CHAPTER 3: SISTERS
The bonds of family never break, even in the most dire of situations.
***
After a few minutes of walking, Eclipse and Star Swirl finally reached the top of the ridge.
At this height, the two could see for miles around. Of course, there were only two things to see. There was of course the miles and miles of rugged terrain that spread out before them.
And that other was the settlement of Sundown.
From this height the town looked just like Eclipse remembered from the holo-table at the Temple. Chared and partially destroyed buildings lined empty streets; all of which were surrounded by what looked like slapped-together wooden defenses. The whole place looked deserted, but Eclipse knew that there must be ponies down there.
“Wow, I didn’t think it would be this bad,” said Star Swirl.
“It’s definitely worse than what they showed me,” replied Eclipse. “There must have been more attacks since then”.
Even as Eclipse said this, she knew that things could have been worse. After hearing what Talon had said about an entire Dragon army, the fact that the town was still here was thankful. But that didn’t mean that this was still okay. In fact it just showed the gravity of the situation, and how they needed to do something fast in order to end this.
Eclipse looked down at her young apprentice. “Ready Star Swirl”?
“Ready,” he replied.
Nodding in agreement, the two headed down towards the scorched town below them.
***
Approaching the town, the two ponies were able to see in better detail the defenses set up by the townsfolk. The wall, if you could even call it that, was charred and burned in multiple places. From the rugged ends and multiple sizes for the pieces, Eclipse could only guess that it was made from the ruins of buildings that had been destroyed or serverly damaged by Dragon Fire.
“Not the best defenses for a Dragon attack,” commented Star Swirl.
“Well what else were they supposed to build them out of,” asked Eclipse. “I doubt anypony would be prepared for this”.
Star Swirl had to agree; they were doing the best they could. Hopefully him and Eclipse could actually make some difference. They’d likely need the entire Alicorn Council to combat the Dragon Army. But at the very least, maybe they could fix a few smaller things.
As the two approached the opening in the wall, they spotted a small watch-post to their right. Standing on top of it was an orange earth-pony mare with a red mane. She was clad in what looked like multiple pots and pans roped together. A sharpened stick was was clutched in her hooves, and she scanned the road leading towards the opening.
When her eyes landed on Eclipse and Star Swirl, they quickly widened in surprise. She quickly raised her sharpened stick, taking up a defensive position.
“Who goes there,” she called out.
The two stopped, not wanting to provoke the clearly frightened mare.
“We are from the Alicorn Council; we’re here to help in anyway that we can,” called Eclipse.
The mare pushed her pair of goggles up; squinting her eyes to get a better view. Eventually she put her stick down, a smile slowly forming on her face.
“Oh, sorry. I can’t see that well with those goggles,” she said.
“Then why wear them,” asked Star Swirl.
“To protect my eyes from Dragon fire”.
Star Swirl leaned closer to Eclipse. “She wouldn’t even seem it coming,” he whispered.
Eclipse ignored the young colt’s comment, instead she turned her attention back to the young mare.
“May we please enter your town,” she asked.
The mare nodded. “Oh yes please”.
Eclipse and Star Swirl walked through the opening, finally stepping into Sundown. Stopping on the other side, they waited as the young mare walked down the watch-post’s steps. She approached them quickly, her smile growing even bigger.
“I’m so happy your hear,” she exclaimed, “we’ve been under siege for almost six days”.
“We know, and we’ll do everything we can to make things right,” said Eclipse. “But first we need to talk with the pony in charge. Who would that be”?
The young mare’s happy smile quickly shrunk slightly. “Oh, that would be Mayor Pár”.
“Mayor Pár?” asked Star Swirl.
The mare’s face scrunched slightly. “Well, technically it’s ASSISTANT Mayor Pár. That’s her official title anyway”.
“If she’s the Assistant, what happened to the ACTUAL Mayor,” asked Eclipse.
The mare paused, thinking over her response. “Mayor Honey-Comb is currently being treated for multiple third-degree burns he suffered during the last Dragon attack”.
Upon hearing that, Eclipse knew that things were far worse than she had expected. It was one thing to turn down homes and businesses, but it was another to take out a settlement’s leadership. If somepony couldn’t take charge and keep things in order, things would go from horrible to terrible.
They needed to get help from the council soon; or else these ponies might not survive for much longer. And if they wanted to get help, they needed to talk with the Mayor first.
