Apple Bloom's excitement kept her awake for at least an hour as the two ponies worked their way through the towering pines and along the rocky slopes. Still, the combination of not getting enough sleep the night before, combined with the warm, filling breakfast, and the warmth of the poncho caused her to grow drowsy.
Eventually, she curled up as best she could within the poncho, settled in between the saddlebags on each side, and closed her eyes.
She woke up every so often, still presented with the pines and mountains surrounding her before drifting back off.
Then she was awoken by an audible growl from her stomach.
She yawned, sighed, and stretched out, the sleepy murkiness swiftly being chased away by the sensation of hunger. She looked up, and noticed that the sun was almost right on top of them now. Was it already midday? To her, it felt like less than an hour had passed since they left the cottage! But her stomach did not lie: It was lunchtime.
The Warden must have felt her stirring on his back, for he turned his head towards her.
"You're awake. Have a good nap?"
"Eeyup." She mumbled, rubbing one of her eyes. "Can we eat?"
The Warden looked up at the sun sitting high in the sky.
"I guess it is about lunchtime, isn't it?" He mused. "I know a good spot to stop only a few minutes ahead, if you don't mind waiting."
"That's fine." She answered, taking stock of their surroundings.
While pine trees were still prevalent, a few other kinds of trees were mixed in, providing isolated spots of red, yellow, and orange among the sea of greens and browns. She also noticed that they were walking on a downwards incline, meaning that they were probably on their way out of the Unicorn Range like ARTIS instructed.
It was not long before they came across a rather large thicket. The Warden paused for a moment, looking around.
"Huh. I thought it was here…" He murmured. "I hope it hasn't become overgrown."
Then, after a moment's thought, he gave a command.
"RAD, wake up."
The drone instantly deployed, unfolding and coming to life as it darted upwards.
After giving a salutary chirp to Apple Bloom, it flew in front of the Warden, its camera looking inquisitively at him.
"RAD, see if the overlook is still accessible." The stallion commanded.
The drone chirped, then zipped away above the treetops, disappearing from sight. Apple Bloom watched it as it flew off, and proceeded to sit still, enjoying the scenery and the peaceful ambience of the forest.
As the last remnants of her sleep induced grogginess faded away, she looked downwards to the Warden, who also seemed to be enjoying the peace. Her eyes wandered to his strange cutie mark, and inevitably, her curiosity piqued.
"Mister Warden?"
"Yeah?"
"Outta personal interest, what's your cutie mark?"
The Warden looked back at his marks, and back up at Apple Bloom.
"It is a top down profile of a star fort." He answered.
"A star fort?" Apple Bloom asked, never having heard of that before. "What's that?"
"Well, before Discord came and regressed our technological advancements, star forts were what replaced castles."
"Huh? Hol' up." Apple Bloom requested, confusion building within her. "Before Discord did what? How're castles replaced in the past if we use 'em now?"
"That's… A long story." The Warden said hesitantly. "And it's a story that nopony has ever told you, thanks to Celestia."
Apple Bloom tilted her head, still confused. He had just made another disparaging remark about one of the royal sisters. What was he saying?
"What do ya mean by that?" She asked, sounding just as confused as she looked.
"Again," He replied, "it's a long story. She and my family have… Quite a bit of history."
That confirmed what Apple Bloom suspected. Between his remarks and his attack on Canterlot, it definitely seemed like he and the royalty did not get along previously. She still didn't know why, and he still hadn't explained his cutie mark either.
"Well, Ah've got time to hear it." She replied, hoping that he would take the time to explain.
The Warden nodded, still looking back at her. "I suppose we both have plenty of time."
Before he could continue, RAD's whirring became audible as he zipped down from the treetops, coming to a halt in front of the two. It then emitted a bright light, projecting a small, three-dimensional hologram of their surroundings. They appeared to be on a mountain slope, and directly ahead seemed to be a fairly flat plateau, standing out above the lowlands below. Between them and the plateau appeared to be an area with thick foliage, the thicket before them.
After looking at this for a few moments, the Warden nodded.
"Show me the best way through."
The drone tweeted, then began to fly off, leading the way through the underbrush. The Warden followed, trampling the plants beneath his hooves as Apple Bloom flattened herself to his back, trying her best to avoid the foliage lingering above her head. After a minute or two of picking their way through, the two ponies suddenly broke out of the tangled mess of undergrowth, onto a natural stone platform.
