//------------------------------// // I - With the Sunrise // Story: As the Sun Sets // by Mystic //------------------------------// As the Sun Sets by Mystic Chapter I Twilight was sure there was a word to describe the feeling of being just about to plunge into the unknown. ‘Excitement’ didn’t quite cut it, neither did ‘anticipation’, though they certainly came close. There was just this feeling, the kind of feeling she got before the first attempt at a new spell, or maybe the first page of a good book, or maybe even riding on train ride to a meeting she knew almost nothing about. But what she felt they all had in common was that sensation of the brand new––the vast ocean of possibilities hiding just out of sight, waiting to be explored. And Twilight was on a train ride to just such a meeting. To her delight, the train from Ponyville to Canterlot was notorious for being five minutes early, and it was taking pride in justifying its reputation, pulling into the station a little over four and a half minutes ahead of schedule. It exhaled a cloud of steam in a wheezing gasp, inching to a complete stop, piercing the air with a shrill blast from its whistle. Ponies milled about on the platform, enjoying the first of spring’s good weather. The air was cool and filled with a heady mix of smoke, baked goods and freshly roasted coffee. Everything was awash with a gentle warmth from the sun that made a pony’s skin glow and set spirits high. Loose banners danced along the rooftops, caught by a quiet breeze that shifted through the streets. Twilight stepped out from the carriage with gusto, a certain vigor in her step as she oversaw the transportation of her bags to the palace. When they were all accounted for (twice), she quickly began her own journey to the castle. She trotted through the streets with a faint smile, hiding the burning curiosity eating her inside out for the past twenty-four hours. Twilight was going to see the Princess Celestia. That in itself was not terribly unusual, nor was her doing so on relatively short notice. What was odd, however, was the context of being about to embark on a journey unlike anything she had done before, heading over the ocean to lands far away. It was a trip Twilight wouldn’t have thought possible in her entire life. She had received the letter yesterday morning. “Oh yeah,” Spike called out from the kitchen, shattering Twilight’s attention toward her book. “You got a letter.”   “A letter? From who?” Twilight heard a small cough. “Huh? Oh, just Princess Celestia.”   “What?!” There was a crash from the kitchen. “The princess sent me a letter and you didn’t wake me up?!”   “I––I… You were up so late, and I didn’t want to wake you!”   “This is a letter from the princess, Spike! It could be really important!”   The dragon padded into the room with Twilight. In his claw he held a tightly bound scroll, the red seal stamped firmly with the Royal Equestrian coat of arms. “Well… here it is anyway. I’m sure it’s nothing major…”   Twilight snatched the letter out his hand with an aggressive burst of magic, then unravelled it so she could read it outloud.   “Dear Twilight, I have recently received correspondence from an old friend of mine... requesting help... political issues...” Twilight stopped, frowning at the piece of paper.   “What is it, Twi?”   Twilight resumed, this time reading the letter out in full. “His name is Glamduural. You might be familiar with him as the Dragon King of Draxonis. He has mentioned that it is time Equestria reinstated its agreements over migration policy, and he seeks some advice with some political issues he’s been having.”   Twilight stopped reading, her jaw hanging limply. Spike just shrugged when the unicorn looked over, so she continued. “I know you visited the Badlands last migration and was wondering if you would like to see Draxonis itself. I also know how much you love learning and getting scientific first-hoof experience, so I was wondering if you would be interested in accompanying me on this task. Nopony has seen the heartland of the dragon kingdom in over one-hundred years, and I knew that I could not simply let this opportunity pass up without telling you.   “If you would be interested in going on an adventure with me, please, get Spike to send word. This will be a great learning opportunity, and hopefully you will meet some new friends while we are there! With love, Princess Celestia.”   Twilight let the letter fall to the table in front of her, the paper floating down silently, fluttering like a large leaf in autumn. She twitched once, her jaw still devoid of any kind of motor control.   “Uhh… Twilight?” Spike said, waving a hand in front of her face. “Are you okay?” Poor Spike had been complaining that his ears were still ringing even when Twilight finished her preparation the day after. Interestingly, she had found out that she was yet to grow out of violent exclamations of ‘yes’ upon hearing exciting news. The idea of accompanying Celestia on an adventure had planted a little seed of excitement that had grown and grown as time went on. Not only was she going on an adventure with Princess Celestia, but it wasn’t one that was life-threatening or paramount to Equestria’s ongoing survival! Instead, it was going to be educational! This combined with the fact that she was going to see the dragon lands first hoof… well… it couldn’t have been more perfect. The Badlands, where they had gone to find Spike, were only a taste of Draxonis; the dragon kingdom itself lay across the Shining Sea. She was going to see the real dragon kingdom. She had wondered about asking Celestia whether or not she could take her friends, but she eventually decided against it. The princess never forgot her friends, so if there was a reason they couldn’t come, Twilight was confident that the princess wouldn’t have asked. At least Spike had seemed thrilled that he was going to work as Rarity’s assistant while she was away. Twilight was shown to the Sun Princess’ chambers by a stately looking guard, his golden armour glinting in the shafts of sunlight pouring through the large palace windows. The pegasus knocked three times on the door, and a soft “come in” was heard in response. Celestia’s chambers were an opulent spread of tables, chairs and rugs, a fireplace adorning one wall. Sunlight streamed through the open double windows that led out to a balcony overlooking the city. A large, elegant, princess-sized bed sat in one corner and a mahogany desk in another. The princess herself was standing by a table, reading some kind of scroll. Twilight entered her mentor’s chambers with a bright smile, and she was met with one in kind––the sort of smile that, no matter how old she got, reminded Twilight of being tucked in at night as a foal. “Twilight! How wonderful to see you. Please, do come in and have a seat!” “It’s great to see you too, Princess,” Twilight replied, unable to wipe the grin from her face. Celestia asked Twilight about her friends’ various comings and goings in Ponyville. Twilight jumped on the subject eagerly; after all, it was one thing to write about your experiences, but another to engage with the other pony emotionally when telling the stories. And if she was being honest, she loved talking about her friends. “That’s wonderful to hear, Twilight. I’m so glad for you!” Twilight beamed, and the princess returned the gesture. Her smile seemed to light up the room, almost as bright as her luminescent coat or mane. “Would you like some tea? I think that would be a perfect place to start.” “I would love some.” Sure, Twilight had a cup on the train, but what was one more? Especially when it was being offered by the princess herself. Celestia smiled and gestured to her balcony, a purple, fine-china teapot and two matching cups and saucers already sitting on the table. They sat down opposite each other, revelling in the sun’s warmth. Celestia poured out two cups, and they sipped them eagerly. “So, Twilight,” the princess began, her eyes twinkling, “you know why you are here, a journey across the world to see the dragons in their kingdom.” “Princess, there is no way I was ever going to let an opportunity like this pass up. Nopony has even seen the heartland of Draxonis in hundreds of years!”  Celestia smiled at her. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, though; so please, let me hear them.” Twilight thought for a moment, tapping her chin with a hoof. Sure, she had entire lists filled with questions, but she knew she should only choose the most relevant ones. The rest could wait. “Um. You said that King... Ga...” “King Glamduural.” “King Glamduural,” Twilight continued, mangling the foreign syllables, “was having ‘political problems’… What exactly does that mean?” “Well, he’s having problems on his border. Apparently there are some particularly nasty dragons looking to cause trouble, and he wants advice on how best to go about things.” “His border? The griffins are causing problems?” “No, Twilight. The other border.” Twilight frowned. To say there was limited information in Equestria about the lands overseas was an understatement. There were hardly any reliable and comprehensive maps, and any she had seen left the east of the dragon nation blank. “I’m not really too sure what’s on Draxonis’ other border… The Red Mountains are to the west, Gryphus is to the north… The south is just the Ice Wastes. What’s to the east of Draxonis?” Celestia looked thoughtful for a moment, her eyes filled