Stories in Stone, Luna's Royal Guard.

by TDR

Fossil Imprints

Stories in Stone
Luna's Royal Guard
By TDR

Fossil Imprints

Twilight lifted her head to look up at the castle of Canterlot, her mind flooding with images of the city in ruins and bodies scattered about the streets. She shuddered as she trotted onwards to the main gate with her research equipment on her back.

She had Spike send a letter to the Princess with questions regarding the missing time in the scrying spell. The return letter came quite quickly; however, Twilight was surprised when it contained no answers, but a simple message signed by the Princess that read: 'Come see me in Canterlot.'

One train ride later, Twilight was in Canterlot having flashbacks to a time long before her birth. Since she was not occupied with the wedding this trip, she could sightsee and get lost in her own thoughts a little too much. She found herself studying which buildings were new and which were rebuilt after the assault on the city.

This was a very strange perspective to have; following the events in the past and seeing the city then and now was taking some getting used to. It was one Princess Luna must have experienced, and one that the Five Beasts of the Moon might soon deal with as well.

She nodded to the Royal Guards at the gate, making her way past them and the courtyard on the other side of the gates to the castle itself. Greeting the second set of Guards, she stepped through the doors into the great hall. Her hoof beat dulled in the thick carpet as she traveled along the length of the hallway. She had made this trip many times before, though the magnificence of the inner castle always took her breath away: sweeping arches, intricately carved pillars, stained glass windows, and a feeling of... something; it was a feeling that tried to make clear that this was the house of gods. While they were deities, there was no formal worship of Celestia or Luna in Equestria; the Princesses did their best to put a stop to that sort of practice whenever it came up. They wished to be viewed the same as other ponies despite their powers. That was what Twilight had always been taught; with what she was finding, however, she was not sure what to think anymore.

This quest had started as a question, moved into a study, became a curiosity, and then turned into a quest to help Princess Luna. After that, it became a danger, then a chore, then a horror story, and now it had become something more driving. Too many questions had been laid before her and there were still too few answers. Even after nearly a year of work, she was not sure how close she was to the end of the story of the Five Beasts of the Moon.

She had seen signs of what was coming, but now, due to some unknown force, a rather large segment of conversation was missing from her studies. Somewhere in that time frame, Bleu's wings had been healed and the two of them had discovered something. Twilight needed to know what that was.
Her gaze shifted over the throne room as she entered, the twin thrones of the Sun and the Moon sitting there just as they had a thousand years ago. She stopped where Rhede's desk had been, looking down at the stone floor before lifting her eyes to search out the Princess.
The doors at the back of the chamber swung open and Princess Celestia stepped out of the darkness beyond, walking towards her. Twilight sank down into a bow, though she could not help but smile slightly at being back in the Princess’s presence. She had sought the Sun Goddess’s approval nearly her entire life, ever since she first saw the Summer Sun Celebration as a foal. Even with everything she was learning, that awe had yet to lessen.

“I am glad to see you could make it, Twilight Sparkle. Please rise.”

“Thank you, Princess. I am curious why you called me here. Is the answer of what the scry missed that important?”

“To be perfectly honest, student, aside from a vague recollection that it was, I could not tell you directly.”

“Huh?”

“Please walk with me, this conversation may take a while and it is more comfortable in my study.”

Twilight trotted next to the Princess, looking up at her as they moved along through the halls. Celestia was silent at first, though she started talking quietly as they neared the door to her study.

“I told you once before that my memories of events from that long ago were rather hazy. Even only a thousand years will tend to dull the images of and thoughts of the past. Normally, this is not an issue, as Luna has shown that she recalls events of the past with perfect clarity. That is because she will not let them go, and it eats at her. I was taught long ago to let memories fade. One cannot forgive a transgression if you cannot forget what was done; one cannot move on after the loss of a loved one if all you can do is lament. Time can heal all wounds, but only if we let it. One has to forget much of the past in order to live in the present.”

The pair trotted into the chamber and Celestia moved to take a seat on a cushion. Twilight had only been in this room a few times before as Celestia's student and it was only now that she recognized some of the items that were in here. In particular, a pair of chess queens sitting on the mantel above the fire place in front of an ornate sword emblazoned with Celestia's mark. On either side of the queens were a black knight and a white knight, the only salvaged pieces from her original chess set.

Celestia let her student look around the room, knowing Twilight's curiosity often got the better of her.

“Bite marks.”

“Excuse me?”

“The White Queen has nibble marks around it. Bleu got a hold of it, didn't she?”

“I suppose so, I do not recall all of the conversation, but I expect that was something that did happen. I have let most of the memories of that time fade. There were very few good ones.”

Twilight flattened her ears, looking a little depressed herself as a few things came to her mind about what her teacher had said.

“So what about me?”

Celestia looked up curiously at the purple unicorn.

“About you?”

“When I am gone, will be forgotten as well? A faded memory?”

Celestia's eyes widened at the question, though after a moment she smiled again, a hint of sadness to her expression still.

“I may forget many of the things you have done, yes, but what I forget will not matter in the end. Come, I will show you something. I doubt even Luna knows about this… And that may be for the best.”

Celestia rose back up to her hooves, turning to the door on the far side of the room that lead to her quarters; that was one place Twilight had never been. Despite the questions she had, she found this was making her quite nervous. Following the Princess inside, the unicorn mare was not sure what to expect; unfortunately, she quickly realized she knew exactly what to expect.

The room had not changed much since a thousand years ago when Twilight had seen the room though Velkorn's eyes as she cared for the injured alicorn Princess. A new door had been added that led to what she assumed was the modern indoor plumbing and a few other modem conveniences, a record player radio being among the most noticeable. The rest of the room, however, was the same: an ornate hoof-carved bed and dresser and a large window to let in the sun. A large bookcase took up the far wall just as it had in the scry, and Twilight was ecstatic to note her teacher was headed towards this. She wondered what sort of books Celestia kept in her quarters. Perhaps ancient tomes of magic? Books on treaties and history? Twilight tilted her head, squinting at the books to read their titles, her ears flattening as she read through the first few on the row, then the next, and then the next before glaring sourly up at her teacher who at least had the courtesy to look a bit sheepish.

“They really are rather good stories... well, most of them...”

“Just the stories, huh? You and Rarity have the same taste in these things.”

“Ahem, that is not what I wanted to show you, anyway.”

Celestia reached a hoof up, tugging on one book. After a moment, the clank of chains and click of machinery sounded from behind the wall. The bookcase slowly pulled aside, revealing a tunnel.

“The secret passage you tried to escape Velkorn with?”

“Hmm? Oh, no, that one is over there. This is something else entirely: a different sort of escape.”

Celestia started up a winding stairwell, her horn glowing to light the way. After what seemed like a few floors, Twilight began to wonder how they were still going up. If she remembered her architecture right, there should not be anything that would go this high in this part of the castle. Turning another bend of stairs, Celestia paused, looking at something on the wall. Twilight craned her head to see around the taller pony.

Her teacher was looking at a faded painting of a white mare with green hair; continuing up the stairs past her were more paintings of other ponies. Celestia sighed, starting up again, passing the others with a few longing glances to those depicted before emerging in what seemed to be the top of the tower.

The room here was more spacious than even one of the grand ball rooms. Looking around, Twilight saw the walls were all covered with paintings and simple objects, bits of cloth, and even locks of hair, each one placed on or near one of the paintings. On the far side of the room, there were more modern images: photos taken from magic cameras of the past and even some more modern ones.

Twilight glanced up at the Princess, who simply nodded, gesturing that she may look.

Twilight wandered into the room, her eyes scanning over the paintings and the trinkets. The early images were not that good and some of them actually looked more like mutant hippos than ponies; they improved as she trotted along the wall. Each frame had a small tray at the base that held an item. Most seemed to be bits of jewelry, though occasionally, there were other items: a paint brush, a bone, a dagger; there were a few items she was not sure what they were, and a few others that had mostly disintegrated with age. She was midway along the wall before she finally recognized someone from the images.

“Princess, this is Sable... This is the mare I first woke in the Garden...”

"Yes she was once my student."

The Princess nodded as Twilight continued again. Stopping, her eyes widened at the painting of what she thought was Princess Luna. She shook her head; the pony in the image was a pegasus decked out in some sort of war paint and silvery armor, not an alicorn.

