//------------------------------//
// 02: Fallout from Canterlot's Fall 
// Story: MLP: One as a Family: A Golden Week in Exile 
// by SaburoDaimando 
//------------------------------//


	Fallout from Canterlot’s Fall



In the Golden Land, a number of ponies looked around the bright world that surrounded them.  One group that was rather curious about their surroundings were Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz, who had Pinkie Pie, Maud Pie, Limestone Pie and Marble Pie by their side.
“What is this place?” Igneous Rock asked.
“We’ve never seen anything like this before,” Cloudy Quartz said, bedazzled by the golden hue that surrounded the grass, the trees, the water and even the castle.
“This is the Golden Land,” Pinkie Pie said.  “We came here a few months back to help with Wanda and Sunset, and to keep ourselves warm from the winter storm that came by.”
“Well I’ll be,” Igneous Rock said, amazed by his surroundings.  “I have never seen a land like this before.  It reminds us of the time when gold sprouted up in our rock farm unexpectedly.”
“I’ll never forget that, papa,” Limestone Pie said.  “We all had a blast moving the gold off of the fields.”
“It’s supposed to be a once in a blue moon scenario,” Maud Pie explained.  “No one knows why gold will pop up on a rock farm.  But it always seems to happen.”
But Limestone looked at the active ground bridge portal and said “Octavio would have loved to see this land.  Too bad he’s back at our farm, looking after our crops.”
“Mmmhmm,” Marble nodded.
“It’s a good point to bring up,” Cloudy Quartz said.  “I wonder how Octavio will be thriving without us.”
Suddenly, Princess Celestia emerged from the portal and landed belly first on the ground.  King Sombra, Eleanor Young, Shining Armor, Princess Cadance and Chancellor Cinch all approached Princess Celestia, who slowly got up.
“What happened?” Chancellor Cinch asked.  “Where’s Princess Luna?”
But before Princess Celestia could speak, the portal behind the alicorn began to shrink down.  Immediately, a portal crystal flew out from the portal, to which Eleanor Young was able to grab it in the air with her magic and bring it down to her hands.
“I think I know what happened,” Eleanor Young explained.  “Princess Luna wanted to ensure our safety.  So she was able to separate the ground bridge portal crystal from the other side and get it here.”
“You mean to tell us that….Princess Luna was taken?” King Sombra asked.
“I’m afraid so,” Eleanor Young explained.  “She threw her own freedom away just so we could all remain free.”
As the portal disappeared, Princess Celestia turned towards the arch and began hitting her hooves on the structure at a frantic pace.
“SISTER!”  Princess Celestia cried.  “SISTER, COME BACK!  PLEASE COME BACK!”
As Princess Celestia helplessly banged on the arch, Chancellor Cinch ran up to the Princess and held onto her.
“Princess,” Chancellor Cinch said.  “I know you miss Princess Luna.  But you need to snap out of it and be strong for your people, and for her.”
“How could you say something like that?” Princess Celestia snapped as she got up.  “I lost my sister, and you’re telling me to be strong?  I am not in any position to be strong.”
With that, Princess Celestia ran through the crowd of ponies, crying her eyes out.  As she ran, Wanda was nearby, holding an unconscious Sunset Shimmer next to her with Abigail Albright, Spike the Dragon, Starlight Glimmer, Golden Lace, Cozy Glow and Misty Brightdawn next to her.  The sound of Celestia crying caught Wanda’s attention.
“Mommy?” Wanda said as she saw Celestia run towards the castle.
As Wanda watched on, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor and Eleanor Young ran up to the man’s cub, who still held the unconscious Sunset Shimmer close to her.
“Wanda,” Princess Cadance said.  “Go check up on mother.  See if she’s okay.”
“But what about Sunset?” Wanda asked.
“We’ll look after her,” Shining Armor said.  “And don’t worry.  She’ll be fine with us by her side.”
