Six months, that’s how much time had passed since Starburst had been branded a renegade, an outlaw. Her identity as the Fear Lantern was spread throughout Equestria and to some of the territories as well. The reaction from the public was mixed to say the least. There were those, from Stalliongrad, Cloudsdale, and Maretonia, that praised Princess Starburst for saving their lives and making their cities safe for them. While on the flip side, there were those who thought that her actions were dubious; this mostly came from the nobility and concerned Equestrians. It didn’t take long for them to figure out that her power stemmed from fear, and many of those skeptics were spreading the rumor that Starburst was secretly plotting to overthrow her mother and the other High Princesses.
In Ponyville, the majority was split between those who supported Princess Starburst, and others who were adopting a “wait and see” stance, while the minority was certainly afraid when these rumors were flying about. Of course, those closest to the mare in question did what they could to quash these rumors, but there was always somepony who wouldn’t be swayed. Out of all those whom this affected the most, Anthea, or Annie as she liked to be called, was the most vehement about protecting Star’s good name.
It was the New Year, but there was little to celebrate. Despite it being festive at Ponyville, those who knew were less than joyful, knowing that a certain pegasus mare hadn’t joined them and would not be with her family. The land of Equestria was already shrouded in snow; most were just out walking about, refusing to be cooped up by the cold. Annie and her mother, Fluttershy, were two such ponies. They had stopped by a little shop to get some hot chocolate; they sat outside, under the warmth of the magical heat lamps that were arranged around the patio.
“Sorry to have you take me to T’s place, mom,” said Annie.
“Not at all sweetie, it’s fine. I know you can’t see everything too well with all the snow, and that Turquoise doesn’t really like coming out into the cold.”
Both mares giggled at that, knowing how difficult it was going to be for Annie to rouse the dragon-pony stallion from his “cave”. All the while, Fluttershy watched the falling snow, and occasionally, stared at her adopted daughter, watching her enjoy her hot beverage as they both sat and in content. Anthea must’ve felt her staring gaze, because the pink unicorn mare cocked her head to the side quizzically.
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing honey. I, well, sometimes I just can’t believe how lucky I am to have been given the chance to raise a daughter like you, Annie.”
Annie blushed a bit from hearing the praise. “Mom, seriously, you don’t have to say that.” It was here that her smile turned coy. “If you really want to thank me Mom, how about finding yourself a nice stallion and get married!”
Fluttershy spluttered her cocoa at hearing that, her face turning a bright shade of red. “A-A-Annie, I-I told you, I don’t need to find a special somepony, I’m happy with just the two of us!”
“Mooooom,” Annie moaned, “you can’t be like this forever. You deserve to spend your life with somepony who will treat you right, love you, and take care of you! Of course, I could understand your apprehension, I mean, if stallions aren’t your thing mom.”
Once again, Fluttershy spluttered her cocoa onto the ground, coughing and gagging a bit. “A-Anthea!”
“I’m not judging Mom, if that’s how your barn door swings then –”
“Anthea, mommy loves you,” Fluttershy smiled, but at the same time, there was a subtle, warning edge to it, “so please, stop making her spit out her hot chocolate.”
Annie sighed in defeat. “Fine, Mom, I understand, sorry.”
Fluttershy’s smile lost its edge and once again radiated her natural kindness. “It’s okay sweetie. But, I promise you, when I meet my very special somepony, you’ll be the first to know. I want to make sure you approve after all.”
The unicorn mare couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at that. “Mom, you don’t need my approval, you’re a grown mare, you’re free to love who you want to.”
The cream-yellow pegasus mare took a sip of her hot chocolate before answering. “Yes, that’s very true. But I also value what you think Annie. Because the pony I love will be just as much a part of your life as they will be mine, and, also, I trust your judgment when it comes to these matters too.”
Anthea blushed a little from hearing that. “Mom, I don’t have some super special magic for love, that’s more High Princess Cadance’s thing, I just get feelings sometimes, I don’t know how to describe it. But, if that’s how you feel then alright.”
Fluttershy nodded happily and took another sip.
“Even if they happen to be mare.”
Cue the third spit take, unfortunately aimed right at Annie. She saw a brownish blur moving towards her and quickly erected a small shield in front of her to stop the liquid projectile from drenching her face, and from getting into her own drink.
“Annie!”
“I’m just saying, Mrs. Rarity told me about that time when you were a supermodel, and how you got love letters from A LOT of stallions and mares. Just saying. It’s a fact.”
