A Dream of Sunny Days

by Roranicus

XXI Soarin

The face in the mirror was one Soarin barely recognized. His once-vibrant emerald green eyes echoed nothing but fatigue. In a few months, he had gone from being adored as one of the Wonderbolts to leading an army attempting to free Equestria from tyranny. Many ponies he cared for had already given their lives for the cause, including Spitfire.

Cloudsdale's military general sighed heavily as he adjusted the collar of his uniform shirt. He had decided to forgo wearing his armor in the city a few weeks ago. As a general, his job was to stay behind and plan, not rush toward danger. If only Spitfire had realized this, if she hadn't been so reckless, she would still be here, leading the army as she should.

He brushed his dark blue mane before nodding severely to himself and making his way to the kitchen. His tired eyes found their way to an old picture of Spitfire and himself winning the gold medal at the Equestria games a few years ago. He sighed again as he turned his gaze away. Spitfire had been murdered by cowards in Canterlot, and the only thing he could do was to win this war in her name.

The general poured himself a quick bowl of oats. He wasn't hungry, but knew that he should start the day with at least a half-decent meal. He looked outside his window and lost himself in the sights. His house, located on the edge of one of the highest clouds, offered him a gorgeous view of the city of Cloudsdale. The city wasn't as busy as it used to be. Ever since he had ordered it moved to the Crystal Mountains, a good segment of urban life had come to a halt. There wasn't really a need to manufacture weather, and the cold, northern climate kept most ponies inside when not working or on duty. It's not like many ponies still hold non-military jobs, he thought grimly. So many have been recruited into the army.

Soarin's days had become pretty routine once the city had been established in its new location. He would make sure all the recruits got proper training, and then either assign them to one of the strike forces or send them over to Vanhoover or Las Pegasus — the two cities that proclaimed their loyalty to Princess Luna. Fillydelphia had done the same, but the griffon army had been quick to come in and "pacify" the city. Both Princess Luna and Soarin decided it would be best to reinforce the remaining loyal cities to prevent the same from happening again.

He finished eating and left his empty bowl in the sink before taking a few steps onto his modest balcony. He eyed a turquoise-coated pony flying in his direction. Is she back already? he asked himself as he attempted to make out the pegasus's features. He nodded to himself as he recognized Sergeant Lightning Dust, probably his best field officer.

"Sergeant," he said with grogginess in his voice.

"General, Sir," she responded with a proud salute as she landed on his balcony. "I apologize for bothering you in your home, but I wanted to announce that the mission was a success."

Soarin slowly nodded. "Good. I take it the buffaloes accepted our offer?"

Lightning grinned. "With the help of the Las Pegasus militia, we got rid of every changeling in both Appleoosa and the buffalo camps. They all swore fealty to Princess Luna as a result."

"Good work, Sergeant," Soarin replied as he stepped inside. "I'm making some coffee. Do you want any?"

"No thanks, sir," Lightning continued as she awkwardly waited outside.

"You can come in. Is there anything more?"

"Thank you, sir," she said as she took a step in. "I kept the best for last. Blueblood decided to send in his troops way too late. My squad was still in the area when we heard they were coming. We got them without taking a single casualty. Best of all, we captured Lieutenant Breezerunner, one of Silvermane's top officers."

The corners of Soarin's mouth slightly curved up. "Well done, Sergeant. Hopefully whatever we learn from him can give us an edge."

"With your permission, I'll get started on him, sir," Lightning continued as she stood just beyond the balcony door.

"Don't bother," Soarin said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "We have interrogators for this kind of stuff. I'd much rather have you in the field."

Soarin did not fail to notice the subtle frown on Lightning's face. No doubt she was hoping for a promotion, or at least some chance to prove she could be more than a field officer. She's my top field operative. I should give her some kind of reward, but I need her out there where her quick thinking is useful, not behind a desk where she'll get impatient and make rash decisions. The general took a long sip of coffee. He winced slightly as the hot liquid burned the tip of his tongue.

