A Dream of Sunny Days

by Roranicus

XXXI Soarin

Masses of curious onlookers surrounded the princess's tower, airborne soldiers keeping them at bay. Soarin flew over the crowd and groaned as he landed onto the balcony. The guards moved aside, nopony uttering a word as he silently observed the scene.

The princess's body lay lifeless on the ground. Soarin took a few hesitant steps toward his lover only to find a spearhead deeply lodged in the back of her neck. A light pink pegasus with a red cross on her flank shook her head apologetically.

"Who did this?" Soarin asked, carefully enunciating every syllable. He tried to keep his erratic breathing under control.

"It was Lightning Dust," Moonshadow said from inside the princess's quarters. The bat pony's ears drooped while his muzzle twisted in a wince and his red eyes avoided Soarin. "I take full blame for what happened here, General. I shouldn't have let that traitor enter unescorted."

"Where is Lightning now?" Soarin asked, his eyes trained on Moonshadow.

"I had the guards take her into custody. They're probably beating the truth out of her as we speak."

Soarin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'll want to interrogate her myself. And what about the filly, Scootaloo? Was she in on this?"

Moonshadow shook his head. "She's heavily traumatized. One of the nurses is with her now. She's the only one who witnessed the events."

Soarin nodded. "I'll want a word with her, too. I imagine from the commotion that it's too late to keep this a secret?"

"It happened on the balcony. The filly's screams attracted onlookers, and the word spread out. At least the guards got here before the culprit could escape."

"I'll sort out this mess later," Soarin said with a sigh and a dismissive gesture. His eyes wandered back to Luna's body. Her once-flowing mane lay motionless, the stars that once gave it its majesty extinguished. Her cyan eyes were closed, with an unnatural stiffness to her eyelids. The nurse examining the body hesitated a moment before stepping aside. Nopony will ever know what she truly meant to me, he reflected as tears welled up in his eyes. He closed them and ground his teeth. "Lightning will pay dearly for this, so will the Canterlot traitors who put her up to this."

"We serve at your command, sir," the nurse said, confusion in her voice.

Soarin rose. "Make sure the body is prepared for the funeral as soon as possible. The sooner we can honor her memory, the sooner we can avenge her."

"Yes General."

Soarin turned his attention to Scootaloo, who was wrapped up in a blanket, crying into the wing of another pegasus nurse on one of the couches. He sighed as he walked toward them. The nurse shook her head. "She saw everything?" Soarin asked.

"She did," the nurse said. "I don't think you'll get much out of her right now."

"What did you see?" Soarin asked as he pushed the nurse's wing away from Scootaloo. "How did Luna die?"

The filly averted her eyes and quietly sobbed. "I need to know," Soarin insisted.

"She won't be able to say anything, sir," the nurse insisted. "She's traumatized. Let me take her down to the infirmary. Maybe I can give her hot cocoa? You'll have to wait for your answers."

Soarin groaned. "Our ruler is dead, and you worry about getting a filly some hot cocoa?"

The nurse rose and frowned as she stared down Soarin. "Right now, I don't care that you're the leader of this army. I have a traumatized patient, and I will care for her. You trying to force her to talk is not helping."

"Fine," Soarin said with a sigh. He turned his attention to a guard. "You, escort this nurse and her patient back to the infirmary. Report to me as soon as the filly is ready to talk."

"Yes sir," the guard said with a salute.

"Thank you General," the nurse said, bowing her head.

Soarin returned his attention to Luna's body. Whatever happened, he would have to get to the bottom of it. He took a deep breath and walked toward Moonshadow. "Lieutenant Moonshadow, take me to the prisoner."

---

Lightning Dust was being held in one of the cells within the military headquarters. Two guards were at work beating her when Soarin walked in. She had a black eye, and one of her teeth was on the floor. She spat blood as a soldier kicked her in the ribs.

"You want a go at her, sir?" the earth pony stallion who had been punching her in the face asked as he kicked one of her legs.