“Where is the Mayor’s office located,” asked Eclipse.
“Take this street until you reach the T-intersection,” said the young mare, pointing towards the road. “Take the right road and go straight; the Mayor’s office will be the building right behind the water fountain”.
“Thank you,” said Eclipse, turning towards the road. “Let’s go Star Swirl”.
“Yes mam,” he replied.
The two headed down the road, leaving the young mare behind.
***
The two ponies walked in silence through the quiet town. As they walked, they took note of their surroundings. The road itself was covered in black soot, likely coming from the burnt structures around them. As they reached the intersection and turned onto the right street, they saw that there wasn’t a single spot that didn’t have ash or scorch marks.
They passed by burnt carts and piles of ash that were likely the remains of crates. Most buildings were topped with signs that were either barely visible or reduced to chared wood.
“Wonder where everyone is,” asked Star Swirl.
“Probably hiding inside as best they can,” replied Eclipse. “Soon they probably won’t even have walls to hid behind”.
The two continued to think about this as they approached the center of town. As the young mare had said, a large and ornate fountain stood before them. But instead of gushing gallons of water, only small dirty puddles dotted the bottom. Behind the fountain was a building larger than the others. It’s white exterior had turned a light grey in certain areas and burnt-black in others. Letters above the doorway spelled out “Town Hall”.
“Let’s hope the Mayor will see us,” said Star Swirl.
“I doubt she can refuse to,” replied Eclipse.
Moving past the fountain, the two walked inside the building.
***
The inside of the building was in remarkable shape compared to the exterior. That being said, there wasn’t anything to write home about. The two ponies stood on a simple carpet that stretched towards a large staircase on the other side. Balconies surrounded the upper floor, standing before multiple different doorways.
There didn’t seem to be any art pieces or marble busts, like what you see in many mayoral buildings. Eclipse could definitely call it plain, especially compared to the ones she’d seen in Manehattan and Fillydelphia.
But that wasn’t important right now, they had important work to do. Eclipse kept that in mind as they walked up the stairs to the second floor. They stopped before a small wooden desk, which itself stood before a large set of double doors. A single swivel-chair sat behind the desk, with nopony occupying it.
“Shouldn’t there be a receptionist here,” asked Star Swirl.
“Given the situation outside, they might be hiding out like the rest of the townsfolk,” replied Eclipse.
“...No...I’m just taking precautions…”
The two ponies looked around for the source of the voice. But they were pulled back to the desk by the sight of the chair moving slightly backwards. From the small empty space rose the head of a young earth-pony mare. Her yellow mane was tied in a pony-tail, and she wore a light blue business jacket over her red pelt. She looked up at the two with a slight smile; clearly trying not to act embarrassed.
“I’m sorry, I should have kept a better watch for anypony,” she said nervously. “It’s just that we haven’t had many ponies in here since the attacks began”.
“Well that’s why we’re here,” said Eclipse. “I’m Eclipse; member of the Alicorn Council. And this is my apprentice Star Swirl”.
Star Swirl nodded in greeting, which the young mare copied.
“We wish to talk to the mayor about these attacks, and see if there’s anyway we can help,” continued Eclipse.
“Oh thank goodness,” said the young mare. “I didn’t think anypony in Equestria cared about what was happening”.
“Of course they do,” replied Star Swirl. “It’s just that...you know….Dragons”.
The young mare nodded in agreement. When a creature that hasn’t been seen in years suddenly turns up and attacks, ponies aren’t likely to rush to help. Especially when the place being attacked was very far out of the way. But thats why there were ponies like the Alicorns, who had dedicated themselves to helping keep Equestria safe.
“You may go see the Mayor if you wish,” said the mare. “But I should tell you; she’s currently meeting with….somepony else”.
“Oh, should we wait then,” asked Eclipse.
The young mare frantically waved her fore-hooves before her, worry spreading over her face.
“Oh no, please do. I think that both of them would benefit from talking with you”.
“Okay then,” said Eclipse, “we’ll head on in”.
The two ponies walked around the desk as the young mare pushed one of the doors open. She leaned her head inside.
“Mam, there are two ponies from the Alicorn Council here to see you”.
As the two stopped before the door, Eclipse heard a voice from the other side.
“Oh thank the goddesses. Send them in right away”.
The mare pulled her head back, turning to face Eclipse. “You may enter”.