"Fly with me," he ordered after a moment's thought. She nodded as she accompanied him on the balcony, where they both took to the air.

They flew in silence for a few minutes. Soarin breathed the cool mountain air as he soared in the wind. Cloudsdale had been moved between a series of tall, rocky peaks about a day's flight away from Yakyakistan. Its altitude was also lower than it used to be, as to better hide it from griffon scouts. The mountains managed to cut the worst of the cold northern winds, but freezing breezes would still often chill his bones.

Soarin turned to his subordinate. If the sergeant was bothered by the cold, it did not show in her stern demeanor as she flew in perfect formation with him. "I'm promoting you to captain," he said flatly.

Her ears perked up as she grinned again. "Thank you, sir."

"This doesn't change your mission," he continued. "To be blunt, you're too good in the field to waste training rookies or planning assaults. You'll stick with the same unit, although you might also be called to lead larger offensives."

"You can count on me, sir."

"One last thing," Soarin added as he met her eyes. "I've seen you in training often enough to know you can be reckless and overly eager to please. I want no unnecessary risks down in Equestria. Your orders are to lead hit-and-fly attacks. Target supply routes or isolated patrols. If you see a sizable enemy force, you are to run, not engage them."

"Of course, General," Lightning replied with a light frown.

"I mean it," he continued. "Recklessness is what almost cost us this war. The griffons are better trained and better equipped than we are."

"I know, sir," she said with a sigh. "If I may speak freely?"

Soarin nodded. "You may."

"Rainbow Dash was a good friend of mine. She may not have thought much of me, but I looked up to her. I won't let those monsters do to me and my troops what they did to her, and I plan on living long enough to get my revenge."

"Revenge, is it?" Soarin said as he gazed into the distance. "I suppose that's as good a motivation as any. Just make sure not to let it go to your head." He forced himself to smile at her.

She shook her head and chuckled lightly. "It won't, Sir. Thanks for trusting me with this responsibility."

The fact that you're thanking me for sending you into the fire is what worries me, he thought. He instead only grunted at her as he adjusted his course to land in front of town hall.

"Get your troops rested for today," he ordered after they had both safely landed. "Tomorrow, I want you to head to the Saddlefree woods. Hide in there and cause as much trouble as you can."

"Yes, General," Lightning replied with a salute before flying away.

Soarin took a deep breath and headed inside. The guards at the entrance nodded at him as he entered, and one unicorn quickly scanned him to make sure he wasn't a changeling — a measure that would no doubt prove essential after the events in Appleoosa.

A white-coated unicorn with a blue mane and brilliant violet eyes smiled at him as he came in. She motioned for him to follow her.

"Good morning, Vinyl," Soarin politely said. "I take it Octavia is ready to see me?"

Vinyl Scratch, the assistant to Princess Luna's new propaganda officer, nodded pleasantly at Soarin. She led him to the conference room at the back of the hall.

"Ah, she must still be with the buffalo ambassador," he continued.

The unicorn grinned at him.

They both made their way inside the large conference room. It was currently occupied by Octavia herself, a gray mare with a long black mane. In front of her sat a small, light brown buffalo. Vinyl took a seat in the back.

"General Soarin," Octavia said as she stood. "May I introduce you to Little Strongheart, ambassador for the buffalo tribes and the ponies of Appleoosa."

"Ambassador," Soarin said with a polite nod.

"General," Strongheart replied with a smile. "I wanted to thank you personally for sending troops to help my people when Canterlot would do nothing."

"Thank the ponies of Las Pegasus," Soarin continued. "We asked them for their assistance in this matter when they chose to join our cause. They supplied the needed troops."

"All under Princess Luna's order, of course," Octavia completed with a smile. "Unlike Prince Blueblood, the Princess of the Night is willing to act and protect all of her subjects, even non-ponies."

"And in return, she will have our loyalty," Little Strongheart finished with a knowing smile.

"So I take it the two of you agreed on the terms of our arrangement?" Soarin asked.

"In a matter of speaking," Octavia said as she met his eyes. "We will have free access to the Appleoosan desert, and both the ponies and buffaloes living there will be willing to offer us a share of their harvest."

