//------------------------------// // Chapter 17: The Long Way Home // Story: The Tale of Two Sisters // by Underwood //------------------------------// Much like their long trek through the San Palomino Desert, the journey north was slow and of indeterminate length thanks to the sun and moon looming immobile in the sky. Unlike their near-death experience, however, food and shelter were always close at hoof thanks to the jungle's verdant bounty, making this journey significantly less gruelling, if very leaf-centric. What wasn't less painful, though, was their hooves, which ached more with each subsequent step on the unforgiving hard dirt road. Taking brief detours onto the nearby grass helped slightly, but the sheer distance to Equestria's Southern Hills was the main, unavoidable culprit. “How long has it been?” Luna groaned, dragging her hooves with each laboured swing. “How would I know?” Celestia growled back, equally as frustrated by the horizon-locked mountains ahead of them. “If you weren't so useless, you could fly us both there in a second with those oh-so-special wings of yours.” “If I weren't so tired right now, I'd make like the natives and kick you in the face.” The sisters continued exchanging insults as they continued up the trade route, taking sporadic breaks over what must have been days of travel. However, despite their constant moaning and theories of chaos magic being involved, they did eventually arrive at the base of the mountain pass between the east and west Southern Hills. There was a small incline to the path here, but nothing compared to the edges of the cliffs ahead of them. Unlike a typical gorge, the solid stone corridor here had perfectly sheer walls, as though a rectangular slice had simply disappeared from the entire height and depth of the mountains by some supernatural force. Celestia recalled one of Starswirl's many history lessons, specifically that of the Great Griffon War. Back when Equestria was invaded from all sides by the deceitful half-eagle, half-lion coalition, this gorge had been the location of Fort Macintosh, a hastily constructed barracks built between the sheer walls to hold off the southern Diamond Dog horde and stop them from entering Equestria. Not only did the fort serve its purpose with flying colours, but under the command of the field-promoted Ironhoof, the southern militia routed the enemy so thoroughly that no pony has seen them since. She hoped that today would be no exception. As the two Princesses climbed the increasingly rocky slope, the towering walls of natural stone that steadily rose on either side of them were truly a sight to behold. It was hard not to be humbled by the grand majesty of mother nature when it wasn't actively trying to kill you. 'Mother Nature and Father Time', Celestia mused to herself, thinking back to a fairy tale she had read at home. They had already subverted the course of one of those supposedly infallible forces, and she hoped dearly that they had not drawn the attention of some hereunto passive super-being, capable of undoing their very existence for such a transgression. Just as her overactive imagination was getting the better of her, the sisters finally breached the lip of the incline, spotting a large wooden structure ahead of them. Sure enough, the old Griffon War fort looked just as it had in the illustrated encyclopedias she had taken—uh, borrowed—from the school library, though definitely showing its age now. As one might imagine of an outpost built so far from society and in an emergency, its defensive wall purely utilitarian, made from wooden planks and stone slabs covering the base, with two guard towers on either side of a central gateway. Some repairs seemed to have been made since its construction, filling holes in rotting wood and piling up loose stones to fortify the slabs; clearly the work of necessity, not preservation, and hinting at more recent occupants. “Ho there, travellers!” a barely visible stallion called out from one of the towers, his gravelly voice amplified by the monolithic stone passageway. “Name thy business at Old Macintosh. Passage without trade requires a toll.” Celestia came to a weary halt as Luna stopped beside her, silently sharing a look of 'now what?' between them. “Speaketh now, travellers, if thou wish to enter!” the surprisingly intimidating voice boomed once more. “What now? We have nothing to trade for passage,” Luna wheezed. Despite not yet responding to the demands, indistinct voices began to pick up from behind the fort's walls, sounding suspiciously like an argument. After a moment of silence and one final word, the large wooden door ahead of them creaked open, revealing a pale-coated mare waving them in. The sisters shared another bewildered look before wearily continuing on toward the fort, to which they had apparently been granted entry. “Ah'm so sorry about him,” the white terran passionately apologised as they passed through the thick wooden doors. “He just loves to make-believe he's one of them old wall-guard of yore, like in them old books.” “I am not pretending!” the male voice from before boomed, now on this side of his tower. “Mother put me in charge of the southern wall—I'm just doing my job!” “A little too well, if ya ask me,” the mare muttered to the sisters with a smirk. “Come on in, Ah'll brew y'all up a cup a' tea.” She ushered the two over to a large square tent to the left of the road that divided the settlement, in front of which sat a round, knee-height table surrounded by various mismatched cushions and an open fire heating a well-worn kettle. Looking around, there was very little between the two intimidating gates to actually justify calling this place a settlement. From the ragged tent and cushions on the bare stone floor to the open-air kitchen across the road and a seemingly dilapidated wooden barracks further up, everything about this place seemed temporary. Were it not for the odd pony walking to and fro, they could have easily accepted this place as still being abandoned. “Here, take a seat. Y'all look exhausted!” The mare gestured towards the ring of floor upholstery as she immediately got to work with the kettle, pouring a steaming, translucent-green liquid into mismatched teacups from a nearby cup tree. Not sensing any foul-play and eager to accept this turn of good luck, the two sat as suggested, grateful to release the burden from their aching hooves. “Where are my manners?” the blonde terran chuckled as she carefully delivered each cup. “Mah name's Sweet Blossom. Ah'm... an innkeep a' sorts; take care of travellin' ponies the best Ah can with what we got.” Placing a third