Holding the door open, the mare watched as Eclipse and Star Swirl walked inside, slowly letting it shut behind them.
***
Compared to the entrance hall, the Mayor’s Office was relatively tiny. The walls were covered in art pieces depicting landscapes from all over Equestria. The one directly opposite of them was taken up by a large window….that was covered in a blue tarp. Burn marks edged out from the corners. Standing before the window was a large wooden desk, topped with an assortment of different objects.
But that wasn’t what was keeping the two ponies’ attention.
Standing behind the desk was an older-looking pegasus mare; her white mane was cut short, and she wore a business suit over her pink pelt. A set of glasses sat on her muzzle; a few small cracks spreading from the right piece.
She was facing another mare who stood before the desk….a MUCH younger mare. She looked to be about the same age as Star Swirl. She had a bluish-grey pelt with a light-purple mane. Two different color streaks ran through it; one dark blue and one greenish blue. A battered brown saddle-bag was slung over her back.
The two turned their attention to Eclipse and Star Swirl as they walked in.
“Oh, thank you so much for coming,” said the Mayor as the two stopped before her desk. “I was beginning to lose hope that the Equestrian Council would send aid”.
“They still haven’t,” replied Star Swirl, “we were sent by the Alicorn Council”.
“On behalf of the Equestrian Council,” interjected Eclipse.
Star Swirl rolled his eyes; Eclipse always wanted to stretch the truth when dealing with cases. He wasn’t like that; he wanted to get straight to the point and get the job done.
The mayor’s worried smile didn’t change as she slowly nodded her head.
“Well, any help that’s sent is appreciated. We’ve been trying to contact the Equestrian Congress for days, but something has been interfering with our communications”.
Eclipse could already tell the cause was the Dragon Army she’d heard about from Talon. If this was the staging point of a full-scale invasion, then they wouldn’t allow anyone to know the full extent of the situation. So when the first REAL attack occurs, there won’t be an army to meet them.
“I will be honest mam, our main reason for being sent here was to confirm the reports of Dragon attacks,” said Eclipse. “We’ll have to return to the Alicorn Council soon, but we’re willing to provide some assistance while we’re here”.
The mayor’s nodding sped up slightly. “Oh, thank you so much. I truly appreciate the offer for….”
As the mayor rambled on, Eclipse turned her attention to the pony standing beside her. She had remained silent during their conversation; listening to everything that was being said.
“If I might ask, who are you”.
The pony turned her attention to Eclipse, a small smile forming on her face.
“My name is Zaffre; current representative of Sundown on the Equestrian Congress”.
Eclipse and Star Swirl both raised their eyebrows in surprise. This mare looked to be a teenager at best, and yet she claimed to be the Representative of Sundown. Both Eclipse and Star Swirl thought that something here didn’t make sense.
“Uh….Zaffre….please don’t take this the wrong way but….”
“You’re too young to be a representative,” finished Star Swirl.
Zaffre straightened her posture, raising her muzzle higher into the air. “You look to be the same age as me, and you’re a member of the Alicorn Council”.
“Being a part of a centuries old organization and still being in training is different than holding an elected position in government,” retorted Star Swirl.
“Enough Star Swirl,” said Eclipse.
“With all do respect Miss Eclipse, I can handle myself,” said Zaffre, returning her attention to Star Swirl.
But she couldn’t say anything else before the mayor stepped in.
“Please Zaffre, we must not make the ones who came to help us upset,” said Pár, “besides we can’t blame them for being suspicious. After all we’re both in positions we weren’t elected to”.
Eclipse raised an eyebrow at that comment. She knew Pár was actually the Assistant Mayor, but what about Zaffre? It wasn’t likely that she was the Assistant Representative, so how did she figure into all of this?
Zaffre turned to the Pár, narrowing her eyes and slowly shaking her head. “Mayor, please don’t….”
“What did she mean by that,” asked Star Swirl.
Zaffre stopped shaking her head, but her frown only seemed to increase. She sighed, turning back to face the two beside her.
“I wasn’t elected Representative of Sundown,” she explained. “The position was filled by my mother Opal. Once she heard about what was happening to Sundown, the two of us traveled down here to help”.
Zaffre’s expression worsened; tears started running down her checks.
“But once we got to Sundown….another Dragon attack occurred. My mother tried to help and….and….”
The young mare’s sobs overtook her, as the tears continued to flow down her face. Pár, looking at Zaffre with sadness, turned to the two ponies.