"In exchange, we demand protection from any aggressive move by Canterlot," Little Strongheart completed.

"I can post some troops there," Soarin completed. "Our forces are spread thin as it is, though."

"I don't believe too many soldiers will be necessary," Octavia said, prompting both the general and the ambassador to turn in her direction. "Ambassador, I would like you and your people to spread the word. I will do the same with my agents. Let everypony in Equestria know that it was Princess Luna who rescued Appleoosa from the changelings. Should Canterlot threaten your people, they will be seen as the aggressors, attempting to reconquer liberated land."

"Smart," Soarin said. "They can either let us keep Appleoosa, a strip of territory with little strategic value, or appear as tyrants."

"Little strategic value, but immense symbolic value," Octavia completed with a knowing smile.

Little Strongheart frowned. "It may not have strategic value, but it is my home."

"Don't worry," Soarin replied as he walked to Strongheart and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "We promised we would defend your home, and we will, strategic value or not."

---

Like most food from Yakyakistan, the strange white grains on Soarin's plate tasted too salty on top of being too dry. Octavia had hammered down an arrangement with Prince Rutherford a few weeks ago: food in exchange for help in managing yak weather. It kept Cloudsdale fed without risking supply caravans from Equestria being followed. The downside was food that wasn't very friendly to the pony palate.

He smiled politely at Commander Tinkerboom, who sat to his right at the officer's table. It had been Princess Luna's idea to have all of her officers eat their evening meals together in the large officer's mess. The room used to be town hall's main meeting room, before the building had been appropriated by the Princess. These suppers gave them time to discuss strategy while keeping their days open for other duties.

"Good work with the buffaloes, Octavia," Tinkerboom said as she munched on a spoonful of the yak rice.

"It should indeed help us gain some support in Equestria," Octavia replied. "After the fiasco in Ponyville, many ponies are still afraid of us."

Princess Luna nodded from the place of honor, at the end of the table. "Indeed. Fewer and fewer dreams are open to me. We need more victories of the sort if I am to make my return."

"I agree that this is a step in the right direction," Soarin continued, "but we should still be cautious. We're far from ready to face the griffons directly."

"So you keep saying, General," Commander Rapidfire, a pale gray Wonderbolt who had shown talent with both strategy and training regiments, replied. "Our troops are getting better though, and they will need to see action soon. I imagine we'll also learn something from the Canterlot officer Sergeant Lightning Dust captured."

All eyes turned toward Tinkerboom, as one of her officers was in charge of the interrogation. "One major piece of information we learned is that Silvermane doesn't quite trust the griffons. This is information we could use to our advantage," she said.

"I'll definitely keep that in mind," Octavia replied.

"Good work, Commander Tinkerboom," Soarin said before turning his attention to Rapidfire. "Commander Rapidfire, I want you to send the ponies you feel are ready to Vanhoover and Las Pegasus. Their new commanding officers can assign them guard duty, and help reinforce our cities. I also want extra drills in both of those cities. We'll need to recruit and train more ponies if we're to face the griffons in battle."

"Recruit how?" Tinkerboom asked, raising an eyebrow. "If you just ask for volunteers, you won't get the forces you want. There's already talk of discontent in our occupied cities." She eyed Soarin severely.

"Vanhoover and Las Pegasus are both too far removed from Canterlot," Octavia said after a short sip of wine. "Most ponies living there don't really care who sits the throne."

"Volunteers might not suffice," Rapidfire added. "We're using too many soldiers to protect cities that give us very little in return."

"So you're suggesting mandatory conscription?" Soarin asked with a weak sigh. This wasn't the first time the idea had been pitched. Did they have that right?

"We already did it in Cloudsdale, Sir," Rapidfire replied as his brow furrowed. "If I may be so bold, you can't hesitate about these things. We need more ponies, and we won't get them unless we do what's necessary."

"I agree with the general," Octavia added with a frown. "Force ponies into service and we might breed mutiny."

