Some time has passed since Blue’s departure to fulfill a mission assigned to him by Princess Celestia.
Blue had caught the train to the South of Equestria, coming out only at the end of the line it was on the southern border. After he got off the train, he ventured in the overseas lands of Equestria. He had never been in those lands. In fact, nopony without a certain amount of courage would venture out on those lands, because the vegetation was too dense and extremely wild. It cost him too much forward, but he always arranged a way to do it. After all, he had to. He had never given up of a mission and he wasn't going to start with that, especially one as important as that.
The morning after his wedding...
Blue entered the throne room of Canterlot castle, finding Princess Celestia and Princess Luna waiting for him.
"You wanted to see me, Princess Celestia?" Blue asked, approaching and making a bow.
"Blue, you don't have to bow" Celestia said. "Now, you're a prince."
"I'm sorry, princess, but my code the Captain contradicts my new status" Blue replied. "I will take some time to get used to it. What do you want to talk with me. "
"It turns out that my sister and I discovered something truly important" Luna said. "Something with gigantic proportions."
By the way Luna spoke, it seemed to be something quite important.
"But what I have to do with that?" Blue asked.
"We need to ask you a favor" Celestia said. "I know that's asking a lot, especially now that you just got married. But, the Shining Armor returned to the Crystal Empire with Princess Cadance, and taking into account the importance of this, we have our only choice. "
There was a pause and then Celestia said:
"We have a mission for you."
That took Blue by surprise.
"A mission?" Blue asked.
"I know what you're thinking" Celestia said. "You just get married and you want to spend as much time as possible with your wife, especially after what happened with Dark Hole and his Changelings. I know you want to go on honeymoon with her. Believe me when I say that this was not what I wanted to happen, especially because it’s Twilight who we’re talking about. But I wouldn't designate this mission if it wasn't really important."
Blue felt himself really a bit outraged with Celestia for she designate him a mission as soon as he had just married with Twilight, but he knew she would never do something like if this wasn't important enough.
"It's okay, princess" Blue said. ''I understand perfectly. What is that mission?"
"We can be to rush into things, but Celestia has convinced me that this could be something quite serious" Luna said.
"We need you adventure beyond the southern border" Celestia said.
"The border that overlooks the dense forest on the other side of MacIntosh Hills?" Blue asked. "Where nobody ventures to go?"
"Precisely" replied Celestia.
"But why?" asked Blue. "What's so important?"
"It's not what there is in there we care about" Luna said. "But what is in the other side."
Blue continued advancing, but the road had become increasingly dangerous. As he progressed, his coat and mane were becoming increasingly misaligned and small scratches were appearing along his body. The fatigue was beginning to take him as he progressed.
It was then that he finally managed to reach the end of that dense forest. He sighed with relief when entering in open field. He felt himself like he just walked out of a cell after spending years inside of it. His hooves were so tired that he couldn't resist and fell to the ground. Waiting to land on soft ground, he didn't bother with his fall, but, for his astonishment, his fall was painful.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, rising a little.
It was then that he noticed that the floor where he grounded was made of hard, grey stone. Then he lifted his head and looked ahead and was stunned by what he was seeing. All that was in front of him was petrified in stone, both soil and plants. In the distance, he could see what appeared to be two great towers, also in stone. Blue smiled slightly. That should be his destination.
He started walking the stone road, contemplating all nature around him completely petrified in stone. There was even petrified animals. It was when he reached his destination, getting completely speechless. It was a huge city, such as the Crystal Empire, completely turned into stone. The ponies who were abroad were transformed into statues, all expressing an air of terror or sorrow. It was then that he came to the center of that sad kingdom where there was a castle. It was very impressive.
It was huge, even bigger than the Canterlot castle, and immensely beautiful. Its base resembled a hoofball stadium, where in the middle there were two gigantic towers and these towers joined themselves near the top by a bridge, where in the middle there was what seemed to be a sphere that should contain a special division. At each end of the back of the castle there was a medium sized tower, taking about half the height of the largest ones, and at each end of the front there was a further small tower. There were no words to describe such beauty. Even under that mantle of stone, its beauty was still impressive.