Wanda slowly placed Sunset down on the grass as Princess Cadance and Shining Armor approached the unconscious unicorn filly.  Turning her attention towards the castle, Wanda ran off with Eleanor and Abigail following from behind.  Immediately, Chancellor Cinch walked up to the group with a sense of regret in her eyes.
“This is my fault,” Chancellor Cinch said.  “I shouldn’t have said those words to her.”
“It’s not your fault,” Princess Cadance said.  “Mother’s going to go through a hard time without Aunt Luna by our side.  I can only hope she’ll be able to gather the courage to lead us through these tough times.  And if she can’t, then I’ll have to do so.”
“That I can agree on,” Igneous Rock said as he and Cloudy Quartz approached Princess Cadance.  “I don’t know who this Gold Banks thinks she is.  But one thing’s for certain, she’s put us all in this predicament.  And the fact she broke Princess Celestia says a whole lot.”
“It does,” Princess Cadance said as she held Sunset Shimmer close to her.  “It does.”
But as Princess Cadance held Sunset Shimmer close to her, Starlight Glimmer, Cozy Glow, Golden Lace, Spike the Dragon and Misty Brightdawn watched as Wanda and Eleanor ran into the Golden Palace.
“What do you think is going to happen?” Starlight asked.
“I don’t know,” Golden Lace said.  “After what my mother did, I don't even have any hope for this future.”
“Hopeless,” Spike said in a sad tone.

Deep inside the golden palace, Princess Celestia ran down the hallway and up the staircase, crying loudly.  She ran down the upper halls of the castle before she ran through a large doorway and shut the doors tight.  
At the opposite end of the hall, Queen Eleanor, Princess Wanda, and Abigail Albright ran down towards the far end of the hall, where the twin doors blocked their way.
“Mommy,” Wanda said as she knocked on the door.  “Mommy, are you okay?”
“Go away,” Princess Celestia shouted from behind the door.
“Princess Celestia,” Eleanor yelled.  “Your daughter needs you right now.  And you have the audacity to lock her out?”
“I said go away,” Celestia shouted.  “I don’t want to be around anyone.”
“Princess, please reconsider,” Eleanor Young yelled. “What would your sister say if you chose to give up?”
“DO NOT BRING HER UP!” Princess Celestia roared as the foundation of the castle shook violently.
A loud boom from behind the doorway followed the quake, causing Wanda to scream in fear.  The loud scream caused the shaking to come to a stop as Wanda looked like she was in tears.
“What has….happened to…mommy?” Wanda cried.
With that, Wanda turned around and ran down the hallway, crying loudly.  Eleanor looked at her daughter and followed from behind with Abigail by her side.
“Wanda, come back,” Eleanor yelled.  “COME BACK!”
But as Eleanor and Abigail chased Wanda down the hall, the main door opened up and Princess Celestia stuck her head out.  She watched as Wanda, Eleanor and Abigail ran down the hallway and disappeared without a trace.
“What have I done?” Celestia cried.  “First I lost my sister, and now I caused my own daughter to drift away.  I…I don’t deserve to be a princess.”
Princess Celestia pulled her crown off from the top of her head and tossed it out the door before closing it shut.

Downstairs, Wanda ran as fast as she could, ignoring everyone that was in the hallway, all while Eleanor and Abigail chased her down.
“Wanda,” Eleanor said.  “Princess Celestia didn’t mean to.  She’s having a major fallout and it’s my fault that I caused her to lose it.”
“I don’t care,” Wanda cried.  “I have no mommy.  Not her, and not you.”
Eleanor came to a stop as she watched Wanda run out of the castle, crying her eyes out.  Abigail slid next to Eleanor, confused.  The older Evevanyian slumped down and began to walk away with Abigail walking alongside her.
“What am I doing?” Eleanor said.  “We were this close to returning Wanda to Evevanya and now we’re all exiled to the Golden Land.  Maybe Wanda’s right.  She has no mommy.  Not Celestia, and not me.”
“No mommy?” Abigail asked.
“Yes,” Eleanor said.  “Celestia and I failed to address the needs of our Wanda.  And now look at her.  She’s given up on life.  What am I going to do now?”
