The Changelings have been increasing their attacks on The Equestrian Borders but now they feel is the time to strike. They march for the fair capital of Equestria....Canterlot. A call for aid has been issued. Who will answer ? For war is kindled.
(Gore is not yet a guarantee, but it might go there at some point. It is a war fic, after all.) Equestria is known as a fair nation with good intentions. But, as with all great nations, there are those who seek to destroy it. Equestria has allies, and an equal number of enemies-when these enemies band together, they become a force not to be reckoned with. Nothing will stand in their way, except for a lone settlement with a specific position. Queen Chrysalis had her eye on this settlement. With grave intentions, she, King Sombra, and a Mercenary Lord, gather at the borders of Equestria with a great army. Perhaps she will call a siege upon Canterlot, Perhaps. May the Goddesses help the City in The Sky. Thanks to Panzer for the stunning image that he crafted. Giant thanks to MIKEANTHONY321 for being an amazing proofreader.
The day began unlike any other as Twilight moved around her library, grabbing books and sorting them into alphabetical bins.
She went about this task, taking her time as she sorted the library. After about an hour of this, she found herself drifting off. As she began to lose focus, she dropped a giant tome onto the floor with a loud *THUD*. She quickly snapped awake as the library settled again from the noise.
“Ugh,” she muttered to herself, “that was loud; how is Spike still sleeping after that?” Not long after she spoke, the little dragon appeared on the staircase, shooting her a half-angry, half-concerned look.
“Uhh…Twilight,” he spoke slowly and in a dull tone, “W-why…*yawn*…are you…still…up?” She smile and blushed softly, thinking to herself, “Ooh, only four thirty! I’m actually making good time.”
“S-sorry…Spike, I…um…lost track of time; I will be up in a minute.” She slightly nodded, nearly napping, as he disappeared up the stairs.
She looked back to the book that had fallen. It was a great tome; well-worn, old, and made of leather. It read in giant red letters gilded in gold, “Great, Magical, Mythical Beasts and Where to Find Them”.
“Ohhhh,” Twilight smiled, “this is my ancient bestiary.” Her eyes lit up. “My mother bought this for me. It was the first book I ever got!” She dusted off the book and placed it on her table.
She smiled and sat at the table, opening the old book and sliding the pages apart as the old leaves cracked and were somewhat withered.
“This book is so old; maybe twenty years or more since I got it and a few hundred since it was touched before me.”
She looked and smiled at the fond memories flooding her mind of her mother buying her the book, and of her reading it at a very young age whilst understanding it all.
“This was when we found out I was a gifted filly; that was what my mom had called it.” She then slid past a few pages and looked at a few beasts written on the pages.
“Hmmm…Ant Lions…Basilisks…Centaurs…aha...Changelings…hmm.” She scanned along the page while looking over it, making sure not to miss a word.
“This common creature can cause mass chaos as they feed of the love and affection of others, making them stronger. They are only matched by the love they feed on…they are found in Equestria, though little is known of their own nation and capital.” She looked up, worried, thinking back to about a week ago when she had received the news that had shocked her more than even Nightmare Moon’s return. “These are very fierce fighters and will kill tooth and nail to win battles, this I know.” She muttered to herself, remembering Celestia’s blackened horn and shuttering. She looked out her window, remembering the whole encounter. “Celestia had called me to a special meeting in Canterlot, I stayed at the royal spa with her, which sounded amazing, but it had played out much differently.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As the great metal train whirled to a stop, smoke fluffed into the air as Twilight stepped off the train and onto the deck of the train station loading bay. Many ponies loaded and unloaded luggage and others got off the train in a hurry. The platform filled with ponies going about their business, Twilight grabbed her bags using her telekinesis, moving along, wiggling her way off the platform. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “My good goddesses, there were so many ponies at that station,” Twilight recalled. "I had never seen such a massive amount of ponies, granted, I had fairly never traveled to Canterlot much." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ She then squeezed her way off the overcrowded platform. Right before getting off, she tripped on a piece of luggage expertly laid out in the most hazardous fashion. She laid there sprawled out angrily for a moment before standing and blowing the hair from in front of her eyes.
