The Dragonfly Hive

by Silver Dragon Blade Wing

Canterlot 1

The meeting between the Ambassadors went by smoothly and was more for catching up on certain events in each other’s areas than anything too serious, though Celine had mentioned that her mother; Shiva, also known as “The White Wolf” or “The Howlite Howler,” had made great progress on unifying the various Diamond Dog Packs under her pack, which the others were happy to hear. Though there were still rogue elements that held onto the old ways with teeth and claws. After the meeting, the three Kirin had invited Celine to their room to discuss setting up relations between them and Shiva.

Steel Claw held the door open for the ladies as Spirit Wind retrieved some pillows and blankets, then she started the kettle while Venom Wing and Celine got comfortable. Spirit turned to Celine.

“Would you like some tea?”

“Oh yes, thank you,” Celine said, “Do you have Jasmine?”

“We do, just give me a moment. Anything you’d like to snack on?”

“I actually brought something for that,” Celine replied, bringing out several small little crackers with meat-like substances on them, wrapped in lettuce and topped with tomatoes. “I’ve got tuna for any meat eaters, and tofu for any vegetarians,” she added, setting the snacks down. “Hopefully these will be alright for you guys.”

The three Kirin smiled. “It is.” Steel replied.

After the tea was laid out with snacks Spirit laid down next to Steel and wiggled under his wing, nuzzling his body affectionately from his flank up to his chin while her long tail coiled around his, Steel for his part enjoyed it if the look on his face said anything. Venom rolled her eyes but she had a smile as she turned to Celine, who was also smiling at the affection they showed each other.

“Dragonfly did say that Eastern Kirin are very affectionate, and when it comes to lovers…” She gestured with her tail to the pair. “They really get affectionate, as you can see the cuddling two here.”

Celine chuckled. “Oh, yes, I know all about how affectionate mated pairs can get.” She blushed a bit. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to give my mother reports, only to find her cuddling with my father, Luke. The two just can’t get enough of each other.” She sighed wistfully. “It’ll be quite a day when I find someone I can show that much affection to.”

After cuddling for a moment Steel and Spirit turned to Celine.

“So Celine, I figured we’d start off with some questions; You ask us some and we’ll do the same.” Steel said.

“Sure,” Celine said happily, before pondering which questions to ask first. After a moment, she settled on something: “Well, I am rather curious what it’s like back at your homelands. Back home for myself, we live in a mixture of mountains and forests, either living in rocky caverns or sheltered by trees and nature. I’m curious if it’s different for you guys or not.”

“Well it depends on the individual Kirin race.” Steel explained, “Western Kirin like me live in land covered by a series of mountains we call the “Dragon Fang Mountains”, named so because the mountains slightly curve and from a distance resemble the fangs of a Dragon or Kirin.” He opened his mouth to show Celine his fangs before continuing. “Now there are other biomes, around the bases; such as desert, forest, jungle, even a few snowy places and so forth; each filled with their own forms of flora and fauna. Though a good chunk of both are dangerous.”

Spirit went next. “For the Eastern Kirin, our homeland isn’t as dangerous; mostly mountainous terrain with forests, and large bodies of water to act as natural moats. Our best and biggest export however is our tea, to the point where at least thirty percent of our home’s wealth is from those shipments.”

Venom spoke next. “As for the Valley Kirin; our homeland is covered in thousands of valleys and canyons, some reaching eighteen thousand feet deep and all with sheer cliff on the sides of the valleys, and the areas that aren't those are completely covered in thick jungle and deep marsh. But that’s not the main thing: It’s the fact that our land gets its name, the “Toxic Scars”, thanks to having virtually every single known animal and plant to have some form of poison, venom, and other similar things. Long ago we were invaded by the Yaks, but very few left the land and they never even saw us.” She grinned, her fangs glowing in the room’s light. “Thanks to our home Valley Kirin are completely immune to almost all poisons, venoms and such in the known world.”

“There’s also the fact that the Vallery Kirin effectively pioneered Jungle warfare among others and are among the best in the world with bows and arrows.” Steel added.

