-3-
"Like I told you Twilight, there's no written information here in Ponyville. I doubt that there's any information in the castle on The Eversleep." Luna walked carefully, avoiding the books piled to the ceiling. Once or twice she came close to knocking one over, but she managed to keep it intact with her magic.
Twilight sighed. She had spent days looking through the library for any information. If she hadn't read every book in the library before, she certainly had now.
Twilight walked over to the barren bookshelves and placed the book in it's place. "You're right. There's nothing here. Celestia said there was a book for it at home in her letter, but you said the castle doesn't have one. And you don't really know how the whole process works. Not how or when it happens to an alicorn, nor how to predict when it happens."
Luna frowned at that. She had combed through the archives when she to figure out what happened after she was sent to the moon. There was nothing there. In fact there was a whole three year gap in between what she remembered and the written history.
It dawned on her. Home. "Oh! Oh..."
"What? Do you know what Celestia meant?" Twilight looked at her eagerly.
Luna nodded, "Where we were born. But only ruins still exist."
"Well, then we'll have to pack for it. I'll let Rainbow Dash know so she can join us.”
Luna winced. Anxiety filled her mind and her body reacted by shaking a little. “I don’t know Twilight... it’s not a place I... I really don’t think its a good idea.”
Twilight sighed, “But it’s the only place that could help! Don’t you want your sister back?”
Luna hesitated. She was visibly torn. Go back to... that place and save her sister, or allow a full blown war to rage. A war where a few unicorns had enough magic to kill her outright.
“How do we get there Luna?” She repeated.
Sweat dripped down Luna’s head. Her will wavered, still indecisive.
Twilight looked desperate. “Please?”
Luna’s will shattered. She lowered her head and spoke very quietly, "through the castle ruins where you saved me..."
"We'll leave tomorrow then. I'll bring something to eat on my way back. Hopefully Spike will be ok with whatever he and Rarity are working on today."
--*--
"Lastly, the city of Fillydelphia pledges it's loyalty to the Council." Bastion Yorets rolled up the scroll he was reading from. Magic guided it to one of the guards who bowed, took it into his teeth and walked out of the hall.
Starfall sat in the throne with a light blue set of armor accenting his features. He held one front hoof to his chin, while the other tapped lightly on the ground. A round table sat in front of him with a pile of scrolls scattered about in front of him. A map of Equestria with several figurines placed on certain cities sat in the center of the table.
Bastion summoned another figurine of an shining sun and moon, and placed it on the city of Fillydelphia. "Several cities prefer neutrality at the moment, as do a few select towns." He summoned several new figurines, each depicting a grey banner with black stripes. "But..."
Bastion looked to Starfall who nodded to continue. Several figurines featuring a crescent moon eclipsing the sun appeared. He used his magic to place them on several cities and towns, joining those already present.
"There are cities who are in open rebellion. Their leaders call themselves the Kingdoms of Equestria. They recognize Princess Luna as the ruler of Equestria. They are also referring to themselves as the 'Keepers of Celestia's Will'."
Several of the unicorns snickered at the phrase, "Keepers of Nightmare Moon is more like it."
There were some laughs around the table. Starfall raised a hoof to quiet them.
"The main leadership is in Manehatten, which is as I understand it gearing up for major defenses. Stalliongrad is also ready for a major fight, and is the new Capitol." Bastion levitated a glass of water from the table in front of him, taking a sip. "Of course it is possible that they are moving the leadership out there to keep them safer."
"And that is all, fillies and gentlecolts. I propose that we begin to rally every stallion and mare to our cause. It has been hundreds of years since Equestria had needed an army. But in order to unite pony kind we must call upon it's citizens to realize the dangers of the chaos those foals are creating!"
"Perhaps we should start with Cloudsdale or Manehatten." Bastion said. The room got suddenly quiet. A scroll was now open in front of the stallion's face. "Cloudsdale had rejected our sovereignty, and the city is moving away from here towards the edges of the Everfree Forest."
Starfall stood up. He walked around the table to the captain of the guard, Lieutenant. "Prepare the training fields for a large class. Bastion, take a scroll."