“Miss Opal wasn’t able to get out of the way of a fire blast in time. She….she didn’t survive the attack”.
For the next few moments, the only sound was Zaffre’s sobbing. Eclipse and Star Swirl were left in shock, not knowing what to say or even think. This young mare had lost her mother, and even at a young age decided to take up the position she held in order to help others.
The amount of pressure and expectations that’s now been thrust onto her would be immeasurable. Combined with the loss of her mother, it’s a surprise this mare had been able to stand before them and defend herself.
Eclipse, like all Alicorns, had never known her parents. She didn’t have to go through the emotions that came with family deaths. She couldn’t imagine anything like this happening in her life….or how she’d handle it if it did.
Star Swirl was thinking the same thing; but the thought was possibly worse for him. The thought of loosing one his friends back at the temple was a horrible. But it was even worse when the pony could be Eclipse instead.
Eclipse kneeled down, bringing her face level with that of Zaffre’s. The young mare looked at the Alicorn; tears still flowing from her eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice straining slightly. “I can’t image how you must have felt when that happened. All I can say is that you’re very brave taking up your mother’s work; I know that can’t be easy”.
Zaffre wiped the tears from her eyes. “If it means the ponies in this town still have a voice, it’s all worth it”.
She turned her head, narrowing her eyes at Pár. “But that might not be the case if the MAYOR continues her objections”.
Now it was Pár’s turn to shake her head, “please Zaffre, we don’t have to trouble these ponies with our private matters”.
“Oh no Mayor, we can’t blame them,” said Zaffre, smiling smugly. “After all, we’re both in positions we weren’t elected to”.
Star Swirl smiled; he was enjoying watching these ponies argue with each other. One might see this as strange as Eclipse and himself were there to help. But if it meant things were more out in the open, he’d take it.
Zaffre returned her attention back to Eclipse and the young colt.
“The reason I was in here in the first place was to get the mayor’s permission to leave town”.
“Why do you need permission to leave,” asked Star Swirl.
“Because the mayor has locked-down the town; apparently for our protection”.
“There are DRAGONS out there,” cut in Pár. “I can’t allow anyone to go wandering out into the gaping fiery maw of death”.
Eclipse looked down at the young politician. “Why do you want to leave Zaffre; I thought you wanted to help the ponies here”.
“That’s why I want to leave,” replied Zaffre. “I want to go to Canterlot and speak directly to the Equestrian Congress. They need to know about what’s going on here, that way we can get the supplies and help we need”.
“They’ll never listen,” said Pár. “You’re only a child after all. And besides, I’m sure Miss Eclipse and Star Swirl can tell them everything”.
Zaffre snorted; narrowing her eyes at Pár. “Before she died, my mother told me that she was going to go back to Canterlot and drag every single representative down here if it meant getting them to help. How can I truly take up her position if I wasn’t willing to do the same”?
Eclipse couldn’t help but admire the young mare’s commitment. There weren’t many adults that would take up that kind of thinking, let alone a younger mare.
The Alicorn moved forward, standing next to the young politician. “I know that you have the best interests of the citizens Miss Pár, but there has to be a way you can allow Miss Zaffre to leave for Canterlot”.
Mayor Pár rubbed her chin; thinking hard about the idea. She clearly wanted no more harm to the citizens of the town. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Star Swirl stepped in.
“What if we accompany her back to Canterlot”?
The three ponies turned their attention to the young student, who looked at them with a raised eyebrow.
“Pardon,” said Pár.
“We’re going to head back to Canterlot anyway,” said Star Swirl. “If she goes with us, we can make sure nothing bad happens to her. After all, we did arrive her without issues”.
Eclipse’s mind quickly brought up the group of Dragon soldiers they encountered on the way here. But she couldn’t help but think that Star Swirl had a point. They were required to return to Canterlot as soon as possible, so they might as well bring Zaffre along with them.
Pár took a deep breath before turning her attention back to Zaffre. “I’m still certain that the best thing for the town is for everypony to stay here. But that being said, if Miss Eclipse and Star Swirl are willing to accompany you….then you would have my permission to leave”.
Zaffre’s expression reformed into a small grin. She looked up at Eclipse, hope shinning in her eyes.
“Would you mam, it would be a big help”.
“Of course we will,” said Eclipse. “Though we’d still like to know if there’s anything we can do to help here before we go”.