“Interesting,” Celine mused, writing everything they had down. “And what about family and government structure? Our packs are technically both small families and small communities all in one, which…” she chuckled. “Makes it a bit of a loaded question when someone asks who our leader is. Don’t get me wrong, Queen Alpha Shiva is definitely considered to be the leader that everyone wants to turn to in a crisis, but at the same time, she’s also technically just the leader of her own pack. The Alpha Male and Alpha Females of each pack are more than free to give Queen Alpha Shiva their opinions on matters, and she in turn can use those opinions to gain greater understanding on what’s best for the pack and how to keep everyone safe.” Celine blushed. “I… imagine that it’s probably different for you guys, yes?”

Steel nodded. “Not too much actually; Family is the most important thing to any Kirin worth their tail and pity anyone who makes the mistake of threatening a hatchling.”

“Kirin are very protective of their hatchlings.” Spirit added, then Steel continued. “Beyond that the various families form communities out of similar interests, which forms into the rest of the clan.”

“As for our government structure,” Spirit spoke next, “At the top is the Clan Leader but they have a council of advisors which splits the power of ruling, you see a Clan Leader cannot make serious changes without the approval of his or her advisors. The only expectation being in times of war or similar serious situations of that level. Then comes the various leaders of the different professions such as hunting, smithing, and runecrafting to name a few. After that it’s pretty loose when not on a battlefield but generally the younger Kirin follow the elder ones, most of the time. Generally speaking it seems rather basic but it’s worked for us since the Clans first formed.”

Venom spoke next. “In our book; experience outranks everything and with the lands we live in, being around those who know what they’re doing, or are very fast learners, will help one survive. There is one key thing though about our government however: Every year we have what’s known as a High Council Gathering; this is where the leaders of the most powerful Clans gather together and have various discussions on different topics, not unlike the meeting we had not too long ago.”

“The key thing with the High Council is that to become a member,” Steel explained, “is to A: Form your clan from the ground up. B: Maintain it for at least three years. And C: make your clan’s culture acceptable to the others. That last one is a little hard to explain but the basic line is having nothing the other clans would take offensive too.”

Celine nodded. “So, like… don’t skin your dead or anything like that, right?”

The three were surprised at the question, with Steel responding with “We take it your Pack does that?”

Celine blushed. “We… did have a pack who believed in contributing even after death. So, they’d offer their fur to be worn as clothing, or their bones to be used for building supplies or as weapons.” She grimaced. “It’s been controversial, to say the least, as while it does bring sentimental value to a lot of our keepsakes, I’m not sure other cultures would take well to knowing that particular pack essentially have to dissect their own dead pack mates to do it.”

The three Kirin nodded in understanding, Spirit speaking up. “Makes sense, different cultures have different ways of laying their dead to rest. But we can understand why others would view that as controversial. We Kirin honor our dead by placing the remains in tombs located deep within our Clan homes.”

From there the four continued to talk, comparing their different cultures and eventually they ended their talks on a high note with the two sides setting up dates for future meetings.

---

Canterlot

Dragonfly’s Personal Room

Later that day

Dragonfly was sitting on the balcony of the room Celestia had given him for whenever he was staying in Canterlot for extended periods of time, to anypony seeing him it looked liked he was either meditating or just enjoying the sunlight, but in truth he was talking to his Hive through the Hivemind, asking about the strange occurrence with Celine earlier. The fact he’d heard her voice in his head shocked him, now he was used to voices in his head but usually they were just barely noticeable whispers until he called who he wanted to talk to.

So the fact he could hear Celine clearly, and the fact she wasn’t even connected to the Hivemind in the first place sent quite a number of alarm bells ringing.

Unfortunately, the Archives back at the Hive didn’t seem to have anything to answer the question. Having said that, he had learned a bit about Demi-Wolves; a rarer subspecies of diamond dogs that appeared to have evolved to live above ground as opposed to the diamond dog’s digging ways. Demi-wolves weren’t quite as strong at digging as most diamond dogs, but they had magic, making them sort of the “Unicorns” to the diamond dog’s “Earth Ponies.” They lived nomadically, but would often wander set territories, living in dens that were quick to hollow out into trees, caves or even the ground itself - ‘so much for not being as good at digging as diamond dogs,’ Dragonfly thought with a small chuckle - and their governmental structure, though having hints of being led by the strongest and wisest, was mostly scattered into small family units that would sometimes listen to the strongest and wisest leader of the largest and most powerful family unit.

