//------------------------------// // Enduring Reunions // Story: The Crystal Wolves (Rewrite) // by Roran Dreamon //------------------------------// I couldn't believe my eyes. For the longest time that I have spent in that damnable crystal prison, I had always thought that she had died along with her sister when they fled the capital, that they wouldn't be able to survive the several hundred mile exodus to our southern neighbors for asylum. But to see one of them standing before me, older, taller, better looking and just as shocked as I am...I guess I can say that their exodus to our cousins in the south was a success, as far as I am concerned for both of them that is, for all I know Celestia didn't make it and Luna was the only one alive. I looked at the lunar themed princess and stared for the longest time, I couldn't believe that she was here, how was she here? I thought that she was just a simple ascended pegasus and not an all powerful alicorn, but here she is in the flesh, alive and well...unless this is just a trick of some kind. 'This has to be some kind of trick...some kind of mental intrusion by Sombra somehow...Luna can't possibly be in my dreams! She just can't!' With this thought in mind I slowly walked over to the possibly-fake Luna, my weapons still pointed at her but as I got closer I could tell that this one of Sombra's hexes that has he regularly placed on his things, this was the real Luna. "Luna? Is that you?" I asked cautiously as I took another step closer before finally stopping right before her. I watched the dark blue alicorn slowly crack a smile on her muzzle, and for a moment I thought that this was a trap, but instead I found it to be the exact opposite of a trap. "Nay! We are nothing more than a figment of thine imagination!" And for a moment I thought she was telling the truth, that is until she came right up to me and embraced me in a hug, wings included and I knew that this was no illusion, Sombra would have stabbed me in the back by now if it was one. Discarding my weapons onto the floor I kneeled down and hugged the alicorn, I couldn't believe that after all this time (even though I don't know how long it has been since we were trapped in that stasis field) that she stills remembers me, and how to properly talk back to me with enthusiasm and snark. "It has been too long Luna! Surely for a moment I thought you were you dead when you and your sister fled with Starswirl and the others!" I said as I hugged my old friend tightly. For the longest time the two of us were nearly inseparable, while I taught her how to fight like I do even though many nobles said that 'I don't fight with honor', it is so stupid, fighting with honor. Why should I make the other guy feel bad for losing? If I am in a fight then I will fight to win and make sure the other guy doesn't get back up to keep on fighting me. "Thee thought We was dead? How preposterous! It is We who thought thee was dead! It has been nearly two thousand years since we last saw thee let alone saw thee alive!" Luna said with a bit of a teary-eyed smile as she continued to hug me. But I stopped hugging her when I heard that I (and by extension the entire empire and its outlying towns/villages/forts and ports) have been missing from the world for almost two thousand years, I just let all four of my arms fall to my side as I started to think of the implications that this will have. The entire crystal realm has been gone for so long that we have been erased from history, nobody knows about us, nobody probably even remembers us, we are no one, we are nothing. We have been locked away and left to gather dust while the world marched on without us. Looking at it now, I can tell that the ponies have obviously survived without us, just without the entire population of the crystal ponies so whatever problems the normal ones have, we won't have any of it, the griffons on the other hand though, they have had more than enough time to lick their wounds and recover along with acquire new weapons, armor, siege weapons, and many other things that I can't think of at the moment, they are a threat that can't be left alone. I can hazard a guess that the minotaurs might have finally pulled their heads out of their collective asses and finally united their clans together to form a kingdom or empire of their own with a sizeable military with q. The yaks...they were nothing but nomadic tribes and clans to our west, so the possibility of them forming a clan is up there... And as for the zebra tribes that I only heard stories from the few sailors that dared to travel far from our shores to foreign lands, I can say that they might have also banded together or just stayed apart to live their lives as tribes. Dragons on the other hand, knowing that those beasts tend to stay away from each other and that they don't like one another so well, the odds of a dragon empire is abysmally low. Which just leaves me to think about the diamond dogs, the deerfolk, and lastly...my biggest mistake...the changelings. From what I know about the few skirmishes between my wardens, the crystal guards and the diamond dogs, they are purely nothing but clans ranging from size and prestige but they all had a few things in common with one another. They were stupid for the most part and only their alpha had enough brain-cells to rub together to get a proper coherent thought running. What they lacked in brain power they made it up for their ambushes, creative traps and numbers. Diamond Dogs breed like crazy and always threw their runts at their enemies like cannon-fodder, and in most cases if they come back they are either promoted to miner for coming back alive or are killed on the spot. The deerfolk are peaceful, ponylike in most ways but they are more