//------------------------------//
// Land of the Everfree 
// Story: The Best Intentions 
// by SpearmintSonnet 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 10: Land of the Everfree:

Far from the cold and snow-bound Crystal Kingdom sat a tall, dark castle surrounded by a wide and sprawling city. To the west of the castle, almost out of sight, lay an expansive forest known by many as the Everfree. In fact, the city was known by the same name, as was the castle it surrounded. A century ago it had stood as the last line of defense against the forces of Discord who had inhabited the forest. Now it served as the ruling seat of the small country of Equestria and a sign against any who would stand to oppose its joint rulers, Celestia and Luna.

In the east, dawn was breaking. The light of the sun glinted, barely hidden below the horizon, waiting for the princess of the sun to raise it from below the earth so that it could grace the kingdom with light once again. But it did not rise. The tint of light teased the sky, hinting at a beautiful day to come.

Inside the castle throne room sat three ponies, two were regal alicorns sitting atop twin thrones, the elder was shimmering white with a long pink mane, the younger was a deep, cool violet with a short teal mane. The third pony didn't much look like a pony at all- his eyes were gold with slitted pupils, his wings were not the feathered wings of a pegasus, but the fleshy, ribbed wings of a bat. His ears were slightly elongated and notched at the top, but not from injury. He was a bat-pony, a rare species of pony that were strictly nocturnal. He wore the dark purple and black armor of the Night Guard along with a crest over his chest that signified his rank as Captain.

All three sat or stood quietly, though impatiently, for a fourth pony to appear. It was traditional for both Captains to be present at the raising and setting of the celestial bodies, as the princesses had to put their whole energy into the process, and if either were distracted in the middle, the results could be disastrous. However, the time was long overdue for the sun to be raised and the moon sent away and the Captain of the Day Guard was nowhere to be seen. Luna yawned broadly and sighed in vexation, “Sister, the hour has long passed that the night should end. We must send the day along its course, whether your captain is here or not!”

Celestia sighed and nodded her head, “I fear you are correct, dear sister. Let us raise the sun and set the moon that the day shall progress as it must...”

The two princesses were about to light their horns with magic and enter the trance they needed to move the celestial bodies when the doors at the end of the hall burst open and a tall gray unicorn hurried up the long hall. His golden armor glinted in the early dawn light as did the captain's crest on his cuirass. The tardy soldier bowed low to the princesses before standing again and holding up a hoof, forestalling the reprimand he deserved. “I apologize for being late, Princesses, but there is something that requires your immediate attention.”

The sun princess raised an eyebrow as she stole a glance at her sister who looked equally confused. “Our immediate attention, Captain? Sunrise and Sunset are the two most important ceremonies that my sister and I oversee, and you would have us leave now?”

Off to the left, Luna gritted her teeth in frustration, Sunrise and Moonrise, dearest sister, but no pony other than herself took notice. All eyes were on the gray stallion in golden armor as he stood defiantly before the sun princess.

“Yes, Ma'am.” The stallion did not flinch or falter as he spoke, which bespoke as loudly of his character as it did about whatever emergency had caught his attention. The sisters shared another quick look before Luna stood gracefully and, followed by her bat-pony captain, quickly started towards the open double doors. Celestia rose to follow, sweeping grandly down the center aisle of the room before stopping next to her captain. She turned to the gray unicorn and met his gaze evenly.

“This had better be nothing less than the return of Discord, Storm Fleet, or I swear to the Goddess Chrona that this will be your last day as my captain.” The tall white alicorn then turned and swept out of the throne room, taking with her the warm golden glow that seemed to permeate the air around her.

Captain Storm Fleet shifted awkwardly on his hooves, beginning to regret his rash decision to interrupt the morning sunrise. Maybe Gold Fletching was right... maybe it could have waited until after Sunrise.

Celestia stopped just outside the throne room next to her sister as they waited for the Day-Guard captain to emerge from the throne room. Luna had already dismissed her captain as the hour was growing late for him to be awake, despite the lack of sun in the sky. Storm Fleet motioned for the two princesses to follow him down towards the castle proper and gatehouse.

Down several winding staircases they trotted until they reached a door leading out onto the front courtyard of the castle. It was a grand open expanse of stone-covered ground with small gardens and benches dotting the otherwise open landscape. This was where courtiers and commoners alike could admire the castle and await an audience with either princess. Usually it was filled with ponies, some in glorious gowns and suits cut in the latest fashion, others wearing little to no clothing at all. This morning there were few such ponies as a circle of guards was discouraging any passers-by from lingering.

