//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 (Secrets Reveled) // Story: Interesting Times // by Timothy48 //------------------------------// Chapter 4 Secrets Revealed  If you would keep your secret from an enemy, tell it not to a friend.                                                                                       -Benjamin Franklin Canterlot Hospital, Celestia, and Luna’s room, July 13, 1908 10:17pm A deep silence filled the room, broken only by the slow ticking of the clock on the wall. Accord sat between the two cloud beds and he looked exhausted. Ever since assuming his new duties as the princesses stand in, he hadn’t gotten much sleep and it showed. His eyes were bloodshot and he had dark bags under them; his clothing was rumpled and he just exuded an aura of exhaustion. After his meeting with Captain Phelps, he had returned to Canterlot. Upon arriving, he had set about gathering a small team of ponies to form a diplomatic mission to the United States as soon as possible. In addition, he had sent a short letter describing what he had learned from the human captain to Princess Celestia. This was the main reason he now found himself sitting here in the hospital room with the two princesses. He had received a message from Celestia less than an hour ago asking him to come and speak with her as soon as possible, and when she meant as soon as possible, she meant now. So, he had come at once, leaving the preparations for the diplomatic mission in the capable hooves of Raspberry Tea. Upon his arrival at the hospital, Celestia had questioned him about the humans and Accord had told her everything that he knew. As he spoke, Celestia had become quieter and quieter, finally Accord finished speaking and awaited her response. After a long minute of awkward silence, she spoke. “You’re sure he wasn’t trying to mislead you Accord?” “I am positive, Your Highness. Like Applejack, I can spot a lie immediately. After all I was once the Lord of Disharmony you know.” He said, while rubbing a hoof against his chest, of course, Celestia was unable to see the action, thanks to the bandages covering her face. However she did manage to get the gist of what he was doing through his tone. Several days had already passed since The Event, and thanks in large part to an Alicorn’s amazing healing abilities, Celestia’s wounds were noticeably better. In fact, if he looked close enough, Accord could see a little bit of pink fuzz beginning to show where her mane used to be. Luna was also making a quick recovery, with many of her bandages having been removed. She’d even been allowed to get out of bed and walk about the room for a short time. Even looking closely, Accord couldn’t see her bruises, but that was more due to the fact that her coat color hid them very well. In addition, he noticed that her mane was slowly beginning to regrow as well, and much like Celestia’s, was also actual hair instead of the ethereal magic that they normally sported. Shaking his head in effort to focus his thoughts, Accord said, “Princess Celestia-”   “Celestia is fine when we are alone Accord,” cut in the Sun Princess. “Alright, Celestia.” He cleared his throat before continuing, “What are we going to do? From what I understand if these human nations find out that we are without a powerful military and that we possess desirable resources, namely gems and vast tracts of arable land, they might try and subjugate us.” Celestia let out a mournful sigh and replied, “I know, Accord. I pray that they will seek peaceful coexistence with us, but we need to be ready in case they do not. I have spent most of the morning thinking about that since I received your letter earlier today. However, before I go any farther I must ask, what is the current situation?” Taking a deep breath Accord replied, “Well, the death toll is under a thousand so far. In addition, the amount of injured ponies still seems to be relatively light, no more than twelve thousand so far. Many of them light injuries. However,” He paused and took another deep breath before he continued, “The amount of damages is staggering. Unless we can find a way to help defray the costs, the populace will be feeling it for years, if not decades to come. I have spent hours trying to come up with some way to fix this problem, but nothing I can think of is enough.” “How much, Accord?” asked Celestia, silently dreading the answer. Sighing, he replied, “Over eighty million bits so far and still climbing.” Celestia winced at the price tag. Even though the Equestrian economy was doing okay, a large shock, such as The Event, could send it into a tailspin. Couple that with the massive drain on the treasury due to the enormous amount of damages suffered and one had a recipe for disaster. While Equestria still had a strong economy, based around agriculture and local artisans, it had in recent decades begun to feel the strain of an expanding population. As a result, heavy industries such as steel mills and factories had begun to appear across Equestria; many of them serving local or regional needs in an attempt to keep up with the growing demand for goods. Unfortunately,  due to the relative age of the Equestrian industries, imported steel from the Griffin kingdom was still preferred due to its higher quality. This was in large part due to the greater experience of the griffon steelmakers when compared to their pony counterparts. As a result, Equestria’s main exports were low value agricultural goods, moderate amounts of artisan made goods and small amounts of high quality, high value gems. However, without a large heavy industrial base, Equestria was in a delicate position. With the Weather Factory in Cloudsdale out of commision for the foreseeable future, along with the widespread damages to the rest of the nation, they would be too tied up with recovery to do anything else. There was no way that Equestria could both rebuild and arm itself at the same time. Unless they could-.  A thought struck Celestia and she said, “Accord.” “Hmm?”     “Tell me, did this Captain Phelps describe the sophistication of their weapons?” Accord blinked in confusion and replied, “Yes, but I don’t see how that will help us. We don’t have any weapons that would be able to match them, nor do we have the knowledge on how to build any. Right now, our best bet would be if someone out there took pity on us and threw us a few weapons.” He shook his head in resignation. However, it was at that moment he saw a small smile cross Celestia’s face, looking at her in confusion he asked, “Why are you smiling?” At his question, Celestia’s smile widened even more, finally she responded. “Accord, I think you’re giving up too easily.” Throwing his hooves up in the air, he exclaimed, “Well excuse me Your Highness if I’m a little pessimistic!” He stood up and began pacing while he ranted, Celestia for her part simply lay back and waited for him to cool off. “I mean, according to Captain Phelps, many of these nations possess large armies numbing in the hundreds of thousands, all of which, might I add, are well equipped with highly advanced weapons! If even half of what he described to me is accurate, the guard wouldn’t simply be beaten if they fought them, they would be annihilated. How can swords and spears hope to combat these so called ‘firearms’ of the humans?”           “They can’t.” she said simply.         “Exactly! So how do you propose we keep some human nation from gobbling us up like a dragon would a tasty gem?” he replied exasperatedly.         “Do not dismiss the power of magic Accord, it can be used in more ways than you think.” Rolling his eyes Accord, shot back, “One little problem Celestia, only unicorns can actually cast those spells and if you want them to be of any use, then they must be cast by powerful unicorns.”         “You’re referring to my faithful student and her brother Shining Armor?” inquired Celestia. Accord ceased his pacing. “Well, I was think more along the lines of Twilight, as I wasn’t aware that Shining Armor was her brother.” Celestia simply smiled before saying, “Well he is, and he is quite protective of her.” Accord groaned. “Perfect, so now it becomes even more important that my secret remain so, otherwise I’ll have to find someplace very deep to hide until he expires from age.” This time, Celestia didn’t smile, she laughed. It was a soft musical sound, one that could soothe a ponies heart in an instant. Unfortunately, Accord’s heart wasn’t soothed. “How can you laugh at a time like this?” he said, before resuming his pacing. Celestia by this point had managed to calm her laughter and simply said, “Oh Accord, I’m sorry, but you just reminded me of my student just now.” Stopping, he cocked an eyebrow and asked, “In what way?” “You’re worrying over something minor, if Shining Armor did discover your secret then I or Luna would simply explain to him what was going on.” “Yeah, and in the meantime he’ll be slinging spells at my flank.” replied Accord sarcastically. “Well, no plan is perfect.” quipped Celestia. “Speaking of plans, what do we do about our situation? We have no ‘modern’ weapons, nor do we have a military large enough to combat anything the humans may throw at us.”     Celestia remain silent for a time, Accord almost thought that she had fallen asleep before she said quietly, “Accord, what I am about to tell you is a closely guarded secret, only I fully know of it.” Accord stopped his pacing, eyes riveted on the Solar Diarch, even Luna, who had been lightly napping, opened her eyes and turned her attention to her sister. Clearing her throat slightly, before continuing, Celestia said, “It was nearly a hundred years after my sisters defeat and subsequent banishment following the Nightmare Wars.” “Nightmare Wars?” asked Accord, confused. “I had thought that you and Luna had simply dueled in the sky and that everypony else had either watched in horrified wonder or coward below in their homes.” “That is the...short version of the story. What is not mentioned is the effects of Luna’s corruption and later banishment.” Now both Accord and Luna were fully interested in Celestia’s story. Shifting slightly on her bed, so as to get more comfortable, Celestia continued, “The Nightmare didn’t just corrupt Luna, but all of us to certain degrees, the only one not affected by its influence was you, but that was only because you were stone at the time.” “What do you mean that it wasn’t just Luna that was corrupted?” “Just that. When the Nightmare took control, it used Luna’s powers to spread its rot throughout Equestria, infecting the hearts of all it touched, including me. During the battle with it, I chased it from one end of the world to the other and everywhere we went, destruction and chaos followed. It was a miracle that you didn’t break free during that period.” Accord placed a hoof to his chin in thought and tried to recall any memories that he might have had at the time. Nothing came to mind. Giving his head a shake, he turned his attention back to Celestia, who after having taken a small sip of water had resumed her tale. “It wasn’t until years later that I realized how deep the damage had gone during that fight. Even the act of banishing Nightmare Moon spread her corruption further. When it was all over, the Old Kingdom of Equestria was no more, the ponies faith in me had been badly shaken. In addition, many of them saw their current misfortunes as the fault of Luna and I, since in their minds, Luna had allowed herself to be possessed and I hadn’t seen the signs in time.” “Sister, twas not thy fault, We should have not hid Our feelings from thee.” Celestia gave a weary sigh. “Luna, for the last time, you need to let that go. What’s done is done and nothing we can do will change it, the best we can do is to learn from it and move forward.”         “We...I mean, I know, but...” she trailed off uncertainly, allowing an awkward silence to fall upon the room. After looking back and forth between the two sisters, Accord cleared his throat and asked, “So what happened next?” Celestia sighed once more before saying, “I was removed from the throne of Equestria by a coup of angry ponies who wanted to blame me for the tragedy that had befallen them. So with a heavy heart I fled the remains of the old capital, which has since become the Everfree Forest.” She paused, recalling the painful memories of that troubled time. Shifting once more, she continued, “Even though I had fled from the capital and was now considered an enemy by many. I still continued to raise the sun and the moon, partly in the hopes that the hearts of the ponies would be softened at the sight of the sun and moon continuing their dance across the sky.”         “...And did it?” Celestia nodded. “It did, it took time, but in the end many came to realize that it wasn’t my fault that things had turned out the way they had. Many of them even forgave Luna her trespasses against them, convinced that she wasn’t in her right mind when everything happened. However, things were far from ideal for my followers and I. We were forced to seek shelter in the Zebra Lands to the south, for fear of annihilation by those who opposed me.” “I wasn’t aware that the Zebra’s would grant you, let alone be able to provide you with, protection from your enemies.” Celestia smiled. “It wasn’t easy convincing them to aid us, but in the end the promises of pony help with their lands helped sway them to look after us.” “Let me get this straight here, in exchange for protecting you and your people, you would have your ponies help the zebra’s with the weather?” asked Accord. “And much, much more. It is thanks to the efforts of the earth ponies and unicorns that the Zebra’s are able to use magic through their potions and alchemy. In addition to the increase in their quality of life.” “Interesting, but I don’t see how that will help us with the human problem.” “I’m getting there, be patient.” she paused for a moment to recollect her thoughts. Finally she nodded and said, “Now during this time, the Code of Harmony had fallen into disuse. Ponies no longer followed the five Elements of it, Honesty, Laughter, Loyalty, Kindness and Generosity. Instead, they turned their backs on Harmony and followed the Code of Disharmony, Dishonesty, Sadness, Disloyalty, Hatred and Greed. Just as the Nightmare had wanted them too. For because of her influence, however weak and small it may have been, it was enough to turn ponies into monsters and because of this, ponies went to war. At first it was only against those who threatened them, dragons, griffins, minotaurs and the monsters of the world, just to name a few.” “I’m sensing a ‘but’ in there somewhere.” said Accord. Celestia nodded. “You are correct. In time the ponies learned to fight well and were no longer content to let the others make the first move.”         “So they elected to strike their enemies first.” finished Accord. Celestia gave a tired nod. “Yes, they did. Over the years weapons technology had progressed at a rapid pace. Swords and spears had given way to cannons and firearms. Spells had become more and more dangerous. Many of them could, in the hooves of a powerful and skilled enough pony, kill hundreds at a time.” Accord cringed slightly at the thought of all that destructive potential in the hooves of a single pony. It’s a wonder that they didn’t blow themselves off the face of the planet. He thought in wonder. Turning his attention back to Celestia he asked, “So what did you do?”         “At first, nothing. In my grief I allowed myself to become blind to the disaster unfolding across the land. I was so overcome with sadness and anguish, that I could barely raise the sun and the moon at times.” she replied, a touch of sadness coloring her voice. Taking a deep breath she continued, “After a time, a single nation emerged from the chaos that was Equestria and it became known as the Equestrian Commonwealth. It didn’t take long for the Commonwealth to unite all of the warring factions under a single banner and when they did.”         “They came after you.” finished Accord. Celestia nodded. “Yes, they did. They saw myself and those who had gathered around me as a threat. One that could not be allowed to remain.”         “So one day they decided to ‘take care’ of you and your subjects?” inquired Accord.         “Yes, it caught both us and the Zebras by surprise. For years we had stayed out of Equestrian politics, contenting ourselves with rebuilding and raising our families.” she gave a mournful sigh. “The war lasted for a long time. Even though the Commonwealth had caught us off guard. We, along with the help of the Zebras and later the Griffons and Dog Clans, managed to beat them back to the gates of Canterlot were they finally surrendered to us.”         “What happened then?” asked Accord. Celestia gave another mournful sigh. “You have to understand something, the war had left its mark upon the land, whole area’s had been left a desolate wasteland. In fact, the badlands to the southeast, are the result of heavy fighting and use of dangerous magic.” “Wait, the badlands have been around since before Luna’s banishment. In fact, I was the one who created them in the first place when I lost my temper!” Celestia nodded slightly. “That may be true Accord, but the constant fighting in and around the badlands only made them grow in size, in addition to becoming even more desolate and dangerous.” she gave another sigh and continued, “So after the war ended and I had been restored to the throne, reconstruction commenced. However, many ponies had lost friends and loved ones during the war and many just wanted to forget it entirely.” “So you obliged them.” “I did. It took a few years, but the results were worth it. All nations involved in the war agreed to destroy and or hide away their weapons and the knowledge on how to make them. Furthermore, it was also decided that the events leading up to, during and after the war should be left vague for later generations. Hence the old mare's tale of Nightmare Moon among other things. So over the years, as the generation that grew up during that time passed on, the knowledge of the horrors and realities of the war passed on with them.” "Wait a moment," Accord said skeptically, "For a group as obsessed with writing things down as ponies are, you expect me to believe that a war of that magnitude was just 'forgotten' like a bad dream?" “Of course not,” Celestia replied. “There were ponies who passed on the tale to the next generation, there were even some who wrote down their experiences during the war. However, most of those manuscripts have either been lost to history or locked away in somepony’s attic, forgotten. Some have, over the years, been confiscated and destroyed by the government, as they contained dangerous information that if used, could kill hundreds of innocents. But other than those isolated incidents, the war has for the most part been forgotten.” “Well that’s all well and good, but I still don’t see how this helps us with the humans.” said Accord. “Well, it’s simple really, remember how I said that those involved in the fighting either destroyed or hid the knowledge?” asked Celestia, emphasizing the word hid. It took a moment for Accord to recognize where she was going with her thought, but when he did, it was like a bolt of lightning struck him. “Are you saying that you-”         “Hid them away? Yes, I do. After the war I ordered most of the weapons and knowledge of war to be destroyed. This was done in an effort to preserve the peace, in line with the treaty that I signed. However, what I didn’t tell anyone, was that I secretly ordered copies of the books and scrolls to be stored under Canterlot Castle, along with a copious amount of…items.” Accord felt like he had been hit by a train, the mere thought that just beneath his hooves lay the tools and knowledge of war, undisturbed since their entombment. Shaking his head in amazement, he asked, “Why?”         “Why would I order the careful hiding of the means to wage large scale war underneath Canterlot?” she asked. “It’s simple, really. While I prayed for peace, I knew that someday these very weapons, along with the knowledge needed to use them and make them, would be needed. Even though I didn’t like it, I had to see to it that Equestria could quickly prepare itself in case danger presented itself.” Accord nodded his head slowly. “A wise ruler does not leave their country open for conquest. So, what all did you have secreted away down there?” he asked curiously. “Maybe it is best if you just saw for yourself. Of course you will need a guide and unfortunately I am unable to leave this room. However, Luna is not, and I’m sure that she would be thrilled to give you the ‘grand tour’.” If he could have seen her face properly, Accord figured that she would have had her so called ‘troll’ face on. Celestia was known to have an odd...quirk or two. The Lunar Princess rolled her eyes before sarcastically replying, “Oh sure, I would just love to go and show them around the catacombs. Trouble is Tia, that I have a cast on one of my legs and while I am able to hobble about our room with relative ease, the catacombs are another matter entirely.” “Oh? I had thought the doctor removed it earlier today?” replied her sister innocently. Luna rolled her eyes in exasperation and said, “See what I must put up with Accord? It’s a wonder I am still sane.” Celestia merely grinned before replying, “Oh Luna, you know you enjoy our ‘quality’ time together.”   Accord simply sat in between the two cloud beds waiting for the two sisters to cease their verbal sparring, all the while thinking quietly to himself, I am so glad that I do not have any siblings. Sighing wearily, he cut in, “Would you two please stop your bickering? Not that I don’t mind a little chaos every now and then, but you two are starting to give me a headache.” Luna gave a sheepish smile and Celestia felt herself blushing slightly, quickly clearing her throat she said, “My apologies Accord.” Shifting slightly she continued, “Now, as I was saying earlier. I am sure that we could arrange to have Luna guide you through the sealed chambers. Besides only she or I can open the sealed doors, and since I am confined to quarters as it were, that leaves only one other alternative.” “But how will I descend all those nasty stairs with my leg in a cast?” whined Luna. “Oh hush. You just don’t like the catacombs. Accord can push you along on your cloud bed with his magic easily enough, or have a pegasus do it for him.” replied a slightly irritated and tired Celestia. Sighing Luna replied, “Very well then, if I must.” Accord looked confused, “Why wouldn’t you want to go down into the catacombs?” “Because, they remind me of…my failures and I would rather not remember them. After all it is because of my fall that these things exist at all.” “I…see.” Quickly clearing his throat he asked, “When do we leave?” Luna looked to Celestia, then back and replied, “I suppose now would work just fine.” Nodding his head Accord replied, “Very well, I’ll go and get a nurse to help get you situated and then we can go.” Luna simply waved a hoof in acknowledgement as Accord left to find a nurse. After having tracked down a nurse that could interact with the cloud bed, Accord had patiently waited outside the room while Luna was made ready for transport. While he waited he thought, I wonder how Twilight and her friends are doing. Hmm, maybe they should come with us. They are the bearers of the elements after all and I’m sure Twilight would just love to get her hooves on all those books and scrolls down there.  