Chapter 3: Sunrises and their lessons.
The morning sunlight softly caresses Hope’s features like an old friend, an old love, returning from a long journey. Of course, it was not any of those things, because as Hope opens her eyes, she finds that the old love of hers is still sleeping peacefully beside her. Star Swirl, for all his bravado last night, had fallen asleep promptly after they had finished re-living, in some small fashion, their younger days.
Not that Hope had fared much better, she had fallen asleep soon afterwards too.
Still, it had been a wondrous evening, and now it was time to greet the new day. And to do that, she must awaken the object of her affections. So, she slowly raises a hoof and pokes Star Swirl in the nose.
“Mmm, no five more minutes…” Star Swirl mutters, rolling onto his back. “I’ll only be ready to show her majesty my latest spell if I am well rested…”
“And what spell is that,” Hope leans over as she whispers into Star Swirl’s ear, “because if it is a spell to steal my heart, I fear it is not needed.”
Star Swirl’s ears shoot forward and his eyes open quickly. He looks over at Hope and smiles sheepishly. “Ah, I thought you were one of my students. Clover the Clever can be quite… uhm insistent that I get up at a certain time so as to keep to a set schedule.”
“Well, that is something I fear her and I will have in common today,” Hope replies with a mischievous smile. “The sun is rising, dear heart of mine. Shall we watch it together?”
“Well, I think I can do that for you,” Star Swirl says with a groan, more from the fact that as he rolls out of bed there are a few loud pops. “I hate getting old…”
“Oh, come now,” Hope chuckles as she gets out of bed herself, her own bones creaking, “it’s not that bad. You’ve gotten to spend it with me.” She walks to the front of the bed, where Star Swirl is already waiting with one arm extended.
“I have indeed, my dear love,” Star Swirl agrees with a nod of his head. “Now, shall I escort the beloved Queen of my heart to the balcony?”
“No,” Hope replies simply, “there is a better spot to watch the sunrise, but it will require us to go up some stairs.”
“Stairs, my greatest foe,” Star Swirl sighs heavily. “How they have grown stronger, as I have grown weaker.” He smiles to Hope as he starts towards the door to her room. “But, for you, my dear, I shall endeavor to battle them valiantly.”
“I could ask no less of you,” Hope agrees, nodding with a smile.
Without further comment, they two exit the room, Star Swirl being the gentlestallion and opening the door with his magic and allowing Hope to go through first. Once they are out of the room Star Swirl offers his arm again, which is accepted gladly by Hope, and the couple walk down the hallway and through the early morning staff as they prepare for the day. As they walk, many of the staff, guards included, greet them warmly. More than a few ask when Star Swirl showed up, the older servants doing so with knowing smiles and winks. Star Swirl returns the winks, and assures everypony that it was not a planned visit, and that they should all hold their surprise and admiration at his sudden appearance for when he actually plans to show up. That only incites some laughter from a few of the older servants, and statements that the day he actually shows up on purpose is the day they’ll sit through one of his lectures on magical theory.
Before long, though, Hope and Star Swirl are out of the early morning preparation, and heading slowly up a set of stairs that spiral up the center of the Palace. A few minutes of battling their age and the stairs, they reach the top of the palace, finding themselves on a large flat expanse that serves as a lookout tower for the city, as well as the occasional observation platform for when the residents of the castle wish to look upon their lands in its entirety.
Sitting down near the railing, Hope and Star Swirl cuddle a little to shelter themselves against the nip in the early morning air. They are silent as the rays of sunlight continue to crest the eastern horizon, its bright glow dancing and reflecting off of the many crystalline houses before and below them.
“Celestia is raising a beautiful sunrise,” Hope whispers softly, her head resting against Star Swirl’s neck. “I am glad to see her taking the duties she has been given so seriously.”
“As am I,” Star Swirl replies in an equally soft voice, “She is yet young, but I see in her a great care for the ponies she rules over, as well as the Kingdom she is aiding to grow.” He then looks down at Hope and kisses her forehead softly. “And, the sunrise pales beside such beauty as you, my dear hopeful heart.”
