High above the land of ponies, a single ship watched the transport fly down with its large escort. A pair of old, wise eyes watched from afar as the transport landed. They watched the New Roman general exit the ship, and they watched as the pink pony surprised her friends who had thought her dead. Those eyes saw everything that happened down below, even as the generals all left with the princess and her element bearers. The eyes never left the scene, until the castle doors shut tight and blocked the ones inside from the sight of those vigilant eyes. Then, as those eyes finally turned away, the ship containing them turned and shot back into the void of space. Where it was lost among the darkness.
~~~~~
By the time Luna had finished speaking with General Kaisur, three other creatures had exited the vehicle. They had introduced themselves as Generals Pelt, Scale, and Velkorn. Another fighter plane had also landed and the pilot had exited. She introduced herself as another New Roman general by the name of Starfall. They had gathered together and walked with her as they approached the castle. The six elements of harmony also following along behind the group.
Princess Luna had listened to these New Roman generals for as long as they were willing to speak, but she was beginning to feel overwhelmed by what she learned. This empire had been around far longer than even her parents had been. They had once flourished before a mad tyrant cast their civilization into a war they were bound to lose. They had suffered for hundreds of years under the total control of a cruel enemy before finally managing to gain the strength to rise up and escape their heavy chains.
The group of five creatures had told her a very brief summary of the fall of their predecessor and rise once more as New Rome. They had skipped over a lot in the next portion of their story, she could tell, but they told her of their dark days after rising once more. The reason they were such vigilant protectors now, as well as the reason they hide in the shadows lay in that period of thousands, nay tens of thousands of years after they escaped their oppression. What surprised her most however, had been the way the generals, namely the one known as Jer’rahd, had talked of their empire’s past, as if they themselves had been there when the events took place.
Luna knew that this was a preposterous idea, these five were not gods, they didn’t share in the immortality that she and her sister had been born with. Even if they did, there was no way they could survive so long and through the many wars they told her of briefly. They couldn’t have lasted all this time against enemies as strong as the ones that ravaged the Everfree Forest and likely killed her sister, could they?
During the short walk to the throne room, the princess of the night thought over the stories she had been told of this new Empire, older than Equestria by far, and capable of more destruction than she could begin to imagine. Luna had once wondered what life was out among her stars, but never had she believed a people so powerful and ancient could live out there beyond the borders of the Equestrian sky. Her sister had once even humored her by sending out a message, yet nothing had become of it. Now, Luna wished she had never known what existed out there.
The group was silent as the guards slowly opened the large golden doors to the throne room. A single large throne with two smaller ones on either side took up the center at the end of the long hall. Various stained glass windows depicted scenes of various events in the ponies’ past. One showed what appeared to be the six shorter mares entering the hall behind their princess. Each pony had a beam of light going upwards towards a figure that appeared to be made of parts taken from many different creatures.
The group moved forward, the only sound the click of boots and the clop of hooves. When finally they stood before the golden throne, the princess of the night turned and spoke. She spoke to the eleven gathered before her.
“We did not ask for this fight to arrive at our doorstep, yet it has been forced upon us. We appreciate the help of your empire, and we would thank thee for lending thine powers to assist us against an enemy unknown to Equestria and feared by those who have heard the tales and seen the shadows blocking our sister’s sun. This United Empire of New Rome has obviously seen more battle than all of this land’s inhabitants could begin to imagine. We know we would not have a ghost of a chance on our own, without your assistance and knowledge. We must begin to prepare for an invasion, for we all know one will soon be upon us.”
After she finished speaking, the princess sat upon the throne and allowed the others to speak their minds and help decide what could be done about the Sideran threat. There was silence for a short time before General Kaisur moved forwards to speak about their battle against the Sideran army.
“If I may speak out princess, your armies do not stand a chance against the threat these common enemies pose. There are not enough soldiers with our army to completely drive off the Siderans alone. However, there is a way that we can turn your ponies into the formidable fighting force you need if you wish to remain in control of your lands. Your ponies are not warriors, but I believe we can turn them into something better. Allow me to train your armies personally, and I will make sure they become the best soldiers we can possibly make them.”
