Having realized when traveling around with her carriage and trusted guards, Celestia had nearly forgotten what it was like to feel the wind under her feathered wings. The wind whipped at her mane and the drafts forced her to make small adjustments with her pinions to remain aloft. She smiled, however, as it reminded her how much she missed flying.
Today though, she had dismissed her guards—knowing that they couldn’t follow her to her destination. Only she and Luna had been asked for, and Celestia knew their host wouldn’t allow for others no matter how innocent their role.
The tall oak trees moved below them in a blur as she felt her sister give another flap of feathered wings. Celestia glanced at Luna and a soft smile played at her features. It had been an even longer time since the two of them had flown together anywhere, she realized. It reminded her of happier days when they would fly around for the simple joy of flight. She smiled a wistful smile and looked ahead—perhaps when whatever pressing matter was attended to, Celestia would find a way for the two of them to have time for leisurely flights.
She gave another flap of her own wings as the massive Mother Oak drew steadily closer—there were those pressing matters to see to first.
“Are you well, sister?” she heard Luna ask. “You seem winded.”
Celestia had to admit, it had been awhile since she had flown so far. “I’m fine, Luna. Just a touch out of shape.”
A vicious grin erupted across Luna’s face. “Well, if you would only—”
“Finish that thought, Luna, and I’ll put you in charge of Day Court for a month,” Celestia said with a firm glare at the smugly-smiling Luna.
Her sister bit her lip to keep from speaking, but a few giggles managed to escape.
Celestia rolled her eyes and gave a quiet laugh of her own. She did not eat that much.
After her fit of giggles subsided, Luna’s smile faded away, replaced with a thoughtful frown. “How long has it been since we spoke with her last? Or rather, she spoken to us?”
“Since before we sealed away both Discord and Tyranny. Shortly after the…” Celestia stopped and averted her gaze, hoping that her look of regret wasn’t that obvious.
Luna looked at her for a long moment and nodded. “The Purges.”
Celestia nodded, looking ahead. “I cannot imagine what has happened that would cause her to break her silence. She was so angry…” She closed her eyes and gave another flap of her wings. “And justifiably so.”
Luna frowned. “Tia, we could not have known.”
Celestia shook her head before Luna finished. “It doesn’t excuse our complacence, sister. We should have know. So that the Purges never had happened to begin with.”
Luna looked like she wanted to argue, but she instead bit at her lip and looked away. “Whatever the case, she is willing to speak to us. Mayhaps now is opportunity to mend our burned bridges.”
Celestia gave another flap of her wings. “I truly hope so, Luna. I truly hope so.”
They flew on for a bit before Luna motioned towards a rocky cliff that jutted from the trees below. “There. That is where we are to meet with her guardians.”
Celestia nodded and the two banked to the side. They gave a few slowing flaps of their wings before lightly touching down on the rocky jut. Even as Celestia tucked her wings to her side, she could feel the living earth beneath her. The energy so much stronger here than anywhere else in Equestria.
Her eyes traced to the Mother Oak for a moment before a hopeful smile touched her features as she looked for the guardians. “Drasil!” she called out, her shout echoing through the trees. “We have come as you have asked.”
The wind ruffled her fur, and her ears flicked, but silence was all she was met with.
Her brow furrowed. “Drasil!”
Luna looked around as Celestia called again. “I do not sense any of her guardians nearby.”
“Nor do I,” Celestia said as she looked around the misty trees. “What do you make of it?”
Before Luna could reply, a male’s voice reached their ears. “Welcome, Celestia of the Sun and Luna of the Moon. The Great Mother welcomes you.”
Both alicorns looked towards the voice. Once they saw the source emerge from the trees, they sucked in their collected breaths and their eyes widened.
“N-No…” Celestia breathed, a cold chill running down her spine.
“It cannot be,” Luna said, just as shocked as her sister.
The White Tail Elder approached them, his expression neutral as he joined them on the rocky jut. He held his head high, though his eyes had an edge of hardness to them. He dipped his head before speaking, “Princesses. We welcome you to the Mother’s forest.”
“A White Tail…” Celestia said, taking an involuntary step forward. “How is this possible? I thought… I thought—”
The Elder’s gaze hardened. “Please, remain where you are, Princess Celestia. We maybe meeting on friendly terms, but that does not mean I hold similar feelings for you or your sister.”