Once more the couple descended into silence, their attentions focused on each other as the sun slowly rises and illuminates their features. It is not until the sound of hoofsteps behind them, coming up the stairs they had entered from, bring them back to reality that Star Swirl or Hope look around.
“I figured I would find you two here,” Amore speaks from behind the couple, laughter in her voice. “Whenever he visits, you two always watch the sunrise together. I am starting to think it is a tradition for you two.”
“And you would be right,” Hope replies in a grandmotherly tone, “Star Swirl and I have been doing this since our relationship started.” She then chuckles and looks over hers and Star Swirl’s shoulders. “I also always watch the sunrise, Amore.”
“I know, Nana,” Amore replies, coming up to sit next to her elders. “You just always do something special when Star Swirl is around.”
“Perhaps I am just a very special pony,” Star Swirl states in a fake snobby accent, nose up in the air. “It’s the bells, you know; they make me better than every other pony.”
“Careful there, Nonno,” Amore chastises with a shake of her hoof at Star Swirl, “keep that up, and ponies in Equestria might just all start wearing bells to show how important they are! No one would ever get any sleep.”
“No, I suppose that would be bad, wouldn’t it?” Star Swirl says thoughtfully before sighing. “I’ll just have to keep hiding my amazing superiority over all those stuffy foals I am forced to associate with.”
“Back to my original question, though,” Amore continues, looking out towards the sunrise. “Since we have a while before morning lessons, at least: why are you two up here?”
“Well, remember the story from last night?” Hope starts, a smile on her face as Star Swirl chuckles.
“I do,” Amore replies, still watching the sunrise. “I take it that this has something to do with that?”
“My dear, sweet Amore,” Hope continues, looking back out towards the sunrise, the sun continuing to crest the distant horizon. “It has everything to do with it.”
--------
Hope wakes slowly, the room still dark in the predawn hours. Sighing contently she stretches, feeling very well rested and full of energy despite the late night she had had the night before. The reason for that late night is sleeping in her bed, on his back, comfortably drooling on one of her pillows.
Star Swirl. Compassion had not stopped talking about him during the reception, he was one of her acolytes; the one that gave her the most trouble, truthfully, as his carefree and eccentric attitude often brought him into conflict with the others. At times, he would simply not show up for classes. Other times he would be disruptive, or he would outright disagree with the teacher. Yet, for all of that, Compassion had nothing but good things to say about him, because he was smart, he was compassionate, and at times he was willing to sacrifice himself for his fellows. Hope had seen all of that last night, a part of him that Compassion had sworn was there, if only somepony would bring it out of him.
Gently nuzzling into the side of his neck, Hope cannot help but smile warmly, because she is the one who had perhaps brought that out in him. It is something she plans, wholeheartedly, to continue to do, starting with sharing something special with him.
Gently shaking her companion, Hope whispers in Star Swirl’s ear. “Time to wake up. I have something to show you.”
“Mmm…” Star Swirl hums in response, “five more minutes, mom… School doesn’t start for hours yet.”
“I’m not your mother,” Hope continues in a whisper, “but I am completely capable of making it an order, Acolyte.” She forces herself not to laugh as Star Swirl’s ears shoot up and he bolts upright in bed. She leans over and pulls him into a hug as his eyes open. “Well, that got your attention!” she laughs.
“I… I thought you were Compassion for a moment, Silvy…” he starts, then trails off and coughs. “I mean Lady Hope.”
“Star Swirl,” Hope starts, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow, “you don’t need to call me ‘Lady Hope’ while we are alone, in fact I would prefer you don’t.”
“Then… what do I call you?” Star Swirl asks with a sheepish smile. “I can’t call you Silvy, or Silver Skies… It would be improper.”
“Just call me Hope,” Hope replies, leaning over and kissing his cheek. “It’s my name now, and you shouldn’t be afraid to use it without the honorific.”
“Alright, Hope,” Star Swirl yawns, blinking and looking out the window. “So… why are we up before the dawn?”
“I want to show you something,” Hope reiterates, tugging on Star Swirl’s hoof, “so get out of bed and follow me!”
