//------------------------------// // Chapter 20 // Story: Secrets and Lies (phase two) // by keithsterling //------------------------------// February 16, 2026, 1300 hrs Equestria Standard time, gliding over the laid to waste Capital City of Ponyville, Friendship Kingdom, Isle of Unity. Gliding over the laid to waste Capital City of Ponyville in the Friendship Kingdom was a gorgeous light blue bodied Alicorn/unicorn mare with crimson red mane and tail. Her shapely 6ft 6in equine figure was encased in navy blue nano-suit with silver trim and knee-high boots on her light blue bare feet. Her naturally light blue feathered bird wings were covered with grime from assisting with the search and rescue operations. Affixed on her head was a headset she was getting constant updates from the Alliance camp in the Crystal Empire about the slowly increasing death toll for both kingdoms on the Isle of Unity. This Alicorn/unicorn mare was Grand Solar Princess Aurora Sol Silverlight. She was sent by her mother Empress Celestia Silverlight to assist on the Isle of Unity. But the moment she arrived on the Isle she was appointed overseer for all the operations on the island because of her Senior Princess Status and her extensive ruling experience. Slowly Aurora begins to decrease her altitude and come in for a landing on the rubble choked streets of Ponyville, once safe on the ground she folds her wings onto her back. She carefully inches her way through the rubble-strewn street of this residential area of Ponyville. Along this stretch of road on either side were burnt-out skeletons of timber-framed homes with thatched roofs. The little bit of the overhang from the upper floor lies charred on the street in front of the structures. As she comes around a bend in the road standing in front of the partially collapsed home was a drop-dead gorgeous light blue bodied Alicorn/unicorn mare with crimson red mane and tail. Her athletic 5ft 8in equine figure was encased in ice blue nano-suit with gold trim and knee-high boots on her light blue bare feet. Affixed on her head was a headset she was getting new location updates from the Alliance camp in the Crystal Empire about possible survivors in need of rescue. This Alicorn/unicorn mare was Grand Princess Blueberry Swirl Silverlight and Aurora's younger sister. Like her older sister, she was sent by Princess Cadence Sparkle her cousin and ruler of the Crystal Empire to assist in the Ponyville rescue operations as she extensively trained as Solar Guard Medic pony. As she approaches she reaches up and removes the headset from her head, before resting it on her neck and turning the volume down as to not get feedback from her own sister's headset. Upon seeing her older sister come into view she reaches up and removes her headset from her head, before resting it on her neck and turning the volume down as not to get feedback. "How does the rescuing go?" Aurora inquiry as Blueberry gestured to a soldier to call her went the search team exits the home. "We were able to stabilize the structure, so a small team of royal guards could enter the residence and search for the possible survivor, Your Grand Highness," Blueberry said as the title sort of annoyed her older sister. "Now, I see why mother, call you a horrible little pony," Aurora said sourly as she knows it was all in fun and nothing else as the only way to cope with this level of devastation unheard of in Equestria. "Mother doesn't call me a horrible little pony you are lying Aurora," Blueberry said refute her older sister earlier claim. "Oh, she doesn't, Blueberry. Want to make a bet?" Aurora said with alligator smile as Blueberry eyes narrowed with suspicion toward her older sister. "What kind of bet, big sister? Last time I bet with you I would have been out 50 bits and I know you cheated on the bet." Blueberry said forcefully as she does a slow, appraising glance of her sister. "Now Blueberry, I would never cheat on a bet with you." Aurora said innocently with a crafty smile. "Horse feather, If I didn't tell mother what you did. She wouldn't have made you pay me 100 bits for cheating, she look over the bet and discover you stack the bet in your favor. That was not fair, Big sister." Blueberry replies a bit annoyed with her big sister. Before the conversation could begin an anew one of the Friendship kingdom Royal guards calls that the search team is emerging from the structure. Quickly Aurora and Blueberry run back to the location, they arrive just as the last Royal Guard exit the structure. The faces of the search team members were etched with sorrow. Without saying a word the lead royal guard raises his hands and display two fingers. Aurora's stomach contracted to a tight ball she quickly composes herself as everyone was looking to her for leadership. She sucks up the bleak feeling filling her heart and with a clear royal voice. "Search team mark the number of victims and type in the structure on the outside wall, so the recovering team knows how many bodies to pick up and transport to the morgue. Then move on to the next location there no more to be done here!" Aurora said in a calm and incisive voice as the search team spray-painted (two and U) on the outside wall. "Please know my little sister; this does hurt. But our ponies need us to be the Princesses' we were trained to be. There will be time to mourn later. Right now we must lead just like mother and father do." Aurora said reassuringly as Blueberry climb into the camouflaged land rover. "Yes, I know big sister. We are the daughters of Sun Princess Celestia Silverlight and Prince Justice Silverlight trained from birth to be royalty and have leadership. Like you I must take on that mantle it my duty as a protector of Harmony mourning will come later right now our ponies need us to lead them. I don't take that duty lightly." Blueberry said proud and decisive as she gestures the search team to move out to the next location. It a few hours later as Aurora completes her rounds in the Capital City of Ponyville in the Friendship Kingdom in the distance in the shadow of the devastated Castle of Friendship and School