Chapter 3:14.3 - Los Pegasus: The North
Chapter 3:14.3 – Los Pegasus: The North
Year 507 of the 1st Age
“All aboard!” a gryphon shouted, and Erazmus rose from where he’d been sitting against crates filled with bolts of cloth.
Shrugging on his saddlebags, he trotted up the gangplank to the ship, whose crew mostly consisted of gryphons. The wrapped piece of the Stellaetrix bounced in his saddlebags, reminding him of its presence. If all went according to plan, he would be able to deliver it to King Orai of Obelan on the Eastern Continent within the month. The ship he’d secured a spot on would sail out into the Blazing Ocean and around the Slaver Kingdoms in Equestria’s south before crossing the Shimmering Sea and passing Tyrannus. Then it would be a long journey overland to the northern kingdom.
Erazmus gave a farewell look to his departure point before heading below deck. The town known as La Plaça de Los Pegasus y Uniçano Eheilos de Lo Montaño (“The Town of The Holy Pegasus and Unicorn of The Mountain” in the local language) was not an impressive city, but it was rapidly growing as ponies from across Equestria and beyond the seas flocked here. With its connection to Sygra and proximity to the home of the great alicorn Nostracom the Wise, it was sure to continue growing. After one last look, Erazmus headed down into the ship and prepared for his journey.
***
Year 1002 of the 4th Age
Millennia later, Applejack and Pinkamena climbed onto their own ship to set out into the Gulf of Sirens and the Blazing Ocean. However, they were not leaving from the city that was now known as Los Pegasus, which had conquered all the Equestrian southwest and, for a brief time, the Westerlands; their ship was departing from Adage, one of the three major towns of White Tail Wood that were built on the shoreline of the Gulf of Sirens. They’d already stopped at one of the others—Sonnet—to meet with a sorceress and retrieve a diamond from her that Twilight believed had come from the Stellaetrix. The alicorn sorceress had enchanted the diamond during their brief return to Ponieville and claimed it would lead them to a piece of Nostracom’s famous relic.
“You coming, Applejack?” Pinkamena asked as she finished bounding up the gangplank.
“O’ course, ‘tis just that I’ve ne’er been on a ship before,” Applejack replied, still standing her ground on the base of the gangplank, watching the ship rock up and down with the tide.
“Sure you have,” Pinkamena said as she bounded back down, shaking the gangplank. “What about at Dodge’s Crossing? And at Embariz?”
“Those were a boat an’ a barge, an’ … they were diff’rent,” Applejack said. “I’ve ne’er been out o’ sight o’ land.”
Exhaling sharply to steel herself, Applejack trotted up onto the ship, and Pinkamena bounded up behind her, shaking the gangplank. The farmer nearly stopped and reconsidered her choice, but managed to keep herself from freezing up and soldiered on until she was on the ship’s deck. Everything would be just fine, she knew, but she took one more longing look back at the solid ground she’d left behind and the treeline past the borders of Adage before heading below.
***
“Mistress Pie, we’re nearing the Hunters’ Horn,” the ship’s captain said with concern. “If we don’t turn back soon, we’re likely t’ meet the rocks, or worse, a Los Pegasus patrol.”
“Keep going,” Pinkamena said as she kept her eyes on the diamond hanging from the forelock of her mane.
The captain sighed with frustration but complied with her wishes. She was one of the fabled Brave Companions, just like the other one that spent most of her time in the center of the deck. Even if they hadn’t been, though, the amount of gold he was promised from Cant’r Laht’s royal treasury would have compelled him to comply with whatever outrageous wishes they held. With that much coin, he could hire two more ships and set up a proper supply line, to someplace like Balte-Maer or Neighples.
“Captain! Sails ahead!” a felisne sailor in the crow’s nest cried out.
“How many?” the captain called back up, looking at Pinkamena.
“Four! No, seven! No, twelve!” the sailor called down, “It’s the Los Pegasus Armada, Captain!”
After vanishing from ports at the start of the war, the fleet had returned, and it was bearing directly toward them. The captain groaned. Just my luck. Pinkamena gasped as the diamond twitched and began to swing to one side.
“We’ve got the trail!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Bear right!”
“Turning to starboard!” the captain announced as he turned the ship’s wheel.
