//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: The Longest Day // by ARandomLonelyDude //------------------------------// Luna woke up as the ship came to a sudden halt. She would have went back to sleep but she heard hoofsteps approaching the room. A moment later Star steeped in the room. "Your highness, we have arrived at the town of Koyla." she said as Luna sat up slowly. "Are your wounds fine?" Luna inspected her legs. The bandages had been changed and blood cleaned. There was only a dull pain coming from them. She thanked her biology for the quick healing. "How long has it been?" Luna asked as she slowly got off the bed and stood. There wasn't much pain but she definitely wasn't running any time soon. "Four hours. It took longer than expected because I had to make sure we weren't caught again.", Star answered, explaining the delay of two hours. "There isn't a guard in the town so we can stay here for some time." Luna nodded while thinking about how they could leave a town unguarded but remembered the pillars of light that had almost ended her. Why would they need a guard in every town when they could strike down any danger just like that. She was led outside by Star on to the deck. As Star put the ladder down, Luna took in her surroundings. They were on top of a hill that seemed to be a part of a large crater's rim. The only sound was of the wind blowing over the desert. In the distance, she could see Mount Canterhorn stretching into the sky like a beacon. The world around her felt alien but that did not interest her. What interested her was the inside of the crater. The crater was a large one, about two kilometers in diameter. Within the crater, there was a large shanty town. It covered the entire crater from the floor to the walls. On the wall opposite to them, a large tower made of rock stood above it all contrasting against the city made of junk. Several chimneys rose over the rusted metal roofs belching black clouds of smoke into the sky. "Princess." Star said, catching Luna's attention. Luna turned to see her and found that the ladder was put down. They both got off the ship and started heading down to the city. They passed underneath a wooden arch which served as a gate and came across a wooden ramp held up by scaffolding that led downwards. They both continued on their path down the ramp, passing through the layers of the city. Luna counted three layers, stacked on each other as if the city were a large building and the levels were its floors, before they reached the bottom. There, they came across an inhabitant of the city. It was a grey furred batpony stallion wearing a turban. He saw them both but his eyes widened when he saw Luna and he quickly rushed off down the narrow main street, deeper into the city. They followed the same path as him but at a walking pace. As they made their way deeper into the city, Luna noticed a few things. First was that there was no natural light down here with the above levels covering it up, making the usage of artificial light sources necessary. Second was that every thing seemed to be blackened to some degree. Third was the general dirtiness of the city. There was always some trash lying on the side of the narrow road except in front of doors and stairs that led to upper levels. Finally, they came across what seemed to be the city center, which had a large well and a well maintained statue of herself. There was no building above the area, allowing natural light to reach the ground. Here, they came across the stallion from earlier talking to a small crowd excitedly about how he had seen princess Luna. "Look! There she is, the princess!" he said while pointing towards her. The crowd spotted her and before he knew it, Luna was engulfed by a crowd of creatures very happy to see her.She didn't mind it as she had gotten what she had desired so long ago, the admiration of the people. Unfortunately, two griffons armed with guns came, escorting her and Star to the the tower. At the base of the tower was a large metal door which opened into a room containing a lot of boxes and barrels. They were led to an elevator which took them to the top quickly. At the top, they were brought to a room which was where the mayor of the town worked from. They were sat down at a table and told that the mayor of the city would be coming soon. Within five minutes, a blue furred unicorn entered the room. He looked overworked and nervous and when he saw Luna he bowed. He quickly got up and sat himself down opposite to Luna and Star and began talking. "G- greetings princess! I'm honoured to be meeting you." the mayor said quickly before realising he forgot to introduce himself. "I'm uh... Sapphire Stone, the mayor of this city!" "It is a pleasure to meet you." Luna replied in a gentle voice, hoping to calm the mayor's nervousness. It didn't seem to work, however, as the mayor continued speaking. "W- what is the purpose of your visit to our lovely little town?" he said, while covertly looking around as if trying to find some hidden danger. Luna noticed this. "We came here for shelter, mayor. However, I must ask you something." Luna replied. "Ask away, princess." he said, a little bit of sweat running down his forehead. "Why is it that you are so nervous? Is it our presence that worries you?" Luna asked. The mayor took a deep breath before answering, "It is sort of. No offence, your highness but your arrival is uh unexpected and dangerous for us. You see, this is a mining town. We mine coal for the city of Hyderabad and right now, we are running behind schedule with the blast in the mine. A train will be coming in a week and if we don't get enough coal to meet the quota then the soldiers will execute people. And if they find out that you were here then they will wipe us off the map. I advise you to leave as soon as you can for our sakes." Luna was a bit taken back by this. "Surely Celestia won't be this harsh to her own citizens over coal of all things." "We aren't her citizens, princess. We are slaves." he explained. Luna's eyes widened at learning this. "If anyone commits a crime deemed bad enough then they are sent of to towns like these to work till they die. Everyone here committed some sort of crime. Most were imprisoned for being creatures of the night while others were sent here for talking about you or for offending nobles or soldiers." "How long?" "Well uh, I've been here for about five years but the town has been here for about forty." Luna was shocked to hear this. Even though Star had told her of the crimes that had happened in the past, it was an entirely different experience being there to witness it happening than hearing about it. "Well, mayor, you may consider yourself and this entire town liberated." Luna said with newfound resolve. The mayor was expectedly confused. "You do not need to suffer under the tyranny of Celestia's rule any longer for I will be your new princess. I shall protect you and your people from whatever she sends your way and liberate this world from her clutches!"