Bastion nodded, levitating a scroll and an ink pen in front of him.
"By the decree of the Council of Sun and Moon, every able stallion and mare must join the armed forces for a period of two years, or until peacetime befalls this country..."
The Council members quickly added phrases and changes to the manifesto that Starfall laid before them. As it quickly evolved into a declaration of power and hope, he smiled. They would love this council, no, this nation. The foalish public would be willing to die for it.
Or they would die for disobeying.
--*--
"By a unanimous vote by the ruling council, each able mare and stallion are to be recruited for a Republic army. Please comply by coming to the town square for examination." The guards were going all around Ponyville shouting this same phrase in different variations.
The mayor stood in the center of the city, trying to shrug off her restrainers: two large pegasi. They each wore a redesign of the royal guard's armour to include the council's new insignia.
"We're a free village! You can't come in here and take people for some ridiculous cause!"
One of them hit her in the back of the head, knocking her unconscious. The two holding her let go, and her body slumped to the ground.
"Put her in chains and lock her in her home," came a voice from the side. A young pegasus in red robes walked out from the crowds of people. A hat adorned his head, with a tightly woven gold mane hanging to one side. The guards nodded and complied with his order. He smiled and looked down the streets.
Parents from each household said goodbye to each other as they left their homes. Young ponies cried or wished them luck in the days they would be gone. Some of them were given a memento of home, but most went with a hope and a promise.
Bit by bit, they gathered in the main square in Ponyville. Many were nervous, and some were outright scared of what was happening. Each of them had saddlebags packed for several days journey, mainly food and water. The pony dressed in red approached the podium, clearing his throat.
“Residents of Ponyville, I would like to humbly welcome you here today. My name is Oath, and I am the newly elected Mayor of Ponyville.” The gathered crowd spoke in whispers, but Oath raised a hoof to silence them.
“For those of you that are confused about this change, it was made because the previous mayor endangered the lives of your entire town. You see, a large group of Equestrians have broken away from the council that Celestia appointed to begin a transition to an age of self-rulership. In her last hours, our beloved Princess commanded that a Republic be created!
“These... rebels believe that rulership under one pony is the way to continue forward. The way of tyranny! For nopony can replace the love and care that Celestia had for all ponies. Without her unbiased leadership, there will always be corruption and leadership under one, single pony. They would defy the last act of love that Celestia brought to Equestria!
“It is for this reason that you have been inducted into the armed forces. To reunite everypony under the guidance of the Equestrian Republic. You will be the greatest force the world has ever seen assembled.
“We will win. And when we do, your foals will remember the great sacrifices we all made to bring pony kind together, united under one banner!”
The crowd stamped their hooves in agreement, slowly growing into cheers and shouts of unity.
War was coming, and they were blind enough to embrace it.
--*--
“How deep into the Everfree Forest is this place?” Twilight asked. They had already trekked a good way into the forest. They had passed the castle ruins an hour ago, before they began traveling along the edge of the cliffs. Every once in a while, Twilight gave a peek over the edge but couldn’t see past the mist.
“Not much farther. But the road there is a long one. We may not make it there until after nightfall, which means we’ll have to camp for the night.” Luna replied. Her horn was aglow in magic pulling them gently along the edge of the woods, “At least Rainbow Dash didn’t take any of the tent stakes she was carrying.”
Twilight nodded, but sighed. At the edge of the forest they had run into several pegasi ponies. They were apparently scouting out a new location for Cloudsdale to set down since they had essentially declared war on the council. They offered for Luna to stay and rule from the city, but she declined in lieu of the mission they were on. Rainbow Dash volunteered to take her place instead, and Luna allowed it for a little while. It was mainly to humor her, but she did need someone to find out what was happening in the coming conflict. She had also given Twilight and Rainbow each a necklace so that they could communicate over the long distances by thought.
Rainbow? How is it out there? Twilight tested. Hopefully it was like one of the spells she had tried before.