The unicorn captain walked up to one of the guards who then moved forward, along with two ponies next to him, clearing a path for both princesses to walk abreast and see what they were guarding. Laying on the ground, clearly exhausted and unable to stand, was a soft pink pegasus with a tri-colored mane in serious disarray, a purple adolescent dragon standing over her, cradling her head in her claws. The dragon looked up at the approach of the princesses, “Princess Celesta, Princess Luna.” She nodded to each in turn as custom dictated, but immediately dropped all pretenses of custom as Cadence turned her head to look up, tossing her bed-ruffled mane as she moved.

The two royal sisters stared open mouthed at the sight before them- the young mare whom everypony in the known world knew was a full-blooded pegasus was now sporting a long, delicate unicorn horn that speared outward from the center of her forehead.

Claudia opened her mouth to explain, but Celestia held a hoof up to forestall explanations. She turned to her guards, “Get them both inside, now.”

~~~

Cadence could feel warmth across her whole body, a sensation she thought she'd lost while flying over the frigid Griffon Kingdoms. Slowly she began recalling other events from the frantic two-day flight from the Crystal Kingdom to Everfree Castle. Had she even made it to Everfree? She couldn't remember. The last thing she remembered was the face of a white pony standing over her... was it a unicorn? She remembered seeing a horn, or was it just the pony's mane? The princess sighed and rolled over as she slowly became more conscious. Finally she could keep up the charade of sleep no longer and sat up in bed. Standing before her, horn lit with a soft gold magic, was Princess Celestia of Everfree as she set the sun for the night.

Cadence sat in silence as she watched the sun princess slowly lower the sun to its resting place beyond the horizon. It was not until the older mare turned around that she knew her young charge was awake. “Good evening, Mi Amore Cadenza” Celestia said with a comforting smile. “It is good to see you are finally awake.”

“Please, just 'Cadence' is fine, Princess.”

The white alicorn laughed quietly, “then it must be 'Celestia', not 'Princess', Cadence.”

“So she's awake now, is she?” the voice came from the opposite side of the room. Draped in shadow, accented only by the dim light of the moon, stood Luna, her stance stiff and formal. “Then it's time we get some answers.”

“Dear sister, let her rest! She has been through much...”

“She has rested for three days without waking, Dear sister,” Luna protested hotly. “I believe we deserve answers as to how this young mare has acquired the magic of a unicorn!”

Cadence could not help shrinking back from the angry tone in Luna's voice, perhaps it was just from her recent experience with Sombra, but it seemed to the mare that the moon princess's voice was tinged with more than just frustration and confusion.

“This is true,” Celestia agreed, turning her attention back to Cadence, “I would like to hear how one such as yourself acquired magical talent.”

The pink mare took a deep breath, steadying her easily shaken nerves, “It will be a long story no matter how I tell it,” she warned.

“We have the whole night before us,” Luna pointed out, her tone only slightly less hostile now that she was getting the answers she desired.

“This is true,” Cadence agreed as she took another steadying breath before she launched into her tale, beginning several years ago with the visit of a Magian Prince...

~~~

Hours passed as Cadence poured her story and heart out before the two sisters of Everfree. Slowly the sky behind Celestia darkened and the sky behind Luna brightened and the sisters slowly migrated to the opposite sides of the room as if by instinct- Luna preferring to stand in the shadows, while Celestia chose to walk in the light. It was nearly time to raise the Sun and set the Moon before Cadence wrapped up her story- “I felt like my only option was to come to you, Celestia and Luna. There are no other alicorns that I know of who could teach me what I need to know, and Chrona confirmed my beliefs herself... You are the only ponies I can turn to, so I beg of you, I implore you, please, help me save my kingdom. Help me right the wrongs I have done to my ponies, to you, and to so many others. I did them unintentionally, but the deeds have been done, and I wish to set them right. But I cannot do it alone.” The young princess felt moisture welling in her eyes for the hundredth time that night, but for the first time she could not hold it back. Small pearls of salty tears rolled down her cheeks as she fought desperately to pull herself together. Now was not the time to cry, there would be time for that later, now was the time to act.

