“Twilight,” said Spike with the smallest of groans being hinted in his voice. “You need to calm down. We’re just going to Canterlot.”
Princess Twilight Sparkle looked down at her dragon assistant standing next to her within the chariot they shared as it rode through the early morning sky. Despite how cool the air felt as it whipped through her mane, Twilight could feel beads of sweat forming all over her face as she frantically shuffled her hooves in the confined space they were in. Her new wings twitched and extended before retracting as if to telegraph the chaos that was going on inside of her. She wished she could stop it so that it wasn’t so obvious what a nervous wreck she was inside, but she could barely control the damn things before going to bed!
As Twilight bit her lower lip as she stared off towards Canterlot, accidently slapping Spike upside the head at the same time, the princess’s mind went back to what was causing her so much distress. Not even an hour ago she had been sitting at her breakfast table like always, going over her plans for the day when suddenly Spike belched out a letter from Princess Celestia. Now this wasn’t something odd or unusual for Twilight since this had happened so very often. After all, Princess Celestia had sent her all sorts of messages in the past. But this one felt different. It was short, telling her that she was needed in Canterlot at once and given no other details. Twilight felt a chill running down her spine as she wondered what could be so urgent that would cause the solar princess to send a message like this without explaining why. Then to add to Twilight’s worry a chariot arrived in front of her library at that very moment, sent by both her mentor and Princess Luna.
“How can I be calm?” asked Twilight as she scanned the sky before her for any sign of danger. “Something important must have happened if Princess Celestia summoned me like this! What if she got word that there was another changeling threat? What if Sombra wasn’t defeated and was seen in the Crystal Empire?”
“You worry too much,” said Spike as he waved off Twilight’s concern. “It might just be a press conference or something like that.” As Spike spoke, Twilight’s entire body became rigid while her eyes became wide. Slowly her mouth opened as her face morphed into pure terror.
“That’s even worse!” Twilight almost screamed as she turned to grab Spike with both her hooves, lifting him up into the air. Now above the alicorn’s head, Spike panicked both at the fact that his words had made things worse as well as the fact that he was more likely to fall to the ground. “I’m not ready to speak to the press! I don’t know what the topics are or had time to make any flashcards! How can I speak to the press without any flashcards?!?”
Spike gulped while his body trembled. “Twilight, I’m sure Princess Celestia won’t…let you…” Spike’s voice trailed off from there as his head turned to look at what was before them. Despite her panic, Twilight also turned her head to see what had taken Spike’s attention. What she saw caused her to drop Spike who landed on the floor of their aerial chariot. Without making a single comment, the dragon got back onto his feet and continued to stare at the sight before them.
In front of them was Canterlot Castle in all of its glory. Its white marble towers topped with golden domes (some of them striped with purple for some reason) shined brightly in the sun’s warming light. However, there was something else there that had caught both Spike’s and Twilight’s attention. A dark spot on this shining scenery before them. Parked on one of the landing strips reserved for various forms of air traffic was a zeppelin. Now normally this wouldn’t have caused anything above an eyebrow raise, but the fact was that neither Twilight nor Spike had ever seen a zeppelin like this one before. Even from this distance, the two of them could see that it wasn’t made of wood like all of the others they had seen before. Instead it was mostly made out of black metal. In the middle of the craft was a semi-cylindrical area seemingly made out of yellowish glass that looked like it could hold two or three decks. At the very front, the black metal returned in order to form a narrow blade. At the rear was a mass of black metal that had several grated windows set into it while below it were smoke stacks that bent away from the glass area. Finally, at its very end, was a single stabilizer fin that looked much like the tail of a dolphin. On top of this craft were three differently sized domes set in decreasing order, with the largest one closest to the rear of the ship. Twilight guessed that they held the gas that allowed the zeppelin to fly, even though she had never seen anything like this before.
