military and the Council's ambassador to Equestria, was not having a good day. It may have been several days, but he could still hear the words of the council as he had spent another session defending himself and his actions. Going in, he had known that it wasn’t going to be pleasant, yet he was still surprised at the raking he had received as one council member after another had vented their spleen at him. With all the barbs he had had thrown at him, the General was under no illusions of how precarious his position was, and that one mistake would mean the end of his career. The last time he could remember being in this position was as a Lieutenant when he had helped end the war between his people and Equestria. He had no doubt that Colonel Ash was behind the council’s agitation, and he had no doubt that there wasn’t a thing he could do about it without destroying his career. Sighing, the elder Sprite turned away from the massive window that dominated an entire wall of his office, affording him a view of his base and the surrounding town that most officers would kill for. On his desk sat a sizable pile of work which he knew he could easily lose himself in if he wanted. Caught up as he was with his situation, it took the officer a moment to realize that someone was knocking on his door, “Enter.” "Sorry to disturb you Sir, but I have some news and you aren't going to like it." The young officer said as he entered the room, snapping a crisp salute to the General. General Cinder laughed mirthlessly at this before turning to his aide, "At Ease. Whatever it is Lieutenant, I sincerely doubt it could make this day any worse." The young officer gulped as he looked at his superior's incredulous stare. "Sir, word from one of our sources just reached us. Colonel Ash has located the pony responsible for the breach." The sprite winced, knowing what was about to come. "The target is in Equestrian territory, and the colonel is currently leading Alpha Company of Second Regiment, First Division in pursuit. Bravo Company has been activated as well, though they haven't left the base." The Senior Officer stared at his aide as his mind got a grasp on what he had just heard. “Is this a joke?” The lieutenant took a couple steps back, slowly raising his clipboard as the flames of his superior’s body started to grow and dance violently. “No, sir; the informant had to break her cover to get us the news.” Outside, any Sprite within sight of the general’s office would have had a perfect view as bright green flames erupted from the room, blasting glass across the surrounding buildings. Inside, the lieutenant nervously peered over his clipboard at the enraged inferno before him. Ignoring the mess his office had become, General Cinder took a moment to calm down as the shattered remains of his windows rose from the ground below and knitted themselves back into place until the windows were as they had been before his aide had entered the room. “Are you sure about this?” “The informant is outside if you want to question her.” “Not enough time, Lieutenant.” The general glanced at his now bare desk, his mind racing through all of his available options. With Equestria a tinderbox because of the drought, he couldn’t send troops to stop Alpha Company without making the situation even worse. “Tell the heads of Delta and Echo companies to lock down Bravo and any Sprite from Alpha they find, and then inform the Council immediately!" The general said, barely containing his rage. "One way or another, I will have that bastard's head for this!" Without waiting for his aide's reply, Cinder stalked past the lieutenant, knowing that if there was any chance of this ending peacefully, Celestia would have to know immediately. In Celestia’s private chambers, a quiet fireplace burst into green flames. Pushing his head out of an oak log, General Cinder took in the empty room in a single glance, cursing at the sunlight gently filtering through a nearby stained glass window. How could he have forgotten about the time difference between his realm and hers? As his language grew more inventive, the sprite dove back into the log. With the sun up, contacting Celestia was out of the question, though there was one other pony he might be able to warn, assuming he could wake her up. Celestia quietly groaned to herself as Lord Winterbloom started to speak. Though she kept her feelings locked tightly behind the mask she wore for the nobles, she noticed a number of the younger members of the nobility rolling their eyes, or in some cases, slowly sliding down in their seats as the notoriously long-winded lord spoke. Watching the elder noble pace around the room, Celestia tuned him out as she ignited her horn, the fruit smoothie to her right slowly floating into place before her. Taking a deep pull on the straw, the princess luxuriated in the chilling feeling of liquefied fruit and ice as she swallowed. It wasn’t a great secret that this was one of her favorite things, and she didn’t care who saw her as a smile crossed her face. Mistaking her smile for approval, Lord Winterbloom continued talking. Mentally face hoofing herself, Celestia set her drink back down, giving the lord her attention as her mind wandered