“Now come on.  You’re going to let that squirt down because we all got our butts handed to us by Gold Banks?” Eleanor Young turned around to see the Dazzlings approach her.  All three of them had a disappointed, and yet eager, look on their faces.
“Yes,” Eleanor said as she sat down at a nearby bench with Abigail leaping onto her lap.  “Today was supposed to be the day where you would all leave Equestria for Evevanya.  To give you all a new sense of freedom.  Some day it turned out to be.  Not only did I fail to get you all to my home, but I put you all and even Wanda in danger.  After all of the dangers that came to Earth, Evevanya, and Equestria, sometimes I wish I never brought Wanda into my life at all.”
“And you’re going to give up on her like that?” Adagio Dazzle asked.  “Like I once gave up on myself after pushing Sunset Shimmer out for my own selfish views?”
Eleanor just sighed before she said “That’s something I can’t forget, after what Princess Celestia told me.  Besides, I also heard what Gold Banks tried to do to you when she tore down the orphanage ruins.”
Adagio Dazzle walked up to Eleanor Young and sat right next to her, all while Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk approached the Evevanyian queen.
“We’re aware of what Sunset’s going through,” Aria Blaze said.  “And what we’re all going through.  Right now, we know that Princess Luna was able to keep us safe in this world thanks to her decision to seal us away from Gold Banks.”
“Yeah,” Sonata Dusk said.  “And because of that, we don’t have to see her ugly mug again.”
“Is that why you still have hope in your hearts?” Eleanor asked.
“It’s because we’ve been through this scenario before,” Adagio Dazzle said.  “And being experienced with these kinds of hard times, we know how to relate to those who need it the most.”
“But I still take those words of my daughter to heart,” Eleanor said.
“Hogwash,” Adagio said.  “Like Princess Celestia, Wanda’s having a hard time adapting to what that witch did to us.  What she needs is someone to comfort her.”
“Big sis,” Sonata Dusk said.  “That’s something that I never thought you would say.”
“Of course,” Adagio Dazzle said as she grabbed Sonata and gave her a big hug.  “I was stupid enough to block you out of my life.  I’m not going to do that again.”
“Thanks,” Sonata Dusk said, gasping for air.  “But I think that hug is too much for me.”
Eleanor turned her attention away from Adagio Dazzle and Sonata Dusk before gazing up at the ceiling, all while Abigail leaped off her lap.  A tear formed in her left eye before it slid down her cheek.
“I don’t know,” Eleanor said.  “Unlike you, I brought Wanda willingly into this world to escape the dangers of my world, and of planet Earth.  To give her a good life.”
“And you did succeed in doing that,” Aria Blaze said.  “Who cares if some self-centered narcissist wants to take control of her life.  What matters is to at least keep her happy and content with her life.  And that’s saying a lot considering what me and my sisters went through.”
“But I,” Eleanor said before Aria Blaze got up on the bench and covered the Evevanyian woman’s mouth with her hoof.
“No butts on that,” Aria Blaze said.  “Go to her.  Give her a chance.”
As Aria Blaze removed her hoof from Eleanor’s mouth, the Evevanyian queen was about to speak when Queen Novo ran into the building in a hurry.
“Queen Eleanor,” Queen Novo said.  “I just saw Wanda run out of the castle and into the Emerald Woods.  She looked distraught.”
“It’s because she had a fallout with me and Princess Celestia,” Eleanor said as she got up.  “And all that we’ve been going through.”
Eleanor picked up Abigail and began to walk towards the door, only to be stopped when Queen Novo placed her claw on her shoulder.
“Are you really okay with wanting to help her out right now?” Queen Novo asked.
“I am,” Eleanor said.  “Wanda may not realize it.  But she’s hurting emotionally, and she needs someone to help lift her back up.”
Queen Novo lifted her claw from Eleanor’s shoulder before she said “Go to her.  She needs a mommy now more than ever.”