Twilight and Spike turned to look at each other as they both wondered the same thing: who did that zeppelin belong to? Both of them had only ever seen the more colorful and friendly versions that Equestria used. Could it be that they had made contact with a new kingdom? As she turned her head forward again, Twilight did her best to look at the guards pulling the chariot. Neither of them seemed to bat an eye at this sight.
‘This must be what Princess Celestia wanted to talk to me about,’ thought Twilight as the chariot began its descent towards an open landing area. As the chariot moved closer, Twilight scanned the area around the zeppelin and saw that there were ponies standing guard at its entrance. The alicorn princess could make out the shine of armor that belonged to those of the Equestrian Royal Guard. But they only made up about half of the ponies there. The other half were wearing something that was dark red, but it wasn’t armor due to the lack of shine. Beyond that, Twilight was too far away to make out any other details.
Finally, the chariot landed on the opposite side of the castle from where the dark zeppelin was parked. After getting out of the chariot, she was about to thank the stallions who had delivered her the castle but never got the chance. Approaching them were six members of the Royal Guard, all of them looking a bit more tense than normal. The guard in front glanced at the two pegasi that had brought Twilight and Spike before giving them a nod. The purple princess almost jumped in the air along with her assistant as the two pegasi behind them took off into the sky. Apparently that nod was permission for them to leave.
Soon, the guards arrived in front of Twilight and gave her a short bow. “Princess Twilight,” said the guard before her after rising. “Princess Celestia has requested your presence at once.”
Twilight gave him a short nod. “Lead the way,” she said. The guard nodded before motioning to his fellows in armor. At once, the remaining five surrounded Twilight and Spike as if to create a living shield. Once this had been accomplished, they set out while always making sure that Twilight was safe in the middle.
As they entered the castle, Twilight’s fears and general nervousness grew tenfold. Everything almost seemed as normal as the last time she had been here. The castle staff was hard at work making sure everything looked at its best. However, Twilight’s eyes could see that they too looked tense about these new visitors. They were working much faster than normal in order to move on and freaking out whenever they realized they missed a spot in their haste, meaning they would have to redo the entire thing again. There were also more guards in the castle than normal. At every corner, Twilight counted at least two to three guards standing at attention. Now the newest alicorn had to wonder what was putting all of these ponies on edge. Were they now at war with some sinister foe who had sent a delegation demanding their surrender? Suddenly, talking to the press without any flash cards didn’t seem so bad.
After a few turns as well as taking a flight of stairs downwards, Twilight began to realize where they were heading: the throne room. Or at least it made the most sense given what she had seen. If Princess Celestia was meeting with foreigners, then the throne room would be the most ideal place to do so. Besides, all the other places where Twilight would be meeting up with the princess were above her like Princess Celestia’s private chambers. Or the library. Unless they were taking her to an area of the castle she had never been allowed before. Twilight could remember that, ever since she started her studies under the princess, there had been areas she had been forbidden to enter under any circumstance. Was one of these areas a secret war room or something and she was now being brought to it since she had become a princess?
The answer to that was, strangely disappointingly, no. Both she and Spike were, in fact, being led to the throne room which had even more guards posted at it than normal. But there was something else there as well. Standing by the door were two ponies that were dressed in a dark red uniform. Now that she was closer, Twilight could see that the right side of their uniforms were not cloth, but instead dark red leather trench coats that looked that looked both worn and dirty. Underneath those coats was form fitting body armor of a similar color. Given that Twilight had grown up around members of the Royal Guard, she could tell that this armor was not made of metal and would not protect against a sword blow. On the other hoof, it appeared much lighter while also providing greater mobility. The ponies in red were also wearing helmets that covered the entire back of their heads. These helmets also came with the same colored leather face masks that unnerved Twilight. Each had goggles sticking out of them with yellow lenses, hiding their eyes so that nopony could tell what they were really looking at, as well as two breathing devices that went off in opposite directions from each other.