Taking one last steadying breath as the wet streaks dried to her coat, Cadence looked up and glanced between the Princesses. Celestia looked regal as always, her mouth set in an inscrutable line across her face. Luna looked similarly stoic, her features set in a stony frown as she gazed at the much younger princess. Finally, the elder sister spoke, her soft voice sounding tired. Only then did Cadence realize she had been up the whole day before, the entire night, and now had to stay awake all of today. “We sympathize with your plight, Cadence, neither of us wishes to see your kingdom fall into the hooves of a pony who would do harm to the ponies who live there.”

“However,” Luna spoke as her sister paused for breath, “we cannot offer our help immediately. While we rule the ponies of Equestria, we do not control their lives and we will not send our soldiers away from their families if we can avoid it.”

“Equestria is peaceful, and has been since the Fall of Discord,” Celestia added. “Our ponies are not eager to fight and will need to be swayed to your cause. We will do what we can for you, Cadence, but we are not miracle workers.”

“Sacrifices will have to be made, and not just by us, if you truly desire our aid.” Luna concluded the simple speech with a stark finality that made Cadence fear that she would not get the aid she needed. Not here, not anywhere, but the look in Celestia's eyes made her feel as if hope was not all lost. Perhaps she could sway the nobles of Equestria the way she had swayed Celestia.

~~~

Things did not go as Cadence had hoped. Instead of a unified decision for or against giving aid to the Crystal Kingdom, the Council of Everfree was split in their decision. Noble ponies spent hours that stretched into days arguing over the most miniscule of details that ranged from public image to long-term financial pros and cons that a potentially long war would bring. The crystal princess sat quietly next to Celestia as the ponies sitting around the long table on the middle of the room argued fruitlessly.

Slowly she began tuning the ponies out until all she heard was an indistinct humming all around her. Cadence's gaze began wandering around the intricately decorated room. Long and narrow, the Council Room was tall and domed with stained glass windows set all the way down each wall. Bright sunlight colored the otherwise stark white room with blocks of reds, blues, greens, yellows, and every color in between.

Set in the center of the room was a long wooden table with dozens of chairs set around it, one for each noble lord and lady who held a set in Celestia's Council. At the front of the room sat three seats on a raised platform- one was rose colored with a sun emblazoned on the back, the second was midnight blue with a silver moon crest, and the third was plain as there was not usually a third princess in attendance, but Cadence didn't mind. She did very little talking and eyes were rarely on her except in angry glances that seemed to accuse her. Why did you bring this upon us? Who do you think you are? Cadence felt herself flinch away from such gazes, turning her attention to the floor, ceiling and walls of the great chamber.

After what felt like hours of endless bickering from the two sides of the table, Celestia stood, spreading her wings wide and looking down on the nobles at the table below. “Enough. You have each stated your cases for the day. Lord Blueblood, please state your ending argument.”

A tall, white unicorn stallion with a wavy blond mane stood from his seat and cleared his throat. “As I have said many times before, it is not prudent to send our armies to the Crystal Kingdom. They are not at war, there is no war. Our treaty with the Kingdom demands we send aid only in times of war. Therefore, I say we do not spread our forces thin by sending some north. Steelshod is a greater threat to us than a simple unicorn king in a small northern country.

“Also, what kind of message would it send to our other allies? Do we favor the Crystal Kingdom above other nations? Will we flippantly send aid to any ruler who asks us, regardless of the risks involved? Are we claiming to be the central ruling power among all the kingdoms, able to strike down a king if he steps away from what we consider to be the 'right' way?

“I say, we play this safe. It seems this 'King Sombra' is not yet a threat. If he becomes a threat in the future, then we can deal with him. For now, this is not our problem. If Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is not able to right this problem on her own, perhaps she is not fit to rule the Crystal Kingdom at all.”

Cadence felt her wings rustle angrily as Lord Blueblood sat back down. A smattering of polite clapping rose from the other lords and ladies who took his side in the matter. They were the 'proper' nobility, the ruling class who cared little for the lives of the ponies they ruled and all for their appearances to other nobles. Celestia continued to wear a neutral face as she turned to the other side of the table where a forest green pegasus stallion was sitting, his wings puffed up in indignation at the speech Blueblood had just given. “If you would stand and give your final address Lord Cedrus, we will  adjourn until tomorrow morning.”