He turned his head at the sound of the door opening and saw Luna’s bed come floating out of the room, with the pegasus nurse pushing it along. As they came abreast of him, he asked, “Luna, what do you think about bringing Twilight Sparkle and her friends along with us?” Luna glanced at Accord and after giving it some thought, replied, “You know that isn’t a bad idea, Celestia and I were already planning to tell them. Might as well do it now and get it over with.” “My thoughts exactly,” Turning his attention to the nurse he asked, “Nurse, do you think we could stop by Twilight Sparkles room?” Inquired the former draconequus. “I don’t see why not, it’s on our way towards the exit, in fact if I remember correctly she and her friends are visiting with each other as we speak, even if it is rather late in the evening.” “Excellent, well then let us go and meet with them then.” he replied. A short journey later and they found the six mares sitting on cushions in a small side room, presumably where family and friends would visit with those in the hospital. As they entered Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash quickly stood up and bowed low at Princess Luna’s arrival. Accord noticed that the three mare’s wounds had mostly healed by now and other than a few remaining bandages, looked fine. Rarity and Fluttershy on the other hoof remained seated, Fluttershy on her cloud bed, with one of her wings bandaged and her right foreleg in a cast. While Rarity remained seated on her cushion, both her forelegs were in plaster casts, according to the doctors a candle stand had fallen across her legs during The Event. Thankfully, it was a clean break and they would heal just fine according to the doctors. As Accord looked around the room, he happened to spot her wheelchair in the corner. The final pony in the room, Pinkie Pie, failed to even notice them, her hair was completely straight, and her coat seemed to have dulled in color becoming a grayish pink. Her eyes were downcast and she seemed like she was in a trance. “Your Highness! I didn’t know you were up and about! I thought you were still confined to bed?” exclaimed Twilight. Luna gave a small smile and replied, “I was, however events have forced me to leave my room. However, before we go any farther, I would like to introduce to you Legal Accord,” She waved her hoof to indicate Accord, who in turn bowed his head in greeting. “He is here to help Tia and myself get things put back in order.” “What do ya mean, ‘put things back in order’?” drawled Applejack. Luna lifted her hoof to her chin and pondered the question for a moment before replying, “Well, as you can see, Tia and I are in no condition to lead the country at this time. In addition, even when we are finally released from the hospital, we are to ‘take it easy’ at least that is what the doctors said. Which will require some restructuring of the government.”         “What do you mean ‘restructuring’?” asked Rainbow Dash. Luna became quiet for a few moments, while she tried to find the right words to say. Finally, she gave a wing shrug and said, “As you all know, Celestia for many years has not only raised the sun, but the moon as well, in addition to her duties as princess of Equestria.” The others simply nodded, continuing, Luna said, “Well, this has been fairly taxing on her and even though she is an Alicorn, even we have our limits and I’m afraid she’s reached hers.” “What do you mean?” asked Twilight. Luna gave a tired sigh. “There is much that you do not know Twilight Sparkle. I doubt that Celestia has had a real day of rest since the time of my banishment.” “I don’t understand.” “I didn’t think you would Twilight,” Luna gave another sigh before continuing, “It is like this: Celestia is the one who makes all of the decisions regarding internal and foreign matters. Oh sure, she has advisors and ministers who handle some of the burden. Yet for whatever reason, my sister set the government up so that in the end most of the decisions would fall on her shoulders.” “Now why in the hay would she do that?” inquired Applejack. Luna shook her head and said, “I honestly do not know. However, what I do know is that the current government set up is no longer as effective as it used to be.”   “What’s wrong with it?” asked Rainbow Dash, cocking her head to one side. “The problem with the government Rainbow, is that everypony focuses their attention on Tia and to a lesser extent, myself. Thus, if either Tia, myself or both of us are…unavailable, then the government would be unable to function properly. In addition, it is a very tiring way to govern the kingdom, add that on top of our duties of raising and lowering both the Sun and Moon and well I think you get the idea. However, Tia plans on having Accord here take our place as the head of government.” “But, if he does that, then what happens to you and Princess Celestia?” asked Twilight, concerned at the thought of Celestia and Luna no longer ruling Equestria. Luna chuckled and replied, “Have no fear Twilight, Celestia and I will return after we have recovered sufficiently from our injuries. However, that will take some time, though I am sure that we could be cleared for some ‘light’ duties during our time off.” A collective sigh escaped from five of the six friends, Pinkie was the only one to remain silent. Upon noticing Pinkie’s lifeless like state, Accord asked, “Is there something wrong with her?” The room grew quiet and several of the ponies in the room shifted uncomfortably, finally Twilight replied, “We don’t know, physically she’s fine. Emotionally or mentally, well we’re not so sure, after she woke up…well it was like all her happiness had been sucked out of her, or like her soul had been traumatized by what happened that night. The doctors don’t know, I don’t know and I doubt that there is anypony out there that does.” She gave a weary sigh. “It hurts to see her like this, but we hoped that by talking or interacting with her, that she might snap out of it. No such luck.” She hung her head in sadness; a few tears slowly rolled down her face and fell to the floor. The rest of her friends were likewise downtrodden. Accord replied, “I am sorry about your friend, hopefully a cure for her condition can be found.” A chorus of ‘thanks’ were spoken by the five friends, turning Accord asked Luna, “Should we tell them now or let them remain with their friend?” Luna pondered for a moment, while the group of Ponyvillians looked on with curious looks on their faces. Finally, after nodding her head she replied, “Yes, I think that this would be acceptable.” Turning to her nurse she said, “Thank you for your assistance, you may go.” The nurse nodded and slowly trotted out of the room, once she was gone Luna turned back to the group and said, “What I am about to tell and show you, if you are willing, is not to be shared with anypony else. This information is very secretive and dangerous and the general population is not ready for it, yet. Do you understand and are you willing to keep silent until otherwise told?” The five friends huddled together and hastily conversed with one another. After a short space of time had passed, they turned back and Twilight replied, “We are, Your Highness. What is it that you wish to show us?”         “Very well then, follow us.” turning her attention to Accord, she signalled him to push her out of the room. Several minutes later Luna, Accord, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack found themselves in front of a rather plain stonewall in one of the lower levels of Canterlot Castle. It had been decided to leave Rarity and Fluttershy behind with Pinkie Pie. Both because their injuries would make it difficult for the group during their journey through the Canterlot Catacombs and to keep an eye on Pinkie whose condition had remained unchanged. “Alright, before we go on, there is something that I need to share with you.” Twilight cocked her head to the side and asked, “What is it princess?” In a hushed voice, Luna continued, “Yesterday, Celestia and I were informed that Equestria has been...displaced from our original world.” Twilight’s brow knotted together in confusion. “Original... Wait, what? How?” she exclaimed.         "You mean that while we were asleep, something managed to move the entire country onto another planet without anyone seeing it?" Rainbow added. Luna nodded. “In essence, yes. That would be correct. Now are you all sure you wish to proceed with this? Some of these…artifacts may not be pleasant to look upon.” Luna continued, cutting off any further questions from the trio. The three mares looked at each other in varying states of confusion over the previous news, before hesitantly nodding their heads in agreement. Luna nodded in turn and shifted her gaze back to the wall. Closing her eyes, she felt her magic flow through her horn, a soft blue aura surrounding it. Leaning forward, so her horn gently touched the wall, she poured more power into it, until with a faint pop, her magic faded away. At first nothing happened, after a moment of silence, Twilight turned to Luna and opened her mouth to say something. However, her words died on her tongue when a small blue dot appeared in the center of the wall and quickly spread along seemingly invisible lines set into it. As the ponies watched, a large intricately carved rune began to emerge before them; its glowing blue lines seemed to plus in a rhythm of sorts, like that of a heartbeat. However they weren’t able to appreciate its strange beauty as suddenly the lines ceased moving, and with a small burst of light the stonewall disappeared, revealing a dark stone corridor. With Accord pushing her cloud bed with his magic, Luna and the small group of ponies made their way down into the Catacombs proper. The stonewall rematerializing behind them, plunging the corridor into darkness, except for the small pool of light cast by Accords magic. However, with a quick flick of her horn, Luna’s magic caused torches to burst to life along the passageway.   The group followed quietly behind the Lunar Princess as they made their way deeper into the Catacombs. As they continued onwards, the cobblestone floor and walls eventually gave way to solid stone. While they were walking along the passageway, Twilight noticed that the torches had started appearing with greater spacing, which left wide pools of darkness in between them. After a time, without any way to gauge the distance traveled, the floor slanted downwards, leading further into the mountain. It wasn’t long before they came to a set of spiral stairs, the flicker of the torches dancing on the walls as Luna asked for Accord to halt here and angling her head slightly, she called back over her shoulder. “This is your last chance to turn back, my friends. I would understand if you were uncomfortable going any further. However, if you wish to continue be warned that what you are about to see will shatter everything you think you knew about our history. Are you sure you wish to continue?” Applejack stepped forward with a determined expression on her face and replied, “Yer Highness, Ah’d be lying if ah said ah wasn’t a mite uncertain, but we’ve come this far. We’ll see it through.” Rainbow Dash nodded her head in agreement and added, “Yeah, I mean we’re going to find out about all this stuff anyways right? So might as well get it over with now.” Luna shook her head slightly, “You don’t understand. Yes, eventually everypony will know about most of our history. However, you three, and if they desire it, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, will know things that no other pony will ever know. There are some things that are best left hidden.” she finished quietly. Twilight felt herself become even more nervous, however if her friends were ready to see what was down below so was she. Steeling herself she said, “We are ready Princess, no matter what.” “Very well. Accord, if you will proceed?” Accord simply nodded. While he did not know the extent of the technological advancement between the times he was imprisoned as Discord and the Nightmare Wars, he had a fairly good idea that the three friends would be shocked, possibly even horrified, at what they were about to see. However, if they were willing to take the plunge then he wouldn’t stop them. Descending the spiral stairs was not easy, especially while trying to make sure that Luna’s bed didn’t get away from him. While a pegasus would have been better suited to moving it, unicorn magic would do in a pinch. He managed however, and soon the party found themselves at the bottom of the staircase. All around them was inky blackness, the only source of light being the torches behind them and Accords magical aura, if one looked real hard one could barely make out stacks of what looked like boxes nearby. With a wave of her horn, Luna caused the room to become bathed in light. Everypony in the group save for Luna gasped in awe at what they saw. Imposing pillars covered by elaborate carvings towered above them, helping to support the roof. Large glass orbs, hung from the ceiling by thick heavy chains, now glowed with a shifting yellow light. The room was less a room and more of a cavernous cathedral, stretching off in all directions. Looking around, Twilight noticed that a beautiful mosaic that depicted various scenes from the past made up the entire floor. Twilight lifted her front hoof and saw a unicorn dressed in some sort of antique armor holding in its magical grasp a strange blunt looking spear that belched smoke and fire from the end of it. Confused, she was about to ask Luna what kind of spear did that. However, when she looked up, she saw that Luna and Accord had moved further down the long aisle and seemed to be inspecting some boxes. Looking around, Twilight could see that the rest of the cavern was full of boxes and large crates set in a grid pattern. Squinting her eyes slightly, she could barely make out the shape of some large unidentifiable objects covered with tarp along the far wall to her right. Looking to her left, she saw something that made her inner bookworm squeal with delight: Row after row of bookshelves bursting at the seams with scrolls and books rested against the far wall. Looking back towards Luna, she could see that the princess was still busy with the boxes, and deciding that a quick peek wouldn’t hurt, she  trotted over to the ancient shelves. Picking a shelf at random, she scanned the titles until she came to an ancient tome entitled Experimental Spells, carefully pulling it off the shelf, with her slightly recovered magic, she opened it and began to read. The first page was a simple index with chapter numbers and simple descriptions of what was contained within the chapter. Flipping to the first chapter, entitled Anatomy Spells, she began to read, however she quickly had to shut the book lest she lose her dinner. Learning how to strip the hide off a pony that was still alive was something she never thought a pony would come up with and it sickened her. “Now it’s stuck in my head!” She whimpered to herself. Gingerly putting the tome back, she slowly made her way back to the group. When she returned to the group, Applejack asked, “Y’all right there sugercube? You look bit green around the gills.” “I-I’m fine, just…feel a little light headed is all, probably from walking down all those stairs.” She said, before giving a weak smile. “Well alright, if you say so.” replied a concerned Applejack. Shaking her head to align her thoughts, she mulled over what she had read. Could this be what Luna was referring to? If so then I could understand why she was acting like she was earlier. Shivering slightly, Twilight looked around once more. This entire cavern is full of dangerous knowledge. The question however, is why would Luna want to share this with anypony?  