//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Silent Running // Story: The Unknown Daughter's Reunion:Part 3 // by Disembodied_Pony //------------------------------// In an office, inside the Fillydelphia Department of Equestrian Civil Order, The chief of operations was getting into a Screaming match with one of his subordinates: "This is the Twenty-Second report I've received of a pony sewing discord in a public establishment and getting away with it, This Week!! It's your job to apprehend these threats to our nation!" "What am I supposed to do? We receive the report from an informant, and we move on it immediately. I even doubled the patrols as you demanded. My ponies are exhausted! They've begun not appearing to work, or outright quit!" "I don't care what You have to do! Get it done! No excuses! Get it done, or you'll find yourself on the street, living on scraps like your predecessors!" "We already are on scraps, you blind idiot! Our force is collapsing all around you, and all you CAN actually do is bark threats. You don't DO a bucking thing, just like those you report to! And without the princess to back you, everything is turning to horseapples! You're arrogant, inept, and never deserved any of the power that was hooved to you! You're a fraud, and it's showing!" Leaping over his desk, the chief turned to buck his subordinate right in the head; The lowest form of retaliation a pony could resort to. "ENOUGH" A voice echoed. The chief's movements slowing to a stop, his rear hooves in mid air. The pony on the receiving end of the attempted homicide was unaffected, and looked around trying to comprehend what was happening. Walking through the solid wall that faced the side street, was a mare; black as pitch with slitted eyes, wings and a horn. Especially unexpected since this was on the third floor, and she didn't even have her wings open, he noticed. "W-what is this?" He asked, his hoof gesturing to the Chief frozen in place. Doing his best to not look intimidated by the creature in front of him. "Please do relax. I mean no ill to you, sergeant. This, is a dream you are having. A nightmare in fact, by the look of it." She said looking to the chief "Yeah, one I keep having.." he muttered "I have noticed, sergeant. In fact, it being such a re-occurrence, has brought me here tonight. I have been observing your troubles from afar." "Nightmare..." He thought, looking between the frozen chief and the alicorn. Realization hitting him, his eyes widened. "You're!! We're doomed, just when I though things couldn't get worse!" He cried in defeat. "I was that, at one time sergeant. Not any longer." Walking up to the involuntarily shaking sergeant, she laid down. "Please, lay, or sit with me for a time. I have things to discuss with you. Things I have the feeling you will be quite interested in discussing. They involve recovering Equestria to before the false princess's coup." "What, do you mean, before the coup?" he asked. She had his attention, but he was wary of the nightmare's meaning. "Sergeant? What if I told you, that the princesses that were thought lost... Are indeed very much alive, and have recovered their strength?" She asked him. "I'd say you're trying some kind of trick!" He threw back. Nodding thoughtfully, she continued . "That is indeed the conundrum we are all facing at the moment. For what I told you is indeed, complete fact. To which, I have found myself very grateful for." Pausing, she thought back on events. Looking to the pony before her, she replied with a smile. "Though my beginnings were quite.. unfortunate, I have grown to love them like family." As she continued, the sergeant went from defensive, to confused. This was bizarre, Nightmare Moon was supposed to be a creature of terror. Noticing his confusion, she volunteered a failing to help put his mind at ease. "Sergeant? I will admit to you the one recent failing I've had in centuries of successful rule elsewhere. That failure being; It was I whom caused the false princess's death. When she attacked me from the shadows, I retaliated with great haste. Unsettled from seeing her hoofed-work, I lost control. The resulting regicide, as well as the tumultuous situation everypony now faces, is due to that event, I am ashamed to say." Looking down, she paused for a moment, then looked back up at him. "I have a debt to Equestria that I must repay, to the ponies that have had extra burden thrust upon them. I will see it payed back." Sitting down, the sergeant asked "What about the princesses? They were..." "Yes. Though it is not fully understood, it would seem that alicorns are... How do you say it, 'made of tough-stuff'?" Recounting the events to the sergeant, the empress finished with; "Thus they have spent the last year in my empire as honored guests, and royal family. As far as I am concerned, their titles are still valid in their entirety. The conundrum is, what of Equestria? Will the ponies here respect their titles and rule in exchange for prosperity?" Laying down in front of her, the