Canterlot, 1000 ANM.
The return and defeat of Nightmare Moon had done little to dampen Equestria’s enthusiasm for parties.
Ponies had filled the streets of Canterlot with rambunctious celebration and joyous relief, ecstatic to see the sun once more after a long, chaotic night. The parties celebrating Nightmare Moon’s defeat and Luna’s return had continued all throughout the day, and they showed no signs of slowing down. The sun had just begun to dip below the horizon, bringing on a fully natural evening this time.
There was one pony who wasn’t participating in the celebrations, however. Princess Celestia sat in her royal quarters instead, reading over the reports coming in from the major cities around Equestria.
"...Vandalism in Appleloosa... Looting in Baltimare... Protests and riots in Manehattan?" Celestia mumbled to herself as flipped through the papers. "I was only gone for a few hours... How could things have gotten so out of hoof so quickly?"
"Ponies do strange things when they are scared, sister."
Celestia's ears perked up at the voice speaking from behind her, and she turned to see a dark blue filly standing in her doorway, her cerulean mane frizzled with bed mane. However, her eyes did not look tired, instead glowing with curiosity as she spoke. "We know that better than anypony."
Celestia smiled. "Ah, my dear sister. Was your room not comfortable enough for you?"
"No, it was fine... We just needed to take a walk to clear our mind," Luna shook her head, searching for words. "Everything is just so... different to us. It is hard for us to adjust."
"A lot has changed in a thousand years," Celestia frowned. So much time, wasted... "Why don't I take you on a tour of Canterlot tomorrow so I can show you around?"
Luna sighed, then nodded. "We... I... would enjoy that. It will be nice to see just how much has changed. To get acquainted with this new world."
"You'll need to get accustomed with your kingdom if you are to rule it, sister," Celestia replied, smiling softly.
"Ah, yes. The tedious nightly rule of the monarchy. I think that is the one thing I didn't miss," Luna giggled, giving a visible effort to stop using the Royal Canterlot voice, as her sister had requested. "But once I feel well enough to serve my constituents, I will."
"Of course. There is no need to rush you." When the elements freed her sister from her Nightmarish prison, she lost most of her power with it, reverting her back to this filly-like state. The crown-appointed mage had assured her there would be no long-term side effects from the change, that she would recover quickly, but Celestia did not want to take any chances. "Do you need me to walk you back to your room?"
"No, thank you. I plan to continue my walk for just a bit longer. Goodnight, Tia."
Celestia stood up anyway, but only to give her sister a warm hug. "Goodnight, Luna. I love you."
Luna's lip trembled slightly as she returned the hug, like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she just released her older sister and trotted off in silence. Celestia watched her leave for a few seconds, her own mind swirling with unsaid thoughts, before retreating back into her room.
Celestia loved her sister. She also loved her kingdom, and the little ponies that inhabited it. And all of those things had been at risk when Nightmare Moon had captured her. Luna had been under the control of a horrible monster, and her nation had succumbed to anarchy. What would happen if she wasn't able to lead once again? What would happen to her dear sister, to the nation that she loved?
She couldn't let that happen again.
Celestia sat back down at her desk, pushing the status reports aside. Instead, she pulled out a blank piece of parchment and a quill, beginning to write.
"As the Ruler of Equestria, I hereby draft Directive 51 into law..."
Manehattan, 1008 ANM.
The streets of Hooflyn were empty, devoid of life. Abandoned carriages clogged the intersections, suitcases full of clothes spilled out over the sidewalks. A light dusting of snow covered everything, causing the borough to appear like it had been frozen in time, undisturbed by ponies. With nopony to move them, the clouds above the city remain in the same position as they were when the chaos started; overcast, gray, empty of their snow.
A lone pony sat on the bank of the East River, looking out over the water at the towering skyscrapers of Manehattan on the other side. A light breeze billowing across the surface of the water ruffled through her black mane, her orange bangs hanging down and partially obscuring the view through her goggles. The watch around her hoof pinged softly, glowing orange as her SPARC connected to an incoming call, piping it into her earpiece.
There was a brief second of silence before a mare’s voice filled the COMM. "Agent Rainy, are you in position?"
"Yes, command,” the white pegasus responded. “I’m at the river. Awaiting further instruction."
"Roger that. You are cleared to begin the next phase as soon as you're ready. We'll have new orders for you once you make it across. We'll continue radio silence until you call us confirming you're on the other side, we don't want the signal giving you away to that spellcaster."
"Understood. I’ll move out shortly."
Rainy ended the call before rising to her hooves and flaring out her wings. After checking once again to see if all her gear was secured, she pumped hard once with her feathery appendages, lifting her up into the air. She swooped low over the water, the tips of her forehooves brushing across the mirror-like surface. She carefully swooped around the floating chunks of ice, hoping they were throwing off the surface-to-air spellcaster's trackers.
Command had no idea where it was located or who controlled it, but the damn thing had shot down several resupply drops and reinforcement deliveries. That's why command had sent her and only her; as one of the few pegasus Division agents, she had the ability to bypass the sealed-off entryways by flying across the river, and a single pony was much harder to track than a squad.
After a few minutes of tense flying, Rainy finally landed on the other side of the river, quickly unholstering her rifle as she scanned the area. All clear. Her SPARC remained quiet, meaning that the spellcaster hadn't noticed her or locked on. Perfect.
"Command, this is Agent Rainy. I've landed in Manehattan, awaiting further orders."
"Acknowledged, hold on... make sure the area is secure and look for any signs of life while I get your next instructions."
Rainy silently acknowledged the order, switching off her mic and lowering her rifle as she looked around. Tall skyscrapers towered around her, dark silhouettes against the night sky. It was all eerily quiet... there weren't even pigeons chirping, or dogs barking. It really was like time had stopped, trapping the city in a permanent state of purgatory.
As she scanned the area, a billboard near the riverfront caught her eye. It looked like a typical ad board, with a government issued message on a white banner covering the original advertisement. In bold blue letters read the phrase "Save your magic. Save lives". Hoofwritten underneath in black spray paint, most likely graffiti, was "MAGIC KILLS". Magic kills? What did that mean? The plague was what was killing ponies, why was the crown warning against using magic?...
The chime of her SPARC interrupted her thoughts as Command reconnected. "...Agent, you still there?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Good. I've got your next assignment here when you're ready to receive it."
"I'm ready, patch it through."
After a brief moment, text began to scroll across her HUD, projected onto her goggles.
[1. RESTORE BASE OF OPERATIONS TO FUNCTIONAL CONDITION.]
[2. RECOVER TOP VIROLOGIST AGRIPPA GLIMMERSHINE. LOCATION: UNKNOWN.]
[3. DISABLE SURFACE-TO-AIR SPELLCASTER TO ALLOW FOR DELIVERY OF REINFORCEMENTS AND SUPPLIES.]
[4. ASSIST CIVILIANS AND EUP PERSONNEL AS ESSENTIAL, BUT DO NOT COMPROMISE MAIN OBJECTIVES.]
One of the orders in particular caught her eye. "...Command, what's the status of Dr. Glimmershine? You're not giving me much to work with."
"Her last known location was at the Base of Operations before everything went to hell. The Intelligence Spooks are working on her current location, we'll inform you when we learn anything new. Just continue with your other objectives for now."
"Roger that. Rainy out."
Rainy ended the call and raised her rifle, slowly making her way down the road in front of her.
Agrippa Glimmershine. Now that's a name she hadn't heard in a long, long time.