She shook her head quickly, finding images of Celestia's students when Bleu was the Director of the school, including a photo of Lily and Seymour. At the start of the photos, there were both a painting and a photo of the Guard Captain that Jer'rahd had been arguing with. there was also a image of Baelit that seemed particularly ornate, the Buffalo chief's son Proud Tail, Rhede's Brothers Wolf and Fox, as well as a image of Starfall's daughter Cloud Dancer and a white unicorn stallion. The was a image of a zebra mare that looked like Zecora, but the paining was old and faded.It had clearly been there for a long time.

There were many photos past that, but much fewer paintings. Then, she came to the last one in the line: an image of herself and her friends, taken before she wrote her first letter to Celestia from Ponyville. Twilight had sent her teacher a copy of it, and here it was.

Twilight swallowed, looking at the tray under the image, her eyes widening as she realized that it was her Smarty Pants doll.
“You have no idea how hard it was getting that from that red stallion.”

“Princess, what is all this?”

Celestia moved to sit down on a cushion in the room’s center. Her gaze swept the room before centering on Twilight.

“These are all of my friends, my students, my lovers from nearly thirteen thousand years of my life. Each item was a part of them or was in some way special to them.”

Twilight looks back at the items under each picture, the reason clicking almost instantly.

“This is why you created the scrying spell.”

“Yes. At times, I will come up here to remember what I have lived through and who I have lost. I do not fear forgetting them because I can look back any time I wish and relive the best memories of that time.”

“But the spell is designed to only allow skipping about to certain scenes once you have already viewed them all. Unless you have viewed all of them, you can't skip to just the best.”

“I had a great deal of time to catch up when my sister was sealed. I have viewed many of these stories countless times, though there are some I have not viewed even once.”

“Not even once? Why? Who?”

“Yours, for starters. You are still living your life; I do not need to view your past when you are still here in the present for me to speak with.”

Twilight flushes a little and Celestia smiles again.

“Another is Aviana and my Element bearers.”

“Your Element bearers?”

“Long before Luna became Princess, another great evil rose to threaten Equestria. Aviana found me and my friends and we used the Elements of Harmony to seal that evil away in Tartarus. This was long before the Garden was thought of. I wielded magic, just as you do now, Avaiana was the Bearer of Generosity, A earth pony named Brick was my Compassion. Cloud Ripper, the griffon god of the time was my Honesty. A pegasus mare named Surprise of all things was my Laughter. And Chief Black hoof, a unicorn stallion... he was my Loyalty... And perhaps the first love I had.”

Twilight winced, watching her teacher deflate in a much slower motion than Pinkie did, but it was still very noticeable on the large alicorn princess.

Twilight trotted over, wrapping her forelegs around her teacher, giving her a hug. The Princess blinked, smiling, and draped a wing over Twilight's back, returning the hug.

“Thank you, Twilight.”

“You looked like you needed that. So, do all the Bearers of magic fall in love with their Elements of Loyalty? Because I really do not feel that way towards Rainbow Dash.”

Celestia chuckled and shook her head.

“I do not believe so; otherwise, when we banished Discord the first time, Luna would have been more than a sister to me. Aviana claimed her Loyalty and Laughter both had a thing for her; she never returned either of their attentions. Granted, her bearer of Laughter took manners into his own claws and forced himself on her. That was perhaps the event that marked the beginning of her end as a goddess. She gave it up several years later and Luna became the next goddess.”

“I am not sure I understand, Princess. How did she give it up? From what I have seen, a god has to die before a new one will be born.”

“That is a secret known only to the gods; it is something I should not share even to you. Suffice to say, there are always a set number of gods for every race. There are always two for Ponies. But that is off the topic at hoof. I was very close to Aviana, and when Discord did what he did, she was traumatized and I was angry.”

Celestia sighs hanging her head a bit.

“You have seen some of what the Five Beasts and my sister did in the Second Dragon War. The Discordian war was much, much bloodier and much longer. In those savage times, I was much easier to anger, much easier to jump into a conflict. Aviana was the voice of reason and balance to my destructive nature. I had lost all my friends centuries prior and Aviana was the last pony close to me. So when she was hurt, all I could think about was vengeance.”

Twilight looked up at Celestia, still half-hugging the larger mare.

“Luna's sorrow may have made a sea, but my rage created a wasteland and ripped the land apart. Ghastly Gorge and the Badlands were both my hoofwork. At least, those are minor ones. There are sections of this world that will never grow again due to the spells I cast in my rage. When Discord was finally cornered in the dark lands, it was only at Aviana's word that I did not simply drop the sun on the land there.”

“I’m not sure where those even are, Princess. I can’t find the Darklands or anything resembling them on a map.”

“They do not exist anymore; Nightmare Moon’s fight with Princess Aqua changed much of the coastline of Equestria. The Darklands are now at the bottom of Horseshoe Bay. It was more proof that the gods should not wage war with one another... oh dear. I know that look. I have spoiled something for you, haven’t I?”

“A bit; I knew they were going to fight, though. But wait, what does any of this have to do with you not wanting to use the scry spell on Aviana?”

“Even as he was being sealed, Discord pleaded his innocence in the matter, claiming she came to him first and that she was tricking us both. I did not believe him then and I still do not now, but there are other things, other rumors and tidings that make me believe that perhaps there was more to my mentor than what she showed the world. When she stepped away from being a Princess to allow Luna to take her place, she made me promise that I would only seek peaceful solutions to any conflicts and do my best not to harm anypony no matter what their transgression was. Luna was a warrior, and there needed to be balance. So, as a friend’s farewell wish, I agreed that I would always seek diplomacy and peace no matter the cost. She vanished after that and I never was able to find her again. I have suffered quite a bit due to that promise, and I wonder now why she asked that I make it, but I cannot bring myself to look back to see why she did what she did. I could not bear to find out that all I have gone through since her passing was based on a lie.”

“I could always look for you Princess. I have gotten quite the handle on this spell. I've even altered it a bit to allow me to write what I am seeing at the same time.”

“Thank you, Twilight, but you already have a task set before you. Perhaps after you have finished with the Five Beasts and helped Lulu, I will consider the offer, granted of course we find anything of hers to scry on. But you seem to be having trouble with that, I gather? Come; let us head back down to the study and set up for your scrying. I saw you brought everything you need with you.”

“I have; I really didn't know what to expect, so I brought everything.”

“Come then, let us see what the problem is. Were there any other questions you had for me, Student?”

The Princess rose, looking down as Twilight stood up as well before trotting towards the stairs again heading back down. The purple unicorn paused to look at some of the painted images curiously.

“A few of these are really good Princess; have you been finding painters to do them over the years?”

“No. All of them I have painted myself. It was something to ease the boredom of the centuries. Occasionally, I will scry on them and repaint the images when the old paintings begin to wear.”

“And you have them all stashed in this tower. I'm not even sure which tower this is.”

“It is not a tower, Twilight. This is the top of Canterlot Mountain. The mines are not just under the castle. This was one such cavern that I found and built to suit my own ends.”

“Wow; how many other secrets do you have stashed around this place?”

Celestia smiled, heading down the stairs.

“The mines under Canterlot are mostly forgotten. They were used when Ponyville was restored, though when it was found that Canterlot could fall if the mines were excavated too much, the mine was closed and Ponyville abandoned back to the Everfree.”

“Geez, how many times has Ponyville been built and destroyed?”

“Six times that I am aware of. The Apple family was granted the land due to a promise made long ago, and they brought the current Ponyville to life with the help of the Rich family. Before that, it was a mining town that was abandoned as I mentioned. Before that, well... you will find out with your studies; I would not wish to spoil anything else for you. The version of it in your scry started as a refugee camp from those surviving the first Dragon War. The three before that were destroyed by Sable's monster, Discord and what Aviana and I fought when we first met long ago.”

“I knew the place had some bad luck, but that’s ridiculous.”

“Yes, well, that close to the wilds of the Everfree Forest, you are bound to have some sort of oddities. Perhaps Dogwoods Spirits... oh dear, I do need to stop talking. Was there anything else that won't have me reveal secrets that you should find out in your study?”

“Just one. No, wait, that would… ummmm, that one too.”

Twilight was silent as she pondered. The pair reached the bottom of the steps and Celestia closed the passage behind them, going so far as to help Twilight set up before the purple unicorn thought of one.

“Got it. How did you find out Rainbow Dash and Starfall Silvertail were related?”

