Twilight, since Blue left on his mission, has been living in the Canterlot castle, sleeping in Blue’s room in order to feel less far from him. It had spent a month and a half since Blue’s departure... and she missed him terribly and couldn't stop thinking about him. It was inevitable.
Her friends, learning the news, wanted to stay beside Twilight to comfort her and to make company to her, instead of wanting to go back to Ponyville, but she managed to convince them to leave, saying that she would be okay and they had a lot of responsibilities in Ponyville. She also ended up doing Spike return with them so he could take care of the library and Owlowiscious.
For most of her free time, Twilight was at the window watching the sky, questioning herself where Blue could be and what mission could he be doing to be so important. It should be really important for him to accept when they barely had just gotten married. She just hoped he was alright and would return safe and sound.
It was then that she hears an explosion of cobalt blue magic and a letter appeared on the bed. Seeing the letter, Twilight hastened to it, using her magic to hold it and opening it, while she sat on the bed. She became entranced by knowing the letter was from Blue.
My love,
I want you to know that it has been very difficult for me to stay away from you during this time. Despite the distance, I still love you with all my being and I hope you continue to love me the same way.
I am so sorry for not having write to you since I left, but I've been too busy with my mission to even have time to write, but I have to tell you that I have received every one of your letters and I loved reading them.
However, all this torment will end, because I have wonderful news for you. I just did what I competed in my mission and I am now free to return to Canterlot. I hope find you when I arrive.
Your loving husband that will love you forever,
Blue
When reading the fantastic news that Blue would return, Twilight couldn’t contain her joy and gave a roar of joy, leaving herself fall into bed, hugging Blue’s letter.
"Finally, Blue is coming back!" Twilight exclaimed. "I can't believe I'm finally going to see him again."
It's been a few days since Twilight had received the letter from Blue. She couldn't wait for his return to embrace him. When she was in the library reading a book, a guard came and told her, bowing:
"Your Highness, Captain Blue Sword has just arrived."
"Seriously?" Twilight asked, smiling openly and putting the book she was reading.
"Yes," the guard confirmed. "He is currently with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna in the throne room."
Hearing that, Twilight didn't waste any time and left the library, addressing herself to the throne room. When she opened the door, she saw Blue talking with Celestia and Luna.
"Blue!" she called.
Blue turned up, but he didn't have time to respond, because Twilight came on the verge of him and hugged him tightly.
"Twilight, my darling" he said, hugging her too. "It's so good to see you."
"I feel the same" Twilight, ending the hug. "But I just hope that you are not a Changeling."
That made Blue drop a chuckle and he replied:
"I can assure you that I am completely me."
"Good" Twilight said. "I'd hate if that happened again. But first of all, I would like to know what mission was that for you staying almost two months away."
Blue first looked at Celestia and Luna who waved and then he replied:
"I went beyond the southern border to try to find the Light Kingdom."
"The Light Kingdom?" Twilight asked, looking confused. "I've never heard about it."
"Because this kingdom fell for over a thousand years, long before the Crystal Empire" Celestia replied. "Almost no one remembers its beauty and power."
"But why is this kingdom so important?" Twilight asked.
"This kingdom belonged to the first alicorn princess” Luna answered.
"The first alicorn princess?" Twilight asked. "Seriously?"
Celestia nodded and continued:
"Her name was Aurora and was the leader of a group of unicorn pilgrims. The Lord of Order became impressed with the purity of her heart that gave her and her ponies a land where to live, a land full of plants with luminous seeds. It was an immensely fertile land where the pilgrims could set up shop. The only thing they had to do was collect the light seeds and leave them exposed to the night sky. When doing this, the seeds ascended and became stars. This allowed everything that they had planted and which had not yet matured to grow quickly."
Upon hearing that, Twilight remembered something.
"Shining once told me about something similar when we were foals" she said. "He said, according to the stories our mother used to tell him, the stars were seeds of light that could increase the magic of any unicorn."
"In part, those stories are true" Luna said. "When I became the princess of the night, it was my role of not only rise the moon, but also guard the stars. They were too powerful to fall into the wrong hooves."
"But the story doesn’t end here" Celestia said. "Aurora and her ponies eventually develop a special connection with that land, starting themselves to issue a light. The Lord of Order said that connection led to the star seeds within them began to emit a more intense light."
"Star seeds?" Twilight repeated. "But what is that?"
"They are the source of life" Luna replied. "They contain every essence of life created by the Lord of Order. They exist in every living thing that exists in all worlds, dimensions and realities. The seeds of light are actually star seeds, different and at the same time similar to the star seeds of each individual. Most of them have an ephemeral light, but the ones of these ponies were left with an ethereal light that began to be irradiated by their bodies. They became the light ponies."
