Central Durandana was abuzz with winged bodies, most of them gray. A flock of elders streamed up along the stalk of the tower, collecting thickly around its summit. Various onlookers flew in wide circles below, gazing up at the top of the Tower and murmuring among themselves. Diligent First-Born guards held the general populous at a distance, keeping them to the lower platforms as the early morning waxed past First Light.
The summit of the Central Tower itself was a hollow granite block, dislodged from the rest of the structure that made up the bulk of the Inner Sanctum underground. The unmistakable signs of ancient impact fractures formed the jagged edges of the enclosure, and a thick wooden framework acted as the floor to the chamber. Round hollows had been painstakingly carved out of the walls of the building, allowing for sunlight to beam through at a precise angle to highlight an elaborate lamp made out of gold metals and shiny glass. Through this lamp, the sun's glow was narrowed into a thin platinum thread forever pulsating westward where it would ultimately make contact with a similar structure built into the summit of the Western Tower.
Next to one of the round windows, Fawful perched, her wings twitching as she glanced all around. An anxious expression hung off her features.
Fwoosh! Several nearby elders gasped, for Rainbow had just landed from a greath height. As the wind settled, she tossed her mane back and smiled at Fawful. "Whew! Sorry if I'm late. I was out like a light last evening."
Fawful blinked at her.
Rainbow winked. "Even if you don't get the pun, the least you can do is laugh."
Almost instantly, the tension left Fawful's head and shoulders. She exhaled through a winded chuckle.
"Hah..." Rainbow coiled her wings and sat on her haunches within the window frame. "I knew you still had a giggle left somewhere inside that body of yours." She exhaled heavily, then fanned herself with her own wing. "Yeesh... it's pretty stifling up here, huh?"
"That's the heat generated by the Light's glory."
"You could have just said 'it's the vapors,' girl."
Fawful chuckled again. "You're rather jocular this morning."
"Why shouldn't I be?" Rainbow squinted. "Can you give me a reason why I should fret?"
Fawful gulped, then slowly shook her head.
"Awesome sauce." Rainbow took a deep breath, glancing all around at the elders gathered in their murmuring flocks. "Then let's keep it that way, huh? Frankly, I'm happy to get this over with."
"I believe many of the Valkyrie's foals would share the same sentiment."
"Are we gonna have... y'know..." Rainbow waved a forelimb, shrugging. "...what we agreed to?"
Fawful turned and pointed up at the sky. "See for yourself."
Rainbow pivoted, squinting.
From a high altitude, several multi-colored bodies descended, led by Sivrem. One by one, they landed within the window frames of the Tower's top structure. Dozens of First-Borns stood at attention, their eyes locked on the outsider. Rainbow could spot Kitsune and Jerrio from among them, the latter of whom she let her gaze linger on.
"Just as you requested, elder." Sivrem bowed before Fawful, smiling. "The First-Borns of West and East D."
"Very well done, Sivrem," Fawful said with a nod. "And you have briefed them on what is about to transpire here?"
Sivrem looked up. Slowly, his smile faded. "Ahem." For once, the athletic stallion fumbled. "Yes, elder. That I have."
Rainbow gulped.
"Then I believe we can proceed," said an old stallion trotting up until he stood alongside the glowing lamp. He turned his wrinkled head towards Fawful. "Elder? Is the outsider ready?"
"You may ask the same of her," Fawful said, gesturing towards Rainbow. "Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing..." She reached back with three wingfeathers and unlatched her satchel. Without thinking, she slid the sword out with nimble swiftness. Schiiiiiing!
Several First-Borns flinched, their backs arching as they responded with instinctual shrieks and chirps. Even Fawful cringed slightly.
Rainbow gulped. "Eheh... my bad..." She sweated, only partially because of the heat. "I've had to use this baby quite a few times for combat. But, really, you've got nothing to worry about unless you're... undead... p-pegasi..."
All of the Durandanans stared at Rainbow blankly.
"Ahem... Rainbow..." Fawful hoarsely whispered.
"Er, right." Rainbow stepped forward, balanced herself with her wings, and rested the Sword of Solstice down hilt-first so that its blade leaned against the elaborate lamp, basking in the glow of the refracted sunlight.
Almost immediately, the multi-colored rubies down the center flashed one by one, followed by the gold metal of the blade itself. The hollow chamber around them shone with a golden brilliance, more luminescent than all three Durandanan towers combined. Several First-Borns gasped in shock, and a lot of them instantly bowed. Sivrem and Kitsune hovered around in a tight circle, quietly urging them to stand at attention.
