//------------------------------// // Chapter 49 - For Stories // Story: Finding a Place // by Battlecat //------------------------------// 04-08-1003 - Continued Sunset’s confidence was fading fast as we entered the palace proper. Twilight and I both stayed close to her but there wasn’t much more we could do except support her. I could feel the nervous tension in her as we walked side by side. The two of them seemed to have a destination in mind as we wound our way through the halls. The whole place was dead quiet; other than the guards it seemed empty. Since we’d teleported back, I had to assume we’d beaten the crowds leaving the arena by a fair margin. Unlike my last visit, the guards didn’t make any move like they were going to confront me. They stood tall and straight by the doors as we passed through. The only indication they noticed us was their eyes as we passed. They almost seemed to be glaring at me and it wasn’t making me terribly comfortable. I didn’t like the vibes I was getting from them and it was a relief when we reached our destination. It was a small reception hall in what I guessed was the north-west corner of the palace. A number of familiar faces were waiting there for us. “Oh my gosh that was AWESOME!” Rainbow Dash gushed, rushing up to me before anybody else had a chance to react. “You really showed him who was boss once you really took to the air!” “I was almost too late in figuring that out,” I replied, wincing at the residual ache in my back. “Thank you for your advice Dash. You were right.” I lifted up my hoof and she bumped it enthusiastically as everyone else hurried over. Spike was right in the front of the group. “Are you ok?” Spike asked. “You’re not badly hurt again, are you?” “I’ve had far worse,” I murmured as I wrapped an arm around him in a hug. “I’m sorry you had to see that Spike.” Spike just hugged me back in response. “Fancy Pants and Fleur send their best wishes for a speedy recovery,” Rarity said. “They have extended an invitation for you to have tea with them sometime in the future. Now then, I believe you three owe us some answers.” “Hold up there Rarity,” Applejack interrupted. “As much as we’d all like to hear what’s goin’, the princesses did say they wanted us to bring em’ in right away.” “Ugh fine,” Rarity huffed. “I will contain my curiosity a bit longer but I will be terribly vexed if this is another attempt at evading my inquiries.” “It’s not a trick Rarity,” Sunset replied quietly. “We shouldn’t keep the princesses waiting. Let’s go everypony.” We started towards the door but Applejack put her hoof up to stop Sunset. “Princess Celestia is in there Sunset. I thought . . . you sure ‘bout this Sugarcube?” Sunset shivered but kept her head high. “Yes, I am. Silver and Twilight have promised not to interfere, no matter what happens in there. Could the rest of you do the same?” I was pleased to see Twilight’s pony friends and Spike go through the motions without asking any questions. The last thing Sunset needed was anypony else making her worry. “Thank you,” Sunset murmured. “Let’s do this before I lose my nerve.” “Anything you need love,” I replied. “We’re right here if you need us.” Twilight lead the way through the doors into a large sitting room. It looked cozy and comfortable with a number of easy chairs and couches. There was a table off in one corner with several platters of sandwiches, cheeses, fruits, and vegetables as was normal here in Equestria. Just looking at it made my stomach rumble but I restrained myself. It was more important to greet the ponies Celestia was standing on the far side of the room gazing out the window while Luna was lounging in one of the larger seats. They both turned to look at us when we walked in. Luna looked as exhausted but she still smiled warmly when our eyes met. Then her eyes went wide with surprise when she spotted Sunset and her gaze involuntarily shot over to her sister. Celestia’s reaction was odd; when she turned around her gaze fixed firmly on Sunset. It was eerie; as if she had known exactly where Sunset had been standing. Twilight was moving to step up next to Sunset and looked like she wanted to say something to Princess Celestia. Before she could, I wrapped my wing tightly around Twilight’s barrel and gave her a squeeze. She looked over at me so I gently put my hoof over her lips, indicating she should be quiet. Sunset met my eyes one time and nodded before stepping forward to face Celestia. She bowed down, her ears flattened against her head. Sunset sighed sadly as she looked towards the ground. “Princess Celestia, the last time I saw you I was a snide little monster who betrayed your trust in a misguided quest for power.” Celestia spread her wings and walked slowly across the room towards her, not speaking. Twilight let out a muffled protest under my hoof but I didn’t relent. We told Sunset we wouldn’t interfere and a promise was a promise. Sunset glanced up and whimpered when she saw the expression on Celestia’s face. She looked back towards the floor. “I have done my best to be a better pony but that doesn't change the fact that I was a monster,” Sunset continued. “Your highness I have no excuse for my actions and I am prepared to face the consequences of my crimes.” Sunset didn’t move as she awaited her fate. I could tell she was petrified as she gazed at the floor. Celestia’s expression didn’t fill me with confidence. Even as I stood there keeping Twilight quiet, for a moment I had an almost overwhelming urge to go protect Sunset. The only thing that made me stop was my promise but it wasn’t easy. While I wrestled with the unexpected protective streak, Celestia walked over and gently lifted Sunset’s face to look at her. “I’ve missed you Sunset,” Celestia said, as a gentle smile appeared on her face. Sunset stared for a moment, and then she hesitantly got up to her hooves. “I . . . I’m so sorry.” “So am I Sunset,” Celestia replied, leaning down to hug her. “It’s wonderful to have you back. I’m so proud to see how far you’ve come.” For a few minutes, they just hugged each other while the rest of us watched in near silence. The only sounds in the room were from a few ponies sniffling and from Twilight barely containing her excitement as a small squee escaped her lips. Sunset and Celestia only separated when there was a knock on the door. “Who is that?” Twilight asked. “The last two ponies we are expecting for this conversation,” Luna replied as her horn began to glow. The door was enveloped in a golden aura and swung open, revealing Princess Cadance. She looked surprised and pleased when she spotted Sunset standing next to Celestia. I smiled at her as well but that cheerful feeling evaporated when Shining Armor walked through after her. My whole body tensed and I spread my wings to ready myself for another fight. I had my doubts I could pull off another miracle but I wasn’t going to let him push me around. “Woah, hold on there, Silver,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, putting her hoof on my shoulder to restrain me. “What’s with you? Shining Armor and Cadance are good ponies.” I