cup on the metalwork table, she plopped herself down on a pillow across from the others. “It ain't much, but it'll keep ya goin'. Drink up!” The three shared a few sips of the tea in silence, appreciating the subtle flavour and inner warmth as Sweet let out satisfied sighs after each slurp. The sisters let their eyes wander after the initial relaxation had passed, noting the twirling design of the wrought iron table, the broken china cups that had been pasted back together, and the cup tree that seemed to be shoddily made from entire branches hacked into approximate shapes. Everything in this place seemed to be maintained by the ponies living here, using whatever they can with whatever skills they have. Clearly their metalworker was far more adept than their woodworker, and a row of pickaxes next to a passageway in the leftmost wall suggested that they were not wanting for stone or ore. Was this what ponies had been reduced to in Discord's Equestria? Simply... making do? “So what're y'all doing here? Ya don't look like travellers, what with no supplies or trekkin' shoes.” “Oh, well...” Luna trailed off, unsure of just how much to share with a complete stranger, unlike her trust in the fictional-hero-turned-fact Summer Twinkle. Celestia continued on her sister's behalf, far more comfortable with bare-faced bluffing. “We were lost. Heading home. Discord teleported us into the middle of nowhere, so we're having to make our way back. You know how he is.” “Gosh, that sounds awful! And so far, too!” Blossom tutted, finishing her cup and standing to pour another. “Ah knew just lookin' at ya that you was Central Equestria types. Been a long time since we seen any y'all through here, though, especially from the south.” Returning to the table, she picked a cushion nearer Luna and leaned in uncomfortably close, looking her profile up and down. “Can't say Ah've ever seen a pony with both wings and a horn before. Mighty strange, but nothin' really surprises us with him in charge anymore, y'know?” The sisters shared a glance, surprised that this pony hadn't recognised Luna as an alicorn, even if only conceptually. Do common folk not get the kind of education that they did? Sweet Blossom was a little bit older than Celestia at a guess, but if Summer Twinkle was right about multiple decades passing since their petrification, that meant that Discord's reign was all this pony had ever known... A chilling prospect to be sure, but surely that wasn't long enough for their parents—the King and Queen of Equestria, and last known alicorns—to have disappeared into obscurity. “Do you... get much chaos magic this far south?” Luna asked from behind the lip of her empty cup. “Not as much as Central Equestria. Honestly Ah'm shocked there's anythin' left for y'all to come from. Ain't much north of here that ain't his. Down these parts we mostly get the falloff; flying books, chocolate rain, ponies what've been changed.” “'Chocolate rain'?” Luna parroted, both confused and intrigued. “'Changed'? Changed how?” Celestia asked, ignoring her sister's juvenile focus. “Weird things he does to them, sometimes. Bored, Ah reckon. Some not worth speakin' out loud. Others change back after a time. Reckon if there's things he can't see, he don't bother keepin' 'em weird.” She sighed, taking a thoughtful sip from her cup. “Ah think a lot about if there should be more to life than this, y'know? Livin' in fear in some mountain crack. What Ah wouldn't give to see them clear blue skies and wide open plains the old'ns talk 'bout. Reckon Ah'd start a farm, just so Ah could spend all mah days outside. Heh. Maybe that just runs in the family.” “We wish that for you, too, Sweet Blossom,” Luna said sincerely, finally placing her cup back on the table. The white terran forced a smile before sighing forlornly and finishing her second cup. “But look at me, getting' all mopey with ponies that've only just turned up! Ain't nopony wanna hear dumb ol' Sweet Blossom moan. Y'all must be confused this far from home—got any more questions Ah can answer?” “What was that the guardspony said about 'no passage without trade'?” Celestia asked, patiently waiting for her empty cup to be refilled. “Oh, well that's somethin' we've been tryin' for a little while now. It ain't easy livin' here between two mountains. What we gain in safety, we lose in anythin' to trade, 'less you want stone. We find metal sometimes, but what little we get we turn into tools and stuff we need, so there ain't much to spare. Some would trade outta kindness on their way though, but plenty pass without stoppin'. Old'ns came up with the idea of a trade toll, given there ain't no other passage to Kluge besides the Badlands or going over the mountains, and ain't nopony that desperate. It's been a mixed bag; made some ponies pay, made others plum mad. Travellin' ponies like you, though—we know you ain't traders, so y'all are free to pass.” “That's relief. As you can see, we have nothing to give, even if we wanted to.” “Yeah. Times are tough, for everypony. Ah don't like things bein' this way, but ain't no other way they can be.” With a heavy huff, Sweet Blossom stood up and made her way around the table to stack the teacups, to Celestia's dismay. “Well, y'all are free to stay here as long as ya want; Ah got some linens to put up after that last shower. Ah just don't know how Ah'm supposed to keep whites white when it rains brown! Maybe if it started rainin' white chocolate? There's an idea!” She smiled, turning away from the table. “Come find me if y'all need anythin', y'hear?” With a friendly wave, Sweet Blossom left the seating area and deposited the dirty cups on a worktop in the kitchen area before entering the nearest door to the old barracks. With a slight grumble, Celestia pulled a fresh cup from the tree and poured some more tea with her magic. “As nice as it is to get off our hooves, we don't really have time to sit around drinking tea,” Luna sniped. “Just give me this one thing,” the unicorn snapped back, blowing on the retrieved contents. The alicorn rolled her eyes and leaned back on her floor-cushion, taking a moment to spread out her wings, as she was still not quite past admiring her newest addition. As she did so, an old mare approaching from the northern gate stopped in her tracks at this sight, before making a beeline for the pair. “Beggin' yer pardon, missy, but those wings an' horn ya got there... They ain't real, is they?” She was another terran, this time of Starswirl's age group, with an orange coat and bedraggled white-gold hair up in a bun—undoubtedly one of the 'old'ns' that their recent acquaintance had mentioned. Her