“I believe there is,” said Pár. She opened a drawer, pulling out a scroll of parchment. Spreading it out on the desk, she looked up at the Alicorn.
“A few hours ago, we received word that a charity organization was going to try and send us a create of supplies. Food, medicine, and possibly some weapons”.
“That seems impossible; we couldn’t find any transport service that would take us directly to here,” said Star Swirl.
“Which is why they’re using one of their own personal airships,” said Pár. “The trouble is that they want to make sure that the town hasn’t been taken over by Dragons. So they asked for me personally to be there when the supplies are delivered”.
“Let me guess, you want us to go in your place,” asked Eclipse.
“Once they see you they’ll deliver the supplies directly to town,” replied Pár. “And once they’re done, I’m sure you can hitch a ride to Canterlot on their ship”.
“It seems like a good idea,” said Zaffre.
Eclipse was inclined to agree….even if the whole thing did seem fishy. She knew that ponies deep down had goodness inside them. But even then, she didn’t see anypony willing to go down here to assist the town, even those who are there known for helping after national disasters.
So when a group suddenly says that they’re going to send aid, and only if the Mayor shows up. Her training had taught her to know a setup when she heard one...and this was starting to sound like it.
Still, the prospect of gathering supplies for this town was too great an opportunity to pass up. Without sufficient supplies this town wouldn’t last long, and that was something Eclipse could not let happen.
“I have my suspicions about this whole thing, but the town needs supplies. Me, Star Swirl and Miss Zaffre will meet the group when they arrive. Once the supplies have been delivered, we’ll leave for Canterlot”.
The Mayor smiled. “Thank you mam; you’re doing this town a great service”.
“So when will they arrive,” asked Star Swirl.
“In two days,” said Pár, “they’ll land about one mile north of here in order to avoid the Dragons”.
“We’ll be there when the time comes,” said Eclipse, turning towards the door. “In the meantime Star Swirl and myself will explore the town. Hopefully we’ll be able to provide some assistance to the ponies here”.
Eclipse headed for the door, Star Swirl following close behind. Zaffre and Pár watched the two as they passed through the door and out of sight.
“Those two are ponies everyone should strive to be,” said Pár.
“I’m not so sure about the student,” replied Zaffre. “But I must say, he is growing on me”.
***
The two ponies stepped out of City Hall and into the scorched remains of the town. Nothing had changed since the time they’d entered; there were no ponies to be seen.
As they walked back onto the main street, Star Swirl looked up at his teacher.
“If I may say mam, this whole situation seems really funny to me”.
“I was thinking the same thing,” replied Eclipse. “Everything we’ve learned points to somepony….”
CRASH!
The two ponies’ heads jerked at the sound of something breaking. They scanned the area, looking for the source.
“HEY”!
Eclipse, scanning everything to her right, narrowed in on the source of the voice. But before she could walk forward, something shot out of one of the storefronts. Even from this distance she could tell it was a pony; though not much else. The only other thing visible was a rough looking saddle-bag sitting on its back. The pony ran across the street and into an alley on the other side.
Another pony stepped out of the store; an older looking earth-pony stallion. Spotting Eclipse and Star Swirl, he called out to them.
“Stop that pony, she just robbed my store”!
Star Swirl sprang into action, running towards the alleyway the pony had gone down.
“I’ll follow her; you cut her off,” he called to Eclipse.
The young colt ran into the alley; which was stacked with old boxes on either side. He quickly spotted the fugitive further down the alley. She reached the end and turned right, disappearing from view. Star Swirl increased his speed, trying his best to catch up with her.
Exiting the alleyway, he found himself on another abandoned street. The fugitive was running down the right side, dodging broken pieces of buildings as she did. Star Swirl ran as fast as he could, slowly making ground on the fleeing pony. He ignited his horn; hoping to catch her or slow her down.
But before he had a chance to zero in on her, the pony shot left and across the street. Star Swirl did a sudden stop, but found himself slipping on the ashes. He slammed into a pile of debris, covering himself in black dust.
“Oh, it’s on now,” said Star Swirl, pulling himself out of the pile.
Looking across the road, he saw the pony duck into one of the buildings. Shaking the ash off him, Star Swirl ran across the street. The building, like all the others, was scorched and missing large pieces. But the other buildings looked….new. They had fresh coats of paint and intact windows (mostly in the non-burned parts).