Apple Bloom gasped, and her orange eyes widened as they shone with awe at the sight that greeted her.
The view was incredible. It was as if they had walked out onto a rooftop overlooking the most majestic landscape that she had ever seen. A sea of colorful trees fell out below them, stretching out for miles around, from the north to the southeast. The bright blue sky was almost completely devoid of clouds, allowing her to see clearly over a long distance. While the horizon was mostly flat towards the East, the Unicorn Range towered above them, running as far as she could see from the northwest to the south. As the range extended south and started to run eastwards, the mountains became less rugged and more rounded in shape, almost like the mountains near Ponyville.
"I'll be..." The Warden said quietly, his eyes lighting up. "It's just as beautiful as I remember."
RAD chirped in agreement, looking eagerly at Apple Bloom as if he was proud of leading her to such a location.
The Warden kneeled to the ground, allowing Apple Bloom to hop off. She only briefly turned her attention away from the spectacle to stretch her limbs. Once she was done, she tenderly walked a bit closer to the edge of the plateau, followed by the drone. She turned her attention to the sky, noticing that there was a cluster of clouds off in the distance to the east, contrasting with the clear atmosphere. Although it was very far away, she could make out several ribbons of color falling from the cluster.
Was it what she thought it was?
"Do ya have binoculars?" She asked excitedly, looking at the Warden with wide eyes.
"I do." He said, reaching back into a bag and pulling out a set of binoculars. "What do you see?"
"Ah think ah see…" She began as he handed her the binoculars. She paused as she found the cluster and got a better look at it.
"Cloudsdale!"
Her heart leapt into her throat. That was the first familiar landmark that she had seen since she had gotten lost!
The Warden squinted, also making out the floating city of the pegasi.
"Looks like it." He remarked. "In fact, it might be clear enough to see…"
He paused, and gently redirected the binoculars more southwards. Apple Bloom scanned the horizon, trying to figure out what the Warden was trying to show her. Then, she made out a rather prominent mountain standing all on its own to the very distant southeast, beyond where the Unicorn Range terminated. It seemed to have something rather high up on its slope.
Apple Bloom gasped.
"Canterlot?!" She exclaimed, bouncing up and down briefly before her knee hurt too much for her to do so. "We're not as far away as Ah thought!"
The Warden nodded. "Relatively speaking, I guess not."
Apple Bloom then began scanning around Canterlot. If they could see Equestria's capital city, then Ponyville might be in sight as well. She spent a few seconds scanning around, and her excitement died down a little.
"Where's Ponyville?" She asked, sounding confused.
"I don't think we can see it from here." The Warden explained. "It should be behind the eastern branch of the Unicorn Range."
"Oh." Apple Bloom sighed, discovering that he was correct. Her heart sank a little upon realizing that she would be unable to see her hometown for a while. She lowered the binoculars and looked downwards, giving them to the Warden.
After putting them away, he took notice of Apple Bloom's change of mood.
"Come on," He said reassuringly, "we'll be there before you know it. But for now, let's eat."
Apple Bloom raised her head, sighing as she did so. The prospect of food helped dispel her disappointment, along with the Warden's encouraging words.
He unlatched two canteens from his saddlebags, then took off a bag completely from his harness. He sat down facing the edge, and Apple Bloom walked over and did the same. RAD chirped harmoniously and came to a landing next to her, seeming to be content with keeping her company.
As she took one of the canteens, the Warden rummaged around in the bag and pulled out a loaf of bread. He then broke it into two halves, and gave her one before taking two apples out of the bag as well.
Apple Bloom took a sip from the canteen, realizing that she had gotten quite thirsty. She then took her piece of bread and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully as she looked at the panorama before her. After taking a few more bites, her question came to mind.
"So, are ya goin' to tell me about your cutie mark?"
The Warden swallowed his food, and after a few seconds, replied.
"Yep. But first, I'm going to ask you a question, okay?"
She nodded, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"How much about Equestrian history do you know?"
Her expression turned from excitement to deadpan bored in an instant.
She sighed. "What do ya mean? All that Ah know?"
