Chapter 3: The south
Chapter 3: The south
Years passed, and the sisters, with the help of the Royal Guard, slowly bring peace to the nation now known as the Diarchy of Equestria, or just Equestria. With their subjects now safe from harm, they lend their aid to other nations. Most welcome them with open arms or hooves while others took care of the threats themselves, rejecting their aid, for reasons such as pride or national sovereignty.
The armies of the Three Tribes were disbanded, leaving the safety of Equestria in the more than capable hooves of the Royal Guard.
Following the sisters defeat of Discord, and the subsequent wars against the countless predators that roamed freely, the map of the world was redrawn.
The first true nation to emerge from the chaos was Equestria, it had born during the first winter when three of the largest pony tribes joined together. After the coronation of Queen Celestia many more tribes joined the nation, equines, cattle, goats and donkeys almost the entirety of the nation's populace.
For all intensive purposes Equestria was the world.
No other nation even compared. It had almost a quarter of the worlds population, had a monopoly on trade, produced over three quarters of the raw materials and manufactured goods, and for a long period of time was the sole weather producer. As far of technology went, they were over a century ahead of the rest.
To the west were the Buffalo Nations; hundreds of small, nomadic tribes, stretched out over an enormous area, with no centralised form of government. To the north were griffin and hippogriff tribes, constantly fighting among themselves for what little resources the mountainous area they inhabited had to offer. To the east were the dragon lands, an entire region rich with gems and precious metals, which the dragons kept all to themselves. While to the south lay the Great Forest. A vast unexplored stretch of land, that no pony ever managed to return from. Pegasus explorers flew for days but still could not see its end. The forest covered everything, from once flat grasslands, to the peaks of mountains, to the rivers and lakes, all was covered by green.
There were other nations on other continents, but Equestria’s relations with them were limited at best.
One day after returning from a visit from one of the bordering griffin kingdom Celestia saw a Royal Guard soldier rushing towards her. To the princesses surprise his coat was green, and not white as the rest of the Guards. Magically enchanted armors were issued almost two years before, and only those from the furthest outpost would not have received them yet.
“My Queen! My Queen,” the Guard yelled, before crashing and sliding to the alicorns hooves.
“Giant army,” he talked while gasping for breath. “South... Great Forest... Coming to...” he passed out.
The princess picked the exhausted Guard in her magical aura, and flew him to the castle’s medical ward.
“Physician!” Celestia yelled as she bursted in. “This pony requires immediate medical attention!”
“Yes your highness! Right away.”
The unicorn physician took the pony in his own magical aura and levitated him to a bed. The assistants removed his armor and examined him. The Guard suffered from severe dehydration, exhaustion and tearing of the muscles around the wings.
The princess was informed that it seemed that the pony had been flying for about a week without rest, food or water. Two days later a second pegasus arrived, and brought with him the same information.
They were part of one of the southern outposts the Royal Guard set up to protect the pony settlers that were colonising the area. They reported that every settlement south of their camp was completely destroyed by a giant swarm of giant bugs, their numbers so great that “they darkened the sky,” according to the Guard.
Princess Luna ordered the entire castle garrison and every Royal Guard Station to head south. The main force would take two weeks to reach the area on hoof, so, despite her sister’s protests, she split her forces. She would lead a pegasus vanguard, a thousand strong, to the battle and try to delay the enemy until the rest of the Royal Guard showed up, all ten thousands unicorns and earth ponies.
Orders were also sent to the Northern Station to bring all troops to the capital and prepare a second wave that will be lead by Celestia herself.
Before Luna and the vanguard departed Celestia talked to her sister in private.
“Luna, it is crucial that you make it back alive. No matter what.”
“Are you asking me to abandon them if the battle cannot be won?!”
“Yes I am,” Celestia told her sister. “The Elements are useless without the both of us. And if the threat is as great as we believe we might need to use them. Do you understand?”
“Yes sister.”
“Promise me Luna, promise me that no matter what you must do you will make it back alive. If not for me than for our ponies.”
“I promise sister,” Luna said with a heavy heart as she flew away. She really didn’t feel comfortable knowing that if things will get to dangerous for her she will have to run away and leave her subject to their fates.
“Be safe sister.”