attuined to nature then their pony counterparts. They quite literally are like the elves you might find in Lord of the Rings or Dungeons and Dragons, they live in forest with their homes magically constructed into the trees themselves, from root to the top branch that is their home. Although they may look like they shouldn't be able to use magic I saw a few use their antlers to perform their magical deeds although it seemed like it was the females who are the primary spellcasters while the males were more frontline fighting with a few being adept at magic. I met a few deer and stags in my time, they aren't a bad folk to talk to but they will patronize me for either chopping down trees to fuel our industry or to destroy a monster nest, or get mad at me for killing the feral beasts that roam my lands instead of calming them down and setting them free elsewhere. In the end I had to tell them to stop sticking their nose in my business or else that we are going to have a problem, that got them to back off and to stop pestering my wardens. But the changelings...my greatest failure and my biggest mistake. I couldn't have known that Lilac would have ever found that shard of Discord's solidified chaos, she desired to be able to transform into anything that would suit my desire and to claim me as her mate for life. It did both of those things but twisted it around to the extreme. It made her body insectoid like so it could be easier to transform through chaos magic to have her body become anything she can think of within reason. And as for her extended life, she didn't know that I can live forever just like the alicorns and she too gained that long of a life but her immortality was flawed, she had to die every thousand years before being reborn again. And when she couldn't have me she instead started to claim the lives of any males she could find to help her reproduce her children and seek vengeance against me... Her children, changelings, they have her shapeshifting ability but it is weaker, can be easily disrupted with the proper counter-spell or just by knocking them of their concentration. Even though they have wings and a horn, they are not as good with them than the unicorns and pegasi that use them on a daily basis. In essence changelings are spies, assassins when necessary to keep their masquerade up, but most of all they are doppelgangers that replace anypony be they adult or child and assume their lives to feed on the emotions of the captured and the unknowing. "Luna, I need you to tell me exactly how much the world has changed since the empire disappeared from the world." I asked the lunar princess this one request because I know that if I don't know what the political weather is before I step out into it, then I just might accidentally start a political shitstorm the likes that have never seen before. Well...back home we had political shitstorms brewing on a daily basis but this one will be global. With a nod from Luna I pulled apart from her hug and waited patiently as she told me everything that has changed during our absence. "Skolas, the world has changed much, even more so than I care to admit even during my own absence from this realm but I can tell you a few things that has happened before and after I have returned." Luna said but I could tell she was purposely leaving something out, something of extreme importance but I will let it slide this time, I can guess it is something personal. "After the Crystal Kingdom has vanished Equestria became our home for Celestia, those that came with us and myself. They took us in and gave us asylum, after a century of staying within Equestria's borders we eventually united the three tribes and was crowned yet again. After that we ruled for the next four hundred years with prosperity that matched what the three of us have accomplished for the northern realm but sadly Celestia and I had some differences and...I was banished to the moon for a thousand years." Luna said and for a moment I couldn't quite hear what she was saying. Did she just say that she was banished to the moon for a thousand years? "Well for someone who has been banished for a thousand years, you look pretty good." I said as I tried to make her feel better, if she is getting self-conscious about her age then she needs to go find a hobby or something. I mean look at me, I arrived here when I was like what, twenty-one? Yet look at me now, I led an entire kingdom of ponies who were once pacifist but they are now aggressive isolationists, nearly destroyed the entire griffon kingdom alongside its race, got into a fight with a powerful necromancer and killed him (four times), defeated a minotaur chieftain that threatened my wife/mate/best friend/drinking buddy with rape then death, kicked in the crotch by Celestia on accident, befriended a dragon after being set on fire by said dragon and lastly overthrew a tyrant whose reign only lasted a day. All in all I can say that I have lived a full life, if I was human, but seeing how I am not human anymore I can say that this is something that is only a life half lived. Now if only I can have children of my own and raise a family, then that will mean my life has been fully lived. The look on Luna's face though when I told her that she looks good for her age was adorable, she was blushing up a storm and was hiding behind a wing. As I said, cute. "Thou thinks us cute?" Ah, and now she shifts back to ye olde English...lovely. "No, I am just saying that to get a rise out of you." I said with a flat expression and with my arms crossed. That ruined the good mood as Luna came out from under her wing and gave me a blank look as she sighed and shook her head as she stood up and started to walk around me. "Thee just has to ruin the mood, didn't