Luna moved past her shock to bristle at his tone. Before she could retort, Celestia held up a hoof to stop her. “Please… tell me,” she said as she looked back at him. “Are there more of your clan? How many survived? Please tell me they are well.”
His gaze hardened again. “Yes, my clan survived, through no effort from you. We live safely under the Mother’s protection, away from your pony folk. For the betterment of us all.”
“Why have you called us out here?” Luna asked, ignoring Celestia’s look to stop her. “To throw our mistakes in our faces? To remind us how we failed to stop the horror of the Purges?”
“The Purges you sanctified,” the Elder snapped, his calm visage slipping. “The exact same Purges that nearly pushed my people to extinction!”
Both sisters winced. “We didn’t know… until it was too late,” Luna said, averting her gaze.
“That doesn’t excuse our complacency, sister,” Celestia said before the Elder could respond. “The Purges should never have happened at all.” She turned a firm look at the buck. “Had I known, I would have used all of my power to have stopped Tyranny. I believed he had the well-being of our folk at his heart. I never dreamed he would have gone to the measures he had.”
The Elder’s eyes narrowed. “Tell that to the hundreds of my people who did not find the Mother’s protection, Celestial.”
Celestia’s eyes widened before they narrowed in turn. “I no longer go by that name. Do not refer to me as such.”
“Is this why Drasil called us out here? To be berated for our actions past? I had thought there were matters that needed addressed now,” Luna all but hissed.
The Elder closed his eyes for a moment before he sighed out. “Please, forgive me. I let the hatred of my Elders cloud my judgement, it was unbecoming of me. It was not my intention to salt wounds of old.” He opened his eyes and Celestia saw that the rage was replaced by… regret? “There is a danger that threatens not only my people, but your own as well.”
Celestia stood straighter, saving the many question she still had for him. “Tell us then. What endangers us so?”
“The Gorgon has gained the key to her prison.”
Celestia’s wings snapped out as she felt her blood freeze.
“The stars above,” she heard Luna swear, “Tell us. How did this happen? The key was supposed to have been sealed away, how did she get her filthy hands on it?”
A firm expression crossed the Elder’s face. “Her cult managed to steal it from the ponies my granddaughter was with as they tried to bring it to you both.”
Celestia’s brow furrowed. “Ponies? I had thought none of my ponies could enter that deep into the forest?”
He turned his gaze to her. “Exceptions had been made.”
Celestia sat on her haunches, bringing her wings back to her sides. “Please, tell us everything.”
As the Elder related the tale of the Bringers of Plague, and the subsequent destruction of whole parts of the forest, Celestia felt her gut clench in disgust. Knowing that the cult had resurfaced to free the Gorgon caused a wave of anger down her spine. She remembered well the last time the Gorgon ran free, and swore she would never allow that much suffering to run rampant again.
When he told them of the ponies who had been brought to his village, marked by the forest itself no less, she shook her head.
“I cannot believe those three would become involved with the spirits again.” She lifted her head. “Always they seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Luna nodded. “And I have heard of this Trixie Lulamoon. Was she not the same one who caused a disturbance in Ponyville twice?”
A troubled frown tugged at Celestia’s lips. “She had, but she had made amends to her past mistakes. I can only imagine how she became involved with this.”
“As I can tell, she was a guest among the three,” the Elder said, shifting his weight as he sat across from them. “And through them, a guardian extended the Great Mother’s mark.”
Celestia again looked at him. “Are they all right? They weren’t injured when the Bringers attacked them?”
He shook his head. “They were not. Beaten and sore, but no lasting injuries. Though the aura-weaver, Tormod, was injured in a fight with a diseased manticore before he was brought to our village.”
The sisters winced. “Is he—”
“My healers cured him of the disease, but his injury has damaged his shoulder. He will be able to walk again, but with the aid of a brace. His leg will be weak for the remainder of his days.”
Celestia closed her eyes at the news, frowning. “I see.”
“You said they captured one of the Bringers?” Luna asked as she rested a comforting hoof on Celestia’s withers.
The Elder frowned. “They did. And my people demanded that she be held accountable for her actions as a Bringer.”