These family units, or ‘packs,’ were comprised of an Alpha Male and Alpha Female - the Father and Mother respectively - who led and dictated the pack’s actions, with the Betas - often siblings to the parents or the eldest children - serving as second-in-commands, to take charge should the Alpha’s fall. Additional ranks included the Gammas - the strongest pack mates who were often called upon for physical tasks such as combat or heavy lifting - and Omegas - the smartest pack mates who were often looked to for mental tasks such as strategy and tactics. Unfortunately, Omegas also had a stigma against them for appearing lazy, a trait that many packs tried to stamp out. The current leaders, Shiva and Luke, were technically just the Alpha Female and Alpha Male of their own pack, but they commanded enough authority and strength that other pack’s Alphas agreed to work with them, and trusted them the most in handling outsiders. It was rather informal when compared to Princess Celestia’s clear rule as Princess or even Dragonfly’s own command of his hive.

But, as he read on, he understood why their structure was so informal: each pack loved and trusted each other a great deal, and worked well as units of soldiers. They also protected one another with their lives and felt the loss of a pack mate deeply, often never forgiving whatever took their pack mates from them. Sometimes, members of destroyed packs would gather and form their own new packs from the remnants; another thing that had gained Shiva’s pack prestige, as she had taken in orphaned members of lost packs to make her own pack stronger.

Dragonfly let out a relaxed sigh as he came out of the Hivemind, thinking over that strange occurrence.

‘Just what in the First Mother’s name was that? I know for a fact that wasn’t any of my changelings, and usually only those connected to a Hivemind Network can access it. So what the hay was that?’

Shaking his head he leaned up and rested his forehooves on the railing as he looked over the city below. While he preferred Ponyville, Dragonfly couldn’t deny that Canterlot was still a beautiful city on its own, but he also knew it held a dark underbelly. But then again, what city didn’t. Even Ponyville had its own dark underbelly, though calling it “dark” might be the wrong word as it was Pinkie Pie who was “in charge” so to speak.

“Excuse me, Ser Wings?”

His ears perked at the voice and Dragonfly turned to see Celine standing at his open door with a curious look on her face.

"Oh hello Celine, something you need? And please just call me Dragonfly." He said with a smile as he got to his hooves.

"Ah, of course," Celine said with a bow. "Forgive my formality. As for what I need... I mostly just wanted to talk. The meeting between the Kirin and myself ended a short while ago, but your mate asked me to tell you she was called back to the family home. I didn't pry into why though; I was hoping you'd understand."

Dragonfly nodded and walked into the room, inviting her in while using his magic to pull out some pillows for them to sit on.

"Celestia gave me this room for when I had to stay in Canterlot for extended periods for whatever reason, so I know where everything is. I'd offer you something to eat or drink, but my knowledge on what Diamond Dogs and Demi-Wolves eat or drink is rather lacking."

Celine gave him a smile. "You are very kind, Dragonfly. I'm alright either way."

Dragonfly returned the smile as he fixed himself up a quick snack of moon pies and a glass of root beer, as he was doing this Celine took the time to look around the room: Like other guest rooms in the Palace it was very posh and regal, with a soft feather bed and various depictions of the sun. Yet there was also a sort of coziness to it, like a friend who didn’t have to put on a facade around those they trusted. Celine could see the bed was a little rumpled, like Dragonfly could use it to lounge. And while there were depictions of Celestia, she also noticed depictions of Luna (though these were quite new) and Cadance along with mementos of what she guessed were friends and/or family members, and pictures displaying what Celine figured was Dragonfly’s mother who looked to have a strong bond with Celestia, especially since one picture held the Princess holding what could only be Dragonfly as a newborn Foal.

After sitting down and getting comfortable, Dragonfly then, to Celine's surprise, closed the doors and curtains.