tired eyes were friendly, but her accent was somehow even stronger than Sweet Blossom's, which was almost too much for the sisters to parse. “Um-” Luna looked to her sister, who was too busy sipping her hot tea to notice. “Yes?” “Oh, by t' Six.” Even when surprised, this mare's voice was comforting and as smooth as cream, like the embodiment of Southern home-cooking. “Could it be true? Has’t light finally come to shine on our darkest a' hours?” “Uh, well, that’s the plan, I guess.” The alicorn rubbed the back of her neck, becoming increasingly uncomfortable by the attention her new wings were bringing her. “Praise be. Ah’d thought hope were lost when t’ Palace went quiet. Ain’t seen times like this since that old Grogar took Equestria for ‘imself.” She drew closer, radiating warmth from her smile as she slowly lowered herself onto a cushion. “Wow, you were around during the First Dark Age?!” “Gracious, girl, do Ah look that old?” She laughed, finally drawing the attention of Celestia, who glanced up from the rim of her seaming cup, unwilling to fully part from its bitter, yet quenching aroma. “No, no, Ah’m just somethin’ of a storyteller in these parts. Used t’ be more than that, but age has a way of slowin’ y' down, y’know?” “Mm, no, not really.” Luna shook her head, as her only experience of old age was the very capable Starswirl. Nevertheless, she was steadily warming to the overwhelming charm of this new acquaintance. She chuckled. “No, Ah suppose y' young'ns wouldn’t. The name's Pink Pearl, by t' hoo's, pleasure to make ya'. Now, Ah don't mean t' seem sharp, but we've been prayin' for an alicorn miracle fer years now—where have you been?” “Oh, well, it’s... a long story. We would have come sooner if we could.” “Ah understand, child, Ah understand. Ain’t nothin’ come easy in this life. We ponies are resilient, though, yessiree. It’ll take more than this to get rid a' us!” The younger sister smiled, enjoying this utterly unique interaction. It dawned on her that she had only ever spoken to two other ponies before this little adventure. Was the whole world full of ponies this different from her? She had to wonder, having grown up with only Starswirl as a surrogate father... Was this what a mother was like? “Oh!” Celestia finally lowered her cup, pulled from it by the emergence of an idea. “You're old; do you remember a unicorn by the name of Ustiarius passing through here?” She turned to her sister. “He must have come through this place, right?” Both mares frowned; Luna, because she had no memories of the stallion beyond the stories Starswirl would tell of their daring escape from Canterlot Palace, and Pink Pearl because of the blunt observation that was hard not to take as an insult. “Can't say Ah know the name, deary,” Pink Pearl replied dryly. “Can ya describe 'em?” “Oh, he was... Uh... Well, he was tall... with a white or greyish coat, dark-blue mane... or was it brown? Umm... Male...” The old mare nodded very slowly at the extremely vague description. “And 'is cutie mark?” “Uhhh...” Celestia looked to Luna for help, who decisively shrugged, as personal descriptions had never been a part of their mentor's retellings. She sighed in defeat, re-embracing her ennui and returning the teacup to her lips. “Sorry, darlin', we get a lot a' ponies through these parts. Why, are ya looking for 'im?” “Not exactly,” Luna replied, knowing her sister had disengaged. “We're looking for leads on where to go next. Besides, he would have passed through here decades ago,” she sighed, muttering under her breath, “apparently.” “'Decades'? Gracious, then it don't matter how old Ah am; this post's only been here since t' trade boom, so yer stallion would've passed here long before we was around. Fer that matter, it must've been before y'all was even born! Now why would y'all be looking for somepony like that?” “It- It doesn't matter, it's a long story, like I said,” Luna stammered, before her eyes grew wide, having taken Celestia's idea to the next logical step. “But- But what about Starswirl? Do you know that name? He's an old unicorn with a long beard and-” “Starswirl the Bearded? Why 'course Ah know Starswirl the Bearded! Well if he ain't just the last good story Equestria had since this never-ending nightmare began.” She laughed, though it was short and dry, trailing off into sadness. “W- What happened? Did something happen?” Luna's excitement had quickly turned to worry, with Celestia now paying attention again. “Starswirl the Bearded,” she cooed almost romantically, rubbing her chin. “Now that's a name Ah've not heard in a long time. Seems like it were only yesterday when that bright glimmer a' hope showed up out of t' blue with his band a' do-gooders. They started out fixin' small problems and worked their way up, defeating evil and righting wrongs left an' right like regular ol' heroes. Made themselves a name 'round these parts: the 'Pillars of Equestria'. Heh. But they was every bit as good as the name sounds 'em to be. They held us up in our darkest hour... But there's only so much six ponies can do, and there's always a new hour after the last—always darker, seems. Now it's midnight, and like a babe lost in t' woods, we're cold, afraid and alone.” “Please, tell us what happened to Starswirl! Did... Did he-” Luna begged, leaning forward with both hooves on the table. “Ah'm surprised that anypony don't know 'bout the Pillars. You two must've been sheltered somethin' proper.” She sighed, crossing her forehooves on the table as her face soured. “Mah guess is they was testing themselves—lookin' t' see what they could before confrontin' Discord 'imself. Ah heard stories a' them ya wouldn't believe, takin' down sirens and whatnot, but turns out yer worst enemy's always from within. Ain't it the way? Seems there was some internal dispute, arguin' 'mongst themselves, or so Ah've heard. Next thing y' know, they're fightin' some pony as black as shadow and ain't comin' up roses. Whole lot of 'em had to-” She sniffed, taking a moment to compose herself before continuing. “Sorry. T' beast was so strong, whole lot of 'em had to sacrifice 'emselves to seal it away—to save Equestria, one- last- time.” Luna gasped at this news as Celestia sprayed a mouthful of nervously sipped tea back into her cup, drenching her own face as a result. “Are you serious?!” the elder sister shouted. “Is he really-” Luna began to choke up, feeling tears well in her eyes. “'Fraid so, dearies. Ain't no other reason they would've all just disappeared like that. Many a' us didn't believe it neither, but what they left behind... Well, no other reason for it.” “What did they leave behind?” Celestia