THE LAND BEFORE, CLEARING DESIGNATED AS THE CENTER POINT WHERE ALL THREE TERRITORIES MEET, SUNHIGH
Despite the large mass of ponies gathered in the snowy clearing, it was easy to spot the three different races.
It seemed as though the entire earth pony population was present, although keeping their distance from the armor clad and weapon bearing pegasi.
The pegasi had brought only their soldiers as if preparing for an attack; whether from them or the other pony races.
It was high noon and the unicorn Queen had still not arrived.
Suspecting a trap of some sort, Commander Hurricane ordered her troops to form a defensive ring around her ponies.
Bitter from the cold winds that they had no shelter from and the lack of care or respect from the pegasi prompted the earth ponies to huddle together in hopes of using each other's body heat to keep themselves alive.
"This is madness!" Commander Hurricane shouted in frustration, throwing her helmet into the snow. "How long does that unicorn snob expect us to wait here? I bet she's sitting warm back at her castle eating everything she stole and waiting for us to freeze to death out here! Either that or she has troops all over these hills waiting to fire down on us! Pegasi, take to the sk-"
"That will not be necessary, Commander Hurricane." Princess Platinum firmly as she trudged through the snow towards the ponies with Clover the Clever at her side.
They were the only two unicorns present.
"What, unicorns to high and mighty to come out in the cold with the rest of us?" Commander Hurricane shot out bitterly.
Ignoring the taunting, Queen Platinum trotted towards the space between the already present races and cleared her throat.
"Fillies and gentlecolts," she began. "We are gathered here today to sort out our issues concerning food-"
"With all do respect, Princess Platinum, I have already informed my ponies as to why we are here." Chancellor Puddinghead remarked tiredly.
"I have as well." Commander Hurricane spat. "All I want to know is why the unicorns stole what was rightfully ours!"
Queen Platinum's eyes widened and she took a step back as Chancellor Puddinghead nervously crept backwards into the sea of earth ponies.
"Unicorns are not thieves, unlike our winged neighbors! If anything has been stolen from anypony it is in the hooves of a flying cretin!" Queen Platinum shouted in anger and disbelief.
Commander Hurricane snorted in anger, dragging her hoof towards her in the snow; a threatening gesture.
Queen Platinum glared furiously and flared her horn, ready to let loose a bolt of deadly magic towards the group of pegasi. Their armor would do little to protect from the searing heat of her magic.
Then suddenly, Commander Hurricane ordered her forces into a charge and Queen Platinum let loose a flurry of magic.
The earth ponies squinted their eyes and tried as best they could to shield themselves, only to soon hear the clatter of armor against a solid surface and gasps from two ponies.
Upon opening their eyes, the earth ponies saw the remnants of a dark blue shield fall in front of the pegasi, letting the pile waver and collapse as the pegasus forces groaned in pain.
Meanwhile, a golden shield fell after absorbing Queen Platinum's magic and left the unicorn stunned.
"There will be no more fighting between you three, my little ponies." a stern voice said like a mother scolding her children.
All eyes turned to the source.
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At the edge of the clearing stood three ponies; two of which wore hooded robes while the third and shortest of the three wore a simple cape and pointed hat. His ruffled white beard spoke of many years and countless tales.
"Show them, dear sister." the tallest of the ponies said, and a smaller, dark blue pony pulled her hood back to reveal an extravagant horn. The crowd gasped at its beauty, especially Queen Platinum and Clover the Clever.
What appealed to the pegasi, however, was when the dark blue pony pulled the rest of her hooded robe off and flared her equally extravagant wings open for all to see.
Soon, the taller one did the same, making some of the older earth ponies faint.
These were the Alicorns, an ancient race of ponies with the wings of a pegasus, horns of a unicorn, and the body of an earth pony. According to legend and fable they created the heavens and earth themselves; only to disappear shortly thereafter. They were all thought to be extinct if they had even existed at all, but standing here before hundreds of witnesses they stood.
The taller, brighter, alicorn nodded to the smaller one who then cleared her throat and took to the skies.
"CITIZENS OF EARTH, PEGASOPOLIS, AND UNICORNICUS: WE ARE MOST DISPLEASED WITH THE ACTS OF WHICH THOUST ALL HATH PREFORMED! PONIES ARE MEANT TO LOVE AND CARE FOR EACH OTHER, NOT WAGE WAR AND FULFILL THEIR DUTIES WITH THE SOLE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING SUSTENANCE! she bellowed, her voice echoing throughout the hills and forcing every nearby creature to cover their ears.
Upon landing back in the snow, the taller alicorn led her companions closer to the center.
"We are most displeased indeed. Hath thou all forgotten the pact already?" she spoke.
Everypony stood silent, those she was near cowering in fear.
"The pact? Surely there is at least one pony who doth remember our agreement?" she continued in slight disbelief.
More silent and cowering.
"Starswirl the Bearded, how long hath we been away?" she asked in slight fear.