Yawning again, Star Swirl gets out of bed and follows Hope who has already crossed to the door and opened it. As they pass into the hallway, Hope can’t help but laugh at the looks Star Swirl gets from the guards posted beside the door and along the corridor. Most of the guards give him a raised eyebrow, or even a smirk, a few smile and hold a hoof up as if to congratulate him. All the while, Star Swirl’s face is a mixture of a blush and terror. Hope knows that he has nothing to fear from her guards, but still a part of her can’t help but silently laugh at the fact he is so worried that he just bedded the ruling virtue of Roan.
Hope leads Star Swirl through her palace, and up to the garden out back where they had spent time together the night before. The garden currently has a few of the groundskeepers going about their early morning work, such as prepping a few of the flower beds for planting later when the sun has risen. All of them greet Hope warmly, none of them using her honorific as she has made friends with the early morning staff in the gardens, and more than a few of them smirk at Star Swirl as he passes. Hope nuzzles his neck reassuringly, though, which seems to take most of the stiffness out of his steps as they continue on towards their destination.
That destination is the tree on the small hill that they had kissed under the night before, the pre-dawn darkness making their progress slowly, as this part of the garden is not lit by torches. However, Hope knows it well, and before long they are seated between two of the large roots of the tree -- Star Swirl with his back against the hard bark of the tree with Hope nestled against his chest, his head resting on top of hers -- looking towards the direction the sun will rise in.
“So, not that I am complaining,” Star Swirl says slowly, wrapping his hooves around Hope’s chest and smiling down at her, “but, what did you want to show me?”
Putting a hoof to her lips, Hope points out towards the distant horizon as a soft, pink glow starts to come from it. Soon, the pink hue turns to a brilliant amber, and from amber to yellow as the sun starts to rise. The sky starts to grow light as well, the dark purple of night giving way to the bright blue of day. As the sun rises, Star Swirl cannot help but stare at the brilliant colors that seem to fill the sky, seeming almost like the brush strokes of a master painter. He sits there, with Hope in his arms, enthralled by the amazing sight, only to be brought back by Hope speaking.
“Lady Aurora always does such a wonderful job with the sunrise,” Hope says softly, her voice full of as much wonder as Star Swirl feels. “I can never compliment her enough when I speak to her.”
“Now you are just showing off,” Star Swirl yawns, “telling me you know the bringer of the Dawn by name, and that you’ve spoken to her?”
“Had tea with her,” Hope replies with a smirk, “and her husband. They’re really nice ponies, really friendly. Aurora is really motherly, and kept asking how I was settling into my duties.”
“I really cannot believe you are on speaking terms with the Gods.” Star Swirl sighs as he shakes his head. “It’s so unreal, you seem so normal.”
“I am normal,” Hope states curtly. “I am just like you, and everypony else.” She crosses her arms and pouts, earning her a chuckle from Star Swirl.
“Well, I guess I will have to admit that,” Star Swirl says softly, nuzzling the top of her head gently. “Though, at the same time, I also have to disagree, you’re a very special pony in my eyes.”
“Love you too,” Hope chuckles, causing Star Swirl to stiffen slightly.
---------
“You two are so adorable,” Amore says softly, the sun now above the horizon. “Honestly, I am surprised you two don’t have any grandfoals yet.”
“Well, we are both quite old,” Star Swirl starts with a chuckle as he looks over towards Amore. “Besides, often times the Virtues did not have children unless they truly wished to have them.”
“Star Swirl and I just never… had the chance,” Hope states somberly. “I would have loved to be a mother, but it was just not meant to be.” She then sighs and looks off into the distance, her gaze unfocused. “And, all things considered, I am rather glad that no foal of mine had to live through the fall of the Empire.”
“You would have been a wonderful mother, Nana,” Amore says softly, leaning over and putting a hoof on the other mare’s shoulder. “I know I am honored to be considered part of your family, even if not by blood.”
“It was often like that, Amore,” Star Swirl comments with a warm smile. “The Virtues would often surround themselves with their students and the ponies they met after they rose to their seat.” He looks to Hope, his smile remaining. “Besides, I know Hope and I are quite honored to consider you part of our family.”