She thought to herself, “I hate traffic; it’s just so annoying. Gee, I must sound like Rarity right now...” After standing and walking off the platform, she looked out and brushed herself off. Her eye twitched as she stared at the traffic in front of the streets. Ponies crowded the walkways. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ She sat at her table, looking out her window. “I thought the platform was bad, the streets were ten times worse than that, about two dozen or so cabs were parked around the station unloading ponies before picking up the arriving ponies, then there was the main roads, with carriages that seemed to be backed up in the road, and the sidewalks were crowded with the new flood of traffic from the arriving train." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ She watched as the street’s hustle and bustle didn’t die down. “I need a shortcut,” she thought, annoyed. Taking a turn, she walked the lesser taken of two roads, the back roads of Canterlot. These roads were mostly untraveled, cracked, cobblestone paved roads, untouched by the newer ‘faster’ travel roads.
She serenely thought to herself, “It is quiet here; these roads are underdeveloped, as when they were built, the city was young, so when the new roads came in, there was no reason to use the old ones. Suppose they became chipped away and are unused and in disrepair.” She walked on as the road cracked below her, and she split her hoof on the rocky sidewalk.
“Ahhaa, son of a friendship!” she blurted she looked around and rubbed her hoof slowly, like a cat licking it’s wounds. “Glad no-pony heard that.” She smiled and walked on as her hooves began to ache from walking and walking on a jagged surface.“Gah…How did ponies do this before the new road came along?” She whined and marched on till she eventually reached the main gate to Canterlot Castle. Two guards in their signature golden armor stopped her and pulled her off to the side by the gate: one stallion and one mare.
The mare cleared her throat and spoke, “Sorry, Miss, we have been given strict orders that no one enters or exits the castle.” The stallion boomed behind, “ Yeah, we have the castle under watch, and no one is to get in unless directly ordered by Celestia herself.”
They looked to her angrily and both shouted, “Now scram!” the new recruit said in a mean and louder voice
She gave them a snooty look. “I was given special permission by her royal highness!”
Both looked back and giggled as the mare said, “You know how many times I have heard that Today !?, you know, what I am sorry I snapped, my point is it's hot out and, we're not exactly getting good pay to be out in this thick armor in the heat, it's not fun."
Twilight sympathetically nodded and observed their solid armor and wondered how they managed to keep all of that on, it surprised and never ceased to amaze her, she admired their strength for being able to exhibit by wearing their armor."
"Listen, kid, the point is, it's not happening unless Celestia poofs in behind me...” The stallion quivers beside his companion, “...and gives ya permission, you ain’t going in, and that is as unlikely as me getting a pay rise.”
A familiar voice said from behind her, “Who? Could you be talking about me?” Celestia chimed.
She screams and blushes as she dips into a bow, “M-mhm, sorry, my queen, just wanted to be sure she was safe to enter for you.”
“oh it is fine, sorry Twilight these are the new recruits and they can take my direct orders very seriously sometimes.”
She smiled, bowing again. “yeah sorry again, miss Twilight I believe, we have just been on high alert as of recent, forgive our being so standoffish.”
“Oh, it is fine, just keep an eye out for a real threat next time.” She said with a smile to the guard as she stepped into the brightly lit corridor.
“Wow Celestia, the castle is so bright today! It looks amazing, you've outdone yourself raising the sun, teacher.” Looking around in her usual ever-present wonder.
In this moment Celestia saw a spark in her student’s eye as she was reminded of why she was her student in the first place; It was that spark…that natural enthusiasm and want for wonder and knowledge that was never quite quenched... It reminded her of Luna and herself when they were younger.
“Why, thank you, Twilight, but I must say, you’re here for something more interesting than sunlight. You’re here to do a little work, and you’re also going to spend the day with me after.”
Celestia smiled as Twilight had her notepad ready to take notes. She stood by her much taller teacher.
“Now I need you to go and assist my librarian in reorganizing the library, as I know how good you are at organizing things in your own home. Also, I need you to make sure the vault is secure and undisturbed, then we can begin our week of relaxation.” Twilight nodded along, scribbling hard into her little notepad.
“That will do princess, that will do.” she began to walk off to the Canterlot Royal Library. As she arrived she saw the senile, old librarian tending to the books slowly, but with steady patience.
“Oh, you must be Celestia’s student and princess! I’m sorry, my memory is bad. What was your name, Miss?” She looked at Twilight with a withered smile on her face.