Luna, who had been silently watching the exchange, eyed her officers sternly. "This is not the first war I have fought. When my sister and I had to defend Equestria against invaders, everypony was expected to do their part."

"With all due respect, Your Highness," Octavia replied as she met the princess's eyes. "Times have changed. Ponies have certain expectations. Loyalties are also divided. Conscripting Blueblood loyalists could prove disastrous."

Luna's tone raised ever so slightly. "You were brought here because you understand morale and have a large network of contacts, Octavia. It will be your job to motivate the troops. Offer something more to ponies who volunteer for service. Make sure each and every soldier understands the consequences of leaving Blueblood on the throne."

"I'll see what I can do," Octavia said with a sigh.

"This is not a war we can win by attrition," the princess continued. "Hit and run tactics can help destabilize the enemy in the short term, but large scale assaults are what will reclaim the throne. We need soldiers for that."

Soarin frowned. "As unpleasant as this is, you are right, Your Highness. We have no choice. Canterlot's army is growing, and we won't be able to feed our forces forever in this forsaken wasteland. The faster we recruit and train, the faster we can attack Canterlot and force Blueblood to surrender."

"That's what I like to hear!" Rapidfire said with a wide grin as he slammed his hoof on the table, tossing some food around his plate in the process. "We need more action, and soon."

"Only when I deem us ready, Commander," Soarin said in a tone that brook no arguments.

"Of course, General," Rapidfire politely replied before taking a sip of wine and changing the subject. "And what about Shining Armor? I heard his band has been whisking ponies we expected to recruit away to Manehattan or the Crystal Empire. Some say he even helped deserters escape to Canterlot."

"We can expect him to react badly to the conscription," Octavia said with a frown. "Perhaps he might try to sabotage our operations."

"I say we hunt him down," Rapidfire said, banging his hoof on the table again. "He openly mocks us by taking away ponies who should be doing their part to help restore Princess Luna to the throne."

Luna shook her head firmly. "Do nothing for now. Should he openly oppose us, then we'll act. For now, I'm willing to accept the loss of a few rebellious potential recruits in exchange for staying in Princess Cadance's good graces."

"As you command, Your Highness," Soarin replied with a bow, thankful that Luna put an end to this particular topic.

Luna nodded at the general. "Indeed. In the meantime, how is your new strategy faring in Equestria?"

"We're starting to disrupt the enemy," Soarin said. "But it might not be enough. I'll be assigning more troops to hit-and-fly missions. If they can motivate acts of disobedience in villages where Canterlot gets its food, it will be even better."

"I have something that could be useful for that," Tinkerboom added as she leaned toward Soarin. "The stealth armor design is ready, and we can start producing it. We should be able to equip ponies so they stay hidden in forests, in snow, even in the desert."

"Good," Soarin said with a nod. "How about those explosives you were talking about?"

"I have a prototype ready for testing," the earth pony commander continued with a grin. "We can try them out whenever you're ready."

"At your convenience," Soarin said. "Just make sure you don't cause an avalanche or otherwise risk giving away our location."

Tinkerboom nodded. "Don't worry, sir. I don't expect trouble."

"Not expecting trouble is how we went from having the upper hoof to hiding in the frozen mountains," the general mumbled under his breath.

Princess Luna raised an eyebrow and stared at him. "We have learned from those mistakes, General. You've made excellent work as my army's new leader." She raised her head and looked at every officer around the long table. "Each and every one of you has my full confidence. We must be cautious, as the general suggests, but also learn and improve. I will not spend the next decade hiding here in the cold."

"And we won't let that happen, Your Highness," Rapidfire replied, renewed determination in his tone.

"Of that, I have no doubt." The princess smiled knowingly.

"To Princess Luna!" Octavia announced as she raised her glass. "To the true ruler of Equestria!"

"To Princess Luna!" Soarin and his officers replied as they mirrored the gesture.