The Warden scoffed a bit, making her wonder if he was pulling her leg.
"Relax, young one! I'm not asking for you to recite every little thing. Just list the biggest events in our history."
Apple Bloom felt a bit relieved that he wasn't looking for some sort of comprehensive overview that only somepony like Princess Twilight would enjoy creating. She went through her memories of the many history lessons given by Miss Cheerilee in school, and began to answer.
"Well, there was the first Hearth's Warmin' an' the unification of the three pony tribes…"
The Warden nodded, compelling her to continue.
"Then Discord came an' caused all sorts of trouble, until Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came an' turned him into a statue. Then Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon an' got sent to the moon for a thousand years."
"Hm." The Warden murmured, shaking his head disappointedly.
Apple Bloom tilted her head in confusion as she took another drink from her canteen. Did she get something wrong?
Before she could ask, the stallion spoke.
"So you didn't learn about the Fortress family, the Equestrian Republic, or the Changeling War?"
"... No?" Apple Bloom replied hesitantly, trying to remember if she had forgotten some of Cheerilee's lessons.
"I see…" The Warden said in a serious tone. "Apple Bloom, what if I told you that they don't teach you everything about our past in school?"
"What do ya mean?" She asked. "Are you tryin' to say that mah teacher ain't doin' her job? 'Cause Ah can't imagine miss Cheerilee doin' that kind of-"
"It's not your teacher's fault, actually." He explained. "She probably doesn't know herself. In fact, I'd say that the only ponies in Equestria who know about these events are probably myself and the royal sisters."
This piqued Apple Bloom's interest. While history wasn't her favorite subject, the idea that there was some sort of secret history that almost nopony knew about intrigued her.
"So," He continued, "I'll start from the beginning. I belong to a long bloodline of warriors and leaders, which was started by an earth pony long ago, shortly before the first Hearth's Warming. His name was Fortress, and all earth ponies owe their existence to him."
"How?" Apple Bloom asked. "Ah've never heard of him."
After taking a drink of water and taking a bite out of his apple, the Warden answered.
"You see, while the three tribes left each other to fend for themselves, it was the earth ponies who suffered the most. The unicorns could use magic to defend themselves, and the pegasi had their weapons and flight. But as you well know, earth ponies don't have such strengths. This meant that the earth pony tribe fell victim to monsters and other threats the most."
Apple Bloom nodded. "Ah guess that makes sense…" She said somberly. "What did Fortress do to save us earth ponies?"
"Do you know about the Mighty Helm?"
In an instant, Apple Bloom's excitement soared.
"Ah do!" She gasped, "It was a unit of guards that was made up entirely by earth ponies! Rockhoof was the greatest of 'em all!"
The Warden glanced down at her for a moment with a questioning expression.
"Well, I won't deny that Rockhoof was certainly the strongest, or that he did many great deeds. But could he possibly be any greater than the pony who started the Mighty Helm?"
Apple Bloom felt slightly indignant now. Was he seriously saying that her favorite hero from her favorite story was not the greatest earth pony of all time?!
"Now hol' on a minute!" She protested. "How could Rockhoof not be the greatest? Ah mean, he literally saved an entire village from an eruptin' volcano!"
The Warden smirked a bit upon seeing her rush to Rockhoof's defense.
"Well, at least they passed down the story of Rockhoof." He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "But did he save earth ponies as a whole?"
Apple Bloom paused, trying her hardest to remember all of her sister's stories about Rockhoof. But to her dismay, none really came to mind in which he saved the entirety of the earth pony tribe.
She begrudgingly sighed, looking irritably up at the stallion.
"Well, like I said before," The Warden continued, "Fortress saved the earth ponies. He did so by founding the Mighty Helm. He taught the earth ponies how to use their great strength and resilience to defend themselves. Because of this, the tribe decreed that his bloodline would be named after him, the bloodline which I belong to: The Fortress Family."
Apple Bloom nodded, taking a bite out of her own apple.
"Well, he sounds important, even though he wasn't the strongest pony ever." She admitted with a sigh.
"Indeed." The Warden replied, clearing his throat before continuing. "Not long afterwards, the first Hearth's Warming happened, and the three tribes became unified. It was at this point that the newly formed nation of Equestria sought out a new leader, and each tribe thought that their own leader was the best choice."
