I awoke feeling sick from the stress of trying to predict how Celestia was going to react to my presence and the news I was bringing. I took my time cleaning up and went all out with the shampoos and perfumes leaving my fur shining and smelling of roses. After donning regalia and the robe I had chosen I went over to the mirror to give myself a good onceover. While I didn’t mind the regalia as much as I used to, since it did bring out my flame colored eyes, the royal robe that was made for me was just too much. While it was thankfully soft, I didn’t really like the green color of it and the fur lining was a bit much.
Once I was sure I had everything I went to check on Aurora and found her to be still asleep, which was understandable considering the day she had. After checking with Butch and making sure he had the things I made for him, as well double-checking that his royal heraldry was being worn properly, I sent him off through old tunnel to the nearby diamond dog caves. As I left with Cassidy I threw up a few more protective spells around the manor just as a precaution.
“Now Cassidy I’m not quite sure what is going to happen so while in Canterlot I’m not going to be speaking Equestrian until I’m sure how Princess Celestia will react. You’ll be acting as my translator until that time.” She looks at me strangely for a moment before making a comment. “But Princess, didn’t you say that you were good friends with her? Shouldn’t she be willing to listen to what you have to say?”
I pause for a moment as I think back to the little things I noticed with Celestia, especially with our very first meeting. “I would really like to say that she would, but she has a major problem with Sionnach that I’m pretty sure I know the cause of. At the very least I’ll be able to verify that my theory is correct though I hope the plan I have will work. I just hope I don’t have to get the other four princesses to overrule her as that could make things even worse. Besides, if I don’t play politics like everyone else then there are bound to be problems in the future, and I hate politics.”
I pull my hood up and we are silent for the rest of our walk to meet with Twilight. We attract a large amount of attention as we enter Ponyville; me with my robe and Cassidy with her heraldic suit and oversized shield while carrying the flag of the kingdom. I wonder what the ponies thought of us as we moved through town, especially with the war going on now. Arriving at Twilight’s palace I inform the guards of our meeting with Twilight and one is sent in to find her. Twilight is soon out to greet us, but looks surprised by our appearance.
“You said that you wanted to go to Canterlot to speak with Celestia, but isn’t this a tad overboard to go talking with friends?” I just shake my head, which is mostly obscured by the hood. “You should know better than I how politics work between kingdoms, Twilight. If I wasn’t representing my people then I would gladly take a more casual route but since I am I have to play the game. I’d rather not have to do this, but when I am under official business then it’s expected of me to do so.”
Twilight raises a hoof to object before she instead plants it onto her muzzle. “Right, of course you have to do this. Even our closest allies go through with all of the motions when they are on official business. This is going to be annoying having to deal with isn’t it?” Twilight signals to her guards and has them bring around a large chariot for our trip to Canterlot.
We made small talk as we flew towards the city though things were a bit subdued considering the circumstances. As we approached the city I looked over what once was a shining city to find that it was now spotted with ruined buildings. Remembering mention of a civil war I guessed that this was part of the resulting damage it caused. We soon came in to a landing near the upper levels of the city a decent ways from the castle. While normally we would have landed next to the castle itself I was guessing that there were some new security measures in place as a precaution.
There weren’t any carriages there at the time so we were forced to walk the rest of the way to the castle. With our appearances we gained a lot of attention from the ponies in the city and some followed in curiosity. Nobody would have known what kingdom the flag represented as it was one that hadn’t been seen in millennia which only three beings from Equestria would still know. I heard a lot of muttering from the ponies around us, arguing about why we were here and who we were exactly.
The crowd was stopped at the gates to the castle by the guard as Twilight escorted us towards the throne room. There were no petitioners waiting but I was guessing that only important matters were handled by the throne during this time of crisis. Twilight was about to speak with the herald for us, when I halted her and whispered to Cassidy what I wanted the herald to announce us as. The great doors opened and he went through before rapping his staff of office on the ground, quieting the throne room.
“Announcing the Emissary of the Kingdom of Sionnach to meet with the Princesses of Equestria!” At his call the entire room was flooded with silence before conversations started breaking out in earnest. This was all ended moments later by one voice. “WHAT!?” My ears dropped down at the sound of Celestia’s rarely used Royal Canterlot Voice as I watched the doors get blown of their hinges from the force of it.