sergeant thought about it. "I don't know. The title of princess doesn't carry the weight it did once..." "Sad that a poor ruler squandered so much a great thing." Moon replied. Pausing for a moment, Moon addressed the sergeant frankly; "I will be blunt with you sergeant...." She prompted for his name "SearchLight, your... highness?" He spoke questioningly. "Your highness will do fine. Since we are performing introductions, my full title is; Empress New Moon of the StarLight Empire. It it a pleasure to make your acquaintance Sergeant SearchLight." "So, you have an empire? Like the Crystal Empire?" He asked. "Not quite. Where the Crystal Empire is a single city province, my empire consists of numerous colonies spanning many distant worlds." The empress not anticipating the technological culture shock, received a gaping wide eyed stare from the sergeant. "My apologies SearchLight. I forget that such a thing can be shocking to ponies that have not traveled in such ways. Traveling amongst the stars is not that amazing when one does it so often, I am afraid to say." "How in the world do you do that!?" He demanded, incredulous. Sighing, she realized this was a digression she could not avoid... "Ponies travel by rail at great speeds and distance yes?" She prompted the sergeant. At his nod, she went on. "Ponies many many generations ago would not be able to imagine using steel, magic, and steam to achieve such a thing. I remember it not even being a fantasy in my ancient days.." She said with a smile. "Though once unimaginable, it is entirely possible, and quite practical, once the method is known. My ponies know how to fashion the steel, magic, and other energies to make it so. It is not so different, only the scale is." Shaking his head, she spoke with an exasperated tone. "Ponies traveling to distant stars..." Wanting to distract the sergeant, Moon tried another tactic; "Allow me to tell you about the world I found myself... well exiled, to, so long ago. It is very much like Equus; plants, beasts, seas, rivers, mountains, clouds. Green and blue, brown and grey in places. Lands covered in ice to the north, and a giant ice land in the south. In fact, it has less beasts than Equus does. There are no serpents, nor manticors, bugbears, dragons, the list goes on. It is quite peaceful there, especially now. I am quite proud to call it my home, in fact." "What's it called?" he asked. "Earth" the empress told him. "Like, earth ponies? Are there only earth ponies there?" He asked, his imagination turning. With a chuckle, Moon replied "No SearchLight, all three tribes are there. Actually, if you will allow me, I can give you a glimpse of it with this dream." Remembering that he was still dreaming, he nodded. Moon, closing her eyes, brought up a recent memory she had, and her horn glowed. All around them, the office and building faded away, and they appeared on a balcony, overlooking a city. Many of the ponies walking around were faint or blurry, but the skyline and buildings were clear as crystal. "Here it is SearchLight, my home. My balcony, overlooking The First City, heart of my little empire of ponies." It looked different than anything the sergeant had seen before, but it was still recognizable as a pony city. In fact it looked better than he remembered even Canterlot looking, to his memory. There was more green, trees, and the roads were much wider. With giant wide planters dividing the middle of the roads. There were parks or grassy plots in many places. "It looks...beautiful" He finally found the word, leaning over the balcony railing. "Thank you SearchLight. My ponies keep it looking like this, and I have never even asked them to." She said with a smile. Looking over to him, she offered; "If, someday, you would like to visit. I would be glad to give you a tour" She smiled at him "It takes a week to reach here, from Equus." "Yeah. A week?" he asked. Nodding, she added; "Once my ponies found my old home of Equus, they worked incredibly hard to bridge that gap between them, as much as they could." she finished. Thinking a moment, sergeant SearchLight asked the alicorn; "Since this is a dream, could you, show me the princesses?" He asked. "Of course! Just remember, that this is coming from my memory, so they will not see or hear us?" The sergeant nodding, the empress turned from the balcony into her chambers. "Come along sergeant, they are staying in my castle, so we'll just walk. It also gives me the opportunity to tour guide" the empress said with a song in her voice. Coming to a cozy, but sizable room; they both found the princesses, as well as another empress, sitting on couches, watching some kind of window in the middle of the room. Watching the images in the window for a few moments, the sergeant turned to the empress; "So, it's like a book of memories?" he asked "Yes! An apt description, SearchLight." She answered, impressed. No longer distracted by the window, he turned his attention to the ponies watching it. The princess on the end of one couch, said something that