Continuing the conversation with Celestia and Luna...
"Beyond the dense forest after the southern border, there is what's left of an ancient and powerful kingdom, even older than the own Equestria" Luna said.
"A kingdom still older than Equestria?" Blue asked.
"Yes" Celestia replied. "It was a Kingdom full of love, hope, and, especially, light. The entire kingdom was full of light. It was the source of all that is good in our world, the place where the magic of the Lord of Order entered here. It was called the Light Kingdom."
"I've never heard about this Light Kingdom" Blue said.
"No wonder" Luna said. "This kingdom no longer exists. It disappeared long ago, even before the Crystal Empire disappear."
"But you want me to find it, right?" Blue asked. "A task a little impossible, don’t you think?"
"The Light Kingdom didn't disappear from existence, Blue" Celestia said. "It is still there, but completely petrified in stone, asleep. But we believe that it is trying to wake up. For this reason, we want you to find it. The power of this kingdom is greater than anything that exists today, if it falls into the hands of evil, it can cover the world in darkness."
"But how can you be so sure that this kingdom is trying to wake up?" Blue asked.
Celestia and Luna looked to each other and the oldest waved, saying afterwards:
"It turns out that we have seen a proof that this may be happening. But, Blue, if you accept this mission, you can't tell anypony, not even to Twilight. At least, nothing about the Light Kingdom. This is too important and dangerous."
Blue meditated for a few moments, but then he went on to say:
"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, I accepted the mission with pleasure. And you have my word that I won’t to tell anything about the Light Kingdom to anypony, not even to Twilight, at least until I have returned."
Blue advanced to the Castle, with a determined step. He started to climb the stairs of the entrance, facing the gigantic gates, guarded by two stone guards. Before open them, he realized he wouldn't be able to do that, so he decided to use a density shifting spell and went through the door, then entering in the foyer. It was quite impressive and worked. In the middle, there were two spiral staircases that gave to the two great towers.
But what it was the most impressed to him was a figure in relief that there was in a wall, showing in its center a faceless alicorn Princess (perhaps due to some damage caused to the figure she hadn’t a face), surrounded by six ponies bowing before her. They should be the generals that Celestia and Luna told him about. He observed them with attention. What seemed to be the older and stronger, was a stallion wearing an armor, so he should be the General of Peace; the stallion that had glasses and a superior air should be the General of Knowledge; the mare that had leaves adorning her long and fluid mane should be General of Nature; the stallion with a scruffy air with a paint-brush behind the ear should be the General of Talent; the mare with a well-cared mane with a mane clip with a G-clef form should be the General of Music and, finally, the mare who was the youngest, because she was still a filly, and with a mane clip with a heart form should be the General of Affection.
After contemplating that work of art, Blue continued exploring the castle. He advanced through the main hallway, advancing up to his background, where he found a pair of gates. Lucky for him, these were surprisingly open. He passed through them and entered in the throne room. It was magnificent, decorated with lots of gemstones that once should be of various colors. At the bottom, there was an uniquely ornate throne. Carefully, he explored that division, but he didn’t find anything, so he headed to the exit. However, upon arriving outside the throne room, he felt like he was being watched. He looked around, but he didn't see anypony. Would it have been his impression? After all, it was a kingdom full of living statues.
He continued to explore the castle and then he reached the Great Hall and was surprised by what he found. It was completely empty, except for in its center where, in a circle with a six-pointed star centered, it was at each end a petrified pony. Blue approached and contemplated them. That ponies were the same in the figure. Their statue was completely different from the ordinary ones because they look more vivid and had a different color: the General of Peace, Golden Paladin, was yellow; the General of Knowledge, Mirror Coat, was light blue; the General of Nature, Leaf Mane, was green; the General of Talent, Purple Smoke, was purple; the General of Music, Melody, was orange and the General of Affection, Heartbeat, was...
But then he noticed something immensely weird. The General of Affection wasn't there. She was the only one who wasn't there. But then, where was she? She couldn't have gone that way, because she had been turned into stone, as the legend Celestia and Luna told him said.
