Memories

by HuskSummers

Princess Luna

Well...I'm back. I'm sorry for the extra week between last chapter and this one, but I had testing last week and I'd been studying for the past two weeks. So, I figured I'd treat you to a little longer chapter. Be forewarned...there are likely to be errors, as I really wanted to get this out for y'all to read. So, if you find any please, by all means, point them out to me.

In addition I would greatly enjoy any constructive criticism you could give.

For a while I sat there and listened to the conversation as Twilight and Applejack went over specifics of what we would need on the trip to Canterlot. I wasn’t focused for very long before my mind began to wander. My first thoughts were of the Griffons, and they weren’t pleasant. I had thought about them for a moment, thinking about their war with the Lupine, when I saw a flash of a memory. A very large Griffon swiped my face with its razor sharp talons. I felt the searing pain; stars filled my vision, and a cacophony of noises filled the background. Back in reality I nearly jumped out of my hide. Twilight, Fluttershy, and AJ were all startled by this occurrence.

“Are you okay Waya?” Twilight asked like anypony would. I looked at her for a moment and nodded.

“Just a memory…or rather portion of one. It kind of took me by storm, so I really don’t know what it means.” I did my best to remain calm, not tipping them off to the turmoil inside my head. My heart was still racing, my breathing slightly faster than normal. I closed my eyes and ordered myself to slow down, calm down, and get a grip on myself. It worked, and I looked at Twilight with a face that concealed everything. She was suspicious though.

“Okay…If you want to talk about it, we’re here.” She spoke, but then she seemed to reconsider for a moment. “Would you excuse us for a moment. There is something we have to speak about of a private nature. It’s…kind of embarrassing.” She said sheepishly. I nodded, because she would do it with or without my approval. She didn’t need my approval for anything she was just being polite. After I nodded she took Fluttershy and Applejack into the other room. This sudden secrecy from Twilight was disturbed me slighlty, but she had plenty of reason to be suspicious of me. I was actually surprised she hadn’t just taken me to a doctor. Instead she was taking me to Princess Celestia. It made no sense to me, but it obviously made sense to her.

It took them only a few minutes in the other room to discuss whatever Twilight wanted to. Twilight and Applejack came back into the room as if nothing had transpired. Fluttershy didn’t come in for several minutes though. I wondered what was wrong with her, but I didn’t ask, because I figured the question would be deflected. When she finally entered, she seemed slightly upset. I frowned at Twilight for causing this, but her gaze remained unflinching. Applejack did her best to facilitate the conversation for the few hours, but everyone spoke reservedly.

Twilight and Applejack both left around the same time. The sun was starting to go down, and they had to tell the others that we were going to Canterlot tomorrow. Before they left, we had all enjoyed a small lunch that Applejack made. I was glad Fluttershy didn’t have to make more food for me, but I was disappointed when they refused to let me help. The meal passed pleasantly, and afterward we talked for a little while before they ultimately left.

“I’m going to take a short walk outside. Is that okay?” I asked Fluttershy after they left. She turned to me, and after thinking for a couple moments she gave me permission. I stood up and slowly, but steadily, walked out the door. I was enjoying the warm sun on my face from the same spot that I where I had basked in the moon, when I heard a noise from far off. I lifted my head and saw a speck grow larger and larger as it disappeared and reappeared multiple times on its way towards the cottage. It only took a couple of moments to notice that it was Twilight. She seemed to be teleporting. That would be a handy trick to know. Too bad I was an Earthy pony and not a Unicorn. As my mind was occupied with these thoughts Twilight managed to teleport right in front of me.

Startled, I jumped to my feet. She was panting from the exertion of getting to me so quickly. I didn’t know if she had run part of the way, or if magic physically exhausted you, but I did know she needed to sit down. “Twilight…let’s get you in the cottage.” At these words she simply nodded. I stood by her side the whole way, ready to keep her up if she fell. Luckily I never had to do that. Fluttershy must have noticed us, because as soon as we reached the door it opened and we made our way to the couch. Twilight sat down and caught her breath.

Finally, she was under control enough to speak, “We need to leave in a couple hours. Princess Celestia sent another message while I was at my library.” She paused for a second before continuing, “She requested we get there tonight so that we may see her in the morning. She says that events taking place that she might need our help with. In addition, she seems very intrigued by Waya.” I raised my eyebrows as much as I could. Then I thought again and decided that it wasn’t all that surprising, especially considering that I had managed to appear among the six ponies who have saved Equestria multiple times. If I was her, I would want to meet this pony at once as well, if only to gauge his usefulness and how much of a threat he posed.

