Knights of Night - Chosen of the Moon

by vadram

Chapter 6: Farewell

Chapter 6: Farewell

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With great effort, Luna managed not only stop the bleeding, but succeeded in forcing the regeneration of the little pony’s scalp, even if she wasted much of magical reserves in doing so.

With the foal now out of immediate danger, and sleeping soundly, Luna placed him on her back and flew off towards to meet the rest of the Royal Guard. Flying north, she left the barren wastelands in a matter of hours and flew over green plains and forest, as well as over clear blue rivers and lakes for the two days, it was a welcomed change of scenery.

The army of ten thousand white ponies, wearing shining golden armor were easily spotted from the air.

“The princess!” one of the soldiers yelled as he saw the dark blue alicorn coming towards them. “The princess is coming!”

Luna landed right in the middle of them and immediately called for a meeting of the highest ranking officers, and a map of the region to be brought to her.

“I want all this region to be cleared of forest. I want fortifications build every five to ten miles all across this area. I want signal fires in each and every last one of them. And I want nothing and no one to pass cross this line,” Luna drew an imaginary line with her hoof across most of Equestrians southern border.

“Your majesty,” one of the captains talked, “what has happened?”

“The Great Forest is gone. This entire area is a wasteland,” Luna pointed towards the green area of the map that had the words Great Forest written upon it. “We should also get our maps updated.”

“Princess, what has happened?” another captain asked.

“I do not know. Not since the reign of Discord have I seen destruction of that magnitude.” A cold shiver ran down the spines of all those who still remembered how the world was like before the sisters imprisoned him.

“Now get to work, and no matter what... or who,” Luna added, “comes from that place, you will not let it pass. Do you understand?”

“Yes ma’am!” they all responded.

“Good, now send word to my sister that her aid is no longer required and that she should send the Royal Guard back to the northern border. Also I will be leaving for a couple of days, and I will expect a status report by the time I get back.”

“Of course your highness.”

Luna did not believe that the threat had passed, but she would not send more ponies into the barren land located to the south, where they would most likely be slawter by some unknown force or entity and reanimated as blue-eyed undead abominations. So she choose what she believed of being the best course of action, quarantine.

The ten thousand Royal Guard unicorns and earth ponies would start guarding and quickly fortifying Equestria’s new southern border, and would be later joined by pegasi reinforcement as well as by specialised carpenters and masons to help construct and maintain new proper fortifications.

The soldiers went to work cutting down the nearby patches of forest and erecting crude fortifications, surrounded by palisade walls. while Luna flew towards Lilyblue, the nearest town where she had pressing matters to attend to.

The southern lands of Equestria had been ruled by the unicorn tribe, settlements were few and far apart, most of which were nothing more than summer residences of the royal families or of wealthy lords and ladies, as well as some additional buildings that housed their servants.

For two days Luna flew towards the nearest real city. The place was old, build next to a small mountain, with tall buildings clumped together behind tall walls, narrow streets, and a predominant unicorn population.

Many ponies had lost their lives, their homes, and everything they had in the years following the defeat of Discord. For them as princess of Equestria, Luna founded the Southern Star, a government organization that helped the poor, the homeless, the sick, the elderly, the crippled and orphaned. It was the second largest organisation in the country, second only to the Royal Guard, and in every town, all over Equestria, there was at least one free clinic, workhouse, home, or asylum.

Luna landed in front of that town's Southern Star orphanage and walked in the building. A bell rang as the door opened.

“Welcomed to the Southern Star,” a female voice said from a backroom, “please take a seat, I’ll be with you in a moment.”

An light pink earth pony mare, with a white mane and a white heart with a band aid on it as a cutie mark, walked into the room.

“Sorry about that I was just...” The pony stopped dead in her tracks.

“Princess!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“I have come to drop this little one off,” Luna said as her horn lid up and she levitated the little unicorn foal towards the pink earth pony. “His parents were settlers from down south, and...”

“Say no more princess,” the mare interrupted her. “Everypony here has lost their family, I assure you he will be taken care off. Do you happen to know the little one’s name?”

“His name... No I fear that his mother died before she told us.”

“I see. Would you like to name him?”

“Starry. Starry Night,” Luna answered without giving it much thought.

“Hello there, little Starry,” the mare cooed the sleeping pony.

“I will leave him in your care miss...”

“Sister,” the mare replied. “Sister Loveheart, your majesty.”

“Sister Loveheart, please take care of him,” Luna said as she left the Southern Star orphanage, and went to oversee the construction of the fortifications.

The nurse took the foal, and after the initial shock she had when she saw the burn marks that covered his head, she bathed him, gave him clothes to wear, fed him, took him upstairs to her room and placed him in a makeshift crib next to two other sleeping foals.

In a new home, and with a new name, Starry Nights life began anew.