didn’t relax my posture in the slightest as I glared over Rainbow Dash’s shoulder at Shining Armor. There wasn’t anything I could really say so I just held my tongue and braced myself for the worst. I could almost feel the hair on my back bristling. “He has every right to be wary Rainbow Dash,” Shining Armor said wearily. “I did not treat him well on our first meeting.” An angry growl slipped out from my clenched teeth. “That’s an understatement,” I snapped. “You treated me like a monster.” Shining Armor nodded and looked away before continuing. His expression looked almost melancholy but I wasn’t convinced. This was the pony that would have broken me in half to keep me away from my mares. A low grow was rumbling in my throat and I braced myself for a fight. I was so tense I almost screamed when a feathery wing wrapped gently over my back. Twilight was looking at me with a pleading expression on her face. I hesitated as I looked into those gorgeous eyes. She put one hoof on her chest and smiled at me. “Just like this,” she whispered. “Breath in . . . and out.” She took a deep breath in and I followed her lead, putting a hoof on my chest. Then she extended her hoof slowly out, letting the breath out just as carefully. As I let the air flow out of my lips, I felt the bristling rage fade away. I was still angry but it was under control. I almost lost control of my temper. Since when was that a thing Spark? No idea but we have been a bit quicker to anger lately. Guess we’re just getting into too many confrontations. Yeah, I guess you’re right. Shining Armor seemed to have noticed and was watching me nervously. “For what it is worth, I apologize for my behavior, Silver Spark. My behavior was disgraceful and completely unprovoked. You did nothing to deserve it.” I stared at him for a moment before coming to a decision. Given my current company, I did my best to calm down. I forced my wings back down to my sides and did my best to relax my posture but it wasn’t easy. I really wanted to throw it back in his face but one more glance at those enchanting eyes erased that urge completely. If I was going to date the Princess of Friendship, I had to at least try. I wasn’t going to trust him but I was going “I will accept the apology but only because you’re Twilight’s brother,” I said coldly. “Anything beyond that will be judged on your actions.” Twilight nuzzled my cheek, making it very difficult to stay angry at all. “Thank you,” she whispered in my ear. “Thank you, Silver,” Cadance said. “I have faith you will be surprised by my husband.” “So where should we begin?” Twilight asked, levitating a scroll out of her saddlebags in the corner. “I have a list of questions but I don’t have any baseline to prioritize them. Is there anything pressing for anypony else?” “YES!” Rarity growled as she stomped over to Twilight. “You can no longer escape this! What’s going on between you and Silver?!” Twilight looked almost frightened by the slightly manic expression on Rarity’s face. I was just amused by how much this Rarity reminded me of my human friend. I glanced over at Sunset who was struggling to hold back laughter. She finally gave up and began giggling uncontrollably. Rarity shot a nasty look at Sunset. “Really?” Rarity asked. “I’m glad you find my frustration amusing Sunset Shimmer!” “Sorry Rarity but I’m just surprised you haven’t figured it out,” Sunset chuckled. “Twilight is our marefriend. We’ve been trying out a trio relationship for a few weeks now.” Rarity’s jaw dropped and Twilight’s other friends stared at us with surprised expressions. Well everypony except Pinkie and Spike. Spike looked relieved and Pinkie face broke out into a huge grin. She was almost vibrating with excitement. “You didn’t tell us?!” Rarity asked. “Why, that would have been Silver’s first visit to Ponyville. How could you keep this from me?!” “I was the one who insisted on keeping it secret until now,” Twilight apologized. “I wanted to be sure we had a chance of this working before making it public.” Pinkie bounced over. “I can finally throw you that party!” she exclaimed as she bounced around the room. I looked Rarity in the eye. “I swear we didn’t tell Pinkie. She just knew.” “I know, I know; don’t question Pinkie,” Rarity sighed while glancing over at her friend and then turned to glare at the three of us. “I suppose it’s fair you wanted it secret but I expect you three to book an afternoon in my boutique on your next visit. Mark my words; you will attend your next formal event dressed in appropriate, matching outfits! None of this mismatched foolishness you trapped me into with your secret shenanigans!” Twilight smiled with relief and nodded. “I’ll make sure of it. Thank you Rarity. Anypony else?” Celestia smiled as well, though the expression looked oddly strained. “Please help yourselves to some refreshments. Once everypony is settled, we can begin this conversation.” Sunset bumped me with her shoulder. “Go sit down love,” She whispered. “We’ll get you a plate of food. If anypony deserves a rest right now, it’s you.” “Yeah go take a load off Sparky!” Rainbow Dash chuckled as she glided over to the food-laden table. “Wow, this is a sweet spread, Princess!” “Rainbow Dash, your behavior is simply uncouth as always,” Rarity lectured as she followed. “A little decorum in the presence of royalty please!” I wasn’t going to argue with that; my body was still aching from the fight. I chuckled at the behavior of Dash and Rarity as I looked for somewhere to settle in. A few minutes later I was settled on one of the couches with my wings draped over Sunset and Twilight. It was a relief to finally have our relationship out in the open on both sides of the portal. The two of them were taking turns levitating snacks from a plate on the table into my hooves. The others had settled in on the various chairs and couches after they rearranged them into a sort of circle so we could see everypony. Celestia cleared her throat. “The reason I called you all here was to clear the air regarding the events of the past few days. Our guest from the human realm has been hit particularly hard by these problems. Silver Spark, I wish to formally apologize for the treatment you have experienced at the hooves of my ponies. If there is anything we can do to help you, please just ask.” “Thank you, Princess Celestia,” I replied quietly, glancing over at Luna. “Honestly, if this ordeal brings positive change to Equestria then I’ll be content. I’d rather not fear for my safety when I visit.” Everyone nodded and muttered their agreement before Shining Armor cleared his throat. “I spend the past two days digging into the archives of the Royal Guard looking for the origin of the species based threat list. As far as I can tell, it’s been part of the training regime for at least 300 years.” “Tis likely it dates back further,” Luna snorted. “We would guess it was added after my fall. Tis in keeping with the attitudes that followed those events.” “I suspected as much,” Shining Armor agreed. “While the policy will be relatively easy to eliminate, training the ingrained behavior out of