with some unnamed emotion. “I think that’s a question best answered by showing you.” She stood up, placing her cup down gently on the table. “Come with me, Twilight. I think you might find this rather interesting.” Twilight did as she was asked, following the princess into her chambers, watching her search under piles of loose paper and rummage through old oak drawers. The princess’ eyes lit up, and she pulled out a small crystal globe. Gold filigree ran along its edge in loose coils, and its center was clouded with white and grey fog swirling aimlessly as if it were holding a dreary winter’s morning inside. Twilight frowned at the strange new object now hovering inside Celestia’s magical glow. “What’s that, Princess?” “That, Twilight, is a map.” Twilight blinked. “A map? How do you mean?” “It’s a very old map and a magical one at that. I am showing you this rather than a paper one because it should help you get a better feel for where we are going.” “But how does it work?” Twilight asked, genuinely inquisitive now. “It works by showing you the world as it was at the time the orb was made. I have since made a few changes to update it, but I haven’t done so for about a thousand years. In other words, it should be quite authentic.” “Show me?” The princess nodded, treating Twilight to a knowing smile. “You will see what I mean in a moment. To see the map, you have to reach out with your magic, Twilight. There aren’t any kind of secrets to open it, you just have to let it in.” “Alright then...” “A quick word of caution, however; some things inside may be a little over the top. We quite liked our dramatisations back in the old days,” Celestia added with a wink. More than a little confused, Twilight did as she was told, letting her horn join the princess’ in glowing brightly. The globe felt like any other object of its size and weight, completely boring and unresponsive. But then, startling Twilight despite the fact she was expecting something to happen, it lit up like a little flashlight, and a strange feeling creeped into her mind. It was just like flying, like she was moving impossibly fast and free, the whole world at her hooves. Only, the room didn’t change, the candle flames still burning straight and true. Twilight got glimpses of clouds moving faster in the sky than she had ever seen in her life. Remembering the princess’ words, Twilight fought the urge to shrink away from the alien feeling and, instead, moved towards it, letting the rushing sensation sweep her away into a white abyss... ...She was flying. And fast. The air howled with a high-pitched scream. Though she wouldn’t have known it was the wind making the noise if not for the clouds blurring past like small, skittering animals. After all, she couldn’t feel a thing. Twilight opened her mouth, yet found she couldn’t speak or make any sounds at all. There was a flash of bright light, and the clouds stopped moving almost instantly, speeding as fast as they could to come to a stand-still. She gasped, suspended impossibly high in the air, looking down at the world spread out beneath her like a scale model. The unicorn was granted with a full birds-eye view of what looked like the entire earth, or at least the continents surrounding Equestria. She could see Canterlot directly below her, the Canterlot River only a tiny ribbon of silver snaking through fields of green. Ponyville was nowhere to be seen. To the north were the Crystal Mountains, and to the south, Macintosh Hills. As Twilight peered a little closer, she did a double take when writing started to crawl along the earth. Writing?! How could there be writing?! She watched as words blazed into life, names all written in burning gold over the places they were identifying. Twilight tried to keep track of all the landmarks she knew. There was Canterlot and the surrounding towns, Cloudsdale, Trottingham to the north west, Manehatten to the east on the coast. She looked wider and saw entire countries covered in the elegant script. Gryphus to the north east across the Shining Sea. The Blistering Desert to the south past Macintosh Hills and the Badlands, and then all the camel cities. Also in the east were the Wild Lands and Greatwood beyond them. To the west there was the Silver Ocean and then the unnamed Zebra homeland. As Twilight looked, silver lines began to grow around the world, little spiderwebs of light linking towns and cities together, some thick and glowing brightly, others dim and narrow. These were roads, the unicorn realised. Huh. She didn’t remember a highway moving out from Canterlot to... nothing. Strange. Twilight found that if she wasn’t looking at something directly, then the strange words and glowing roads faded from her sight, only to reappear