As the vessel turned, the diamond hanging from Pinkamena’s mane continued to point in the same direction, swiveling in the opposite direction as the ship.
“The fleet’s spotted us!” the lookout called down.
“We might be able t’ outrun them,” the captain surmised, though he didn’t sound particularly confident. Surely they’d be able to dodge the fleet as a whole, but if they chose to pursue with their faster escorts, there was no way they could escape.
“Who’s in that fleet?” Applejack asked as she made her way unsteadily over to the captain.
“There’s no telling. The fleet disappeared when this ‘ole mess kicked off,” the captain said as he scratched his beard. “If their returning now, though, there’s probably somepony on that fleet who wants the Crown of Los Pegasus.”
Despite the captain’s prediction, all of Helianthus’ female relatives had declared their claims or their allegiances with one of the big contenders by now. When the fleet had disappeared, it had likely been under the command of Admiral Lillium, who was a noble of high standing in the realm. Could he be attempting to claim the throne for himself? Anything was possible; though the Crown of Los Pegasus was passed matrilineally, two stallions—Duke Alfons and Marqués Rockward—were serious contenders, despite having no relation to the late Queen Helianthus.
“Let ‘em reach us,” Applejack said. “We’re s’posed t’ meet wi’ th’ contenders for th’ throne, an’ we’ll ‘ave an easier time o’ gettin’ around if we meet with ‘em first.”
“As you say, Mistress Applejack,” the captain said worriedly. In wartime, there was a fair chance that if he allowed his ship to be captured, the Los Pegasus Armada would commandeer it and his crew to fight for them.
Their ship didn’t put on any speed or seek to evade the Los Pegasus Armada, and its ships soon pulled past them. The quick-moving scouts where the first pass before keeping pace, but the rest of the fleet joined them shortly after. The troop transports were packed with soldiers, many of them non-ponies. It was clear what the armada had been doing away. While the other contenders for the throne had fought over land, the leader of the fleet had been busy recruiting mercenaries across the Blazing Ocean in the Duchies of Massoriya or Rikkicheg.
The armada’s magnificent flagship pulled up alongside, the banner of Los Pegasus streaming from its mast. A gangplank was quickly lowered, and armed ponies hurried onto the Cant’r Lahtian ship. When one of them spotted the Brave Companions, he hurried back up to the flagship and returned with two other ponies. One was Admiral Lillium, the aging stallion looking imperious with his silvery mane pulled tightly back and emphasizing the scar on his cheek and eye socket. The other was a unicorn stallion with a silver crown upon his head, Helianthus’s widower and the former king of Los Pegasus: Ferdinand. He looked much more gaunt than usual, having barely survived the plague that had taken his wife and all their children.
“What are you doing here?” Ferdinand asked Applejack and Pinkamena, who’d come together at the center of the deck, surrounded by the sailors they’d hired and the Los Pegasan soldiers that had come aboard.
“We’re on a quest from Regents Celestia an’ Luna o’ Cant’r Laht,” Applejack replied.
“What kind of quest?” Ferdinand asked, his eyes narrowing.
“It’s a secret,” Pinkamena whispered conspiratorially, but her chosen decibel of voice meant that everypony could easily hear her.
“Rest assured, it has nothin’ t’ do wi’ th’ Los Pegasus succession,” Applejack assured Ferdinand before he could become even more suspicious. “Our only part in it is t’ speak t’ claimants t’ th’ crown on behalf o’ th’ regents.”
“Well, you may address me with any words from Cant’r Laht’s regents, then,” Ferdinand said.
“You’re a claimant?” Applejack asked, not intending to question his ability or legitimacy. Unfortunately, that was how Ferdinand took it.
“I am King of Los Pegasus, am I not?” Ferdinand demanded, projecting hardness over a brittle shell. “Has everypony forgotten? I lost my wife and my children. I will not lose my home and my crown as well!”
“O’ course,” Applejack said, a little shaken by the outburst. “Celestia an’ Luna just wish t’ express their wishes that the war will end quickly, wi’out many ponies dyin’.”
“That’s it?” Ferdinand asked. Applejack nodded, and he snorted.
“Sooooo, can we get on with our journey, then?” Pinkamena asked after Ferdinand stood silently for several seconds, looking around at the ship they were upon.