to possible pranks she could pull on him. Perhaps something involving itching powder? “Your Highness” Celestia snapped out of her reverie as one of the younger nobles spoke, interrupting Lord Winterbloom, much to his annoyance. “Forgive me for disturbing you, but I couldn’t help but notice that your attention was elsewhere. If there is something of pressing concern, perhaps we could end this meeting early and reconvene at another time.” Only a pony with the intelligence of a slug would have missed the pleading look in his and several other nobles’ eyes. As much as she would have enjoyed doing so, she couldn’t take the young pony’s offer since it would mean having this exercise in restraint and self-control some other time. A small part of her broke into tears as she shook her head. “Thank you for the offer, but I have kept you all waiting long enough as it is. Please continue Lord Winterbloom.” Bowing his head in thanks to her, the unicorn stallion shot a glare that could have melted stone at the younger noble. As he returned to his proposal, something about raising taxes for some frivolous pet project, the solar princess found herself wondering how she had endured a thousand years of dealing with nobles like him without sending a few to the moon. Before she could dwell on the mystery much more, she felt a familiar tingle in her horn. Oh sweet Maker, thank you! Dropping her carefully developed mask entirely, Celestia smiled as a wisp of magic and green fire raced to her before coalescing into a crumpled scrap of paper. Raising an eyebrow, the princess flattened the scrap of paper before reading it. The assembled nobles jumped in their seats as Celestia’s chair flew backwards from a telekinetic shove that sent it slamming into the wall behind her. Without a word, the solar diarch rushed to a nearby set of doors, all but ripping them off their hinges with her magic. Off in the distance, Celestia could see the plume of grey smoke rising into the air. Forgetting all matters of decorum, Celestia said the first thing that came to her mind “Fuck.” Even from where she stood, the princess could feel the waves of wild magic rolling off the distant fire. If something were to ignite that much concentrated magic at once… Celestia felt her heart skip a couple beats at the thought of how big a crater the resulting explosion would leave. The elder Royal Sister felt her heart stop completely as she felt a faint wisp of foreign magic mixed in with the Everfree’s. As slight of a wisp as it was, Celestia instantly recognized the signature. Turning around, she caught the eye of the Captain of the Royal Guard “Commander, assemble the Guard immediately! Other than castle security, I want every member of the Guard ready to move out in five minutes. Load all available chariots with medics and unicorns at once!” “Yes, ma’am!” The pegasus saluted before galloping out of the room. “Forgive me everypony, but I must end this meeting immediately” “What’s going on Princess?” Celestia passed the note to Lord Fancy Pants, who took one look at it and blanched. To their credit, the rest of the assembled nobles took one look at the Senior Lord’s face and kept their protests of the princess’s sudden change in mood to themselves. Scribbling a quick note to her sister, Celestia’s horn glowed as she copied a spell onto the sheet before sending the message, hoping that Luna would forgive her for using that particular spell. Turning from where she stood, Celestia trotted out the far door, the room’s guards falling into step behind her. It took General Cinder a few precious minutes to locate Princess Luna’s main fireplace. Dragging himself out of the log, the sprite ambassador took a moment to catch his breath. He was over a thousand years old and he was running around like a Sprite fresh out of training. Looking up, the officer sighed in relief as he saw a blanket covered lump in a bed across the room shift. “Luna!” The sprite shouted, to no effect. He repeated himself, getting the same result. Before he could try again, a golden ball of magic popped into existence next to the younger Princess’s bed before forming into a small scroll. As it hovered in the air, a pair of smaller golden balls of magic dropped from the scroll, each rolling in a different direction. Tilting his head, Cinder watched as one rolled toward him, a gentle hiss coming from the glowing orb. Feeling a growing sense of unease, the ambassador had barely turned around when his entire world became a flash of light and sound that left his ears ringing as he blinked the spots from his vision. Picking himself off the fireplace’s floor, Cinder turned to find Luna thrashing around on the floor of her room, her wings bound by her blankets. The struggle ended in a flash of magic as Luna ignited her horn, reducing the blanket to scraps of cloth. With his hearing slowly returning, the general mentally noted the lunar diarch’s colorful language in case he found himself at a loss for words. “Luna!” He shouted, her head snapping up from the scroll before her. “Ambassador, what is the meaning of this?” She yelled, waving the balled up scroll before her. “Please forgive my intrusion, your Highness, but we have a problem…”