//------------------------------// // Rules of the Road // Story: The Forgotten Exile // by Echo 27 //------------------------------// The borders of the Everfree Forest were calm and tranquil as the night sky above them, unmoved by the stillness of the air. The stars that dotted the velvet black glistened in the endless curtain of darkness while the moon released its soft glow on the earth below. Fluttershy’s cottage, usually so active at night with the consistent pitter-patter of nocturnal creatures, was dead as the grave. No movement inside indicated any sign of life. The gentle caretaker was gone… But was not far away. A shadowy figure darted across the open expanse between the cottage and the borders of Everfree, followed soon by another, and another. A flying form zoomed across the expanse in the span of a second, followed by a bouncing figure not far behind. A timid shape began sneaking out across the gap between home and forest, inching along at a snail’s pace. “Fluttershy!” A harsh voice hissed. “Get over here now!” “That’s no way tuh talk tuh Fluttershy,” a country voice reprimanded. “Give her a minute, she’ll get here.” “We don’t have the time!” the harsh voice replied. “Fluttershy, unless you want to let Celestia’s guard to catch up with us, get over here now!” That was too much for Applejack. Rainbow Dash was the element of Loyalty, the country pony didn’t take kindly to Cobalt Storm’s rude demeanor. “Now that’s enough!” she declared angrily, stomping her foot in the grass and facing the stallion. “Ah don’t care what you’re trying to do, but talking to Fluttershy that way is just plain mean!” “Are we really going to do this?” Cobalt demanded incredulously, so enraged his voice had become a steam-like hiss. “Here? Now? Look kid, we are still in the danger zone so unless you wanna spend your final hours in Celestia’s dungeon with your hooves being torn from your legs, I suggest you shut up!” “C-c-Celestia’s dungeon??” Fluttershy asked, her voice quaking. Twilight, who had been loath to say anything in the conflict, finally had to act. Fluttershy was on the ground, trembling as tears began to form in her soft eyes while Applejack and Cobalt Storm were inches apart from each other, the pair of them bearing looks that could kill. “Fluttershy, Celestia doesn’t have a dungeon, you can relax,” she said soothingly. She turned to the enraged pair of Earth ponies. “Will the two of you knock it off? Cobalt, you’re scaring everypony with your talk of a dungeon.” Cobalt Storm laughed, a derisive mocking sound that pounded into the young princess’ skull. “Twilight, have you ever been down in the lower levels of any of her palaces?” “There are no lower levels in any palace!” Twilight replied, more forcefully than she had meant to. She had to keep calm, otherwise her friends might panic. “Keep it down!” Cobalt hissed, a tinge of desperation evident in his voice. “This is not the time or place to have this con-” A snap in the bushes a few yards away brought a sudden silence that muted the group of exiles. Not long after, the hushed mutterings of steely voices reached their ears, pushing them down to the ground for fear for their lives. “Why’d the Captain send us all the way out here? We’re almost into Everfree, they wouldn’t have made it this far.” “One of Princess Twilight’s friends owns that cottage we just passed by,” said the other. “Captain sent us to see if they tried to take refuge here. But it looks like it was locked.” “You think they went into the forest?” asked the first. He sounded much younger, more nervous than the other. He was a green-as-grass rookie, Twilight suspected. May even be his first day on duty. “If they did, we’re not well-equipped for it, and don’t have enough bodies to make a scouting successful. The forest eats anyone that walks in. They’ll be dead before sunrise.” The conversation then took a turn that chilled Twilight to the bone. “That town’s a mess. Those cows destroyed a good chunk of stuff back there,” said the first. Twilight felt Applejack shift uncomfortably beside her. “Yeah, they think it was the farm girl who convinced them to stampede. Looks like Twilight’s friends betrayed the kingdom in helping that stallion.” “What do you think’ll happen to ‘em if they’re caught?” The second guard said nothing, pushing a pebble away with a flick of his hoof. He was experienced, a seasoned veteran in war and combat. His hesitance unnerved the hidden group of ponies as they waited on bated breath for his next statement. “Twilight’s friends may be kept alive, but they’re going to be marked ‘Dead-Or-Alive’ come sunrise. As for Equestria’s