Equestrian empire: peace in order

by writing dragon

chapter 5: A new dawn

"Apologies for my rudeness, but you were about to kill me. Let us start over," the stallion gave a bow. "My name is Phoebus, priest of the eye of heaven."

"I don't care who you are, and you already know who I am. So get on with it and tell me your demands." Star Swirl snarled.

Phoebus frowned at Star Swirl. " I see that the rumors about you're personality are true," Phoebus sighed. "Very well, I want you to become the next sacrifice." He said frankly

Star Swirl closed his eyes. "You think killing me will solve your problems?"

"It's a start, and you are powerful, your soul will be able to fuel the sunrise for a few days."

"Do you truly belief sacrificing me will solve anything?"

"You are the one who stopped our practice three centuries ago. Sol is clearly angry at you for stopping the sacrifices, and angry at us for following you. That is why we're losing our magic. Your sacrifice will be the catalyst to the reformation of the unicorn tribe."

Star Swirl looked back to his disciples and Opal. Opal shook her head. Her eyes showed resigned determination, she knew what Star Swirl's death would cause. But, it wasn't Opal who Star Swirl cared for.

Star Swirl knew the importance of all the ponies in this place. They could do without the guards, they could be replaced. Their deaths would affect little. Opal, even though she was a princess, she was not the only princess. Her death would certainly send a ripple of grief through the unicorn tribe. But she wasn't necessary for its survival. Star Swirls' death, however, would cause unimaginable damage to the unicorn tribe. No one would say it out loud, but Star Swirl was almost more important to the unicorns than even the royal family. His survival was of the utmost importance, or it would have been, had it not been for two fillies.

'Cutie marks, the most important thing in a pony's life,' thought Star Swirl. 'Everypony gets one eventually even if it takes a while. Those ponies who do not receive theirs at a certain age were usually mocked for being talentless and lazy. Yet in my centuries of life, I rebuke such a conclusion. For it is not the lack of effort or talent that causes their cutie marks to manifest later in life, as a matter of fact, it's the opposite. The lack of a cutie mark for so long simply means that they have a talent that is not seen often or one that has not been seen at all. Those talents are exactly the ones that advance the pony races.'

'Gustie the great, my mentor had such a talent. I had such a talent. Mage Meadowbrook, Rockhoof, Flash Magnus, Mistmane, and Somnabula. All great ponies of their tribes and trusted colleagues had similar stories. And now there's those two,' Star Swirl looked at White and Bleu, they're eyes were fearful. He met their gazes. 'The two most talented students I've ever had, and yet their talents remain a mystery. I had hoped to witness what great things they would accomplish.'

Star Swirl locks gazes with Phoebus. "If I do this, will you swear to let everypony go and that you and your cult will never harm those three?"

"Yes, that can be arranged."

"We will make a magic contract, if you break your side of the deal you and everypony you know will die. The method of death will be incineration, seems fitting for the likes of you."

Phoebus nodded agreeing with the terms, Star Swirl lit his horn and a contract and needle came into existence with a flash. Phoebus read the contract judging if Star Swirl had put any loopholes in the contract. There seemed to be none, it was straightforward with no way around the terms. Phoebus punctured his hoof with the needle. Before pressing his hoof on the contract. Star Swirl did the same and the contract vanished in another burst of magic.

"Now then, shall we get to it," Phoebus said with a grin.

"No! Don't," White called out, she understood what was about to happen and struggled more vehemently.

"Don't listen, teacher," Bleu said also struggling in the unicorn's grasp.

"Quiet, this is the only way."

Desperation flooded the two fillies. They did not want to lose their teacher. The one pony who had been like a father to them. Then inspiration struck Bleu.

"We will do it," she said.

Phoebes looked at blue with a raised eyebrow. "Do, what? Do you want to be sacrificed? Is that how desperate the tribe has become?" He asked in confusion.

"No, we will raise the sun for you."

"That's impossible," Star swirl said.

"No, it's not," White chimed in. "Star swirl always says that if there were two of him they could raise the sun and moon without sacrificing so much. The three of us working together will have enough power."

"I told you it's impossible."

"Please, we know we can do it," Blue said.

"You don't know anything."

"You can try," Phoebus suddenly chimes in.

"You said you wouldn't hurt them."

"I won't. Release the fillies," with his command Blue and White were released. "There now, you two are free to try and raise the sun."

"Is this wise sir." One of the cloaked ponies asked approaching Phoebus.

"Star Swirl can do nothing the contract clearly states that he will sacrifice himself for the sunrise. If he stops us in this endeavor or harms our ponies before his sacrifice he'll die."

White and Blue rushed to Star Swirl's side.

"I appreciate your courage," he started. "But you are not ready for this task. I am sure you will do great things with your magic. But for that to be achieved you need to continue living and studying."

"No," White said. "Not without you," tears formed in her eyes again but she held his gaze.

"We can do this," Blue added.

Star Swirl wanted to dismiss them. To just sent them away with a teleportation spell. But something in their eyes made him hesitate. It was a determination, not one of desperation but utmost trust in their abilities.

'I am going to regret this. This is way too much of a gamble. But I've learned over the years to trust my gut. Whether it be fate or some form of magic, my gut instinct has never let me astray.'

"Fine, but you will follow my lead."

The fillies nodded and together they walked to the center of the field.

"You're actually allowing them to raise the sun," Phoebus asked raising an eyebrow. He then shrugged his shoulders. "Well, alright. Just remember if this fails you will still have to sacrifice yourself."

Star Swirl ignored Phoebus as he began explaining the process of raising the sun to his students. "It is not a complicated spell. It is just like telekinesis, except your targets are the sun and moon."