Then there were their weapons. In all her years, Twilight had never seen anything like them before. In each of the soldier’s right hooves was a long copper device. At the top, it was shaped like that of a horn trumpet. As her eyes traveled downwards, Twilight saw that these weapons had coils and gauges sticking out at various places before the copper turned to a wooden handle. At the point where the wood and copper connected, Twilight noticed a tube coming out of the weapons side which was connected to the saddlebags that each of the ponies in red worn. The young alicorn could see that these saddlebags each had a larger pressure gauge on them while bits of steam seemed to escape from their edges. Twilight felt a battle raging inside of her: the scientific side wanting to look at these obviously technological weapons while the other side told her it would be safer to stay away from them.
As Twilight’s group passed these ponies in red, the princess couldn’t help but notice that the Royal Guard quickened their pace. Looking around she could see that their normally emotionless expressions were broken as they glanced over at the visitors. It was clear that they too were unnerved by them. Twilight also felt Spike as the tiny dragon had moved to ensure that he was between Twilight and the foreign ponies. Glancing at him, she could see him rubbing his claws as sweat dripped down the side of his face while his eyes darted over at the unusual weapons.
Quickly the doors to the throne room opened, allowing them entrance before swiftly closing again. The Royal Guards moved out of the way, stationing themselves by the door. Now Twilight had an unrestricted view of the room where two ponies stood at the opposite end looking back at her. Naturally one of them was Princess Celestia, looking as composed as she normally was. It was almost as if she had missed seeing the zeppelin that was right outside her castle. Next to her was someone Twilight had never seen before. He was an aged stallion dressed in a black opera coat that had gear shaped copper buttons with a matching black vest underneath it. Beneath that, the stallion’s natural coat was grey and his mane was white with matching mutton chops. Around the stallions neck, hanging from a leather strap, was a mask that looking like it would only cover his mouth with breathing filters in it. In his mane, Twilight also spotted goggles with dark green lens in them.
What took Twilight for surprise was not how he was dress, but instead his other natural features. The first was the stallions golden eyes with a slit pupil. They seemed to bore into Twilight’s soul as they stared at her. The other feature was that stallion’s wings which looked like bat wings. Only once in Twilight’s entire life had she seen ponies like him and that had been on Nightmare Night. The stallions who had brought Princess Luna to Ponyville had the exact same features. At the time Twilight had chalked it up to being some sort of illusion magic that the night princess had placed on them to give her protectors a bit more of a night theme. Now that she was staring at another one, out of armor and during the day, Twilight was being to reconsider that notion.
“Is this her Princess? The one you spoke of?” asked the stallion as he walked over to Twilight. Without thinking, Twilight bit her lower lip as this strange stallion began to circle around her like the way a shark would in one of the many books she had read. The way he looked at her felt like he was sizing her up or looking for some sort of weakness. It also didn’t help her feel at ease as she now noticed the large canines he had which were sticking out slightly from his upper lip.
Twilight could feel her heart rate increasing as she realized this. Thanks to years of reading every book under Celestia’s sun she couldn’t help but think of vamponies. Stories of these creatures went back to the time when Equestria was just getting off the ground. Savage, blood drinking ponies that flew through the air like the pegasi but with wings like a bat. Nopony knew how these stories got started, but there were a few theories on it. Up until this moment, Twilight would have dismissed these legends as simply at: legends with no proof to back them up. But now seeing one at a time other than Nightmare Night was causing Twilight to series reconsider her viewpoint on the matter.
As Twilight quickly averted her gaze to Princess Celestia she saw that the larger princess was calmly walking towards them. “Yes, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she said politely while watching the scene before her.
The stallion paused as he let out a huff. “I highly doubt that she’ll do,” he said in a dark tone that caused Twilight to wince. “Just look at her. That stance. That look on her face. She’ll be nothing more than grim between the clog within a week…at best. Surely even you can see it. We’ll need somepony with more experience.”
“I think you are underestimating her,” replied Princess Celestia before looking at Twilight’s nervous expression. “My former student has completed many difficult tasks in the past for her to reach this point in her life. I am sure she will do just fine. She just needs to be brought up to speed on this matter.”