thee?" "Well, yeah, after all you ruined my mood when you interrupted my honeymoon with Forge." "That was just one time! One! Time!" Luna shouted as she threw both her hooves into the air in anger, apparently she thought it wasn't so bad of a thing that she did. "Luna, you not only teleported into our room right when the magic was about to happen, but you then suggested to Forge that we should have a threesome, right on our night and not only did Forge say no (which was a big fucking shocker cause she suggested such a thing a year earlier and Luna was the one who said no) but you then tried to make a decree on the spot just so we couldn't refuse and it was only because of your sister that I didn't remove your horn and wings for interrupting us." But in all seriousness I thought it was pretty hilarious, just the timing of it all, sure Forge wasn't happy and neither was I, but I just couldn't help but laugh at it all. "And besides, it was only afterwards that we found out that you were drunk off your ass and was merely joking (even though Forge would have accepted the agreement a week or two after the honeymoon) and had apologized profusely. I still won't let it down because I can use it to remind you that you can't always have your way." And that you can't be propositioning me or Forge on our special night. Maybe if it was any other night prior to our wedding day however... "Yes, yes, We get it, you won't let Us forget about our mead-fueled shenanigans. But foolishness aside..." and she continued on where we left off before we broke into our little back and forth. "The griffons have rebuilt what was once their continent spanning empire a three hundred years after the kingdoms disappearance but it quickly crumbled in onto itself when the emperor you spared was executed by his own councilmen before It deteriorated into a colossal civil war that not only engulfed the griffon realms but it also spilled over into Equestria, diamond dog territory, the minotaur lands and even into the Badlands guarding Equestria's southern border. The griffons almost destroyed themselves with that civil war to the point that if it wasn't from some outside intervention the griffons would have wiped themselves out into extinction." I saw absolutely no problem with the griffons dying out, those bastards invaded the Crystal Kingdom, killed several dozen citizens from the capital along with several more from the outlying towns, villages and what few cities we had at the moment, they raped, murdered and pillaged their way north and when we turned the tide of the war we did nothing in kind and yet they saw us as the aggressors? Fucking hell, if I had my way then the griffons would have died out, not simply be on its last legs...but god damn I wish I was there to see the griffons kill each other because they realized that their leaders are not so powerful, all-knowing beings like Celestia and Luna pretend to be, the griffons are flawed, aggressive assholes that raid and attack anything weaker then them. "But for the griffons upon our return, they have become reclusive, they barely leave their homelands and from what I understand their current king is..." "He is what, mad? Crazy? Warmongering?" "No, he is calm for a griffon. He is also calculating and if what my spy says is true then he also might be a direct descendant of High King Gerimul which is disconcerting when one realizes that the High King was an excellent strategist and this distant offspring is even better than he ever was or ever will be." "So we might have a potential war on the horizon if he sees any bit of weakness in anyone or anything." Well...this will suck if he does declare war on us right now. "Yes, although I doubt it would ever happen because of the treaty that has been signed by several sovereign nations along with Equestria that if the griffons were to ever raise another sword again against another nation, we would all retaliate back in kind." Luna said proudly and for a moment it stayed there until I poked a whole in that flawless idea of hers. "Wait, so Equestria has a mutual defense agreement with how many nations?" "Five, we have the support of the Zebra Republic, the roaming Buffalo tribes, Saddle Arabia, Clan Bowdon of the Griffons and lastly the Yaks of Yakyakistan." I mulled the information over in my head but that came to an abrupt halt when I got caught up on the words 'Clan' and 'Griffon' and immediately started to worry. "Uh, I see a little problem with that pact of yours." "And that is what Skolas?" "That you have griffons in it. You do know that the minute they find anything of real use to them, anything that can be used to terrible effect on your allies or yourself for that matter, they will leave the pact and return to the griffons as a whole and use what they learned against you all. It wouldn't be the first time this has happened either, if you can count what Sombra did as an example." He will die a traitors death. "Skolas now you are just being silly, the griffons have calmed down considerably since you last saw them. They are no longer the warmongering beasts they once were, now they just keep to themselves and only trade with others when they have something that they can't produce on their own." "Well...that is good, at least for the moment." I said even as I mulled it over to myself. The griffons remaining in their own lands, not coming out unless they are leaving it behind or for trading reasons...this could work to my advantage. Assuming they have forgotten what I have done to them in the past. Looking back at the freezing lands around us both, I saw that we are the only ones here, I guess this meeting has interrupted my dreams and instead made it into a lucid reality, I wonder how Forge would react here if she