“One does not forget a Sonic Rainboom easily. And even though the first time I had my hooves full with a certain unicorn filly who lost control of her magic, I still sent ponies to investigate. It took me some time to follow Starfall's family line down to the modern age. The only family I could find were a pair of childless pegasi living in Las Pegasus. Suffice to say, that was quite a dead end. Then, when the Best Young Flier competition was held and Rainbow Dash performed the Sonic Rainboom a second time, I was able to trace her history back. The couple in Los Pegasus was not quite the dead end I believed it to be. Rainbow Dash was abandoned as a foal to an orphanage in Cloudsdale. While I believe that no foal should be abandoned, after meeting her parents, they did her a great favor. I would ask you not to look for them. You would not like what you find.”

“But…”

“Your friend will be much better not knowing, I assure you.”

The Princess’s tone had hardened, as had the look on her face. Twilight sighed and finished setting up; she might not know who they were, but she could still ask Dash if she wanted to know or not.

-------------------------------------------------

“Is everything ready, then, Twilight?”

“Yes, Princess, but for some reason, the spell has been taking me to this strange in-between place since the incident when the sword broke.”

“Oh? I believe that is a magical plane you are experiencing, though I am surprised you are able to access it. It normally takes a unicorn guard many months of practice for them to be able to join their power and spells there; even then, many cannot access it alone. Shall we go together, then?”

Twilight nodded. She cast the spell, feeling the familiar pull of herself from her body. She opened her eyes, looking around the starry plane, rather surprised that many of the stars had changed position and the two large ones she had seen were nowhere in sight. She glanced back to the nearby star that was always behind her showing her own face as she cast the spell and was nearly blinded by the glow that was there. She was evidently nearly sitting on one of the large stars. She turned her head away, quickly rubbing her eyes when a soft voice floated down from above her.

“Are you all right, student?”

Twilight risked another glance back, squinting and seeing the light had faded some. She opened both her eyes, blinking and realizing she was no longer looking at a star, but a golden hoof the same size as she was. Tracing that upward, she eventually managed to meet the gaze of the Princess, who was bigger than an Ursa Major in this place.

“It seems your power is still growing, student. I honestly did not expect you to be even this big your first time here.”

“What? What is this place, Princess? I have been meaning to study it, but I’ve been trying to finish the research, too.”

“Be careful; it is never a good idea to try and do everything at once, though you still wish to learn; that is good. For lack of another term, this is the magical plane. It has been the source of countless debates of philosophy and study for a long time. Generally, it is only accessible by unicorns and is a good place to share spells and join them for larger effects. It was used for that purpose primarily in most wars to make the largest attack spells possible.”

“Then what are all the stars?”

“Souls of ponies.”

“Souls?”

“Of the living, not the dead, although some claim the dead can be spoken with here. I have never had that opportunity myself. There are many theories about this place. The brighter stars are thought to be the ones with the strongest magical power. This has been true in some cases, but not in others. Another theory is that the brightness is due to the importance destiny has for the soul. But that is also not always true; some ponies who have done great things have barely shown up at all here, yet others who do nothing with their lives shine very brightly. It is one of the greater mysteries of our world, much like the Elements of Harmony themselves.”

“You are not helping matters, Princess. There is only so much I can concentrate on at the same time. I have seen what I am sure are my friends here, but not Spike's”

“Dragons are oddities, it may be that this place is only for ponies and the dragons have their own. Or perhaps it is just dependent on the type of magic they cast. Ponies’ magic comes from within and from those we are close to. Dragons’ magic comes from the land itself; it is why most dragons will leave when their time to die has come so that they may return to the land.”

“Umm, Princess...”

“Oh, sorry. It's just the Elements of Harmony have always been the mystery I have sought an answer for. I was hoping you would find something out about them that I had missed.”

“How would I do that? You were a wielder of two different Elements in your life.”

“Yes, but both times there was a god of one type or another in the group. You and your friends are all normal ponies. I do not think that has happened before, so I was hoping to glean some sort of insight from you and your friends.”

“Did you set all of that up Princess? The book, the trip to Ponyville. You knew what would happen and you bet everything on me?”

“That book was given to several of my students. You were the only one who made the connection, so you were my hope to finally cure Luna.”

“But we could have been killed! I am just now seeing what Nightmare Moon was capable of and you left the Fate of Equestria on a random chance that I would make friends?”

“It was not random, Twilight. You and your friends helped each other before you ever even knew each other. Friends connected by the actions of their foal hood and one very special pegasus.”

“Rainbow Dash's first Sonic Rainboom? How is that even possible? You said yourself you did not know who she was until the best young flier.”

“I hedged my bets a little on that. I found out all the foals who had gained their cutie marks within the same time frame as you gained yours and when they were old enough, I made sure there were attractive offers for them in Ponyville. That is how Pinkie Pie found a job with the Cakes. It is how a certain pegasus found a job as chief weather controller and how another found the bits to open her own store at such a young age. Applejack and Fluttershy were the only ones I did not need to entice. Have you not ever wondered why there are so many young ponies around your age in the town?”

“ Ummm, I can't say I have, really. I was kinda used to it from being around Canterlot and your school.”

“In any event, all six of you were being drawn together before my sister’s return was even considered. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy knew each other as foals in the Cloudsdale orphanage; Rarity and Fluttershy became quick friends as foals as well. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were friends before you even showed up, and Pinkie Pie... well she knows everypony. You were the only one missing for so long because you chose your studies. Yet still, you were drawn to them. I did not choose you to wield the Elements of Harmony. The Elements of Harmony chose you to wield them, Just as they have done in the past. There was a reason they were chosen to play big parts in the Summer Sun Celebration, and a reason I held it in Pony-Ville that year. Nightmare Moon would come to me, and then most likely go after the first town between her and the Elements of Harmony: Ponyville. The best I could hope to do is see that the ones the Elements chose would be there; the rest happened as it was supposed to, just the same as it did with Luna and the Five Beasts of the Moon.”

Twilight looked up at her teacher in the starry expanse in awe of the amount of planning that must have been done just to get even half of that to work properly. It was a nightmare and a half to her just managing the Winter Wrap Up.

“Alright, Twilight. I am sure you may have further questions, but one thing at a time. Please show me what it is that is stopping you.”

Twilight blinked, shaking her head to clear her thoughts before floating over to Bleu's mirror shard. Celestia looked surprised as they were pointed out as if she had not seen them until then.

“There seems to be a time when Bleu came to see you after the fall of Cindervale where something was skipped. It goes from Bleu saying she smelled dragons, with her wings torn up, to all her wounds healed and flying around like a bat with head trauma. There's mention of not telling Jer'rahd something as well.”

Celestia's eyes narrowed as she looked into the shard, fading out of view briefly before reappearing next to Twilight.

“I see; I did not realize my anti spying ward would be that strong. I suppose I could chalk it up to my magic being rather wonky for a time after I recovered. Still, it is a simple matter to adjust the spell past that block.”

The Princess’s horn flashed, the light blinding Twilight as the spell was cast.

“Wha... what did you do?”

“I altered the scry spell to allow you to pass the ward I created back then. I am sure you would have figured it out on your own with some time, student, although I suppose you are in a rush to finish helping Luna now, just so you can look into everything else I have brought to your attention.”

“I am looking forward to looking at everything else you have shown me, Princess, but I am not going to rush through something just to get to the next thing. As Applejack said, there's no point in doing something if you are not going to do it right the first time. This task is far too important for me to simply skim over in order to do something else.”

Celestia smiled. “A good answer, student. Take your time in this study. I will watch over your work tonight.”

“Thank you, Princess.”

“I should thank you, Twilight. Despite what this study has put you through, you persist at it to help my sister. I hope that nothing I or my sister has done in the past will turn you away from either of us.”

“I have known you my whole life, Princess. All I am learning is some of what has shaped you into the ruler you are now. There is nothing that is going to change my opinion of you.”

The Princess nodded, vanishing from view. The giant bright star reappeared in her place briefly, blinding Twilight once again. The purple pony turned, looking at the mirror and to Bleu's conversation with Celestia. She closed her eyes, letting herself be drawn to it, feeling warmed in the bright star’s light.

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“My nose is not just a fashion statement. I know what dragon smells like and that got cemented home in Cindervale. I was surrounded by so many it was all I could smell for the entire time, that and the scent of the hatchery. On the trip back, the smell faded from the ponies, but clung to the eggs. By the time we got back to Canterlot, I could easily tell a dragon’s scent and even its color just by its smell, probably some sort of repressed instinct. That helped me out in saving a few eggs from an overly eager doctor who was trying to smash them. Trust me, what Velkorn did to him was not pretty. Anyway, to the point: The courtyard smells like dragon, your waiting room smells like dragon, and this room smells like dragon. Blue dragon, there's a scent of electricity clinging to everything. My guess is it’s Wisp Wing and probably a few others.”