“And sometimes,” Hope says softly, “sometimes the other Virtues are our brothers and sisters.”
“Compassion would have been proud to know you considered her a sister,” Star Swirl says somberly, “even this long after.”
“Compassion? The old motherly one?” Amore asks, ears perked forward, sensing another story.
“No…. the one immediately after her…” Star Swirl says slowly, looking to Hope, then to Amore as he continues. “The last one….”
“Wait…” Amore starts, realization sparking in her eyes. “Didn’t she…”
“She wasn’t always like that,” Hope whispers, looking down at her hooves, tone turning suddenly somber.
-------
The tall spires of the city of Fillyon, the capital of Equus, glitter and glow in the afternoon light with an almost other worldly or ethereal quality. The stones and wood used to construct them imported from all over the vast empire, they had stood for a millennia as symbols of the unity and power of not only Equus, but of the Virtues that ruled over it.
Largest, and most magnificent of them all, is the massive Tower of Fillyon. From its peak, the husband and wife Gods, Aurora and Nox, raise and set the sun and moon as well as paint the morning and evening skies with practiced ease. A palace in its own right, the tower had been constructed centuries ago, an effort between all races of ponies, and a show of unity in the fledgling empire.
Hope had arrived sometime earlier that morning to attend the summit that was taking place in Fillyon, as were all of her fellow Virtues. And while she is excited to see her more or less adopted family -- as her fellow Virtues were the closest thing she had to family next to Star Swirl -- she was particularly looking forward to seeing Compassion.
Ascending the ancient and well worn stone steps, Hope once more marvels at the lush beauty that the Palace of Virtue has growing all around it. Much like her dear sister Life’s personal residence, the Palace here is surrounded by a massive, and well maintained, garden that makes Hope’s own attempts in Roan look like a foal’s. The legendary Hanging Gardens of Fillyon is home to just about every flower, and many more animals, that thrives on all edges of the continent and beyond. Here, treaties are created and signed, wars and feuds avoided before they even start, and wonders of magic done. It takes all of Hope’s willpower not to stop and rest in the shade of one of the many ancient trees, or get lost upon one of the winding and well tended paths.
Steeling herself, Hope travels through the lush paradise that is the gardens, and towards massive structure at it’s heart. The palace itself is rather plain beside the wondrous beauty of it’s grounds, being made of stone -- even if it is stones from as far as the Northern Provinces -- and decorated with hanging tapestries and banners along its outer walls.
Walking to the doors, the guards on both sides snap to attention, their weapons held in salute against their shoulders and heads held high. Hope smiles to them and inclines her head, a sign that sends them back to their duties. The ancient doors of polished dark wood stand open before her, proudly showing off the vast hall beyond that serves as both entryway and occasional meeting hall. Today, it is full of ponies who are going about various duties in relation to the upcoming summit, many seeming to be wheeling about carts or carrying various furniture. As Hope walks into the crowd, she smiles in slight amusement at how it parts before her, even if not a single pony stops or looks around as she passes.
Normally, she would find it somewhat uncomfortable -- even after all these years -- the ease at which the servants and various other staff seem to almost unconsciously part before her. Today, though, she just wants to get to her destination and meet with Compassion.
Walking to the large stars that lead to the second story, and then down a few hallways to set of more secluded stairs to the third floor -- where the Virtues have their private rooms -- Hope cannot help but smile warmly as she draws closer to Compassion’s rooms. She had not been long to her title and duties, Compassion, the aged unicorn who had come before her had passed naught but a few months prior. Yet she had taken to her duties avidly, doing all she could to settle in and keep up the work that the elderly Compassion had trusted her with. She had not been alone in it, though. As Love had done with Hope, Hope had offered a helping hoof to the new Compassion, and in a way mentored her on what she needed to know, helped her when she really needed it. In this way, they had grown close, good friends and even perhaps sisters in all but blood.
Turning a corner, Hope finds the door to Compassion’s room open, allowing the warm afternoon breeze to wander through. Heading right in, she finds Compassion sitting in a chair next to an open window reading a book.
“Compassion!” Hope says excitedly, her eyes aglow.