was present? Probably either to tell Luna to fuck off and stay away from me, or try to get that threesome she once asked her for...I don't know which could be worse though, Forge is a handful enough but with an actual goddess? I fear that it might kill me let alone reduce me to bits and pieces... But what a way to go! Shaking my head I returned back to the matter at hand. "So the griffons are no longer on the war path, but what of the others you have mentioned? If you can ever recall we had no dealings with those beyond the sea as our ships have never charted a map to what lay beyond the horizon. We have never encountered the zebra's nor with this Saddle Arabia, but from what I can guess they are another group of ponies that are different in appearance and characteristics and probably a different political system and standards." But if it is anything that I can remember, zebra's are zebra's, look like horses except they are black with white stripes...or is it white with black stripes? Eh fuck it, and as for Saddle Arabia, probably are just like normal horses so nothing to worry about. "You are correct, peace has reigned for well over a thousand years, even during our absence it has remained." "I see...but I don't think that peace will last long though." I said as I started to recall a few things I have been doing on the side, something that Celestia and Luna would not have approved of but I did them anyway. For the good of the kingdom, I had to do it. "And why not?" Luna asked me as she tilted her head, not understanding what I was meaning. "Because we have returned Luna, have you not forgotten that?" The things I was researching back then, with the help of some rather scrupulous people that helped me recall a rather certain formula compound... "We are not following you Skolas...what are you talking about?" The confused look that is clearly written on her face is all that I need, she doesn't know what I was doing as I had previously thought. Good. "Luna, do you not recall anything about what I was doing after the war with the griffons? Have you not seen what was going on at Port Shallowtide and Black Harbor or what was happening at Saint Nova?" Watching the mare of the night shake her head no I continued to talk. "Those three places, the two ports was where I was getting a special black powder from foreign shores where it was properly refined and stored, and Saint Nova was where I was getting my sulfur from the mines near the dead volcano and the charcoal from my wardens at Ferovale, with those three ingredients I was creating something...volatile in the event the griffons come back for a second round." And just what exactly was I brewing with saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal? Something...explosive. "And what exactly were you going to do with these alchemical ingredients for? I know that none of those would work together as they would all turn into a blackish sludge that is utterly useless." The moon goddess said as she thought of what those three ingredients could be used for, apparently she tried them before but the combination was ruined when boiling water was used to bring the mixture together. "Well that happens because you are doing it wrong. No water is needed for those three because it is meant to be in a dry powder form. And I must say that I am lucky that I remember such a thing because without them then my next plan would have failed spectacularly." "But what does it do?" "It explodes, rather violently might I add." I said as I recalled exactly what happens when gunpowder explodes, and if my time watching wily cartoons and also from watching dad watch the military channel. How many times can one man watch the same world war one and world war two episodes and not learn anything? "I take it that this was supposed to be used as a weapon somehow, yes?" "Eeyup, a rather effective weapon if used correctly, otherwise it is nothing more than a very destructive weapon that can easily destroy buildings and other fragile targets, like griffons and ponies alike." And myself if I didn't have any armor on or my protective shielding. "I see...and will you be showing me how you can create such a weapon?" I saw the hopefulness in her eyes, sadly I can't let that happen. "Sorry, but no." "And why not? Are we not friends?" "Oh, we are friends Luna, but the problem is that this is a weapon that belongs to the Crystal Empire, not the southern equestrians nor anyone else out there that lie beyond the border." "What! How dare thee-" "Ah ah ah! Remember Luna, you abdicated the throne when you fled the empire along with your sister and those that decided to go with you at the time. You have no power or saying within my lands especially seeing how you couldn't even defeat a single unicorn who had the power that matched Grogar but still you couldn't defeat him! I had to do your job and not only distract him while you fled but also in the end defeat him!" I cut the alicorn off as she got offended. "You abandoned everyone because you could not kill your own friend! Do you know how many ponies here want to see you either hanged or beheaded for leaving them behind with a power hungry maniac!" That right there deflated whatever counter-defense argument that she was gonna use against me, making her take a few steps away from me as if I struck her. "And to top it off if it wasn't for me then you and your sister would have been slaves to a bunch of griffons, doing god knows what to the two of you while they either kill, eat or enslave your precious little ponies! I must say that a whole lot of things wouldn't have been created or even been improved upon if it wasn't for my intellect!" Without me we would have lost the damn war also, I created the siege engines, trench lines, spike