Then, the feeling that he was being watched comes again and Blue looked around, but he didn't see anypony. But he was sure somepony was watching him. His instinct told him that and it rarely failed.
"Hello" greeted a little voice.
Blue turned and then he saw a unicorn filly right in front of him. She had a red soft coat and a mane that had the perfect combination of vivid red, dark red and bright red, with a mane clip with a heart form. Her eyes were like rubies so intense and red they were. Her Cutie Mark was a heart with a white feather wings and a black feather wings. She had a teddy bear on top of her back. The newest prince of Equestria recognized her. She was Heartbeat, the General of Affection, the youngest of all Generals of Order.
"Who are you?" Heartbeat asked to Blue.
Blue was still thrown with what he was see, and for that reason his answer wasn’t costing out easily:
"I am... Well, I..."
"Wait, I know who you are" Heartbeat said.
"You know me?"
"Yeah, I saw you marrying that beautiful princess. Are you a prince?"
"Oh... yes, I am" Blue replied.
"You're very beautiful" Heartbeat said approaching. "My name is Heartbeat. What's your name?"
"Blue, Blue Sword" Blue presented himself, feeling his curiosity about Heartbeat growing. "But what are you doing here alone?"
"I'm not alone, silly" Heartbeat said, making her horn shine with a pure red aura, levitating her teddy bear. "Mr. Teddy is with me."
"I see" said Blue, doing his loving smile. "But what I want to know is if there is any adult pony around here."
"You're an adult pony" Heartbeat replied. "But you're the first I've seen here."
"And you live here?" Blue asked. "Alone?"
Heartbeat waved, saying afterwards:
"This place is pretty nice, although it is cold and hard. But I like being here. It makes me feel safe and comfortable. Though I don't know why."
Blue watched her for a moment. She was the General of Affection, but she seemed not to remember anything, behaving like a completely innocent filly. He wondered if she had lost her memory or something? Even so, she was the only one who didn't was petrified in stone in a whole kingdom. The only solution he was seeing was taking her with him to Canterlot. Maybe Celestia and Luna knew what to do. But it was clear that he had to do it in a soft way and treating her as he would treat a foal, after all, she was a foal.
"Hey, do you want to be my friend?" Blue asked. "I want to be your friend."
"But you're a grown up" Heartbeat replied. "I'm just a filly."
"I can be a grown up, but you will see that we're going to get along very well" Blue said, extending his hoof. "What do you say?"
Heartbeat observed Blue’s hoof for a while and then she bumped hers with his, saying:
"Ok, we can be friends."
Blue smiled. It was now his chance.
"Hey, would you like to have more friends, besides me?" he asked.
"Well, yes" Heartbeat replied. "Where are they?"
"In Canterlot."
"You're talking about that very beautiful city located on a mountain?"
Blue waved.
"Can Mr. Teddy come with us?" Heartbeat asked, motioning to her teddy bear.
"Of course" Blue replied. "Why not?"
"So what are we waiting for" Heartbeat said, putting her teddy bear on her back and starting to head to the exit of the Great Hall. "Come on!"
Blue smiled. She was perky and restless. It made him remember when he was a foal. So he started following her.
The two left the castle and then the Light Kingdom. Blue noticed that Heartbeat didn’t notice the petrified ponies. Maybe she thought they should be statues or she should have been there for so long that she didn't even care about that.
It was then that they arrived at the end of the Light Kingdom and the beginning of the dense forest, much to Blue’s unhappiness.
"Oh, boy, I can't believe I'll have to go through this stupid forest again” he said, stopping.
"What has the forest?" Heartbeat asked, turning to him. "I like it a lot and even more when go through it."
"How do you do that?" Blue asked, full of curiosity.
"Dah, I just go through it" Heartbeat replied.
She then ran into the forest and, before she could put a hoof in it, the vegetation simply began walking away, opening the way for Heartbeat. Blue was amazed with what he was seeing, but then he realized that he had no reason to, because if Heartbeat had already been in Equestria, she had to go through that forest. Not wasting time, he hastened to follow her, before the vegetation came back to its place.