"That doesn't sound like it ended well."
"Almost. If it wasn't for the appearance of the first alicorns, the three tribes would have fallen back into mindless squabbling again."
"You mean Celestia and Luna came to restore harmony?" Apple Bloom asked.
"No. Actually, they wouldn't be born for another two thousand years."
Apple Bloom had to do a double take. Although she wasn't strictly taught that the sisters were always the rulers of Equestria, she didn't remember anything about any other alicorns existing before them.
Seeing the confounded look in her eyes, the Warden clarified.
"These alicorns were their grandparents. Nopony really knows where they came from, but when they arrived, almost everypony suddenly realized that they were the perfect rulers."
"Almost?"
"Well, the Alicorns did possess traits from all three pony races. This made them appealing choices for becoming the leaders of ponykind. But some ponies had misgivings about giving such powerful beings a position of power, Fortress included. Alicorns are incredibly powerful when compared to regular ponies. If they were to decide to abuse their power, they could cause a lot of death and destruction…"
He went silent for a moment as he looked out at the landscape before him. While he did so, Apple Bloom's thoughts instantly turned to Nightmare Moon. While she didn't cause a lot of damage, she was prevented from doing her worst by Princess Celestia and the Mane Six.
How much damage could have she done if Princess Celestia had failed to banish her?
The Warden sighed, took another drink of water, and resumed.
"When the alicorns rose to power, Fortress became the commander of Equestria's military. While he and the new rulers had different beliefs and ideals, they got along well enough. Between him and the rulers, Equestria established itself as a sovereign nation and propelled the ponies into an era of untold prosperity. Of course, Fortress eventually died and his mantle was passed on from generation to generation for over two millennia."
He paused to take another bite of his apple, and Apple Bloom looked back out at the landscape before her, pondering what she was learning. How did she know that he was telling the truth? There was no proof of what he was telling her, as far as she knew. Still, the Warden seemed genuine enough. He hadn't given her any reason to doubt him thus far.
"Incidentally, it became customary for the foremost member of the Fortress bloodline to take up the title of Warden, due to their status as the protectors of Equestria." The Warden added.
"Huh?" Apple Bloom asked, looking confused. "Wait… Does that mean your name ain't really 'The Warden'?"
He nodded.
"Yes. It's merely a title."
All this time, Apple Bloom had assumed that the stallion's name was Warden. If it wasn't, then what was?
"What's your real name, then?"
The Warden glanced down at her, and a disapproving look in his eyes showed that he wasn't going to tell her.
"Look, it's nothing personal, but I would rather not say. I have my reasons."
Apple Bloom simply nodded, seeing nothing else to do or say about his name. She wondered if his conflict with the princesses had anything to do with his reluctance to share his name.
In the meantime, the Warden continued.
"Anyway, the king and queen died after a long time on the throne, and their heirs; King Solaris and Queen Nova, took the throne. They had two daughters, born two hundred years apart."
"Celestia and Luna?!" Apple Bloom asked excitedly, wondering if she had just found out the origins of the sisters.
"Yes." The Warden replied. "Unfortunately, the sisters were born into Equestria's darkest time…"
Apple Bloom's excitement died upon hearing his somber change in tone.
"King Solaris was a tyrant, for he had known nothing but a position of power and superiority to the ponies he ruled. The queen less so, but the king's domineering nature meant that she was unable to rein him in."
He sighed, and took another sip from his canteen before continuing.
"Needless to say, the differences between Fortress' descendants and the king boiled over. One of my ancestors, a pony named Castle Keep, attempted a coup but failed. The king was enraged, and ordered for him and his whole family to be executed."
Apple Bloom caught her breath.
"Executed?!" She asked, her eyes wide. This was far more violent than anything that she had been taught in school. "B-but why?"
The Warden shook his head.
"He was mad with power. He had always thought of his subjects as being inferior to him, and as such, his pride got the better of him."
He paused again, and looked at Apple Bloom with an earnest expression in his green eyes.
"Unchecked power corrupts those who possess it."
After another moment of silence, Apple Bloom felt compelled to press on.
"Well, what happened next? You're here right in front of me. Somepony must have survived, right?"