The elderly unicorn pony idlely dragged his hoof against the snow.
"Starswirl." the dark blue alicorn growled.
"A-About two thousand years...Your majesties..." he answered nervously.
The two alicorns stared at each other in disbelief as the crowd began to slowly back away.
"Tis...Tis a LIE!" the smaller alicorn shouted in utter rage, causing the slowly fleeing ponies to plant their hooves in the ground.
Turning back to the crowd, the smaller alicorn flew back into the air to address the fearful ponies below her.
"WE ARE PRINCESS LUNARIAS, AND THIS IS OUR ELDEST SISTER, PRINCESS CELESTIAR! WE ARE RULERS OF THIS WRETCHED LAND THAT THOU HATH LEFT IN A STATE OF DISGUSTING DISREPAIR! THE PACT MADE WITH THY FOREFATHERS WAS VERY CLEAR: WORK TOGETHER OR DIE. THOU ALL HATH BROKEN THE PACT, AND SO THY ALL SHALT BE PUNISHED!" Princess Lunarias screamed at the top of her lungs, her rage only subsiding when her body began enveloping with a soft, golden glow as her eldest sister gently pulled her back down to the snow.
"It is true of the pact; that thou all were meant to work together to survive. But alas, we were not here to guide you and keep you all in check. For that, we apologize. But the time hath come to once again-" Princess Celestiar began, only to be interrupted by a daring earth pony who challenged their claims as rulers and alicorns.
Giving an unamused look to the brave little stallion, Celestiar nodded down to her younger sibling.
At once, both of their horns began glowing brightly with their respective aura.
All eyes turned to the sky as the sun slowly crept over the mountains to the west and the moon climbed into the sky from the east.
"Is that all? Art thou not entertained? Art thou not satisfied with the demonstration of our powers?" Celestiar challenged.
This time, however, it was the unicorn Queen who spoke up. "We unicorn have always raised the sun and moon; it is no different from our own power!"
"Indeed, thou hath always had power over the sun and the moon. Granted to thou by us, and now stripped as we hath returned. Still, thou doth provest a point. Dear little sister, I do believe that is thy cue." Celestiar spoke, and a wicked grin crept onto the younger alicorn's snout.
Taking to the skies once again, the dark blue alicorn princess let her wings flair out and her horn glow wildly as storm clouds began moving from each direction towards the alicorn's horn, where they swirled around madly at a point.
Laughing darkly, Lunarias let forth a concert of lightening bolts that struck every tree precisely once; setting it quickly ablaze.
Meanwhile, as Lunarias let it rain down upon the helpless ponies, Celestiar lt loose her magic and crops of every type suddenly sprung up in the clearing.
This was enough.
There was not a single pony in the clearing who any longer thought they were otherwise who they claimed to be.
These were royal alicorn sisters.
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THE LAND BEFORE, CLEARING DESIGNATED AS THE CENTER POINT WHERE ALL THREE TERRITORIES MEET, MIDNIGHT
As soon as a hopeful earth pony reached her snout out to take a bite of glorious food, the plant along with all the others quickly turned and crumbled to ash as Lunarias's storm ended and cleared.
Picking her way back through the crowd of distraught ponies towards her older sister, Lunarias smirked in grim satisfaction at the pain.
"We hath control here, my little ponies. Thou shalt do as we command or perish. How many wish to follow our command to the letter, unwillingly?" Celestiar questioned.
Not a single pony moved.
Most growled silently to themselves at being tortured like so, while others silently cried in their hooves.
"None? A fine harvest for Tarturius!" Lunarias exclaimed as her horn began to flare.
Celestiar's horn crossed her younger sisters', cutting off her magic before she had time to incinerate everypony present.
A glare passed between the two before Celestiar continued.
"We promise food, shelter, and a land away from this cold blizzard if only thou will leave the past behind and start anew. There can be no more fighting between thou three pony races. We will ask once more; a final time: How many wish to follow us into the howling dark to a brighter future?" Celestia asked firmly.
This time, nearly all of the ponies in the clearing moved towards the pair of alicorns in submission.
Princess Lunarias eyed the small band of armored pegasi and shaken earth ponies hungrily.
Much to her pleasure, she saw her older sister nod sadly to her youngest whose horn then lit up darkly. She giggled evilly to herself as her aura engulfed the remaining ponies, muffling their screams as they slowly melted away into nothingness.
Flicking her tail in delight, Lunarias turned to her older sister just in time to see her pained, clouded eyes revert to their hard, powerful look.
Turning to the three leaders, Celestiar addressed the mass again. "Thou will all head south of this point until we meet again. Thou shalt not settle permanently anywhere unless thou hath seen us. We will be your sign when you reach thy new home; a sign of peace and prosperity for your people for millenniums to come. We will speak to thou the next time we meet."
Finishing their business, the three mysterious ponies simply vanished in an instant; the only indication of their existance being the hoofprints in the ground and the still burning treetops.