"Alright Celine, I have a secret I'm about to tell you. While it's no danger to you, it could endanger those I care for if it reaches the wrong ears. Please don't freak out."

Celine was about to ask why she would freak out only for those words to die on her tongue as Dragonfly was suddenly surrounded by a pillar of green fire, which disappeared as fast as it appeared, relieving Dragonfly true form to her.

Celine's eyes widened in awe. "You're a changeling."

Dragonfly, having not expected that at all, recoiled in surprise. So much that he almost fell over backwards but was able to stop himself using his wings, and once he recovered he looked at Celine in shock. "Wait... you know? How?"

Her ears lowered. "I'm afraid I must share my own secret. One that you might find unpleasant."

Dragonfly’s ears perked again, both at her emotions and her tone and he braced himself.

"Alright Celine, what do you have for me?"

She sighed and spoke, "Queen Chrysalis met with my mother, the Queen Alpha Shiva. She tried to recruit us to an ominous cause. She failed, of course," Celine quickly added at Dragonfly worried look. "She wouldn't explain what it was, and my mother was very suspicious of her. But every demi-wolf and diamond dog in our pack could sense treachery and malice from Queen Chrysalis."

Celine gave a cautious sniff. "You don't carry the same scent as she did, so I was hopeful that you weren't with her hive. But the pack is still nervous that Queen Chrysalis is planning something. Something that will catch all of Equestria up in her grip if we aren't careful."

Dragonfly nodded grimly, frowning as he looked at the floor for a moment as Celine heard “I always knew Chrysalis might try to get allies of her own, not that she’d keep them around.” before he looked back at her with a frim gaze. “You're Alpha was right to be suspicious of her Celine; Chrysalis is the kind of individual that offers one hoof, but has the other hold a dagger behind her back. Had your Alpha taken that deal, Chrysalis would have waited until your Pack had "outlived their usefulness" and would have them wiped out, right down to the last member; and it wouldn't be the first time she's done that. She's even killed her most loyal followers for being "too good at what they do." She was never right in the head to begin with, and several years ago... she tried to kill me by mind controlling a large pack of Timber Wolves and sending them at me."

Celine covered her mouth in horror. “But… you survived.”

"If not for the quick actions of my parents and my mother's bodyguards I would have died, and even then I was messed up real badly."

He then explained in detail of the wounds he suffered that day and having to spend three years in a healing cocoon.

Celine listened closely, and once he was done nodded her head grimly. "I've... often heard about the crueler side of others. It has never ceased to pain me when that crueler side rears its head." She lowered her head. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Dragonfly smiled softly at her. “Thanks Celine, I’m glad to say things have certainly gotten better since then and I came out of the cocoon with no scars.” He stood up and showed Celine how his body, especially his backplate, was unmarked by scars. “Amazing what those things can heal.”

Celine smiled gently. “Indeed.”

Dragonfly sat down again and looked at Celine.

"Now just something I'm curious about; you said your pack could sense the treachery and malice from Chrysalis, which I can fully understand considering her, and that I don't carry the same scent as she did, but what do you sense from me?"

Celine looked up at him hopefully. "Integrity," she replied. "Loyalty. Honor. When my mother met with Chrysalis, we always felt like Chrysalis was one step away from attacking us. The only reason she didn't - I hope - is because we showed we were equally ready to tear her apart if she tried." She gave a softer look to Dragonfly. "I don't get that with you. I sense patience, and kindness. If you made a promise, I'd believe that you'd uphold it."

Dragonfly smiled warmly. "Thanks for saying that Celine, I will admit that sometimes I feel that I'm more like her than I actually am. I mean I can be firm if I need to be, and my Changelings do fear my temper, but at the same time they've told me time and time again that I'm nothing like Chrysalis." He chuckled. "In fact the first thing I did upon meeting a few of my Changelings after getting out of the cocoon was give them a group hug. Funny enough those same ten Changelings are now my bodyguards." He shook his head with a small smile, which Celine joined in on.

"I can't see Chrysalis hugging anyone," Celine admitted.