Once the herald was able to recover from being blasted back by her voice he turned to us to wave us through with a hoof. As we entered Twilight quickly moved around the room to Celestia’s side, but was silenced by a raised hoof when she tried to whisper something. The Princess of the Sun had her entire attention focused on me and my guard and if she could have she would have set us on fire just from the intensity of her glare. Selene was also there on Celestia’s other side in what would normally be Luna’s throne. It reminded me much of what had happened the first time that I had met with her but this time I was much better prepared.
“And just what is one of your kind doing here in my kingdom once again? Are you here to finish what you started all those thousands of years ago?” I roll my eyes from the concealment of my robes as I whisper to Cassidy in the tongue of Sionnach what I want said. “The crowned princess of Sionnach has come requesting a chance to renew old treaties with the ponies of Equestria in the hopes that old wounds can once again be mended.” She was about to say more but Celestia chose that moment to interrupt.
“Do you really think that I would allow your kind another chance to betray us once again? Do you really think that after all that you did can so easily be forgotten by one who was there?” The ponies in the room had been backing away from Celestia as her voice took on a menacing tone. This allowed me a clear view of the princess for the first time since we entered the room. I had heard that she had been injured, but I didn’t know the full extent of it until now. Not only were her wings bandaged like Twilight’s, but all but her front left leg was bandaged and even looked shorter than they should be. Along with that her horn was at least half the size it used to be and her barrel was heavily bandaged as well. She looked to be having head pains as well, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t caused by her physical injuries.
“Princess, all we wish is for peace between or kingdoms once again as in the old days. The oaths between us have not been forgotten even after all this time away from the world.” Celestia’s eyes narrow and I can almost feel the anger radiating off of her like heat, which may very well be happening as I see the ponies in the room still backing away. “Those oaths were broken by your rulers before we were forced to drive them from our lands. We shall never again be taken for fools again if we have anything to say about it.”
I can clearly see now that she is acting completely on her anger now with no thought even with Twilight and Selene trying to calm her. I lay a paw on Cassidy’s leg and nod as I step forward to speak for myself. “Then tell us, Your Royal Highness, what it was that we did to betray you, if you can remember it that is. Yet I have evidence that it was not us that caused the schism between us all those year ago.” Celestia is too angry to recognize my voice, but Selene obviously did as I see her head jerk up with her mouth wide open and I can see her eyes start tearing up. Celestia though is frantically trying to come up with an answer to my request though is having trouble doing so.
“It was… I mean it had to be because… Why can’t I remember?” She raises her good hoof to her head as the pain seems to be getting worse as she tries to remember. I look at her in pity as Discord’s ancient curse is having its way with her even after all this time. “You can’t remember because you were forced into doing it by one that would see the ancient alliance broken. The kingdom ran because of the ancient oaths that were made and I can prove that this is true.” I pause as I think back to the words that were burned into my mind so long ago that I believe I can now utter.
“le do thoil a dheonú mo chabhair”
As I utter the words of the ancient pact it felt as if all of Canterlot was trembling from the power they held. All the ponies in the room seem to have felt this power as they started to climb to their hooves after falling to the floor. None were as surprised as Celestia who just stared at me in shock and fear as she felt the compulsion those words brought into being. She spoke to me in the ancient language this time so only me and my guard could understand her next words. “Who are you? Only the Lord Inari and Lady Ogitsu should know those words and even then they should have no power.”
At this point Selene was openly crying leaving Twilight as the only princess available to properly react. “Guards! Court is cancelled until further notice! Clear the room of everypony, except for the emissaries, as well as yourselves!” There is a bit of confusion at this order coming from her, but when Celestia doesn’t object they proceed to do so. Once the room is cleared and the doors sealed with Twilight’s magic I reach up to lower my hood. My hood barely left my head before I was tackled to the ground by the Princess of Dreams.
“Flarenza it is you! We thought you were dead!” After catching my breath I wrap a couple tails around her as she cries into my shoulder, though I almost feel like doing so myself at seeing her. Looking around I can see that my guard has no idea how to react while Celestia is staring in shock with her jaw open while Twilight looks on with a small smile. Eventually Celestia recovers enough to find her voice once again.