Compassion looks up and smiles warmly as Hope trots over quickly. Compassion rises as Hope gets close and Hope extends a wing over her friend.
“I just finished the book you lent me!” Hope declares. “Want to talk about it over tea?”
“Of course!” Compassion replies with a nod. “I would love to discuss it!”
Walking to a chair near the one that Compassion was sitting in, Hope nods. “It was quite an interesting read,” She takes off her saddlebags and opens one of them, pulling the book out. Holding it against her chest as she sits down in the chair she continues to smile. “The myths of pegasi breaking the sound barrier which results in a prismatic effect!”
Nodding as she crosses to a pull rope, pulling it once and then looking to Hope. “I know! I wish we had more to go off of on that subject than just the old mares tales in the book.” She turns as a mare wearing the uniform of a palace servant comes through the door. “Could you please go get some tea for Hope and myself?”
“Of course, Lady Compassion,” the servant says with a smile as she bows before departing.
“I’ll never get used to that,” Compassion mutters, a blush rising on her light indigo face.
“You would be surprised at what you can get used to,” Hope replies with a smirk and a wink. “Not that long ago, I would be right where you are. Though, I still am reluctant to rely on my servants, I’ve come to understand that they are vital, we can’t do everything.”
“I… guess that makes sense,” Compassion admits with a sigh as she continues to stand near the door. She and Hope make small talk for a few minutes until the tea arrives, at which point Compassion smiles to the servant. “I’ll take it from here, my friend. I would be a terrible host if I did not serve tea myself.” The servant -- a unicorn mare -- nods and waits for Compassion to take the tray before releasing her magic, she then bows and exits the room leaving Compassion to walk over and set the tray on a small table between the two chairs.
“Why not just use your magic?” Hope asks with a raised eyebrow as she waits for the tea to be served.
“Truthfully, I am not used to it yet. I don’t trust it… myself yet with lifting fragile objects,” Compassion explains with a small embarrassed smile. “Sugar?” Hope shakes her head and Compassion puts sugar in one cup before pouring the tea. “Besides, I grew up in a working family… and even as an acolyte I did a lot of labor by hoof.”
Lifting her tea cup up with her magic and taking a small sip, Hope nods. “I can understand that… I often times still find my own ability to use magic to be strange, too good to be true.” She then smiles as Compassion takes her own seat and carefully levitates her own cup with her own magic. It’s shaky, but then the other pegasus is still learning. “This is also quite a magnificent blend of tea. I think I had it once when I visited Aurora.”
“It’s the same blend, actually,” Compassion admits with at her own teacup. “I had some of it made for myself, after asking the Lady of the Dawn for permission, as I found it to be quite a lovely blend.” She then waves a hoof and chuckles. “We’re off-topic, though. Back to what we were discussing, that whole ‘flying so fast you cause an explosion of color’ thing. After I lent you that book, I went and visited Life, and tried to get her or her construct to help me find more information. She told me she couldn’t help… though she did give me a lovely rosebush that I had just planted before I left to come here… and her construct and I had a long conversation on the theory, but he confessed that none of the books he had in his keeping would give me any more information than what I had already found.”
“I feared as much,” Hope confesses with a soft sigh. “At this point, it looks like if we ever want to figure it out, we’ll have to do it ourselves, or get one of our pegasi acolytes to agree to test it for us.”
“I would rather not put one of my acolytes into potential danger,” Compassion confesses with a shake of her head. “I know they would do it if I asked it of them, but I could not bear it if they got injured.”
“And they would never forgive themselves if we were injured, Compassion,” Hope comments with a sigh. “But, I know what you mean, I’ve been tempted to try a few times myself. With the magical power we’ve been granted as Virtues it should be easy for us.”
“Quite easy…” Compassion agrees, taking a slow sip of her tea and looking out the window. For a moment, the pair are quiet, and then Hope and Compassion both look at each other.
“Lets try it,” both Virtues say at the same time.
“Well, sounds like we’re on the same page,” Compassion giggles.
“Seems so,” Hope agrees with a giggle of her own. “Shall we finish our tea, then go find a cloud out there to try this out?”