“All able vessels are needed for blockading the usurpers to my wi—my throne,” Ferdinand said, and Lillium raised an eyebrow. “But as you are under the protection of Celestia and you chose to stop rather than run, I will allow you to depart.”
The captain gave a sigh of relief as Lillium made a motion, and the Los Pegasan soldier headed back up the gangplank to their ship. Admiral Lillium and King Ferdinand returned to the Los Pegasan flagship as well and the fleet set out, resuming their journey east. Soon, they were all alone in the vast expanse of sea once again.
***
Following the movements of the diamond hanging from Pinkamena’s mane, they traced the journey the Stellaetrix piece had taken millennia earlier. The captain noted that they were following an old sea route that led to an ancient port—one that no longer existed, having been eclipsed by other cities in the area. Pinkamena stayed at her post through the long hours, watching the diamond swing minutely to direct them or fall slack when they strayed too far from the path. As they passed through the night and into the next day, her alertness began to lapse, but she wouldn’t hear of somepony else taking the responsibility from her.
“We’re going to hit the rocks!” she called out suddenly, startling those around her who’d grown accustomed to her silence.
“There are no rocks ahead; we’re in the middle of the Blazing Ocean,” the captain told her. She’d probably dozed off and awakened from a dream.
“I saw them!” Pinkamena insisted. “I had a premonition that we’re going to crash against them!”
Some of the sailors, being superstitious folk, mumbled uneasily about such an omen.
“There are no rocks ahead,” the captain said more firmly than before. “It’s open ocean as far as the eye can see.”
“Cap’n, Pinkamena’s premonitions are always right,” Applejack said as she made her way over to him more steadily than the day before. “I don’t know how we’re t’ strike rocks out here, but if Pinkamena says it’ll happen, it’s best t’ heed her warnin’.”
The captain was skeptical, but he ordered the ship to slow down nonetheless. If that was what his passengers wanted, then he would comply with their wishes. They were surrounded by the wide-open ocean stretching to the horizon on every side, but in another instant, a craggy island suddenly appeared before them. The captain yanked the wheel as hard as he could to the side and the ship turned, barely missing the rocks visible beneath the waterline. As the ship rocked back to level, its passengers could see the wrecks of many other vessels scattered up the beach. At one point, a pier had been constructed out of debris. The captain and crew looked to the Brave Companions for direction.
“We’re goin’ ashore,” Applejack said.
The diamond hanging from Pinkamena’s mane had reversed direction to now point out to sea, and Applejack wanted to know why. She didn’t have Twilight Sparkle’s understanding of sorcery, but something about this mysterious island was tied to the sudden shift, and Applejack needed to find out what. As the sailors set about docking with the makeshift pier, Applejack helped lead Pinkamena below deck. She’d been on watch long enough and could sleep while the farmer explored the island.
There were no volunteers to go with her, but Applejack did manage to obtain a promise from them to search for her if she wasn’t back in a few hours. Whether they would honor that promise or not, she didn’t know, but she stepped off the ship anyway. After having made her way across the pier, she examined the ship graveyard along the coast. The wooden hulks were in various states of decay, but she could still make out the diverse styles among them. Had she been more familiar with oceangoing vessels, she might have recognized that the ships came from a vast array of time periods, some from so long ago that no remains should have existed.
After she’d gone as far as she could, Applejack returned to the pier and followed the path inland. As she did so, she was met by a minotaur with an axe slung over his broad shoulders. His face seemed to be fixed in a permanent melancholy, but his eyes were active as he examined Applejack. The two of them stopped several paces from each other.
“Jou don’look inhured,” the minotaur noted. “Did’jou wreck in’a storm’an wash up?”
“No, we di’n’t wreck at all,” Applejack replied after figuring out what he was saying. “Our ship is docked at th’ pier.”
“Vhat year’st’it?” the minotaur asked.
“Pardon me?” Applejack asked.
“Vhat year’i st’it?” the minotaur repeated slightly differently.
“One thousan’ two,” Applejack replied suspiciously.
“Vhat age?” the minotaur asked.
“Th’ Fourth,” Applejack answered “Don’t y’ know what year ‘tis?”
“Nay,” the minotaur replied, then continued when Applejack didn’t look satisfied with his answer. “I ham named Bronze Bull. Vhat are jou calt?”
“Applejack … What’s goin’ on ‘ere?”