But this building wasn’t like that, it was old and decrepit. The paint was peeling in places, and every single window was broken. There was no door in the entrance and there were multiple missing boards on the bottom floor walls.
Remembering his Alicorn training, Star Swirl slowly approached the entrance. Standing to one side, he inched his head further until he could see inside. From what he could see it was just as decrepit as the outside. The floorboards and walls were covered in a mixture of dust and ash, expect for the places where holes were present. A broken staircase sat to the right, cut off halfway up by more debris. The hallway next to it lead to another room further back, though Star Swirl couldn’t see what was back there.
Not seeing any threats, Star Swirl slowly made his way into the hallway. He knew it would have been better to wait for Eclipse, but he didn’t want to loose the fugitive.
Igniting his horn, Star Swirl kept his eyes open. As he looked around, something caught his attention. On the ground were a set of hoof prints; thanks to the dust and ash on the ground.
“A trail right to her,” said Star Swirl.
He moved forward, walking slowly in order to follow the tracks. He moved down the hallway and into the room at the end. On the opposite wall was a counter and sink; this was likely the kitchen. But Star Swirl kept his eyes on the tracks, which curved the moment he entered the room.
Doing a complete 180, he found the tracks lead to another doorway. Looking through, he saw a set of stair leading down into what must be the basement. It was completely dark; meaning the perfect place for an ambush.
Star Swirl knew he should wait for Eclipse, though he wondered what was taking her so long. If she had been following him, then why hadn’t she stopped the fugitive from the air. She was usually on top of things like this.
Still, he couldn’t let the fugitive get away. And if could take her down himself, then maybe he could get his promotion to Alicorn faster.
Increasing the glow from his horn, Star Swirl descended into the basement.
***
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Star Swirl looked over his surroundings. Looking left, he saw a large stack of rotten wooden boxes. One was opened, spilling its content onto the floor. The content was small candles; like the ones used in lamps.
Star Swirl was so focused on the candles….that he didn’t see the young pony jump down on him from the top.
“Ah, get off,” yelled Star Swirl.
He thrashed around, trying to get the pony off him. She covered his eyes, blinding him. Focusing on the pony, he grasped her with magic and pulled her upward. The young mare was thrown backward, hitting the wall before falling to the floor.
Star Swirl spun around, keeping himself in a fighting stance. As the mare slowly began to rise, he was able to get a better look at her. She looked to be a while unicorn mare with a pink mane (given her exposed tail). Age wise she looked to be a few years younger than Star Swirl, but that was mostly from her size. Her face was covered in a black cloth, with only her eyes exposed. Her cutie-mark was an ornate sun, which sat just below the beat up saddle-bag he’d seen before.
Taking an opportunity, he grasped the bag with his magic and pulled hit towards him. Seeing this, the young mare ignited her own horn and grabbed the bag. The two ponies soon began a severe game of tug-of-war, each trying to pull the saddle-bag to them.
Star Swirl was surprised; this mare was surprisingly powerful. He didn’t know of any civilian that had magic that could stand up to somepony trained by the Alicorn Council. And yet he wasn’t able to overcome the pulling power of this mare.
“Give it up; there’s nowhere left to run,” said Star Swirl.
The mare didn’t say anything; she just glared.
It seemed that the two would be here for a while, attempting to pull the bag away from the other. Just as Star Swirl was looking for other options, there was a bright FLASH of light.
The two ponies quickly covered their eyes, cutting off their grips on the bag.
As the light died down, Star Swirl opened his eyes. The mare was rubbing her eyes; tears slowly leaking from them. He turned towards the source of the light; a ball of luminescence hovering above them.
But that wasn’t what had Star Swirl’s attention.
Standing at the bottom of the stairs was Eclipse, with the mare’s saddle-bag floating in her field of magic. She was looking at Star Swirl; a stern look of disappointment formed onto her face.
Star Swirl smiled weakly. “Oh, Eclipse….uh, you made it. I was just about to capture the fugitive”.
Eclipse snorted. “You ran after a fugitive without my permission; breaking one of the founding rules of the Alicorn Council”.
“I didn’t want to lose her,” replied Star Swirl.
“You didn’t known what you were dealing with; you could have died”.
“But I didn’t”.
Eclipse’s eyes narrowed even more; looking like they were close to being shut. Just as she was opening her mouth (likely to lecture him), she was cut off by the sound of a door slamming. The two turned their attention to the door across from the boxes.