---

Princess Luna, to Soarin's surprise, was the last pony to leave the officer's table. While she usually kept to herself, she had been spending more time outside her quarters these last few days. It was probably Octavia's influence; the former musician had shown great talent for getting ponies to do what she wanted. It seemed even the princess wasn't immune.

The earth pony mare in question stood up from her seat and politely wished both the general and the princess a good night. Soarin was about to do the same when Luna raised a hoof. "A moment, General."

"Your Highness?" Soarin asked as he sat back down.

"You've done tremendous work under difficult circumstances," the princess began. "I know it wasn't easy for you." She rose and turned toward the exit. "Would you accompany me to my quarters for a glass of wine? I believe you could use some time away from your routine."

Soarin frowned. "I have training to supervise tomorrow morning-"

"It is neither wise nor polite to refuse an offer from royalty," Luna warned, cutting him off. Her tone was almost playful.

"Very well, as my princess commands," Soarin hesitantly replied. Truth be told, he had never been inside Luna's personal quarters. He had to admit to a certain level of curiosity.

The general accompanied the princess outside of the large dining room. Lieutenant Moonshadow, Luna's personal bodyguard, was waiting outside the door. The bat pony's piercing glare always seemed disconcerting to Soarin. The night guard almost never smiled, and was never seen in public when off-duty. He followed his princess closely like a trained hound.

They flew up to the top of the clock tower using town hall's vertical hallway. Like in many large buildings in Cloudsdale, there were no stairs. They arrived at the top and found a large cloudsteel door. Luna approached it and opened it with her magic.

"You may wait here, Lieutenant," Luna told her bodyguard.

The guard frowned as he eyed Soarin suspiciously. "I'll be nearby should you need me, Your Highness."

Soarin raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He tentatively followed the princess inside the large room. A large bed dominated the center, surrounded by a midnight blue canopy. One corner of the room was organized as a study, with three comfortable-looking purple sofas, two bookshelves filled with old tomes, and a cabinet containing both wine glasses and tea cups. The other corner of the room was home to a wooden dresser with a large mirror. Soarin gulped as he stepped inside.

"Do make yourself comfortable," Luna invited as she stepped toward one of the sofas.

Soarin followed her and sat on the sofa closest to the exit. He forced an awkward smile as the princess levitated two wine glasses out of her cabinet. "I hope you like red," the princess continued.

"I'll take whatever you offer, Your Highness."

The princess frowned slightly, but said nothing. She slowly shook her head as she opened a drawer and levitated a bottle out, quickly studying the label before nodding and turning back toward Soarin. "This is a bottle that the duke of Maretania gave my sister and I on our last visit," she said in a pensive tone. "I was hoping to share it with her, but that won't be possible now."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Soarin replied, careful not to meet the princess's eyes.

"It's just a bottle of wine," Luna replied with a light chuckle. "While I still grieve my sister, I refuse to live in the past." She uncorked the bottle with her magic.

"Well, I'm honored that you would share it with me," Soarin continued, uncertain on how to react.

Luna smiled at him as she poured the red maretonian into their glasses. "Letting go of the past is never easy, my dear general."

"I'll take your word for it, Your Highness."

"You don't need to," the princess continued as she levitated her glass and enjoyed its bouquet. "I can see how troubled you are."

"You've been inside my dreams," Soarin flatly said as he eyed his still untouched glass.

"I have," Luna confirmed. "I could still tell that something was bothering you, even if I hadn't." She took a deep breath as she sat down on the sofa directly in front of Soarin. "You still think about her a lot, don't you?"

Soarin picked up his glass, staring at the liquid contained inside. "This wine is from Maretonia? Could we ask them for help against Blueblood?"

"I already sent them multiple letters. They're committed to neutrality." Luna took a sip of wine. "You haven't answered my question. Do you still think about her?"

The general took a generous sip and sighed deeply. "You mean Spitfire, don't you?"

Luna nodded once. She offered a comforting smile.

"We grew up together. We served in the Wonderbolts together our entire lives. Of course her death bothers me."

"There is more to it than that," Luna pressed on.