"I'm here to interrogate the prisoner," Soarin said. "Make her stand."

"Get up," the second soldier, a gray pegasus, ordered. The two guards picked Lightning up and forced her on her hooves.

"One question," Soarin said with a stern glare. "Why?"

"To end the war," Lightning said. She struggled to stand and couldn't keep her head up. "If this is what it takes for this insanity to end, then I'm glad I killed her." She tried to smile, displaying a bloody muzzle full of broken teeth. "Now there's no point in you killing anypony in the name of a dead monarch."

"You really think your actions will make us pack up and surrender?" Soarin said. He spat on the cell floor. "You forgot what we're fighting against. I will never accept griffon tyranny, regardless of what happens. You haven't ended anything, Lightning Dust. What you did is murder one of the most remarkable ponies who ever lived. Equestria will mourn her loss, and your name will be vilified alongside monsters such as Tirek and Sombra."

"At least Equestria will vilify me in peace," Lightning said as she winced in pain. "We'll no longer see fillies running off in blind worship to a warmongering princess."

"You don't get to control our fate!" Soarin spat. "Your execution will serve as an example to ponies who doubt our mission."

"Isn't that what you wanted out of me? To die for a cause? You'll get your wish. It just won't be for Luna's cause. I'm done sending ponies to the slaughter in her name."

Soarin turned to the soldiers. "Break a confession out of her. I want her to cry with remorse at her execution."

"With pleasure, sir," the earth pony soldier said with a grin as he punched Lightning in the stomach.

Soarin left the cell with a heavy frown. Moonshadow was waiting for him, and Rapidfire had joined him. "I just heard, General," Rapidfire said, his gray face twisted with concern. "Did you get anything out of that traitor?"

Soarin sighed. "Apparently she did it to end the war."

"We should send Blueblood her severed head!" Rapidfire snapped.

"Let's give Princess Luna a proper funeral first," Soarin said. "Then we'll decide how we want to counterattack."

Moonshadow gasped. "General, with all due respect, you may be making a mistake."

"The only mistake that was made here is you failing as a bodyguard," Rapidfire said. "You don't get to second-guess military officers."

Soarin raised his hoof. "Let him speak, Commander."

"Thank you General," the bat pony said with a sigh. "Commander, I will gladly face whatever punishment I deserve for failing in my duty. What I mean is, why counterattack? With our princess gone, what are we fighting for? Is that really what Princess Luna would have wanted?"

"You traitor!" Rapidfire pushed Moonshadow against the wall. "Our princess's body is still warm, and you're already talking about abandoning her cause? You're a disgrace."

"We won't abandon the war," Soarin said. "Not as long as a single griffon soldier still breathes. I will not let Canterlot win just because they convinced one cowardly soldier to betray us and murder the princess. Lieutenant Moonshadow, you will guard the princess's body until her funeral. Once this is done, you will be demoted to private."

"I understand, General," Moonshadow said with a bow.

"Commander Rapidfire, take me to see Floribunda. She may know something."

"Gladly sir," Rapidfire said.

They left the military headquarters and flew to the prison cloud. The large cloudsteel building that housed Cloudsdale's prisoners loomed over a lone cloud on the edge of the city. Pegasus soldiers patrolled its perimeter, making sure that none of the traitors, would-be deserters, and Blueblood loyalists held inside could escape.

Soarin followed Rapidfire inside the building through the roof entrance. Unlike the more visible buildings in Cloudsdale, this one had no access for wingless ponies. Guards saluted as the two officers made their way to an isolated cell in the high-security wing.

"I'll speak to her alone," Soarin ordered as they approached the door.

"I'll wait here, sir," Rapidfire said with a salute.

Soarin stepped in and found Floribunda sitting at a desk. While few luxuries were permitted in prison, she had been allowed room to write — the brass had figured she might betray information through writing.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, General?" the prisoner asked without taking her eyes away from the paper.

"You really don't know, do you?"