The minotaur gave a sigh and unslung his axe, and, panicked, Applejack thought at first that he intended to use it on her. Instead he placed the head on the ground and leaned upon it.
“ ‘T’as been a hunned-eighteen years since anoder’as been on d’island,” Bronze Bull explained. “Time only flows ere’slong’es there’sa visitor. Vhen’ts only me, time stands still. Many ponies’ve ‘come stranded ere, but vhen’day die, I’m vrozen until anoder comes.”
“That’s terrible,” Applejack said. “How long’ve y’ been stranded ‘ere?”
“For me, fifty-tree years. For’da rest o’da world, over four thousand.”
“In all that time, nopony arrived wi’out crashin’ who could take y’ away?”
“A few, though none could take me’way,” Bronze Bull replied with a sad smile. “I have tried, but cannot leave.”
“Does that mean …” Applejack started to ask, worried they were stranded on the island as well.
“No,” Bronze Bull cut off her line of thought. “Jou will b’able t’leave. ‘Ts’only I that is imprisoned ere.”
“Imprisoned?”
“By t’sorcerer jou’call Star-Swirl d’Bearded,” Bronze Bull said with a nod. “ ‘Twas not vidout reason, I’ve come t’realize. D’crimes I committed vere vordy’o’dis punishment.”
“Nay, d’not ask vhat day vere,” Bronze Bull said, raising a massive hand when Applejack started to ask. “Jou should continue on je’journey, but if’ja’vould, stay in port a bit longer so’ve some time ‘fore I’ve t’vait again.”
“We will,” Applejack promised him. “B’fore y’ go, did anypony wash up ‘ere ‘round th’ sixth century o’ th’ First Age?”
Bronze Bull looked thoughtful, thinking back on the ponies who’d survived the wreckage to join him over the years.
“Dere vas vone calt’raszmus around’en,” Bronze Bull answered. “Strange pony; vas convinc’d’e failed an alicorn.”
“Thank y’,” Applejack told the minotaur before they parted ways.
***
The mysterious island vanished as soon as it had appeared as they sailed back east. The captain marked it on his charts to avoid in the future; he had no intention of ever returning, especially after what Applejack had reported. Any wise pony would avoid a prison constructed by a sorcerer at all costs, especially if its prisoner was still here.
It was clear now what had happened with the Stellaetrix fragment, at least during the first leg of its journey. The ship transporting it had smashed against the rocks of Bronze Bull’s island and its guardian had lost it in the waves. Now that the diamond from the Stellaetrix had led them through the pocket of suspended time, it was leading them on the journey the Stellaetrix fragment had followed as currents had transported it back to Los Pegasus. The diamond led them all the way back to land, until they were approaching the port of the city from which the fractured kingdom derived its name. Ferdinand’s armada was not yet blockading the city, so they were able to sail in unimpeded. Judging from the camps and siegeworks outside of the city, however, the same would not be true for their overland journey. Neither could they follow the exact trail of the Stellaetrix; it veered off before actually reaching the city, but it was close enough that the ships patrolling the shore and hadn’t defected to Ferdinand wouldn’t let them deviate from their course. Once ashore, they’d have to find a way out of the city in order to continue their search. To do that, Applejack and Pinkamena needed to fulfill their other quest here in the west of Equestria.
After explaining themselves to the soldiers, who demanded to know what business their ship had coming to the city in wartime, they headed up through a borough on city’s edge to where the royal palace looked out over it all. The fame of the Brave Companions let them into a place neither could have dreamed of visiting only a few years previously. The royal palace of Los Pegasus was a massive, sprawling affair with many wings that had been added on to house the large families of the kingdom’s queens. The palace was a work of art, with statues and embellishment crowding every open expanse of wall and crevice. At the moment, it was filled with the personal troops of the nobles who had allied with the controller of the city: Lady Lasthenia. Most of the time, they were hard at work setting up defenses in the practically indefensible palace with its many windows and colonnades.