Soarin sighed again. He took another sip, and rolled the wine around his mouth a few times. It tasted sweet, with hints of raspberries. "She never knew," he admitted. "We were too close for me to risk breaking that friendship. She was my captain, then she was my general. I would have followed her to Tartarus."

"But you didn't," Luna continued softly, her cyan eyes still locked on Soarin. "She went to fight a losing battle in Ponyville, and you stayed behind."

"I was following orders," Soarin continued in a raspy voice. "The priority was protecting you, Your Highness. It still is."

"We're not talking about me right now. We're talking about you."

Soarin stood up and slowly shook his head. He stared down at his hooves. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Your Highness, I really do. This is not something I want to deal with. I will continue to serve you, and my problems won't affect my performance-"

"Sit!" Luna interrupted, her tone rising ever so slightly. "Your princess commands it."

Soarin sat down with a sigh. "As you command."

The princess took a deep breath. "It's not enough for you to do your duty, General Soarin. You are giving away much so that I might take my throne. You have shown multiple times that you trust me as a ruler. Yet when I tried to intervene within your dream and take away your fears, your mind pushed me away."

"I don't want you to take away my fears!" Soarin finally snapped as he stood back up. "We should be afraid. We're facing impossible odds. Lack of fear is what got Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Rainbow Dash killed."

Luna smiled knowingly as she took another small sip of wine. "As I mentioned earlier, nopony should live in the past."

"So I should just forget about Spitrife?" Soarin yelled. "I should just forget about the innocent ponies we're sending to their deaths?"

"So you believe our war is wrong," Luna said as she ignored the outburst and calmly placed her cup back on the table.

Soarin breathed heavily. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. My tone was inexcusable." He slowly sat back down. "Of course, what we're doing isn't wrong. Blueblood is a tyrant who must be stopped. Unless you are restored to the throne, Equestria is doomed to fall. Any number of warlike nations would see it as ripe for the taking without an alicorn princess at the helm. You are needed as a symbol, and this doesn't even take into account your considerable magic."

Luna sighed as her features relaxed. "Then you know the conflicts that I'm going through. I would like nothing more than for all of this to stop. I do not have a choice, though. As long as I'm alive, Blueblood's claim will always be threatened. He will hunt me down, and anypony who's loyal to me will be in danger. Now that he allied himself with Griffingard, he's even more of a threat. Still, would I take a way out if it was offered to me?"

Soarin stared perplexed at the princess before realization came to him. "This is why you ordered that we not allow Shining Armor to see you. You were afraid you would accept whatever offer he had."

"I admire you, General," Luna said as she stared at her glass. "You could have taken the easy way out yourself, but you kept on fighting. I'm not sure I could do the same."

"We all draw our strength from you, Your Highness."

"You draw your strength from the idea you all have of me," Luna corrected as she raised her hoof. "I'm just one pony. So was my sister. This might have been her biggest mistake, you know. She allowed ponies to see her as larger than life. No wonder the kingdom has fallen apart now that she's gone. Even I can't fill her shoes."

"It's true," Soarin admitted as he took a deep breath and met the princess's gaze. "We all took Princess Celestia for granted."

"This isn't the first time Equestria has been at war," Luna continued as she picked up her glass again. "We've fought Griffingard before, as well as Zebrica. Other pony tribes also attempted to create their own nations, some of them militaristic in nature. All of it happened centuries ago, and now only exists in tomes few ponies take the time to read."

"But you remember," Soarin completed. "You remember, and can see this old Equestria returning."

Luna nodded. "I was like you once. I would have followed Celestia anywhere. When she tried to build the peaceful nation we enjoyed for so long, I did not understand. I grew jealous and felt she would only weaken her subjects by eliminating hardship from their lives."

"Is this how-" Soarin began before the princess cut him off.

"It took decades for the transformation to manifest itself, but yes, this is how Nightmare Moon was born." Luna spoke in an uncharacteristically weak voice.

Soarin picked up his glass again and took another sip. His eyes wandered to the bookcase on his left. He read a few titles: The Elements of Harmony; The Reign of Discord; Kings of Unicornia. Finally, he turned back to the princess. "Why are you telling me all this, Your Highness?"