“Oh, I am Twilight, but who might you be?” Twilight stated back with much happiness and cheer, and some politeness.
“Oh, I am Gilded Quill, Canterlot Librarian and proud historian.” She smiled back and looked to Twilight. “So are we to begin organizing, child?” She smiled and showed several stacks of scrolls and books strewn across the table as if in mid research.
“Who was working here?” Twilight looked to the librarian with much curiosity on her face as the librarian gazed at her in.
“I think it was Luna; she seemed upset about something last night, and well...she produced this mess before leaving in a huff.” She looked to Twilight, her face the exhibit of concern as she said this; but I don’t know why she would have done so, she has always cleaned up in here before leaving, even when she was just a filly, so whatever it might have been could be bad.” Twilight looked up in shock from the scrolls and tomes.
“Oh, that is a problem, but whatever she was looking for, it obviously was not in these.” She said to the librarian in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Well, we should begin to fix them into their places, and talk after.” As the librarian rattled on, Twilight sat there looking over what Luna had scattered on the table. She saw a map that covered the table with many markings and scribbles on it, a concealment scroll and a bestiary, along with many other things of lore and magic.
She whispered to herself, “What was Luna doing in here that required all this research and planning?”
“Miss, are you coming?” Gilded Quill looked to her assistant for the time, "I remember you now, you used to come here everyday back when I was a much more energetic mare like yourself now, you used to love to read and admire the royal library's collection, I am not surprised you don't remember me, it's been years." Gilded smiled with memories of her unbridled youth, when she could do so much more.
“Oh…sorry, I was a bit distracted by this puzzling scene of research, if you can call it that. Why would Luna need all this to study? O-ohhhh, maybe I do remember you, I certainly remember doing my reading her, I used to read with my teacher, I must say, it's nice to reconvene you and it's lovely to see the library again; how have you been ?” Twilight looked curiously.
"Well, I have been alright, it's been many years since I was a truly nimble mare, but I have been well since then, I settled in and made a family for myself and it just slowed pace since then, I have been the watcher of the royal archives for almost forty years." Gilded smiled remembering the old days before she truly settled into her library position and took it seriously.
Twilight glimpsed, She turned to the librarian and grabbed several scrolls and, without help, she pushed each into its appropriate place, The librarian smiled, knowing that the princess would know how to organize this with ease as she knew the library better than even herself. “Are you going to help me organize, Miss Gilded?” She smiled and giggled, going back to organizing.
“Oh yes, sure.” Gilded Quill gathered the books, stacked them, and handed them to Twilight.
“Thank you, Miss, I am glad to help you. You shouldn’t have to do this all alone.” Twilight said with a smile after shelving a book.
“What do you think of this?” The librarian looked at the book that Twilight handed her and she read the title aloud.
“‘The History Of Old Equestria: Tales of War, Divide, and Sorrow’. Hmm...I have no idea where she found this...it doesn’t belong in here. She must have brought it from the vault.” She stared at the title as if she were rereading it for certainty.
“What is wrong, Miss G?” Twilight said with a growing curiosity for this table of “research”.
“That belongs in the vault, why did she bring it out of there, no matter, I need to get this back there.” She picks the book up and slides it into her saddle bag to remind her. “But it also reminds me of a story, wanna hear it?” She looks down to Twilight with a soft smile.
Twilight nods quickly eager, figuring she might learn something new, with that they set at the table and listened.
“Oh I know this book, the time of it, too. It was roughly sixty years ago, and it was the critical time in our history. The time we call, ‘The Black Years,’ and well...we were plagued by two major pests: Disease and Changelings.” Twilight listened and nodded along.
“Now, long before friendship was discovered to be magic, we had many things that are no simply no longer, For example, we once had a sort of magic, it was powerful but unstable, it was known as arcane magic, and it allowed those without horns to hone magical abilities, but the instability that came with it made it a dangerous alternative to normal low level magic. so many lost libraries were used to store arcane knowledge and were guarded by many soldiers, because the changelings wanted this magic, but we would not allow it to them, as yes they had horns but they wanted the power of this magic, you see, normal magic could easily be bested by arcane arts, which in part is what lead to it's downfall; but the Changelings wouldn't be discouraged by it's magical instability. Well, after many years, the knowledge was hidden and the libraries destroyed to cover the tracks. The reason this was a bad thing was, you see, many ponies used it and out of it sprang a clan of great smelters.”