With that thought out of the way I managed to ask, “Did she say what events? And do they involve the war?” Twilight took a short look at me before sighing.

“No…she didn’t say, but I’m afraid you may be right. If the Lupine have decided to go to war with the rest of Equestria…this may be cause for worry.” The tone in her voice was not comforting in the least. If they the wolves did go to war against the ponies, it would be a very ugly affair. It would all hinge on whose side Princess Luna would choose. If she decided to pit her will against her sister’s, it could be a very bloody affair. If the Lupine went to war with Equestria that meant that they were hedging on the support of Luna, the princess they worshiped as a goddess.

“Did you tell the others yet?”

“No, I wanted you two to know first.”

“Why…why us? We have nothing to get around.” Fluttershy managed as her first words in the conversation. Twilight smiled before explaining.

“I figured that Waya would want to help tell the others, or at least come along to stretch his legs. Plus Fluttershy, you’ve only left your house once in the past week, and that was cut short by our encounter with Waya. You really need to come with us.” Twilight did her best to convince the yellow Pegasus, but it didn’t seem to be working.

“Oh…uh…I don’t know Twilight. The animals…they…um…they need to be looked after. I can’t just leave.” The whole time she spoke, her eyes were firmly locked on her own hooves. Angel did not agree with her, and he demonstrated this by going and getting food for himself. I laughed at the insolent little rabbit. He always seemed to be in rebellion. Twilight smiled at Fluttershy as the little one did this, and the Pegasus gave in. “okay…”

Before we left, Fluttershy laid down some rules for Angel, but I was positive he wasn’t going to obey them. With that final thing out of the way we traveled down the path that I assumed led to town. Sure enough, Ponyville appeared within a couple of minutes, but I soon found we weren’t going there yet. At the first crossroads we came to, we turned off onto another well worn path. I didn’t question Twilight, and I soon saw acres upon acres of apple trees.

“This is Sweet Apple Acres?” Even though I asked the question I was already sure of the answer.

“Yes it is. It’s the biggest farm in Ponyville. Applejack’s family has owned it for a very long time.” Her answer confirmed what I already suspected. I was amazed at the sheer size of it. Even though it was a large piece of land, we quickly came upon the road to the farmhouse. Before we even reached the farmhouse Applejack was walking out the front door to meet us.

“Hey y’all. What’s the occasion?” I could tell she was worried by the tone of her question. She may be strong, but she knew that for me to be out there had to be something wrong. She was a smart mare.

“Princess Celestia sent another letter. She wants us to leave tonight. She said she may need us for events taking place.” Twilight’s explanation was all Applejack needed. She seemed to think hard on these words before making a decision that I was sure was made up as soon as she saw us.

“Okay. Ah’ll be right out. Let me say goodbye to mah family, and then we can get the others.” She made her way back into the house with agility, and within a few minutes she was back. As she put her hat on her head, she said, “Okay Twilight. Ah’m ready.” With those words we set back off down the road towards town. This time when we reached the crossroad we turned towards town. Once in town we stopped at a boutique. It was one of those shops where the owner’s house was on the second floor. The decoration of it led me to the idea that this was owned by Rarity. Accordingly, when she answered the door upon our arrival, I wasn’t surprised.

“Oh! Did something dreadful happen?” Her question, like Applejack’s showed her apprehension as to what the answer would be. Twilight’s answer undoubtedly didn’t help.

“We don’t know. Princess Celestia has requested that we leave for Canterlot tonight. She said that she needs us by her side.” Twilight seemed a little frustrated that she didn’t know exactly what was happening. She was leading her friends blindly on the orders of her Princess. It took lots of guts to do a thing like that.

“Well, it’s a good thing that Sweetie Belle left yesterday to visit mother and father. Let me just get a few things and lock up.” Rarity turned around and was in her home for quite some time before returning. Floating in the air beside her was set of travel bags, and all of them seemed to be as full as possible. I raised an eyebrow at her. She seemed hurt as she asked, “What? Can’t a mare bring a few outfits with her? You never know when I might need a stunning dress in Canterlot.” I looked to Applejack for an explanation, and she simply shook her head. I dropped it then and there.
The next place we visited was Twilight’s library. It was set in a tree. That, in and of itself, was awesome.