Floribunda placed her quill back on the desk and turned to face Soarin. "I'm afraid I'm not as well informed as I used to be."

"Lightning Dust," Soarin said. "Name ring a bell to you?"

"I'm afraid that it does not. Is she one of yours or one of ours? I must admit that all these soldier names confuse me after a while."

Soarin ground his teeth, trying to ignore Floribunda's contemptuous tone. "That's what I'm trying to determine."

"I'm afraid that you have the wrong pony. I had nothing to do with military operations. I don't have the stomach for it. Honestly, General, you do not truly believe General Silvermane would have permitted me to be traded as a hostage if I knew anything of value, do you?"

"Enough games," Soarin spat. "Did you or did you not have an assassin in our ranks?"

Floribunda sighed. "How would you expect me to know? The royal council was never tasked with military matters. We left such unpleasantness to General Silvermane and Centurion Bouvier. If you have questions about Equestria's education system, however, I would be thrilled to answer them."

Soarin's brow furrowed. "Let's pretend I believe you. I hope you have something for me, or I might reconsider your usefulness." He took a deep breath. "I will ask again. What do you know about the spies and assassins in our midst?"

"I'm sure General Silvermane employs spies and assassins, but I was never privy to her plans. I'm not even aware of what's prompting this visit, General."

Ponyfeathers. What she says makes sense. She probably was never told of any plans. Soarin cursed under his breath. If Floribunda couldn't help with the investigation, she would have to be useful in some other way.

"If you can't give us useful information, then there's only one fate for you," Soarin said. "You were part of the very council that allowed the griffon invaders to come to our land. You're one of the ponies who refused the throne to its rightful owner, Princess Luna."

"I would say that this is a matter of interpretation," Floribunda said, "but I don't believe you wish to debate it."

"You will be executed alongside the traitor Lightning Dust," Soarin said as he stared the prisoner down.

Floribunda gulped, but kept her head high as she met Soarin's gaze. "Well, at least I am thankful that you gave me time to prepare." She spoke loudly and proudly, although she was betrayed by her shaking voice. "If I may make one request? Please have my uncensored memoirs sent to my husband in Canterlot. I have been writing them for as long as I have been in your custody. With that being said, may I know why I am scheduled to die?"

Soarin ground his teeth. "For the assassination of Princess Luna, rightful ruler of Equestria."

Floribunda gasped, but quickly took a deep breath and kept her head high. "If killing me will end this war, then so be it."

Soarin walked to her. "This is where you're wrong. You think the war was only about Princess Luna? It's not. It's about Blueblood selling off our lives to fuel his own ego. You think that murdering our leader in cold blood will stop us? It will only reignite our fire. Your death will open the way to Canterlot burning."

Floribunda twitched, even as she kept her defiant stare.

---

Soarin poured himself a glass of whiskey. While he hadn't been much of a drinker in his younger days, he had picked up the habit in recent months. "Can I offer you a glass, Commander?" he asked Rapidfire, who was sitting on the sofa in the back of Soarin's study.

Rapidfire shook his head. "No thanks, sir. I'm on duty."

"Aren't we always," Soarin whispered with a sigh as he took a sip. He sat next to Rapidfire. His personal study, like his quarters, was a simple room with only minimal furniture. A few shelves were stocked with Wonderbolts trophies and memorabilia, as well as a few tomes on military history.

"So what do we do now?" Rapidfire asked.

"I was hoping to just have a drink."

"You know what I mean," Rapidfire continued. "We have to give the troops something, and fast. We could face mutiny or mass desertion if we don't focus our soldiers' rage. More than likely, your leadership will be questioned and factions will emerge."

"Don't you think I know that?" Soarin snapped as he stood up, almost spilling his glass in the process.

"I think you're understandably upset, and could use my advice," Rapidfire calmly said from his seat. "Deny it all you want, the relationship you had with the princess was no secret."

Soarin sighed. "And you think I have no right to be upset right now?"

"I think you have every right to be upset, General. You should fuel your anger in a way that will further our cause — further Princess Luna's cause."