Twilight interrupted and questioned her, apologizing first "Why was the magic purged ? I have heard of this magic, but why did they purge it ?" Twilight smiled happily as she listened.
"They couldn't protect the libraries any longer, they figured the bust way was to round up what they could, destroy what they couldn't and ban the catastrophic magic, in hopes that would stop the changelings, it did for a time but soon they attempted to lay siege to Canterlot to take what they wanted, that was when we drew the line and so began 'The War of Changelings and Ponies' though it wasn't the first to happen it would be the last to date. The clan of blacksmiths, among it were six houses of blacksmiths and each house was made up of one great clan who had many sub clans united under it so it became a house. The houses were as follows: Steele Forgers, Anvil Hearts, Great Helms, Searing Red Irons, Golden Hammers, and Silver Beards. But right before the great war began, a seventh arose; after buying out smaller clans among the houses, the Hammer Hooves. This clan slowly became the most prominent and was led by Helm Hammerhooves.”
"If I may interrupt for a moment, I have never heard of this Helm, despite him sounding important to victory at this time in our history, they seemed to have dropped most written word during this time period as far as recreational, most of the only written words from the dark ages seem to be scrolls last time I checked this time, the scrolls mostly consisted of battle histories and statistics, listing casualties and things like that, outcomes and strategies that strove to the outcome"
“why yes, that is very true, because writing and publishing are a very complicated process and this time consisted a great deal of controversy, like the hiring of the smiths which was done under the table, sorta speak; but soon, Equestria became fully involved in the Changeling war openly. Soon enough, though, its soldiers began to slowly lose their ground and were whittled away. Celestia began to worry the newly reunited kingdom would lose the battle and their land west of Canterlot. This made her begin to turn to other means. As she decided to call the blacksmith clans to fight in the war in exchange for weapons and fighters, she offered gold. They accepted and joined into the war. It was the Silver Beards who led them into battle. Hammerhooves sent in the most soldiers to fight and got the most money immediately but it was the Silver Beards who made the most as a whole. Soon, they didn't just make their weapons for money, they became a sort of disciplined paid mercenary, they made up the backbone of the armies soon enough, the soldiers of Equestria became inspired by them, relying on them as heavy hitters and they found morale in the smiths ranks. You see, they offered Celestia, their own men as mercenary soldiers and a weapon contract to produce fine quality weapons for Canterlot’s soldiers. She agreed, and the houses yielded and Helm became their leader on the battlefield and with that, they went into battle. It only took a few months for them to win almost all the battles they marched into, Helm learned of his skill in leading a army. Before they knew it the final battle was beginning: The ‘Last Great Changeling-Equestrian Battle’.”
Twilight smiled and looked completely satisfied and intrigued at the story "that's so much to take in miss, that's more than I think I have ever read, ah yes, I remember that there are so few books from the dark times, your really living history miss quill." Twilight smiled at her brightly.
“I suppose I am; but anyway, it took place in a fort and around on Equestria’s western border, and it is also where we draw ‘The Great Divide’, a military line that the changelings should never cross unless they want a war. The battle that was fought there was on an island between a river where two fjords met with the island. On the island, a glorious multi-level fort stood, towering above everything else, it's history as old as I am.”
Twilight looked to her with great surprise and responded with saying “Why tell me all of this miss guild?”
“Because……that was where they clashed and where the war ended……But also where the real story begins.” Twilight looked at her with a surprised expression.
“My goddesses, t-that is horrible.” She shook out of her insane state as she imagined the clashing on the now burning, blood stained island.
“Yes.” She put the last bit of books up on the shelves and finished her work. “My, My…I hated when I got news that my husband would be going to war, but I lost it after…well…”
Twilight looked beyond her books. “W-What…had happen to him? …I-If I may ask y-you...” She looked to her librarian friend with a curious look. “H-H-He fell.” tears swelled in her now red eyes as she hid her face on the table.
“N-No, shh, don’t cry...I am so sorry...” She patted her back and fixed the mare’s mane.