Celestia bit her lip, her horn glowing for a moment.

Bleu dropped back into a combat crouch at the sight of the glow from the alicorn’s horn. She was not sure if she was supposed to run or attack before the spell went off; this was one of the princesses of Equestria, after all. The glow spread from the white alicorn's horn in a bubble, rapidly filling the room. Bleu flinched as it passed over her, then looked down, seeing nothing had changed at all.

“What the buck was that all about?”

“A spell to keep prying ears and eyes out of this conversation. That is a dangerous accusation, Bleu, and revealing that to anypony would cause far more problems than it would solve.”

“Not really; find dragons, kill dragons, problem solved.”

“The first would be what causes the problems, but I can see there will not be an end to your way of thinking until I tell you why. However, you are not allowed to tell Jer'rahd or my sister.”

“No promises. If I cannot see a reason to keep whatever you're hiding silent, I won't be doing it. That's the best agreement you are going to get out of me.”

“I suppose I could not hope for anything else at this point in time, though I do hope you will keep a more open mind of the situation than my sister, Jer'rahd, or Rhede.”

“You can probably add Starfall to that list as well. She's developed kinda a thing since her sister was killed.”

Celestia sighed and Bleu shrugged.

“So, in other words, you and Velkorn are the least violent of the Element Bearers.”

“Well, unless you count Velkorn beating the snot out of that doctor... twice... and me when I ripped apart and entire dragon camp, then yeah... But we are getting off subject here, Princess. What’s with the dragons?”

Celestia rises from her cushion wandering over to the large windows over looking the inner courtyard of the castle.

“There are only two dragons right now: Wisp Wing and her mate. They are both hiding below Canterlot in the old gem mines.”

Bleu's eyes narrowed.

“There are way more scents around here than just two. I don't know how many exactly, but two would not be this strong.”

“No, there were about thirty dragons in total. Most of the remaining blue dragons and their mates, with one or two other colors.”

Celestia glanced back at Bleu, who had not taken her eyes off the Princess.

“What the buck mare, are you daft? You have thirty of the most famously warrior-bent dragons hiding in a city that was just ripped apart by dragons?”

“They will not do anything but hide. Warriors they may be, but they are also the most honorable. They will abide by the agreement. Wisp Wing has been my contact in Cindervale since before the first Dragon War. She and her son Krisis were the ones who brought an end to the first war by convincing Forge Scale to come after us personally, right into the trap we laid for him. She has been actively trying to stop the war and is one of the few dragons I do trust. She was the one who suggested the idea of partners as well, donating one of her own clutches, far before the first dragon war, mind you.”

“Right, so one good dragon; I am not beyond believing that. What about the others.”

“See for yourself; they have been in the courtyard all afternoon with no incidents.”

“What?”

Bleu rose, trundling over to the window and craning her neck to look out into the courtyard. The leaves on the trees had all but fallen away and lay raked neatly around the trunks like brightly colored confetti in the court yard. A few tent poles and various items lay propped against the walls still. Bleu had a feeling that this massive yard was where the Queen's Cross had been teleported from.

In the center of the lawn, a group of about twenty or so ponies lay on the grass looking up at what Bleu assumed was a Royal Guard Captain discussing tactics and drill assignments on the chalk board behind him. Several other Royal Guard ponies stood around the edges of the courtyard watching.

Bleu was about to say something mean to Celestia for this distraction when she noticed two oddities about the scene. The first would likely be missed by anyone who had not attended a military class (or several, like she had with Boss). Every single pony in the grass watching the teacher was focused raptly on the speaker; no snide comments, no sleeping, no looking around or daydreaming. They were all focused on what was being said. That never happened.

Seeing that, Bleu pressed her nose to the glass, looking closer at the ponies, her eyes growing wider the more she stared. There was a small mix of unicorn and Pegasi in the group, though most were earth ponies. All of them were different colorations of coat, mane and tail, but they all had the exact same cutie mark. Every one of them sported and hourglass on their flank, no matter what race they were.

“What the buck is this?”

“Those are the blue dragons you were looking for, Bleu.”

“How the buck... what did you do!?”

“The dragons were willing to trade their former lives for security here in Canterlot. They also wished to reciprocate for the actions of their kin. As dragons, that would have been impossible. They agreed to be changed into ponies to live out the rest of their days. I could not change Wisp Wing with her being a god, and her mate refused to leave her. They are the only two dragons who have come here that remain. They are also possibly the last blue dragons alive, besides you.”

“But how... this... was this what Silver Claw did?”

“Honestly, I have no idea how Silver Claw did what he did. He killed General Mustang and wore his skin for nearly a hundred years with nopony knowing. That sort of magic could have only come from one of the dark tomes, and there was no way he could have had access to those.”

“I am sure Rhede can answer that. He’s been talking about the books on those books he has the whole trip back. But seriously, though? You changed them? Who knows about this?”

“Several of the more trusted of my Guards, and Baelit.”

“So what, are they disguised?”

“No. They are fully ponies now. The only trace of their heritage may be slightly cooler blood running through their bodies and what memories they still have. “

“What about the hourglass?”

“It is a reminder that their time in this life is now much more limited, and they should make the most of it. If they were younger they might have found a cutie mark on their own, but there is little chance of that now, and twenty-some odd ponies without any cutie marks would draw too much attention. They are currently being trained how to be ponies. Thankfully, we can use the current chaos and the number of mentally stricken individuals from the attacks and the war to mask many of their odd traits until they shake those habits. From my understanding, the hardest thing they have to do is learn how not to eat gems. We have had to repair a few sets of teeth already.”

Bleu ran her tongue over her fangs, trying to process all of this.

“ Okay, how? I studied with Platinum, I was Director of your school, and there was no hint of this even being possible. Considering that a few of your students thought of each other as a little more than brother and sister, this sort of thing could have helped them out.”

“I knew of those which you speak, though pony and dragon can have a viable offspring, even without the aid of magic. This sort of thing is not to be undertaken lightly, Bleu. There were thirty four dragons that came to Canterlot; two are in the caves, twenty are out there, and eleven died while undergoing the process. It also requires a great deal of power. That is why I needed help to transport the Queens Cross, not due to my injury. Thankfully, Wisp Wing was able to lend her power to the transport as well without being noticed.”

“Eleven dead and the others were willing to risk it?”

“A chance of death is better than a sure one. “

“I can understand that... I gave that chance to a couple of dragons.”

“Oh?”

“When I found the hatchery, there were three dragons trying to rescue the eggs. Hundreds of dragons left in the keep, and only three were willing to try and save the unhatched. I pointed them to a blind spot in our assault and told them to run, and keep running. They managed to take about thirty eggs or so. No one on watch mentioned seeing them and I didn't find any eggs smashed or dropped near the bodies when we cleaned them up, so I am guessing they made it. That's what’s in the bag, by the way: dragon eggs. I brought you twenty six of them so you can restart the school. Luna is gonna do the same with the others.”

“I see. I take it that means you are willing to keep silent on the dragons here, then?”

“This is out of my league, Princess. This kinda spell and this much effort. It has to say something if they are willing to throw away everything they were just like that.”

Celestia smiled, looking down at the dragonling as she stared out the window.

“Bleu, something has been bothering me since you came in, and I believe it needs to be dealt with.”

“And what’s that?”

“Your wings... or lack of them.”

“Yeah... some griffons tore me up pretty good when I was trying to get away from that star metal mine in the crater. That's not really the point though; what about the... whoa, wait, glowy horn again!”

Celestia's horn glowed brightly once more and Bleu winced, cringing as her body felt like it was on fire as the glow again washed over her. The heat eventually turned from a burning sensation to a warm tickle as the Princess’s horn dimmed, leaving Celestia looking rather exhausted.

Bleu opened one eye, looking around, then checking herself out to see if she was disintegrated for knowing too much. She shrugged, not finding anything wrong with herself, then freeze; she had not found anything wrong with herself. She craned her head back over her shoulder, looking at her tail. Her eyes widened as her wings spread wide, the leathery membranes between the pinions healed as if they had never been damaged. Bleu stood there for a moment in shock as Celestia chuckled.

“You are welcome, Bleu.”

“Wha-? Yeah, thanks, but are you trying to bribe me? ‘Cause it might be working.”

The little dragon changed size, flitting around for a moment, losing control after being grounded so long and promptly crashed into the fireplace.

“Bleu! Are you all right? …Wait a moment... SPIT THAT OUT!”

“Bugger.”