"You want me to attack Canterlot, don't you?"

Rapidfire nodded. "It's either that or Lightning wins. As I said, we could face mutiny or desertion. Right now, the Canterlot army is distracted at Vanhoover. They repelled the raid at Ponyville and feel overconfident. They believe that we're too busy securing Manehattan to attack."

Soarin sat back down. He stroked his chin and took another sip. "It would take everything we have to take Canterlot. If we fail, then it's all over."

"If we do nothing it's all over," Rapidfire said as he leaned forward. "Let us at least take out Blueblood. We can place Princess Cadance on the throne after it's done."

Soarin sighed. "We won't have to. There's something I haven't told you."

"Oh?" Rapidfire said, raising an eyebrow.

"Twilight Sparkle is still alive," Soarin said. "She's under some protective spell. Luna found her by entering Rainbow Dash's dreams."

Rapidfire blinked a few times. "Wait, so Dash's still alive, too?"

"According to Princess Luna, they're both being held in High Roost. As I said, Princess Twilight is under some protective spell, but Dash is being tortured. It's only a matter of time before she breaks and lets the griffons know how to bypass the spell."

"How come I was never told about this, sir? I could have helped you plan an attack on High Roost."

Soarin sighed. "That's precisely why. We're in no shape to attack High Roost. The city is well defended against aerial attacks, and the griffons are too well prepared. Remember that they only sent one division to Equestria. The bulk of their army is still in Griffingard, probably massing on the Zebrican border." He took a sip of whiskey. "Princess Luna sent an agent to Griffingard to free the prisoners. It's our best hope." Soarin frowned as he thought of Pinkie Pie. While Luna had been more than willing to trust Rainbow Dash's old friend, he had always favored sending in one of their own instead.

"So what do we do?" Rapidfire asked.

"We attack Canterlot. Once we've taken the city, we can unite Equestria under one banner. We'll reveal the griffon plot to the world, and then ally with Zebrica against Griffingard. After decades of border skirmishes, the zebras would welcome the opportunity. The envoy Luna sent to Zebrica already confirmed as much. In fact, the zebras are just waiting for Griffingard to get distracted enough with Equestria before they strike."

"Good," Rapidfire said, the corners of his mouth perking up. "The troops will be itching for some action."

"Not just action," Soarin corrected. "Revenge. Blueblood has betrayed Equestria. He stole the throne from its rightful ruler and brought nothing but pain and suffering to the nation. He needs to die, and he needs to die slowly. I don't know if Lightning was working for him or not. Either way, I hold him responsible."

Soarin downed his drink in one gulp. "Send your fastest messengers to Commander Tinkerboom in Manehattan. Have her march what troops she can spare to Canterlot. Once the messenger's away, assemble the troops we have in the city. It's time I told everypony what the stakes are, and what the plan is."

Rapidfire nodded. "With pleasure, sir. It's time to end this."

---

Princess Luna's body had been placed in a wooden coffin. Her closed eyes made her face appear peaceful in its stillness, even as her normally flowing mane lay motionless. She had been moved to the coliseum under heavy guard. Later, the body would be brought out and every pony in Cloudsdale would get their chance to grieve. For now, Soarin found himself alone with his princess for the first time since her murder.

He sighed as he moved to the coffin. "I'm not good at this," he whispered under his breath. "Am I supposed to talk to you? To cry and hope you're in a better place? What am I supposed to do now?"

Soarin knelt in front of the coffin and stared at the body. He barely recognized her. There was no sign of the mysterious smile he always found so endearing. Her mane had lost some of its color, and the starlight glow that made it so distinctive was gone.

"They're going to pay for this, Luna," He said as tears fell down his cheeks. "Whatever they told Lightning, this is the last straw. Silvermane is somehow behind it. I know it. She lied to deny you the throne, and somehow she lied to an officer I thought I could trust."