Luna chuckled lightly. "Because we should get to know each other. Honesty tends to help with that" she winked as she took another sip. "And I think we both feel a bit lonely. Here we are, trying desperately to restore the Equestrian throne while hiding in the frozen north. We're both making impossible decisions, all the while having to save face in front of our subjects. I figured we could take some time to enjoy a glass of wine together."

Soarin finally allowed himself a smile as he took a sip of his own. "I don't know much about wine, but it seems like a good vintage."

"One fit for a princess," Luna replied as both the general and the princess shared a light giggle.

"You know, Your Highness," Soarin said. "I don't think I've laughed ever since all of this began."

"Please, call me Luna. I have enough ponies around me insisting on titles."

"As you wish, Luna," the name felt strange on Soarin's tongue. He took a deep breath and smiled a bit awkwardly. "You're right. I will never forget Spitfire, and I should have told her everything. What's done is done though."

"She will always live on in your dreams, Soarin. You still have a life to live. Do not live it in Spitfire's shadow, or in my own."

"It will take time," Soarin admitted in a soft voice.

"Every worthwhile thing does," Luna continued with a smile. She chuckled lightly after a moment. "Say, have you ever wondered how Blueblood can possibly be Celestia's nephew? I can promise that he is definitely not my son."

Soarin pondered the question a moment. "You know, I never really thought about it. Were they even related?"

"They were," Luna said with another wink. "The nephew story was just my sister trying to hide her age. Celestia was actually his great-great-grandmother. His great-grandfather was the only son my sister had with her last consort."

"Wait," Soarin said with a light gasp. "You mean to tell me Celestia had foals?"

Luna chuckled again. "Come now, Soarin. You know how old I am, how old my sister was. Do you really think we never once considered motherhood in all of this time? Or that we never wanted to enjoy intimacy with a stallion? I've taken twelve different consorts in my life, although none since my return from banishment."

"I suppose it makes sense," Soarin hesitantly said, still struggling with the idea.

"This is actually where many noble families come from. They are the descendants of the children Celestia had with her various consorts over the years. A few of the older names can even trace their lineage back to me. Not that they would admit it."

Soarin suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Wait, why are you telling me about royal consorts?"

"I thought it was interesting," Luna replied with a knowing wink. "As I mentioned earlier, ponies in positions of power often need comfort."

"And you believe I would need... comfort," Soarin suggested as he blushed lightly. He eyed the princess up and down. She was certainly a beautiful mare.

"Everypony does," Luna replied with a sly smile.

Soarin took another sip of wine. "I believe I'll have another glass, Your Highness."

Comments

[tom117z]

7483241 I'd prefer Luna and Twi as that was Tia's final wish, that and I don't think any of them are truly meant to rule alone, together they thrive but apart problems arise.

[The Great Derpsby]

How cynical is it that I wonder if Luna is at least partly doing this to ensure Soarin's loyalty?

[Circut Breaker]

Things seem to be looking up for the rebels.

[Golden Fang Ryu Shenron]

Luna, I really hope you know what you're doing, because I'm starting to lose a lot of faith in you right now. If you really involved the Crusaders into this then...

[OmalleyCaboose5]

Soarin breathed heavily. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. My tone was inexcusable." He slowly sat back down. "Of course, what we're doing isn't wrong. Blueblood is a tyrant who must be stopped. Unless you are restored to the throne, Equestria is doomed to fall. Any number of warlike nations would see it as ripe for the taking without an alicorn princess at the helm. You are needed as a symbol, and this doesn't even take into account your considerable magic."

Soarin so far is one of the only perspectives I find myself agreeing with.

I do believe Luna is in her right to fight for the throne... But she has also been to reckless in that fight and not carried it out with the consideration of the people. Thats what led to the first failure.

Shinings Pacifism irked me greatly. Everyone in canterlot is a moron.

[OmalleyCaboose5]

My response to the end of this chapter,...

Bowchickabowwow