Huh? Oh! Right, Twilight. It’s exciting! The weather factory is designing tornadoes, and the whole city is building a huge storm below it. From what it sounds like, we’re moving further away from Ponyville towards the mountains. Apparently its better hidden back there.
Why are you making tornadoes and giant storm clouds?
I don’t know. But they’re so cool!
Twilight wasn’t sure that was the kind of news she wanted to hear from Rainbow. It wasn’t so much that she thought dangerous weather was cool, especially since she expected Rainbow to enjoy stuff like that. The problem in her mind was that making weather into a weapon was possible, and - more specifically - that it was being done. She didn’t feel comfortable with those dangerous things being in the same place as her friend, let alone the population of Cloudsdale.
“Hey, Princess Luna?” Twilight sped up to catch up with her companion.
“You can just call me Luna,” she smiled, “I’m not a princess anymore.”
“Yes pr-, er, Luna. I was just wondering why Cloudsdale is moving towards the Everfree Forest. It doesn’t make sense. Even more confusing is that Rainbow says they’re making huge storms for fighting.”
Luna’s smile faded back into a frown, “Yes, well... There will probably be a lot of fighting from now on. Starfall seems to want to preserve a united world, but with denying me the right to the throne, some places didn’t agree with him. They’ll be fighting to either put me in power, or keep me from it.”
“Well, I hope you can go back to being a princess.”
“I don’t.”
Twilight stopped. “Why? Didn’t Celestia want you to rule while she was... gone?”
She nodded, “Yes, but nopony wants me to be what Celestia was. They only want Celestia.”
“I wouldn’t mind if you were in charge.”
Luna flushed red in her cheeks, and turned her head to the side, “Th-thanks.”
They walked in silence after that. Unlike the previous parts of the Everfree Forest, this one was blooming with all kinds of wild flowers. The trees here looked like they used to be regularly maintained, not wild like the rest of the forest. The color was more vibrant here in shades of green, blue, red, yellow, pink, and so many others Twilight had to slow down to take it all in. But it was strange that these colors were only close to the edges of the cliffs.
“Luna, this place is beautiful. Is this still the Everfree Forest?”
She nodded once more, “This is the southern edge of the forest. Here comes the tricky part.” Luna adjusted herself into a more grounded posture, magic emanating from her horn, “I call upon the founding makers of Equestria: Earth, Sky, Water, and Fire. Ones who have transcended the cycle of the great sleep, you have pledged your loyalty to the Kingdom of Equestria and its citizens. One of royal blood calls on you now to reveal the pain you are so burdened with. A pain so horrible that even through survival, I was used as a tool in it’s destruction.” Magic flared around her pushing her deeper into the ground. Four colored magic shimmered over the cliff.
“Princess Luna. The youngest of the Royal Line. Your inconsolable sadness allowed the jealousy of your sister to grow, and be taken by foul Nightmare. We have not forgotten the cries you shouted in moments of control to bring the Great Sleep early upon you.”
Twilight was confused. Nightmare? Didn’t they mean Nightmare Moon? Wasn’t Nightmare Moon simply a creation by Luna to plunge the world into eternal night?
“We will allow you to share in our burden, Princess Luna. We will also open the eyes of the world that has forgotten, starting with young Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight flinched. Who was in that magical light? Why did they know her name?
The ground beneath began to shake. Earth heaved at the edges of the cliff expanding it beyond its normal size. Old fenced paths rose from beneath the mist, melding softly back into the cliff. The temperature increased making the mist disappear into the sky above. Wind came and cooled the land as it shifted. Twilight lost her footing, and fell into Luna’s side. She wrapped her hooves around one of Luna’s clinging on for dear life. As suddenly as it began, it stopped.
It was eerily quiet, but Luna could hear the echoes of swords and screams in her head. Her panting filled the air mixing with the sounds of soldiers. She looked from side to side watching for a sword or javelin to come flying at her. The wind rustled the trees and she jumped forward carrying a huge weight with her on her back leg.
“Luna!” Twilight cried as she was lifted into the air, before falling promptly on her flanks, “What’s the matter?”