At the core of the palace was a truly defensible site. The sturdy stone keep had long predated the rest of the palace; and it was musty, damp, and cramped. It could stand alone against a siege, however, so this was where Lasthenia and her supporters had moved. Pinkamena and Applejack were led into the old throne room, where Lasthenia had relocated the Gilded Throne and was seated in it, despite having no right to do so until she’d been officially crowned Queen of Los Pegasus. Though the eldest of Queen Helianthus’s nieces, Lasthenia had never been given an official title, and so she remained merely Lady Lasthenia. One thing she did have going for her was that she understood the city of Los Pegasus like none other, and she had secured the support of the city and its surrounding lands quite early on while the rest of the factions were still forming. Even so, she didn’t look like a pony who was winning the succession war at the moment.
“Brave Companions Pinkamena and Applejack,” she addressed them without moving from her seat. “What has brought you to my kingdom?”
“We have a message from Celestia and Luna,” Pinkamena said.
“Oh?” Lasthenia said excitedly, straightening in her chair. “Do they wish to acknowledge me as the rightful Queen of Los Pegasus?”
“Uh … no,” Pinkamena said, and Lasthenia’s face fell. “They just wanted to say they hope the succession will be settled quickly so more ponies don’t have to die in battle.”
“Yes, yes,” Lasthenia said discouragingly. “If only it were so simple. If only the others would submit and acknowledge my right to rule, this would all be over. Harmonia besieges me, so that even if I were the one who should step aside, I couldn’t—not after all her talk about defeating and executing Marqués Rockward. You would think that she might show me some mercy since we’re family, but no, she intends to execute me as well if she gets into the city. That’s not even to mention the trouble in the south with Alfons and Eriophyllum and Marigold; or in the Westerlands with Clover, Helianthus, and Silversword. But what can I do about that while my army remains bottled up here?”
“You could leave by sea,” Pinkamena suggested. “You’ll want to leave before King Ferdinand and the Los Pegasus Armada arrive, though.”
“So, that is where my uncle disappeared to,” Lasthenia said spitefully. “And he intends to take my throne as well? Well, he shall not have it! None of them shall!”
The servants and nobles in the room wisely averted their gazes as Lasthenia had her outburst.
“We also need your permission t’ leave th’ city,” Applejack said once the would-be queen calmed down.
“To meet with Harmonia?” Lasthenia asked. “Fine; if you have no more to give her from Celestia and Luna than you have to me, then I do not see what harm it could do. You have my leave to go.”
Applejack and Pinkamena left the throne room, accompanied by a page that Lasthenia sent along to relay her orders to the guards at the gates. Harmonia’s camp was concentrated to the north, and the city’s north gate creaked open just wide enough to permit the Brave Companions to pass through. An arrow struck the gate near them as they exited and was met by shouting and return arrows from the wall. Pinkamena managed to find a white patch on her eclectic clothing and waved it above the two of them as they crossed the lines to Harmonia’s camp.
“What’s all this, then?” an armored noblestallion asked of them as they reached the lines of spikes to prevent sallies from Los Pegasus.
“We’re Applejack an’ Pinkamena o’ th’ Brave Companions,” Applejack answered. “We want t’ speak wi’ Harmonia.”
“Duchess Harmonia,” the stallion corrected her, then thought for a moment. “Very well.”
Applejack and Pinkamena were led through the maze of spikes while Harmonia’s archers released a barrage on the city walls to keep the soldiers inside from watching and learning the path. Once inside, the noble led them deeper into the camp and removed his helm as soon as they were well out of range of the city’s walls. Harmonia’s camp was neat and orderly, with a ruthless efficiency in the straight lines of tents, latrines, cooking fires, and washbasins. Wherever there was a tree that hadn’t been chopped down (and in some places where a post had been erected to serve that purpose) there hung bodies with placards around their necks bearing titles like “Deserter,” “Thief,” and “Traitor.” Duchess Harmonia would tolerate nothing but perfection.
Harmonia’s pavilion was fairly austere, so much so that Applejack and Pinkamena weren’t sure they’d reached it, surrounded as it was by grander pavilions of Harmonia’s supporters, until the noble leading them pulled aside the flap to let them enter. Duchess Harmonia stood in a group with her supporters discussing an attack on the walls. Her dress had been cut short to keep it from dragging in the dirt and her ducal tiara was pinned to her mane to keep it from falling out.
“Your Grace,” the Brave Companions’ guide caught her attention. “Applejack and Pinkamena of the Brave Companions, here to speak with you.”
“Is that so?” the duchess asked as she trotted over. “You have a message for me from Celestia? Or is it Celestia and Luna?”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Applejack said. “They wish t’ express their desire that this war will end soon, wi’out many ponies dyin’.”