the guard will take time. I have a few ideas about how to start the process but I think that’s a conversation for later.” “Good work hon, I think you can return from your banishment to the couch,” Cadance said, nuzzling her husband before looking over at Luna. “Auntie Luna, something has changed between you and Silver Spark. There is a powerful bond is linking the two of you that goes far beyond the relationship I thought you had. I’m reluctant to put a name to it because . . . well, I don’t understand how it could possibly be the kind of connection it feels like. What happened out there?” “Your abilities continue to impress me my dear niece and we will try to explain,” Luna said, glancing over at me with a small smile. Then she turned to look at Celestia. “Sister, doest thou recall Lord Steel Rain?” “Of course, he was the key figure in establishing the foundation of the Alliance,” Celestia replied, smiling broadly. “As I recall, you were quite smitten with him but you wisely followed our advice to stop pursuing a relationship. It was fortunate he met a Thestral mare and had two lovely foals. I apologize but I have forgotten her name after all these years.” Luna’s horn glowed and her body shimmered, leaving a shorter, lanky mare standing in her place with bat wings folded at her side. She was about the same height as me and had a similar build to Fleur de Lis. Her slitted eyes were the same rich teal as her normal gaze. Her mane was a pale baby blue color and her coat was a blueish grey, slightly lighter than her normal fur. The cutie mark was a crescent moon setting into a stylized ocean wave. There was a slight smirk on her face as she stretched her bat wings out wide. “Evening Tide. My name was Evening Tide, dear sister.” Sunset, Twilight and I watched with a small amount of amusement as everypony else trying to process Luna’s transformation and choice of words. It was dead silent as they slowly assembled the piece linking Cadance’s question with Luna’s response. It was particularly interesting to watch Celestia. She was frozen like a statue as she stared at her transformed sister. She blinked once and then blinked again as her eyes shifted from Luna to me and back again. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen Celestia confused. Me neither. It’s quite the expression. I shouldn’t have been surprised when Cadance was the first to put all the pieces together. She already had observed some sort of link between us so she had far fewer pieces to assemble. Her eyes widened and her horn glowed pale blue as she cast a spell. A similar glow surrounded me and only a moment later that glowing light shot over to Luna like a bolt of lightning. One hoof went up to Cadance’s mouth, covering her shock. Then a huge grin appeared on her face and she practically galloped over to where I was sitting. Before I could react, she had dragged me half off the couch with her magic and wrapped me in a powerful hug while a squeal of delight escaped her lips. “COUSIN! I have another cousin!” Cadance exclaimed. “Of course you’d know that spell my dear niece,” Luna chuckled as she shifted back to her normal appearance. “Technically the relationship quite a bit more distant-” “Oh hush Auntie Luna,” Cadance rolled her eyes. “Let me have this. I always wished I had a large family. If Blueblood is my cousin then so is Silver Spark.” I was floored by Cadance’s overwhelmingly enthusiastic response and mildly terrified by how strong the lithe princess was. She was squeezing me so hard, I was actually having trouble breathing. As she hugged the stuffing out of me, I glanced over at Twilight. I noticed she had a small grin on her face so I mouthed the words ‘avenge me’ at her, eliciting a giggle from my marefriend. After a few moments, Cadance gently placed me back on the couch and walked back to where her husband was sitting. Cadance had a content smile on her face when she looked back at me but Shining Armor’s had become one of utter horror. I glanced around the room, taking in the reactions. Rarity and Fluttershy’s expressions were frozen in shocked disbelief and Applejack was eyeing me with a thoughtful expression on her face. Pinkie was unsurprisingly vibrating like she was about to explode and in fact, she did a moment later. A burst of confetti flew out of her hooves and spread all over the room. “I GET TO THROW A CONGRATULATIONS FOR DISCOVERING YOUR LONG LOST RELATIVE PARTY TOO!?!” She exclaimed in a volume that came close to matching the Royal Canterlot Voice. “Don’t get ahead of yourself Pinkie,” Twilight cautioned. “We need to keep Silver’s relationship with Luna secret for now. Things are. . . complicated.” I watched in disbelief as Pinkies mane deflated like a balloon. “Oh . . . ok Twilight.” “Your enthusiasm warms my heart dear Pinkamena,” Luna smiled. “T’would be delightful to have a small, private party to celebrate this delightful discovery at a later date.” Pinkie’s mane popped back to its normal shape and she saluted. “Okie dokie lokie, Princess!” “You’re related to Luna?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, hovering over to me and holding out her hoof. “That’s awesome! Celebratory hoof bump, don’t leave me hangin'!” I rolled my eyes and bumped her hoof. “I’m still not entirely sure what to make of this whole thing but Luna is a good friend and mentor. That’s what really matters as far as I’m concerned.” Luna smiled at me and looked over at her sister. She frowned when she observed the unreadable expression on Celestia’s face. It wasn’t a happy expression but after what she pulled with Sunset I wasn’t going to read anything into it yet. “You ignored Starswirl’s instructions,” Celestia said quietly. “He warned us that playing favorites among the tribes would lead to chaos.” “I followed his instructions to the letter sister,” Luna countered calmly. “You both were ridiculously adamant that we show no bias towards the three tribes. In that I succeeded; I courted a Thestral. Even then, only three other ponies knew the truth before this day: Steel Rain and our two foals. After them, I never told any pony else the truth, not even my grandfoals though it was my most desperate wish. ” “You didn’t trust me enough to tell me you had a family,” Celestia said sadly as she glanced over at me. “The wedge between us was growing that long ago, wasn’t it? I had hundreds of years I had to realize I was driving you away but I never noticed. I should have noticed -” “Nay Sister, t’was my failure as well,” Luna sighed, interrupting. “I chose secrets over trust and when the alliance began to crumble, I could have chosen my words more carefully. Instead, I acted like a selfish, foolish foal.” “Why did you not speak of it with me after your return?” Celestia asked. “Surely we could have located other descendants by now.” “There was no point,” Luna replied quietly. “Arcane Vision excelled in any work she chose to pursue. My Thestrals told me all I needed to know when I returned.” “Yes she was at least as focused as Twilight,” Celestia said as she frowned. “Wait, her last act as Archmage . . . Dear creator, I forgot, if