newest princess, I wouldn’t be surprised if Celestia kills her personally. You could hear her halfway across Equestria.” The first guard gave shudder, his armor rustling as he shook. “I’ve never seen the Royal Princess so angry,” he murmured. “Can’t imagine what she’ll do to the pony that escaped. Probably tear him apart.” “We need to move. Now,” Cobalt whispered urgently. “If we’re spotted or attack, they’ll know we were here. Keep quiet, keep low, and crawl.” Too frightened by the unpleasant conversation of the two soldiers, they crept silently across the ground, taking care to avoid anything that might give them away. Whether it be a stray leaf or a downed branch, whatever that could signal their presence was a death trap. They didn’t stop until the forest’s blackness had enveloped them, and the voices of the guardsponies had disappeared. A pink tinge was beginning to cast its soft glow on the horizon by the time the group of exiles finally took a moment to rest. Their journey had been a quiet one, the only sounds they had heard emanated from Everfree itself and the creatures that inhabited the peculiar realm. Even the normally cheerful Pinkie Pie was silent, witness to words that had shaken her bones. Twilight was beginning to have misgivings about her plan to free Cobalt Storm. She had recruited her friends to help because she had thought they would need to create a diversion, but it may have put them all at risk. In her desperation to save his life, she may have forfeited her own. “As for Equestria’s newest princess, I wouldn’t be surprised if Celestia kills her personally,” he had said. Twilight’s mentor and hero, Princess Celestia, wanted her dead. The Princess wanted her to die, and she wanted be the one to do it. It was a weight that she never had anticipated, and it made her stomach shrivel up in a storm of emotions she had never encountered. A mixture of fear, disgust, and shame took hold of her. Her heart had gotten in the way her common sense. Why hadn’t she just teleported in, grabbed Cobalt Storm, and gotten out? It would have been exponentially easier and far more discreet. Instead, she had concocted a last-ditch effort that had every one of them marked for death. The only pony who seemed to be handling it well was Cobalt Storm, she surmised, gazing at the handsome stallion. While he had been shocked at his death sentence, he seemed more fueled and focused than he had been before. The sea-stained pony’s purpose had become to keep them all alive. Where has he been that can allow him to endure this like it’s nothing? She wondered. How can this be normal to him? Suddenly, the ground beneath her hooves began to shake. Pebbles danced across the ground in a hither-dither manner, bouncing every which-way as the earth trembled. “Another earthquake!” She muttered to herself, feeling her own legs wobble. As the vibrations continued, she felt uneasy. This one’s continuing much longer than the last one. And it’s more powerful. Thankfully, the ordeal eventually came to a close, one final tremble signaling the end. Cobalt Storm took pause, halting his steps. His head swiveled to the right and saw a damp cave opening, and he flashed a quick smile. “I hoped it was still here,” he said. “What’s still here?” Rarity asked. “An old smuggler’s cave I found traveling across Everfree’s border four years ago. Ever since Celestia took down some of the cartels in the region, most of these holes have been abandoned. I’d use them as shelter, and we could use that now.” The snow-white mare took a look inside the cave entrance and gave a grimace. “It smells terrible!” she declared. “It’s a hiding spot the guards will never care to look in,” Cobalt Storm replied wearily, his battered frame beginning to tremble ever so slightly. “Caves like these weren’t meant for permanent residence, so they’re inhospitable. We stay here until sunset, then move across Rambling Rock Ridge out towards the Foal Mountains and the northern plains.” “Why north?” Applejack demanded. “Because the one safe place left in the world is that way,” he answered. “And I need information. Both are in the same direction.” As they entered the cave, Cobalt Storm turned to face them. “Rainbow, I need brush. Stuff to make a fire. Smokeless, if you can find it.” The tomboy pegasus zoomed back out into the forest in a technicolor blur. Cobalt then began pawing at the ground, using his unusually pointed forehooves to dig into the ground. He dug a strange tunnel, a small hole in the ground two feet deep that had a second opening just a foot away. “That’ll do,” he murmured softly, his knees starting to