Celestia felt her blood run cold. “Is she?”
He held a hoof up to calm her. “She is being kept safe within our village, Princess. It was because of the actions of the earth-tamer, Wanderer, that she lives still. My people called for her death, but he remained steadfast in his belief that she could be saved yet.”
A flicker of hope rose in Celestia’s chest. “Can she be saved?”
He looked away for a moment. “...I am not sure. These Bringers are not like the ones of old. My Elders tell me they had served willingly, but the one we have today seems to be sealed away in her own mind.” He looked back at them. “Having realized this, I chose to keep her under guard. Perhaps there is a way to save her, but I do not know for certain.”
“Please.” Celestia rose to her hooves. “If you can save our ponies, I beg of you to do so. I do not wish to see any more death.”
His eyes narrowed a moment before he forced back his rage. “I cannot promise anything, Princess Celestia.”
“It is all I can ask for,” she said as she sat back down beside Luna.
“But now on to pressing matters,” Luna said, sitting straighter. “What do you need of us to help stop the Gorgon?”
“Nothing.”
Even Celestia balked at the bluntness of his tone.
Luna clamped her mouth shut from the shock. “What insanity is this? We must work together to stop the Gorgon from killing both of our peoples.”
He shook his head. “My people will not accept your help. It was difficult enough for them to accept the four already. If more were to show, my people will not allow it.”
Luna bristled. “This is no time for foolish pride. We only have so long before the conditions are right for the Gorgon’s escape. We must—”
“My people will stop the Gorgon and her Bringers with our own strength.” He lifted his chin. “The honor of the White Tails will not be tossed aside when we are challenged.”
Celestia could tell Luna wanted to rip her mane out—or rip his antlers from his head—and she honestly couldn’t blame her. “I have only learned that the White Tails still live. I do not want to see them taken away again,” Celestia said. “Let us help you.”
“No. This will not involve you.”
Rarely had Celestia ever been so irritated, and it took effort to restrain herself. “My ponies are already involved. With Trixie and her friends, and those helplessly serving the Gorgon, we are involved. Therefore, we must do what we can to help our people.” She paused for a second before speaking again, “If I, we, can help the White Tail tribe, it would be a pittance in repaying them for our inaction during the Purges.”
The Elder sat there for a long time, digesting her words. Finally, he opened his eyes, a softer visage to them. “You speak with your heart, Princess, and I believe your words to be true, but I do not think the Great Mother will allow it.”
Celestia’s ear flicked as she heard Luna growl, “For what reason?”
“Let us speak with Drasil directly.” Celestia dipped her head. “I mean no disrespect, Elder, but if we can speak with her, perhaps we can find a resolution sooner.”
“For the better of all our people,” Luna added.
He looked between them a moment before sighing. “I will try.”
“We thank you, Elder.”
“Finally, we get somewhere,” Luna whispered, a bit of edge to her tone.
Celestia glanced at her sister and saw that she was trying to keep the scowl off her face, and Celestia could only quietly agree with her. The stubbornness of the deer Elder had tested even her patience.
The buck stood up and closed his eyes, his breathing slowing to a meditative state as his focus turned inward. Her gaze shot to his hooves as roots lifted from the ground and wrapped around his fetlocks. When his eyes opened again, they were pure white.
“Celestia, Luna, I am glad you have come.” When the elder spoke, it was with the voice of a sagely woman.
The sisters nodded their heads in respect. “Drasil, we are happy to speak with you once again,” Celestia said, a small smile finding its way on her face. “It has been far too long.”
“It would have been longer still had events not turned as they have.”
Luna scowled. “You still cling to your bitterness, Drasil? How much longer will you let it fester?”
“Sister, please,” Celestia said in an effort to calm her.
The buck’s gaze turned to Luna. “Old wrongs are not the matter of our conversation, Luna. As you both know, the balance of our world is still awry. With the Spirit of Chaos’ release, as well as the resurgence of the Spirit of Order, our world reels like driftwood in the waves of the sea.”
Luna’s tail swished. “Discord has been reformed to better our world, and you know that Tyranny was incapable of change and has been banished. How has the world not be set aright?”