pits, shield wall, staggered firing and field medicine. I pretty much saved the lives of so many ponies because of my human knowledge and yet this pony princess has the gall to try and use the friend card when she left ME behind with that traitor! Sighing to myself I walked away from Luna towards no-pony's-land, I needed to clear my head of this before I accidentally to something that might cause a rift between us that wouldn't be able to be repaired. The distance that spans the desolate gap between the two camps was a fairly large one and for the first time in a long while, I don't have to overlook this field without having to see the sea of red that decorated the snow and the numerous amount of dead bodies that litter the landmass. "So beautiful...a field untainted with the scent of death or the putrefaction of war. Such a shame that it took twenty-seven years for the damage that was done here to heal itself. I always wondered what it was like here, the lowlands leading to a foothill before coming back down into a desert, to Equestria's desert border and beyond that, the griffon lands." Such a path the griffons used to reach my home, sadly for them they made the mistake of invading in the summer and was halted in the fall before it turned to winter. They were not prepared for the kingdom's winter weather nor its fall weather as well. The sudden drop in temperature really wrecked havoc with the griffons bodies and their morale, I have never seen such anger and desertion before and I am glad I raided their camp at just the right moment, if I hadn't...well then I wouldn't be here now would I? "Skolas, I didn't mean to yell at you, it is just that you are pushing away a friend because you do not want to divulge a project of yours?" "That isn't the only reason I am pushing you and your sister away, I am doing it to keep the empire safe from your failures." I said sharply, turning around rapidly enough to let my heavy cloak to get some lift off the snow before coming back down. The shock on her face when I said failure is clear, so is the impression of shock and confusion as well. "What do you mean failures? The only thing that we have failed was when we couldn't kill Sombra when he rose against us-" "Luna, while I was working for you and your sister I have uncovered corruption within the council, a slave trade that was being operating right within the capital behind your back, a cabal of necromancy within the mage's tower outside the city, the smuggling ring at Bilgewater Bay that nearly brought in illegal drugs, and lastly if not the most important mistake I had to clean up for you, stopping you and Celestia from signing that surrender treaty." I had many more things that went under their noses during my stay with them but I rather not waste my breath by speaking their names, they knew what they did and will never be mentioned again. "We know that wasn't our proudest moment but if you could just give us a chance to explain ourselves-" "How could you explain that? They penetrated deep into our country, raided several towns and villages along the way and when we finally got a report that they were coming the two of you outright ignored it until the day of the Summer Sun Celebration that nearly caused the entire city to go up in flames when they attacked at midnight! Because of you several thousand ponies lay in the ground dead because of your weakness!" "But...I...We!...you are right..." "Ya god damn right that I am right! Without me you and your sister would have your horns removed, your wings clipped and be nothing more than a private sex slave or a personal pet to the griffon king and his children and your precious ponies would be either slaves or food to the rest of the griffon populace! What gave you the right to rule when you were too busy enjoying every luxury item that came into the kingdom on a weekly basis while the rest of us had to live either hand/hoof to mouth in poverty or only had enough to spare from working themselves damn near to the bone!" "If it wasn't for my sudden appearance and intervention then the crystal ponies would have either wasted away due to how hard it is for anything to grow up here without the Crystal Heart terraforming the land to make it more habitable, or they would have revolted when they have to keep seeing the very nobles they envied be the only ones to have access to better healthcare, protection and lastly your ear in court." I let that hang in the air for a while, to whittle down Luna's confidence and pride, if it wasn't for those two alicorns sitting back and doing nothing then the empire wouldn't have lost so many ponies and would have expanded outward into a true city of greatness that would have been the envy of the world with the plans I had for it. The silence was broken when Luna started to speak up but I heard a bit of a stutter, I guess if what she said was true about being banished to the moon, and seeing how a banishment probably hurt her reputation along with her power over the ponies she lords over and only to find out that the ones she first ruled over hates her guts...maybe being a crap ruler doesn't do one any favors. "Is there anything that We can do to make it up to them?" "In all honesty, probably not. You left them in their darkest hour and for that they probably want your head on a silver platter alongside with your sister's as well. Otherwise they just might throw rotting food at you as you walk by and say shit to you, but other than that not really much one can do when one abandons their subjects to a cruel fate. But in the end it is up to them if they want to forgive you for leaving them behind to suffer at Sombra's hooves." "My advice, give them time, take small steps to appeasing them, ease their anger, that's