Star Swirl's horn ignited in his white aura. In unison White and Blue did the same igniting their horns in a golden and blue aura respectfully.

"Ready?" Star Swirl asked receiving an affirmative nod from the two fillies. "Pull."

The moment Star Swirl gave the order he expected to feel the cold of lowering the moon like he always did. Except the feeling never came in fact an entirely different feeling came over him.

'What is happening? I should be feeling the cold about now. I can't feel it. No. I can't feel the moon at all.' Star Swirl thought frantically. He turned to White and Blue, intending to stop them and tell them something was wrong.

At that moment, a shockwave of magic the likes of which he had never felt before traveled over the courtyard. It passed through everything in the castle and continued into the surrounding city of unicornia.

The shockwave acted like a beacon, and unknown to everyone present at the time, Various powerful creatures noticed it. Artifacts around the world activated in response. And one ancient creature made up of dozens of different animal parts smiled a grin too wide for its face.

"How Interesting," It said in a thousand voices.

White and blue began floating in the air as a bright white light surrounded them. A golden aura completely covered White's body, and a similar blue aura covered Blue.

The celestial bodies began to move along the sky. The moon disappeared under the horizon as the sun appeared on the other side of the world.

Star Swirl had to hold his hat to prevent it from flying off of his head. The bells all over his cape and head chimed in the fierce winds created by the two fillies. A grin spread across his grey muzzle, and slowly he began to laugh.

Star Swirl laughed as he witnessed the moment his students gained their cutie marks.

As the sun appeared completely above the horizon and the moon had completely set. White and Blue collapsed on the ground. The light vanished, and the wind slowly settled.

Star Swirl was still grinning until he noticed movement in the corner of his vision.

'Shit, I forgot about the cultists,' he turned around, preparing for a fight.

Phoebus stood mouth agape, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Salvatores," he said reverently before he lowered his head in a bow.

The other cultists quickly followed his lead and did much the same. Star Swirl looked at them with confusion before he locked eyes with Opal. She looked at her surroundings in confusion eyes moving from Star Swirl, to the prostrated cultist, to the place where the moon had disappeared below the horizon, to the sun, and finally, they settled on the two fillies responsible for it all.

"What the fuck just happened," She said, dropping her royal way of speech.

White and Blue blinked their eyes rapidly, clearing their vision.

"What happened," White asked.

"You raised the sun," Star Swirl said. "Whiteout my assistance."

White and Blue blinked in confusion. "We did?"

"You have the cutie marks to prove it.

Blue and White checked their flanks. Blue had a picture of a crescent moon on her flank with splotches of black surrounding it, while white had a picture of the sun on hers.

They gasped in excitement. Their excitement quickly vanished however as they gazed at the still-kneeling cultists.

"Wait, what does this mean for the contract?" White asked.

"We will cancel it," Phoebus said, raising his head and walking towards Star Swirl, White, and Blue.

"Really? just like that? I would have thought you'd rather kill them for some kind of heresy," Star Swirl said skeptically.

"Not at all. We have begged sol for salvation for generations. He likely blessed these fillies to help us. Legends have foretold this day. The day on which the salvatores, the saviors, appear."

"You tried to kill us," Blue countered.

"That was then. This is now. Besides, the only reason you raised, the sun was because I threatened your lives. It was destiny."

"Thou threatened a member of the royal bloodline," Opal said, regaining her composure and fancy way of speaking. "Such a thing is punished with death."

"If the saviors wish it, then I shall take my own life. However, I urge them to reconsider. I can be useful."

"How?" Opal asked.

"I'm an individual with a lot of influence within the eye of heaven. I can help you track down the most radical members of the group. I can even use my influence to stop the sacrificing by telling our members that the saviors of ponykind have shown themselves."

"That is a tempting offer," Star Swirl said. "Of course, if we hunt down all the high-ranking members except you and allow you to start worshiping my students as saviors sent by your god. You will become the most powerful member within the eye of heaven."

"Unless I offer a soul bond with your students."

Star Swirls' eyes went wide. "You would do such a serious thing?"

"I would, and if I cancel the magic contract with you, then they will have full dominion over me, and I none over them."

Star Swirl sighed and looked at Blue and White. "It is up to you." He said to them.

"Would it help?" White asked.

"Probably," Star Swirl answered honestly.

White and Blue looked at each other, having a silent conversation. Before they both nodded.

"We will forge the soul contract," they said in unison.

"It is settled then," Phoebus said. "May I also have the honor of knowing your names?"

"I'm White."

"I'm Blue."

Phoebus looked at Star Swirl with a dumbfounded expression.

"Who names their kid after their coat color?"

Star Swirl shrugged. "Their orphans. That was the only name they had."

"It does not have to be so," Opal said. "It is not uncommon to change one's name when thou receives a cutie mark."

"Do you want to change your name?" Star Swirl asked.

Blue and White nodded after a bit of thinking.

Opal put a hoof to her chin while Looking at the cutie marks of the two fillies.

"They have the sun and moon, so perhaps a referral to that," Opal said thoughtfully. "How about Solis and Luna."

Phoebus shook his head. "Luna is fine, but Solis is too close to Sol. It would be dangerous to refer to yourself as god."

"The sun is the largest celestial object in our solar system," Star Swirl chimed in. "So, how about Celestia."

Opal looked at White and Blue. "What do you two think about Celestia and Luna for names."

White nodded enthusiastically. "I love it!"

"Me too!" Blue exclaimed.

"It's decided then." Star Swirl said, nodding.

Comments

[axe2050]

I am enjoying the story immensely so far!