Luna shook her head to the sides. The sounds were gone, leaving her in silence. She floated back down to the ground, and helped Twilight to her hooves. “Nothing. Old memories that are best left forgotten.”
Twilight walked onto the path and looked over the railing. Her eyes went wide and she held her breath, “What... what is this place?”
Luna spread her wings and hopped in the air, landing softly beside Twilight. She felt as though her heart was going to break once more, “The city where Celly and I were born.”
Twilight’s eyes stared at the city below. Ocean waves could be seen lapping at the shore in the distance. Many of the buildings were smashed or shattered by something large, or burned black if not to its foundations. Above the city she could see across from her the castle of the royal pony sisters. From this angle she could see that there was far more of it built into the cliff. Once intact, tower skeletons climbed up the cliff walls. A central castle jutted out from the cliff into the city below, with smaller ones spreading out from it. The setting sun cast a foreboding glow on the land.
The two ponies walked down the path towards the city below. Luna stopped once to raise the moon, but was promptly stopped when another force took hold of it and dragged it into the sky.
Twilight asked a few questions here and there but they weren’t substantial. She didn’t want to upset Luna further. From the way the princess walked, it was apparent that she was very upset by just being here. They stopped at the bottom of the trails, now within the confines of the city. Twilight used her magic to pull out her tent from her bag, setting it up quickly.
“Do you mind if I make a fire? It is still winter after all.”
Luna shook her head, “I’ll get some dry wood from the forest.”
It took a short while for Twilight to get the campfire ring right, thumbing through a copy of Camping is for Everypony that she had borrowed from the library. She smiled in triumph and placed her saddlebags on the ground. After a moment of digging she found the logs she had taken from the library’s supply and hovered them into the center of the ring.
Luna touched down on the other side, placing the twigs she found onto the fire. With a tap of Luna’s magic, the kindling was wreathed in flames. The fire slowly grew until it encompassed all of the logs. They sat outside for a few minutes before Twilight pulled a small pot from her bag. It hovered over to settle on the fire. A few packs of nearby snow hovered over the pot and fell right into it.
“Want some soup when it’s ready?” Twilight asked.
“Sure!” Luna said. She was hungry from all the walking and the magic she performed.
The pot slowly bubbled over the fire. Twilight went about her work, adding small packets of powder into the pot. It smelled delicious.
“What are those?” Luna pointed her hoof at the empty packets by Twilight’s side.
“Oh these? Instant soup mix. Just add hot water and it makes a delicious onion soup broth.” She chirped. Her magic grabbed hold of something in her saddlebags. The fresh vegetables were coaxed out and dropped into the pot. “I like adding a little something to it though. Spike taught me how to make this when we went camping on the roof of the castle in Canterlot.”
Luna licked her lips in anticipation. Instant soup sounded funny, but it smelled good, especially with the vegetables thrown in. The pot hovered off of the fire and poured itself into two bowls that had slid out of her other saddle bag. Luna hovered the soup over to her and took a sip.
“Delicious!” Luna said joyfully. She quickly drank down the contents of the bowl letting the tangy liquid dance on her taste buds. The warmth settled down in her stomach, and she patted it with one hoof.
Twilight giggled at Luna’s antics and drank more of her soup. When she finally did, she put the bowls in the pot and boiled more melted snow to clean them. Eventually they were done, and she poured the water into the dirt and repacked the pot and bowls into one saddlebag.
“I’m going to get some sleep for tomorrow.” Twilight said, “I brought an extra sleeping bag so you could use it.”
Luna nodded and followed Twilight into the tent, letting the fire burn out on its own. She tucked herself away in the extra sleeping bag, settled behind Twilight.
“Good night, Luna,” Twilight whispered.
“Good night, Twilight,” Luna responded in kind.
As Twilight fell asleep, Luna was overcome by the feelings she had been holding back. A single tear left Luna’s eyes, and she sniffled. I’m home Celly. I’m... Luna cried softly into her sleeping bag. The fire outside turned to smoldering ash, and the moon took its place above the city, covering it in a fresh layer of sorrow.