should she look back. With a small shake of her head, she realised she wasn’t looking at what she was meant to be. Still a little awed, Twilight turned her attention to the south-east, looking past the Red Mountains and onto Draxonis. The dragon homeland was a burning plain of red earth, baking under a ferocious sun that Twilight couldn’t feel. Swirls of ash and sand filled the air, obscuring most of the detail from view. It was a vast, uncompromising place, and Twilight shivered a little at the sight of it, knowing full well that soon, she would be seeing it herself for real. But to the east, past Draxonis, there was nothing but a great vast pool of shadow, rocky crags jutting out like horns through the veil. As Twilight watched, little flickers of sickly green light lit up the darkness, revealing great, looming shapes inside, deformed and twisted looking. The Shadowed Lands, Twilight thought, reading the curving gold name. Of all the locations in the map, this one had the least detail. It was characterised by a few black spikes, a dark and lone mountain called Darros sitting in its south eastern corner, and a gaping pit in the centre labelled The Fall. To the east, the princess had said. There is trouble brewing in the east. A land of shadows. She had read about it before, rumours and whispers of a place where no goodness lived, but they had always been just that, though, only stories. Nothing substantial to prove its existence was popularly known. It was just something for novels wrapped in the mythos of legend. But now, Twilight was staring at a shifting mass of darkness, the shadow stewing as if building up into a great tempest, looking as real as anything she had ever seen. Suddenly, Twilight wasn’t so sure the tales were over-exaggerated. The sky flashed white, and Twilight felt her consciousness being sucked back the way she had came. The world dissolved in a nebulous cloud of smoke, the clarity and detail fading into a murky haze. Twilight was lost in a great rush of movement, and then, with a great pulse, she opened her eyes, Celestia’s room suddenly marvelous in its familiarity. Twilight tried to sum up what she had just seen, racking her brain for the appropriate word. “Wow.” “And that’s what sits on Draxonis’ eastern border,” Celestia said, resuming their conversation from earlier as if no time had passed at all. “The Shadowed Lands are filled with all kinds of nasty creatures. The changelings used to live there. Well, just north of there, for example.” Nasty creatures? Twilight had come across nasty creatures in Equestria, and ‘nasty’ was not the word Twilight would have used to describe what she had just seen. ‘Evil’ immediately sprang to mind. Still, she tried to remind herself that the princess had said it may be a little ‘over the top’.  Twilight coughed, swallowing hard. “And King Glamduural wants our help?” “Yes, he does.” “Is… is this going to be dangerous, Princess?” Twilight frowned, her stomach twisting uncomfortably. It felt all wrong asking the question, but it kind of slipped out. She cringed, waiting for the incredulous and scandalised reply––the deserved shock at the lack of trust and respect. Except, it never came; Celestia quickly shook her head. “No. It will not be dangerous in the slightest. This won’t be like the other adventures I have asked from you. Glamduural just wants our advice. The dragons have long kept the border safe for the rest of the world, unwittingly maybe, but safe nonetheless.” She paused, staring at the orb intently. “They just want my advice.” “What for? What’s the problem?” “In verifying a rumour, that’s all. Nothing that you should be worried about, my faithful student. This will mostly be about reviewing the dragon migration routes and discussing the rogue dragons seen in Equestria. Please believe me when I say the Shadowed Lands pose no greater threat than the Everfree Forest. In fact, they are quite similar.” Celestia smiled, and Twilight took a deep breath. She did trust the princess. It was just... Twilight couldn’t shake the nagging thought that the princess’ description of it being nothing more than a place like the Everfree didn’t quite match up with what she had just seen. “Okay then. That sounds fair enough. I just can’t believe there isn’t more of this stuff in books. I have spent the last few days going crazy looking for information on Equestrian history, and I haven’t found half of what you’ve just shown me!” She was trying so hard to sound normal. The princess chuckled, but her eyes never once left Twilight’s. They were searching for something, but if she found it, she gave no indication. “Yes, I have noticed a particular lack of depth within most records in the kingdom.” Twilight lifted up the orb, bringing