The stallion looked at Twilight, clearly annoyed and unimpressed with what he saw. “I suppose then I shall give you some time,” replied the stallion as he put on his mask and goggles. “I shall be on my ship along with my forces. Please send for me when your fledgling princess has made her decision.”
Celestia gave him a short nod. “Very well,” she said kindly. “Hopefully, you will have your answer soon.” The old stallion said nothing, only giving the Princess a short bow before turning around to leave. As he did, he turned his head one last time in Twilight’s direction. Before the purple princess could register what kind of look he was giving her, the stallion shook his head before leaving the room.
As the sound of the door closing echoed throughout the room, thousands of questions swam through Twilight’s brain. Like trout trying to move up stream, each question was fighting to be first. Who was that stallion? What was he? Where did he and those stallions in the hallway come from? What did she have to do with this? Twilight felt like she was about to hyperventilate. Looking over at Princess Celestia, she could see the worry fill her eyes in the same way they always did when Twilight was going to have a panic attack. So, with the greatest amount of control she could muster, Twilight began to do the breathing exercise that Cadence taught her. She repeated this motion several times and, while she did, Spike spoke up.
“Princess Celestia, what is going on?”
This question was ideal in Twilight’s humble opinion for it summed up everything that Twilight could have asked herself. Twilight looked down at her number one assistant to give him a thankful smile before returning to look at the princess before her. Celestia too looked thankful for Spike’s question as well as happy to see her former pupil calming down. Her warming smile helped to put Twilight further at ease.
“Yes,” said Celestia as she stretched out a wing towards one of the open windows, motioning Twilight and Spike to follow her there. “I believe that would be a good place to start.” The three of them walked out onto a balcony overlooking the nature that surrounded the mountain, free of the view of the city as well as the zeppelin that had brought the stallion. Princess Celestia once more motioned them towards the single table there while her horn lit up. In an instant there was a golden flash of light followed by the appearance of a tea set along with an assortment of snacks for the group to eat.
“What is going on,” began Celestia as she sat down followed swiftly by Twilight and Spike. “is that for the first time ever there has been an envoy from those living in the mountain range close to Griffinstone. I believe you are well aware of them Twilight. You did a fourteen page report on that region your third year under me.”
Twilight blinked while her jaw dropped slightly. “B-But that’s impossible,” she said while Celestia poured them all tea. “Thousands have died just trying to get into that area. The eternal storm makes it impossible for anypony to get in or out.”
“Apparently not,” replied Celestia as she added sugar and milk into each of their cups, just the way they liked them. “Recently the storm over there has been weakening. A few years ago, the storm became weak enough that a dozen or so of its inhabitants believed they could make it out and make contact with the rest of the world. Sadly, only two managed to survive. It was from them that I learned of their existence. I thought that after so many perished that it would be far longer before they would try something like this again. However it appears that for some unknown reason, the eternal storm is quickly weakening. At this moment, travel is now possible between our two nations; Equestria and Thunder Valley.”
“But what are they?” asked Twilight. “They look like,” Twilight paused for a moment as a blush caused by her embarrassment appeared on her cheeks. “Vamponies.”
“It’s not surprising you and many others are making that connection,” replied Celestia as she calmly levitated her cup to take a sip. “I myself also believed in some of the speculations about them until Luna’s guards arrived. While their tribe is, in fact, the origin of where the ‘vampony’ mythos nearly all of the stories about them are false. They do not need to drink the blood of the living to survive nor are they undead. They are ponies, like you or me, who are more adapted for nocturnal life.”
“Fascinating,” replied Twilight as she picked up her own cup with her magic. A smile crossed her muzzle as she took a sip. Like with the Crystal Empire, she had a chance to learn about a forgotten culture. To get a chance to separate fact from myth. Perhaps soon, she’d be able to order books from this ‘Thunder Valley’ and learn all about their history and culture. There might even be new books popping up about them within Equestria’s own literature!