they were all Steel Rain’s . . . Oh dear creator Luna, that means . . . I’m so sorry.” There were actually tears brimming in Celestia’s eyes now. Luna walked over and nuzzled her comfortingly. “T’was not your fault and you did not give the order. She had all the authority necessary to take those actions without your word and you put a swift end to it when you discovered the truth. Besides, as you can plainly see, she missed one. In the end, she was not successful, in spite of her best efforts.” Celestia looked over at me again and then averted her eyes. There was an uncomfortable silence sitting heavily over the room. I still wasn't sure how she felt about her reaction and it didn't seem like she knew what to do about my existance. I had done some dumb things recently but I wasn't going to push a sun goddess. Fortunately, Applejack stepped in and took over before Celestia and Luna continued their cycle of appologies. “Woah there you two,” she interrupted. “Y'all need to fill in a few blanks here so the rest of us can follow. Ah’m hearing ya say Silver’s yer kin but ah’ don’t get how that’s possible. Ah’ thought he was from another world.” “In truth, we have not determined how it is possible either,” Luna replied. “There are many pieces to the puzzle that are lost to time but we surmise his ancestors managed to escape through the mirror portal before the purge that followed my banishment. It would have been difficult but not impossible for anypony in the Nightguard of the time.” “I beg your pardon?” Rarity asked incredulously. “A purge? While there are some awful things in our history, I doubt Celestia would allow a crime of that magnitude to be forgotten.” I blinked, surprised that Rarity would take that tone with a princess. The quiet gasps from other ponies in the room suggested I wasn’t alone in that feeling. Celestia’s reaction was extremely telling, she was making no attempt to hide now. Her wings drooped and she looked at me for the first time since being informed we were probably related. She only met my eyes for a brief moment and for a second I thought I saw fear in her expression. Luna looked over at Celestia and raised her eyebrow. “Crimes of many degrees can be lost to time, particularly if the effort is made. My very existence was a surprise to you when we first met, was it not Lady Belle? Tis time to share the truth dear sister.” Celestia sighed and moved over to a large couch. She sat down and levitated a cup of tea over to her. I noticed the cup was far from steady in her magic aura as she took a sip of the tea. It even rattled the saucer as she placed it down on the table beside her. She looked around the room and over at the three of us on the couch with a pleading expression on her face. “I hope you can forgive what we are about to tell you,” Celestia said quietly. “I am not a perfect pony, nor am I a goddess, no matter what most ponies choose to believe. The eight of you have faced my failures over the past several years and I am eternally grateful for your success in correcting them. Still, for better or worse, I chose to bury a large portion of our history a thousand years ago. I just wish I knew where to begin.” “We should start where it all began dear sister,” Luna sighed. “By the way Twilight, please make sure that device and scroll don’t fall into the wrong hooves.” I glanced over at my marefriend and realized she had levitated her tablet, a scroll, and quill over. The tablet was set to record and she was preparing to take notes. She flushed bright red when she realized what she was doing and that everyone was staring at her. “Sorry!” Twilight squeaked. Sunset chuckled. “It does feel a bit like the beginning of a lesson, doesn’t it Twilight?” I leaned over and nuzzled Twilight’s cheek. “Just get permission from ponies or people you record Twilight. It’s just the polite thing to do when using those devices.” “As always, I appreciate your enthusiasm Twilight,” Celestia replied, smiling in spite of her serious tone a moment earlier. “In the interest of keeping a proper record of this discussion, I hereby grant you that permission. I can think of no better ponies to help us sort out the implications of my failings. Still, I would appreciate everypony here keeping everything we speak of her today confidential for the moment.” Twilight nodded quietly along with everypony else in the room. I had a feeling the ponies weren’t going to like what Celestia would be revealing. The impression I got from those Thestrals was Equestria’s history was cleaned and polished. More like a storybook than a real history. I suspected the reality was going to be quite painful for the ponies present to hear. “You sure you want to stay for this AJ?” Rainbow Dash teased. “You might have to lie to somepony!” “Ya know ah’ hate that joke, RD,” Applejack growled. “I prefer bein’ honest but that don’t mean ah’ don’t know how to keep mah’ mouth shut. Jus’ cause somepony asks me a question doesn’t mean I owe them an answer. Y'all can count on us, Princess.” “Thank you Applejack,” Celestia replied quietly. “Your dedication to the truth is admirable and I promise, what I’m about to tell you won’t be secret forever. I will start at the beginning but please hold your questions until we’re done. The first part of the story begins only a few short weeks after the Fire of Friendship was ignited by the founders. Luna and I were young foals when the exodus from the pony homeland began. Starswirl taught us what happened during our education.” Once the three tribes had set the differences aside, and the Windigo’s snowfall had melted away, they got to work. Most of the founders returned to the old homeland to organize the final exodus of refugees before anypony else died from the cold. While they were exploring, Smart Cookie remained behind to organize the soldiers of the three tribes in building the first town in our new land at the edge of a large forest. They called the town Unity, which would later become the capital of Equestria. It began as little more than a palisade but it was special because it was the first town built by the three tribes working together in harmony. Unfortunately, that was when they discovered that Equestria was not the empty paradise they first believed. Before the first wall was even completed, a group of strange ponies appeared in the dead of night. They were described as terrifying monsters with bat wings, slit eyes, and strange tufted ears. They were carrying spears made from a black stone and even more horrifying, they were even wearing leather armor. They approached the walls and demanded to know what they were doing on their land. Sadly, old habits and behaviors are rarely changed by a single revelation. Years of conflict made the reaction of the guards to such aggressive ponies tragically predictable. If Smart Cookie had been nearby, perhaps the outcome would have been different but she was sleeping. There was a short battle where enchanted metal easily bested obsidian and leather. Most of the strange ponies were killed and the rest fled into the night. To say Smart Cookie was displeased