Eleanor nodded before she held Abigail tight and ran out of the front gate, leaving Queen Novo and the Dazzlings behind.  Adagio Dazzle and Sonata Dusk got up and walked towards Queen Novo, who looked slightly worried.
“I take it you worry for Princess Wanda as well,” Adagio Dazzle asked.
“I worry for the well-being of smallfry,” Queen Novo said.  “After what she went through, she needs all the tender loving care in the world.”

Outside, Eleanor Young and Abigail Albright ran through the golden field as fast as possible before making their way towards the Emerald Forest.  Princess Cadance watched from afar as she held the unconscious Sunset Shimmer by her side.   Starlight Glimmer, Cozy Glow, Misty Brightdawn and Golden Lace stood by Princess Cadance, with Spike standing next to the teen alicorn mare.
“What do you think happened with Miss Eleanor?” Starlight asked.
“I think I know why,” Princess Cadance said.  “Something happened to Wanda.  We saw her run out of the castle earlier.”
“Do you think we should go check up on Wanda?” Cozy Glow asked.
“Yes, please do,” Princess Cadance said.  “I wish I had intervened, but I wanna keep Sunset comfortable until she wakes up.”
“But I’m afraid of the pigs who dwell in that area,” Starlight cried.
“I’ll keep you protected,” Golden Lace said, standing next to Starlight.  “Any pig who comes near me, I’ll scare 'em off.”
Starlight immediately grabbed onto Golden Lace, holding her tight.  Lace looked down and just laughed a bit.
“You don’t need to be that close to me,” Golden Lace said, causing Starlight to slowly release her grip from the golden filly.
As the group of fillies directed their attention towards the forest, Misty Brightdawn turned her attention back towards Princess Cadance.
“Tell my brother I’ll be back,” Misty said.  
“I will,” Princess Cadance said.
With that, Golden Lace ran towards the forest with Cozy Glow, Starlight Glimmer and Misty Brightdawn by her side, leaving Princess Cadance holding Sunset Shimmer close to her, all while Spike looked down at Sunset.
“Hurt?” Spike asked.
“We’re all hurt on the inside, Spike,” Princess Cadance said.  “I only wish I could help my little sister Wanda.  But I also have Sunset to worry about.  I knew it would be hard to take responsibility for everyone’s well being.  But not like this.”

Meanwhile, deep within Lost in the Emerald Woods, Wanda Young ran as fast as she could through the forest, crying loudly as she ran past the animals.  She only stopped when she tripped over a branch and fell on her face, staying still for a moment.
“What am I doing?” Wanda cried.  “Why did I say those awful words to my Evevanyian mommy?”
Wanda slowly got up and walked towards the nearby log bench.  She sat down before placing her hands on her face.
“This is my fault,” Wanda cried.  “I shouldn’t have been that harsh.  Maybe I don’t really deserve a mommy at all.  Maybe I don’t deserve any friends.  Maybe I don’t deserve to be anywhere.”
As Wanda cried on the bench, a number of animals looked up at the man’s cub, whose tears filled the air.  Some of the animals began to shed tears of their own as a few of them approached Wanda, who paid no attention to them.
“Sometimes I wish I was never born,” Wanda cried.  “I wish I never existed.  At least no one would be able to mourn me when I’m gone.”
“Now why give up so easily, my daughter?” Wanda looked up and saw Eleanor Young approach her with a warm smile on her face, with Abigail walking up next to her.  But Wanda’s tears only grew as she saw the eyes of her biological mother.
“I’M SORRY I SAID THOSE WORDS TO YOU!” Wanda cried as she grabbed onto Eleanor’s legs and sobbed right on her gown.
“It’s okay,” Eleanor said as she patted Wanda on the head.  “You were having a hard time because of what Gold Banks did.”
Eleanor Young slowly reached down and picked Wanda up before holding her close.  Wanda continued to cry as Eleanor sat down, holding her daughter close.
“What am I going to do?” Wanda cried.  “I feel hopeless and lost.”
“So do I, my daughter,” Eleanor said.  “In fact, it’s not the first time I’ve felt this before.”