buckle. “Got some firewood for ya!” Rainbow Dash declared, throwing the pile at the stallion’s feet. “Excellent. Now where’s the dragon?” he asked, and Spike hopped off Twilight’s back, timidly making his way over. “No reason to be nervous, kid, I just need your flames. Push the brush in, and set it ablaze.” Moments later, the inside of the cave glowed a bright green, the small fire bringing warmth to the entire group. Twilight felt exhausted but pleased as she saw her friends give sighs of relief, starting to bed down for the day. Cobalt Storm gave a moan of pain and crumpled to the ground, his bruises and bloody marks finally overcoming his enormous strength. “The fire’ll keep the place dry enough,” he said weakly. “Someone needs to keep watch,” he added, a grimace of pain flashing across his ragged features as he tried to stand. “No, I’ll take it,” Twilight protested, pushing him back to the ground with her wings. “You need rest.” Cobalt looked ready to protest, but his weariness overtook him. “Thank you,” he murmured, shuffling away from the fire and immediately closing his eyes. The lavender alicorn took position a few steps away from the entrance, taking care to be just out of sight. Half-obscured by the darkness, she would be nearly invisible unless they came into the cave itself. “You gonna be alright out here, sugarcube?” Applejack said, the Earth pony appearing beside her friend. “Applejack, you should be getting some rest!” Twilight cried. “Ah’m fine, ah can take this,” the farm pony replied. “Besides, I wanted to talk to you bout somethin’.” Twilight spoke first. “Look, I’m sorry for dragging you all into this. I made a mistake, I-” “Ah appreciate it, Twi, but that’s not what I wanted to say,” Applejack cut through. “Just wanted to say a few things, that’s all.” “Sure, go ahead.” “Ah know you care about Cobalt Storm, but think about this: Celestia wants him dead. She ordered him to be put to death almost instantly. But she won’t tell anyone why? Somethin’s up.” “And?” Twilight noticed some hesitancy in her usually forward friend. “Well, there is this,” Applejack drawled. “Only Princess Celestia and Princess Luna knew Cobalt Storm’s real name. Not even you did. Why is that?” Twilight didn’t quit see it, but instead shook her head. “Princess Celestia is ancient, Twi. She and her sister are older than any pony in Equestria. They’re the two ponies who know his name. So how old is he?” Twilight made the connection and her eyes widened. “You don’t think-?” “Ah’m just saying what ah’m thinkin’, that’s all,” Applejack shrugged, walking back into the cave. “Maybe it means something, maybe it don’t.” Twilight was again left alone with her thoughts, but this time her focus was on the exile in their midst. And just who he was, really. The night took no time in returning. By the time sunset had come and gone, the group of exiles had already made it halfway across the foreboding expanse of Rambling Rock Ridge, with no end in sight. Their visibility, increased by the rays of the moon, guided their path through the rocky territory. Cobalt Storm, rejuvenated by a healthy rest, had taken point position. Each other member of the group had been given specific orders as to their position; Twilight and Rarity were side-by-side behind Cobalt, Pinkie Pie and Applejack bringing up the rear. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew, kept at a distance of seven feet above the ground and five feet away from the rest of the group. Their job, as Cobalt Storm had put it, was to be the eyes and ears for the journey. If they failed to keep a wise watch, they could all perish. “We’ll cut across the Ridge as fast as we can,” Cobalt said aloud. “After that, we make our way across the train tracks and into the mountains. After that, you stick to me like glue. A lot of rogues and thieves make their home in the wildlands, and they’re more than willing to murder for sport. My job is to keep you all alive, so I’m not keen on giving them the chance to practice on any of you.” Twilight had to admit that Cobalt Storm was an invigorating leader. He possessed an experienced manner, and the leadership that was valued in the best of soldiers. He knew exactly what to say, how to say it, and helped keep the group calm. “We can make this journey, I promise. Follow my orders and we’ll survive.” Turning to his right, he called, “Any Lunar Guard?” he asked. “Nothing yet,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Haven’t seen a thing.” “That ain’t right, the sky should be crawling with those bats,” Cobalt muttered. “What is Luna up to?” The group continued on in silence for the