“T-Thank you, you’re very kind. He was very nice and tried to help, but in the end, h-he fell on the island.” She sat up with a soft, unbroken look on her withered face.
“I must go now…I am sorry, I will stop by later, Miss.” Twilight nodded off to the librarian and walked off to the royal spa room with a hop in her trots as she said quietly, “That was a very interesting conversation, but now I am wondering what happened to Luna. She had a lot of weird things laid out that she seemed to be researching.” Twilight thought silently.
She had made a decision as she turned in the hall to the stairs to the upper tower. She was going to see Princess Luna…
Twilight quietly made her way to Luna’s tower and bedroom. As she made her way to the room, she spotted a familiar shadow. Stepping out among the tall hedges, she crept up on the figure that was staring at the moon. “M-M-Miss Luna? ...Is that you?” The shadow winced before turning to Twilight, and her suspicion was confirmed.
“Yes…Yes, it is me. What is it, my lovely fellow princess?” Luna looked into Twilight’s eyes with the same fear she had had before she became Nightmare Moon.
“A-A-Are you okay, Miss? …I saw that you were researching something in the library; may I ask what it was?”
Luna huffed a small smoke ring into the frosty night air.
“Well, all it is is some weird rumor going around; nothing much. But will you tell Celestia, she will…”
Before Luna could finish speaking, Twilight said, “But something is here that you’re not telling me! I am not a foal, Princess. What is missing, Miss Luna?” Luna looked at Twilight, surprised.
The night princess thought to herself, “She interrupted me. She never does that. What should I tell her; the thing that I found?”
“Miss Luna, what happened in that library?” She looked at Luna seriously.
“Twilight, let me show you.” She grabbed Twilight, and disappeared with her in a small poof. Twilight, being dazed from the teleportation, shook her head and looked down the strange hill that they had landed on.
“Oh my...” She sat down on her rump and looked down on the island below her. A fort resided where she stared. Its ancient walls had long since crumbled and fallen in.
“Is that…the fortress from the war?” She looked up to Luna, and then back down at the decayed, and crumbling fortress. She observed the burned out walls and battered gates.
“Yes, that is the fortress…from the librarian’s story. It was not anything of a fairy tale.” She looked to Twilight, and said softly with an adventurous smile, “Shall we go out and get a closer look?”
She walked down the hill as Twilight followed her. Twilight stepped past the burned out gatehouse and walked around it to the outer wall. She then walked behind Luna, her horn emitting light and brightening the darkness. As she looked up towards the actual fortress, she walked across the partially burned bridge, and said, “Luna, is it safe to be walking around here? I kind of feel eyes on me…” Luna looked around the ruins and whispered, “We….are….not….alone...”
She looked down to Twilight, lit up the room with her horn, and quietly readied it for use.
Twilight whispered back, “How...can you tell, Luna?” Twilight looked up in wonder.
Luna responded in a matter-of-factly tone, but still quietly, “In what situation would you have two shadows, Twilight?”
Twilight looked down grimly, and confirmed the presence of a second shadow behind her. “Luna, what do I do?” she whispered in fear, shaking softly.
“First, relax; it hasn’t noticed us yet, so we just need to not move.” Luna then, in a swift movement, pushed Twilight out of the way as the shadow went to pounce her. She fired a magic bolt of light at it, and it faded. “A scout. That is not good at all.”
All of a sudden the ruins buzzed with activity. Buzzing wing flaps resembling those of bees reverberated in the ponies’ ears.
“What is going on?!?!?” Twilight screamed over the buzzing, looking up at her friend and Princess of the Night.
Luna responded with a troubled voice, “I believe we poked the nest too hard! We should probably get moving!” Luna grabbed her and prepared to port them back. Just before Twilight was sent back away, she caught a glance behind her, and saw for a second a swarm of Changelings leaving the darkness.
Behind them stood a pony, if you could call him that. He haunted Twilight’s nightmares for long to come. Sombra, the old king of The Crystal Empire, grimly and sadistically smiled at them.
Before she could do anything, they were back in Luna’s room as if nothing had happened.
“W-Why did you take me there?”
Luna looked down at her sister’s pale student. “Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost.”
Twilight’s response was darkened and grim. “I might as well have! He was destroyed; how is he back?” Twilight paced, looking unto the floor. “Luna, I saw Sombra among the fortress shadows.”
