//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Novo's Daughters // by RandomPerson //------------------------------// Novo stood on one of the many balconies of Canterlot Castle, looking down over the crowd. The celebration had been going for a while now and was slowly winding down. Many had left following Songbird Serenade’s performance, perhaps to assess the damage the Storm King’s forces had done to their homes or property. Others had lingered at the bar, possibly already knowing what had become of their possessions and wanting to forget.  Her daughter was not hard to find. Wherever the pony that Skystar had called Pinkie went, she was not far behind. They would flit from group to group of the remaining guest, giggling like mad before finally settling out on the cliffside with Twilight and the rest of her friends. She was finally talking to someone other than those shells, and all it took was near ruin to the balance of the world itself.  ‘Teenagers,’ she couldn’t help but laugh. She heard the doors to the balcony creak open ever so slightly, cutting her eyes over her shoulder without turning.  “Aren’t you both a little too old for peaking? At least when you were young, your manes didn’t float through the door,” she quipped with a smile. There was a quiet scuffle before the door shut and she heard them both clear their throats. The doors then glowed with gold and indigo magic and opened all the way, Equestria’s diarchs strolling through with dignified posture. Novo turned to face the two, ruffling her wings momentarily to return them to a comfortable position before standing to her full height.  “Queen Novo, we cannot thank you enough for your help during the Storm War.” Celestia spoke first, offering a respectful curtsy.  “We owe you a great debt, Your Majesty.” Luna mirrored Celestia’s curtsy, both of them rising at the same time. There was a heavy silence for a few moments before Novo cocked her eyebrow and smirked.  “Queen? How many times must I tell you, Tia, you don’t call me that. Now”—she sat back and raised her arms—“where’s my hug?”  Luna grinned and bumped Celestia with her hoof. “I told you, Sister.” She quickly pranced forward and embraced Novo, with Celestia’s own royal demeanor dropping at the sight before she joined the group hug herself.  “It’s so good to see you, Mother.” They both spoke over each other, nuzzling against her like they were trying to hide in her off-pink coat. Novo spread her wings and enveloped both of the alicorns, as she had so long ago. ~~~~~ The cold bit at Novo’s talons. It was nearly unbearable now, and the Hippogriffs would soon be frozen in their tracks if they didn’t complete their exodus south.  The pony tribes had elected to stay and try to wait out the cold, too concerned with their petty rivalries with each other to look toward the future. Novo wasn’t going to force her people to die over territory that would soon be a frozen wasteland; she could only hope that some ponies in power would come to the same sense. “Your Majesty!” Nimble Flame, captain of her guard, landed beside her in a bow, rising and removing her helmet. “My scouts have returned. The path ahead seems clear, but it runs through a small village. Appears to be abandoned. They also located a more secluded path through the forest, probably used by the villagers. We might avoid any possible trouble if we travel there, the snow might even be lighter.” “Even in conditions such as these, Captain, I don’t think stretching our people any thinner than they already are is worth it. If we travel in the open, it will be much easier for the guard to protect all my subjects, should we be threatened by anything. We’ll continue as we have. Perhaps the ponies left something useful behind, hmm?”  Nimble nodded and donned her helm, taking off to relay the Queen’s orders to the column. Novo led her people from the front, but they stretched back nearly over the horizon, huddled close in heavy blankets and furs.  They walked for a short while longer before the village Nimble had mentioned came into view. Nestled between rolling hills and the expansive forest that flanked it, even in the endless blizzard it looked picturesque. A simple stone bridge, wide enough for four hippogriffs to walk across shoulder to shoulder, ran right through the middle, standing just above the frozen river. She could see that a mill had been built on the bank.  ‘A farming village, such a pity,’ she thought as she looked out over their snow-covered fields.  As they drew nearer, the details of why the town had been deserted became more apparent to her. She could see doors that had been smashed inwards, windows shattered, carts and storefronts ravaged and strewn about. Bandits...If the conditions weren’t what drove ponies to flee, it was selfishness and greed brought on by desperation. ‘This winter is going to be their end if they—” Ah!” Novo’s thoughts were interrupted as an unexpected lump in the snow caused her to stumble, before she regained her balance. She looked down...then back up again as she began to see how many more lay scattered before her. The villagers...they hadn’t even been allowed to flee...She breathed deeply, she had to keep her composure. ”Captain!” she called in her royal voice, shaking snow from the edges of the rooftops. Nimble was at her side in no time. “This village was not as abandoned as your scouts thought.” She nodded toward one of the lumps of snow, Nimble quickly realizing. The snow was thick, they must have been impossible to see from the air. “I want our guard on full alert, no angle of our column left unprotected. Whoever did this may still be close by.” A group of bandits could do no true harm to her people, even if they were stupid enough to try, but she had resolved to not lose a single of her subjects if it was within her power. She would starve before she would see them go hungry, she would freeze before she’d see them cold.  