A Dawn of War

by Jaden Rhas

Prologue

Prologue

The night was quiet and calm; the moonlight softly lighted the city of Canterlot. A cloaked figure walked down the castle corridors. It stopped in front of a massive door and opened it. The room it stepped into looked as a smaller version of the royal library; huge bookcases were filled up to the ceiling. The only difference was a staircase on the left which leaded to a private apartment.

The figure climbed the stairs. The apartment was a mess, a huge mess. Books, scrolls, schemas; anything readable was on the floor or on the furniture. A tall and thin colt was barely visible in the dim room. As moonlight invaded the room through windows, the unicorn became more visible: his coat was light gray and contrasted the dark-crimson of his long mane. A dark silver four-pointed star surrounded by two folded wings was on his flank.

The figure approached him and putted down its hood. It was Princess Luna.

“Radiance, we need to talk,” Luna said.

Radiance looked up to Luna; a scar was across his left eye. While his face radiated with peace and wisdom, his eyes were filled with burning anger.

“With all the respect I have for you, Luna, if you’re here to hold me back; you should go away,” Radiance harshly said. “I’m not meant to be here anymore.”

“I’m not here to hold you.” Luna kindly smiled and sat next to him. “If you want to leave, leave, but I need explanations.”

“Oh…I thought you knew. Let me show you something.”

Radiance stood up and walked over saddlebags. His horn glowed with a metallic aura and he opened them. The unicorn lifted many scrolls for the bags until he took one with the royal seal on it. Radiance opened it and hanged it over Luna.

The princess raised an eyebrow. “It’s a deployment act for the royal guard. What does it mean?”

“Read the motive.”

As Luna read, her jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe it, it was an act of war.

“Why in the name of the night, the council would have decided to declare war?” Luna asked.

“What the act doesn’t say it’s who… I mean, what is targeted by it,” Radiance explained.

“And what is targeted?”

“The changelings.”

---

“I can’t believe you haven’t told me earlier!” Luna shouted.

Princess Luna and Radiance were running down the castle, seeking for Princess Celestia. The council leaders had never told the two alicorn princesses the conclusion of their reunion.

It’s been for months that the changeling swarms were at the frontiers of all Equestria. Unlike their planned attack during the wedding of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, they seemed unorganized, chaotic. Their intrusions were weak and predicable but grew in number. Radiance knew something was wrong with them, something was somehow missing.

While Radiance wanted to find a peaceful way to deal with them, the other members of the council thought it would be ‘ineffective’. War; the way Radiance had considered as a last resort, the council would use it right away. That’s why he was leaving. He quitted the council.

“I’m sorry Luna; I thought the others had told both of you their decision. I shouldn’t have trusted them on that,” Radiance shamefully replied.

“It’s seems you’ve learned something useful.” They arrived in front of a delicate door leading to Celestia’s apartment. “Here we are.”

The door glowed under Luna’s magic and opened. The atmosphere of the room was soft, warm and kind of motherly. Few candles were floating in the room, slowly moving up and down. The princess of the sun was lying down on a purple cushion; a scroll floating in front of her.

Celestia frowned at them. “Archmage Bright, Luna, why are you here?”

Radiance gulped. “Sorry to disturb you, your Highness, but we have a ‘tiny’ problem out of hoof…”

Luna shook her head in disappointment. “Only if an Act of War is a ‘tiny’ problem to you, Radiance.”

Celestia’s eyes went wide. The scroll slowly felt on the ground and she stood up. Celestia walked over a window. She lost herself in her thoughts as she watched at her sister’s jewelled sky. It took a moment before she sighed and turned over Radiance.

“It’s an act of war against the changelings, isn’t it?” she softly asked.

Radiance nodded.

“And are you in disagree with it?”

“Yes, your Highness. It’s why I’m leaving.”

“You’re leaving the council? I’m disappointed. May I ask why?”

As a flow of memories came across his mind, Radiance did his best to keep control over his emotions. War isn’t and will never be the answer, he thought.

“Bloodshed is the last thing I want to create.”

Celestia frowned. “I’m sorry, Archmage Bright, but you’re wrong. Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to in the name of our people.”

Luna was shocked. “You can’t be agreeing with that!”