"Uhm..." Fawful murmured, "Just how long does it usually take to summon—"
"Greetings, Rainbow Dash," a majestic female voice resonated across the heavens.
"Mmmm!" Fawful squeaked inwardly, stepping back with a flounce of her bleached bangs.
Other elders whispered in shock, their jaded eyes suddenly wide and bright.
Rainbow smiled warmly, proudly. "'Hey' yourself, your Highness. We're not alone, y'know."
"Indeed..." Celestia's words undulated in booming strength and clarity. "We have been waiting eagerly for this moment."
"W-we?" Fawful whispered aside.
Rainbow leaned in. "Where Celestia is, Luna's bound to follow."
Fawful mouthed "Oh," her eyes wide as she nodded and nodded.
"From the heart of Equestria, we—the Royal Alicorn Sisters of Harmony—greet you with great respect and boundless joy. I am Princess Celestia, Steward of the Sun and Ruler of Equestria."
"And I am Princess Luna," a second voice chimed in, no less eloquent than the first. "The Keeper of the Moon and Eternal Watcher of Dreams."
The chamber was aflood with gasping voices, but Celestia's presence drowned it all out.
"For over ten millennia have we kept faithful vigil over the center of this plane, the land of Rainbow Dash's foaling, Equestria," Celestia continued gracefully. "My sister and I have been blessed with long lives and intense magical prowess. For this reason, we have taken it upon ourselves to oversee the lives of the mortal ponies who dwell within our dominion. It has been a glorious responsibility—but seldom a simple one. We have had great victories over chaos over the eons, and yet we are not without our mistakes and shortcomings. And yet, despite all of our struggles, we have successfully maintained a peaceful kingdom in the center of the world, a bastion of Harmony that we hope to someday spread to the furthest reaches of the known realm. And, if you are so willing, we would love to extend such peace, tranquility, and understanding to you, the pegasi of Durandana."
There was no response. Ponies—First-Borns and Gray Feathers alike—simply stared at one anothers in stunned silence.
From across the way, Rainbow caught Kitsune's eyes. They looked frightened, jittery. Rainbow stared at her. Slowly, she smiled. After a few breaths, Kitsune calmed down somewhat, and her lips began to curve ever so slightly.
Then Luna's voice made her and everypony else jolt: "Perhaps the best way to proceed is not for us to lecture you on our cosmological view of the world, but to encourage the lot of you to perform a formal inquiry."
Sivrem's brow furrowed at that, as did many ponies beside him.
"I... I do believe that what my sister means to say is that we are open to all of your questions," Celestia's voice said with a hint of amusement. "Please, do not hesitate to come forth. I cannot promise that we will have all the answers that you seek, but we will certainly endeavor to bring you whatever clarity we can muster."
Ponies exchanged glances. At last, an elder mare trotted up. All eyes were on her as she approached the sword and bravely spoke, "Princess... Celestia...?"
"Yes, my little pony?"
The elder's eyes narrowed. "Did you know the Valkyrie?"
Everypony's breaths were collectively held. Rainbow glanced at the sword, waiting calmly.
"I cannot with full certainty say that I have," Celestia's voice said. Before a commotion could rise, she continued: "As you may have already heard, Rainbow Dash has proposed that the Valkyrie could be the same as Commander Hurricane, a military pegasus from Pegasopolis who departed for eastern skies long ago, rifht after the Kingdom of Equestria was just newly formed. If this is the case, then—yes, conceivably—I knew her, and I cherished her. Commander Hurricane was a fiery and inspirational pegasus, a mare who did not back down from any threat—no matter how large. We bequeathed her this sword that you see before you as a means to keep in contact, as well as to bolster Hurricane's already proficient strength and warrior talents. Alas, as we have discovered through Rainbow, Hurricane's journey came to a heroic end in a floating city called Stratopolis. We have yet to determine the fate of other ponies in Hurricane's charge—such as the one you call Duranda."
Before any other elders could react, Luna's voice spoke up. "However, it is not an inconceivable concept to us that somepony like the Valkyrie could exist. All throughout Equestria's history, we have witnessed ponies who have exhibited great power and intense magic, rivaling even that of an alicorn such as myself and my sister. Several of them, like Starswirl the Bearded, were dear comrades to us in the pursuit of Harmony. Others—like King Sombra—were ponies cut from a different cloth, but nevertheless impressive in the manner in which they wielded mana and elemental sorcery."
Fawful stepped up. "Another question, if I may, Celestia and Luna."