“Flarenza?! But we thought you were dead?” I have to roll my eyes at that as it was starting to get annoying. “I really have to wonder why you would all think that I was dead without any way to verify it, especially after what I said in my last letter. Besides, isn’t there something more important that you should be asking?” Nothing is said for a moment until Celestia finally remembers what I had said moments ago.
“How were you able to say those words? Only the rulers of Sionnach can even speak those words because of the spell surrounding them and it should have been broken long ago.” I sigh as painful memories start to come to the front of my mind again. “That’s because I am the sole ruler of the kingdom now. Tell me Celestia, how long has it been since the war with them happened?” Celestia looks confused by my question but still answers.
“If I recall it has been almost thirty-five hundred years since the war happened.” She doesn’t sound as angry as before, but there is still something simmering underneath. “Celestia, it has been almost seven thousand years since everything happened.” She looks shocked by this information as she takes it in.
“How can that be? I would have known if that much time had passed.” I sigh before asking a question about that. “Why would you think that time would make sense during the years after the kitsune left the planet? Especially considering who would benefit the most by them leaving and took advantage of it the moment they were gone.” Celestia is silent for a moment before she brings her hoof up to her head.
“You’re talking about Discord aren’t you? Why am I not surprised that he had something to do with this and never admitted it?” She was about to say something when she realized the implications of that as well as something that I had said. “But that means… and we… It can’t be…” I watched as her mask she always wore finally shattered as tears started to appear in her eyes as she ran out of the throne room. We were all surprised by this action but Twilight soon recovered and took off after her. This left me with just my guard and Selene, who was still tightly gripping me, in the throne room.
“Uh Selene? You can let go of me now.” I can feel her shake her head as it is pressed into my shoulder. “Don’t want to. If I do you’ll leave us again.” I sigh as I bring a paw up around her, but once again forget that it’s the wooden on as she gasps at the feeling of it. “Your leg!? What happened to it?” I sigh as I once again go through explaining what happened and what came of it all. By the time I had finished Twilight was carrying Celestia, who looked to be in pain after running on her injured limbs, back into the room.
“I’m sorry that you had to see that, but after so long of blaming them for something that never really happened, I just couldn’t take the pain.” I can see that she is still hurting, but Twilight must have helped her a lot. I then remember something else that might be able to help her a bit through all this. “About the boon, there isn’t anything more appropriate use for it than for you to forgive yourself for being used. I also have a message from Lady Ogitsu just before she was lost to us. She wanted you and Luna to know that she forgave you for everything that happened.”
Celestia starts to tear up again, and this time Selene drags me over to her for a group hug that is soon joined by Twilight. Her tears this time are a bit different than her previous ones as this time they are more grateful. I look up and notice Cassidy is still standing there and a paw at her signaling for her to head out of the room since the barrier on it was broken. Once all four of us are alone things are quiet as old friendships are rekindled.
Eventually we had to break up and we get back to our previous conversation with Celestia asking the first question. “Just how are you the Princess of Sionnach? You said that your mother died when we first met.” I sigh as this question was bound to come up again. “It’s because I married the son of the rulers, which I didn’t know at the time, so when all three of them were lost to the war I was the only one left to lead.”
She looks at me questioningly as if expecting me to continue explaining. “In fact that’s why I’m here; I had to make sure relations between our two kingdoms were fixed if we were going to be neighbors again.” Only Twilight doesn’t look confused as she had already heard the plan from me. “You already know where the old kingdom used to be Celestia, and I plan to reclaim it once again since nobody else can control it.”
Celestia’s eyes widen as she remembers where everything began. “You don’t mean?” I nod to confirm her suspicions. “Yes, we are returning to the Everfree Forest once again to return it back to what it used to be. What few of us that are left at least.” I sigh as I wonder if there is a way to get the others that went to other worlds back to this one.
“There are only two thousand kitsune left now, so few can be spared to help you with the war, but I’m sure you remember the other subjects that are part of the kingdom.” I look at Celestia knowingly as she ponders my words for a minute. Her eyes widen and I nod to her as I continue. “I’ve already sent out my other guards to spread the message and prepare for war to assist you. I can think of no better way to repair relations between our kingdoms than to help drive off this threat on our return.”