with their decision is an understatement. According to legend the unexpected fury from the normally gentle Earth Pony cowed even the most ardent tribalist holdouts. Starswirl once commented it was the closest anypony had ever come to matching the royal voice. There was a brief discussion about returning to the homeland but fortunately, it was voted down. That same day, a messenger dispatched by Commander Hurricane arrived and reported the homeland was not thawing and would soon be lost under the ice and snow. With nowhere left to go, they continued fortifying the first city in preparation for another attack. Meanwhile, several small groups of Pegasi were quickly dispatched to scout the new land properly and to assess the size of this strange bat pony civilization. The scouts explored the region for weeks and learned the continent was filled with numerous nomadic tribes and small villages. At least six different intelligent races were observed roaming the lush region and none of them were members of the three tribes. Some of the races observed weren’t even ponies and they never spotted anypony from what would later be known as the Thestral Tribe. Still, all they saw on the surface were primitive nomadic tribes. Of those, the most visible and extensive were the Cow tribes and the Buffalo tribes who traveled the vast landscape in large herds. When they returned, the scouts confidently reported the natives were of little concern. The assumption was that their scattered, small numbers would be incapable of posing a threat. For several years it seemed they were right. As the remaining refugees from the destroyed pony homeland arrived, Unity grew from a tiny fort into a small city and soon other towns were springing up all across Equestria. The rare encounters with the local tribes inevitably ended in pony victories. The only positive contact Equestria had with the natives was with the cows. Their tribes had little contact with the other races of the new land and had no interest in fighting. They chose to quietly integrate by simply arriving at towns and offering their services in exchange for protection. They have a much stronger herding instinct than even ponies and even today the majority seem content on their farms. During all of this, the six founders were working hard to build stronger bridges between the three tribes. Their efforts were beginning to bear fruit but sadly there were still some diehard racists among the three tribes. About five years after unification long before they chose to leave and found pure towns. Those who remained in the Equestrian Union feared their departure would just lead to the same battle. It was these towns where the troubles began, most likely because they had gaps in their security. Over the following years, a number of small incidents were recorded at the purist towns. A shipment of metal ingots was stolen from a Unicorn town. An elderly Earth Pony blacksmith vanished on a journey between towns. A weather patrol apprentice was sacked when he lost the teams manual of flight and weather control. The list was extensive but these isolationist towns didn’t report the issues for fear of looking weak. Ponies finally started comparing notes when the incidents suddenly turned to sabotage and wholesale destruction. Monsters were driven out of forests into the towns. Farms were suddenly set aflame or developed strange sinkholes. Ships sprang unexpected leaks and rudders were entangled with ropes and weeds. It took longer than anypony would have liked for the culprits to be identified. Thestrals, Diamond Dogs and other strange looking creatures were witnessed fleeing the scene of several incidents. On one occasion sea ponies were spotted fleeing a harbor after a ship sank. All the attackers were armed with weapons and armor equivalent to that of Equestria. Sone age weapons had been replaced by iron and bronze. The technological advantage had been erased without anypony realizing it was happening. Suddenly the primitive natives had become a real threat and yet Equestria knew almost nothing about them. Princess Celestia stopped and looked towards the window with a sad sigh. “The native tribes made no demands of the three tribes but why would they? It was the pony tribes who arrived without warning and who drew the first blood. Even if we were technically refugees, Equestria failed to actually extend a peaceful hoof. Nopony knew where they were from, where they would attack next, or what their goals were. The generals of the nascent Equestrian army were divided on how to fight a nearly invisible enemy.” Applejack snorted. “Why would they fight in such a dishonest way?” We read something about that years ago but I can’t remember how it went. I can find it if you really need it. Umm, how can you do that? I have nothing to do but think while you’re awake. Sorting through this mess you call a memory is a way to kill time. . . . and you were going to mention this when exactly? When it would irritate you. Now seemed good. Fine but we’re having words later. Can you find something about stealth and dealing with larger armies Spark? . . . yes, I’ve got something. Interesting, this might help with school later. Fire away. “All war is based on deception,” I recited as Spark fed me the lines. “If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.” When I finished, most of the ponies in the room was staring at me like I’d lost my mind. The concept of war wasn’t exactly something familiar to them. The only ponies who didn’t look startled were Celestia, Sunset, Luna, and to my surprise, Shining Armor. “I am impressed you see what the other tribes were attempting with their strategy,” Celestia said. “Much of the guard today still has difficulty grasping that fighting a more powerful foe head-on is foolish. I don’t believe I’ve heard such eloquent phrasing though.” “That’s from Sun Tzu’s Art of War, right?” Sunset asked. “I’m surprised you’ve read it.” “It’s from a book!?” Twilight asked with sudden intensity. “Do you still have it?” “Mom gave me grandpa’s copy when he passed away,” I said wistfully. “I read it several times and I found it fascinating. It’s on one of the shelves at home Twilight. You can borrow it any time my dear.” While Twilight clapped her hooves together with glee, I noticed Fluttershy was speaking. Since I had gained enhanced senses with Spark’s aid, I had become aware that Fluttershy in my world wouldn’t ever interrupt a conversation but she’d still ask her question. Or more precisely, she’d ask the question so quietly, nobody noticed. I could hear her easily thanks to my Thestral ears and it had become important to make sure my quiet friend was heard. I shouldn’t have been surprised this world’s Fluttershy was similar. “Why would someone write a book about war?” Fluttershy asked in a tiny whisper. “My world isn’t as peaceful as this one, Fluttershy” I replied. “When war is common, understanding strategy and planning is the difference between winning and losing. The Art of War was written about 2500 years ago by a Chinese general named Sun Tzu.” “Oh! You heard me?” Fluttershy