“While we agree with your point General, we must ask how you will be able to train our ponies in your form of warfare when our bodies are not suited for standing on two legs and holding a weapon that shoots out death from its end. How can you train our soldiers to use a form of fighting their bodies cannot perform, and use weapons that we have never seen the likeness of in all our days.”
“You are correct, I cannot train them in our style of fighting, and it would be a mistake to give them a weapon they cannot use, but it is possible to make them a force to be feared and reckoned with. Your troops fight with sword and spear, I shall teach them to use these weapons in a way that will make them a brutally effective military force. I am one of the few among us who still clings to the old ways of combat. I can swing a sword better than any others in New Rome, and I can take whatever skill your stallions have and cause it to flourish.”
“We hope you speak true, and we believe we shall accept your offer. A small force of the guard will be sent with you. There is an old guard training facility on the opposite side of this mountain. It shall serve your needs well and keep you close to the city should an attack take place.”
“Thank you princess, I shall await your troops and start training as soon as you see fit.”
With that, Jer’rahd moved back and rejoined the group of five generals. There was another short silence before Twilight Sparkle moved forwards and began to speak.
“Princess, I need to know something. Do, do you think, just maybe, that Princess Celestia is still out there? I’m not sure what to think. She was a goddess, she couldn’t have been killed by the Siderans could she? How could she be beaten by those things spewing fire when she commands flames as if they were a part of her?”
“I wish I knew the answer to that question Twilight Sparkle, we wish our sister was here to help bear the burden of this war. Celestia was never a warrior at heart, but she could always devise a plan that was nearly flawless and she could always find a way around any obstacle, no matter how impossibly hopeless the situation was.”
“Princess, if I may interject,” The one known as Rhede Pelt began, “From what I’ve heard of this Celestia figure, it seems to me that she can withstand fire and even control it, is this right”
“Yes general, our sister controls the sun, and as such possesses the powers of the sun itself.”
“Good, then I highly doubt the Siderans would kill her. They worship fire and its destructive properties. If she controls fire, they would want her around for their own sake. It is quite possible that they merely captured her and are holding her as a prisoner.”
“I am both pleased and saddened by this information general. I am glad my dear sister lives, but I doubt her life as a prisoner of war is one to be happy for.”
“It is not, princess, I have been in their prisons before, and they are far from desirable.”
“That is upsetting, we hope she is doing well.”
"We do as well, but until we are able to locate the ship they are holding her on, there is not much we can do to bring her back."
~~~~~
Aboard the New Roman vessel, Shadow's Descent, a man stood watching a series of semi-transparent monitors. He was covered in a pale blue armor set and had a dark blue cape attached to his back. The monitors before him showed various large dark silver ships that each showed the Sideran symbol of a blue flame engulfing a dark silver horned helmet. In the middle of the multiple monitors was a picture showing live feed from the castle throne room.
This man watched as his generals conversed with the six elements and their moon princess. The man watched as the group dispersed into separate areas of the castle. His generals were led by a small group of guards to a hallway near the throne room where they were each given a separate room. The elements were also led to a hallway on the other side of the throne room, and were each given a separate room as well.
The object of his attention however, was the blue moon goddess herself. She trotted into her bedchambers towards the large bed with midnight blue sheets. Instead of getting into the bed as one may expect, she dropped to her knees at the foot of the bed and pulled out a small box. She slowly opened the container as a pale blue light shone on her expressionless face.
Her horn lit as a dark grey key was removed from the box. The key floated slowly across the bed and embedded itself in a small crack-like hole in the headrest of the large platform. As the key turned, the sheeted slab moved upwards and split along the middle, the two halves moving further apart until a space slightly larger than a pony's head was open.
In the shadows of the hidden chamber, a soft glow corresponding with Luna's horn lit within the crevice. A metal box was pulled out, barely fitting through the opening. As the box's top fell away with a purple glow, a blue helmet could be seen, carved into an elaborate form, seemingly made purely for decoration and not protection.
The princess looked upon the helmet with defeat showing on her face. She slowly lifted the blue helmet over her head, her pale blue magic reacting with the proximity of the exposed armor piece and turning darker, almost black. She then lowered the helmet onto her head, her mane turning more ethereal and starry as it came closer. Her coat turning a deep blue-black color as the helmet lightly touched her head.
