The Warmistress of Equestria

by iowaforever


Redemption

Redemption

        The Warp. The Realm of Magic, as it is sometimes called by mortals. Onward it stretches, a winding maze of emotions that only the most powerful of beings can attempt to navigate. For now it is calm, although small flurries of emotions signal to it’s chaotic nature... and it’s influence.

        For the last thousand years it has healed, recovering from the scars of a terrible war between those that would claim to be it’s master. Daemons and abominations once clawed their way into the Warp, but the Powers of Harmony repelled them and banished them to the realms from whence they came. Now, the corruption of Chaos is a distant memory, serene pools of magic and power being the only thing in sight.

        However, the Warp is far from empty.

        Down one of the many paths walks a pony. She appears as a young mare, with a dark blue coat and a mane of swirling stars. Her wings are tucked in at her sides, her horn out before her to show her the way in the darkness of the Warp. Onward she walks, over the tides of the Warp as she has for the last thousand years, though it feels much longer and much shorter at the same time. Occasionally she stops and strains for a sound, but these instances are brief and do nothing to slow her progress, as if time matters in the realm of the Immaterium.

        “Still walking, are we?” She hears a voice say from her side. She does not need to look, for she knows that a man walks beside her, a fallen general from a world long forgotten. He is clad in silver armor, a cape of furs draped over his back, and he has been her companion ever since she was sealed away in this place.

        “I have nothing better to do, my friend.” she says as she turns around a corner that does not exist, down paths that fade in and out and change shape with each step.

        “I see.” Horus says, looking away from Luna. “I gave up on wandering after two thousand years; it only makes the feeling of guilt grow deeper.”

        “I have no guilt,” Luna counters. “I have forgiven my sister, and she has forgiven me.”

        “Guilt does not go away so easily, Luna. You will have to take it under your control, otherwise it will consume you when you least expect it.”

        “Is this another lesson?”

        “If you see it that way.” the former Warmaster of Humanity shrugs. “Lacking a way to manifest in the physical realm, I cannot face your sister and fully make my peace, although I have tried. You, on the other hand, have a chance.”

        “But I have made my peace.”

        “I hope you are not mistaken.” Luna sets aside that thought as the two keep walking.

        “Horus?”

        “Yes, Luna?”

        “If I had listened to you... If I had ignored Tzeentch and stayed with my sister... would you and I still be friends?”

        “Of course.”

        “But you wouldn’t have had a chance to make peace with my sister. You’ve told me many things, and you said that moment changed you and helped you move on. Would you still be the same person if I had just purged myself of corruption?” Horus is silent, but looks back to Luna with a small smile.

        “I would have found a way. But you are right; I might have been a very different person had I not had the chance to speak with your sister when I did... and had I not had the chance to get to know you as I do now.” Luna smiles.

        “Thank you Horus.”

        “It is my pleasure, Luna.” the two walk on, but as they walk Luna begins to pick up something. A presence that she has felt many times, but never this close. Horus says nothing, but she knows that he can feel it too. The presence builds in power until a tear appears in the Warp, a rainbow of light wrapping around the two companions. Luna backs up a little, unsure of what to do as the source of the presence steps into the Immaterium.

        She is a magnificent alicorn, glowing bright like a star. Her wings are spread wide and her mane flows in an unseen wind, a swirling mass of colors like the sun. She is clad in heavy armor, the symbol of her home and her rule adoring the armor’s chestpiece and right pauldron respectively. She is silent for the moment, her only action being to open her eyes and look upon the two beings in front of her.

        “It... it worked.” Celestia whispers, a smile spreading across her face. “It worked! The Elements of Harmony worked!”

        “... Tia?” Luna takes a step forward. “Is that really you?”

        “Yes, Luna.” Celestia smiles wider before rushing forward and embracing her sister. “It’s me. I’ve come to bring you home.”

        “... home?”

        “Yes. For the past thousand years I have looked for a way to bring you back to Equestria, and I found one. By using the Elements of Harmony to boost my powers, I was able to re-enter the Warp and find you.”

        “Really?”

        “Yes, really.”

        “But,” Horus says. “I have observed you for some time, and you have never been able to use the Elements since the day you banished Luna.” Celestia’s smile slips away and she takes a step back.

        “I... I may have lied to several ponies about what was really happening.”

        “Tia, What did you do?” Celestia shuffles around for a little before speaking.

