//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: How it all have REALLY began. // by CzechBrony //------------------------------// It´s been 1000 years since Nightmare Moon was banished to the moon and her majesty Princess Celestia knows it the best. She, unlike any pony others, saw the other side of Nightmare Moon. She still remembers her beloved sister as Luna. She remembers as she played with her toys, not with ponies or at least not alive, she still remembers her laughs, but not the sinister ones, the ones filled with joy and happiness. And as the princess remembers, she couldn´t help but let a tear out of her eye. She stood on her balcony and watched as the moon was brought up from the horizon to the night sky. And as the tear touched the balcony the princess let out a few words into the night. "One more lonely night," the princess said with sorrow and regret "but tomorrow you will be back and as Luna, that´s a promise" Celestia said as she closed her eyes and remembered yet another memory, not about her sister, but her student, in fact, the most faithful one named… "Twilight Sparkle" Celestia said as she remembered her letter which she sent to Twilight. ********** My dear Twilight, there is more to a young ponies life than studying so I am sending you to supervise the preparations for summer sun celebration in this year's location Ponyville, and I have an even more essential task for you to complete make some friends. ********** Full knowing what Twilight's purpose was. "Please, bring her back to me," Celestia said with sadness and tears coming down her face "Are you alright princess?" a unicorn with blue mane approaches "Yes Shining Armor I am fine," Celestia said trying to hide her tears away from the captain "It´s Twilight isn´t it..." "...…..." "You don´t have to hide your emotions, your majesty, it´s what makes us ponies" "Can I ask you a question Shining?" "Of course Princess" "How do you feel about it" "About Twilight?" "Not just her, the whole plan" "Well, I think it´s important for the sake of Equestria and so I believe that it is the right choice" "Even though we risk Twilights and the Ponyvilles ponies lives to do it?" Celestia said with worry Shining stepped next to the princess. "Even though we risk all that. Sometimes we must do what is necessary." "But it´s still your sister, are you not worried about her?" Celestia said with a little surprised tone "Of course I do, but I also know that she is very capable, I would immediately go instead of her, but she and only she is capable of finding the elements of harmony" "But she is still so young and..." "Trust me," Shining said as Celestia looked at him "She will do it" The night progressed further and the sky was painted with darker tones as the lights from Canterlot faded into the night. The next day was one of the busiest ones. After Twilight Sparkle left for her journey to Ponyville, Celestia went almost immediately to the training fields of royal soldiers. "Attention" Shining shouted to his soldiers "Alright let´s begin, today's captains will be, Ador and Edrin" "Yes sir!" both soldiers saluted and shouted "Good, give yourself a few rounds around the field, pegasi the same understood?" "Sir yes sir!" all royal soldiers shouted back Celestia flew above the training ground and watched proudly on her ponies in armor. As she landed near Shining Armor the captain immediately bowed before his princess. "Good morning Shining" "To you to your majesty," Shining said as he lifted his head "Never thought that they would respect you as much as they do" "I have a few rules when it comes to leadership and one of them is "treat others like you would treat yourself in their position" " "I see, well about that mission" "The troops are already waiting inside of HQ, they are just waiting for us" "Let´s not keep them wait anymore" Celestia said as she and Shining Armor walked inside of a white building with a golden helmet logo know as the HQ. As they walked through the hall of the HQ a few other ponies bowed before their princess and princess nodded back to them. When they reached their destination, the opened a wooden door leading to yet another big room which contained 3 squads of ponies. One squad was pegasi, second was unicorns and the third were earth ponies. Celestia along with Shining Armor walked to a little stage before those squads. All of the ponies stopped talking as Shining Armor began to speak. "Alright, you all know why you are here, but you are yet to obtain the exact details of this mission, please be enlighten that this s top-secret mission and all of you were specially chosen because of your results from your training as well as from missions you performed in. You all know that we are currently in peace with the changelings, for now, but from our spies in the changeling lands we obtained as well information, that the changelings are preparing for something, we don´t know what, we don´t know why, and that´s where you come in. And as well as the changeling problem we got another. Maybe some of you have heard the legend of Nightmare Moon, let there be no mistake, it is true." All ponies in the room began to whisper between themselves. And as Shining Armor was prepared to continue, Celestia began to talk. "Long ago before you were even born, my sister wasn´t as cruel as you may know from the legends, she was kind, merciful and a princess just like me. I still hate myself for what I have done to her, but at least after 1000 years my sister Princess Luna may finally return home, and so I am asking you here and now not to only bring my sister back but to bring the second royal princess and the heir of the night throne back home, to us. Now I am asking you to either leave this room or stay, you have last chance of retreat from this mission, and don´t be mistaken, I am not commanding you to do this mission, I am asking you." Celestia finished with a tear in her left eye After a little silence moment of the unicorn, guards steps up. "Your majesty, may I speak?" "Yes" "I do remember, when I first joined the royal guards, I was so excited not because of the money, not because of the fame, but because I believed that serving to you was a great honor, and I still believe it, so no matter the difficulty of the mission, I believe we can do it" One more guard from pegasi stands up "Indeed, we may break down, we may be damaged, and killed, but we are doing it for the Equestria AND it´s princesses" "Yes" "Indeed" "Count on us" "We can do it" The whole room is soon filled with proud words of serving her majesty anyway possible. And after all, soldiers stopped talking again, Celestia said a simple two words. "Thank you" After that Celestia walks a little backward as Shining walks forward. "Alright, now to the details, you will be split into two squads, each squad will contain three teams, the pegasi, the unicorns, and the ground forces. One squad will go into the changeling lands and the other into the everfree forest, I will let you decide to which you want to go, both are our top priorities, for now, you have a few minutes to decide who goes to where. When we will return I want those two squads ready, understood?" "Sir yes sir" "Good" Shining says as he and Celestia walks out of the door After a few minutes of waiting for Shining Armor and Celestia returns to the room and as they are going to the little stage, the soldier is standing in two rows. "Good, I see you decided. alright then, the squad who is going to the changeling lands after me, the other squad stays and will be briefed here by Princess Celestia" Shining says as one row gets up and walks right after their captain. "Alright, the plan is this..."