Luna looked down in sheer horror and fear. “No, not him. Please tell me you’re kidding about him!”
Twilight shook her head, “I am not joking.” She gave Luna a stern, non-lying look.
Luna said unto the small student, “And you’re sure it was him, and not just a trick?”
Twilight looked up in persistence. “As sure as the sun is hot.” She looked at Luna with a determined look on her face.
“I believe you, Twilight, but that was a mere scouting party, though. More are around Equestria gathering for some sort of meeting, but I do not know where they would gather.”
It then hit Twilight like a ton of books. She needed to meet Celestia and tell her about this occurrence. She tries to remember where to find her.
“Wait I know where she is; I forgot we have a spa meeting today! I’m sorry about this, Miss Luna, but we can talk later.” She smiled and walked down the stairs into the hall and out onto the first floor of Canterlot Castle.
Twilight realized, having looked at a nearby sundial, that it had been an hour since she met up with Luna. “Aww, I’m going to be late!”
She ran through the hall frantically after leaving Luna, looking for the spa room that she was supposed to meet the princess in.
She finally stopped upon seeing a door marked, “The Royal Spa”, and stepped inside with haste.
“Ah, welcome! Twilight, my student, go ahead and settle on in.” Celestia gestured, smiling happily. As Twilight climbed into a hot tub, Celestia stepped away from the massage table she was on to join her.
“Sorry I was so late; I had to stop to say hi to Luna.” Twilight had smiled and give her motherly figure a soft hug.
“Oh, you’re late? I don’t think there is a time-telling device in here. You can’t be that late, my loyal student. Though, you finished all right with the library, I presume?”
Twilight nodded in agreement and smiled to her teacher, settling into her bath. “Teacher, I need to tell you; I went and found Luna for a very important reason. We went to the abandoned fortress I am sorry but you need to hear what we found.”
Celestia looked down at her student and smiled. “Twilight I would never get mad at you over that, but you could have at least warned me.”
She looked and smiled at her teacher, reassured. “Thank you, Princess. The thing is, Luna and I visited the old fort….”
Before she began, Celestia already stopped her and responded with, “You did what, Twilight?!?!?! You should not have went alone there with Luna; there is a massive evil there.”
Twilight looked down at the ground in shame.
“I am so sorry...I just wanted to help Luna; she seemed so troubled.”
She looked up to her teacher. “But what we found there is what concerns me. You see, I thought I saw King Sombra…”
Celestia stared down to her, seemingly confused. “What did you just say? I bet you didn’t just say what I think you did.”
Twilight looked back up and said, “I could’ve sworn I found Sombra hiding amongst the ruins. I know it was him.”
Celestia looked down in anger and stood up out of the water. “I knew it; I am not surprised at this. And I figured it had been too long since he showed his face. Twilight, you should not have gone there.”
Luna walked in, obviously listening to their conversation as to know when to walk in. “I know you wanted me to stay behind and not go, but you can’t just push these problems aside! You didn’t see all the Changelings that tried to attack us there!” She stared at Celestia with a determination that Twilight had never seen before.
“Sister, you're just as guilty! You should not have taken Twilight to ruins that you could not go to either; she could have been killed by Sombra.”
Luna lowered her head in shame for a few seconds. Then, looking back up to her sister, she said in agreement, “I don’t think you’re wrong at all, but I must say, we managed to spot the damage going on there, and, well…...you need to listen to me this once. I know I am the little sister and am not as important, and I know why you ignore me, but I am sorry that I was ever evil to you.”
Celestia looked at her sister and said, “No, Luna, I am not mad at you. That wasn’t your fault, and I would never stop loving you for it. And I don’t ignore you; you’re my most loyal pony.”
She hugged Luna close to her and said, “I am always listening to you.”
Luna smiled, saying, “Then hear me say this. You need to hear me out sister, at least this once.”
Celestia smiled back to her sister. “Okay, I am listening. Tell me what you need.”
“Dear sister, I don’t want to fight over it, but understand, we have sat by for too long like this, fearing the darkness in faraway lands, that we allowed darkness to hide in the light, to hide in our own lands.”
Celestia looked on, unable to speak, and just listened intently to what her sister was telling her. “We need to fix that, and purge this darkness basking in our light; don’t you agree?”