“There’s no other way—”

“I’ll find another way, your Highness,” Radiance said.

“That’s the reaction I wanted from you, archmage. I’m going to give you time to find an alternative but if you fail… I won’t be able to prevent war to happen. Now return to your apartment, you’re leaving tomorrow,” Celestia explained. “Luna, I still need to talk with you.”

Radiance left the room and headed to his apartment.

Luna walked over Celestia. “Have you manipulated him?”

Celestia turned over her sister. “I had to. I wanted to hear his true intentions; why he was leaving and not fighting against the tide to change the council’s mind. Since he had entered in my school and became an archmage, he hasn’t grown close to my light. But when you returned from you banishment, you’ve became so close with each other. I’ve never understood why…” A serious look grew on Celestia’s face. “There is something I should know?”

Luna looked away. “No… There’s nothing to say about it.”

“You know you can—”

“Anyway, what did you plan for the ‘Archmage Bright’?”

Celestia sighed and lifted the scroll in front of her. “You’ll see tomorrow.”

---

The throne room was bathing in sunlight. While Princess Celestia was sitting on her throne with a green unicorn, her advisor, on her side, Luna looked at the stained glass related to her downfall. The day Celestia had banished her to the moon; Luna’s heart was filled with anger. It was until she has been purged by the elements; only guilt was left.

Luna had the guilt of having been cruel, having been selfish. She totally understood why her sister had to banish her, but would her sister and Equestria forgive her one day? Even if Celestia had already turned the page when Luna had returned, it took time before the populace had stopped to fear Nightmare Moon.

The only pony who was enough kind, or mad, to talk to Luna was Radiance. He was the only friend she had out of her sister; her first friend and now, he was leaving.

“May I ask you where will you send Radiance?” Luna asked.

“I’ll tell it to you in the appropriated time but don’t worry, Luna.” Celestia kindly smiled at her. “I’m going to keep him close to Canterlot; he stills an archmage after all.”

Suddenly the doors of the room opened, revealing Radiance escorted by two royal guards. The saddlebags on his back
were overfilled by scrolls and books.

Celestia stood up and walked over him. “Guards, leave us alone.” She turned over her advisor. “Leave us too, Ink.”

The green unicorn nodded and followed the guards, closing the doors behind them.

Radiance cleared his throat. “You wanted to tell me in person where I’m going, your Highness?”

Celestia nodded. “Yes but I need to ask you something. What is the knowledge you have about the elements of harmony?”

“The elements of harmony? Well, they are the strongest artifacts in all Equestria.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “I don’t want an obvious answer. What do ‘you’ know about them?”

Radiance nodded. “Embed with the pure power of Order; those artifacts are bound with the destiny of their bearers,”– both princesses’ eyes went wide opened as the unicorn spoke –“only the ones who their fate is to wear them will even reveal them. The bearers are the embodiment of Order, the pure opposite of Discord, the embodiment of Chaos.

“All the elements, except the Magic, are represented by a necklace. The Magic being the strongest element, the catalyzer, is represented by a crown. The crown also being the most ancient symbol of royalty, it was obvious that the bearer of magic, in that case Twilight Sparkle, was going to become a princess. Twilight’s powers also were speaking for themselves … But I am drifting away from the main subject: the elements themselves.

“Someponies say they were created by Starswirl the Bearded himself, but I’ve another point of view. I think the elements are too powerful to have been created by a ‘mortal’. I think they are the physical representation of Order and they were created along or after Discord’s arrival; Order and Chaos together in balance. It’s like both of you represent the Day and the Night; again in balance with each other. Is it something wrong, princesses?”

Celestia and Luna couldn’t believe what they had heard. Such a young unicorn explaining like if it was nothing the concept of balance. Balance, they thought it was forgotten by their people… until now.

“Where did you learn that?” Luna asked.

Radiance left out a nervous laugh. “I shouldn’t know all of this, should I?”

Celestia softly said, “Don’t worry, Radiance. We are rather proud of you. Understanding the concept of balance is important fulfil your task. If you didn’t have known it I would have thought you.”

“I’m honored, your Highness. May I know where I’m going?”

Celestia stood up and walked over him. “You won’t be so far from Canterlot. Today, you, Archmage Radiance Bright, are leaving for Ponyville.”