“Order and Chaos remain out of balance, and it is not known when they will, but that is not our discussion.” The Elder stood straighter. “Though both you and those you trusted with the Elements of Harmony have banished the Spirit of Order, the havoc his banishment has caused awakened the Gorgon from her slumber. Her agents now have the key to her prison and await the solstice to release her.”
Celestia shot to her hooves. “Then why will you not let us help you, Drasil? Do you care so little for your children that you will let them die because of old hatred?”
“My children have their pride and honor still, Celestia. The Gorgon was placed under my vigil, and I, and my children, will deal with her or die in the trying.”
“Then why call us out here, Drasil? Why even bother tell us at all of this?” Luna asked as she stood by her sister’s side.
“As a courtesy to you as some of your children have become unwittingly involved with our affairs—.”
“All the more reason—”
“—And to stop the Gorgon should we fail.”
Celestia bit at her lip. “Drasil, you make no sense. Why risk your children in this vain attempt at holding to your pride?”
“Because even if I did. The spells I have put in place to protect my children cannot be undone easily or swiftly. It will take years to safely undo them and time is not something we have.”
“Can’t you accept a small number at least? The Element Bearers can help you in your fight.”
“You know as well as I do that you cannot remove the Elements from the Tree of Harmony yet, Celestia. I cannot accept the six Bearers in time for them to help. The four I have will have to be the ones to make the difference if they so choose.”
Luna’s eyes narrowed. “Do they even have a choice?”
“There is always a choice, Luna, and it is theirs to make.” The Elder flinched, hissing as if in pain.
“Drasil!” The sisters started.
“The Gorgon lashes out! I must return to holding her prison! Farewell, Celestia, Luna, despite everything, it was… pleasant to speak to you again.”
The roots retreated from the Elder’s legs, and his irises returned to his eyes. He blinked a few times before speaking. “Forgive me, I must also return to my people. We must prepare for the fight that is ahead.” He lowered his head to them in a respectful nod. “It was an honor to meet, and speak, with you both.” Turning, he headed for the trees.
“Hold a moment.”
He turned back to Luna as she spoke. “Do you agree with this, Elder? Are you all so willing to throw away everything for pride?”
“My people hold honor in the highest regard, Princess. To throw that aside would kill the spirit of my people faster than the Gorgon’s diseases ever could. Better to die with our honor intact than to grovel and plead for help because we were too weak to save ourselves.” He gave her a final look before turning away. “Let history be the judge of our actions.”
“A final word, Elder.”
He stopped again as Celestia spoke.
“I just want you and your people to know that our children are not like they used to be.” Celestia’s ears pinned back. “I pray… that my ponies can meet the White Tails and allow true friendship to form between them.” She lifted her head again. “And the mistakes of the past can finally heal.”
A long sigh escaped from the buck’s nose. “...If your people are more like the four I know, then perhaps there might be that chance.” He walked for the trees, his form blurring in the mists. “Farewell, Princesses.”
The two sat there for a time, the wind buffing their manes across their faces. Celestia sat quietly, staring after the retreating form as her mind tried to sort out all she had heard. Despite knowing that the Gorgon was a threat once again, a soft smile started to grow across her face.
Luna huffed and turned to face her. “Even with their foolish reasons, we cannot be idle. We must be ready in case…” Her eyes widened when she looked at her sister. “Celestia, you are crying.”
She brought a hoof up to her face and pulled it away to see it moist with her tears. “So I am…”
Luna wrapped a wing around her older sister. “Do not cry, Tia. They will be victorious, I am sure. Perhaps the four will be the ones to tip the scales in our favor.”
Celestia sniffed, staring into the mists. “Yes, perhaps.”
Luna nuzzled her on the cheek. “Then why do you cry?”
She wiped at her eyes with the back of a foreleg. “Because I am worried. I am happy to know the White Tails survived, but sad to think they might be taken away before I can… can apologize.” Her gaze lowered to her hooves. “I know it is selfish, but…”
She felt her sister rest her head on her shoulder. “I know, sister. I feel the same way. It shows that you truly care and want to make things right.”
They sat there for a time to let Celestia let her pent up emotions run their course before they flew for home. Unknown to them, the Elder had remained behind to watch. As they flew away into the distance, he turned for his village, wiping at his eyes with the back of a hoof.