“Yes, that is the wish of us all,” Harmonia said agreeably. “Once Los Pegasus falls, this can all end. Do you wish to see Marqués Rockward’s head, to prove my … credentials? Other than as cousin to Queen Helianthus II, of course.”
“Um, no thank y’,” Applejack said, disturbed that Harmonia’s face had not changed one jot when she’d moved to talking about the remains of the pony she’d had executed. “We ‘ave some additional business t’ take care of around th’ outskirts o’ Los Pegasus,”
“To the south,” Pinkamena added.
“Yes, of course,” Harmonia said. “My soldiers will not harass you in whatever business you have to attend. You’ll find you have nothing to fear as long as you follow the rules. If you break them, however ... Well, not even Celestia can prevent justice from being done.”
***
Year 131 of the 3rd Age
A crowd was rapidly forming around the small knot of ponies on the shoreline. There was little excitement in the small fishing village so close to the city of Los Pegasus that it didn’t even warrant a name of its own, so whenever something happened, everypony wanted to be involved. This … thing had washed up on the beach, found by a fishermare as she hauled in the last lines before turning in for the night. The sun had set recently, so few of the curious townsfolk near the object had torches, though they could still clearly see it beneath the moon- and starlight; it was a third of a ring, covered in diamonds. The leaders of the village, who had pushed their way forward to be close to the commotion, were discussing how they could sell it and pass on the profits—some to the village, but most to themselves. The group gasped as the stars shifted overhead and the diamonds on the Stellaetrix flashed brilliantly.
“It’s a gift,” one pony said, and the refrain was soon repeated. “It’s a gift. It’s a gift! It’s a gift from Queen Luna!”
***
Year 1002 of the 4th Age
Applejack and Pinkamena trotted along the beach, trying to relocate the trail from the Stellaetrix fragment. If they didn’t find it soon, they’d have to try to hire a boat and somepony local to take it out and search there. There was a chance that the Stellaetrix, after making it in so close, had been swept back out to sea. If that was the case, they’d need to reenter Los Pegasus and take the ship out again—a potential ordeal they were not looking forward to.
Pinkamena gasped as the diamond hanging from her mane twitched and pointed inland. Hurriedly, they departed the beach and headed into the fishing village built near the shore. Nopony was showing themselves, having fled from Harmonia’s soldiers or hiding for the same reason, so there was nopony to see as Pinkamena followed the trail, sometimes even climbing over buildings. The trail led them to a large shed that smelled like pickled fish, and Pinkamena pushed the door open.
“Pinkamena, are y’ sure y’ should be doin’ this?” Applejack asked, staying outside. “Maybe we should go ‘round, or ask somepony first.”
“No, it’s in here!” the bard called out, her voice echoing.
Applejack reluctantly trotted inside. Casks of pickled and pickling fish lined the walls, awaiting ships that could take them to Stygra to be sold and eaten by the omnivorous species there. Pinkamena was in the center of the room, digging with her hooves at the straw laid across the floor. Applejack cautiously set about helping her, and they spread out until Pinkamena discovered a trap door against the far wall. A ladder led down, with a torch at the bottom that Pinkamena soon lit. A narrow tunnel led them to a room built beneath the shed. Within it was an altar upon which, in a bed of cloth, sat a third of the Stellaetrix. Unlit candles sat around the artifact, and candelabras were propped up against the walls.
“What are you doing here?” a mare’s voice asked as Pinkamena moved to take the Stellaetrix.
The two of them turned around, coming face-to-face with a large group of ponies armed with spears and fish filleting knives. The villagers of the fishing hamlet, having finally made their appearance, stared accusatorially at Applejack and Pinkamena.
“We didn’t mean t’ trespass,” Applejack said. “We just came for th’ Stellaetrix piece.”
“The what?” the mare in front asked, and her eyes swung to the Stellaetrix before returning to Applejack. “How did you know it was here? What do you want with it? Explain yourself!”
“Calm down an’ listen,” Applejack said. “We were sent by Regent Luna t’ find th’ Stellaetrix for her.”
“Luna?” the mare said in awe, and the villagers lowered their weapons. “If Luna wants it, then please take it.”
“Why?” Applejack asked.