demanded as she unconsciously evaporated the tea from her mane. “Ah were busy running the township at the time, so Ah couldn't go, but Ah sent mah son to see their final restin' place to see if it were true. And blow me down if he didn't come back cryin' harder than Ah've ever seen 'im, snottin' like a' newborn. Six stone pillars were all that's left, he said, each holdin' a relic of its hero. No better memorial they could've asked for, ya ask me; though we all wish they could've seen it through t' the end.” “Then he really is...” Luna's tensed body finally collapsed as her head fell into her forelegs and she began to sob. “But- But you didn't see a body, right?” Celestia asked as her hooves trembled. “Nopony saw a body, so there's a chance-” Pink Pearl sighed, shaking her head woefully. “None of 'em would've left them items there if they'd had a choice. Mighty Helm Rockhoof's shovel, Mage Meadowbrook's mask, Starswirl the Bearded's spellbook...” “His- His spellbook?” Celestia crossed her forelegs on the table as she slowly lowered her head. There was no way Starswirl would have abandoned one of his spellbooks; they were the most precious things to him, the culmination of a lifetime of work and passion. He would have sooner-" “Gracious, look at me getting' the mood so low, and with guests, no less! Ah wouldn't have told y'all if Ah'd known ya'd get so down. But to think ya didn't know! Why, it were all the resistance talked about for a full year after! 'Course, then came the dark times. Guess Discord had been entertained enough just watchin' the Pillars do their thing, 'cause after they went, that's when things got real bad. And now here we are, so many years later, just... makin' do.” Luna sniffed, raising her head to reveal a damp and reddened face. “What- What 'resistance'?” “Oh, y'all don't even know that? Well, naturally, after Discord started crazyin' things up, ponies weren't gonna just sit an' take it! There were a lot a' casualties to begin with, but we learned how to work underground—to keep things orderly, so as any chaos magic would stand out like a sore hoof, and we could get around unseen. We started spiritin' ponies away, keepin' 'em safe, keepin' dangerous items out of Discord's view, and started plannin' our comeback, just like them old stories of the Grogar resistance.” “'We', like, you were one?” “Yessiree, still am, at heart, anyways. That's why Ah came out so far to build a town—a safe haven for those rescued from the capitol. 'Course, a town needs an income, and fruit trees don't grow so well in the desert. That was my dream, see, to grow an orchard of green 'n red across the Appleloosan Desert.” “'Appleloosan Desert'?” “Hah, yeah, that's what Ah'd've called it. But after the fall a' Canterlot, there just weren't the economy to get a new town up n' runnin'. Plus nopony knew how t' grow apple trees in sand,” she chuckled half-heartedly. “So we gave it a couple a' years then packed up and came south, hoping we'd get more hoof traffic here. Ain't nowhere to plant trees, but at least we cornered the trade market, literally. It ain't no dream life, but it's better than livin' under Discord's claw.” “That place... Where the pillars-” Celestia suddenly asked, her voice loud despite still facing the floor. “How do we get there?” “Celestia...” Luna knew how upset her sister was—she was feeling the same way—but visiting a grave would not aid their quest to save Equestria. There would be time for mourning after they took down Discord, assuming they can, no matter how much she wanted to see it herself. “Ya wanna visit the Pillars yourself? Gracious, whatever for? Y'all didn't even know 'bout 'em a minute ago.” She shook her head, leaning back on her cushion. “Ah wish Ah could tell ya, but like Ah said, Ah ain't never been there m'self, and right now mah son is in Klugetown on business. Ah know it were in a forest up north... Ain't no way you'd find it without a guide, though.” Celestia slammed her hoof onto the table, causing her teacup to clatter and slosh. Pearl raised her eyebrows, surprised by such a vivid display of emotion over an old folk-hero. Just who were these fillies and why did they care so much about Starswirl the Bearded, she wondered. “Sister!” Luna hissed as she sat up, her eyes still red and cloudy. “But,” the old mare continued, “Ah know somepony who might just guide ya.” “Who?!” the alicorn asked. Even her sister raised her head at this, revealing her own bloodshot eyes. “Last Ah heard, Mage Meadowbrook's mother, Meadow Flower, is still livin' in Haysead Swamp, on the bayou. If anypony still knows the location of the Six Pillars, ya can bet it would be her.” “How do we find her?” Celestia barked, clearly not handling her emotions well. “Real simple, sugar snap, just head up this pass and follow the mountains east 'til you hit the swamp. Find a big stream and that'll be the bayou, so ya just follow it 'til ya hit the village.” “We should go.” Celestia stood abruptly, avoiding eye-contact as every muscle in her body tensed. “Woah, woah, woah, now.” Pink Pearl waved for the unicorn to sit. “Are y'all sure ya wanna leave this very minute? The swamp's days away, and them stones ain't going nowhere. And to be honest, y'all look like ya could use a wash and a good night's sleep.” Luna looked up at her sister, who risked a glance back. “It has been a while since we bathed, and one night in a real bed does sound nice.” She rolled her rear hooves, which still throbbed despite the brief respite. Celestia looked away, angered by the suggestion to delay, but equally tempted by the promise of warm water and a soft mattress for the first time in... well, decades, apparently. With a grunt of forced reluctance, she dropped back down to the pillow and folded her forelegs like a pouting child. Pink Pearl clopped her hooves together. “Grand! Ah'll get mah granddaughter, Sweet Blossom, to ready a couple of ah' spare rooms. They ain't fancy like what y'all might be used to up north, but they'll see ya good through the night, Ah guarantee.” She rose from the table with a beaming grin and hobbled toward the old barracks after the younger terran who had left them earlier. The sisters sat in silence, at first grateful for the night of relative comfort ahead of them, before their minds wandered back to the conversation they had just had and the loss of their mentor. A cold wind blew through the gorge as they considered the reality of their father-figure's ultimate sacrifice, and what part they had played in it, having lost to Discord. Their failure was the last thing they had shared together before... all of this. Was he disappointed in them? Had