Fluttershy opened and closed her mouth several times to try and argue that her daughter was wrong, unfortunately, she wasn’t. In the end, Fluttershy huffed and drank her hot chocolate. But she couldn’t stay pouty for long, not with her daughter. As they enjoyed their drinks, the two mares watched as two stallions wearing light blue armor walked to one the tables after ordering some drinks of their own.
They were part of the newly formed Local Guard or LG, a sort of police force for towns and cities made up of official Royal Guards and volunteer members alike, of course after a thorough background check. The war had shown, especially with Cloudsdale, that the need for such a force was necessary. They mostly performed patrols around the town or city they are assigned to, keeping an eye out for suspicious activity, and generally doing what they could to keep the crime rates down.
“This has got to be the easiest assignment I’ve ever had,” said a gray stallion.
“Don’t jinx it, this is Ponyville after all. Element bearers, home of a dragon, occasional visits from High Prince Discord, and is all around a general magnet for crazy crap to happen,” said the green stallion across from him.
The gray stallion laughed, conceding the point, and honestly, Fluttershy and Anthea chuckled too, knowingly being at the center of some of that quote: “crazy crap”.
“But seriously, why here? I mean, we’re not that far from Canterlot, heck, this town’s practically next door to the High Princesses and Princes. And, yeah, it’s a little big, but I don’t think this place needs a LG Regimen here.”
The green stallion leaned closer to the table and spoke quietly to his partner. “Between you and me, besides the Element bearers, this is where Princess Starburst, the Fear Lantern, was hiding out for months before she freaked out during that radio broadcast.”
The gray stallion shivered, “Ugh, I still get the chills from hearing High Princess Twilight scream like that. So wrong! But, really, I didn’t know that?!”
“That’s one of the reasons the LG Regimen is here, protecting the locals from the fallout of ponies finding out about her secret,” said the green stallion.
The gray stallion took a sip of his drink before speaking again. “But bro, seriously, whacking off twelve Royal Guards, breaking out of the dungeon, and going on a rampage in Griffonia, which was kickass by the way, all in a few days. Whatever she’s packing must be some serious magic weaponry.”
“I hear that she’s probably had that thing for a while and made her debut in Stalliongrad, trying to get the public to side with her.”
“For what?”
“To take over the throne –”
“THAT’S A LIE!!!”
There was a crashing of mugs and a sudden jostling of a table. Both stallions turned to see Anthea glaring at them. At first they were confused, they were talking low as to not be overheard during that last part of their conversation, and they were sitting some distance from the two mares, so they didn’t understand why this mare was looking at them like that.
“Miss, is everything alright?” asked the green stallion.
“I heard what you said about Starburst! She would give her left foreleg before doing anything to harm Equestria! Especially her mom!” Anthea shouted.
“Miss, we were just –”
“How could you even think those kinds of things?! She’s my friend, and a friend to most of the ponies in this town! How dare you –!”
Annie stopped when she felt her mother’s forehoof on her shoulder. The look on her mother’s face a silent plea to stop. She took a calming breath, becoming visible in the cold air.
“Come on Annie, let’s get going.”
Carousel Boutique…
“I just can’t believe they were saying those things about Starburst!” Anthea shouted.
Fluttershy and Anthea had arrived at the home of Spike and Rarity, Claire was at Canterlot seeing Illusion, and Turquoise, well, as per usual, was sequestered in his room, wrapped up in his blankets. The pink unicorn mare had made her way into the room and, for the last five minutes, fumed about what she heard the LG stallions had said about Starburst. T, for his part, had poked his head out from under the blankets and listened to his fillyfriend, knowing that she, just like himself and their friends, had been hearing false rumors about their friend, and had been doing what they can to stop the spread of the rumors. But that didn’t stop it from getting under Anthea’s skin.
“It’s just two guys talking nonsense Annie, they probably haven’t been here long like the majority of them,” said Turquoise.
“I know, I know, it just…” Annie sighed, “It’s just really upsetting to hear them say that about her…despite what we heard from the news.”
A heavy feeling fell over the room, Turquoise knew what she was talking about. It was big news when they all heard about the Fear Lantern’s attack on the Griffon Empire capital, Griffonia. How most of the city was decimated and the Emperor, Stratus at the time, had his head mounted on a pike, killed by the hooves of the Fear Lantern. They couldn’t believe Starburst would be that ruthless, or, it would be more accurate to say that they didn’t want to believe that she could be.
“All we can do is believe in her Annie, from what the news says there are sightings of the Fear Lantern in different parts of the Equestrian Territories. If we’re lucky, she may run into Prism.”