asked, shrinking in on herself. I smiled. “I’ve learned to keep an ear open for your counterpart as well. She’s soft-spoken like you.” “War is only the most obvious application because of the title,” Sunset added. “It places a great deal of emphasis on outsmarting an opponent so that physical battle is less costly or even rendered completely unnecessary. It can be applied to politics and business just as easily.” I nodded. “From the sounds of it, even if they’d closed the technology gap, Equestria still had superior numbers. By making sure the ponies of Equestria knew nothing about their abilities, goals, or homes they took full control over the war. By striking where Equestria was weak, they forced Equestria’s more powerful force to divide their numbers to cover all fronts. Only a lunatic would directly confront an obviously superior force.” “It sounds like this Sun Tzu character had the right idea if his works lasted this long,” Shining Armor snorted. “That must be one of the oldest books in your world.” “Ponies don’t have a good track record for preserving history,” Sunset laughed. “The oldest form of coherent writing in the human world is nearly five thousand years old. I could hardly believe it when I found out.” “Fascinating,” Luna said. “We admit our curiosity about the volume and quality of said materials but we must move on. A fascinating discussion for a future time. The next part of the story is mine but before I begin are there any questions that cannot wait?” Twilight raised her hoof. “Where was Unity? I am certain I know every town in Equestria and I’ve never heard of it.” The two elder princesses exchanged a sad look with one another before Celestia replied. “You’ve traveled through it several times. The location is now known as the Everfree Forest. The region was never the same after my battle with Luna. Trying to use all the Elements of Harmony by myself shredded the magic field in the region. Within a decade the wild growth of plants and monsters forced everypony to abandon the region. ” Her admission drove the room to absolute silence for a moment. I tried to grasp how much damage a conflict between two ponies who could casually move celestial bodies would do. Honestly, it sounded like it was a miracle Equestria even survived the battle. “Oh,” Twilight replied quietly. “That actually makes a horrifying amount of sense. I never really understood why your old castle was in the middle of an inhospitable forest.” “Is it permanent?” Fluttershy asked in a tiny voice. “Oh no, not at all Fluttershy,” Celestia replied. “It is healing, it just takes time. The Apple Family founding Ponyville was an important step. The increasing use of stable, positive magic in that area is slowly stabilizing the forest edge and the wild magic is slowly retreating. Your lovely cottage would have been inside the forest fifty years ago instead of on the edge as it is now. Returning the restored elements to the Tree of Harmony may further accelerate the healing.” Luna and Celestia both nodded silently. “Does anypony else have questions that cannot wait?” Celestia asked. When nopony answered, Celestia indicated that Luna to go ahead and tell the next part of the story. My part in this really began just after I turned sixteen, just short of ten years after Unity was founded. By this time, Celestia and I had ascended and taken charge of controlling the sun and moon. With us acting as stewards of the skies, the unicorns had the opportunity to use their full abilities to serve all ponies instead of conserving their power for the ritual. We called the Castle in Unity home at this time and Starswirl was our mentor and guardian. I must admit that jealousy of my sister extended back even to this day though it was far less destructive. It was hard being the younger sister, as I’m sure is the case for most families. Celestia was almost six years older than me and had already exceeded the stature of the tallest ponies I had ever seen. Compared to her, I was awkward and hated my oversized, ugly body. I wasn’t even really involved with the government since everypony thought I was still too young. I was a princess in title only without any of the actual authority Celestia commanded as the elder sister. Instead of leading, I was cooped up in the castle being lectured by tutors. I was a bored, angry, teenager looking to make her mark. A dangerous combination in any world. I was, of course, aware of the attacks by the native tribes. By this time, everypony knew we were on the verge of going to war with an enemy we had barely laid eyes on. The rare attempts to make contact for diplomacy had always ended in failure. I, however, was a young alicorn mare so naturally, I knew everything, including how to negotiate with a hostile force. So when Starswirl left on one of his journeys, I decided to take matters into my own hooves. Under the cover of darkness, I slipped out of the castle and set out in search of the other tribes. I spent six days traveling through the wilderness, trying to find any sign of them but they found me first. By a quirk of fate or luck, I was spotted by a hunting party led by Steel Rain as I journeyed through the wilds. They didn’t attack me on sight because they didn’t actually know what I was. They had never seen an Alicorn since Celestia and I spent most of our lives in Unity. They followed me for most of the day and I had no idea they were there until I lowered the moon. I still remember our first meeting. Steel Rain soared over silently and landed a respectable distance away, followed by four other Thestrals and two Flutter Ponies. His youthful face was cobalt blue and his hair was grey. His golden eyes were filled with a sort of childlike wonder as he gazed at me. Then to my surprise, he bowed low. The other’s followed suit immediately. “I was unaware a living goddess walked these forests or even existed,” he said in a reverent voice. “Mere words are insufficient to describe thy beauty. It is an honor to meet the mistress of the night. My name is Steel Rain and I am yours to command.” I’ll never forget that day. Two amazing things were dropped right into my hooves that day. A peaceful and enthusiastic contact with the tribal nations and a handsome stallion who made me feel beautiful for the first time in my life. He had a way with words that ran counter to the view that the other tribes were merely primitive savages. As I soon discovered, that assumption couldn’t have been further from the truth. According to him, the previous negotiators had simply demanded they conform to Equestria’s civilized standards and had no respect for their cultures. So I asked the gathered Thestrals if they would be willing to teach me what the others had ignored. Steel Rain immediately volunteered to be my guide and advisor. I won’t go into the challenges I faced in gaining the trust of the diverse tribes. With Steel Rain’s guidance, I succeeded in my task beyond my wildest dreams. Over the next six months, we traveled from tribe to tribe and I discovered both common ground and incredible differences. He taught me to respect the Buffalo