        “I... I dropped a rumor many years ago that Nightmare Moon would return, and pushed my personal student towards finding and reuniting the Elements. I posed as Nightmare Moon in order for the spell to work.” Luna gasps and steps back. “They weren’t in any danger, if that’s what you’re worried about; I had several failsafes in case something-”

        “You... Why would you do such a thing? You know how badly that monster hurt Equestria!” Now Celestia steps back. She looks hurt, as if she realizes just what she had done.

        “I know.” She says after a pause.

        “And you are the ruler of Equestria! Ponies trust you to do what is right and just, and now you’re going behind their backs? You betrayed their trust and posed as one of the worst ponies to have ever lived.”

        “I know.” Celestia shuffles around again. “What I did was wrong, and I did betray the trust of several ponies I care about, and I will have to suffer to consequences of my actions... but it wouldn’t have worked if I had told them. They needed to bond with another. And...” Luna notices a small tear running down Celestia’s cheek. “I just wanted you to come home, Luna. For the last thousand years I have been alone, watching as ponies come and go while you stayed here, imprisoned at my doing. I... I’ve never really forgiven myself for that day.” She looks up at Luna. “I want my sister back, Luna. And I am willing to do anything short of killing somepony if it will work.” Luna knows that she should be mad at Celestia. Her sister has manipulated other ponies into doing her bidding, gone against her stance as an honest ruler.

        But she cannot be mad, no matter how hard she tries.

        Her sister has changed. No longer is she the proud Empress of Ponykind, the warrior queen who killed hundreds of enemies of Equestria with nary an ill though. Now, she sees a softer Celestia, one who is more willing to admit her mistakes and swallow her pride. Her sister might have done wrong, but she seemed willing to admit her mistake and find a way to make up for her wrongdoing.

        “I... I understand.” Luna takes a step closer to her sister. “But promise me that you will speak with the ponies you wronged.”

        “Of course.” Celestia smiles and stands up straighter. “We must hurry; I don’t know how long this connection will last.” Celestia turns and walks towards the rift in the Warp, Luna following close behind. Before she enters the rift, however, she looks back to Horus, who has remained silent as the sisters talked.

        “Can you come with us?”

        “No. As my physical form was destroyed, I am forever bound to the Warp.”

        “But... you’ll speak to me again, right?” Horus smiles.

        “Of course, my friend.”

        And the world went white.

...

        Luna had been freed. Six mares had taken up the Elements of Harmony and had helped Celestia free her, six mares that Luna owed her life to. She had spoken to each of them at the party the pink one had thrown after the group had returned from Everfree, but she made a note to return to Ponyville and have a more in-depth conversation with each of them. Now, though, she had a chance to walk among her subjects, a chance to live in a world without the threat of daemons or corruption.

        And she was completely lost.

        She walked silently through the halls of Canterlot Castle. The structure was much grander than Everfree, with numerous bright colors and tapestries adorning the walls to complement the sheer size of the place. At night, the tapestries looked rather eerie, but Luna was certain that she would get used to that soon enough.

        Following her connection to the Warp, Luna was able to pinpoint Celestia’s location. The older mare was in her room, Luna guessed, and she focused in an attempt to teleport to Celestia. Her horn sparked a little, but she did not move from her spot. My powers must still be recovering... I’ll have to ask Tia about it. Luna stopped trying to use her magic and kept walking, stepping lightly through the corridors of the palace.

        She reached Celestia’s room a minute later. It was smaller than Luna had expected, but still well furnished. Luna looked around, but other than seeing a rather sickly looking Philomena she did not see her sister. Her eyes drifted to the closet at the far end of the room, and Luna slowly approached before opening the door slightly.

        Inside sat Celestia’s armor. It was a bit more scratched than Luna remembered, but it was still Her armor. The raptor upon the left pauldron, the rising sun on the other, and the twin-headed eagle provided a pleasant feeling of nostalgia for Luna, and she gently traced each curve and scratch with her hoof.

        To think, I tried to kill my sister... It does not seem real...

        “I plan on making you a new suit of armor someday soon.” Luna jumped as Celestia approached her from behind. “I hope you won't need it, but it might provide some familiarity.”

        “Thank you sis-... Tia.” Luna turned to face Celestia. “Did you speak with the Element Bearers?”

        “I did.” Celestia turned away, walking out onto the balcony. “They... they took it better than I thought they would, although it will take me some time to regain their full trust.”

        “How do you plan to do that?”

        “I have my ways.” Luna raised an eyebrow before Celestia elaborated. “I’ll spend some time in Ponyville with them. What did you think I was going to say?”

        “... I do not know.” Luna sighed and walked over to her sister’s side. “I don’t know a lot of things, Tia. Before I fell, I was your Warmistress, your second in command and champion of Equestria. I’ve looked at this world and... it’s peaceful.”