he assumed them dead? The existential questions stacked up in their minds until Pink Pearl returned to the table, offering to show them to their freshly prepared rooms. The remainder of their day was a teary blur, spent in their respective beds as the raggedy curtains in their ramshackle rooms attempted to feign night, crying themselves to sleep at the bittersweet thoughts of their lives together in that little house by the sea. The next morning it was the pungent smell of vegetable broth, the clattering of utensils, and the thwacking of a knife on wood that woke the sisters—sounds that they were unfamiliar with, yet immediately knew preceded a good meal. Wiping the crusted tears and sleep from their eyes, both sisters opened their doors at almost the same time, spotting one another from down the long, narrow, and rickety hallway. With a silent agreement, both mares followed the smell like an invisible leash outside and to the open-air kitchen just south of the barracks. The smell was emanating from a large, black, metal cauldron over a small open fire as a familiar white-coated mare worked the preparation tables around it by herself. “Well howdy, you two!” Sweet Blossom beamed as she delivered more cut root vegetables to the bubbling pot and began to stir it with a giant ladle. Both sisters were too exhausted to decide whether her cheery disposition so early in the morning—their morning, anyway—was endearing or grating. “Sleep well?” “Sweet Blossom, was it?” Luna asked, her voice as raspy as her mouth was dry. “Nailed it in one, Princess!” The mare seemed unable to contain her own joy as she busied herself with collecting two bowls from beneath a table and ladling two generous helpings of soup into them. “What time is it? Were you up all night?” Celestia asked, still half asleep and rubbing her eye. “Oh, don't you worry 'bout me none, Ah got up early. By our time it's still mornin', so y'all are right on schedule!” She giggled before plopping an entire carrot into each bowl as garnish and passing them into the sisters' magical grasp one by one. “Ah've always said it's important to get yer fill before a long journey, and boy-howdy do we have a trek ahead of us!” Celestia and Luna turned away with a grateful nod, trotting over to the same table as yesterday before the young alicorn stopped in her tracks and turned back to the busy terran. “What do you mean 'we'?” “Didn't Grandma Pearl say? She said y'all agreed, the old coot, 'bout how Ah've been lookin' to stretch mah hooves for some time now—get out and see the world a little, 'least what's left of it.” She absent-mindedly turned away from her stew, her eyes lost in imagination. “Heard tell that Haysead Swamp is all but untouched by chaos, even now; so when she told me y'alls was headin' over there, why Ah couldn't hardly contain myself! Barely got any sleep last night with how excited Ah was, so Ah decided to put that energy to good use.” She turned back to her pot and began to stir the thick mixture again, though her eyes remained unfocused. “Old'ns've always said Ah can't go out on mah own, even though Ah'm a full-grown mare now, but with you's two with me—and an alicorn, no less—why, they couldn't possibly say no!” She chuckled before lowering her voice, despite somehow maintaining its volume. “Granny told me all about you—'bout alicorns. It's so magical. 'Course, Ah'd heard stories of alicorns and the like way-back-when as a little filly, but Ah thought y'all was just a fairytale, like seaponies, cockatrices, and breezies. To think that such a pony really exists... Why, gosh, it just fills mah heart with a magic Ah never knew was real!” “So, you're coming with us,” Luna asked dryly, knowing it wasn't a question. “Yessiree!” she giggle-snorted, putting her hoof to her face. “Gosh, Ah can't believe Ah just said one 'a Granny's corny old lines. Ah'm just so excited to get out from these two dark slabs 'a rock and see the world! Mah whole life Ah've been told 'ya can't do that', 'it's too dangerous', 'stay with the family'. Well, this mare's 'bout to walk to the other side of Equestria, and ain't nopony gonna stop her!” She bounced up, squealing and clapping her hooves together excitedly. “Oh mah stars and skies, Ah still need to pack! Ah barely slept a wink after hearin' y'all said yes, and we're gonna need supplies!” She turned and burst into a full gallop towards the barracks, leaving her ladle to spin around the cauldron on its own, hollering back as she ran. “Y'all drink yer soup up now before it gets cold! No rush, though, we'll leave when yer ready!” As Sweet Blossom burst through the spindly barracks door, the shell-shocked Luna turned back to the table and took her long-awaited cushion. Celestia was sitting in her previous spot with a carrot slowly gyrating out the side of her mouth, having already finished most of her bowl yet still in a sleepy daze. The young alicorn sighed, placing the bowl down and magically stirring the broth with the carrot garnish as she thought back to the night before. Pink Pearl had indeed talked to them while escorting them to their rooms, but she had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't really heard what she was saying. It was within the realms of possibility that she had agreed to the over-eager mare tagging along with them, though her current, more rational mind was screaming about the danger that could befall such an innocent and powerless terran while in their company. Still, did she really have it in her to turn her down after such an exhausting display of pep and vigor? Sighing again, Luna leaned in and took a sip from the cooled bowl. It was good. Really good. After a few more satisfied slurps and ignoring the carrot resting against her eye, she lowered the bowl and looked to her sister, who was still staring into the middle-distance while mindlessly gnawing on her garnish. “So, Sweet Blossom is coming with us, it seems.” “Huh?” Celestia blinked a few times as she came back to reality, letting her carrot slip from her mouth. With lightning reflexes she caught it with her magic and bit it in half with a vengeful crunch. “Sweet Blossom, the mare who made the soup. She's coming with us to Haysead Swamp.” “What? Why? Since when?” “Since yesterday, apparently. Something about 'wanting to see the world'.” “And she wants to go to Haysead Swamp?” “I don't know, okay? I think I might have agreed to it yesterday, but I don't remember. I know it's irresponsible, but we can't just say no now, she's too excited.” Luna slouched down, taking the opportunity to lap at her soup. “It's very irresponsible. Do you remember what our goal is here? We're