The little dragon tried to smile before she was lifted up by her tail with Celestia's magic and shaken rather hard. A small selection of carved chess pieces fell out of her mouth, including a well-chewed queen. Celestia glared as Bleu smiled sheepishly, putting the black and white knights and queens back on the mantle, though Celestia noticed one of the pawns she had saved was gone.

“I can't help it. They are really, really good.”

Celestia snorted.

“Continuing with the story, only once before has a dragon been willing to take that risk, though he did it for another set of reasons, the least of which was there no way he could return home.”

“Eh? Who was that?”

“Wisp Wing's son, the orange dragon Krisis.”

“Orange dragon? I never heard of an orange dragon. What the heck kinda funky coloration is orange for a dragon?”

“Wisp Wing was not sure either. She claims Krisis was born after a night of drinking with a red friend of hers and an attractive white dragon. They all woke up in rather comprising positions and she later laid and hatched a orange whelp that could breathe lightning.”

“I need to write a bar room ballad about that.”

“Yes, well, anyway… in the first dragon war, he was Forge Scale's right claw; he was responsible for many of the attacks against us.”

Celestia moved back over to the table, taking a seat again as Bleu stared out the window at the dragon ponies.

“Why was he the first one who underwent the change? Doesn't make sense for a dragon set on destroying everything to want to be a pony. You said he was willing, so I guess this was not some sort of punishment.”

Celestia chuckled.

“That depends on how you look at it; I am sure ponies such as Rhede would consider it a punishment.”

“Huh?”

“He fell in love with a pony, and an Equestrian solider at that.”

Bleu glided back away from the window, suddenly quite interested. She plopped down on the other side of the table, staring at Celestia with a wide grin on her face.

“This is pure ballad material here you know... I should be writing this down.”

“I would prefer you did not. While I have proof that you sing quite well, this is not the sort of thing that needs to be told to anyone.”

“Gah, right, ‘cause ponies will, of course, believe a musician’s song is the dead truth. But go on anyway; yah got my interest, Princess.”

“Go on with what?”

“The story! Gah, don't tease me with hints of a story without telling it to me.”

“I can only tell you what I know, which is not terribly much, I am afraid. Just a few things Wisp Wing has mentioned of her son and what happened after.”

“Then give me the whole story for the first dragon war, then. Why the heck did Forge Scale even attack anyway?”

“Forge Scale simply appeared about a two hundred years ago and started gathering political ties and forces. I had never heard of him before, and many of the other dragons did not know of him, either. Then he proved himself a god by killing the gods of the black, and the white dragons at the same time. After that, nearly all the other dragons followed him out of fear or respect, depending on their beliefs. Forge Scale's powers were fire itself. Any flame could be used as his tool; he wielded his own breath weapon as Jer'rahd wields the sword he carries he wore it like armor and nothing could touch him, even other creations of flame. That he was larger than any other dragon before him did not hurt his standing, either. He seemed to have only one goal once he assumed power: destroying Equestria and killing ponies. No, I take that back; he also seemed to have interest in bedding any female he could of his own race; he sired a host of whelps, including Silver Claw.”

“So what was his deal, anyway? Anyone know why he hated ponies?”

“Wisp Wing said that Forgescale always claimed that the ponies had wronged him grievously, and that we would suffer as he had. I have no idea how, but he seemed to target me specifically. He was never in the mood to talk...”

“Okay, so how did the orange one play into this?”

Celestia took a sip of tea, rather surprised that the dragonling was paying such rapt attention to the story.

“Wisp Wing claims her son was swayed by the words of Forgescale, and like many young dragons, was eager to join in the fight against what was considered a lesser race. Wisp Wing was not happy at her son’s choice and told him so, only to have Krisis become an even more reverent follower of Forgescale. During the war, he made a name for himself with insane tactics that that Equestria could not predict or properly defend against. He had a knack for getting behind our defenses and attacking from places where he should not have been able to.”

“Pfft, now that sounds familiar. He probably knew the same size change spell I do.”

“There were many who made names for themselves in the first dragon war, Bleu. Ruin was reawakened for it, Mustang became General, or Silver claw did. But there were few names that rose to glory as fast. Krisis was one such name. His loyalty to Forgescale was only questioned once by one of the dragon god’s own children who had been named a general. Forgescale then gave Krisis the position when there was not enough of the former general left to heal. Oddly, despite her dislike of her son’s chosen path, Wisp Wing seemed quite fond of that part of the story.”

“I'll bet. A dragon really good at killing things… wow, great thing to be proud of, mom...”

“In any event, after that, it was if Forgescale had adopted Krisis as his own brood. Something that did not seem to sit well with his actual brood, but none of them would touch the orange dragon for fear of their father.”

Celesita took another sip of her tea, watching the dragonling squirm with each pause.

“Here is where it gets interesting. Wisp Wing claims her son sent her a letter about midway through the war. The letter was a strange account of a raid on an Equestrian base near the border where Krisis came across a pony he could not kill. An earth pony mare of the Guard… bother, her name is on the tip of my tongue right now, but I cannot recall it. Anyway, the two fought for hours to a complete standstill, something unheard of in those days; it usually took a team of ponies or Ruin to take on a dragon. It had gotten to the point where Krisis had to retreat from the fight and withdraw his forces as the pony would not go down and stay there. The orange dragon had written his mother because this was the first thing that had shaken him. Forgescale preached that ponies were little more than vermin to be destroyed wholesale. Up until that point, Krisis had found it to be the case, having no issues wading through ponies like they were ants, and yet one pony mare had stopped him cold. That was the first doubt that was put into his mind. Wisp Wing used that, urging her son to seek out that mare again and find out what drove her. Clearly, Krisis agreed with this, as the next letter to his mother was written in a panic.”

Bleu leaned forward, her newly-repaired wings fluttering a bit as Celestia took a sip of tea. Trust the Element of Laughter to be the one to love a story.

“As it turns out, he did encounter the mare again; unfortunately, when he found her, it was during a larger assault that Forgescale led himself. She had been injured and when he came upon her, she still tried to kill him before she collapsed. Rather than leave her to die with his questions unanswered, he bound her up and put her in a flight satchel to carry along with him. He wrote his mother again as he had no idea how he was supposed to care for a pony, let alone what he was supposed to do now that he had her. I can only assume what went on between the two was comical as he tried to keep her from escaping or killing him in his sleep at the same time he was trying not to be discovered to be caring for a pony.”

Bleu snorted a small chuckle thinking that over herself.

“Wisp Wing lost contact with her son soon after; no more letters came to Cindervale from Krisis. However, this is when I first encountered him. Krisis was a master of getting into places he should not have been, that was his claim to fame, so imagine my surprise when an earth pony mare and one of the morst feared generals of Forgescale were sitting in my study when I woke up one morning.”

“I'll bet it was pure comedic gold.”

“It was not one of my finest moments; I am ashamed to admit I screamed like a little filly and nearly brought the whole palace down around us. Of course, the mare had expected this sort of reaction and when the Guards came in, both of them were gone; I am still not sure how. Thankfully, when they returned the next morning, I managed to be a bit quieter. It seemed somehow, in the course of her incarceration, Krisis had developed an infatuation with the mare... Vermillion Rose, that was her name. Took me a moment. She was an attractive sort of mare if you liked the warrior type, reminded me a bit of Starfall if she was an earth pony. At any rate, while she did not return his affections for her, she had managed to convince him that Forgescale should not be allowed to continue what he was doing.”

“Hold it, hold it, hold it. Are you gonna end this sort of thing on some moral high note that killing is bad, cause buck the rest of the story if you're trying to teach me some sort of lesson here.”

“Um, well no, actually, though you are correct that would be a nice message if Krisis had not been just as deadly against his own kind as he was against ponies. Krisis was willing to help, though he could not do much as a dragon alongside of us. It was at that point I half-joked about a polymorph spell one of my students had made to use against dragons to turn them into chickens. He thought I was serious and agreed. I cautioned him what could happen and he was still willing. At the time, I think he believed that the only reason Vermillion did not return his affections was because he was a dragon and not a pony. He may very well have been right, to be honest. Suffice to say, he was willing to take the chance for her.”

“D'awwwwww.”

“My reaction as well at the time. The spell worked, though he had no cutie mark. Once he recovered enough, he informed us of everything that we needed to know about the dragon forces. We had been pushed back to Canterlot by that point due to Forgescale's advance. Though with my sister and myself in Canterlot, he was hesitant to just charge in, until he received a message from his most trusted general. Krisis penned a message and had it left for Forgescale in a dead drop that Krisis used when infiltrating various locations. The message stated he had a way inside Canterlot into my chambers. He claimed he would deal with me while I was asleep and hang a red sheet outside the window to signal that he had killed me and to start the invasion of Canterlot as a whole.”