That was when she heard it. The faintest cry...a child. A child was somewhere in this dismal place. She stepped away from the column, looking back to her bodyguard Goldenquill, who seemed confused.  “Lead them ahead, I’ll...I’ll be along shortly.” She turned back toward the sound, slowly walking towards it. Her ears swiveled slowly back and forth, listening intently for any sign of the child again. Silence.  She began to wonder if the storm was just playing tricks on her, but she did not stop searching. Silence. Maybe...maybe it was just the wind. The right breeze through broken glass or hanging tools might sound like a whimper. Right?  As she was about to turn and head back, the faintest moan of pain made itself known. Directly to her right. She heard it plain as day. The house in front of her was small, the door torn off its hinges and the single window smashed.  She stepped forward through the empty door frame, having to duck low to squeeze through. The blizzard had cast snow wherever it could in the house, but the cruel ice could only reach so far. By the time she reached the hearth, her claws were on dry wood.  “Hello? Little one, can you hear me?” She said in the softest, most motherly tone she could muster. No answer. “I won’t hurt you little one.” ‘Is it even old enough to understand me? It must be if it's trying to keep quiet.’ Beside the hearth, there was a large stone woodbox set into the wall. Filled with straw and straps of cloth, it seemed so oddly untouched, considering the rest of the house had been ransacked. She saw it then. The tiniest movement under the straw, and a hint of white became visible. She reached for it, but before she could brush it aside, it exploded outwards with a tiny shriek. A puny white unicorn filly, standing protectively over the deepest blue pegasi foal Novo had ever seen, grimaced as she mustered all the magic she possibly could. But as she let it go, it only amounted to a pathetic spark, not even enough to start a fire in the straw they stood in. When the unicorn saw that her attack had fizzled into nothing, she pulled her sister close, backing as far away as the woodbox would allow and trying to hide the tears welling in her eyes.  Novo was heartbroken. Their parents must have hidden them there to keep them safe from the bandits, but when they hadn’t returned for them, they’d been here ever since.  “Shhhhh, it’s alright children. I won’t hurt you.” She reached out to them, and with nowhere left to go, the foals couldn’t escape her gentle claw as it caressed their cheeks. She half expected the unicorn to bite her, but all her bravado had fled as quickly as it’d come. The poor thing was terrified. If only she had something to give them, some toy, or food...her crown! The three sky blue feathers that sprouted from it were like silk. She drew her arm back, both of the fillies eyeing her closely, removed it from her head and held it out to them. The indigo filly seemed a little younger, and since she did not understand the situation as well as her sister, she did not fear as much. When she saw how close the bright colored feathers were, she immediately reached out to grab them, scrutinizing them wide-eyed before pulling them close to her chest to nuzzle like a stuffed toy. The unicorn filly took notice and seemed to relax the tiniest bit.  “What is your name sweetheart?” Novo spoke softly, respecting the space between them.  After what seemed like the longest minute of Novo’s life, the unicorn spoke. “S-Sunny Skies.” “What a beautiful name.” She smiled. “And your sister? What is her name?” To her surprise, the little indigo foal spoke. “Se-leen-a.” She sounded it out like she’d just only recently begun to talk.  “Sunny Skies and Selena, you both have very nice names. My name is Novo. Would you like to come with me? I’m sure you’re both very hungry.”  The little foals quickly shook their heads. “Oh? Why not?” “Daddy told us to wait for him!” the little unicorn quickly asserted.  Novo was at a loss for words...these innocent little foals, how could she tell them that their father wasn’t coming back? She wouldn’t, at least not now. They were too young to suffer any of this, too young to understand, and she would not torment them any further.  “Your Daddy sent me to get you both, Sunny Skies. All the snow kept him from making it back, but he knew that with my wings I could fly over all the snow and come here to get you. See?” She spread her wings wide, casting the wall in shadow. “He knew that you’d love the vegetable stew I make for all the little fillies in my caravan. You’d like that wouldn’t you?”  Sunny seemed conflicted. “D-Daddy said that?”  Novo almost couldn’t bear to lie, but there would be another time for the truth. A time when they were safe, when they’d been fed, and wrapped in enough blankets to keep any semblance of cold out. “Yes, Daddy said that.”  She reached out, and ever so gently scooped the two of them up, bringing them to rest against her chest. She draped her wings around them for a short while, letting them warm up before adjusting a bit and walking back out into the cold, back to her people.  ‘Whoever you were, I won’t let anything happen to them, I'll keep them safe, I promise you that.’ ~~~