not on some sight-seeing tour of Equestria; we're here to take back the county, by force! You have to tell her no.” Luna straightened up. “No! Not me, I can't! She's just so excited. There's enough sadness in the world without us causing more.” “Well you're the one who agreed to this insane idea. If she comes with us, she'll only get hurt. Heck, we can't even look after ourselves!” The smokey-blue alicorn sighed again, slouching back down into her bowl. “She makes good food, though,” her voice echoed out of the hoof-carved stone bowl. “Be that as it may-” “Hey girls!” Sweet Blossom loudly announced from behind Celestia, causing her to jump and send the remainder of her carrot spinning into the air, landing back neatly into her bowl. “Ah'm all packed up and ready to go. Turns out, when you don't own much, it don't take long to pack at all! In fact, mostly it's just provisions, so Ah'm ready when y'all are! Hoo-wee! Ah just can't wait!” Luna looked up at Celestia from her bowl with large, soulful eyes. The elder sister rolled her eyes and grit her teeth, struggling to bring herself to follow-through on her own words. “Alrighty, Ah'm gonna go divvy out portions for the others already on duty. Y'all know where to find me when yer ready!” She turned and pranced back to her cauldron, her stuffed saddlebags rustling with every spring in her step. “See what I mean?” Luna echoed within her bowl. Celestia groaned as she deflated onto the table and covered her face with her hooves. “This is just what we need; more risk.” Luna sat up, her soup now depleted, and used her magic to wipe her face, throwing the excess goop behind her. “On the plus side, we might not starve this time.” The unicorn groaned even louder, pulling down her cheeks. “Okay, fine, but only as far as Haysead Swamp. She is not coming to Central Equestria with us.” “Agreed.” With a mutual sigh, the two sisters rose from their cushions and turned back towards the barracks, now noticing how many more ponies were milling around at this hour compared to yesterday; each now grabbing a bowl from kitchen on their way to the mining shaft. Having barely made it to the middle of the central road, Blossom spotted the sisters and dashed over, leaving her ladle to slowly sink into the orangey abyss. “Ah didn't mention it before 'cause you was eatin', but Ah made y'all a little something. Come look!” Without waiting a beat, she circled the sisters and forcibly pushed them towards a previously uncovered preparation table by the cauldron. Returning to the front, she whipped off the sheet and held her hooves out. “Ta-da!” On the table sat two more saddlebags of similar design to her own, though these sported two-tone clasps in the shape of their new owners' profiles. “Wow! You- You made these?” Luna gasped, having never really received a gift before. Even Celestia raised her eyebrows at the unexpectedly generous gift. “Yes indeedy! Ah whipped 'em up before makin' breakfast. Just couldn't stop thinkin' 'bout how grateful Ah am y'all is lettin' me come with ya'. Ah hope ya don't mind.” “'Mind'? These are amazing!” Luna gushed. “It's not like we have anything to put in them though,” Celestia grumbled. “Sure ya do!” Blossom beamed, unhooking one with her mouth to reveal a number of root vegetables, which rolled out onto its unfurled flap. “Even between us it ain't much supplies, but it sure beats eatin' grass an' sand the whole way.” Celestia pursed her lips, suddenly feeling as though the bags were less of a gift and more of a job. “We love them, thank you,” Luna growled at her sister, before smiling at the happy mare. “Well if that don't just make mah day even more! If y'all're ready to go now, there's one last thing Ah need to pack.” As Blossom pranced around the table and squatted down to raid its storage shelf, Celestia leaned in to her sister with a hushed voice. “Were we ready to go?” “Unless there's anything else you want to do here, I guess so,” she whispered back. The pink-maned unicorn took a moment to look up and around, surveying their surroundings. This was truly a barren place; between the repurposed ruins and purely utilitarian activities on offer, the only thing of interest here was the location itself. It was almost impossible to truly comprehend just how high the perfectly smooth walls of this unnatural gorge were, as a quiet sense of dread questioned what you would do if this cleaved mountain decided to pull itself back together without warning. No matter how many cushions or friendly faces there were, this was a cold and lonely place, so it was no surprise that Sweet Blossom wanted nothing more than to escape these stone walls, if only for a few days. “No... No, I suppose not. And it's not like we have anything to get ready.” “Might as well, then.” “Might as well.” Sweet Blossom stood back up with a small black cauldron tied to her back and a belt loaded with all manner of cooking utensils. She turned to the sisters, beaming. “You—uh—really want to bring all that?” Celestia asked, already weary of being slowed by a third wheel, let alone the extra baggage. “Are the ponies here going to be okay without you? It kinda seems like you do a lot here,” Luna continued, attempting to defuse her sister's sass. “Oh pish, those old'ns can cook up a storm just fine without me. Ah just do things here an' there to save 'em some trouble; a lil' washin', a lil' cookin', a lil' repairin'—ya know, basic stuff.” The Princesses looked at one another, suddenly worried by how focused their skill sets were in context. Having spent almost every breathing moment of their young lives training in magic, leadership, and Equestrian history, certain 'basics' seem to have been overlooked, or at the very least, never practically applied. The most 'cooking' they had ever done was throwing together ingredients on a plate and calling it a salad. Neither of them had ever even bothered to ask Starswirl how he made their porridge, or tried to learn stitching with him... When they weren't being forced to learn something, they had made sure to distance themselves from learning as much as possible, be it getting lost in fantasy books, writing in their diaries, or listening to stories about 'the good old days'. There was precious little else to do in that prison cell of a house, which is why Celestia's little expeditions were worth the risk just to escape the monotony, but what practical use did any of that have now? What good is royal etiquette when you're on an empty road with chipped hooves and naught but grass in your belly? “Well, Ah said mah goodbyes last night, so let's get a'hoovin'!” She trotted up to the sisters and dropped