most part, with occasional check-ups from Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Thankfully, they encountered no one, and saw little life beyond their own. Hours had passed when, suddenly, Fluttershy gave an excited cry. “Look at the moon!” The group screeched to a halt and stared up at the night sky, a beautiful sheet of blue that was marked with crystalline dots. However, the moon seemed to want no part of it. The frame of the stellar object contorted and writhed, as if something was trying to escape from its clutches. Cobalt Storm gasped. “Take shelter. Into the ridges! Hide!” “What, what’s going on-” Pinkie Pie asked. “I’ve seen this before, it’s Luna!” Cobalt cut through. The clear white glow of the moon suddenly had a shadow slice through its rays like an assassin’s knife, feathery wings dominated the night sky as the mysterious Princess of the Night came forth, her form entering the sleeping world of Equestria. The mysterious mare of the moon set down in a nearby clearing, folding her wings tightly against her sides. “Cobalt Storm, come out,” she called calmly. “I know you’re out there.” Cobalt, pressed up against a large boulder, didn’t move a muscle. “Cobalt, all I want to do is talk to you,” Luna added. “If I wanted to harm you or any of the others, I would have already done so. You know this. Please, come here.” Cobalt Storm took a gulp of air and walked out into the clearing, his gaze fixated on the princess. “Beloved Daughter of the Moon,” he hailed. “It is most pleasing to see you again. I only wish we met on better tidings.” Luna, however, held up a hoof and shook her head. “No titles, please,” she said. “You and I, we know one another. We do not need such formality. Please, I am always Luna to you.” Twilight and the others crept closer in order to hear the conversation. Daring to take a peek, Twilight used her magic to peer through the rock she hid behind. Cobalt gave a soft chuckle, filled with a warmth the young lavender mare hadn’t heard before. “Luna, is it? Not Lulu yet?” he asked. “As I recall, you never truly took to that name,” Luna replied, a small smirk across her usually solemn expression. “Can’t say I did,” he agreed. “But you’re not here for small talk. What are you here for, Luna?” The Princess of the Night remained silent, staring back at the sea-colored stallion before her. Cobalt Storm, however, seemed to have understood. “Tia’s not saying why she sentenced me, is she?” Luna shook her beautiful head, her vibrant, star-studded mane whipping through the air. “She told me of what occurred after it had ended, but no more. She refuses to say what drove her to such a decision.” “And you came here to ask me,” Cobalt guessed. “Luna, she’s the one who exiled me in the first place. Why she didn’t kill me then and there is beyond me, but instead… and now this? I’m at a loss. It doesn’t make any sense to me.” “So then, what is your plan?” “Find out what she did. She’s cursed me once, maybe she placed one she needs to reverse,” Cobalt answered. “I’ve got spellbooks stored away in a secret library. If I can access those, maybe there’s something in there that can explain what’s going on.” “But you have my sister to contend with,” Luna surmised. “You know she will not rest until her Guard finds you.” Cobalt nodded slowly. “I’m aware of that,” he replied. “Trust me, escape was not my intention when she ordered my execution. I’m out here to keep these girls alive.” “She has requested my Lunar Guard continue the search during the night hours,” Luna offered. “She will want to know I found you.” Cobalt Storm went silent as he faced off with the alicorn, not daring to say a word. His fate, as well as the fate of the others, rested on Luna’s decision. “She will kill Twilight Sparkle and her friends if she finds them. Even if she finds you first,” Luna added. “Her anger is terrible, and she will not cease until you are dead. She grows more desperate by the hour. Therefore, she will be glad to know you were sighted heading south to the prairies. It is her first clue as to your whereabouts.” Cobalt took a step back as he stared at the night-blue mare. “Luna, that’s dangerous,” he breathed. “If she ever finds out, she’ll do the same to you as she would to me. Don’t risk it.” “I am the Princess of the Night, my choices are mine to keep,” she replied haughtily. “Find the truth and end this, Cobalt Storm. Our intertwined tales have continued for far too long.” As the Royal Sister began to take flight, the stallion’s voice cut through. “Wait a minute, Luna.” Luna settled back down on the ground, gazing at the stallion curiously. Cobalt