what I am doing now that I am sitting on the throne although it is taking time for anything to work let alone make sure every single pony is alright, have food to eat and are safe within the walls of the capital." I said as I sat down in the snow, the blizzard that was slowly approaching from the north was starting to kick in and make its appearance known to the both of us. I watched as Luna slowly trotted up to me before laying down directly in front of me, I can see that the things have said have hurt her, but these are the things that I had to get off my chest. For me I just couldn't keep it bottled up, I am blunt when it comes to telling people exactly what I think. Not sure if that makes me an asshole but to a few ponies that work with me, they all say that it is nice to know that I am truthful to them, although they hate it sometimes when it is something bad. "But back to an old point I was trying to make, when the Crystal Empire wasn't around the balance of power was there, no one was better than the other, everyone was on an equal playing field or as equal as it can be what with some being unable to fly while others unable to cast magic. But if we come back, the Empire has weapons and armor that can easily change how warfare is done, you may not think so because you never saw what I was trying to recreate but if you did I know that you and your sister will be sending spies to try and claim them for yourselves or at the very least find a means of counteracting against it." And like hell I am going to let that happen, I will not have our trump cards so easily removed from the playing field. "Those that know of our return will surely see us as a weak target and declare war on us while we try to regain our bearings but when they come to the field of battle and see what happens to their soldiers, they will say that we have weapons that can kill all life or if they are being a bunch of pretentious pricks then they will say we also have developed terrible poisons and plagues and will be willing to unleash them onto our enemies. If that ever happens more will rally against us and then it will be all over for the empire." "Now Skolas you are just being foolish! The other nations won't declare war on you because of some strange new weapons that you have invented on your own, they might demand that you turn a few over so they can recreate them for themselves but seeing how adamant you are against that idea they may think that it is truly a horrendous weapon that can slaughter thousands on its own." Luna said with a counter but I know that it is weak, if I know anything about politics, which isn't much sadly, it is that those that feel insecure about their position will try and look for anything or anyone to test themselves against and show others that they are not to be messed with. Threaten those with war unless their demands are met, most commonly ask for gold and land if they are neighbors, gold and other pricey resources if they are far away...what could I ask for if war was declared on the empire? Probably tons of gold...maybe a nice bed, the old one is a bit lumpy and a bit broken after years of abuse and use. "Do you really think so Luna? I know that the griffons would probably hop on the first chance to get even with us after I razed their capital to the ground along with a few of their towns, the minotaur's might join the fray if they have something to gain from it but seeing how our lands are far apart they probably won't, the zebra's are on an entirely different landmass and would take too long to get here along with the Saddle Arabians...I don't know where the changelings are but if I can hazard a guess they are everywhere. And as for the diamond dogs and dragons? Those two can be bribed or be paid to join either side, those two are greedy as all hell so they can be easily counted as a possible enemy against me." I know who could possibly be my enemy, I just don't know who truly is my enemy just yet...for all I know it could be someone or something close and dear to me. "I see that your time in that crystal has made you fearful of those that you see as a threat to the safety of those you care about and those under your charge. You need to rest, the world isn't as dangerous as you once thought of it to be, it has changed much and is now peaceful and safe although the occasional beast from the wild that comes a little too close to a town or village but other than that everyone is at peace!" Huh, I'll believe it when I see it. Shaking my head with a sigh I let myself relax as the blizzard finally hits us in earnest, although it doesn't affect me one bit because my armor is keeping me insulated and warm, the same can't be said for Luna. I watched as she lit her horn as she created a bubble around herself, the snow going around it like water goes around a rock in a river, looks like a reverse snowglobe from where I am sitting. "Whatever you say Luna, just know that if you enter the empire, my subjects would do anything they can do get revenge on you and your sister for abandoning them, anyone else that comes from your lands however will just be for the most part ignored unless they do something that catches their attention." "I see...well this has been productive but it would seem that the sun is rising now and I must take my leave." "Aye, go do that, I have to start rationing whatever food we have into proper portions along with setting up patrol routes along with reworking everything from the ground up." I said as I realized that I still had a lot of work to do before I can even jumpstart the empire into a growing industrialized civilization that will outgrow and overpower its rivals and become a superpower unlike anything the world as ever seen before. "Ah, the same thing