“Great, she got away,” said Star Swirl.
“She’s hiding out,” replied Eclipse. “I used a spell to scan the building before I entered, and this stairway is the only way out. And that door is the only way into that room”.
“Great,” said Star Swirl, igniting his horn. “I’ll blow the door down”.
The young colt turned towards the door, ready to send a blast of magic at it. Suddenly his flank was forced onto the ground, dispersing the magic on his horn. Eclipse stepped in front of him, her horn aglow.
“You’re in time out; I’m handling this,” she said sternly.
“Time Out? I’m not a foal,” retorted Star Swirl.
She glanced back at Star Swirl, glaring daggers at him that said “be quiet”. The young colt knew that face, and knew what to do when that happened. And that was….to sit on his flank and do as he was told. So, lowering his head, that’s exactly what he did.
Eclipse steadied herself, her horn glowing brighter. Closing her eyes, she encased the door in magic. After a few moments of silence, there was a small click. Slowly the door moved open.
Opening her eyes, Eclipse moved towards the door. The orb of light went in before her, illuminating the room. Just as Eclipse passed through the door, something rocketed towards her. Without even blinking, she raised a shield before her. The object bounced off the shield, landing on the ground before her. Looking down, Eclipse saw it was a large rock.
Looking back up, Eclipse observed the room she had entered. It was relatively small; around the size of a small bedroom. The ground was littered with empty food containers. Scattered around the room were melted candles; likely from the boxes in the other room. A small metal tub, half-filled with murky water, sat in the right corner.
But it was when Eclipse looked to the left corner that Eclipse found what she was looking for.
Standing on a pair of padded sheets was the fugitive, who was staring at the Alicorn with dagger eyes. She was in a defensive stance; her hooves plastered firmly on the ground. Her horn glowed brightly, another large rock floating next to her. Behind her was a pile of dirty sheets and pillows, along with an unopened can of food.
Eclipse had to handle this with care; she was staring down a scared and powerful young pony. She was already able to handle herself against Star Swirl, so there was no telling what kind of untapped power she had. If she wanted the young mare to trust her, she had to take this slowly.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly lowered herself onto the ground. The young mare continued to glare at the Alicorn, her eyebrow raising slightly. Eclipse looked directly at her, a smile forming on her face.
“I wish you no harm,” she said, making sure to sound as calm and caring as possible. “My student wasn’t thinking when he chased after you; it must have been very scary”.
The young mare’s expression didn’t change….but the rock did slowly move towards the ground. Eclipse could see that she was making some kind of progress. She just had to make sure not to do anything to startle her.
“My name is Eclipse, and I’m a member of the Alicorn Council. Me and Star Swirl are here to help your town”.
The eyes of the young mare slowly became softer; as if she was no longer seeing Eclipse as a threat. The magic around her horn had dispersed, and her stance changed into a simple standing position.
Eclipse’s smile grew; she was starting to gain her trust.
However, it was then that she noticed that the pile of sheets behind the young mare were moving slightly. Eclipse moved her head, trying to get a better look at them. The young mare noticed this and, giving a quick glance backward, quickly reignited her horn and took up her defensive position.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to have to worry,” said Eclipse quickly. “I’m just wondering….who or what is that behind you”?
The mare’s expression and posture didn’t change. Eclipse had lost all the progress she’d made. If she wanted to get it back, she had to think of something.
Looking behind her, she saw that Star Swirl was still sitting in the same place she’d left him. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, his “what’s going on” look. But Eclipse wasn’t looking at him, she was looking at the beat up saddle-bag beside him.
Whatever was in this bag was important enough for the mare to steal it from the store owner. Eclipse had no idea what it was, but she knew that it meant something to the young mare.
And maybe, she could use that.
Grasping the bag with magic, Eclipse floated the bag over herself and into the room. The moment it entered, the young mare’s eyes light up. Eclipse smiled.
“I’m sorry about everything, so I’d like to give this back to you”.
The Alicorn floated the bag over to the young mare, placing it down before her. She quickly grabbed the beat up carrier and opened the side pouch. Eclipse watched her rummage around, looking for something.
Eventually the young mare found what she was looking for, pulling it out of the bag. Sitting in her hooves was a ripe and juicy red apple, the kind that looked like it had just been picked from the tree.