By the time the helmet was fully placed on the princess's head, her entire body was covered in black hair and her mane seemed as if it were made of a smoky substance. When she opened her eyes, they no longer were the round pupils of a pony, and instead had taken on the appearance of a black slit among a green dragon’s eye. When the final burst of magic sealed the helmet, a set of armor materialized around the goddess's body, its form covering the entirety of the mare and still retaining its decorative elegance among its hard shell.
Princess Nightmare Moon stood tall and looked out the window at the slowly setting sun, its light casting the shadow of a massive ship upon the land. She could feel the pure power radiating out of the ship, its contents supplying the ship with the energy of the sun, and haunting the land with its threat of a fire raining down and laying waste to the land around it.
"Dear sister, your sun is now a weapon in the hands of an enemy. I will reach you and if I can, I will free you from this imprisonment. I will make you a slave no longer. I may not know what unspeakable horrors those monsters are putting you through, but I’m sure that it is not pleasant. Whatever curse they have on you, I will break it and set you free. This I swear on my own moon and stars."
~~~~~
In a room of metal, high above the land and sky, a trio of soldiers walked with a white goddess trotting behind them. The lead soldier wore a black cape from the back of his dark silver armor. Adorned on the cape was a picture of blue fire engulfing a crossed sword and rifle. The two walking beside this lead soldier wore slightly brighter silver armor and each had a black hammer burned into the shoulder piece with the outline of a shield surrounding it. The pony goddess herself wore a simple golden necklace with a purple gemstone inside of it.
The room was full of shelves and racks carrying all kinds of armor and weapons. There was a door on the other end of the room leading to a large forge. It was at this door that the three soldiers stopped. The leader of the group put on a helmet of the same dark silver as the rest of his armor. A series of burned in lines ran across the face plate, looking as if runic tattoos had been carved into it. The sun goddess took off her regalia and placed it on a table along with the cape. One soldier opened the door and the leader as well as the goddess walked into the room. The forge was burning with a bright blue light and the small forge room was bathed in a heat that would boil the blood of a normal creature not wearing a protective suit.
The goddess of flame dipped a hoof in a container of molten metal, the heat not effecting her at all. Soon she had stepped completely into the molten pool and had submerged herself completely up to the neck. She then stood up and brought with her a suit of seamless metal attached to her skin and unburning white coat. The metal glowed white hot before it cooled to a bright red and eventually settled at a bright silver hue.
The goddess removed herself from the heat bath and turned to face the pool once more. She then lit her horn with a crimson magic and her suit responded by glowing the same color. A patch of the armor then bulged outwards as a pair of massive wings covered in silver armor pulled their way through the solid armor as if it was taffy. The wings eventually lay spread fully as they reflected the glow of the forge off the silver armor covering the entirety of their magnificent size.
She began slowly moving the wings between open and closed positions multiple times, gaining speed as the metal bended, until the wings flapped hard enough to lift the metallic body off the ground. Once the speed of the wing movement was adequate for the goddess, she once more lit her horn and began moving the molten metal out of the pool and forming it into a bowl like shape. She carefully moved the flowing metal until it was formed carefully into an elegant flame like runic helmet. A series of shining red hot metal flames stretched off the back of the helm and bended easily as the goddess's flowing flame like multicolored hair was melded to the red of the heated metal.
Once the helmet was fitted exactly for the equine's head, she lit her covered horn and the entire helmet responded with a bright red hue. The armor covering the pony's body began to slowly fade as the helmet was pulled from the goddess's head. The removed helm was placed in an indent in the wall along with other pieces of armor that were half melted and covered in glowing runes that kept the metal from completely melting in the heat of the room.
The pony then turned and opened the door to the armory, walking out in all her fiery glory. Followed by the dark form of the Sideran leader walking out behind her. She then led the group of three Siderans behind her as she trotted back up the path from which they had come. She took the lead as the group moved towards the front bridge of the massive Sideran ship. She looked down through the massive windows, down at the world she had once loved and cherished, down at the land of impurities to be washed away in a blaze of glory. The queen of fire was ready, and the world below would be the first land of heretics that she was determined to purge. The might of Queen Solar Flare was about to be unleashed on the cowering ponies that had once looked to her for guidance. Only now, she was leading the source of their fear, and she had nothing but hatred for her old subjects.