stampedes, how to respond to the inquiries of the deer and how to placate the normally aggressive Diamond Dogs. I flew through the hidden gardens of the Flutter Ponies and swam the reefs with the Sea Ponies. When I finally returned to Unity, I was accompanied by several representatives of the other tribes. They had granted me the authority to represent them in negotiating a proper peace. I had counseled them to negotiate as a single group to allow them to match the Equestrian numbers. It was humbling when they informed me they would be negotiating as the Starlight Council in honor of my night sky. As a first step, they had vowed to end all hostile actions against Equestria as long as negotiations. Of course, Celestia and Starswirl tore several strips off me over my departure and about the foolish risks I took. The only reason they knew I was still alive was the moon rising and setting on schedule. That was when Starswirl warned me about the danger of showing favoritism. Even as I agreed in words, I was already working on a plan to get around it. Negotiations went on for months but in that time there were no new incidents which improved confidence in the honesty of the Starlight Council. The terms of the alliance between Equestria and the Starlight Council were not dissimilar from the old symbiotic relationship between Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies began. Each group would develop trade using their tribe's skills. At the time, everyone believed it was a solid foundation. There was still distrust among both sides but at least there was communication between the two sides. I was asked to act as the royal liaison to the Starlight Council, a task I was all too happy to agree to. T’was an excuse to depart the castle regularly and to see my love more frequently. Still, I took my role seriously and did my best to improve relations between the various races. Luna looked at the floor. “T’was unfortunate I was not a responsible student of history at the time. Perhaps I would have realized what we created was too similar to the pre-unification relationship between Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth Ponies.” “What do you mean?” Rarity asked curiously. “It sounds like a reasonable approach to bringing the races together.” “It did look good on the surface and nonpony recognized the problem until it was far too late,” Celestia replied. “Perhaps my faithful students might be able to divine my meaning.” Celestia looked over at the three of us expectantly. I felt both my marefriends tense at the sudden attention from their longtime mentor. Sunset’s breathing actually quickened from the shock and she pressed her face into my neck for a moment. I felt something making my neck damp and I realized she was trying to hide her tears. “I still can’t believe she really still thinks of me as a student,” Sunset sniffled in the tiniest voice I had ever heard from her. I gently squeezed her with my wing and leaned over to whisper right into her hear. “Of course she does love. I don’t think she ever stopped.” Sunset nodded and wiped her eyes on the fur of my shoulder before straightening up. Twilight was watching over my shoulder with a worried look on her face. Sunset took a deep breath and cupped her hoof to her jaw in a very human gesture as she considered the question. After a moment she looked over at Twilight. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Twilight but if I recall correctly, what was truly toxic about the pre-unification relationship was how the unique ability of each tribe was used to build a wall between them.” Twilight nodded enthusiastically. “They acted as three separate nations even though they depended on one another! All they could see was what the other side was demanding. Nopony recognized the importance of what the others were contributing.” “Exactly!” Sunset exclaimed. “The alliance between Equestria and the Starlight Council didn’t join them together into one nation. They became two separate nations occupying the same territory. A setup like that could only work if the two sides were perfectly balanced and if there was nothing to gain from disrupting that balance. I’m guessing somepony did see an opportunity.” “You are correct, Sunset Shimmer,” Luna replied with a hint of pride in her voice. “There were many challenges with communication and trust during the several centuries the alliance persisted. With so many years, the two should have become one but both sides were reluctant to pursue a closer relationship. There was far more interest in maintaining the barriers between the two groups. I am honestly surprised the alliance survived as many years as it did. Celestia and I have pinpointed one key moment where the collapse of the alliance became unavoidable. That collapse ended with me becoming Nightmare Moon and the purges.” “Yes, the beginning of the end of the alliance can be traced to the actions of some of the Equestrian nobility,” Celestia added regretfully. “About 400 years after the alliance was formed they began actively work to reduce payments provided to the Starlight Council members for their services. They had significant evidence composed of half-truths and distortions that I failed to recognize.” I heard both Sunset and Twilight inhale sharply. I turned to look at Twilight first only to find her large purple eyes staring at me, wide with shock. Twilight was looking at me with wide eyes. “Silver . . . that sounds suspiciously similar to what happened in that story you read at Thanksgiving. The relationship between the Selenites and Helians collapsed because one side actively discredited the other.” “That’s right Twilight,” Sunset replied, nuzzling my cheek. “It all lines up perfectly now. Silver, I think your story is your family’s version of the history Celestia and Luna just told.” I was just frozen as I considered the realization. On the outside, I must have looked quite calm but inside my heart was racing. You know Silver, there comes a point where pushing back is pointless. You’re right as usual Spark. Short of some significant evidence to the contrary, I agree. “I think you’re right,” I sighed. “The stories don’t match any real events in my world but they match what we’ve just heard. Even the purge in my story matches what we were told by the Thestral council last night.” I looked over at Celestia. She looked incredibly tired at that moment. Luna gave Celestia another comforting hug with her wing and looked over at Rarity. “The stories about Nightmare Moon you have been told are accurate to a point,” Luna explained. “Even the vision Twilight had during the plunder vines incident was accurate. I did fall into darkness and had every intention of shrouding the sun for eternity when Celestia banished me. What was left out was nearly the entire truth: Up until the final confrontation eternal night was not our intent; it was only what remained when the nightmare overtook me. The original plan was to negotiate changes to the alliance by holding the day hostage while my followers eliminated the worst offenders of the noble class.” I