A sudden clinking sound caused Twilight to look over to where Luna and Accord were standing. Luna seemed to have pulled something out of a box and was now closely examining it. Looking around, Twilight spotted Rainbow making silly faces at an unfamiliar looking helmet, while Applejack was watching Rainbow and her antics and shaking her head. Clearing her throat Twilight said, “Girls, why don’t we go and see what Luna’s doing?” “Huh? Sure.” replied the chromatic pegasus as she lazily flapped her way over to Luna. Applejack simply nodded and trotted over, Twilight falling in behind her. As they approached, Twilight could see what Luna was holding in her magic. It appeared to be some sort of strange harness, with what looked like gems set in it at certain spots. As she came up next to the cloud bed, Luna noticed her and said, “Ah Twilight, I was just about to call you and your friends over. Tell me can you guess what this does?” She asked holding the strange looking harness before Twilight. Twilight looked it over trying to puzzle out what it did. However, she couldn’t and admitted defeat. “I have no idea Princess Luna, though I’m betting you know.” Luna smiled and said, “I do, but I will need some help in showing you.” Turning her attention towards Applejack, she asked, “Applejack would you come over here please?” Looking perplexed, Applejack walked over and stood next to Princess Luna.         “Uh, sure. What do ya need me to do?” she asked.         “Just stand still.” replied Luna as she made some minute adjustments to the harness. Giving a nod of satisfaction, she slipped the strange looking harness on the apple farmer. Looking down at the harness in curiosity, Applejack asked,“Uh, Yer Highness, what’s this?” Twilight also wondered what kind of purpose the harness served. Striding closer to her friend, she bent down so that she could more closely examine the harness better. The first thing that she noticed was that it was made of some kind of supple material that felt organic. In addition, it contained four gemstones that Twilight had, at first glance thought were diamonds due to their clearness. However, upon closer inspection, she found that they now had a slight orange tint to them. In addition, the gems were set at certain locations on the harness, two near the shoulders, one on the back, and finally one set in the center of the chest. Each gem was seated in a simple silver bezel that had been bonded to the harness, probably through magic, causing them to be nearly flush with the surrounding material. Possibly to help prevent the gems from being caught and ripped from the harness during daily activities. The harness itself was worn similar to that of a vest.     After she had satisfied herself with the way the harness was seated, Luna replied, “That my dear Applejack is a special harness that will allow you to channel your magic and use it in a more controlled fashion.” After looking down at the harness for a moment Applejack asked dubiously, “So what saying Yer Highness, is that this here harness will let me cast spells like a unicorn or something?” Luna gave a knowing smile and said, “Something like that Applejack. You are an earth pony, and while you might not have a horn like Twilight or Accord, you still possess magic; as does everypony. The only difference between a unicorn and an earth pony or a pegasus is that unicorns are born with a different way to channel their inner magic.” Twilight felt her mouth hang open at the revelation and after regaining the ability to speak asked. “But Princess Luna, how is this possible? It goes against all known theories of magic!” “You just answered your own question Twilight Sparkle; it goes against all known magical theories. However, and this is no false claim I make, it really does work. You are aware of how all ponies are born with magic?” Twilight nodded, “And you know that the reason only unicorns can use it in the way they do is because they are able to focus it?” Twilight nodded her head once more, a thoughtful look overcoming her face. After a brief moment, a look of comprehension dawned on her face. “I think I get what you’re saying now. Without a way to control their magic, earth ponies and pegasi just shed their magic without really doing anything noticeable. Right?” Luna’s face lit up with a large smile. “Exactly! These harnesses allow them to exert a small amount of control over their magic and use it much like a unicorn would use theirs.” “Well then, if they allowed ponies to use their magic more fully, why were they sealed away?” asked Twilight. Luna looked unsure for a moment, then shrugging slightly replied, “I’m not sure, as I was sealed in the moon at the time. Celestia would know more than me. However she did mention that one of the reasons that she had these magical harness sealed away was that it was a condition of the treaty that ended the Nightmare Wars.” “Nightmare Wars? What were those?” asked Rainbow, perplexed at the name. Luna sighed and replied, “The Nightmare Wars were the most terrible and destructive wars that we, as a species, have ever encountered. They lasted for many years, hundreds of thousands were killed, and large swaths of land were rendered useless. At least that’s what Celestia told me; after all, I was locked up in the moon at the time.” she gave a weak smile. However the smile didn’t last. Giving a tired sigh, Luna continued, “And you all have heard of the Nightmare Wars, just not in any kind of detail.”         “Huh? What the hay is that supposed to mean?”         “Rainbow!” hissed Twilight, embarrassed by her friends somewhat rude behavior. Luna merely smiled and said, “Be at ease Twilight Sparkle, I am not offended.” Turning her attention back towards the cyan mare, she said, “Let me clarify.” she paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts before continuing, “It is like this. When the fighting ended, much of Equestria lay in ruins and almost every family was suffering from the loss of a loved one. You could probably understand why they would want to forget about it, and from what Celestia has told me, they kind of did.”         “What do you mean by ‘kind of’?” inquired Twilight.         “Well, many ponies refused to write down or even talk about their experiences during the war and if they did, the records have either been destroyed or lost to time. Furthermore, and granted this is all from Celestia’s memory so some of the details might be a little off, from what I understand, many strides in technology were made during the wars, but because of the price paid for them, ponies didn’t want to use them. So they fell out of use and were also lost to the ravages of time, hence the reason for this room and for the reason as to why that harness is down here.” “But why would ponies want to fight each other so suddenly?” asked Applejack. Luna’s head bowed low in sorrow. “It is my fault. When the Nightmare corrupted me, it also spread its corruption across the land, infecting anything and anyone I came near. Not even Celestia was safe from its corrupting influence.”         “But didn’t the Elements banish Nightmare Moon to the moon?” asked Twilight. “Yes, they did, but they didn’t cleanse the Nightmares influence from the hearts and minds of the those it had infected. And since it was wiped away, it festered and grew. Even though it was locked away in the moon, the combination of distrust and pain allowed it to control to a degree those it had taken over.” “So the story of Nightmare Moon is...” “Incomplete, yes Twilight that is correct. The version of events that you know of is the only one to have survived the ravages of time and even then, many ponies still didn’t know that much about it.”           “So what happened to those who Nightmare Moon corrupted?” asked Rainbow.         “I don’t know, and neither does my sister, at least not for sure. Over the centuries she’s come up with several theories concerning it. One of which is that those most heavily corrupted by the vile magic were killed during the war, while the rest of those afflicted simply learned to ‘live’ with it so to speak. From what Tia could tell, the magic wasn’t passed on to the next generation, but she is not completely sure.” she finished, shrugging helplessly. The four other ponies exchanged glances, before Applejack hesitantly asked, “So...does that mean that when Nightmare Moon came back the second time, she ‘infected’ us again?” Luna blinked, surprised at the thought. Placing a hoof to her chin, she contemplated the idea for a time. After several minutes of tense silence, she looked back at the others and replied, “I do not think that you have reason to worry. If anypony had been infected, they would have shown signs of it by now. Moreover, the fact that I was cleansed of that...affliction instead of being sent back to the moon, bodes well for all involved. Most likely, if any corruption did occur, it was cleansed when you girls used the Elements on Nightmare Moon.” Twilight and her friends breathed a sigh of relief at Luna’s pronouncement. Looking around the room, Twilight finally said, “So, this room. It’s full of things to hurt ponies with.” Luna nodded somberly. “Yes Twilight, it is. Many of these devices have only one purpose. To kill and destroy everything they touch. Others, such as that harness that Applejack is wearing, can be put to other uses. Believe it or not, but ponies got to be very clever when it came to the art of war and it looks like we will have to once more become clever at it.” she finished sorrowfully. “But…why? I mean, yeah sure there’s been some weird stuff going on lately. But that doesn’t mean we gotta go to war does it?” inquired Rainbow Dash hopefully. “I can only hope. However, and I want you three to keep it to yourselves for the time being, not only are we no longer in our world, but there’s a decent chance that the natives may be less than friendly.” At that, Twilight’s breath caught in her throat. “That’s why you are showing us all of this. You think we will have to use these weapons against them.” “I pray that it will not be necessary to do so. But if we have no choice, then…yes, ponies will need to kill those who threaten us. I wish it were otherwise, but from what we have learned so far, this world is a lot different than ours was and it’s people are in a constant state of armed tension.” At this point, Luna took a deep breath before continuing, “And, if the source is indeed correct, and I have little reason to doubt it, then every single nation on this world has at their call hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers, and they are willing to use them to advance their own purposes.” This news hit the three friends like a runaway applecart, to find out that not only had they been ripped from their old comfortable world, but that they had been thrust into a new world full of violence and hate. Applejack was the first to recover her voice. “So, what do we do Yer Highness?” “Prepare, fair Applejack. We hope for peace but make ready for war. It will not be easy, nor pleasant. But if our nation is to survive in this harsh new world, then we will need to be ready.” replied Luna solemnly. A short silence fell upon the group. Shaking her head, Luna continued, “Enough, I have brought you here to see what our nation created to defend itself with, not to wallow in pity. Now Applejack, I believe those gems are charged enough for you to use them.” “Charged? What do you mean by that?” asked Applejack. “These gems feed upon your inner magical reserves, thus if they haven’t been worn in sometime then they require a short time to absorb your magic. In order to use them you must focus your mind; if you were to try to pick something up with them you must think about picking the item up. Try it with this lid here.” She lifted a lid and set it down in front of Applejack. “Now focus on that lid, imagine yourself picking it up.” When Applejack’s hoof moved to pick it up, Luna said, “No, do not use your hoof. Use your magic, focus on the lid with your magic. Do you feel a warm sensation?” When Applejack nodded, Luna smiled and said, “Good. That means that you have tapped into your inner magic. Now picture in your mind that you are picking it up without physically touching it.” An orange glow surrounded the lid and with sweat beginning to bead on her forehead, Applejack managed to lift the wooden lid off the stone floor into the air. As the lid came level with her head Applejack let a triumphant yell, while both Twilight and Rainbow looked on in amazement. Setting the lid back down Applejack tried again, this time she found it a little easier to lift it and with a smile of wonderment spreading across her face bowed low to Princess Luna and said, “Yer Highness, thank you for showing this to me. Ah never in all mah life thought ah would be able to do something like this.” “You’re welcome Applejack, though I feel I should inform you that like anything other type of physical endeavor you will need to build up your magical ‘muscles’ if you want to lift or carry anything heavier than a simple lid.” “Ah will Princess Luna, though ah was wondering, what’s the heaviest thing ya think ah could lift with this here harness?” Applejack asked inquisitively.     Luna gave a soft laugh and replied, “Oh Applejack, ever the curious one aren’t you. The harness is actually not all that more capable than the average unicorn in terms of lifting ability. However, unlike a unicorn’s horn, those gems have a limit to what they can lift. The heaviest thing I have heard of that a pony can lift with that harness was when Celestia told me about a supply wagon that had become stuck in a mire during a campaign and they had to lift it free. However, that was only after the wagon had been emptied of its load and it taxed both the gems and the pony greatly, so I doubt you would be able to lift anything much heavier than that by yourself.” Applejack felt a little crestfallen at Luna’s reply. She had always prided herself on being strong and in top physical condition, and even though she tried hard not to be a show off, the news that she had little chance to really flex her magical ‘muscles’ was a little disappointing. However, she quickly decided that it wasn’t really that important and turning towards the lunar princess, she smiled up at her and replied, “Alright Princess Luna that seems fair ah reckon. Though ah just have one more question about these harnesses.” “Ask away Applejack.”   “What are they made of? It feels…warm if that makes any sense.”         “From my understanding it is derived from kelp and is magically enhanced to take the daily strains and abuses of life.” replied Luna.         “Kelp?” asked Applejack as she looked down at the harness with confusion. “This doesn't look like it was made from kelp.”         “Well, according to Celestia, the kelp has been magically altered into a more sturdier material. I’m not sure of how this is accomplished other than that magic is involved.” Carefully removing the harness, Applejack placed it on a nearby crate. Twilight and Rainbow moved closer so that they could get a better look. After a few moments of inspecting the harness, Twilight turned to Luna and said, “Your Highness, this harness could have been of great use for ponies, why hide it away?” Sighing, Luna replied, “I do not know all the details, but from what Celestia has told me, at that time everyone was tired of fighting. Many had lost loved ones and there was a great mourning throughout the world. Ponies had been fighting for so long that many thought of anything created during the war as...distasteful, and simply wanted to put the bad times behind them and move on with their lives. Celestia however, foresaw the need for such things as those that you see around you. Even though she was more than ready to also put the war behind her and move on, she realized that if it could happen once, it could happen again. So she commanded that examples of all weapons, in addition to copies of the books and diagrams on how to make them be hidden beneath Canterlot Castle.” She paused for a moment, turning her head to scan the nearby crates and boxes. Apparently spotting what she was looking for, she said, “I can see she even went so far as to have the tools that were used to make the weapons dismantled and stored here as well. I suppose she was just being paranoid at the time. After all she and what was left of the old Equestrian kingdom had been attacked without warning. So I suppose she was just planning for any and all possibilities.” She gave a wing shrug and fell silent awaiting a reply. Rainbow was the first to speak, “That doesn’t sound like our Princess Celestia, I mean she’s always so kind and…” “Peaceful?” supplied Luna. “Yeah, peaceful. I mean if everypony was tired of war at that point and they had destroyed all their weapons then why go through all this trouble?” “A pony can change a lot over time, Rainbow Dash. Even back then Celestia wasn’t what you would call ‘bloodthirsty’, but she was very protective and would do whatever it took to protect her subjects. Even if they didn’t like how she went about it. That’s why she kept this all a secret Rainbow Dash. If anyone had found out that she had not in fact destroyed all of these weapons and the knowledge on how to make them, it would have destroyed everyone’s confidence in her, possibly leading to her have to abdicate the throne. Thankfully however she didn’t get caught and never had to abdicate her throne. Instead what happened was that we entered an age of peace that lasted for hundreds of years and as time went on, ponies forgot about the war, simple as that.” Twilight found this hard to believe and stated, “They just forgot about war, just like that?” “Well it didn’t happen overnight, Twilight Sparkle. It took many years, but without the books and scrolls that contained the information about war and with the passing of the last generation that experienced it first hoof, it became muddled; and then finally disappearing altogether save in certain circles. Which, I am to understand, Celestia watches very closely. Now, shall we continue on or do you have any further questions on this subject?” asked Luna. When no one spoke up, she nodded to Accord resume pushing her bed with his magic. As they continued down the long row of crates and boxes, Luna showed the three friends various ancient weapons from spears to crossbows. However, it was when they came to a stack of long crates with the strange looking weapons that Twilight had seen the unicorn in the mosaic using before. When she asked what they were, Luna explained, “This, Twilight, was the pinnacle of weapons development at the time. They are called firearms; however many ponies back then just called them guns. This one was the last to be developed by our artisans and only a few hundred were made before the end of the war. It was the first to have an all metal self-contained cartridge.” “What is that?” asked Rainbow Dash. Rather than try to explain it to her, Luna simply took one out of a nearby crate, lifted it up to eye height, and said, “This is a rifle cartridge, often referred to as a bullet, which is this little piece of metal at the tip of it here.” She indicated the aforementioned part with the point of her hoof, “And it is what comes out of the barrel of the rifle when the powder is ignited inside the cartridge.” “That little thing doesn’t look like it could hurt somepony that bad.” replied the cyan pegasus. “Don’t be fooled by its size Rainbow Dash, a bullet can kill you faster than a sword or spear ever could. Or it could leave you in agony for days before you expired, if nopony tended to the wound. It really just comes down to the abilities of the shooter.” She gave a wing shrug once more and continued with her description of the weapon. Many of the words she used were unfamiliar to the friends, but the gist of it got through. It was a dangerous weapon, do not take it lightly or suffer the consequences. While it didn’t seem as intimidating as say a sword or spear, it exuded an aura of subtle power, it was shorter than a spear, being only about seven hooves in length from one end to the other. Its wooden stock, as Luna had called it, looked like it would fit a pony’s shoulder quite well and the wood had a warm reddish brown tinge to it. The metal of the weapon gleamed like polished silver in the glow of the overhead lights. Looking at it more closely, Twilight could see that the rifle was designed with a pony in mind. The ‘trigger guard’, as Luna had called it, was large enough for a pony to comfortably fit their hoof through. In addition, Luna had explained that when a pony pulled the trigger guard down, it would open the ‘breech’ of the weapon, which Luna had called a ‘falling block action’. Moreover, when the action was opened to put a new cartridge in, a small block of metal would extend from the body of the gun and ‘cock’ the ‘hammer’, which would allow the weapon to fire. Or at least that was what Luna had said, in all honesty Twilight was feeling a little overwhelmed by the amount of information that had been thrown her way over the past few hours. Looking over at Luna she asked, “Do you think we could come back to this tomorrow Princess Luna, I don’t know about AJ or Rainbow Dash, but I’m exhausted.” Luna nodded and replied, “I think that might be wise. If you wish, you could recount what we have discussed with the others in your rooms when we return if you like. I admit that this must be very overwhelming for you three. I will admit that when Celestia first showed all of this to me and told me all that had transpired since my imprisonment I too was overwhelmed.” Turning to Accord she said, “It’s late, if you would be so kind as to take me back to my room Accord, I would be most grateful.” “Of course, Your Highness,” He began to push her bed along with his magic when she said, “And get yourself some good rest as well Accord. When was the last time you had any sleep?” He stopped for a moment and gazed off for a moment in contemplation before replying, “I’m not quite sure honestly.”   She chided him, “Then get some sleep or you’ll make yourself sick and that will not do at all.” He gave a noncommittal grunt, but said nothing. As they made their way out of the underground store room, the lights dimmed and finally went out one by one, plunging the room once more into darkness. The artifacts could wait; they had already waited for many centuries, what were a few more days? As the small group reached the stairs and began to ascend, Twilight looked back over her shoulder at the now darkened room and thought. Why must it be like this? Why can’t we live together in harmony with these ‘humans’ like the other peoples of our old world? When no answer was forthcoming, she just shook her head sadly and hastened her pace to catch up with the rest of the group.