“Now that was a surprise…Guess she really motivated him, huh?” Annie went silent for a bit before moving on to something just as touchy. “How’s Del been doing?”
Turquoise sighed, “As well as can be expected, we knew he had a thing for Star, but…He’s just kind of been in a bit of a funk since then.”
The unicorn mare made her way to T’s bed and flopped herself onto of the mound that was T’s body. The dragon-pony stallion looked up at his fillyfriend with a bemused smile, making Annie reflect this smile back at him.
“So, can we at least go out?” asked Annie.
T groaned, “No.”
“Oh c’mon, it’s snowing outside!”
“Exactly, I don’t like the cold, and snow even less.”
“Please~” she whined.
“Not coming out.” T said with finality, burying his head under a pillow for emphasis.
Annie puffed out her cheeks into a pouty face. Using her magic she levitated the pillow off of T’s head and stared at him coyly. “I’m going to do it.”
“You wouldn’t dare?!”
“Yes I would~”
“Annie!”
The pink mare took in a deep breath, “Do you want to build a snowcolt –!”
“Okay, okay, let’s go out!”
“Yay!” Annie hopped off T’s back and onto the floor, letting the pillow plop back onto his head. “Really though, I don’t see why you don’t like that song just because you cried.”
Turquoise snorted, “Not my fault that it was practically the saddest song in the movie…”
Annie lifted the pillow off of his head again and kissed him on the cheek. “And that’s why I love you, my big, strong, sensitive stallion.”
T blushed, but leaned forward and kissed her back on the cheek, and then the two nuzzled, enjoying each other’s warmth.
Canterlot…
Twilight was lying down on her bed, the curtains weren’t drawn, she didn’t much like being in the dark these days, not since her encounter with Steel Wing. Twilight shuddered every time she thought about that demented griffon, and, as much as she didn’t like thinking this, was glad that he was dead. But that wasn’t the most prominent cause of why she was alone in her room.
The High Princess of Magic usually found herself here for another reason, more or less, she was sulking. Ever since Starburst left, and attacked the Griffon Empire, Twilight and Flash had been worried about her. But...of anything that weighed on her mind, it was what her friends said to her. They had either talked to them separately or together, but all of it was the same, even now she could hear their voices in her head.
“Twi I hate to say it – no actually I don’t hate to say it, this is pretty much yours and Valiant Heart’s fault! I mean, c’mon, what did you think was going to happen when you banned her from the Royal Guard?! You could’ve banned her from the RG for a couple of years, grounded her for a year or two, Tartarus, even spanking her would’ve been better! But to take away your kid’s dream, something that they’ve been working towards most of their life! That’s just damn cruel Twi!
That’s like, the equivalent of me telling Prism he’s worthless because he didn’t become a Wonderbolt! And now he’s joined the RG, do I like it, a little because he’s defending our home and people! Am I worried that he might get himself killed? Of course I am! But I’m not going to stop him if that’s what he has his heart set on Twi, because I believe in him! Is it any wonder she chose that freaky ring’s power, you took what mattered most to her, and then you were going to take it away, again! I know she wasn’t born a unicorn Twi, but seriously, you should’ve tried harder…”
“I did…I thought I did…”
“Twilight, I understand where you’re coming from. It wasn’t easy for Rarity and me when we helped Claire set up her shop, especially when we knew what happens when she exhausts her magic and fire, she gets really weak and tired. We were always afraid that she’d be working on something and pass out without warning, either while working or on the street on her way to a client. But, despite that, we still let her continue, because we knew that this is what she wanted to do with her life, and we shouldn’t stand in her way, if anything we helped her, and were there if she ever needed help…
I guess what I’m saying is, maybe you should’ve listened to her more, believed in her…”
Twilight began to sniffle a bit, “But she’s my daughter…my first child, I just wanted to protect her…”
“Um, Twilight, I know what it feels like to be scared for your foal, believe me, I was terrified of something happening to Anthea. Even so…I think, if any mare could make it the Royal Guard, my bits would’ve been on Starburst, she just trained so hard and pushed herself a lot, I just knew she’d make it. I was afraid for her, just as you were, of Star getting hurt or something terrible. But then I look at Annie, and see just how much stronger she’s gotten over the years, pushing herself to be more independent, despite my constant worrying.