She reluctantly nodded in agreement. Something had to be done before Sombra was too strong.
She spoke out to her two companions. “I agree. Luna, please ready the legions tomorrow and alert the troops for a full muster. They march off tomorrow and destroy the weed at its roots.”
Luna looked up in shock of such a drastic order and said, “To-tomorrow? B-but…”
She was cut off by Celestia. “Shhh... just have the troops ready.”
As they debated onwards about it, Twilight looked off in fear of her brother, a strong leader, but no general by any means. She remembered how sad he was to hear that Swift Sword had won the promotion, and how he perked up upon finding out that he would be training under Swift later as an apprentice. She could remember the joy in his eyes and his face as he thanked Swift for the apprenticeship.
She said, “What about our spa trip, Celestia? Can we at least enjoy it before we go?”
Celestia looked at her student, and said, “We can finish this one, but then Luna and I have things to do.”
Twilight sat back down in the hot tub, relaxed, and smiled. “Thank you. Then, after this, I can help you in any way you need me, my teacher.”
She smiled down at her determined student with that same glimmer in her eyes. Twilight added, “I am happy to work with you, Princess. It has always been a great honor ever since we first met.”
“Thank you, Twilight. It means a lot that you say that. It is good that I know you and I would even go as far to call you a daughter, if that means much.”
She smiled up at Celestia and hugged her teacher tightly for what seemed like the first time in ages. She did it out of love, but deep in her heart, she felt as though it were also out of fear…..
Celestia smiled and pulled her student close. “That is enough. We have a lot of work to do, Twilight.” They broke free from each other and climbed out of the spa.
“Alright; apologies, teacher.” She smiled up at her teacher and blushed a bit before sitting back in the tub.
She turned to Luna. “Luna….We need to go, we have work to do.” Her sister nodded at this affirmatively.
It wasn’t until that night that Twilight got to see the princesses again, when they showed her to her room for the week. She settled into the room for the night. Now, the next day, she was called to the throne room by Celestia.
“My dear student, Twilight, our troops will march out soon, and I need to ask you; I want you to give a speech to them. They will need the courage, and that would really help the morale.”
Twilight smiled awkwardly. “Oh….M-My.”
“If you don’t want to then I understand. I mean...it is a bit of short notice.”
Twilight said, “Oh...no no no! It isn’t that, Miss….it’s just that it would be an honor to do so. But...how long till they march?”
“Two days time.” She looked to Twilight. Meanwhile, Luna stepped in.
“We are all set to give our own speeches at the march out. I can help Twilight, if you want.”
Twilight said in a bit of surprise, “I would love that, if you will.”
Celestia smiled and settled into throne. “Okay, good. You two got it covered for each other.”
It was then that she realized she still needed to get back and check in with miss Gilded at the library and tell her about the eventful trip to the fort, so with that she waved off to the sisters before heading back down the winding halls and finding the familiar library, it had always been a haven for Twilight, she just felt at home around all the knowledge that they provided, she then called out to the librarian. “Hello, Gilded, you around?”
She looked out from behind a shelf and smiled. “Hello, Miss Twilight! How did the talk with Miss Luna go?”
“O-Oh...it went as expected well as you might have expected, I think we found something!”
Gilded looked at Twilight curiously.
“What was it?” Gilded looked into Twilight’s eyes and stared at her for the longest time, it seemed, until Twilight spoke.
“We found the fort from the war and an evil now lurks there, we could feel it.” She stared back into Gilded eyes, unable to break her seemingly hollow gaze. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It wasn’t until two days had passed that the march was delayed and the sisters had retreated into the tower war room.
Twilight worried about them, but stayed in Canterlot for the rest of her week, visiting places while trying to forget about her teacher and her sister. In the end, though, she left Canterlot to come back home…….
It was early morning as Twilight awoke on what felt like a completely normal day. She had already made her speech ready to give at the march, which had been delayed due to cold weather conditions and poor planning. She wasn’t coming unprepared, as her library looked barren at the moment. She had cleaned out all the books from it to hide them in safety. So, when she went back to Canterlot, they could be put into the vault there.
“Hey, Spike, where are you?” She called out for her dragon ‘brother’.