"Neither could anyone else." Dragonfly chuckled. "They wouldn't even let her come into arms length if they could avoid it."

“Smart,” Celine noted with a nod.

Dragonfly shook his head before continuing. "During my earlier years the ones that tended to gather around me were the, for lack of a better term, outcasts. Even the Nymphs, which is our term for our young, would gather around my hooves like a bunch of puppies wanting a treat. From what I remember they felt safe around me, especially since most of the other Royals were... what's the word... ego-crazed flankholes, pardon my language."

Celine laughed at that. "I've noticed that with a lot of royals. Outside of you, me, your mates, and probably the Kirin, a lot of royals tend to let their status get away from them." Celine chuckled. "I'm glad I'm not the only one able to provide them with an example of how those of their status should behave."

"Shame we're only a few in that regard, I think the reason why so many end up the way they do is because they're spoiled, and by that I mean they’re given anything they want without ever knowing the things individuals like us have to go through. But I'd say we turned out well." Dragonfly smiled.

Celine smiled in return. "My mother never gave me anything without having me work for it," Celine replied. "It sounds like these other nobles could've done well with the sort of upbringing she gave me."

Dragonfly chuckled. "Indeed, my mother Nebula Sheen was the same way; she always told me that if you wanted something you had to work for it and she could be firm at times, but she was a gentle soul, even had it so most of her Hive were good with the young.” He smiled fondly. “Even her two bodyguards, Titan and his twin brother Spartan, took part. The two even raised me as well.” He let out a laugh. “The sight of those two with Nymphs crawling all over them and not having a care is a sight I still get a good laugh at.”

Celine smiled. “They sound like my uncle Darius.” She blushed. “I mean, he’s not technically my uncle, but he was my father’s pack brother. The two were very close friends, and he often served as one of their bodyguards and one of my mentors. Him and…” Celine’s ears folded sadly. “Myst.”

“What’s wrong Celine? Why the sad tone now? Myst did something bad, I take it.” Dragonfly asked gently with a slight head tilt.

Celine sighed. “My mother and Myst had a falling out long ago. I’ll spare you the details, but in essence, Myst was the former Queen Alpha Female. And she… well, saying she was like Chrysalis is a huge overstatement. She was ruthless, yes, and far too eager for fights, but she also loved her pack very much. And when Shiva proved to be the better ruler - or at least the one that wasn’t leading everyone to war and death - Myst stepped down and let Shiva take over.” Celine sighed. “I’ve always sensed great pain from Myst; and Uncle Darius said that she wasn’t always so ruthless. But whatever happened between them… Mother has never forgiven her for the things she did as Queen Alpha Female. She still works with her… but they can’t be in the same room with each other very long. And I never dared ask why.” She sighed. “It’s sad; because normally, my mother’s such a kind and forgiving soul. I don’t know what sets her off about Myst, but it’s the only time I ever really see her angry.”

Dragonfly nodded his head in understanding. “I get what you mean, my own mother seldom ever got angry but when she did…well, let’s just say even the worst of the Royals knew better than to try and provoke her further. I’ve never seen her angry but I’ve heard some stories of how her anger was like the blizzards of the Frozen North. Funny thing is;“ He chuckled, “I got my temper from her.”

Celine smiled. “Sounds like something we share in common. Others have noted I have the same long but explosive fuse as my mother. It takes me a while to get really anger, but when I do…” She chuckled. “It’s rather embarrassing to talk about.”

Dragon then smiled at her. “From the sound of things, I'm sure if our mothers knew each other they would have gotten along like the wings on a Pegasus."

“I would imagine so,” Celine agreed with a laugh.

Dragonfly then remembered the occurrence from earlier and turned to Celine, who looked back and gave a curious head tilt at his expression.

“Something wrong, Dragonfly?”

“Just something I’m wondering: During our…” He paused, hoof waving in a circle as he looked for the right word. “Encounter with Lord Stars, I heard your voice in my head; despite the fact that I know you are not connected to my Hivemind Network, which to clarify is how Changelings in a Hive communicate with each other among other things. So why did I hear your voice.” He finished with a raised eyebrow

“Oh, that was the Pack Link.” Celine responded.