Rainbow glanced at her.
The sword pulsed with golden brilliance. "By all means."
"Where did you and your sister come from?"
"Ah. That is a very good question. My sister and I—as stated before—are Alicorns. We come from a realm located far, far away. It is a place situated on the far end of the cosmos, where chaos doesn't run quite so rampant. Our collective memories of our origin is relatively foggy at best, for on top of being tens of thousands of years ago, the both of us were quite young when we first arrived on this plane."
Luna spoke up: "We weren't alone. There were hundreds of us—all alicorns. As soon as we discovered this plane—floating lonesomely through the ether—we felt pity for the living creatures suffering in darkness. We sought for a way to illuminate this world and give them harmony, not to mention peace of mind. To do this, we had to emulate the natural cycle of a planet born from stardust. Thus, we constructed this plane's Sun and Moon, but it took the better portion of all of our magical resources. Most of the alicorns were elders like you, only with lifetimes so vast that they defy explanation. For them, creating the elements to cover this plane exhausted their remaining strength, and they left Equestria to die quietly among the stars."
"The youngest alicorns, including myself and Luna, stayed behind to govern the spirit of Harmony that was planted here in this land. It has been anything but an easy task, and even at the peak of our power we can only illuminate one side of the plane. However, the civilization that we have established in Equestria and abroad gives us hope for an entire plane of uniformed Harmony someday. That will be a time when the likes of alicorns may no longer be needed whatsoever—"
"You control the Sun and Moon?!" Kitsune blurted. "How?!"
Others stammered while a few elders frowned at the flinching mare.
Fawful trotted over and rested a hoof on the First-Born's shoulder. "She has a good question." She smiled, then turned towards the sword. "If it's possible to elaborate."
"It is," Celestia said. "The Sun—as stated before—was conjured by the alicorns and harnessed to abide by natural elements. That said, we exist on a fairly unnatural plane, a place that we incidentally discovered to house life. To that end, the Sun requires a well-timed spell in order to induce a proper orbit. I perform this regularly—every day—at dawn."
"And I raise the Moon to light up the night every evenng," Luna's voice said. "Also regularly. As natural realms abide, so must this one. This is the promise that we made to our late brothers and sisters several millennia ago, for the sake of maintaining Harmony."
"If that is true..." An elder stallion approached the sword, his eyes narrow. "Then that means your powers hold sway over the Sun and Moon at any given time?"
"Indeed."
Another mare spoke up. "Then could you lower the Sun now? Or raise the Moon now? To demonstrate your power?"
The room filled with breathy commotion. Sivrem leaned forward curiously. Jerrio was glancing fitfully to his left and right.
Celestia eventually spoke, her voice full of reluctance. "I'm afraid... that simply isn't possible."
"And why isn't it?" an elder asked. "If you are what you claim to be, then it all falls under your control."
"It is as we said," Luna spoke up. "While we raise the Sun and Moon, we must abide by the natural mechanisms that are put in place for them. Once dawn or evening has transpired, we have completed our separate labors."
Celestia joined in. "You must realize that the Sun and Moon do not shine on Durandana alone, nor just Equestria for that matter. They shine upon this plane equally, rising and falling at the same time for equines everywhere—relative to their placement upon the surface of earth. To alter their movements may be explainable to Equestrians, and they might surve a purpose in educating you."
"But there is no telling what overwhelmingly tragic effects it may have on all of the distant civilizations that populate this world," Luna explained. "Almost all of whom we cannot afford contact with, much less in the way in which we're blessed to communicate with you."
"But..." Sivrem flapped his wings, hovering boldly towards the blade. Jerrio watched him with a jerk as he flew by. "... the Lights From Above did go dark at one point." His eyes narrowed. "Several seasons ago. Were you abiding by your own rules then?"
Rainbow bit her lip.
Eventually, it was Luna who replied: "Indeed, we were not, but not for lack of trying. You see, there was... the culmination of a long struggle, leading to over twenty-four hours of night. I take full responsibility for it. I have... only recently been restored to my station, you see. For a thousand years, Celestia was in charge of both the Sun and Moon."
"For... them both?" a stallion remarked while the First-Borns behind him murmured in awe.
"And now, it is I who controls them both," Luna said. "Though Celestia's glory holds fast over the Sun, she is currently encumbered with suppressing a well of chaos energy, preventing it from consuming Equestria from the inside out."
Rainbow exhaled hard through her nostrils, bowing her head. Fawful glanced curiously at her.