of Friendship. Laid stretched out in front of her was Camp Icebox it was surrounded by barbed-wire fencing inside the compound were numerous prefab refrigerated units sent by the New Lunar Republic at the request of Grand Solar Princess Aurora Sol Silverlight to her Aunt President Luna Silverlight. These prefab refrigerated units are used to store the bodies of the dead till their next of kin can be identified and notified. Each two-story unit is marked with a single letter and number to identify the content. (Like U1: unicorn 1, P1: Pegasi 1, E1: Earth pony 1, C1: Crystal Pony 1.). This camp is under the command of Grand Princess Blueberry Swirl Silverlight. As Aurora walks down the dirt road heading toward the processing bunker the only four stories prefab structure in the compound she passes numerous medical personnel pushing stretchers with the dead on it to their refrigerated units. Once she reaches the bunker she enters and quickly turns to her right along the right side of the bunker shielded by a huge dividing wall was the survivor processing area, this survivor was being processed to be sent to housing camp in the Crystal Empire. In this area, Grand Solar Princess Aurora Sol Silverlight would talk and reassure the survivor that she doing everything she can do to help them. In the transport hub for the processing bunker, Aurora comes upon a small family of earth ponies the parents, older filly and fairly younger filly. The fairly younger filly was downcast because her favorite dolly was broken. Aurora kneels down in front of the younger filly and asks her if she may see her dolly. The younger filly hands the dolly to the princess and suddenly a strange new level of magic fills Aurora's thoughts. The dolly loses its substance and becomes a series of points and lines that form into the object. She sees that several points and lines are severed using her fingers she begins to reconnect the broken points and lines. As she finishes she comes out of the strange vision and lifts her hand up to her surprise the broken dolly is fully repaired. Even more strangely the dolly looks like it was never broken in the first place. The younger filly is overjoyed that her favorite dolly is fixed; she hugs and kisses the Princess. Aurora gracefully excuses herself and walks to a quiet area of the bunker to try and make sense of what just happen. "What was that strange power I used to fix that filly's dolly? It was like I could see the toy as blueprint each point and line that I connect to open up another set of blueprints till all the blueprints formed into one whole plan that I completed." Aurora said very confused with what just happened. "You have awakened, my dear foal. Now you can see the world beyond the world of possibilities my world the world of the Imperator Alicorn. Once you were able to master your mother's Goddess level magic you began to tap into the Imperator Alicorn Eternal Magic my magic." A familiar and loving voice spoke in her head behind her; slowly Aurora turns around with a startled gasp. As Aurora is enveloped in a strange otherworldly magic aura that seems to come from the very end of time. She is soon surrounded by a totally black veil of nothingness. Soon pinpoints of stars begin to appear across the black veil surround her, enveloping her. Soon many planets of various sizes form in front of her. Throughout the black veil, wondrous seas of stars and galaxies travel across the nothingness at incredible speed before disappearing into the distance. She watches as various colors of comets speed by her on its eternal path. Aurora's breathe catches in her throat as a living constellation of a four-legged Alicorn stallion stand before her, speaking in her own father voice. "F-f-f-ff Father." Aurora's voice breaks as the stars at the top behind to glow; soon her body is awash with loving light. Her fear subsides and she approaches the living constellation. She is surprised that this creature is a solid being. All the white stars across his body are patterns upon his solid black pelt. This creature stands about the same height as her mother in her four-legged pony form. The creature begins to rub its snout on her back lovingly. Before Aurora could ask the creature a question she feels a sharp pain on her bust like a hard pinch. "Ouch!"Aurora cries out a single tear runs down her cheek. She finds herself lying on the ground in the transport hub for the processing bunker. She is surrounded by several pony nurses and Blueberry, who she figured pinch her bust hard to bring her to. "How long have I been out, Blueberry?" Aurora inquiry zipping up her nano-suit as the sight of perfectly shaped breasts seems to get the many new younger stallions in the area excited. "You have been out for about an hour or two," Blueberry explains as the mares stood up together and walk toward Blueberry's office in the processing bunker to talk. "I think the three of us must return to the Solar Empire right away. Father mentioned Imperator Alicorn Eternal Magic his magic. In what I feel is a vision of our future, Blueberry." Aurora comments as Blueberry gives a startled gasp. "Our future?" Blueberry confused as Aurora shook her head slowly. "Yes, our future, I never told you this Blueberry but since I was small filly I been fascinated about what is out there beyond our sky. At first, I thought it was because of our Aunt Princess Luna being the Princess of the night and dreams but maybe it was calling. The calling of our Celestial Alicorn heritage." Aurora said as a look of fascination appeared on the faces of Blueberry and Somnus who was on the holo line. "If that true Aurora that means there something beyond our mother's and Aunt's Goddess level of magic. But it begs the question can we all ascend to that level or are you the only one, Aurora?" Somnus said posing the question to Aurora. "If I am, absolutely truthful, brother. Our father is the only one that can answer that question for you." Aurora's answer as the three siblings continue their discussion about the subject, in the end, the three siblings decided to travel back home to talk to their parents.