their new, laden saddlebags on their respective backs—almost winding them—before merrily skipping north up the road, her various kitchen utensils jangling with every step she took. Celestia growled at this indiscretion before the smell of fresh vegetables reached her nose, reminding her of the hunger she had felt before arriving at this outpost. “I guess it couldn't hurt to have her along,” she pondered aloud, considering her stomach before the safety of their new companion. “She seems to know what she's doing.” Luna rolled her eyes and followed after the terran mare, who was visibly brimming with excitement as she waved goodbye to everypony she passed along the way, with the elder sister eventually taking up the rear. Celestia had assumed that Blossom's excitement would quickly wear off after it was just them and the boring expanses of nothingness, but after passing through the northern gate of the ruined fort and the hour or so it took to reach the opposite end of the mountain pass, her energy hadn't diminished in the slightest. In fact, as the sheer rock cliffs either side of the party began to melt away and the East San Palomino Desert opened up before them, she uncontrollably burst into a full gallop just to get a good look at the opening horizon ahead of them. The pots and pans on her back were as light as air as she breached the parting cliffs and stared out across the arid landscape with an open mouth and sparkles in her eyes, full of awe at what might be considering a mundane sight by some. “What, has she never seen a desert before?” Celestia scoffed, remaining alongside her sister. “Neither had you until a few days ago.” “I'd read about them, that was enough. And frankly, almost dying in one was enough desert for me for a lifetime,” she scowled at the memory before sighing, realising the inevitable. “We're going to have to go through that one too, aren't we.” “Eventually. It's the only way back to Central Equestria.” Luna furrowed her brow, also concerned over the harrowing events of their last desert excursion. “But this is a trade route. As long as we stick to the road, we should be fine. We just need to bring some water with us this time.” “What, swamp water?” “There's a village, isn't there? They're not going to be some... mud-slurping proto-ponies, are they.” Celestia snorted. “Could be.” The Princesses caught up to Sweet Blossom, who was still taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the vast sandscape. To the sisters' relief there was a thin slice of plant life where the harsh desert ahead met the rocky mountains behind them, making their current position quite temperate and promising a relatively peaceful trek as they skirted the mountain to Haysead Swamp in the east. “Well if ya' ain't seen anythin' quite so magical before, Ah don't know what...” Blossom gushed aloud, though not for the sake of anypony else. “It's just sand,” Celestia droned, already tired of the mare's bubbly nature. “'Just sand'?! Why, that there is a horizon of infinite possibilities! Look, ya' can even see it dancin' in the distance like magic, just waitin' to become whatever ya' can dream.” “That's just heat haze.” Sweet Blossom sighed, deflating her enthusiasm somewhat. “Ah know that, but don't it make ya' wanna believe in magic? In the possibility of anythin'?” “But magic is real.” Celestia's horn lit up as she opened both her saddlebags and pulled out the supplies, circling them around the terrain like an airborne parade as an elementary display of telekenesis. Blossom rolled her eyes, turning to face the unicorn. “Well Ah know that, obviously, but that ain't the kind a' magic Ah'm talkin' about. Ah'm talkin' about dreams!” Hearing this, Luna raised an eyebrow. “Ah'm talkin' about imagination! Ain't you ever looked at a blank canvas and been blown away by the infinite number a' things it could be?” “No,” she replied matter-of-factly, before taking a moment to consider her answer. Thinking back through her foalhood, she couldn't remember ever feeling wonder or hope, not that she could remember much from before the South Sea house—nothing she wanted to remember, anyway. All she'd ever had were her books and imagining stories about them; going on perilous adventures with (a much younger) Summer Twinkle, meeting other ponies and... well, just meeting other ponies. The extent of her imagination was simply being outside that house, and now she was there... Why didn't she feel anything? She had spent so many years wishing she could visit that frozen town without the need of a breathing spell, or visit her parents' palace back home and the town she had known as a filly; but since coming out of that time spell she had been petrified, almost died in a desert, almost eaten by jungle-ponies, made herself a fool in front of her previously fictional idol, and spent days eating and sleeping on nothing but grass. What part of this nightmare had been worth waiting for? Was it because she had failed? A decade of training for a singular purpose, rendered moot with a single snap. Perhaps she wouldn't feel anything until she fulfilled that purpose, defeating Discord and bringing peace to the land, but was that even possible? Her sister might be an alicorn now—which, by the way, was infinitely unfair, as she had clearly put in more effort than Luna ever had, plus she was older—but was that even enough to bring an all-powerful being to its knees? They had no plan! For Equestria's sake, they were walking to a swamp with a tourist on the off-chance that somepony there might tell them what to do next! What were they thinking?! This was an impossible task from the beginning, and they would fail again, just like Starswirl had! “Celestia!” Luna shouted on her third attempt to snap the unicorn out of her trance. Shaking her head to disperse the dark thoughts, the elder sister looked around, disorientated by how long she had been lost in thought. “Are you alright?” Sweet Blossom asked, genuinely concerned. “Yes. Yeah, I'm fine,” she lied, forcing herself to exist in the moment as her mind continued to whisper fear and hopelessness into her ear. “Alright... Let's get a move on, then, shall we?” the terran suggested, still worried as she turned to follow the mountainside path. Celestia nodded absently and followed on, with an equally concerned Luna taking the rear this time. Without the guidance of the moon to gently nudge the travellers to rest, it fell to their own aching hooves to eventually bring their journey to a halt. Despite the hours of walking and heat radiating from the desert beside them, Sweet Blossom remained as cheery and energetic as ever as she untied the