Another sip of tea.

“I do not think Forgescale believed him, but when the red sheet was hung from the window at the time marked in the message, he rushed in himself to finish off Luna and the rest of the city flying right into the trap we set for him. He was quickly frozen in stone and sealed in the garden; with Krisis's help, the other draconic forces were driven out of Equestria. Both Krisis and Vermillion fought to push what forces remained back out of pony lands, and somewhere along the way, it seems he got what he really wanted. I was invited to the wedding, of course, and when Vermillion finally kissed him at the end of the ceremony, Krisis actually gained a cutie mark as well.”

“Well, that's rather sweet. Sappy and very trashy novel-like, but sweet. What was it some sort of heart or some lovey dovey garbage like that?”

Celestia smirks.

“You would think that, but no it was a dragon’s talon that looked like it had been cut from a blue dragon. He told everyone that he was a blank flank when he joined and he got his mark by killing more dragons than any other pony.”

Bleu's eyes widened almost to the point that they seemed to be ready to pop out of the dragonling’s head. Celeistia blinked, a little creeped out by the look.

“A... A dragon’s claw from a blue dragon?”

“Yes.”

“Was his coat a terracotta coloration with a gold mane and tail?”

“Yes, actually; how did you figure that out? By what his scale color was as a dragon?”

Celestia sipped her tea as Bleu swallowed.

“That's Boss's grandpa.”

Bleu was showered with tea as Celestia started to choke. The dragon rushed over, slapping the Princess on the back as she gasped for air.

“IT'S WHAT?!?”

“A terracotta coat, gold mane and tail, though boss says it went silver when he was little, a blue severed dragon’s claw as a cutie mark. Boss told me quite a few times how his grandfather told him the stories of the first dragon war. How he didn't have a cutie mark till the end of it and his cutie mark meant he was good at killing dragons.”

“That's impossible, Bleu; Krisis and Vermillion were discovered by the remains of Forgescale’s group, the Flame Party, and they were killed along with their son by some dragon attackers out by the Great Wall. The dragons loyal to Forgescale took great pride in roaring about their victory over the heroes of the Dragon war.”

“The colt’s name was Amano his cutie mark was a sword crossed over a shield that he got when his father first started training him. He was a gray earth pony with a black mane and tail.”

“By the stars...”

“They were in Ponyville when it was first being founded after the war; that was the first record Boss and I could find of his family name. That was only about eighty years ago. After the war, no one bothered to check refugees’ real names or backgrounds for the new settlements.”

“They must have accepted he was a war vet just by the dragon slayer blade that Vermilion carried. That was a relic even then; only the best soldiers of the war were issued them. While no bodies were ever found, it was not uncommon for dragons to eat ponies they killed. The Flame Party must have been full of parasprite droppings with their claim, trying to drum up support.”

“There was nothing in the records until Amano Kaisur joined the guard years later and met Jer's mom Nevan Blueblood. Jer's grandfather named him and not long after that, Vermillion, or as she was known at that point, Rose, died. Jer's grandfather went by Spartan. They did it to hide they were still alive from the Flame Party to protect their kid.”

Celestia looked at Bleu, who looked back at the Princess. Celestia's horn glowed, bringing an end to the spell, certain the little dragon would not share the secret now.

“Holy buck... holy bucking buck.”

“This was… very unexpected, Bleu. I ... I trust you will keep this information to yourself?”

“Yeah... I don't know what boss would do, but... damn.... all that searching and it was just... Shit… I want to tell him… but he won't take it well at all, especially after Cindervale. I don't even want to think about what would happen if Luna found out.”

“I doubt my sister would be very happy, either. Alright, Bleu; I shall keep your secret and Jer'rahd's so long as you keep mine.”

“None of this stuff needs to be brought up ‘til things calm down, anyway. Yeah, let's do that.”

Celestia sighed, her hair limp from the excessive casting, though the tiny blue dragon in front of her was practically flying in circles in the air, putting on a show that might have rivaled something by the Wonderbolts, if on a smaller scale.
“I suppose I am as ready as I will ever be to deal with General Kaisur.”

“Heh, I'll tell him to be good. He might listen.”

“Bleu, I will ask that you keep one thing in mind: you seem rather distressed as of late. I suspect it may have something to do with the Element you bear. Laughter does not always mean comedy and humor; sometimes it can be as simple as making some one feel a bit better, or showing a spark of hope that things are not as bad as they seem. You have done that quite well here today.”

“Heh, you picked me for a reason, Princess. I'll send in Boss. Take good care of those eggs, especially that purple one. That one’s got real crappy luck.”

“I shall.”

==================================================================

Bleu left the princess’s study in rather high spirits for the first time in a while. She was oddly relieved that Celestia had told her these things. The nagging doubt about destroying Cindervale was still there, but at least it was clear this was not the end.

Of course, the atmosphere in the waiting room hit her like a ton of bricks. Almost like the desk that flew over her head as she opened the door, one that would have hit her if she had still been pony-sized. She blinked, looking at the warzone that was the waiting room. The entire room was smashed or overturned; a section of the room was even on fire. How the heck did this happen without Celestia and her hearing… oh right, the spell.

Several Royal Guards were huddled in one corner, hiding behind a table, while a few others were buried under things imbedded in the walls. In the center of all this, two unicorns were beating the ever-living snot out of one another. The Waning Moon and another, heavily nicked blade were both embedded in the ceiling and the two stallions had opted to simply fight unarmed with their hooves instead of retrieving them.

Occasionally, either Boss or the Royal Guard would grab something with their magic to fling at the other. Bleu ducked at a chair that smashed against the desk that nearly hit her and growled.

“You forgot about the kissy kissy, huh?!?”

The gray unicorn had a few cuts, a bloodied nose, and an eye that was already puffing up from being hit. His armor had chunks knocked out of it and his helm was nowhere to be seen. Boss was not much better, covered in cuts and bruises, and his ear looked like it had been bitten. His dress uniform was in tatters and the medals scattered across the room or crushed under hoof.

Bleu was not sure what was more shocking: that they ignored her threat or that somepony was holding his own against Boss.

“WHAT IS GOING ON OUT HERE!?”

Bleu winced as the Royal Canterlot voice boomed right behind her head. Both unicorns froze in place, with Boss's left forehoof connected to the side of the Royal Guard’s head and the other unicorn biting into Boss's right foreleg.

“MAJOR SCRAPE, SPIT THAT OUT! YOU DO NOT KNOW WHERE IT HAS BEEN. START CLEANING UP THIS MESS. GENERAL KAISUR, GET YOUR BLADE OUT OF OUR CEILING AND GET IN HERE.”

Both ponies winced as the Princess yelled at them, though the kissy noises Bleu added to her own glare made both of them look ill.

Jer'rahd shifted his gaze from the angered Princess to Bleu, then back to the stallion.

“This is not over, pretty colt. Your face needs more adjusting.”

“Bring it anytime, anywhere, demon, I'll rip you in half.”

“NOW!”

They both flinched as their weapons were ripped from the ceiling with a shower of plaster and sheathed in their respective scabbards. The two turned from each other, heading to where they were ordered with one last glare.

=========================================================

“I cannot believe you, fighting in my waiting room with another Guard. You were already in enough trouble before this just due to Cindervale.”

“You should tell your decorations to mind their manners around their betters.”

Celestia turned, glaring at the gray unicorn who seemed unconcerned with her annoyance with him. He was busy tearing the remains of his dress uniform into strips to bind a few of the deeper cuts.

“Betters? You think you are better than other ponies now?”

“No. Not all of them. Just the sad creatures you think can defend your castle from anything more menacing than a gnat fart.”

“They are far more skilled than you give them credit for. There is a reason only a select few manage to become Royal Guards.”

“Because they are pretty enough to be play toys for you, or is it because their mommies and daddies used their pull as nobles to get the cushy jobs for their useless offspring?”

Celestia snorted as Jer'rahd tightened another strip of cloth around his foreleg. That bucking pony hit like a Tank, he would give him that. Celestia was pissed; that was clear, though he found he did not rightly care. She had called him in here to do little more than yell at him for his and Luna's choices and he was not going to let her have an easy time of it. He was already mad and he was not going on the defensive against this mare.

“What happened to the pony that actually had some respect for my authority?!”