“So,” said Twilight with a bit more cheer as she set down her cup. “Are you going to need my help making them feel welcome in Equestria? Will I be organizing a conference between our two countries?” As she said this, her mind was already working out several checklists to help accomplish these goals. Naturally she would want Pinkie Pie to help with the party and to show them a good time. But she would need to find out if the thestrals had any dietary needs that would need to be addressed. The last thing she would want was for somepony to offend them by serving them blood. From there, she could talk to both the Apple family and the Cakes on supplying the food while asking Rarity to help with the décor.
Celestia’s warm smile faded slightly. “Ah, no,” she said. “Count Raven, the stallion you just met, is here on behalf of his nation to ask for our help on a very important matter.”
“Oh,” said Twilight while looking slightly crestfallen as her mental checklists were ripped apart in her head. Still she remained upbeat while picking up a small sandwich on one of the plates. “Well, if they need help with something I’ll do my best. That’s what friends are for.”
“Well, it’s a bit more complicated,” said Celestia as she watched Spike also pick up a similar sandwich. “They have come here to ask you to be their new Queen.” As she said this, Spike dropped his sandwich onto the floor as his arms had become limp. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Twilight, however, was not so lucky as she had already taken a bite of hers. Instantly her eyes widened as well as she began to choke and gag on her food. Thinking quickly, Twilight reached over for her tea cup and quickly drank the still warm liquid to help wash down the blockage. Once it was out of the way, Twilight took a deep breath of the life giving air all around her.
“Excuse me Princess,” gasped Twilight while Spike got to his feet and moved behind his surrogate sister to rub her back. “I must have misheard you. It sounded like you said that they wanted to make me a Queen.” As she finished that sentence, Twilight gave a force and uncomfortable laugh to which she was the only one to do so.
“You did not mishear me,” replied Celestia as she looked down at her own cup. “According to Count Raven, the ponies of Thunder Valley have been without a King or a Queen for the last year and a half. Their government has done its best to deal with this situation while also trying to decide amongst themselves who has be the new ruler. From what I understand, they have failed to reach a consenus. Count Raven has informed me that during this time they noticed the storm weakening more and more. It was decided that once it was weak enough they would travel to a land based on their own legends, Equestria, to seek us for assistance.”
Twilight looked at her mentor in shock. While she had yet to tell anypony about this, Twilight had feared that this might happen someday. That she would be tasked to run a kingdom one day like how Cadence and Shining Armor were now running the Crystal Empire. However, she never expected to be asked so soon after becoming an alicorn. What did she know about running a nation and leading other ponies? More than that, running another country meant leaving behind Ponyville. Leaving behind her friends as well as the bonds that they shared. She would miss the day that Rainbow Dash finally became a Wonderbolt. She would miss seeing Rarity as she rose to the fame she sought. Twilight would miss all of Pinkie’s parties and would never again get to have dinner with the Apple family. No more would she be able to spend time with Fluttershy and all of her cute animal friends. There would be no more going to Zecora’s hut to have tea and chat with the zebra mare. On and on the list grew of things she wanted to see with her friends or just miss doing. Honestly, Twilight didn’t know if she could leave it all behind.
Yet, something seemed off. Why ask her to be their Queen? Princess Celestia had just said that the thestrals came looking for the two sisters based on old legends. So that would have meant that they would know of only two alicorns. Wouldn’t the alicorn responsible for the night be a much better Queen for a race that was nocturnal? Not only that, wouldn’t Princess Luna love a chance like this? To be at the top and being adored by the ponies she ruler over? Was that why she wasn’t here? That for some reason they didn’t ask her?
“Ah, Princess,” began Twilight slowly, rubbing one of her forelegs nervously with her hoof while adverting her eyes. “Forgive me, but why wasn’t Princess Luna asked?”
When Twilight looked up, she saw that Celestia was once more calmly sipping her tea. “To tell the truth, Twilight, my sister was the one they came here for. However, she turned them down before recommending you for the job.”