"But the Lord of Order had much bigger plans" Celestia said. "He realized that he could trust them and showed to Aurora the source of all good magic, what he used to create the life in our world: the original star seed. That seed was completely different from any other because it had a different shape, color and brightness. After he turn that seed into Aurora’s own star seed, turning her into an alicorn princess, and told her to create a kingdom in those lands and to spread its light around the world."
"To help her in this task, the Lord of Order brought six special star seeds from other worlds and formed six beings in the shape of ponies: the Generals of Order, representatives of the six powers of Order: Peace, Knowledge, Nature, Talent, Music and Affection" Luna continued. "They and Aurora built this kingdom, giving it the name of Light Kingdom. And, as the Lord of Order had ordered, they spread his light around the world. In fact, they're the ones that influenced the founders of Equestria to unite and forget their differences."
"I and Luna were born shortly after and we started to control the day and the night and then the Crystal Empire was formed" Celestia said. "For many years, the Light Kingdom prospered and was the headlamp that fended the darkness in the world, under the supervision of Princess Aurora and the Generals of Order."
"But, if that kingdom and its rulers were so powerful, how could it disappear?" Twilight asked. "It doesn't make sense."
This time, it wasn't Celestia or Luna who answered, but Blue:
"It was Sombra, Twilight. He was the reason for the fall of the Light Kingdom."
"Sombra?" Twilight repeated. "That evil unicorn king who enslaved the crystal ponies? Okay, now I'm confused."
"Sombra was just a pawn, Twilight" said Celestia. "A pawn under the orders of the most cruel and evil being of all. I think you know him, after that case with your friend Cherry Blossom and her old boyfriend."
Twilight realized who she was talking about, and she didn't like it at all.
"The Lord of Chaos?"
Celestia nodded and Luna continued:
"The Lord of Chaos came into this world when the Lord of Order had already developed immensely the life here. Before his arrival, the three tribes of ponies lived in complete harmony. But that changed when the Lord of Chaos used his power to cause divisions and put the balance established by his brother in a great instability."
"He always envied this world and did everything to achieve it" Celestia said. "And when the Light Kingdom emerged, he began to devise a plan to steal the light from the original star seed and plunge our world in the deepest darkness. As the Lord of Order put a spell to prevent his brother to obtain directly the seed, the Lord of Chaos managed to corrupt a young unicorn and turned him into Sombra.
"He gave him powers that allowed him to make an army of dark ponies and then invade the Light Kingdom" Luna said. "Despite all Princess Aurora and her Generals' efforts, they wouldn't be able to prevent such circumvention and wouldn't be able to defeat Sombra without causing an immense destruction."
"To protect her Kingdom and her subjects, Aurora freed all star seeds of everything and everypony and stored them in a sphere called Jewel of Life and hid it and then unleashed her star seed and of all the Generals of Order and sent them away" Celestia said. "This made the kingdom, the ponies and generals turn into stone, except Aurora who disappeared."
"But what a story" Twilight said. "It’s hard to believe. Wait, if the star seeds of the Generals and the original star seed were scattered, where are they now?"
"We don't know" Blue answered. "But we know they're in Equestria."
"But what does that have to do with your mission?" Twilight asked to her husband. "If the Light Kingdom and its inhabitants were all turned into stone, what were you doing there? It shouldn't exist anything that wasn't petrified."
"I went to the Light Kingdom because Princess Celestia and Princess Luna believe it is trying to awake" Blue replied. "And let's just say my visit was very fruitful."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, not understanding anything.
"You will see" Blue answered, saying after that. "Heartbeat, can you come here?"
Twilight wondered who Blue was talking about, but then she heard the sound of something approaching at high speed and then she heard a filly voice saying:
"Did you call me, Blue?"
Twilight turned and then saw Heartbeat. Celestia and Luna were surprised to see her.
"Yes, I'd like to introduce you to three new friends" Blue said to Heartbeat, making mention to Twilight, Celestia and Luna.
"Oh, three princesses, but that’s so good!" exclaimed Heartbeat thrilled. "They are beautiful!"
She approached Twilight and said:
"You must be Twilight. Blue told me a lot about you. He didn't stop to say nice things about you."
Twilight didn't even know what to say, simply saying:
"Oh, thanks… I guess."
Heartbeat approached Celestia and Luna and said:
"Blue says you two rise the sun and the moon. Is it true?"
"Ah…" Luna said.