Dragonfly’s other eyebrow joined the first in its raised position.

“The Pack Link?”

Celine nodded. “Yes. You see, demi-wolves are essentially the ‘unicorns’ to diamond dog ‘earth ponies.’ We carry magic with us. But our magic works a little differently from pony or likely changeling magic.” She lifted her paw, and small tendrils of light weaved around her fingers, like glowing webbing from some sort of magical spider. “To a demi-wolf, all is one. The universe is a consciousness; every life within an aspect of the greater whole. And within each life is magic. Energy. Power. This power can be shared between those who bond with each other. Through trust, friendship or love, we can achieve a greater understanding through cooperation and empathy.” She toyed with the golden threads crisscrossing her claws. “This ‘greater understanding’ is also known as the ‘Pack Link.’ Through it, we can connect to each other’s minds. Share thoughts, emotions, even skills if the situation calls for it.”

She paused. “If I’m honest, it’s a little similar to the Hivemind Network you spoke of, in which it’s how we can communicate with each other. Though, in times of stress, it can also share energy and power so that we can work together more efficiently.” She blushed. “When Lord Ego made his appearance, I must have accidentally linked to you on instinct; sensing that you were one of the strongest ones in the room, I wanted to be ready to help you if things turned violent. Though, it sounds more like I just left you confused.” She bowed her head. “I apologize for that.” She looked away in shame. “Especially considering…”

She stopped.

Dragonfly had been watching the “Pack Link” weave around her claws, and raised an eyebrow a second time when she stopped talking. “Considering what Celine?” He asked gently.

She sighed. “My Mother wants us to use the Pack Link for good. But there have been others who found darker powers in the Pack Link. Powers that weren’t about sharing, but taking.” She shivered. “They are… unsettling practices, and ones that I’d rather see forgotten.”

“I don’t think I need to ask what you mean by unsettling practices… I think I have a pretty good idea.” Not wanting to go down that rabbit hole he switched over to Celine linking with him. “So to make sure I’m getting this right: When Lord Stars was talking, you instinctively linked to who you thought to be one of the strongest ones in the room?”

Celine nodded with a sheepish smile. Dragonfly looked surprised, and actually somewhat touched, though he wasn’t sure entirely why.

“Well I’d say you’re pretty skilled with it; as I didn’t even feel the Link.”

Celine smiled at his words, though she frowned again. “Sorry about that.”

Dragonfly held up a hoof. “No worries Celine, you didn’t do it out of malice and really it just surprised me. I have a question though: Who is Myst? One of your Pack mates?”

Celine nodded. “Yeah. Like I mentioned, she was the former Queen Alpha, before Shiva took over before her. Even then, my father still looks to Myst for advice, and Myst herself took on a role as sort of our Chief of Security and Defense.” Celine sighed. “Myst was always a warrior type; felt restless and agitated when she wasn’t fighting something. I heard it was because she was raised in fighting pits, but my mother didn’t like me hearing about those stories. Overall, if Myst gets involved in something… then I’ve completely failed as a diplomat. My parents don’t like letting Myst get involved in something unless they have no other choice.”

Dragonfly listened closely and nodded understandingly after Celine was done. “I know what you mean; My dad told me of some of the other Royal Knights he would work with and there’s at least two who are only sent in if there’s no other option. I don’t know who they are, but Dad did tell me that to their enemies; they go in expecting no mercy, and so give none in return.”

Celine nodded. “The Secret Weapon for when diplomacy fails.” She noticed a nearby chalice of grape juice and offered a drink. “Here’s to hoping they don’t need to get involved between your Hive and my pack. To peace.”

Dragonfly raised his root beer with a wide smile. “To peace, and new friends.”

The two continued to chat after, getting to know a bit about each other and sharing some things about their respective kin.

---

Twilight’s Tower

Around the same time

Twilight was trying to read a book to keep her mind off Lord Ego, but she was having difficulties: Everything Lord Stars had said rang in her skull and it wasn’t long before she let out a heavy sigh and double face-hoofed. Spike, her ever present companion, walked over and scratched her ear which caused Twilight’s tense body to slowly relax.