it up for closer inspection. “Why don’t you tell ponies then? Why didn’t you show me this map before? It’s amazing! I have been searching for even a mention of something like this for months.” “I didn’t tell you because you didn’t ask.” Celestia winked. Twilight groaned. Of course. She should have guessed. “So, are you still willing to come with me on this adventure, Twilight Sparkle?” And for the briefest of seconds, Twilight paused. And then she nodded eagerly, hoping that her mentor didn’t notice her hesitation. “Princess, I wouldn’t miss an adventure like this for the world.” Celestia beamed at her. “Wonderful! Well, we’re heading for Dragoliath, the dragon capital, and the only major permanent dragon settlement.” “When do we leave?” Twilight asked, racking her brains, trying to remember seeing the place Celestia was talking about. It was all covered in so much sand and ash... “First thing in the morning,” the princess answered. “We have to leave soon because we cannot teleport there.” Twilight looked up. “Huh? Why not?” “Because the old treaties with the dragons forbid me, Twilight. It was part of the agreements made in the second age. Luna and I are not allowed to teleport into the dragon nation.” “Oh…” Twilight thought for a moment. “How come?” “Because it’s not polite,” Celestia replied with another wink. Twilight blushed, mentally kicking herself for not guessing what she thought was probably pretty obvious. “Oh. Yeah… I guess that would be right…” “We will be travelling via chariot instead. I will take you to meet the guards who will be coming with us as soon as we’re done here.” “Guards?” Twilight frowned. It did make sense that it would be the guards who would pull the chariot, but the word still put her on edge. Guards were meant to protect things, but that implied that they were guarding them from something. After seeing The Shadowed Lands, looking like a black hole set deep into the earth, or even knowing how vicious dragons could be, Twilight couldn’t help but feel the nervous ball in her stomach creep back in. “Yes. Captain Swift is the very best of the best. She is up there with the Wonderbolts as far as pure talent for flying goes, but she would never say so.” “Huh. You don’t say.” She knew a certain rainbow-maned pegasus who only fit half of that description. “So, shall we go down and meet them?” “The guards?” “Unless you have anymore questions?” Twilight sighed. She had more questions than she could count (she knew that because, for a moment, she had tried to list them in her head in order of importance). But despite them, she told herself to wait. If they were flying there, then she had all the time in the world to ask her questions. “Not at the moment, Princess. Let’s go meet the guards.” The courtyard was lit up brilliantly in spring’s bright colours, the trees vibrant and lush and the air light and cool. It was filled with its usual mess of ponies, today a collection of gardeners, cleaners and guards. Four of the latter were standing in the shade in a far corner of the square, two of them checking over every inch of a golden chariot, the other two discussing something quietly amongst themselves. The guards all snapped to salute the second they saw the princess, and she smiled politely in return. While these guards looked like every other group of guards she had seen with the same stern faces and strong bodies, all encased in thick golden armour, there was something different; this group’s plate-armour definitely looked sharper than normal, and more aerodynamic, too. In fact, all of the guards moved with a strange combination of agility and grace, like some of the wolves that lived in the Everfree. Lethal, almost, ready to jump up and fight at any moment. They looked at Twilight a little differently as well, their eyebrows twitching and their lips tightening. “Good morning,” Celestia said, looking around for something. “I see Swift isn’t here yet?” “No ma’am,” one of the guards replied. “The captain left us to see to something back at supply.” The princess nodded. “Of course. Well then, allow me to introduce to you Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student and friend. She is going to be accompanying us on our journey.” The guards all looked her over once again, this time frowning slightly. Twilight blushed, biting her lower lip and trying to move back behind Celestia. She felt like some sort of pinned insect or a painting in a gallery, and it wasn’t particularly nice being on this side of the scrutiny. But then, one of the guards on the left, a stallion with sandy hair and bright teeth, smiled. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle,” he said, taking half a step forward. “Being called a friend of the princess is high praise indeed. My name is Contrail.” Twilight coughed, more out of nerves than anything else. What was she supposed to say to something like that!? “Oh, it’s nice to meet you too, Contrail.” He smiled at her. “This is Nighthawk, Whirlwind and Tempest. We are the First Rank Solar Guard, and we will be your hosts for the trip. But you can think of us as your normal carriage drivers... just in armour.” “You might be a carriage driver, but don’t speak for me,” one of the other guards––Twilight thought it was Tempest––muttered. The other two chuckled. “The best carriage drivers,” Celestia added, holding back a very wide grin. “Perhaps a little overqualified, but you know what I say, Twilight, only the best for me.” Twilight’s muzzle scrunched in thought, trying to think of when the princess had ever said that. She looked up, about to say something, but saw that Celestia’s eyes were sparkling with mirth. Ah. It was a joke! She laughed awkwardly, shifting her weight between her front hooves. “Your Majesty!” Everypony turned on the spot, looking across the courtyard to watch a single pegasus guard approach. She walked with such purpose that Twilight almost felt like stepping out the way just so she didn’t risk interrupting the mare in any way, shape or form. Contrail immediately stiffened at the sound of her voice, his expression hardening and the smile that lit up his eyes disappearing like a snuffed candle. “Captain!” The mare’s eyes narrowed, darting over each pegasus like they were items on a list. Then she stepped forward to the princess, snapping to salute. “Your Majesty. This is unexpected; I thought we weren’t leaving today. How can we be of assistance?” Her voice was tough as stone and just as weathered. “At ease, Swift,” Celestia said, still looking like she was holding back a smile. The guard did as she was told, lowering her wing and widening her stance. She didn’t even blink. “Allow me to introduce you to Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia continued. “She is the student I talked about earlier.” “Ah...” Swift looked Twilight up and down, her face giving nothing away. “I see.” “It’s nice to meet you,” Twilight said, struggling to hold her gaze. It was like an iron vice crushing her down to the size of an ant, and looking away was just as hard. Swift gave a curt nod. “Mmhm. And you.” She snapped her attention over to the princess, standing up a little straighter. “Was there anything you needed, Your Majesty?” “I hope you will be ready first thing tomorrow?” Swift snorted, her lips curled up in one corner. “We can be ready in an hour, Your Highness. So yes, we will be good to go come morning.”  Celestia nodded her approval. “Wonderful.” Twilight followed the following conversation closely. Apparently they were going to cut south by south-east and head straight over the Shining Sea towards Draxonis. Despite the fact that flying meant they could hop straight over mountains and the sea, it was still a very, very long way. “Should we expect any crazy adventures while we are travelling?” Twilight asked. “Or anything unusual or dangerous?” She was only half-joking. Swift, slowly and deliberately, raised an eyebrow. “No. And if we do, we’ll handle it. My boys here are the best. They won’t let you down. I can promise you that.” “Very well, Captain,” Celestia said, breaking the flow of conversation. Her eyes flashed. “We won’t keep you any longer. We shall see you in the morning.” Swift saluted once, nodded to Twilight, then spun around to face her guards. “Come on then! You have work that needs doing!” Celestia shook her head and led Twilight back towards the palace. The unicorn threw a quick glance over her shoulder at the guards, watching them salute Swift before racing off. She could hear their heavy armour rattling from here. Twilight frowned. She had gotten to know her fair share of guards during her childhood, and even though she should have been used to this kind of thing, Twilight had never felt more like a civilian. Small candles cast a warm glow over the room, shedding light onto the supplies Twilight had spread over the bed: strange new clothes, food, water, tents and books. The air was thick with the scent of wax and new clothes, and while Twilight engaged in the fine art of ‘packing’, Celestia read quietly. “I have to ask for your forgiveness, Twilight,” the princess said, shifting from her pillow. “I must go speak to Luna one last time to finalise arrangements for her ruling while I’m away.” Twilight looked out the window and watched the sun’s vibrant yellow light descend into a seeping orange glow. It swept over the vista spread out in front of her like an artist’s ink. The towers glowed like molten rock, and she could see the fields of