small cauldron from her back and began preparing a meal. It wasn't long before the freshly cut vegetable chunks and seasoned broth filled the air around the small campfire with an appetising aroma. “So, do you like cooking?” Luna asked, rocking side to side as she sat patiently. “Ah sure do! Ain't there just somethin' magical 'bout takin' all sorts a' different things an' puttin' 'em together to make somethin' even better?” “Here we go again,” Celestia grumbled, rolling her eyes. “I think I know what you mean,” Luna replied while subtly glaring at her sister. “Like how the individual words of an incantation do nothing until they're strung together and cast.” “Well, Ah wouldn't know anythin' about that-” “Or how words don't tell a story until they're written together in a book,” Celestia interrupted with sarcastic dramatics. “Assuming you've read a book before.” Luna stared at her sister in disbelief. Why was she being so cruel? “Ey, that's more like it! Makin' food is like a book a' flavour; it takes the right ingredients to make it good enough for ponies to wanna come back for more.” She chuckled to herself as she raised her ladle to deliver the first serving, which Celestia shamelessly accepted in earnest. “Ah reckon with another full day a' travel, we should get to Haysead the mornin' after.” “I thought you hadn't left the gorge before?” Luna asked, raising her own bowl for a helping of the hearty stew. “Oh Ah ain't, not since we arrived when Ah was but a lil' tyke, but Ah've been watchin' the others leave for so long now that Ah got a feel for when they'd be back. Ol' Uncle Tootin's takes five to six days to return from Haysead, dependin' on the stories he'd bring back with him. He does all our deliveries north.” “'Uncle Tootin'?” Celestia smirked into the bowl she was holding to her mouth. “Yessiree! If there ain't nopony you can't always rely on, it's old Rootin' Tootin'.” Sweet Blossom leaned back, raising her own bowl to her lips as silence fell over the group, allowing the crackling of the small fire to soothe their weary minds. Finishing hers first, Celestia lay back with a thoughtful sigh, looking up at the beautiful celestial mess above them. Despite the sun and moon sharing equal space in the sky, there was nothing the smaller sphere could do to compete with its brighter counterpart. Surely there had been numerous scholars in days past who would have begged for an everlasting day, and yet when the reality of such a thing becomes unavoidable, its flaws become apparent. Without the coolness of night and a peaceful, nocturnal slumber, the sun becomes an ever-watching eye, constantly judging and expecting more than you are capable of giving. “So, how are we going to sleep here? There's no shade against the sun.” The other two looked around, having yet to consider their sleeping arrangements. Indeed, trees and shrubs only sparsely lined the temperate oasis that was this easterly road, with nary a cave in sight up the southern mountain range. Luna considered pulling down palm leaves to cover their faces, but a more comfortable solution would be preferable. “Well, one of y'all could put ya head inna' the pot once it's cleaned up,” Blossom suggested, before her eyes widened. “Wait, how're we gonna clean these here utensils? Ah didn't think that far ahead when Ah was packin'!” “But you packed water,” Celestia stated, pulling a circular flask from her saddlebag. “That's for drinkin'! We ain't wastin' that on washin' up! Oh horse apples!” “Calm down, we'll be fine, we can use our magic,” Luna reassured her, demonstrating by scooping out the remains from her bowl and flicking them aside, leaving it spotless. “Well if magic ain't the most useful thing!” Blossom guffawed, having clearly not spent much—if any—time around unicorns. “What else didn't you pack?” Celestia mumbled. “Celestia, what is your problem?!” Luna snapped back, finding her sister to have become increasingly unreasonable in light of their relative good fortune. “Nothing. Let's just try to get some rest,” she replied with disinterest, turning away from the group and closing her eyes. “I'm sorry,” Luna sighed, turning back to the terran. “We've... not spent much time around other ponies. She doesn't mean to be rude.” “It ain't nothin',” she chuckled. “With a family as big as mine, ya get used to a little bickerin'. She ain't wrong, though, we should rest up for the trip ahead.” Luna nodded, unsure if things were truly okay as the terran curled up in a lone spot of palm shade. She looked up at the twilit sky, wondering if the sun and moon would always remain together like this, then suddenly had an idea. “I have an idea,” she announced before closing her eyes, thinking back to the disturbing dream she had suffered as a statue and that nightmare alicorn in it. After taking a calming breath her horn began to glow, and from it a dark mist began to rise. “W-What are ya doin'?” Sweet Blossom stammered, struck with fear by the sinister silhouette being cast over them. The dark clouds hovered above the trio for a second before slowly descending, shrouding the group's small campsite like a localised dome of midnight, inspired by the black sphere that had consumed her in that dark dream. Tiny magical sparkles dotted the low light within the bubble as though they were sitting among the stars of a night sky, the likes of which Luna had only seen in her dreams. “It's... It's beautiful,” Sweet Blossom whispered in awe. For her—having been born after the sky had already come to a halt—this was a scene of pure, otherworldly magic. Luna slowly opened her eyes and looked around with a content smile, finding herself filled with a calm she had not felt since overcoming her fears in the dreamscape. “That should help us get to sleep.” “That magic a' yers really is something,” Blossom marvelled, laying back to stare at the faux-night sky above them. “Yes. Yes it is.” Celestia remained still, having not moved since turning away, but now lay with her eyes open, taken aback by her sister's display of magic. Was this the power of an alicorn? She had never seen anything like it, not even by Starswirl, and without the aid of an incantation at that! She was the elder sister, she was next in line for the throne, she had been tutored longer, so why-? Why was she being outshone by this filly? It wasn't fair. She had lost everything, and now she was losing things she didn't even have yet! Just you wait, she thought. If you are capable of this, one day I shall become an alicorn too, and show you just how much better I am than you. Equestria will forget there was ever a younger princess after I save everypony myself.