“Come in while I make sure Spike is ready.” I followed the others through the door upon Twilight’s invitation. She had an extremely large collection of books and scrolls. I walked over to one of the shelves and saw volumes about everything from potion-making to cooking. It was an eclectic assortment, yet it seemed to fit. I noticed that Twilight was helping a baby dragon get a couple books off the shelves to add to a growing pile. I assumed the dragon was the one called Spike. When Twilight had managed, with Spike’s help, to fit all the books into a bag that she levitated she came over to us and said, “Okay, now we need to get Pinkie and Rainbow Dash.” The lot of us nodded and followed her out the door and down the street. As the sun was creeping ever closer to the ground there were fewer ponies about. I couldn’t help but notice how many books that Twilight had decided to bring with her; the bag was about as big as Rarity’s largest one. Along these lines I couldn’t let the question in my mind go unasked

“A little bit of light reading Twilight?” It was a question meant both to lighten the mood and get me the answer I wanted. I hoped that she would elaborate, but I wasn’t met with the relief I expected when she did.

“It’s all we have that even mentions the Lupine. It’s not much. Not nearly enough.” Her answer did not surprise me. Spoken like a true leader, Twilight knew what it took to face an enemy. To know an enemy was half the battle. Knowing the enemy better than they knew themselves was even better. To do either though, you had to know yourself. That final thought caused me to frown. I’d have to do my best to learn about them as well as myself, and I would pray that I figure something out.

As we rounded a corner of the town, a large bakery came into view. The bright colors gave away that Pinkie Pie was the one who lived here. We were about ten feet from the door when Pinkie burst out of them with an overly large pair of sunglasses on.

“Hey guys! What’s going on? Is it a party? Why didn’t I know? I have to get m-“ Twilight cut her off right there.

“Pinkie! There isn’t a party. Princess Celestia wants us in Canterlot…tonight.” Pinkie’s eyes widened to such a size that they were quite possibly larger than the sunglasses.

“Oh boy! I can’t wait! Let’s go!” She hopped and skipped ahead of us, down the street and around the corner. Our group had to speed up to keep up with her, but it was a vain effort. She seemed to disappear, before, suddenly, we found her. We were a little ways out of town and she sat as she looked straight up. When we got there she yelled, “Rainbow! We need to go!” I looked up to where she was, and I saw a house made entirely from clouds. Suddenly a mane of many colors appeared over the edge of one of the clouds. When Rainbow Dash saw who it was, she dove off the cloud. She snapped her wings open ten feet above the ground and came to a screeching halt a few inches before she would have hit.

“What’s wrong?” She was blunt and to the point. I smiled at the approach. It lacked tact, but it was definitely effective.

“Celestia needs us in Canterlot tonight. She wants us there so she can meet with us first thing in the morning. She didn’t say why though.” Rainbow nodded at Twilight’s news and then landed. She was ready to go, and we turned back to town. With everyone gathered I realized that I hadn’t introduced myself to Spike. Twilight had obviously told him who I was, but I felt it necessary to make a formal greeting. I walked over to the little dragon before I spoke.

“You must be Spike. I’m Dohi Waya.” I looked around realizing that I had used my real name. I then corrected myself, “I mean Pathfinder.” He looked at me suspiciously. He obviously didn’t trust me. I was already used to it. I had to accept that nopony could truly trust me, even if they did their best to aid me.

Finally the young dragon said, “Nice to meet you.” That was it. I was prepared for suspicion, but the coldness with which he spoke threw me off.

“Don’t worry about him,” Twilight said. “He’s just grumpy because he wanted to get to bed early tonight. He doesn’t manage well without sleep.” I laughed and Spike scowled.

“I’m not grumpy! I just think I should have been allowed to sleep. She didn’t ask for me to come!” His response was amusing, and it seemed to have played right into Twilight’s hooves.

“Well then, go ahead and stay in the library all alone.” She smiled slyly as the fledgling dragon’s eyes widened.

“Hey! I didn’t say I don’t want to go. I just asked why…” He had to have known he lost the argument, because his voice gradually softened as he spoke. Twilight just rolled her eyes. After this short exchange we only had to walk a bit further before coming up to a large circular building. As we walked around it a pair of large chariots came into view. Two teams of Pegasi were ready to pull them and another met us as we arrived.