He slammed his head on the side of the coffin. "I should have seen it, Luna. I should have seen it coming. Have I left her out there too long? Was she planning to kill you all along? Either way, I won't let your death be meaningless." Soarin forced himself to stare at his princess's body. "I'll make them pay, Luna. I'll take Canterlot in your name, and make sure everypony remembers you as the great ruler you are, not as these lies they've been making up about you."

Tears were now falling freely. Soarin lost all pretense of self-control. Everypony he had ever cared for had been taken from him by this war. "Is this where caution has left me? While I sit back and plan, the enemy slowly takes away everything I hold dear?"

Soarin sat down in front of the coffin. He cried by himself, staring at the coffin and tried desperately to see the smallest hint of life on Luna's dead body. Minutes passed in silence. He could almost see her smile when he slowly rose to his hooves.

He turned around and found Scootaloo standing awkwardly in the doorway. "S... sorry General," she mumbled. "I'll come back later."

Soarin sighed and shook his head. "It's fine. Lieutenant Moonshadow let you in?"

"Nurse Night Rain said I should say my goodbyes," the filly said as she averted her eyes.

Soarin nodded as he moved aside to let Scootaloo walk to the coffin. She took a few steps, but her legs almost gave out when she got close enough to see the body. She sobbed as her gaze fell downwards.

"I miss her very much, too," Soarin gently said.

Scootaloo turned toward him, her eyes red from crying. "Why did she do it?"

"Who?"

"Lightning."

"I don't know," Soarin said with a quiet sigh. "I've been asking myself the same thing since it happened."

"She helped me," Scootaloo whispered as she leaned before the body. "She took away my nightmares, and kept visiting me in my dreams." She sobbed. "She let me fly."

Soarin stood a respectable distance away, letting the filly mourn Luna. How many ponies had felt his princess's delicate touch through their dreams?

"So what happens now?" Scootaloo asked as she turned her eyes toward a window displaying the starry sky.

"Now, we avenge her. We make Blueblood pay. That, I can promise you."

"It's still night outside," Scootaloo said, still staring out the window.

Soarin frowned. Scootaloo had a point. How long had it been? Definitely too long — the sun should have been raised a few hours ago at least. "I'll write to Princess Cadance."

"She won't be able to do it. Twilight couldn't. Equestria will end up in eternal night."

"We'll figure out something," Soarin said. "Don't worry."

Scootaloo shook her head as her tears started falling again. "No you won't. Princess Luna was the only one who could protect Equestria."

"We'll get rid of Blueblood, then we'll talk to Princess Cadance," Soarin said, placing a hoof around the filly's neck. She tensed up, but didn't push him away.

"It'll be alright," he lied. It was an empty platitude, but the filly didn't seem to care. She cried on his leg.

---

An honor guard was standing on both sides of the cloud onto which Luna's coffin had been placed. The coffin had been mounted on a series of wooden logs, as per the ancient Cloudsdale tradition. Soarin stood next to Commander Rapidfire and other officers, including Moonshadow who had been permitted to stand with the brass; it was to be the bat pony's last act as a lieutenant before he was to be officially demoted.

Every soldier present in the city, as well as a large number of civilian workers, stood at attention throughout the stadium. Soarin stepped in front of the coffin. He brought his hoof to Luna's cheek, crying softly as he touched his princess's smooth fur one last time. "I'm sorry, my love," he whispered.

Soarin took a deep breath and nodded at Moonshadow, who closed the coffin. He moved forward onto the stage and swept the crowd with his eyes. All the soldiers stood at attention. He looked upwards and found Scootaloo on one of the smaller balconies, crying into nurse Night Rain's wing.

"We salute Princess Luna, who died the true ruler of Equestria," He shouted as he saluted. The crowd mirrored his gesture. "She was our ruler, and our beacon of hope." His eyes found their way toward Scootaloo. "She helped countless ponies, not just through inspiration, but directly, by visiting their dreams and vanquishing their nightmares. Luna was the princess of the night, who worked in the shadow to nurture and protect us all." Soarin closed his eyes as he considered his words. "That she was taken from us is a crime against everything Equestria holds dear. Some ponies still feared her as Nightmare Moon in the end, which is a travesty. I came to know Luna very well, and that monster the stories described was well and truly gone. Future generations will never know Luna's protection as they dream, and that is the true crime that was committed." Soarin saluted again. "Princess Luna, we honor you and your memory."