"Yes" Celestia replied. "I rise the sun and Luna rises the moon."
"That's great!" Heartbeat exclaimed. "I really like your work."
Celestia and Luna looked at one another and then Celestia asked Heartbeat:
"Didn’t you remember us, Heartbeat?"
"Should I?" she asked.
The two older princesses looked at one another with concern.
"What?" Heartbeat asked, seeing her air. "I can feel you are worried about something."
"So you mind if we verify a thing?" Celestia asked. "Don't worry, it won't hurt, I promise."
Heartbeat looked at her for a moment and then replied:
"Okay."
Celestia so advanced and charged her horn with magic and then landed it on Heartbeat’s head and then lifted it. It was then that what looked like a closed flower appeared above Heartbeat’s head and then it opened. It seemed Celestia and Luna were waiting for something, because they were quite shocked. The flower closed again and then disappeared.
"Heatbeat, honey, have you seen the castle gardens?" Celestia asked. "They're very pretty."
"Seriously?" Heartbeat asked.
Celestia nodded and then Heartbeat said:
"I’ll see them!"
And having said this, she came out with the same speed she entered.
"But what was that?" Twilight asked, when the filly left. "What was that flower?"
"That was where supposedly Heartbeat’s star seed should be" Luna said.
"I don't understand" Celestia said. "She doesn't have her star seed. Supposedly, she's supposed to be petrified in stone."
"Is that why she doesn't remember anything?" Blue asked.
"I think so, but it's still all a big mystery" Celestia replied.
"Do you think she is a light pony and she may know something to bring the Light Kingdom back?" Twilight asked.
"No, Twilight, Heartbeat is not a light pony" Celestia said. "But, yes, we hope she knew something to restore the Light Kingdom."
"You know, Twilight, Heartbeat is… Well, she is one of the Generals" Blue said.
"What, that little filly?" Twilight asked, somewhat skeptical. "That little filly is one of the Generals of Order?"
"I know it sounds unbelievable, but it's true" Blue said. "In the castle, there is a figure of Princess Aurora and the Generals of Order and Heartbeat is just like the General of Affection. Besides that I've also seen the Generals petrified and didn't find her statue."
"And we know Heartbeat" Luna said. "There is no margin for error. She is the General of Affection."
Twilight didn't say anything. Everything was going too fast. What seemed to be the reunion with Blue, became a huge complication. But she tried to separate her emotions on that subject and then asked:
"What do we do with her?"
"We watch her" Celestia answered. "She may not remember anything, but she can help us find her star seed and maybe then she can take us to the other generals’ star seeds."
"Once we have them, we can find the original star seed and restore the Light Kingdom" said Luna. "It is important we watch her religiously. If the Lord of Chaos catches her, he can use her to find the original star seed and, if he finds it and steals its light... Well, I guess I don't need to finish the sentence."
"And since Heartbeat seems to get along with Blue, I think you two can take care of her" Celestia suggested Celestia.
Twilight and Blue exchanged a look and he asked:
"What do you think? We could do it. You will see that you will like her. She's a lovely filly."
"Well, I guess so" Twilight said. "Who would I be to turn the back on a filly so dear like her? Despite her being a loyal and completely amnesic immortal servant to the Lord of Order."
"I'm glad that you accept" Celestia said. "But I want you to know something important about Heartbeat."
"What, princess?" Twilight asked.
"Heartbeat may be the youngest of the Generals of Order, but she is also the most powerful and the most unstable" Celestia said. "Her power over emotions and feelings reaches both good ones and bad ones. She can capture their power and improve them immensely. You can imagine. If she's happy and calm, Heartbeat can reflect her happiness and calm for those who surround her. But, if the anger or sadness take over her, you can't imagine what can happen. Without her star seed, it is certain that she will not be able to control her emotions. This is why I advise you to be careful."
That warn of Celestia scared Twilight and Blue, but they don't let themselves be intimidated and she replied:
"You can count on us, Princess Celestia."
"I knew we can" she said. "Now, I guess it’s better you go. You have to up for lost time. I think Heartbeat will be occupied for a long time with the gardens."
"Well, of course" Blue said, looking to Twilight and exchanging a smile with her. "I'd love to."
"Ditto" Twilight agreed. "Come on, Blue, I have so many things to tell you."
And then both left the throne room.
"I don't like this, sister" Luna said to Celestia. "The fact that Heartbeat had appeared…"
"I know, Luna, is rather odd" Celestia agreed. "But even if she was a Changeling or another shapeshifter, a star seed should have appeared, even if it was a dark one. I think we will have to hope that the answer will appear soon."