“Ms. Sparkle. Princess Celestia sent us to bring you to Canterlot. We were told you had been notified of these arrangements.” The large, armor plated Pegasus spoke in a manner that betrayed his military mind. He obeyed, was hard on himself, and would do anything it took to make sure his mission was completed.

Twilight nodded at his statements and returned, “She told us. Are you ready to leave?” The question didn’t seem necessary. This Pegasus had clearly been ready to leave as soon as he had arrived. He had the whole mission planned, and it was to go off without a hitch. This was a true officer.

“Yes ma’am. We’ll move on your orders.” There was no emotion in the voice of this pony, but I knew that he was far from the emotionless robot many painted soldiers to be. This was merely the façade that a soldier presented. This deception created the illusion absolute control, and it made others feel safe.

“We’re ready to leave now. The sooner we get to Canterlot the better.” Twilight’s response sent the officer into action ordering the Pegasi teams to attention.

“We can only take four per chariot. Except for the dragon. He may go in either chariot.” This didn’t surprise me. Spike wasn’t the biggest, and that meant very little would change with his addition to one of the chariots.

“Okay…Fluttershy, Waya, Spike and I will go with you. Rainbow, Pinkie, Applejack and Rarity will take the other.” The group all nodded at her direction. There was no doubt she was in charge. Even the officer understood this. She may be a civilian, but she had authority. Some of that was given by Celestia, but it also seemed to come to her naturally. She was born to be a leader, but she’d had a good education as well. These things all combined to give her an air of authority.

We stepped into the chariots and in minutes were in the air. As soon as we took off I knew it was going to be rough. I didn’t know before, but I found that I disliked flying…a lot. Luckily the Pegasi flew fast, and the ride took only a few minutes. Even with my dislike of flying, I found the view of Canterlot amazing. The whole city was bathed half in moonlight and half in the fading sunlight. It was quite sight to see. The thing that stuck out the most, however, was the large bubble of magic surrounding the castle. I felt the power of it as we passed through two holes that opened up when we approached.

Finally, and mercifully, we landed in a courtyard. We were met by yet more guards, including a large white Unicorn stallion at the head. At the sight of the stallion I heard a squeal of delight that emanated from Twilight. We had barely touched down before she was out of the chariot and running to him.

“Twiley! How are you little sis?” He asked as she tackled him to the ground with a hug. I chuckled as Twilight stood up to let her brother up.

“Now that I get to see my BBBFF again I’m great!” She replied with enthusiasm that made her brother laugh.

“Well, are you going to introduce me to your new friend?” His tone on the word ‘friend’ clearly implied something. I didn’t know why he would think that, but something caused it.

Twilight blushed at his comment, but she quickly regained her composure and scowled at him, “My friend is Pathfinder. We just met him yesterday. He was hurt so we helped him.” Her tone dared him to say something along the same lines as his previous question.

He had the common sense to apologize, “I didn’t mean it Twily. I was only joking.” He then turned to me before continuing, “Hello Pathfinder. I’m Shining Armor, Twilight’s big brother. I’m also the Captain of the Royal Guard.” There was a clear warning in the statements. I understood and nodded to make sure he knew I did. He turned and started to walk as he talked, “Okay then. Let’s escort you to your rooms. You’re all staying in the usual ones. Except for Waya.” Our group came to a screeching halt at his casual use of my real name. “You all didn’t think I wouldn’t know his real name did you? And I’m surprised at you Twilight. Keeping something from your big brother.” He gave us all a big smile, and I couldn’t help but chuckle as I shook my head in disbelief. The others were just as stunned.

“That’s not fair Shining. I didn’t know if Princess Celestia would tell you. I didn’t want to give a secret away unless absolutely necessary. Especially with the current climate of things.” Twilight’s reply showed she was hurt that her brother would think that she didn’t have a good reason to keep my name from him. I knew he was only playing with her, so to help him out I spoke.

“You’re good. The alias is necessary though.” My return did not fall on deaf ears, as he smiled and bobbed his head

“Twilight I was only joking. Thank you Pathfinder. I know it’s necessary. I am the Captain of the Guard after all. Security measures are my specialty.” He laughed a bit and gestured to the magical bubble.

I raised an eyebrow and asked, “You’re maintaining that shield all by yourself? That’s impressive.” It had to take a lot out of him to keep up such a large barrier. His answer betrayed a hint of pride.