“Let's,” Compassion says with a nod, taking a final swallow of her tea, as Hope does the same across from her. “I think I saw a nice large cloud earlier, it might still be out there.” Hope nods, but says nothing as they both rise to their hooves and head towards the nearby open window.
Compassion takes flight first, since she is leading the way, with Hope close behind. They circle the palace and its gardens a few times, gaining altitude until they come to a large cloud sitting high above the city. It’s a light grey color, speaking of potential rain, and has a few other fellow pegasus resting on it. At the appearance of the two virtues, the other ponies spring to their hooves and bow. Landing, Compassion blushes and Hope smiles to her before stepping forward.
“Please, rise my friends,” Hope speaks, not quite a command but clearly leaving no room to argue. “We are not here officially, and I think my fellow Virtue and I would rather you relax around us.” Compassion nods, her face still a shade of embarrassed red.
“As you wish, Lady Hope,” one of the pegasi, a light blue stallion wearing the uniform of one of the palace guards, responds as he looks to his friends and shrugs. They all go back to sitting down and resume chatting amongst themselves, even if their eyes stray towards Hope and Compassion often.
“So... “ Compassion starts, looking to Hope, “how do you figure we do this?”
“Well, I figure we need to he high up,” Hope starts, looking over the side of the cloud, “which we are. Next, I figure we need to be able to gain a lot of speed, really quickly, before we get too close to the ground.” Looking to Compassion she smiles brightly. “Shouldn’t be too hard, with our magic, so long as we fold up our wings as we dive.”
“Right…” Compassion replies, returning the smile and giving a determined nod to her friend. “On the count of three, then?” All eyes are on the Virtues now as they position themselves near the edge of the cloud, their fellow pegasi suddenly quiet.
“Uhm, Lady Hope, Lady Compassion,” the guard speaks up, “what are you doing?”
“Testing a theory,” Compassion states, “One.”
“What theory?” the guard continues.
“A magical one!” Hope says enthusiastically. “Two!”
“That involves you two going really fast, and jumping off of a cloud?” The guard starts to sound worried.
“YUP!” Compassion exclaims with excitement. “THREE!”
The two Virtues spring from the cloud in a twin streak of feathers and excited shouts, leaving the Guard to jump to his hooves and charge after them as he exclaims wordlessly.
Hope and Compassion don’t hear him, though, as they quickly pick up speed as they free-fall towards the city below. Once they reach the fastest their unpowered descents will allow, which is not fast enough to accomplish what they want, they both start pumping their wings as hard as they can to cause the speed to pick up. Before too long the pressure causes them to squint their eyes as a cone starts to appear before them for a few long heartbeats before suddenly breaking with a concussive force that nearly knocks both Hope and Compassion from their flight paths.
Above them, the pegasi on the cloud including the guard, all stare on with wide eyes on slack jaws. Two explosions of magical force ripple through the sky from where the two cones broke, one is a bright silver with blue rippling through it, the other is pink with indigo rippling through it. The two forces clash against each other with a sound not dissimilar to thunder, their sources rocketing towards the ground at a breakneck speed. For a few moments, it looks like they have it under control, but Compassion, and then Hope, starts to falter and lose control of their flight. The guard starts to prepare to take flight and assist, many of his fellows on the ground doing the same, only to be stopped by a bright flash of light as somepony teleports beneath them… and then catches them in brilliant yellow magic.
As soon as she feels her descent slow, Hope opens her eyes. She had been sure they could handle it, but when she had seen Compassion losing control, she had attempted to change her own course and had fallen into a similar situation. However, now she finds herself, and a short distance away Compassion, surrounded by glowing yellow magic that is all too familiar to her.
She lands gently in a clearing in the garden full of exotic flowers and a low table with a single pony sitting next to it.
“Little Hope, Little Compassion,” the other pony, the source of the yellow magic, greets the pair with a warm smile and a motherly tone. “That was quite impressive, but shouldn’t you two have perhaps thought a little more carefully before attempting what you just did?”
“Aww, but Aurora!” Hope chuckles as she gets to her hooves and goes over to the table with an excited smile. “The book made it sound like so much fun! And they said it was only an old mare’s tale! We had to try!”