“Thanks Spike.”

“No problem Twilight, can’t get what that Noble said out of your head.”

“No… I get most of the Nobles aren’t that bad, at least from what Princess Celestia has told me, and that there are those that have their heads way up in the clouds and usually their words have no effect on me… But Lord Stars… I don’t know, his words really struck a nerve with me. Also Spike.” She flashed a playful grin at him. “You rhymed like some Tribes of Zebras do.”

The two shared a chuckle before focusing on the topic again.

“I really don’t know what to say Spike, then there’s the fact that he insulted those who are supposed to be our allies; some of which we’ve had for a long time. Heck the Kirin consider Equestria their second homeland and we have great relations with them, so what is with him?”

Before Spike could answer, another voice did.

“Sadly he’s always been like that Twilight.”

Said Mare and Dragon jumped with yelps and turned to see Celestia and Luna standing in the doorway, subtle but amused smiles on their faces. As the two recovered the two Alicorns walked over and laid down with Celestia next to Twilight and Luna next to Spike, using their wings to pull them to their sides followed by nuzzles, to which Twilight and Spike relaxed into.

“You see,” Celestia began, “Lord Stars has always viewed Ponies as the “superior species” and firmly believes that other species threaten Ponies, even despite the fact that many of them have been close allies.” She let out a heavy sigh. “He also sees Unicorns as “above” the other races.” Celestria rolled her eyes. “Reminds me of a certain EEP head.”

“It’s Nobles like him that are the reason arranged marriages are illegal, among other things.” Luna said, snorting as she stared out the room’s massive window. “Lord Stars reminds me far too much of the Nobles back when we were living in the Castle of the Sisters.” Celestia flinched hard at this.

Feeling the flinch, Twilight looked up at her mentor. “Princess Celestia, what’s wrong?”

Said Princess looked at the floor in thought, then turned to Luna who gave a slow nod. Celestia nodded back and let out a tired sigh.

“Twilight, Spike, it’s time you learn some of our history.” At this Twilight’s ears perked right up as Spike raised his eyebrows, the Princesses smiling at their looks of wonder.

“A thousand years ago I was… a far different Pony to the one I am today; I became blinded by the love of my subjects, my own light, and so much else that I became…” She paused as she took a deep breath, Luna reaching over with a wing to lay in across her sister’s back. “... I became a monster. The Nobles were all effectively Lord Stars; only caring about their own power while leaving the common Pony to rot, and I allowed it all thanks to being controlled by their silver tongues. I hurt many Ponies without even realizing it, the Thestrals were only one of those many harmed by me during those times.” Celestia’s eyes were squeezed shut as tears threatened to fall as the memories came back. “I even harmed my beloved sister through them.”

Luna spoke next as Celestia tried to keep from breaking down. “At the time Ponies feared and hated my night, and sadly me as well, though I never realized it until after I returned. However, I wasn’t alone.” Luna smiled softly. “Besides our father Hurricane, I also had Flash Magnus, the Thestrals… and my beloved Star Hunter.”

Twilight and Spike blinked. ”Star Hunter? Who was he?” Spike asked.

Luna lifted her wing to reveal an expertly crafted and beautiful ring around one the base of one of her primary feathers. “My wonderful husband.”

Twilight and Spike’s jaws dropped to the floor. “Wait Princess, you were married?!” Twilight stammered out, to which Luna nodded happily.

“Indeed I was; to a kind, funny and adventurous stallion; I met Star Hunter one night while working with the stars, he was flying up towards the sky as if trying to actually hunt them.” She wasn’t the only one that chuckled. “I later found out the reason he was doing that was to read his favorite books under the moonlight. I eventually confronted him as he unintentionally kept throwing off my work and I got tired of it. While it was a little tense at first, he ended up wooing me, which led to me getting to know him better. As it turns out he was in the guard and was close friends with Flash and Hurricane, to the point that the three considered each other brothers in all but blood. Hunter would eventually become a member of my personal guard and one thing led to another, eventually ending with Hunter and I…” She stopped as a large blush spread over her face, Twilight, being as well read as she was, realized immediately what had happened.