“Yes. It’s my spell. This is nothing compared to the one I had to hold up during the wedding. That one covered the whole of Canterlot. The only side effects are these dang migraines. Luckily the smaller the shield the less frequent they are.” As if on cue he stumbled forward a step with a grimace. Self-sacrifice for the good of all. This was yet another soldier who knew his place.

With that thought, we walked for a short time before finally coming to a stop in front of a group of rooms. “Well Twily, you all know which rooms are yours. I’m going to take Pathfinder here to his room.” The group of them stood to watch us walk away, and they were still standing there by the time I turned a corner and lost them from sight.

“So, what’s happening that requires the shield?” I asked the Captain. He looked down at me as we walked. It was like he couldn’t decide what to make of me. For this reason, when he finally replied, it was a bit of a surprise.

“It’s not so much what has happened, but what needs to happen. The shield isn’t to keep anyone out. It’s to keep a certain group in.” There was an annoyance in his tone when he spoke of the group. There was something about them that bothered this stallion who looked to be otherwise untouchable. I gathered the meaning of what group he was referring to, if only because of my talks with Twilight. I remained quiet the rest of the walk to the room that was to be mine, and Shining returned the favor by remaining stoically silent. The corridors twisted and wound every which way. There was no way I would find my way out of this labyrinthine mess of halls without a guide, or at the least a clear reference point.

Luckily I was provided with just such a reference point when given my room. It had a balcony that gave me almost no view at all, except for the fact that I could see the sky. That was the saving grace of this room. It allowed me to see the sky. The room itself was spacious. It had a large bed and all the amenities. I turned to the stallion responsible for getting me here and I thanked him, “Thank you for leading me here. If you have the chance to thank Princess Celestia for me as well I’d be even more grateful.”

The large Captain of the Guard nodded and replied, “Just be sure to stay out of trouble, and it was Princess Luna that requested you be roomed here. For what reasons, I cannot tell you, because I do not know. I only know this is closer to her room than where the others stay.” I was puzzled by this request, but pleased by it as well. If Princess Luna requested I be moved here, then that meant she obviously knew of me, and she wanted something. I just wished I knew what it was. “Now I’ll take my leave. I’ve been gone far too long from my normal duties, and the shield must be kept up. Goodbye Waya, I know we’ll see each other soon.” The use of my real name was fine as the pair of us had been the only two in the room, and as he left I couldn’t help but feel an enormous amount of respect for him. It seemed respect was something that the whole family commanded.

Once he was gone and my door closed behind him, I laid down on my bed. It had been a long day, but I soon found that I could not sleep. So, as with the night before, I found myself outside as I stared at the moon and stars.
After a while I heard a small click in my room. When I looked back, I saw nopony there and nothing in the room had moved. So, I simply passed it off as mice and went back to admiring the heavens.

“They’re beautiful aren’t they?” A soothing, familiar voice spoke behind me. I almost jumped ten feet in the air at the sneaky pony’s words. After standing up I turned, and, upon seeing who my visitor was, I knelt.

“Princess Luna…”

I hope you enjoyed the chapter...and yes I left you hanging again, because to continue the conversation would have made the chapter much too long for many people. And yes LUNA HAS ARRIVED! All Shall Rejoice!

Comments

[HuskSummers]

588817

Re-read that sentence please... :D
It says ponies and animals.

But let's say for the sake of your argument that it only said animals...you never know whether or not I wrote it like that on purpose... food for thought.

Thank you for pointing out what you thought to be an error though. I really do appreciate it

[Blue Streak]

Holy Horseshoes!! Luna's a ninja!!

[shirotora]

omnes grando in nocte dea
all hail the night goddess

[SketchyStart]

Yay for new chapter (sorry for late comment.
A few mistakes though, nothing serious:

In the part that they're reaching Canterlot You missing an "a" in the sentence "It was quite sight too see"
In the second time Shinning Armour calls by her nickname its written Twily, instead of Twiley.

Still a better job than me, though.

[HuskSummers]

614780

haha no problem with commenting late...It's not as if you're required to, but I do so enjoy your comments

As for the errors...thank you and they shall be fixed...seeing as my writing is done late at night(only real free time I have) I tend to miss my mistakes every once in a while. Typically I catch them in the process of typing them...then I end up backspacing a lot instead of clicking on the mistake and fixing it. As always you are helpful and insightful

And finally Thank you for the compliment!

[Hekate Sketch]

Aye, Luna is sneaky, but I saw that cardboard box in the corner!

So...much...SUSPENSE! must read!