“I… uhm.. that is to say…” Compassion starts, clearly quite nervous at being in the presence of the mare who caught them. “It did look like a lot of fun, Lady Aurora.”
The mare, a tall white alicorn mare, the white fading to a brilliant amber along the ends of her hooves and wings, her mane and tale likewise the brilliant amber of a rising sun fading to dark blue and full of twinkling stars. She is wearing a circlet made of the purest gold and set with jewels that shine and shimmer almost like they’re the stars in her mane and tail. She is surrounded by an aura of otherworldly, and vastly ancient, power that is offset by the motherly way she speaks and the loving expression on her face.
“Please, Compassion,” Aurora speaks softly, as if to a child worried they had done something wrong. “I know you have not been long to your station, but there is no need to be so formal to me while we are alone. Leave such things to when we are in public.” She looks around, her smile remaining, “here, I am not the Goddess of the Dawn, I am simply a mare enjoying a quiet afternoon in the blessed shade of the gardens.” She looks to Hope, who is now laying nearby under a tree, “And now, so are you two.”
“I.. guess so.” Compassion agrees, walking over to the table and sitting across from Aurora. “So… now what?”
With a smile, and a flash of her magic, Aurora summons a teapot and cups. “Well, I’ve not had my afternoon tea… so.”
“Funny, we were just drinking your favorite blend,” Hope comments from where she is lying.
“Oh, I know…” Aurora replies with a wink.
-----
“Compassion sounds like she was a good friend,” Amore says softly, leaning against Hope and nuzzling the older mare’s neck comfortingly. “I am sorry you lost her.”
“So am I,” Hope agrees, her voice equally soft, tears shining in her eyes as she looks out over the Crystal Empire from their perch. “I don’t remember any siblings, or my family from before I was a Virtue… in her… I had found a sister.”
“She will be missed,” Star Swirl comments from the other side of Hope, he is likewise leaning against her, one of her wings draped over his shoulder.
“On a happier topic,” Amore says, clearing her throat. “Who was Aurora? That name is familiar. I mean, I understand she was the Goddess of the Dawn, but who was she?”
“Why,” Star Swirl starts with a chuckle, “she was, and is I guess, Celestia and Luna’s mother.”
“Oh? That explains why I found the name familiar,” Amore admits, nodding slowly. “What… what happened to her?”
“She fell defending Fillyon.” Hope states simply.
“Her and her husband, Nox, stood defiantly against the fallen Virtues during one of the first battles of the war,” Star Swirl starts to explain, pausing for a moment to look to Hope, then to Amore. “The battle, I am told, lasted for nearly a month. Nox and Aurora were the most powerful Alicorns to ever walk the face of Equus, and they were driven to defend not only the people they ruled over, but also their foals.” Star Swirl shakes his head sighing loudly, his entire body shaking with the force of it. “I had the good luck to draw the short straw long, and ended up entering the city along with a collection of other acolytes from the other fallen Virtues. We… had been summoned to do what Nox and Aurora could not.”
“What was that?” Amore asks, her curiosity caught.
“Spirit away Celestia and Luna,” Star Swirl replies, his eyes shining with determination. He opens his mouth to continue, only to be cut off by Hope.
“Dear heart,” Hope says with a smile, “it is time for the morning lessons, this story will have to wait for another time.”
“Ah… of course,” Star Swirl sighs and shakes his head. “I should be returning to Canterlot anyway.” He stands up, and kisses Hope. “I love you, and shall return as soon as I am permitted.” He then takes a few steps back, horn glowing, before vanishing in a loud pop and a flash of light.
“He is such a show-off,” Amore chuckles as she stands, offering an arm to Hope to help the elderly Queen stand.
“Thank you,” Hope says as she accepts the help with a soft groan. “And, he is, but I love him, because he is as he is.” She starts towards the stairs with a smile. “Now, no more delaying your lessons, little filly.”
“Yes Nana,” Amore chuckles as she follows after. Soon the two are down the stairs, and heading to the room where Hope teaches Amore everything she will need to know to rule the Crystal Empire.
Things she’ll need to know when Hope no longer lives to protect her people.