//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: Salve Terra 
// by Memento Mori 
//------------------------------//

You feel cold, extremely cold, and oddly wet. You open your eyes to find yourself in an inky dark place. Looking around, you can make out a few white dots in the distance. You try to stand up and realize the darkness was slimy, wet, and cold. You are repulsed and try to scream, only to be greeted by silence. You manage to lift your head to only see an extremely bright light piercing the darkness. You cover your eyes with your hooves as another blinding streak happens. As you cover your eyes you feel despair lodge deep inside you. Feelings of anger, loneliness, abandonment, and betrayal linger. You try to stop yourself from crying out. The last thing you feel is a cold wave engulf you.

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“Hey Starlight” Twilight greeted as she entered the other train car. Starlight had been sipping her hot chocolate and mulling over a book when Twilight came in.
“Oh, Hello Twilight” she greets absentmindedly. She flips a page and continued reading without stopping. Twilight laughs awkwardly and sits on bed below Starlight’s. She looks around the train car, noticing the golden yellow ceiling with a sun emblazoned on it, while the floor was a pleasing light violet. She noted how there was a couple of desks and there was a bathroom at the end of the car before the door. She found it strange how Starlight went to an empty car with her satchel without saying anything. 
“
Twilight, what are you doing here?” Starlight asked, surprising the dotting alicorn. “Oh, just wanted to know what you were doing. You know how Pinkie gets when somepony misses her mini parties” she replied jokingly. Starlight hums and turns another page of the book. “I do Twilight” she replied softly, unable to keep a tone of frustration leaking from her voice. “Starlight are you alright?” she asks gently. Starlight doesn’t reply and turns another page from her book.
Twilight gets up from the bed and looks at Starlight. “Starlight?” she looks at the aforementioned mare. 

“I’m fine Twilight” she replies annoyance lacing her tone. 

“Are you sure?” Twilight asks again looking at her with a critical eye. 

“Yes. Would you leave me to read in peace please?” she replied her voice giving Twilight a low warning growl. 

“Of course” Twilight said hesitantly before turning around and walking back out.

As soon as Twilight left, Starlight let out a growl and tosses the book into her satchel. “What am I not seeing here?!” she growls angrily and sets her mug on a nearby desk before face planting on the pillow. “I hope you are wrong for once Princess Luna” she mumbled into the pillow. She raises her head and jumps out. “Might as well enjoy the time I have with them before this new apocalypse happens” she said to herself. She lights her horn up and lifts the satchel and slings it over her neck. As she walks towards the other car a feeling of anxiety gnaws at her but she pushes it away. 

“STARLIGHT!” was the last thing she heard as a ball of pink knocked her over. Had it not been for the lock on the satchel she was pretty sure the papers would have been flying everywhere. 

“Hello Pinkie” she managed as the pink pony was on top of her, eyes wide and mouth twisted in an unnatural smile. 

“Twilightsaidyouwerefeelingsadandwasworriedsowedecidedtothrowyouapartytomakeyoufeelbettersoherehaveacupcake” she said as she shoved a purple frosted cupcake in Starlight’s mouth. 

“Thanks?” Starlight managed as the cupcake was in her mouth. She had to admit though that the cupcake tasted really good.

A round of laughter echoed as Pinkie got up and raced away to fetch something. An orange hoof appears in front of her “Need some help there sugar cube?” a familiar Texan voice asked. 

“Thank you AppleJack” she replied and took the hoof. 

“It’s okay dear, Pinkie can get the best of our defenses” a more sophisticated voice said accompanied by a napkin dabbing her face.

“Thank you Rarity” she says gratefully as she lifts it with her own magic next time. As she looks around she notices the absences of the other 3 ponies.

“Where did the others go?” she asked as she looked at the 2 elements of harmony. 

“Twilight went to read and Rainbow and Flutters went to nap” Applejack replied and went to sit on one of the chairs. She motions to Starlight who politely nods and sits beside her, while Rarity sits on Applejacks other side.

“I’m afraid when Pinkie will appear again” she says as she adjusts her position and Rarity opens the menu. 

“Ring the bell to call for a few assistants to order some food dear” Rarity said absentmindedly and continued looking.

Applejack sighs and smiles at her. “Don’t tiya worry about that sugarcube she means well” she replies with a wink before reaching for the bell. 

“Oh let me” Starlight said and lifted it with her magic and gave it a powerful short ring. Applejack gives her a barely contained annoyed look but thanks her nonetheless. As Applejack and Rarity strike up a conversation Starlight realized how Applejack takes to being treated less than equal. As she was about to apologize an earth pony stallion went in with a notepad in his mouth.


“I’m here to take your orders” he said neutrally. 

Starlight noted how he had a similar build to Big Macintosh, with a few differences. He had a grey coat and a light blue mane while his cutie mark was a silver platter. She also noticed his Trottingham accent.

“I’d like to have some mango smoothie and hay fries” Rarity ordered first, while Applejack ordered apple pie. Starlight simply ordered some hot chocolate and some delicacy called Gising-gising. 
As the waitress left, Applejack and Rarity excused themselves at the same time, leaving Starlight alone. As she waited for the orders, a sleepy yellow Pegasus mare went in. 

“Good morning Fluttershy” Starlight greeted jokingly.