I had to go through except relearn how to talk, learn what has changed over the millennia. We both have a long way to go if we are to get back into normality of the world once more." And it looks like Luna has homework to do as well, I guess many things change over a thousand years when you are gone. As she said that I watched her form flicker and blink in and out of my dream, it looks like her time is up and that she is either waking up or it is the other way around and I am waking up. "Farewell for now Luna, maybe next time when you visit my dreams you can get Forge in here as well, get that threesome that she always wanted between us." I said with a cheeky smile on my face before it was slapped off with a hoof. "You are such a horndog Skolas, but I just might have the two of you together in a dream...maybe if you are nice." the moon goddess said with a giggle before fading away, now I am all alone in the middle of a blizzard. I wish Forge was here, at least with her here we can finally get something scratched off our bucket list together. Opening her eyes after a good nights rest, the young moon princess slowly pulled herself out from the comforting warmth of her bed to greet the day. While she was slowly shuffling out and away from her bed, her mane was a complete and utter mess as strands stuck out in every direction imaginable while waving in place and if anyone was to see her as she currently is, they might think that she got into a fight with a statically charged pillow and lost. Dragging one hoof in front of the other the young princess mumbled to herself, the words not forming any semblance of it being even a word but nonetheless she said them anyways as she shuffled herself into the royal bathroom to freshen herself up. Upon entering her bathroom the young princess trotted slowly to the sink and with the flick of her horn the sink handle twisted itself into an open position as cold water comes rushing out of the open faucet. Dunking her hooves into the cold water before splashing herself in the face, the princess of the moon woke herself up as she looked herself in the mirror as her tired eyes returned the favor and looked back at her. It was when she splashed herself in the face a second time did she wake up fully and remember what had occurred earlier at night while she was out dreamwalking. "Oh. Sweet. Faust! Sister!" Luna shouted as it all sank in and settled down, everything that had happened that night actually happened and that it was all coming to a head. "Sister!" Galloping out of her chambers with all possible haste while her mane still looked like she was caught in a tornado, her two personal guard watched as their princess left her room with as much speed as she can muster into her legs. The two guards looked at each other for a few moments before shrugging their shoulders and chased after their princess without uttering a single word. Upon reaching what is the dining room the lunar princess forced the twin doors open just as her older sister is sitting down in her seat and takes a solitary sip from her steaming tea cup only to sputter and spit it out when her younger sister came charging through the main doors. "Sister!" The lunar goddess shouted from the threshold of the open doors, her mane slowly worked itself into its original shape and form as it wavered in an nonexistent breeze. "Yes sister, is something the matter?" Celestia said in a calm tone, she knew that Luna had certain days where something threw her through a grinder and she thought that today was one of those days. "Celestia! He has returned!" Luna shouted again but this time this got her sister's attention immediately. "Who? Discord?" Celestia said as she quickly turned her head and looked at the garden to see if he was still there and to her credit he still was, just with a few splashes of white specks from passing birds. Unknown to her, a scream of agony and anger came from the statue as another white speck landed on his statue. "Nay!" Luna said with a smile on her face, while Discord was not on the run she did miss his pranks and gags with the exception when she was the target of such things. "Grogar?" The goat necromancer overload has been put down four times, the fourth being the last one was also the hardest for a young warden of the wilds that served them closely for several years. "Neigh!" Luna smiled at that, if he was ever to rise again then it would look bad on a certain warden of the wilds track record. "Sombra?" Celestia asked, a hint of dread in her voice as she thought to what had occurred so long ago in the past. "Yes! Along with somepony else!" And that was all that was needed to be said as the solar goddess put the pieces together. "No...it can't be, but I thought he was dead or-" "He was banished, along with the rest of the Crystal Kingdom but just last night I spoke to him! He is back!" "Our friend, I can't believe he is finally back! Oh such joy! Quickly Luna we must assemble a detachment of guards to reclaim the northern realm from Sombra and save our friend and subjects! Send a letter to Twilight and her friends and tell her to come to Canterlot with all possible haste!" And before Luna could even get a word in edgewise to her sister she was already gone, preparing herself for what might be a battle against the mad tyrant of the north. Sighing to herself she turned around returned to her chambers, it would seem she would have to tell her sister later about what had occurred in her friend's dream. But for the time being she had work to do, she had to prepare herself for battle, had to prepare herself to recue her friend from another's evil grasp. It was the least she could do after failing him and the rest of her subjects the last time she was up in the freezing north.