The green pegasus stood, his soft brown mane bobbing slightly as he turned and bowed to both princesses sitting at the front of the room, “I beg to disagree with my fellow councilstallion, Blueblood. I believe that we should send aid to the Crystal Kingdom. We know they have never had a standing army, ever since the fall of Discord. They are a peaceful nation and have no means to protect themselves if their magical barriers fail. I would contest that keeping the kingdom from defending itself is in itself an act of war against such a peaceful kingdom, and by that notion we are compelled to offer aid, as the Lord Blueblood stated earlier.

“As for what kind of aid we are to send, I can give no estimate. I am not a pony of war, and would deffer such judgment to a pony who is- Captain Storm Fleet of the Celestial Day Guard or Commander Lightning Dazzle of the Wonderbolts Air Defense. They are the ponies to ask about how much aid we can spare to send to the north, for I to do not wish to see Steelshod soldiers invade our fair country.

“So it is here that I implore my fellow councilponies to see reason- if King Sombra could become a threat, is it not better to take him out while he is yet weak? We have heard the stories and know of the destruction of the draconequus- a race our ancestors once thought to be only a minor threat and yet held our world in their chaotic claws for several millenia. I do not wish to see the same mistake mirrored in my lifetime.”

Without another word, the green stallion sat, a quiet smile on his lips as he glanced at the table across from him to where Blueblood sat, looking equally satisfied. They had said their pieces, now it was time for the rest of the council to cast their decisions. Cadence dreaded this part of the proceedings most of all, waiting for each councilpony to cast his or her vote for or against her cause was nerve wracking.

Celestia stood again and turned to the mare sitting at the front right side the the table, “Lady Hearts Warmth, to whom to you pledge your vote?”

“To the Lord Blueblood,” the silver mare said, tossing her brilliant blue mane.

“And you, Lord Greymere, to whom will you cast your vote?” Celestia asked the stallion sitting next to Lady Hearts Warmth.

“The Lord Blueblood, My Lady.”

And so the voting continued around the elongated table, the pink princess silently keeping count of the votes until finally Lady Goldenrod cast her vote for Lord Cedrus, bringing the tally to 12 for and 14 against, not tied as it had been on previous days, but neither had the majority needed to take action. Celestia gave her closing remarks before ending the evening session of Council. Cadence waited until the council room was empty before rising to her hooves and exiting the room after the sun princess.

The hall outside the long council room was deserted, none of the councilponies had stayed to speak to the princesses as they had earlier. There was no need, everything they could have said had been said, just as it had in Council. Cadence felt her heart sink, every day she was away from the Crystal Kingdom was another day for King Sombra to do something horrible to her little ponies. Tears rose in the crystal princess's eyes, but she could not tear her mind from thoughts of what Sombra might do. There was no telling how the unicorn stallion would take out his anger on her little ponies... and it was her fault.

Warmth enveloped the young princess as white flooded her vision. Celestia wrapped her wings around the younger mare, holding her close as Cadence cried. “It's all my fault,” she moaned. “I should have noticed sooner... I should have done something... Blueblood is right... I'm not fit to rule if I cannot protect my little ponies from King Sombra...this is all my fault...”

“Shh,” Celestia's voice was soft and kind as she carefully wiped away her tears. “It's not all your fault, Cadence. And do not believe everything Blueblood says, he does not know what trials you undertook to reach us. All he can see is your plea for assistance, what he takes as a sign of weakness.”

“Isn't it, though?” Cadence asked, her voice catching as she spoke. “Shouldn't I be strong enough to protect my ponies on my own?”

“Mayhaps one day you will be able to,” Celestia agreed, “but you are still young, do not hold yourself to unreachable standards. It will only hold you down. You did all you could and when you could do no more, that is when you asked for aid. You are stronger than you know, but even the strongest ponies need other ponies to support them in times of great need.

“And you are my blood, Cadence. Your grandmother was my sister and I do not forget blood ties easily. You will have my support, and that of Luna, despite whatever consensus the Council arrives at.”

Cadence smiled weakly through her tears and wrapped her hooves around her aunt. “Thank you, Celestia... thank you.”

At the far end of the hall, which sat in the early evening shadows, stood an equally shadowed figure. Tall and dark, her teal mane brushed over one side of her face, Luna watched Celestia embrace their grand-niece, showing the young mare more affection in that motion than the alicorn had shown her sister in over a hundred years. Her bright teal eyes darkened and her pupils narrowed slightly as she whirled around, away from the touching scene behind her.

It had been one thing after another with Celestia recently, and this was simply one more tally against the sun princess. Luna felt tears of her own in her eyes, but they were not tears of pity or remorse for her niece's plight. They were tears of anger and bitterness towards Celestia. If blood means so much to you, Sister, why have you abandoned me?