the Canterlot valley turn golden. “Oh wow,” she said. “I didn’t realise it was this late.” “Would you like to come with me?” Celestia asked, almost hesitantly. “You can say hello to dear Luna. I think she’s missed you quite a bit.” “I would like that, actually,” Twilight said. She had spent more and more time with the the princess since their adventure into Luna’s mind, but she still hadn’t seen her for several weeks. Celestia smiled, and Twilight followed as the alicorn made her way out of her office and back out into the corridor. They picked a swift path through the twisting corridors that made up the castle, passing few ponies on the way. “The observatory tower?” Twilight asked, getting an inkling as to where they were headed. “That’s right,” Celestia replied. “Luna likes it because it acts as quite a nice landing platform for her when she comes back from her ‘wake up’ flight every evening. It’s high enough so she can see the stars without obstruction or distraction.” The two mares stepped onto the observatory balcony together, watching the last rays of the sun slip below the western horizon. Illuminated by the dying sunlight, the clouds looked like they were on fire. Twilight watched as Celestia took a deep breath before her horn burst into life. She arched her head down to the ground, and the sun followed suit like a well-practiced dance partner, finally disappearing away from the world. For a moment, the sky was empty, devoid of any celestial body. The rhythmic whoosh of a set of constant wing beats caused Twilight to look skyward. A dusk-blue alicorn engulfed her vision, casting a long shadow as she came in quickly to land. She buffeted the platform with a strong gust of wind from her mighty wings, yet her hooves touched the stone with the softest clink. “Luna,” Celestia said in greeting. “Your timing could not be more perfect.” Luna nodded, her lips turned up playfully. “I always make an entrance worthy of note, dear Sister.” Celestia smiled softly. “That you do.” “Hello, Princess!” Twilight said, beaming at Luna. “Hello, Twilight,” Luna replied. “How does the twilight find you?” Twilight laughed and rolled her eyes. “I couldn’t be better, Princess.” “I hear you have been recruited into my sister’s quest to help Glamduural. An old friend.” “And quite the stubborn pain,” Celestia added. Luna snorted in agreement. “That he is. Perhaps the last thousand years have cooled the fire burning in his spirit, but I do not hold high hopes.” “How old is Glamduural?” Twilight asked. Celestia thought for a moment. “One thousand… three hundred years? Maybe one thousand two hundred. It’s been such a long time. You might want to ask him yourself.” “How old can dragons get?” Twilight’s next question, naturally. “It depends on the dragon,” Luna answered. Celestia nodded. “Yes, it does depend on the dragon. Some live for thousands of years, some for only a few hundred. Some said they could live forever. But only one who has said that is still alive as far as I know.” “Except for those in Tartarus,” Luna added. The princess frowned at her younger sister. “Well, that is true.” Luna’s eyes twinkled, saying something her words did not. “But that is not why we are here, is it?” “No, it is not,” Celestia replied. “I trust everything is ready?” “That it is. The courts have all been informed; the nobles are prepared. Proclamations have been sent to the far reaches of Equestria to inform them. Everypony has been quite amicable about the whole ordeal.” “Of course they are.” Celestia smiled wryly. “They are all excited to see you rule again. Apparently last time everything was a little exotic, or at least that was the word I heard being used.” “They are right; that is one word for it. Rusty is another.” “Don’t be silly, Princess!” Twilight said. “You did a fantastic job. I should know; I was right there the whole time.” “Only thanks to your help, Twilight,” Luna replied. Twilight basked in the praise, blushing fiercely. “So, everything is in order?” Celestia asked again. “Yes it is, Sister. You have nothing to fear back home. All will be well.” Celestia nodded, apparently satisfied. “You only have to worry about yourself,” Luna added softly. “We will be fine,” Celestia said. “I know, but be on your guard regardless. Dragons are tricksters, and you never know what they may be plotting in their caves.” “You speak of times gone for a thousand years, Luna. The dragons are quite different now. Except for the occasional rogue, they are almost what you would call civilised.” Luna raised an eyebrow. “Do not grow complacent in the shadow of the east, Sister. You of all ponies should know not to forget that." “And I haven’t. But it is nothing anymore. Just a shadow.” Luna opened her mouth, but apparently