“Princess Luna… did you two really…”

“They did.” Celestia said as she recovered from her inner turmoil. “They were caught afterwards, though Flash had a good and long laugh about it with Hurricane giving Hunter his approval. I will admit that I wasn’t happy and would try to move Hunter to the frontline units but, looking back on it now, I’m very happy to say Luna was able to overrule me there.”

“One funny thing about the whole mess was Flash had defended our union by saying and I quote: “A Guard in bed with the Princess guarantees their safety.” Which Hurricane fully agreed with.”

Spike couldn’t help but crack a grin at their words, while Twilight actually stopped and pondered it. “I… suppose that does make a bit of sense. But…” Twilight thought for a second, then blinked as something came to her. “Wait…isn’t that what Cadance and Shining are doing?”

“It is indeed, Twilight.” Celestia responded. “You see; at first I didn’t approve of it but neither Luna nor Hunter cared, and in the end it ultimately ended up saving Luna’s life: An assassin had gotten into her room while she was sleeping and would have ended her life if not for Hunter.”

“As always Hunter had been sleeping with me,” Luna continued, “He heard the assassin enter and slipped under the covers, waiting until the assassin was close enough and about to strike, then leaped out which caught the assassin completely by surprise.”

“So Flash Magnus was right.” Spike mused.

“Indeed he was young Spike,” Luna said, then she looked at Celestia with a smug grin to which her sister returned with a deadpan glare.

“And Luna will never let me live that down.” Celestia snarked back, Luna responding with a laugh.

“No I wouldn’t.”

Twilight managed a small smile through her blush.

“He sounds like a brave stallion,” Spike mused. “I wish we could’ve met him.”

Luna’s gaze became more wistful. “Star Hunter was among the best things to happen to me, and we were very happy together. But then something else happened; Hunter had given me happiness and I wouldn’t have asked for more, then sometime after our first time…”

Luna pulled out a small photo album and opened it to a picture of a little Thestral Filly with a pitch black coat, and a white mane and tail that resembled Rainbow Dash’s wild style. Star-like spots shined across her face, back, and wings that were a trait of the Thestral Star Clan, and similar black spots speckled her hair and tail. Her eyes shone with an electric green light that reminded Twilight and Spike of Pinkie Pie, and her Cutie Mark was a symbol of two black wings speckled with spots like stars in a night sky.

The thing that caught Twilight and Spike’s attention the most, however, was the striped black and white horn that stuck out of her mane like a black puppy poking their head out of a white blanket, shocked at the sight.

As one both Twilight and Spike turned to Luna, who had a smile of motherly pride on her face.

“My daughter, my beloved Star Wing, came into our lives.”

Author's Note:

This has been sitting on the backburner for a long while as I was dealing with other things, but It's finally out.

Nothing I can really add for now, see you all next time. And hopefully not with such a gap in between.

Happy New Year.

Comments

[JNKing]

Absolutely love this. Excellent work, Silver.

I've been so excited to share Celine and my other OCs on this project, and I really appreciate you working with me to make some awesome character interactions.

Looking forward to working more on this with you.

Until then, thanks for sharing.

[Starlight Nova]

Is this story's format based off of XCOM?

[Silver Dragon Blade Wing]

11465112
So am I king, working together on this has opened so many new possibilities for the story and I'm really looking forward to exploring them all with you.

[Silver Dragon Blade Wing]

11465141
Not at first, but I can certain see some of XCOM in the story. Funny enough XCOM 2 is one of my favorite games.

[midnight arrow]

caught up all great chapters

[midnight arrow]

The meeting between the Ambassadors went by smoothly and was more for catching up on certain events in each other’s areas than anything too serious, though Celine had mentioned that her mother; Shiva, also known as “The White Wolf” or “The Howlite Howler,” had made great progress on unifying the various Diamond Dog Packs under her pack, which the others were happy to hear. Though there were still rogue elements that held onto the old ways with teeth and claws. After the meeting, the three Kirin had invited Celine to their room to discuss setting up relations between them and Shiva.

This is making me think of a displaced story with the names u use when she talks