The stallion nodded. "Yes. Out of the whole family, one colt survived. Castle Keep's son, Citadel. He went into hiding, overcome by bitterness and a lust for revenge. When he came of age, he sowed the seeds of rebellion. It wasn't very hard, for many ponies suffered beneath the heavy hoof of the king. Unicorns were an exception. Solaris favored them over the other races, and they displayed loyalty to him as a result. Regardless, Citadel gained enough support from the earth ponies and the pegasi, and started the Equestrian Revolutionary War."
"We had… A war?" Apple Bloom asked, her eyes still wide. She knew what a war was, but she had never heard of a war between ponies.
The Warden nodded. "We did, and after a few years of violent conflict, the capital city was put under siege by Citadel and the rebels. The king, seeing that all was lost, surrendered, and agreed to go into exile along with all of his family and all who were loyal to him. Finally, alicorn rule was put to an end, and Citadel became the new leader of Equestria."
"But why do we still have alicorn princesses?" Apple Bloom asked.
"To answer that, we first must understand what happened when Citadel took power." The Warden answered. "He reformed Equestria from a feudal state into an industrial republic. Within decades, he had turned Equestria into the foremost military powerhouse in all the world, and ponykind experienced an industrial revolution."
He motioned towards his cutie mark.
"This was the peak of ponykind's achievements. New technologies arose, and propelled the Equestrian Republic to conquer far flung lands. Castles, spears, and arrows gave way to fortresses, bayonets, and guns. This was the era during which the star fort came into being. It was the ultimate fortification, nigh unassailable from all sides, and able to house huge cannons that could destroy threats before they could get anywhere close. Star forts were the ultimate symbol of security and safety, as they represented protection from practically all possible threats. It became the symbol of my family, and everything good that it stood for."
He sighed, looking somewhat regretful.
"Unfortunately, it would also come to represent the worst of what ponies are willing to do in the name of security. You see, there was a period of peace that lasted for a few decades. But when Citadel's wife was assassinated by loyalist extremists, the war was rekindled. Although the assassination wasn't sanctioned by the loyalist leadership, Citadel decided that the alicorn loyalists needed to be destroyed outright."
He paused, looking out over the landscape.
"He killed all the alicorns that he was able to hunt down, several dozen of them. That's not counting the tens of thousands of loyalists that he massacred."
Apple Bloom looked at her half eaten apple. She had thoroughly lost her appetite.
"That- That's terrible…" She said, her voice shaking a little. "But… Celestia and Luna survived, right?"
"They were the sole alicorn survivors." The Warden replied.
"Ah… Ah see..." Apple Bloom quietly said, looking towards the ground.
That would explain why there didn't seem to be any alicorns quite like the sisters. Both Cadence and Twilight were different from the sisters in several ways, namely in age.
Then she looked up at the Warden, looking offput. "What happened to Citadel?"
"Discord destroyed him."
"Discord did that?"
"He did." The Warden explained. "It was suspected that he had been entrapped by the first rulers of Equestria, and freed by King Solaris in a last-ditch attempt to defeat Citadel. Of course, Solaris was caught and executed, but Discord did end up taking over the Equestrian Republic, wiping it clean overnight, and taking Citadel with it. Thus began the reign of Discord."
"So that's how he came to be?" Apple Bloom asked, amazed at this unexpected twist. "Then the princesses turned 'im into a statue, right?"
"After three centuries, yes. Ironically, it would be a descendant of Citadel that would enable the sisters to find the Elements of Harmony and restore order."
He paused to take another drink of water, and resumed.
"His name was Cornerstone, and he was my great-grandfather. With his help, the princesses found the Elements of Harmony and dealt with Discord. Although harmony had been restored, the newly reformed Equestria now had to contend with many foes who had grown to resent the ponies. Of course, Discord had kept them out of his domain with ease. But with him gone, Equestria was in a very vulnerable state."
Apple Bloom nodded, glad to be in more familiar territory as she continued to listen.
"Because of this, Princess Celestia put aside her resentment of my family and put Cornerstone in command of Equestria's army; and not a moment too soon, for another war broke out."
Any relief that Apple Bloom felt at arriving at a more familiar time went away.
"Another war?" She asked, looking a bit saddened.
"Sadly. This one was justified, however." The Warden assured. "Because the enemy was threatening to destroy all of ponykind, we had no choice but to fight in the Changeling War."