shocked one of the other princesses. That one, in turn, threw her popcorn bucket at her in expert fashion, upending it atop the largest princess's horn, the popcorn raining down her head. All of the princesses there laughing the entire time. "The thrower of the popcorn; Is princess Cadance, the princess of love. She responds to risque accusations in such manner." The empress giggled. "The receiver of the popcorn shower; Is princess Celestia, the princess of the sun. Whom loves teasing her in such ways." She continued. The purple coated princess, after pointing out how funny the comment was, found herself struggling with keeping her bucket of popcorn in her grip. Princess Cadance attempting an encore shower using her magic this time. "Oh, you want some help too Twilight? No problem!" She said with a mean smile. "Noo!" The purple princess cried out in alarm. "The one now struggling with her popcorn; Is princess Twilight Sparkle, the princess of friendship. The only one behaving herself at the moment; Is princess Luna, the princess of the moon.. And my mother, for lack of a better term." "So, those are the princesses..." the sergeant said, a bit of wonder in his voice. Meanwhile, laughing at their antics, the other empress got up from her place on another sofa. "I will get us some more popcorn" She excused herself. As she left the room, their surroundings faded into nothingness. "What happened?" SearchLight asked. "This is where my memory of this moment ends. What happened while I was gone, I can only imagine." She said. Laying down, the sergeant looked to the empress; "So, what do you need from me?" he asked, his skepticism satisfied for the moment. Laying down in turn, the empress answered; "For a start; Information. The workings of your department of office. Ponies that would be against a change from the way things currently are, and those in favor of improvements." Pausing for a moment, she added; "And, I will need you to not challenge your superior. I would be disheartened to find that a good pony, met the fate that haunts his dreams, SearchLight. You would better serve everypony, yourself included, if you placate him. Tell him whatever he wants to hear, even if you cannot and do not implement it. If he notices, placate him more; advise him you are working hard to fulfill his demands." Looking to him earnestly, the empress went on; "Their time of abusing unearned power is coming to an end, and very soon, SearchLight; For both your chief, as well as those they hold in esteem. Even should he dismiss you from your duties for not satisfying his demands, do not fret. After he is gone, good ponies such as yourself will be in the greatest need. His dismissal of your duties will not hold. In the mean time sergeant, look after your own ponies, the ones you respect. Even the ones that have already left; Talk with them, albeit softly in this immediate time. Let them know there is hope, and that change is coming. Ask if they would be willing to return under better circumstances?" "I could do that. But why would it matter that much? With the princesses.." The sergeant asked. "Power vacuums, sergeant. They placed us into what is currently in operation. From multiple princess to just one, and from one to a corrupt council. Creating another is counter-productive. We all need ponies we respect, trust that they are not there to only satiate their personal hungers. Ready, to step forward to fill the void when it comes." "That's true. I've watched my office turn; from a place of great possibilities, which it was supposed to be, into a quagmire of misery.." The sergeant conceded. Nodding in agreement, the alicorn continued; "It is true that the princesses could accomplish all with their own power, given enough time. However, the entire time they would be struggling to turn things around; ponies of Equestria would be languishing in the problems that the princesses would be fighting. Centuries would likely pass before it would be completely cleaned up and restored. Whole lifetimes of ponies, come and gone; never seeing what was stolen from them." Sighing, the empress looked down; "That is such a waste, SearchLight. A needless one. As well as an immense burden on those I love." Looking back up to him; "Thus I am here; asking for your aid, and aid of ponies like yourself. Not for myself nor even just for my family. But for friends and families I do not even know of." Her attention distracted for a moment, she concluded; "Alas, our time tonight is coming to an end; you are about to wake. Please, consider what I have proposed. I will visit you again tomorrow night. Should you choose to pass on my proposal, I will trouble you no further." Before he could say anything in response, the empress faded into a haze, before he woke up in his bed. Looking over to his wife, still sleeping; he smiled. 'It's not much of a choice, is it?' He thought to himself. Kissing her on the cheek, he quietly got out of bed. Heading in to the bathroom, and getting ready for another day in the same old grinder.