"It pains me to admit that we are far from perfect, my friends," Celestia said. "We have only ever endeavored to bring order to this plane. It has not been without its fair share of tribulation and regrettable mistakes. One such mistake is having lost track of Hurricane's expedition for so many years."
Luna spoke: "We weren't there to see what happened to the Commander's remnant, but from what we have learned through the Sword of Solstice's recovery, we have every reason to believe that you—each and every one of you—are descendants of ancient Equestrians. You are like long lost family to us, and while we aren't proud of having broken contact, we are indescribably jubilant to be in conference with you now."
Elders and First-Borns alike exchanged glances. Several of them bore contented expressions.
Rainbow's eyes scanned the crowd—but lingered on a twitching sight. Jerrio was shivering to the point of convulsions. His ears folded back.
"Please understand that we have no intention of denouncing the Valkyrie or what she stands for. As we have much to tell you, we do hope you'll have much to tell us. That way, we might be able to make a better connection, and dwell together—not as missing fragments—but as one flock, united in peace and Harmony—"
Snarling, Jerrio galloped up suddenly.
Rainbow winced, jolting forward.
"Jerrio—!" Sivrem shouted too late.
"Grnnngh!" Jerrio leapt with gliding wings and struck the blade with a heavy forelimb.
Cl-Clang! The sword ricocheted across the wooden frame, settling to a loud stop at the hooves of flinching pegasi. Luna's and Celestia's voice instantly faded, giving way to gasping, whispering Durandanans.
Rainbow's eyes closed. She exhaled long and hard, her wings drooping.
"First-Born!" an angry elder barked from the other side of the chamber. "You were brought here and allowed to give audience to the outsider's patron matriarchs! And this is how you show your gratitude?"
"Gratitude...?!" Jerrio seethed and winced. Blood trickled down his fetlock from where he had punched the tip of the golden blade. "And not eggshells?!"
"Jerrio..." Kitsune trotted up to him, raising a trembling hoof to his wound. "Y-your leg...!"
"Hnnngh!" Jerrio shoved the mare off so that she fell into Sivrem's embrace. Spinning about, he pointed his bleeding hoof at the blade and spat, "It's evil sorcery! Meant to deceive us!"
"Jerrio," Fawful droned, her eyes like daggers. "You're not helping."
"And you are?!" Jerrio balked at her. "Fawful, you were once First-Born... but now you are a Gray Feather! You are meant to protect the scrolls! Not allow for an invasion of lies and treachery!" He spun and snarled at the crowd. "Conjuring an unnatural Sun and Moon?! Illuminating a plane floating pointlessly through chaos?! Do you even hear what these creatures are saying?! How they malign the Lights from Above and insult the Valkyrie's glory?!"
"Dude... come on..." Rainbow sighed, trotting forward. "If you just listened to what they had to—"
"I did listen!" Jerrio hollered. "And it's blasphemous! All of it!" He shoved his bleeding hoof into Rainbow's chest. "Now you listen! You do not carry the blood of our glorious Valkyrie! I don't know how you caused the Gold Lights—but you and your talking sword and your flying Silver can go just gust! We do not need your infernal devices defacing the glory of our Mother any longer! There is only one Source of the Light! Not two! Not hundreds!" He limped off, grimacing. "And th-those of you foolish enough to lend ear to this nonsense... you... you..." He panted, his eyes tearing as he gnashed his teeth. "You are no Durandanans! You have n-no respect for the scrolls!"
With that, he took off on heavy wings.
Kitsune clung to Sivrem, watching breathlessly while the stallion frowned.
Several Gray Feathers exchanged quiet looks.
Multiple First-Borns—visibly shaken—turned tail and flapped off, gliding after Jerrio.
The whole group lingered in muddled silence.
Rainbow slumped back on her haunches, sighing. She toyed with her pendant, staring down at the floor. After hearing a scraping sound, she looked aside to see Fawful stepping up, dragging the Sword of Solstice after her.
"Please... don't be a sad sparrow," she said through a quiet smile, then hoofed the sword over. "Place it back up. Most of us wish to hear more."
Rainbow gulped. "You... you r-really think so?"
Fawful's eyes narrowed. "I wish to hear more."
Rainbow blinked, then slowly nodded. With everypony watching, she shuffled back to the lamp and calmly placed the blade back. As the gold glow returned, it caused the trailing puddle of crimson blood to evaporate into the heated air, becoming nothing.
A sore lump formed in Rainbow's throat. She turned around and trotted towards the edge of the structure, remaining there in meditative silence while the rest of the Durandanans continued their conversation with Luna and Celestia.