"Ah still don't like the sound of that." Apple Bloom remarked, remembering the changeling incursion at Canterlot that happened about two years prior. "Were they tryin' to eat up all our love?"
The Warden shook his head. "Worse. You see, love was understandably in short supply during Discord's reign. Because of this, some changelings evolved to feed off of something else: Blood."
"Y-ya mean that they were eatin'-"
"They would eat living creatures, ponies included. Once Discord fell, they soon threatened to overwhelm Equestria. Thankfully, with the power of the princesses and the Equestrian military led by Cornerstone, they stopped them before they invaded too much land. Unfortunately, the process of forcing them out of the territory they had gained took a lot longer."
"How long?"
"From beginning to end, it took almost forty years."
Apple Bloom practically reeled. That was longer than Big Mac has been alive! How in Equestria could a war last so long?
"The war lasted so long, that my grandfather was a little colt when it began, and was about my age when it ended." The Warden added.
Grandfather? Apple Bloom remembered the portrait of the uniformed pony from the night before. Was he referring to him?
"His name was Hightower, and he would go on to become the greatest war hero in Equestrian history." The Warden continued. "His story could take hours for me to tell you. But to keep it simple, he was full of himself when he was young, and disrespected his father greatly. Cornerstone put him in command of a unit full of misfits as a punishment. As it would turn out, he learned his lesson and ended up turning his unit from a laughingstock to the most revered in Equestria, the envy of every other soldier in the military; The Rogue Brigade."
Apple Bloom's eyes lit up a bit. At least this didn't sound nearly as depressing as the previous war.
"What did Hightower do?"
"Well, he always led his unit into battle, leading from the front and personally fighting the changeling horde alongside his ponies. This led to him taking many wounds and injuries, including losing an eye and part of his foreleg. But he always kept going, ready for more no matter his injuries or the circumstances. In fact, he garnered a nickname: The Unkillable Stallion."
Apple Bloom's deep, orange eyes lit up even more. Hightower sounded like a proper hero! Not as exciting as Rockhoof, but still exciting nonetheless.
The Warden paused momentarily, and smiled slightly as he looked out into the distance.
"Cornerstone stopped the changelings, but it was Hightower who defeated them. The war ended once the last hive was demolished, and for the first time in centuries, Equestria was at peace."
The Warden fell quiet, marking the end of his tale. Apple Bloom also remained silent, quietly reflecting on what he had told her.
It was a lot to take in. She had never heard about a lot of the ponies or events that he had just described to her. Furthermore, she had doubts nagging her regarding how truthful he was being with all this.
But his description of Hightower the hero seemed to align with the picture of that uniformed stallion that she had found the previous night. Surely that gave some credence to his claims.
Could she take his word for it?
It then struck her that she still didn't understand what his cutie mark stood for.
"So, what's all that gotta do with your purpose?" She asked, breaking the silence.
"Well, have you seen a pattern with my ancestors?" The Warden asked after taking another drink. "They all were protectors of Equestria. From Fortress all the way down to my grandfather Hightower, we all were called to protect Equestria. Even Citadel rose up to protect his homeland, in his own twisted way. I am no different. My purpose is to protect Equestria and the ponies who reside within from all threats."
Apple Bloom nodded. "That makes sense, Ah guess." She mused, pausing momentarily. "But why would ya try to kill the princesses if your purpose in life is to protect Equestria?"
The Warden looked down at Apple Bloom for a moment, his eyes spelling out a feeling of discomfort before he looked away.
"That's… an explanation for another time." He said hesitantly.
He then stood up, stretched, and put on the detached bag and canteens back onto his harness.
"Alright, we've been sitting here long enough." He remarked. "Let's keep on going."
Apple Bloom nodded, noting that he had deliberately cut the conversation short because of her last question. Perhaps he didn't want to explain why he wanted to murder the princesses? Then again, maybe it wasn't such a stretch to think that.
Regardless, their conversation had given her plenty to think about.
The Warden kneeled, and she hopped up onto his back. He then called out for RAD, who promptly chirped and flew back into his spot.
Both ponies sat silently for what felt like a minute, taking in one final look at the majestic fall landscape sprawled before them. Then, the Warden turned around, and once more, they were on their journey.