The young mare quickly turned around, directing her attention to the pile of sheets behind her. Eclipse craned her head again, getting a better view of what was happening. The young mare leaned closer to the sheets, whispering something Eclipse couldn’t hear.
The sheets ruffled and shook for a moment before slowly falling away. When they did, Eclipse gasped in surprise. Sitting under the sheets was another young mare. This one looked even younger than the first, but the differences didn’t stop there. This filly had a darkish blue pelt with a light blue mane. Like the other mare, she looked very dirty, likely because of the living conditions.
The young mare offered the filly the apple, who looked at it with a big smile. Grabbing the red fruit, she took a massive bite out of it. She quickly took another, and then another….and then another. She continued this until the apple was nothing but a core, which she quickly threw to the side.
Rummaging through the bag again, the young mare then pulled out a small can. The label on the side read “Purified Water”. The mare looked the can over, trying to find a way to open it. She concentrated hard on the can, trying to remove the lid.
Eclipse cleared her throat, getting the young mare’s attention. She held out her hoof, showing off a small smile. The mare looked at it for a moment, contemplating. After a moment she slowly floated the can over to the Alicorn’s outstretched hoof.
Encasing it with her own magic, Eclipse focused on the top of the can. With a small ‘pop’ the lid flew off, revealing the clean liquid inside. She floated it back to the young mare, who took hold of it with her own magic.
She held the can up to the young filly, who gingerly sipped its contents. After a few sips she stopped, pushing the can up to the young mare. She shook her head, pushing the can back down.
“You need it more,” she said.
Eclipse watched the scene with high interest; these mares seemed to have a strong relationship. The older mare was very caring of the young filly, like that of a mother or older sister. It helped Eclipse see why the young mare had stolen these objects; she was just trying to look after the young filly.
After a few moments of back and forth with the can, the older mare finally relented. Using magic, she began to remove the fabric covering her face. Eclipse looked over her face; the first time she’d been able to do so. It was very youthful, her mane a bright pink just like her tail.
What was most surprising was her smile; which had been covered by her fabric mask. Eclipse was surprised at the feeling of joy and hope she felt looking at it. Like this mare was something special, just from the formation of her facial muscles.
The young mare took a small sip of water before handing it back to the young filly. Once she took it, the mare looked back towards Eclipse. Her expression was a mixture of gratitude and confusion. She nodded her head.
“Thank You,” she said quietly.
“You’re welcome,” she replied.
The young mare looked down at the ground. “Are you going to arrest us”?
Eclipse raised an eyebrow. “What”.
“Because if you are it should only be me,” she said, looking back up at the Alicorn. “I’m the one who stole the supplies; I’m the one who should be punished”.
Eclipse raised her hoof, “I’m not going to arrest you. I see you only stole those supplies in order to help your friend”.
The young mare sighed, looking at the Alicorn with a stern face.
“She’s not my friend….she’s my little sister”.
Eclipse was surprised by this; these two mares didn’t look alike at all. In fact they were exactly the opposite. She could only guess that their parents were the same, at least physically. But then again, that made everything the young mare had done make sense. The over-protectiveness, the caring attitude, and the willingness to do anything….all the hallmarks of a sibling.
“I see….that does explain a lot,” said Eclipse. “But why are you two here; where are your parents”.
“We don’t have parents,” said the young mare, taking a seat beside the filly. “We never have”.
Eclipse was taken aback. “You’re orphans”.
The young mare nodded. “We’ve taken care of ourselves for years, nobody wanted to help us”.
She paused, looking at the Alicorn with widened eyes. They sparked with hope and admiration.
“Is that why you’re here; are you going to help us”.
Eclipse was a little confused on what to say in this situation. Her instructions were mainly to asses the town and report back to the Council. But at the same time, she promised the Mayor she would help in any way that she could. And now here were two young ponies that looked to be in dire need of help.
She had orders….but she also had a conscious. And it always helps to do the right thing.
Eclipse stood up, looking down at the two ponies with a smile.
“I guess I am here to help, after all that’s what an Alicorn does”. She paused. “But if I’m going to help you, I’d like to know your names”.
The two young ponies looked at each other, having a silent conversation. Eventually the young mare looked back up at Eclipse.
“Celestia….my name is Celestia”.
“That’s such a pretty name,” said Eclipse. “And your sister’s”?
Celestia smiled slightly. “Luna. Her name is Luna”.