thought better of it. “Just be safe, for my sake, please.” Celestia nodded, a tight smile on her lips. “And I will, Luna. Both of us will. Isn’t that right, Twilight?” Twilight raced to nod her head in eager agreement. “Nothing bad will happen, Luna. Princess Celestia will always be able to keep us safe.” “Well, I believe that is all I can ask. Thank you.” Luna gave a soft little smile that Twilight thought seemed very out of place on the princess’ stern face. “Well, we should be going to bed. We have to be up early tomorrow,” Celestia said. Luna nodded in understanding. “Twilight, would you mind letting me have a word with Luna?” Twilight was a little taken aback, but she nodded quickly regardless. “Of course!” Turning to the Princess of the Night, a little stunned at how quick their conversation had been, she said, “Goodnight, Luna, it was great to see you again.” “And you too, Twilight. Enjoy your adventure. With good fortune it will not be as turbulent as ours.” Her eyes twinkled in the starlight. Twilight smiled and, after a quick wave, turned and left. There was a brief moment of silence when she closed the balcony door behind her, but before she disappeared from hearing range, she caught two last sentences, no louder than whispers. “Are you sure you do not wish for me to go in your place, Sister? You are still needing to rest and recover. The changeling queen, the coma, and now this?” “I understand, Luna, but please trust me. It is exactly because of those reasons that it must be me; the dragons must see me in a position of control for the treaties to hold. It is crucial that I go.” “But then why tak––” Twilight moved away, not sure she wanted to hear any more. The unicorn frowned, but quickly shoved the thoughts out of her head. Luna was just worried about her sister. That was natural enough, right? Twilight knew she would be worried about Spike in the same place. And besides, if there was anything she needed to know, she was confident that the princess would tell her. She had to finish packing for the morning, anyway. But... she would tell her, right? Swift and her team were already waiting for them come morning, encased in armour and standing to attention. The chariot gleamed beside them in the morning sunlight.  They saluted when they saw Celestia, and she nodded benevolently in their direction. “Well, Captain,” Celestia said, “are we ready to head out?” Swift nodded. “Whenever you are, Your Majesty.” Celestia nodded her approval. “So, Twilight, what about you? Are you ready to go on an adventure?” Twilight looked to Princess Celestia, and she smiled. “As ready as I’ll ever be, Princess.” “Excellent. Then let us be going!” They stepped onto the chariot, and Swift and her team took position, hooking themselves up to the vehicle. Twilight lurched as the pegasi stood up, and the carriage tilted slightly on its golden wheels. They all stared eastward, waiting for Celestia to give to order to launch. Celestia smiled. “To the east, then. The dragon king is waiting for us.” Swift nodded, and the pegasi took off, rapidly gaining altitude in the morning air. They pushed higher and higher, streaking into the sky as a flash of gold and white. Twilight watched as the city quickly grew smaller and smaller, the ground rushing away from her until it looked like a patchwork quilt. She smiled to herself and stared towards the distant horizon. It was covered in faint bruised shadows, the haze of distance calling her onward, hinting at the lands lying just beyond. Out free in the open air, the nervousness that had been creeping in disappeared, seemingly left behind in Canterlot. There was nothing but the vast sky in front of them now, and it couldn’t have been more appealing. Draxonis and the dragon capital were just around the corner, it seemed. But beyond that, who knew? Certainly not Twilight, but she couldn’t wait to find out... ...Somewhere far across the sea, the same sun rose in the east, hidden behind heavy curtains of bloated storm clouds. The light that did push past was dim, shining weakly onto a plain of glassy obsidian that looked melted, bulged and bubbled with twisting crags and jagged boulders. There was a cliff with a drop on the other side that went somewhere no light had ever shone. Wind and rain tore at the blasted earth, howling at it with a banshee’s scream. Great claws gripped the cliff edge, tearing deep furrows, and the stone squealed in pain. The beast rumbled, lifting his head to the sky, filling the air with acrid smoke. He roared, a sound that caused the whole world to stop moving; even the wind trembled in fear. Then his lips curled at the edges, his ears picking up the low thumps of over a hundred sets of wings coming his way. It was almost time.