“He died, and all Tartarus coughed back up was me. You want to complain and accuse me of things, Celestia? Well, get to it already; I am tired of hearing how bucking mad you are with me. Get whatever you have to say over with so I can go drink ‘til I forget all of it.”

“You’ve turned into a very arrogant son of a prick.”

“Leave my father out of this or I'll bring up that bitch friend of yours who’s responsible for me not getting a bucking hour of peaceful sleep in years now.”

“Aqua is not my friend.”

“I meant Aviana. Every time I hear that damn name, something tries to kill me or make me its bucking pet. You wanna know where my respect for you went? Out the bucking window after those assignments you sent us on. Every one of them nearly killed some pony I care about. We went to Neighlantis on your suggestion Celestia. The only one of those that even panned out was the Buffalo, and that’s who Princess Luna wanted to see first.”

“You are blaming me for events I could not control, Kaisur.”

“If you had told us that the last bucking time you were there she ran your flank out of the city because of a joke, we would have been better prepared for an easily-pissed-off sea goddess.”

“It has been over seven thousand years since I even last saw Aqua. That is far too much of a grudge for a simple coloration spell that could have been fixed by a sea pony with a scrub brush.”

“Some ponies hold long grudges, Celestia. It’s kinda obvious she's one of them now. You’re supposed to be watching everything in your damn country, and yet you missed the fact that she has not allowed trade with the surface world since you left except for one ship!? How many ships have you lost trying?”

“That's what you are doing.”

“What’s what I am doing?”

“You are putting me on the defensive, trying to make this about me instead of you. You are a clever...”

He winced as she starts saying the phrase, though she smirked and stopped. So much for that plan; no, he was not going to lose the edge he gained. She was still pissed, despite what she said.

“Do you know how many other races are calling for your head as a war criminal?”

“Tell them I will meet them outside the front gates, and to bring their own coffins.”

“Hmm, she does know you well. The Cindervale raid is not the issue here.”

“Oh? Then what the buck is?”

Celestia's eyes narrowed as she leaned down to glare at the unicorn in the eyes. Jer'rahd spit out a bit of cloth from his latest bandage that nearly hit the white alicorn in the face.

“That is disgusting, Kaisur. Pick that up.”

“You have maids. Now what is the issue, or should I come back later when you feel like bucking talking?”

“Why the buck did you let my sister use the books?”

“Why would I stop her?”

“Because they are evil.”

“So were the dragons, and you defend them.”

“Discord used them to become even more powerful than he already was, and nearly destroyed Equestria as a result.”

“Your sister used them to stop a violent race from killing ponies whenever they felt like it. From what I hear about Discord, he was rather evil to begin with.

“The books made him worse.”

“Or maybe it was your connection to Aviana that made it seem worse. He knew her, too, when we saw him or the copy or whatever the heck that thing was. Likewise, the dragons seemed already able to use his creations rather quickly. Maybe they were the reason he went mad. Ever consider that?”

“You have no idea, do you? The dragons aided us in defeating him.”

“Probably to get a hold of his land and magic for themselves.”

“YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT!”

“SO ARE YOU! It doesn't matter what the buck a bunch of lizards did thousands of years ago. For the past hundred they have been killing us. Each attack brings new and interesting ways that we can die for them. All this last attack did was make sure that was not going to happen again. Your sister was willing to risk her life for that, while all you wanted to do was throw bucking parties and talk about how we should all give peace a chance. You are a failure as a leader. You sit here in your ivory tower watching others die and tell all the leeches feeding off you that everything will be alright, while those that actually deserve to live are murdered around you. That you are more than willing to protect your nobles and status over the farmers in the field and the traders keeping your country alive is proof that you should not have the power you do.”
“You have no right to say that of me, colt.”

“I have just as much right to tell you that you are a poor leader as you have to tell me what I did was wrong.”
”You have no idea what it takes to keep all this together.”

“What? A gaggle of nobles? All that takes is some bits and for you to flash your flank at them every so often. I would say I have a better idea than you do.”

Celestia's mane and tail flared up like fire, power pouring off of her as her eyes glowed a bright white, staring down at the gray unicorn stallion before her. Jer'rahd took a step back, flicking open the clasp holding the Waning Moon in its scabbard, his magic gripping it.

“Do you really think you are a match for me, colt?”

“I think I am about to add another notch to my scabbard if you want to have a go at me, Celestia”

“YOU WOULD DARE ATTACK YOUR PRINCESS?!”

“You are not my princess.”

“That is enough, out of both of you. General, stand down. Celestia, calm down.”

Jer'rahd turned his head, looking at the speaker, and snapped the clasp of his blade’s sheath closed again. Celestia's hair continued to flare as the unicorn ignored her, bowing his head lightly.

“As you wish, Princess.”

Luna walked forward from the doorway, glaring at them both.

“I suppose I do not have to ask how this meeting went. General, go tend your duties with the Guard. I will speak with my sister. And do not pick any more fights.”

“Yes, Princess.”

Jer'rahd turned and walked out of the room, leaving a slowly-calming Celestia alone with Luna.

“How do you deal with that one?!”

“How did you let him get to you, sister? I have not seen you this angered since we fought Discord.”

“That one was unrelenting with his insults and slander. Even knowing his plan was to put me on defensive and telling him I knew he was doing it, he still persisted in it.”

“He is an accomplished strategist; he realizes no plan survives first contact with the enemy. To that end, he will continue what he believes is the best course of action in a given situation. If he noticed you were still upset, he would have pressed on.”

“This was not a battle field.”

“To him it was.”

“He nearly got himself killed for drawing that sword.”

“I believe that is questionable at this point, Celestia. You barely managed the power for that light show and I am not the only one to draw power from the books. In a fight between you two right now, my bits would be on him.”

“You doubt me that much?”

“No, I simply know what he can do and what your current limits are, sister. You spent a great deal of power to send the Queen’s Cross, and you spent more power to heal Bleu. While I am not unappreciative of what you did for the dragonling, where I could not help her, your power now has a tell, sister. Your magical dye job is fading.”

Celestia glanced back at her tail, seeing most of the green and blue had faded from her hair. Her horn flickered quickly, restoring the coloration before she looked back at Luna.

“You have recovered quickly, sister, but do not overextend yourself. It may cost you much in the future. I have come to a decision on what to do as a result of your political pressure.”

“Fine, and what have you decided to do?”

“I will leave Canterlot, and take whichever Guard forces wish to accompany me. I will set up my own home somewhere. That way, if any of these others wish to attack, they can come for me rather than your peaceful capital. I have no plans to end this war just yet. The Diamond Dogs, the Griffons, the Seaponies, and several other races need to know we are not to be trifled with.”

“I do not agree with this, Luna.”

“Pity, then, that I am not giving you a say in the matter. I shall continue to raise the moon as we have done for centuries, but if you will not accept that strength is the only way to achieve peace, I will need to show you from my own kingdom. The ponies of this land are already divided on the events; many support what we did, and just as many are against it. The conflict has already divided our land in spirit. I will make that divide physical; those who wish to follow you can remain and do so. Those who prefer my methods can come with me.”

“And how do you propose to divide this? Right down the middle?”

“No. The cities and ponies themselves will decide what they chose to do. Something of a republic, I suppose, rather than the monarchy we have kept for so long.”

“You believe they will choose you over me? After all your complaints about how nopony cared for the night?”

“I have shown them something, now, that in all your years of bringing light to the world have never shown them: results. There will never be another dragon war thanks to my actions. I have ruled for barely seven months and I have destroyed one of the greatest threats we have faced. You ruled for centuries and we were always in conflict. The choice will be clear.”

Celestia swallowed, her ears flattening to her head at the cold tone her sister was taking.

“I will require a few weeks to prepare a suitable place for myself and my subjects. Since Canterlot is partially mine from my position as Princess alone, we will remain here until a suitable location is found and a new home built. After that, the city and all that side with you are yours, Celestia.”

“Luna... why are you doing this?”

“My general had the right of it. You are no longer fit to lead Equestria. You are not the warrior I was a sister to; you are little more than a sow catering to the pathetic mewings of weaklings with loud voices. What fire you have left is misdirected to those who would aid Equestria more than you would. I would suggest you retire and find a replacement, but I know you will not.”

Luna turned and trotted out of the room, leaving Celestia with her mouth gaping, trying to find the words.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Twilight pulled back out of the spell, her eyes closing as she felt the shift of her weight as her mind resettled into her body. There was also something else: she felt a bit of constriction about her form that was odd. She opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the light, her ears flattening against her head as she looked down.