Storm stepped closer to the alicorn princess. “Luna, it was all my fault.” “What was?” “Everything. The fall, and everything that came after. I’m to blame. I let hurt and anger control me, and look what happened to me, to everyone, to your sister, even you.” Luna’s eyes began to shimmer like the stars she knew so well. “We all failed that day, dear friend,” she replied softly. “You are no more to blame than any of us.” “But who paid the most terrible price? You, or I?” he fired back, his voice constricting. Words failed him as the sea-stained stallion tried to recover. “Luna, I could have protected you. I could have saved you, but I drove you to the darkness. I hounded you until you were a weapon for revenge. You didn’t deserve that. You were just a girl, and I used you. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.” The two gazed at each other, words beyond either one of them. Luna’s mane fell at her side, and her eyes glistened with tears. She was simply overcome, and wrapped her legs around the young stallion in a sudden embrace. Her wings folded around him as she gave him a sudden kiss, and then she dashed off into the night sky, a trail of droplets falling beneath her. Every eye was on Cobalt Storm as he stood there, completely taken aback. He gave a long sigh, but said nothing. Finally, after several minutes, he declared, “We go until we reach the mountains. There’s shelters all across the outskirts.” Twilight couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t decide whether she felt jealous about what had happened with Luna, or simply confused. It had all happened so suddenly, and the conversation itself was strange enough. Mixed with Applejack’s words to her back at the cave, her usually brilliant mind felt muddled. But then, at the edge of her hearing, she heard a clear voice in the night, singing softly. She opened her eyes to see Cobalt Storm sitting apart from the others, having insisted on guard duty when they had bedded down. He had barely said a word all night since they had encountered Luna, but now he sang out into the twilight. Rising, from the sea, I hear my love, she calls to me. She seems so close, like on that day, But in my heart, so far away. I search for her, to find her face, I need her love, I want her grace. But our pain tears us apart, We are two lost and broken hearts. The storms have come, the oceans rise, To take her heart, to take my life, I close my eyes, I cannot see, She is forever lost to me. Time goes by, the sunlight fades, Shining red on the waves. My heart beats, the seas bow down, My love now wears her glory crown. Years have passed, the seas roll on, Yet there she stands, at break of dawn. Tomorrow comes with open arms, And we shall never be apart. It was unlike anything she had ever heard. It was less a song and more of a hymn, but unlike any hymn she had come across. A strange mixture of a sea shanty with a prayer. She walked over to him silently, watching as he gave a long, tired breath, his eyes half-closed. He looked as utterly woebegone as the moment he had been captured. Though he was physically healthy once more, something seemed to be draining him of strength. “Who are you singing about?” she asked him quietly as she settled down beside him. “Who is she?” Cobalt Storm stared at her with his baleful teal eyes, tinged with grief. “She is one I loved long ago,” he answered. “The song was used at funerals for married couples, sung by the surviving spouse over their lover’s grave.” “Is she dead?” Twilight questioned, feeling her heart sink. Cobalt turned away and stared up at the stars. “She may as well be,” he answered tonelessly. “It never came to be. And it never can be.” Twilight stood there next to him, trying to force herself into speech. She wanted to know who he was and how he knew the Royal Sisters. She wanted an explanation for Applejack’s questions, what he had done, and why Celestia hated him so fiercely. But Cobalt Storm was the first to open his mouth. “I know how you feel about me,” he stated calmly, his back to her. “I know that you care.” Twilight became like stone, her blood turning to ice. She couldn’t tell whether she was frightened or embarrassed, but she was certain of what his next words would be. “I can’t give you what you desire,” he continued. “I can’t love you. I’m sorry.” Twilight nodded sadly, her gaze focused on the ground at her hooves. She made her way back to her sleeping place beneath a rock face, nestled right between Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. She knew for sure now that she would be unable to sleep. She doubted the hurt would let her.