sighed. “With weapons like the Sakitan Daggers.” “Yes,” Luna replied after a moment of hesitation. “Nearly 200 ponies were killed that night as part of the plan to eliminate the nobles who sought to undermine the alliance for their own benefit. It was a terrible, evil plan that should have warned me I was falling into darkness. Instead, I went mad, failed in my mission, and was banished to the moon. My mistakes left the Starlight Council acting against Equestria without any real leverage. That’s when everything got worse. Sister, the last part of this story is yours.” I had barely registered what I'd just done to my sister when the first deaths were reported. Nobles, leaders of Equestria, and several of my top generals were assassinated or dying horribly as the Sakitan Curse ran its course. It is not an excuse for what happened next but at that moment I was overwhelmed by emotion. At that moment, I concluded that the Starlight Council was either responsible for Luna’s fall or complicit with Nightmare Moon. Even worse, the magical field was already collapsing in the area. I declared the Alliance with the Starlight Council was over. I ordered the surviving military commanders to evacuate Unity and to ensure the threat was eliminated. I gave those commands without any consideration about how they would be carried out. Once that was done, I sequestered myself in the mountainside city of Canterlot to grieve the loss of my sister. What happened next might have been prevented if I had stepped forward to lead instead of hiding away. It was nearly a year before I finally worked up the courage to begin sorting through my sister’s room. That was when I discovered her notes about the plans and the evidence that the Starlight Council had been doing its best to uphold their side of the agreement. I had embarrassed my sister when she attempted to tell me that my ponies had been undermining the alliance but here was the proof. I decided I had to do my sister proud by trying to preserve some remnant of what we had built. My assumption at the time was the forces of the three tribes would simply expel the Starlight Council from our lands. I emerged to discover my orders had been taken to the most horrifying extreme and the reports were sickening. The Kirin and Flutterponies were completely gone. Hipacelion City was burned to the ground and the Seaponies were gone. A tenth of the Thestral population executed or killed during combat. The list of atrocities went on and on. The war had been far from one-sided. A large portion of the Equestrian military had fallen. The Starlight Council’s retreat had been bloody and destructive. About the only good that came of the disaster was the absence of fear among the population. Nopony went to sleep afraid and in truth, nopony entirely knew what had happened except the Starlight Council had briefly gone to war with Equestria. That left me with a single, path to restore stability to the lives of the ponies that remained under my leadership. My first priority was sorting out the soldiers and mages who lead the atrocities. Their decision to utterly annihilate Hipacelion City was more than sufficient to counter their efforts to cast themselves as heroes. If that had failed, prosecuting them could have destabilized Equestria entirely. The trials and the imprisonments were an endless nightmare that I had no choice but to endure. I hated every moment of that century surrounded by ponies I knew were capable of horrible crimes. It was during these hearings that Arcane Vision gave me her prophecy regarding Luna’s return. Once that was done, I did my best to reach out to the other tribes to ensure we were truly at peace. Few of them were willing to even speak with me and some I simply couldn’t find. We are still technically at war with the Diamond Dogs and the Seaponies. Others had demands which I did my best to fulfill. The Buffalo simply demanded we leave them alone to stampede in peace. The Deer requested similar autonomy in the deep forests. I conducted every one of these negotiations personally and accepted the blame for my negligence as a leader. Perhaps the most surprising negotiation was with the Thestrals. I had not expected to find them considering how close they were to Luna. They weren’t happy to see the Sun Tyrant, as they had chosen to call me. Still, after what they had lost to Arcane Vision, they recognized that peace was preferable to war. I asked nothing of them except that they let the ponies of Equestria live in peace. That was when I established the adoption laws regarding Thestral foals born to other kinds of Ponies. The final task I set for myself was ensuring the future. Key to this was ensuring that Luna and her allies were not reviled as monsters. The only solution I could think of was to ensure they were mostly forgotten. I chose to transform the facts into harmless stories to obfuscate the full truth. Nightmare Night is one of the more successful examples. “From there I did my best to foster a more inclusive and tolerant Equestria,” Celestia concluded. “It was all I could do to lay a solid foundation for Luna to work with when she returned. Sadly, it appears there is a much more difficult road ahead than I expected if the last few days are any indication.” “Our nephew did a masterful job of bringing the worst out of Canterlot,” Luna chuckled grimly. We all sat in silence as we digested the heavy story Celestia and Luna had just told. The question of my ancestry had been shuffled aside by the revelations Celestia and Luna had just shared with us. “So what ah’m hearin’ is you decided to coddle everypony like foals instead of trustin’ em to learn to be better from hearin’ the truth,” Applejack snorted. “APPLEJACK!?” Rarity gasped. “You can’t say that to the princess!” Celestia smiled sadly. “Everypony in this room has earned the right to speak their minds to me several times over. I find it refreshing to hear the unvarnished truth. Applejack is right; I won’t claim it was necessarily the right decision but it is the choice we have to live with now.” “There’s a saying in my world,” I interjected. “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” "Fear grows from ignorance, acceptance grows from knowledge," Twilight added. "I think Clover the Clever said that." “You are both correct,” Luna replied. “The ponies of Equestria need to understand that we do not have the moral high ground many believe. If the Thestrals and other surviving races from the former Starlight Council are ever to rejoin Equestria, the truth of our history must be accepted by Equestria. We are hoping all of you will be able to advise or even help us present these truths to the rest of Equestria.” That killed any sound in the room completely. Teaching a nation that broad swaths of history had been concealed was going to be difficult. At least it would be difficult if they were humans. Everypony seemed to be contemplating how difficult that would be. After a few moments of silence, Celestia took a sip of tea and looked around expectantly. "So, does anypony have any questions about what we just discussed?"