        “And that is a problem?”

        “No, of course not.” Luna fluffed her wings. “But... what am I supposed to do? There are no armies for me to lead, no wars to win. You were always the better speaker, and it’s been quite some time since I have done any administration work. I... I don’t know what I am supposed to do.” Luna looked up at the moon, the front of her former prison. She only looked down as an alabaster wing was draped over her back.

        “There will be a time for that, Luna.” Celestia said. “For now, you are home, and you need to recover your power. And you are wrong; you are a wonderful orator and statespony. Yes, it will take some time for you to acclimate to Parliamentary procedures, among other things, but I know you will succeed.” Luna looked to her older sister. She knew Celestia would help her; she had done so more times than Luna could remember, and had never given up on her, even when Luna had been swept up by Tzeentch and his manipulations.

        Equestria may have gone through major changes, but Celestia was still the same pony she remembered from her childhood.

        “Thank you, Tia.” Luna moved closer and rested her head on Celestia’s neck. “So... what is my rank now?”

        “Officially, you are a Princess of Equestria.” Celestia looked back up at the sky. “But should the need ever arise, and I pray it doesn’t, I shall reinstate you as my Warmistress.”

        “I... I shall not let you down, Tia. I shall be the best that I can be, and I shall prove myself worthy of being your sister.”

“I know you will, Luna.”

...

        Anlindē flicked her ears again. The forest was alive with sound, but it took a trained ear to pick out the sound of danger from the background. She knew it would take quite a bit of persistence and strength to injure her, but she still remained alert.

        “Seer,” a voice called from ahead. Anlindē looked ahead as her companion, a young Ranger by the name of Galas, entered the clearing she was standing in. “I’ve scouted ahead; the path is clear and no predators shall find us.”

        “Good.” Anlindē rose from her position and reached out through the Empyrean, grabbing her sword from it’s resting place. “We must hurry before our presence is detected.” the Ranger nodded and darted off down the path, Anlindē following close behind. Using her magic, the Seer was able to keep pace with the Ranger, even overtaking him at points where the ground was flattest. Over fallen trees and under dangling vines the two ran, ducking and weaving through the underbrush with a grace that few other beings could ever achieve.

        Soon, they had reached the ruins of Everfree Castle, where the old rulers of Equestria had governed. Anlindē had never seen these rulers, although some of the elders spoke of them as a combination of all the pony races, possibly the only specimens of the species that were close to her kind in terms of grace and beauty. She would have paid respect to them, but she was on a tight schedule and advanced further.

Once, it had been a symbol of power for Ponykind, but like all works it had crumbled away to dust. As if they could build anything to last, Anlindē thought. Yes, ponies were less antagonistic than most of the races her kind had met, but they were blunt to the point of being complete brutes, and that left a sour taste in Anlindē’s mouth. No matter. I have a task to perform.

        Drawing her sword in case Galas had not been as attentive as he would have liked, Anlindē advanced into the ruined castle. There was a layer of dirt on the ground, but her movements were such that not a single speck was disturbed as she walked. Her eyes and ears twitched as she searched, every single movement being tracked by her senses.

        “It’s just as I saw.” she said. “Look, the pedestals are empty.” Galas turned his attention to the pedestals that Anlindē had mentioned. There were five of them, jutting out from a central column, and all of them were empty.

        “That is a bad sign, is it not?”

        “It depends.” Anlindē moved closer. “The prophecy stated ‘The Pedestal is blank, the Hall of Gods forsaken. So the Lost shall return, and destruction shall follow’.” she traced the pedestals with her hoof. “Equestrian legend says that their gods reigned in this castle.”

        “And whatever you were looking for is not there.” Galas said, taking a step forward. “Now where is ‘the Lost’, and how can we kill it?” Anlindē shot Galas a glare.

        “Why do you think that killing the Lost is good?”

        “It brings destruction, right? Wouldn’t it be logical to kill it before it has the chance?” Anlindē paused for a moment.

        “There is some merit to your words...” she stepped away from the pedestal, using her magic to pull out several runes from a pouch on her flank. “But there is not enough evidence to say when or where the destruction shall come.” Anlindē set the runes down on the floor and began to focus. Slowly the runes began to glow, and there was a crack as a rift formed in front of her.

        “We must report our findings to the Seer Council; they shall decide what course we are to take.”

        “Yes, my lady.” Anlindē recovered her runes, and once Galas joined her the two deer entered the rift and vanished without a trace.