Her forehooves were clad in thin mesh stockings with white cuffs around the base of her hooves. Her back legs were in the same stockings, though black leather boots covered half of her rear legs. Her torso was wrapped in what she expected was a black corset of some kind, complete with a red bow tie around her neck. And to top it all off, her tail was fluffed up like a cotton ball and she had a pair of black rabbit ears on her head.

“What... the...?”

“Oh dear, you're awake already... Sorry, I got a little bored.”

Twilight looked back at her teacher sitting on a cushion with a pile of various outfits spread out around her. None of them seemed sized for the Princess, and Twilight was sure she had been in several of them already before this one, judging by how everything was stacked by her teacher.

“You were bored... What is this?”

“A bunny costume. You do look quite cute in it. You should have seen the maid outfit you were in earlier, though that one was a little racy. So, did you want to try the cheerleader or the wizard?"

Twilight blushed furiously and Celestia smiled.

“I suppose this is not really the time for that. With as late as it is getting, I suppose you may wish to return to Ponyville before it becomes a new day entirely. Or, if you like, I can find a room in the palace for you for the night.”

Twilight bit her lip a little, turning a bit to look at the bunny outfit, then at the notes she had been taking while scrying the sword. There was a description of how hurt her teacher had looked as Luna left etched on that page and it almost hurt her to think about it.

“If you do not mind, Princess, I would stay here tonight. There is not much sense in heading back this late.”

“Here? Or in the castle?”

“Errrr… well, to answer your other question, I think the wizard costume would work.”

Celestia smiled as Twilight blushed more.

“Umm, though I do have to ask why you have a bunch of outfits in my size in your quarters...”

Author's Note:

ugh i just realized the size of the plot holes in this chapter. I need to revise this one stat.

Comments

[RaptorCalloftheShadows]

dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Twilight_crazy.png BEHOLD! MOLESTIA RETURNS~!

Oh, also, I noticed a typo... but it's waaaaaay back in chapter one @_@ Went back to reread that because I just Twilight's freakout after Sable's reversion to stone - and by the way, I love the comic you used as a basis for that :P - but regardless: qwerries. It's spelled queries. Glad to be of assistance.

Oh, also: First. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Scootaloo_lolface.png

[Zloe_Zlo]

good one

[Thunder twister]

“Umm, though I do have to ask why you have a bunch of outfits in my size in your quarters...”

[jar'o'mayo]

Haha, Celestia you incorrigible Nympho

[Balancer]

“Do you really think you are a match for me colt?”
“I think I am about to add another notch to my scabbard if you want to have a  go at me Celestia”
Jer you are: t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQZIB9yiEfivP83NVmfT8fGd1lJkiN_uR_jwSAicLCgyeQhh0Oq
So mother fucking badass, Celestia better watch out

[Obsidian]

1323821 - Even if Celestia was at full strength for the conflict, I'd still bet Jer would have given her a good fight. I mean, he really has killed quite a few 'Gods' so far, and were not even done. We've got the second Diamond Dog God, how ever many Griffon gods, and Aqua. Oh, he's going to love that one...

[Psycho Kid]

Once again amazing job. Jer's confrontation with Celestia is better than I had expected it to be, and in regards to Jer's lineage....... HOLY SHIT! I wonder if he ever finds out and what it did to him. I still cant wait for him to release his "inner demon", I know I am obsessing over it but it's just so fraking cool. One last question in regards to the spell, once again you have a very in-depth description about what it looks like, is there something you used for a base or did you just create it on your own?

[TDR]

1323740 She had to pop up again sooner or later.

I'll have to correct that.

1323821 It's getting harder and harder to scale up that fact.

1324366 The first diamond dog god was a Luna kill. There are no Zebra gods, I'll get into that later. Jer's first god kill was the orc god , the group killed, the first dragon god, he got a troll, the diamond dog pup pretty much killed itself, and two dragon gods on his own, granted one did not really fight back. He really should only have 3 proper god kills

1324724 There's no real basis, but if you live outside a city and look up in the clear night thats pretty much the view. A few of the stars will be much brighter and closer and two will be sun sized if you are close enough. Granted like many other things. That place has important clues about things.

[DEL]

I totally called the truth about krisis!!!!

[Psycho Kid]

1324855 huh? Ooohhhhh, you're talking about the scrying spell, okay, I was actually talking about Jer's spell, I was wondering where you got the idea for the beast's design, I know I'm obsessing over it but it's just really cool to me, but that little bit of insight into the scry spell is cool too

[Obsidian]

1324855 - Luna killed the first DDog God. Was the pup it's reincarnation? Wasn't there a second that we haven't seen yet?

[Darkswirl]

Woo! Update! :D

[MatsuriDream]

it just keeps getting better and better. Seriously, TDR - you've got gold in your pen.

[TDR]

1324939 Oh ok got a little confused there with the mention of the scry spell. the beast does have a basic design.
http://bzupages.net/attachments/19178d1284765503-2-tarasque.gif that slightly modified.

1324978 DDog's have a few gods the pup was a new one, possibly the next chosen god of the race. But as this shows , the powers are not always the same.

[Psycho Kid]

1325409 Oh wow! That's awesome, is this from something?

EDIT: It literally just occurred to me what the cute marks could mean...... Dr. Whooves

[Zanmatsuken]

Woah, that was good. While I kinda called the Krisis thing, it is always fun to have those kinds of drops. I can't wait to see how Jer takes it, be it in the past or present. Anbd was I the only one hoping that Jer and Tia would go at it a bit before Luna could step in?

And I for one welcome our new molesting overlord. She shall serve us well.

[TDR]

1325741 I cannot Always be unpredictable.

1325455 yep the Tarasque from D&D.

[Pilate]

1323740
Where did she show up the first time? I forget. Oh wait, was it way back during Nightmare Night or something? Something about Celestia in town hall, right? Did that happen in this story? They're all meshing together

EDIT: Figured it out, it was back when Twilight got split into her different personality traits and Twi-Lust was wreaking lusty havoc across Ponyville.

Twilight at the end of this chapter:
"I put on my robe and wizard hat..."

Great chapter 1325851, glad we got some exposition out of Bleu, she's probably my favorite character because of her deep inner turmoil and conflict. Everything she does is oxymoron: dragon among ponies, laughter among warriors, morality in the face of murder, etc etc. Also glad to see that you've set yourself up for both another 20 chapters - a fight with the sea goddess can't be pretty - as well as further world-buildling for your universe, giving Twilight something to do after this story runs its course as well as a room full of characters to study along with the petrified prisoners of the garden.

[Jphyper]

You know, at this point, I know your writing style so well that I automatically copy new chapters into Word when I see them so I can correct 'em while I read. I'll send it to you in a moment.

However, there is one mistake that I feel should be pointed out right away: at one point, you said Celestia was glaring at the earth pony. Jer'rahd is a unicorn.

My fingers are getting numb from typing and mouse clicking now. I was planning on working on one of my own stories after this, but now... Also, my keyboard is crap; that didn't help, either.

[RaptorCalloftheShadows]

1326084 And then we find out Jerrahd's horn broke. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/lolface_Celestia.png

[Jphyper]

1326121 Knowing him, that would not surprise me.

[RaptorCalloftheShadows]

1326136 Me neither.

[Sgt. Brony]

ALL HAIL OUR NEW OVERLOARD MOLESTIA & HER FAITHFUL STUDENT TWILUST.

e621.net/data/sample/2f/f1/2ff1e4b7bbfa0691d484110d0aee8b9e.jpg?1342852939

[Bladelord]

This just because.

[TDR]

1328561

Right.....

1328944 HOLY CRAP. I like that .

[treos]

1323770 ditto

[Jphyper]

I just made this connection... Jer's grandfather is a former dragon. That means Jer'rahd has the blood of a dragon flowing through his veins.

This means... Jer'rahd is DRAGONBORN!

Let the Skyrim jokes commence!

[_CheckMate_]

MOLLESTIA AND THE LUNAR REPUBLIC!! YAY!!!

[Tigro Spottystripes]

1388415 We already had arrow to the knee...

[Snowdrifter]

1388415

FUS ROH yay

[Moonlight Tome]

On discovering Jer's grandfather: HOLY SHIT!!!!!

[DarkPhoenixx]

“Errrr… well, to answer your other question, I think the wizard costume would work.”

I just knew Purple Smart would pick the wizard's outfit. Cause she's a magic neeeerrrrd

[stag the story teller]

god damn it that ending