An orchestra began playing Equestria's national anthem as the eight pegasus guards who surrounded Luna's coffin flapped their wings and raised the funeral cloud into the air. Moonshadow picked up a torch and followed them up in the night sky above the stadium.

Soarin forced his face to remain hard and stoic as Moonshadow lit the wooden base of the coffin on fire. The guards, meanwhile, used their wings to push the cloud in the direction of the moon. Princess Luna's body burned as it was carried away to its final resting place, being carried by both the pegasus guards and the horns of a unicorn team standing at the top of the coliseum.

The crowd observed a few minutes of silence as every pair of eyes was trained on the burning pyre, by far the brightest source of light. Soarin looked at them again. It would be so easy to abandon everything, but he couldn't allow Luna's death to remain meaningless. He took another deep breath as he prepared to address the crowd again. "Tonight, we mourn our princess. She died because a traitor feared our enemy and no longer believed that we could overcome tyranny."

The crowd roared in anger. Spears were waved in the air and hooves were slammed on the stadium's floor.

"It's high time I told you all what we're really fighting for," Soarin continued. "Blueblood has been serving the griffons all along. They're holding Commander Rainbow Dash and Princess Twilight Sparkle in High Roost as we speak. This is why Princess Luna died, because these invaders are dead set on killing or capturing every alicorn princess in existence. Once we've taken Canterlot, then we will storm High Roost and teach these griffons what it means to mess with Equestria!"

The crowd gasped in shock. Some soldiers whispered to one another, while others screamed in rage.

Soarin kept on speaking. "For a long time, we hid here, in the mountains, sending raiding parties and plotting in secret. No longer! We have taken Manehattan. Our army numbers in the thousands. It's time to fly to Canterlot and remove the traitors from the throne!"

The crowd yelled its approval, bloodlust clear on everypony's face.

"You've been training for this, the moment we have all been waiting for. Our brave troops in Manehattan, Vanhoover, and Las Pegasus will be joining us in this endeavor. Mark my words; we will execute Blueblood for his treachery, and retake Canterlot in Princess Luna's name!"

Screams of rage and cheers of approval met Soarin's speech. He nodded approvingly, still unable to smile. This should be your victory, my love, not mine.

He turned to Rapidfire, and both pegasus stallions shared a nod. The commander gave two of his soldiers a signal, and a cloud was brought forward on top of a floorless part of the stadium, directly above the sharp rocks making up the desolate Crystal Mountains landscape. The crowd booed and spat when they recognized the two ponies standing on the cloud: Lightning Dust and Floribunda.

Soarin flew up. "Before we move out, we need to send a clear message. We will not tolerate treachery." He flew down in front of the cloud and his brow furrowed. "Lady Floribunda, you have conspired against Equestria's true ruler. You sat on the traitor Blueblood's council while he invited murderous griffons to ravage and plunder our nation. Any last words?"

Floribunda held her head high. While her mane was disheveled and her face sported a few bruises, she managed to maintain a defiant glare. "I have nothing to say to you. Princess Luna engineered her own demise by starting this war. I die knowing I did what was right."

"So be it," Soarin said before turning his attention to the second prisoner. Lightning Dust sported a black eye and multiple bruises, including a few cuts. Her wings were tightly bound on top of having been clipped earlier. "Lightning Dust, you are guilty of assassinating your rightful ruler, Princess Luna of Equestria. You are a disgrace to everything she and this army ever stood for. Do you have anything to say before you die?"

Lightning met Soarin's glare. "Everything I did, I did for peace. While you sit here, hiding in the clouds, ponies die. It seems it'll take even more deaths for you to stop being a fool, Soarin." She coughed and spat blood.