Fluttershy gave her a smile and a small yawn “Excuse me” she said quietly before yawning again. “May I sit?” she asks as she motions to the seat beside Starlight.  
The mare nodded and Fluttershy sat on the chair and looked around the train car. “I know I have been here countless of times but sometimes it just looks so pretty” she said sleepily. Starlight looked around and nodded in agreement.


The car was like the one she had occupied a few moments earlier. Except it was a dining car, where the middle of the car was a long rectangular table with a few flowers in the middle. A buffet table was on the left side but it was empty. While there were torches lined up in the spacing between the glass windows, only lighting up when it got dark. 

“How are you?” Fluttershy asked suddenly. Starlight immediately jolted but relaxed as she felt the mare place her hoof on her shoulder. “I’m sorry if I startled you” she apologized and looked away. 

Starlight smiled “It’s alright, I was just day dreaming. I’m fine and you?” she asked looking at the mare. Fluttershy had her pink mane in front of her hiding her left eye.

“I’m fine” she answered shyly. Starlight immediately felt guilty, and brought her hoof under Fluttershy’s muzzle.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been daydreaming” she said firmly bringing her face closer to Fluttershy’s. The mare was an absolute shade of pink and yellow and her cyan eyes look at Starlight’s Persian Blue. 
Starlight never felt this way before, this odd strange sensation that warmed her. She had once, but it was for her friend long ago. Now that she was with the yellow Pegasus mare these warm feelings began to resurface. Her shy behavior was endearing and her resolve to be there for everypony was admirable. Starlight never was close to most of them, but Fluttershy just managed to bring the best of her out into light when she was around.

“You are pretty you know that right?” Starlight said without thinking. Fluttershy blushed even more and looked away.

“Y-y-y-ou are too” she replied sheepishly. 

Their noses were touching and both were looking at each other already. Starlight took a deep breath and noticed how Fluttershy smelled like a warm cottage with a hint of fresh wind.  Fluttershy on the other hoof was about to faint. She didn’t want to admit but during the first time they met she had a certain attraction to the dangerous mare. Her loneliness was a painful thing and she wanted to help her there. Then slowly as time went by she noticed what she was inside and how she wanted to help others too.          
As much as it was wrong, Fluttershy was in awe at her courage and her pride. Unlike Rainbow who had to always put out the tough front, she did it in a way that was natural and seamless, something she admired about the mare. “Starlight…I” she whispered and the 2 of them gave each other a quick peck before turning away from each other. Both extremely red and fidgety, much to both their surprise and relief the waiter returned with food. 

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In the pit of Tartarus a dragon lay slumbering. His giant figure silhouetted by the fire that raged around him. He was giant, the size of a fortress and his body sleek, made for speed. His head was streamline and he had a scar that ran from his nose to the middle of his eyes. The rise and fall of his chest showed how he was perfectly peaceful despite the ongoing chaos.
A loud cracking and a powerful surge of magic shook the place, and still he did not stir. Howling, screaming, and the sounds of bones snapping still did not stir the mighty beast. A low growl began to raise in volume and still he remained impassive to the world around him. Soon the ceiling above him began to shake and crack, making a couple of huge rocks fall to the lava pit around him, still he did not wake.
Soon however a mighty crack and a blast of dark magic erode the ceiling. Slowly but surely a crack was beginning to form. Inch by inch it grew bigger, until finally a sizable crack, the size of a small house was open. Millions of tendrils came from the crack and began to make its way to the black slumbering dragon. It latched on to its scales and went into his nostrils, ears, and other open areas. Still he did not stir or awake. As the tendrils all latched onto it, a bright light began to snake up the tendrils. Pure white light began to go up into the place where they came from, and still the dragon did not stir. Soon the tendrils retracted and the crack closed, leaving the dragon be. 
Soon the lava cooled, and a chill set over the place. The lights were gone replaced by an inky cold darkness. The dragon, whose peaceful breaths were once rhythmic began to stir. Bright, ice blue, eyes opened and looked around. He sat up, his head about to break through the ceiling. He opens his jaws to reveal a set of extremely sharp teeth. He soon breathes out a small surge of fire, which later turned into ice. He surveyed the place around him before settling his serpentine eyes on the dog that was in front of him. 
Staring at the dog, he had realized what had just happened. He immediately fetched a piece of the obsidian and began to write on it, his claws marking the stone deeply. Cerberus looked at him with a look of fear and slight resignation. The dragon finished writing before handing the rock to him.

“Go send this to your mistress” he said urgently, his deep voice rumbling.  Cerberus barked and with the stone in mouth, headed out and ran as fast as he could to the outside. When the dragon can no longer hear his paws scarping the stone, he lets out a mighty roar, almost causing the chamber to collapse.

“She is here already ?” the dragon asks to nopony in particular. 

The darkness shifts to reveal a small equine like figure. “Recensere has been on the move, we just have to wait how this unfolds” the equine figure replies. The dragon lets out a snort and a shake of his head. 

“Uncle, we can not simply leave my cousins to deal with this by themselves” he said disapprovingly. The darkness shifts again, this time a bit darker somehow. 

"They will have to. The age of the 1st Civilization has ended, and they are the remnants of it. With them ends the 2nd, only after this war will we see if they are destined to lead the 3rd”