“It’s not?” Wanda asked.
“No,” Eleanor said.  “Around the time after you were born, there was a great war going on in Evevanya.  A number of renegade humans from planet Earth invaded our kingdom with the intent of conquering us.  It started some time after the death of the husband of Queen Lillian, who was a close friend of mine.”
“Who was he?” Wanda asked.
“King Vorak,” Eleanor replied.  “The son of Sendak the Elder, and the Grandson of the late Sari the Chieftess.  He was a part of a tribe of centaurs who were our allies for centuries long before your time.  Many Evevanyans, both the Dawn and the Dusk, saw King Vorak as a proud and respectful leader.  Queen Lillian saw him as a loving husband and a caring father who vowed to raise his son Tirek to be a proud leader as well.”
“So what happened when this King Vorak died?” Wanda asked.
“That was what started the war between our people and the armies of planet Earth,” Eleanor explained.  “They vowed to conquer us with weapons unlike anything we have ever seen, and we feared that they would lead our planet to ruin.  Furthermore, I feared that the war would have taken your life if this rogue Earthen military succeeded.  I was going to take you to a land called Dream Valley.  But I also feared that they could reach across the world and wipe us all out.”
“So you were hopeless like I am?” Wanda asked.
“I was,” Eleanor replied.  “But it was Queen Lillian who suggested that I take you to Equestria where you’ll be safe.  To be honest, I was so distraught that I forgot about this world, this kingdom, the various ponies who lived here, and its rulers Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.  It was far from the perfect place.  But it was enough to give you a means to be happy, to make friends with the other ponies, and to have a life that Evevanya may not have given you during the war.”
Wanda dried her eyes and looked up at her biological mother.
“Evevanyian mommy,” Wanda said.  “Do you think we’ll get through this?”
“Even if we don’t,” Eleanor laughed,  “At least you will be safe from Gold Banks.  If we have to make the Golden Land our new kingdom, then I’m up for it.”
With that, Wanda reached out and gave Eleanor a big hug, all while Abigail leaped next to Eleanor and rubbed her head against the Evevanyian’s body.
“I owe my Alicorn mommy an apology for those nasty words I said,” Wanda said.
“No you don’t,” Eleanor said.  “I think we should give Princess Celestia some time before we cheer her up.”
Suddenly, the sound of a filly screaming in the distance went off, catching the attention of Wanda, Eleanor and Abigail.
“That sounded like Starlight Glimmer,” Wanda said before she jumped off Eleanor’s lap.  “Did some pigs scare her?”
“No,” Eleanor said.  “That sounded more distressing than a mere phobia.  I think something bad happened to her.”
“Oh no,” Wanda said.  “That can’t be good.”
Immediately, Wanda, Eleanor and Abigail paused for a moment as they heard the sound of leaves rustling nearby.  The trio turned towards the south, where Cozy Glow emerged from the bushes with her mane covered in leaves.
“Cozy Glow?” Wanda said.  “What are you doing here?”
“We came here to check and make sure you’re alright,” Cozy Glow said as she brushed the leaves out of her mane.  “But I’m afraid we have some bad news for you.  Starlight fell into a hole and she’s stuck down there.”
“Not Starlight,” Wanda shouted. 
“Can you take us there?” Eleanor asked.
“I shall,” Cozy Glow said.  “Follow me.”
Cozy Glow revved up her wings as she turned back towards the south and flew off.  Wanda, Eleanor and Abigail followed Cozy Glow from behind, running as frantically as possible.
“Wanda,” Eleanor said.  “Now would be a good time to take to the air.”
“Oh right,” Wanda giggled.  “Forgot I had my wings.”
In a flash of light, Wanda’s insect-like wings sprouted from her back.  Wanda flapped her wings as fast as possible before she took to the air and took off after Cozy Glow.  Eleanor quickly scooped up Abigail and followed suit.
“Come on,” Eleanor said, holding Abigail close.  “We have a filly to rescue.”
“Hang on,” Abigail shouted.



	To Be Continued in…


	The Drakians