So Twilight, I don’t blame you, but, maybe there could’ve been a different way to go about it…”
The purple alicorn hit the bed with her hoof, “How?! Just what else could I do?! She…She stowed away on a Royal Guard airship, put herself in the middle of a warzone, and nearly died! How else was I supposed to react?! She’s – Star can be strong, but…”
“Twi, Ah know yer afraid of Star gettin’ hurt in the Guard. Heck, Ah was plum terrified of losin’ Del, he was just a tiny little thing that Ah thought, Ah dreaded, that one day Ah’d wake up one mornin’ and find my baby boy no longer breathin’…but that wasn’t the case, he was a fighter like his momma, and in the end, Del grew up to be as big and strong as his uncle.
In a lot of ways, Star and Del are similar. Ah remember you tellin’ me how she was kinda shy, would cry all the time, Ah think Ah joked to Rainbow that you gave birth to your own Fluttershy. But just like Del, Ah watched that young mare on my farm, seein’ her grow stronger and stronger each time. Ah guess it’s no surprise mah boy started likin’ your Star. And honestly, Ah couldn’t pick a better mare for him to be with. But just like Ah said, all ya need is faith that everythin’ will be alright, we raised good kids, there’s no need to worry…”
“But I do worry…And because of it I drove my own daughter away…!”
“I hate you…”
Those were the last words Star had spoken to her before she left, and it wounded Twilight in her heart. Twilight buried her face in the mattress, crying softly as she lamented the choices she had made for her daughter.
“That ring…i-it has to be that ring…Star, if that ring never appeared to you, then…”
It was the last bastion of sanity that Twilight held onto, even though Starburst told her that the ring chose her, it was still possible that it was influencing her without her knowing. Twilight remembered Trixie and the Alicorn Amulet, how it gave her powers almost equal to an alicorn’s, but at the same time it twisted her mind and turned her into an evil dictator bent on ruling Ponyville and enslaving the populace. Even separated from the ring, Starburst was still under its control.
“I will find a way to free you from that thing’s control, I swear it Star…”
There was a knock at the door, Twilight hurriedly wiped her face of the dried tears, but the door slowly opened and she quickly looked away.
“Twi, it’s me Flash…” Twilight glanced slightly at the door. “Can I come in?”
“Yes…”
Flash entered the room, he could tell that Twilight was crying, though she might’ve wiped away the tears, the matted fur around her face was proof enough of that. He climbed onto the bed and lay beside Twilight. Without any prompting, Twilight rested her head on her husband’s shoulder, letting his presence comfort her.
“Thinking about Star?”
She nodded.
“That makes two us.”
Twilight looked up at Flash, “I’m a terrible parent…”
“Well, if you are, you aren’t the only one,” said Flash, nuzzling the top her head.
“But she at least liked you more…I just couldn’t connect with her. We used to be so close when she was a filly, but…”
“It’s just the way some teenagers are, they get older, and they get moodier, look at Nidra,” said Flash jokingly.
Twilight jabbed Flash in the foreleg, “I’m serious Flash! Am I a bad mother…?”
Flash Sentry knew that this was farthest thing from the truth. “You’re not a bad mother Twilight, have we made some bad choices? Yes. But I still believe in her, and I believe in you Twi, we’ll see her again.”
Twilight sniffled a bit and nuzzled into her husband’s neck, happy to have him there for comfort. It was then that they both heard something at their bedroom door. Both the alicorn and pegasus turned to see that Nighty was poking his head in tentatively, wondering if he should intrude.
“Mom, Dad…?”
“You can come in Night Light,” said Flash.
The purple unicorn colt entered his parents’ bedroom, he tried to climb up to join them but found that he lacked the height. Taking pity on her son, Twilight used her telekinesis to lift the colt up and brought him to rest before the two of them. “Now, what’s wrong?”
“…N-Nothing…”
The mother and father looked to each other, knowing what it was that had their son looking down. “You miss your big sister don’t ‘cha?” asked Flash.
“N-No I-I don’t! Why would I miss her?! I mean, now I-I don’t have to fight with anypony in my own house, or get called names by her…” Nighty tried to appear indifferent about Starburst’s absence, but really, Twilight and Flash could see that he was missing her just as much as them.
“Now Nighty, you don’t mean that. I know you and Star don’t always get along, and honestly you two bicker like a cat and dog, but you can’t say that you’re glad she’s gone,” said Twilight.
The colt didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he did miss Star. For all the times that they did fight, Star just as many times stood up for him and protected him against bullies at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Despite her teasing and occasional attitude, Nighty guessed, as far as big sisters went, Star wasn’t that bad.
“No, I’m not…I wish she’d come back and stop making everypony worry about her,” said Nighty.
