My slumber had abruptly ended when the boisterous sounds of metal falling filled the air. I sprung from my cot, falling flat on my shoulders. My head throbbed as it was harshly slammed against something. I couldn't focus as an obscuring feeling came over me. I could feel the cool, compacted material beneath my head began to rise, lifting me up with it. My head was lifted up as far as it could before dropping again.
As my head softly planted itself into the dirt I heard a few voices. "Are you alright, Corkscrew?" I heard one say.
"You should be asking Fluttershy that, hit her head pretty hard on my back." Corkscrew replied.
"Oh dear!" I heard the other say as a shimmering white figure hovered over my head. "Fluttershy? Oh my, it seems she's been dazed from her recent fall," The other pony said. My vision was still fogged but I could make out a hint of rainbow colored hair. My head's affliction continued, it felt as if a hoof was roughly pressing down on my head. I rubbed the back of my head diligently in an effort to relieve the pain. Then, a speckle of magic swirled around my body, gripping me lightly as it lifted me. I was airily being lifted to my hooves, and as I rose the pain from my head started to dim. Eventually I was on all fours, though my vision was still fogged I could see a blurred figure standing tall before me. When a hint of gold atop it's head I knew that it had been Celestia talking to Corkscrew.
I continued to rub my head, "Oh my, Corkscrew, are you alright?!" I squealed as my vision began to clear. His wing had been annulled, almost completely torn from its spot.
"What do you," Corkscrew stopped to think, "OH! Oh, my wing, yeah it's nothing major just got it......."
Corkscrew was cut off by Celestia, "I think that is enough information for now,"
"Why, all that happened was..."
Again he was cut off, "Corkscrew, please we have work to attend to," She said calmly.
"Fine, fatty!" He said with a hint of sarcasm as Celestia turned a nasty glaze to Corkscrew and all he did was laugh as he wondered out. "I'll get Red Cross and we'll go get stuff for the medical situation!" I couldn't put my hoof on it but I figured there was a good story behind that. But as Corkscrew trotted away Celestia's glaze quickly converted to a meaningful glare.
She looked at me attentively, "It seems you hit your head fairly hard, Fluttershy. Don't worry though, we will not venture out until you are good and ready!" She said confidently. You could tell how she spoke she was a disciplined diplomat of her people. The prudence behind her words were as if she spoke them in her mind before actually saying them.
"Oh I'm fine, thank you, and I'm ready when you are," I replied forcefully, fighting the inept pain pulsating down my neck.
"I'll take your word on it then," Celestia replied. "Please, follow me!" She said looking up at a grate on the ceiling. Her horn began to emanate a magical hue as she used her magic to remove the grate. She cautiously placed the grate on the ground, when the grate was finally down she leaped into the air and flew into the duct system. I didn't want to fly through this ominous looking vent but if Celestia went through it must be safe. So I trotted under the great, took in a deep breath, and shot upwards into the ducts. It was a straight shot to the surface and I could see light flickering at the end of the ducts. I continued to fly up until I flew through the opening. I stopped abruptly at near the top of the opening, shocked by the sight before me. The trees had been hacked down or showed signs of charring. The wildlife had fled this desolate plane leaving it all the more lifeless and black. It looked as if somepony was trying to burn down this area, or was it acts of violence that caused this. I noticed Celestia standing near a transition area between life and the deviation before her. I glided down next to her, watching closely at her burdened stance. I eventually landed next to her, looking up at her I could see a glimmer of resentment in her eyes.
I looked back at the field, "W-what happened?" I asked quietly.
"This is my doing, Fluttershy. This is the aftermath of my decisions. Although it was the best I still wish I could redo my decision. And even though it does look bad communities still manage to maintain themselves within it's midst. One such community is Red Rock Springs. They have managed to use this devastation to create life, over those hills are fields of green and small villages." She finished with remorse. A tear formed in her eyes as memories slowly returned to her. I could only imagine the feelings she is currently fighting just to stand before, what she believes, to be her fault. I didn't know what to say to break the incomparable silence. All I could think to do was rest my head on her side, hoping that this little token of friendship may help, even if it is only a little. Celestia felt my head on her side and moved her head down on mine. I could feel a tear rip away from her and land on my head. We remained here for what seemed like hours before she raised her head and trotted off.
The silence remained throughout the journey as we cantered through these blazed fields. I couldn't comprehend the sights before me. A once beautiful land now tormented by a chaos brought upon it by it's own inhabitants. We eventually made it to a small slope littered with weapons and decrepit pieces of rusted armor. They were stained with some sort of reddish liquid. Celestia moved to one of the pieces of armor, I watched as she placed her hoof on one of the pieces of armor.
She rubbed the dust off it, "Thank you for your service, your fight will not be in vein my loyal guard," Celestia whispered to the rotted mail. She quickly removed her hoof from the armor and we trudged to the top of the slope. “The village should be over this hill, beyond the bloodshed," She said softly.
"W-what happened, why all the scattered armor?" I asked but Celestia just looked down and remained silent.
"It's just all my fault," Celestia whispered to herself. Now I couldn't say anything to turn her mood. The regret she had burdening her body and soul was more then anypony should have. But somehow she manages to fight past it all and remain a diplomatic example to all, showing very few signs of any emotional duress. With her head still hung low Celestia walked to the top of the hill, peaking through the cracks in her mane. We slowly paced ourselves to the top, attentively placing our steps to ensure no shrapnel would become lodged in our hooves. Eventually we made it to the top, and the sight was more terrifying then I could imagine. Instead of a nice little communities there were burnt buildings. Were there was supposed to be pastures there was decimated steam ships. Were there was supposed to be ponies there were bodies that were meaninglessly scattered throughout the carnage.
I continued to watch in form of anxiety I never felt before. Seeing this form of carnage is almost unheard of to me. The clouds, although it wasn't perfect, there wasn't bloodshed quiet like this. Soon, the sounds of steam ships could be heard as a few started to emerge from the other hills across the way.
I tried to speak, "Wha...How...Oh my, Celestia how could they do this!" I asked.
"Oh dear sister, please tell me you didn't go to war." Celestia said quietly to herself.
"Luna, Luna went to war?" I asked softly.
"It appears that way, her ambition seems to have gotten the best of her again. Come on Fluttershy, we must go to the village and see what we can scavenge." Celestia said confidently. I just nodded in agreement with her and followed her down the slope into the village. The smell was almost unbearable, even Celestia was coughing from the horrid odor. We trotted into the destroyed village, inspecting our surrounding for any stores or barn cellars that were still intact. We continued to look until I found a small shack. There was a sign outside of it the said "Herbal Express" so we decided to take look inside. We walked in and there was almost nothing to be found. Other then rotted shelves and burnt countertops there wasn’t much in the store. We still looked hoping to find some plants when something caught my I.
I trotted over and found some plants speckling the ground, "Celestia, is this what we're looking for?" I asked calmly.
"Yes, these will do...." *VRRRRR* Celestia was cut off but the sounds of steam runners. They must have been flying exceptional close to the ground because it was shaking the shack. Then the boisterous sound of metal plating reaming the roof of the building made us all the more quiet. The roof continued to shake as the sounds of hoof beets echoed throughout the building."Fluttershy, get down," Celestia whispered. We lowered ourselves behind one of the stores counters and listened to, what seemed like, two troopers. We couldn't understand what they were saying behind there muffled voices, but I did hear one thing. "We've found them sir, we found the Crimson Brand"