Soarin scoffed. "Floribunda, Lightning Dust, in the name of Princess Luna, I sentence you to die." He nodded at the two pegasus soldiers who had brought in the prisoners.

The two soldiers bucked the cloud the prisoners were standing on, disintegrating it into vapor. Both prisoners fell toward the sharp rocks below, screaming and begging. The crowd roared in approval, and Soarin finally allowed himself a smile as he looked up at the stars.

Comments

[ADFX-NightRaven414]

A fitting end to those Blueblood supporting vermin!

[Raistlin]

8206656

Lighting didn´t give a fuck about Blueblood; she simply blamed Luna for starting the war and for all the lives spent furthering her cause, foals included. She had a point, by the way.

[Sensible Clutter]

I wish we could like chapters; i want to show my support but often have nothing to say!

This is one of my favorite longfics in existence, and I am so thankful you take time to write this.

[The Great Derpsby]

8206656
I hope their attack fails and Soarin dies a horrible death, knowing he failed in his petty revenge. I hate that guy.

If the raid is successful and Blueblood ends up dead, I'm probably going to stop reading. There's only so much I find the will to care about here, and the number is dwindling right now.

[Roranicus]

8207304
You just did. Thanks for the kind words.

8207658
Too much hopelessness? Sounds like criticism I should take in consideration for my future projects, so I'd be interested in knowing more about elements you dislike. I will say that the misguided pettyness on Soarin's part was very much intended on my part. I will admit that I struggled a bit to make him relatable in this chapter, which probably isn't my best one. In hindsight, I probably should have taken more time to explore his relationship with Luna.

[The Great Derpsby]

8207765
Well... Soarin becoming more the revenge-driven violent badass-wannabe stereotype is one thing. He has only very little in common with anything we saw in the show; slap a different name on him and you'd have no idea it's Soarin at all. That's been a problem with the character for a while, though. Now, I want him to out of the story asap.

The other is indeed the Game of Thrones kind of problem: Eliminate or replace too many central characters and it becomes difficult to care for the whole thing. It doesn't help that it turns into an exercise in pointless, empty revenge now that Luna is gone. It's what killed my interest in Wheel of Time and made me stay away from GoT to begin with.

[Roranicus]

8208891
Fair enough, thanks. The death of main characters never bothered me with Game of Thrones. In fact, it's part of what I love about it, never knowing which characters are safe. To each their own, I guess.

As for Soarin, I will admit that I took a lot of liberties with minor characters who only had a few lines in the show.

Either way, I hope it doesn't keep you from enjoying the rest of the fic.

[tom117z]

Seriously? Dammit, I was rather hoping this would end with Celestia’s final wish fulfilled. Apparently not.

[Nagaina]

8208914
New to this story, but this feels like a good post to comment on. There is nothing wrong with character deaths, but it does get annoying when the deaths interfere with the pacing of the story. The first three books in the Game of Throne series were good, but the second two were slogs because Martin killed off many of his characters and had to introduce new ones and new conflicts.

I'm getting that sort of a vibe from this chapter because it introduces Zebrica and other conflicts which could interfere with the climax, which as of the last few chapters felt like it was right around the corner.

As a whole I have liked this story so far and read it in four days, but simultaneously I am getting a sense of ending fatigue as of the last two chapters.

[Roranicus]

8259777
Fair enough, thanks for the feedback. As far as the ending, we're definitely nearing it, and I'm not planning on introducing new major plot points, but rather conclude the existing ones. As far as Zebrica goes, I have mentioned it in previous chapters, but probably not prominently enough. I definitely meant it as background information about the world rather than a main plot point.

[Golden Fang Ryu Shenron]

The Goddesses of the Sun and the Moon have fallen...Equestria is now going into war...and nothing will ever be the same again.

Rest in Peace, Celestia and Luna...may you both know eternal happiness....

[OmalleyCaboose5]

Well fuck I don't agree with Soarin no more.