The unicorn was told only a few of the details about why his sister was gone; Twilight and Flash didn’t need to tell him what had happened in the dungeons, or what had occurred in the Griffon Empire. Just then, a scroll popped up in front of them out of nowhere. Twilight took the scroll with her magic and opened it. Both the High Princess and High Prince read over the scroll and their expressions changed to ones that conveyed the seriousness of the message.
“Nighty, we gotta go champ,” said Flash.
“I know, royal duties right?”
“Yes, but we’ll talk later if you want, is that okay with you?” asked Twilight.
Night Light Jr. nodded his understanding, and with that the three of them exited the bedroom. As they moved through the hallway, Twilight stopped for a moment in front of Starburst’s room. She opened the door slightly and stuck her head in. It was as she left it, undisturbed, with posters of the Royal Guards plastered on the back wall of her bed, and on other walls. A black leotard stuck out from its hidden spot underneath the bed, a reminder of when they had Starburst learn ballet. Twilight chuckled at the memory, she was annoyed by it, but in no time she began to enjoy it more and more to the point where it became a secret passion of hers. The room still held her scent within it, which was deeply nostalgic.
Twilight retracted her head and closed the door, deciding to not revel in the memories for too long, lest she allow her sadness to creep back into her heart yet again.
Twilight and Flash sat at the round table within the War Room. A map was placed on the table, showing Equestria proper and its territories, along with the nations of Minotaurus, Draconia, the Griffon Empire, and Zebrica. There were magically created constructs that marked their forces and the griffon forces. All High Rulers assembled looked upon the map with a grim expression.
“The griffon forces are being kept at bay for the moment, but from what we’re getting, they’re pushing forward inch by inch,” said Discord.
“The death of their Emperor hasn’t seemed to stop them in the slightest, if anything it has bolstered their fighting spirit,” commented Luna.
Twilight winced for a brief moment after hearing that.
“Regardless, we have another pressing matter. The griffon forces are being kept at bay for now, but there are different ways that they can get around our forces and possibly evade Equestria Proper.” Supernova pointed to a mountain that snaked along the borders between Minotaurus, the Griffon Empire, and Saddle Arabia. “The griffons could use this mountain range to bypass our blockades and enter Minotaur territory, and from there, work their way unseen through their country and enter Saddle Arabia, or, they could press on for the homeland.”
Celestia rubbed her chin as she contemplated what Luna’s husband had just said. “This is a problem, but, maybe one that we can work to our advantage.”
Cadance looked to her Aunt confused. “What are you getting at?”
The High Princess of the Sun stood tall before her fellow rulers and declared the following. “We forge an alliance with Minotaurus.”
“Um…Celestia,” Shining Armor spoke up, “the Minotaurs aren’t exactly the alliance type. They already expressed their neutrality in this war and don’t want to get involved.”
“True, but, neither are they keen on others using them as a means to an end,” said Flash. “If we make them aware of the little shortcut, we could spin it to our advantage.”
“How so?” asked Discord.
“We convince them that the griffons could use this as a way to invade Minotaurus. It wouldn’t be too hard of a sell, think about it, if the Griffon Empire is as ambitious as to go to war with us, and if they were to defeat us, what’s stopping them from going after them next?”
The assembled rulers thought over the proposal. It would give them a strong ally in the war, and the Minotaurs were known for their prowess when it came to combat and warfare. It could work, providing that they could make the stubborn race agree. The only question now was who was going to do the negotiations?
“If this is what we’re agreeing to, then I’ll go and negotiate with the Minotaurs,” said Twilight.
Many in the room, including Flash, seemed hesitant about letting the young High Princess go on such a mission.
“Twilight,” Cadance spoke tenderly, “maybe it’s better if Luna, or maybe I, should go considering…”
Twilight sighed deeply, “Look, I know you’re all worried about me after my ordeal in Maretonia,” her eyes met Flash’s to indicate he wasn’t left out in this conversation, “but I can’t just stay here in Equestria and not try to help. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to another battlefield, this is politics, and if anything, I’m confident in my skills as a diplomat to make this alliance work.”
There were still some hesitant looks among the others, but, there was no denying that Twilight had diplomacy skills that rivaled even Celestia’s. With a heavy sigh, Celestia looked directly at Twilight.
“Very well, but take every precaution before you depart. I want background checks on every and all Royal Guards accompanying you on this mission. And Twilight, I would like for you to choose at least three to be your Personal Protection Detail for the duration of your diplomatic mission, is that understood?”
Twilight nodded, adopting a professional and serious expression. “Yes Celestia, I will.”