“Because if Luna sent it to us all those years ago, she must have a good reason for wanting it back,” the mare said. “We’ve protected the Stars for a hundred generations, even when Luna was gone. Of course, until recently, we believed the Stars to be a gift from the mystical Queen Lune and directed our praise to her instead of the real thing. You see, a thousand years ago, the First Knowers were gifted the Stars from the Queen of the Heavens …”
***
Several Months Later
Queen Harmonia of Los Pegasus sat upon the Gilded Throne, rapping a hoof against its gold-covered and ostentatiously decorated surface. It wasn’t her style, but it was a powerful symbol to establish her legitimacy among her vassals, subjects, and foreign realms. The kingdom she now ruled was a shadow of its former self, chopped into three bits. The traitorous Marquesa Flax ruled the Westerlands now; and the greedy Duke Alfons had set up his own kingdom in the south, resurrecting Mareagon and snatching the Applewood Tower in the bargain as well. Harmonia couldn’t hope to compete against Alfons’s kingdom—not yet anyway—and neither had she any interest in retaking the Westerlands until she could unite the lands that her predecessor had inherited upon her accession.
The former king Ferdinand’s presence in her throne room irked her, a reminder of the compromises she’d had to make in order to gain the throne and secure as much of the Kingdom of Los Pegasus as she had. However, she’d needed the Los Pegasus Armada to blockade Los Pegasus and force Lasthenia to surrender before Alfons was able to capture any more territory in the south. At least Rockward, Lasthenia, and their supporters were now decorating the parapets of the royal palace’s old keep. That would deter rebellion against her rule for years to come. Still, there was much to do. Queen Helianthus II had been lax in enforcing her laws and edicts, letting local nobles tend to their own affairs so long as they ultimately obeyed her. That era was over, and her subjects would soon learn what crime and heresy bought beneath the reign of Queen Harmonia VI.
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10969347
Aw, nuts, I usually manage to strip those links out.
Heh, I enjoyed the nod to the sirens here. I thought for sure that the craggy island that appeared from nowhere with the tons of shipwrecks would end up being their abode, so the minotaur was a twist.
These little snippets of historical accuracy that are tacked on; that we would never really even think about until you point out why they would be included, is what helps make this story so awesome! I love these little snippets!
I'm...apparently a bit confused on the timeline. Wise was the second alicorn? And then Celestia and Luna the third and fourth? So why would Starswirl be alive during Wise's time? Weren't Celestia and Luna (and Starswirl) from the 3rd Age and Wise from the 1st?
10975178
Nostracom the Wise is indeed from the 1st Age, but in this universe Star-Swirl the Bearded lived during the Age of the Earth Pony, which preceded the 1st Age, instead of concurrently with Celestia and Luna. The ages began to be numbered rather than named after the unification of Equestria following the Long Winter, by which point Star-Swirl had vanished.
A brief summary of the ages:
Mythic Age - everything prior to the establishment of the Church of One in Maene.
Age of the Church - Church of One's establishment to the call for the Equestrian Crusade.
Age of the Unicorn - Equestrian Crusade to the Conjunction.
Age of Uncertainty - Conjunction to the first earth pony scouts crossing the Shimmering Sea. This is the first age with magic, monsters, and races such as earth ponies and gryphons. Yliiena the First was born, lived, and died during this age.
Age of the Earth Pony - Earth pony conquest of Equestria to the Long Winter. Star-Swirl the Bearded lived during this age, but never became an alicorn.
1st Age - After the Long Winter to Discord's appearance. Nostracom the Wise was born during the Long Winter and lived and died in this age.
2nd Age - Discord's Reign. Celestia and Luna were born and became alicorns at the tail end of this age.
3rd Age - Reign of Celestia and Luna
4th Age - From Nightmare Moon's Rebellion and the False Winter to the present.
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Ah! thanks for the clarification! So, Starswirl never met Celestia and Luna. He may have been abit crotchety in the show, but without his influence as a mentor and teacher, and having Celestia learn magic essentially on her own, it's easier to see how her personality is harsher and she shows less restriction on using magic for vengeance in the early years.
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Not meeting Starswril also means she never had access to the mirror portal and never had a relationship with Mirrorverse Sombra or spent time with Mirrorverse Luna. She had to bear the heartache with out that distraction.