He climbed out from under her bed, clutching a blanket to himself. “Awww, you’re back! I was getting the best sleep in ages; you know, the uninterrupted kind.” He snorted and giggled as she gave him an angry face. Spike stepped forward, and hugged her. “Twi, relax. I was only kidding.”
She smiled and hugged him back. “Thanks, Spike.”
She explained to him that she was about to leave again on more business in Canterlot, and that she would be back as soon as possible to spend time with him. He nodded, and smiled. “Yay, back to bed!” The tired dragon ran off for the bedroom, covers in claw.
Twilight was left alone and thought, “Ugh, why do I trust him to do work?” She shrugged it off and packed her cases into a pile, lifting it with her magic. “Heavy!” She almost tipped over, but caught her balance and walked on, carrying an unwelcomed weight on her being that was unpleasant for her and her back. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ She walked on down the road and passed by Rarity, who stood on the street waving at Twilight. Twilight waved back to her. “Hello, Rarity! How are you doing?”
Rarity smiled and looked back at her. “Greetings, darling. Do you need help with those?” She used her magic and took some of the weight off of Twilight.
Twilight huffed in relief and smiled. “Thanks, Rarity; I needed that.”
Twilight and Rarity walked down the street and loaded the massive crates onto the train platform, waiting for the train.
“What is in these crates, Twilight?” She looked at her in confusion as the huffing of a train and the whining of a whistle filled the air.
“Wait, darling, you're not staying for the party?” She flashed a concerned look to Twilight.
“What party, Rarity? I didn’t get an invitation to any parties.” Twilight said with a small chuckle.
“Oh yeah, I was supposed to give you an invitation; I must’ve forgotten. Are you sure you can’t make the next train stop? Pinkie will want you to come to say bye. Who knows how long you will be gone, dear?”
She looked at Twilight longingly and started to walk off before she realized that Twilight was walking with her. “You know Rarity, I hate it when you’re right.”
They both laughed together. Twilight patted Rarity on the back and said, “Well I guess I can theoretically make it to Canterlot a little bit late. I mean, Celestia said I wasn’t needed there yet.”
Rarity smiled, and in a swift but free flowing movement, spun around and grabbed Twilight’s hoof, pulling her off in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight only spoke as she was dragged there, “Rarity, do you enjoy Pinkie’s parties?”
Rarity looked at Twilight, her face ablaze with confusion. “What kind of question is that?”
Twilight laughed. “Not like that, I just mean, do you enjoy them? You’re….you know….fancy; I just don’t see you enjoying yourself there.”
Rarity looked back at Twilight. Although her trot onwards continued, she said, “Whyever would you think I could miss a ‘Pinkie Party’...? I may be sophisticated, and ‘whatever else’, Rainbow says behind my back, but one thing's for sure; Pinkie Pie is my friend, and crazy or not, I still love her parties.”
Twilight smiled and nodded in happy agreement as Rainbow flew over them. Spotting them and dashing downwards, Rainbow Dash landed abruptly next to them. “Oh, hey, Twilight! Finally, somepony found you! We have been looking all over for you. We needed to find you before you left town. This party is supposed to be just as awesome as I am, so there’s no way we could’ve let you ditch!”
Rarity and Twilight looked at each other and smiled. They could hear the music already, and if that wasn’t enough to find the place, the lights were another dead giveaway. Rarity grinned and said to Twilight and a hovering Rainbow, “Well, we still managed to be late; the DJ is already set up and playing!”
Rainbow shouted over the loud electronic music, “WE GOT A PARTY TO ATTEND, COME ON!!!!”
Rainbow flew off in a haze towards Sugarcube Corner, where ponies were gathering at the doors to get inside with their friends. Twilight and Rarity walked to the doors and joined the crowd inside, dancing, eating and partying in general. As soon as Twilight stepped inside, the whole house shook with cheers and a loud, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” rung out in the small room.
Twilight smiled and laughed, having forgotten that today was her own birthday. She shouted, “THANK YOU ALL!” It, too, echoed off the walls.
Twilight went off to herself to get food at the tables and she ran into Pinkie Pie, who, in her usual sugar-coated mood, said with a wide smile, “Ooooh, Twilight, you made it here! I was afraid you forgot today and just left!”
Twilight smiled and hugged Pinkie. “I wasn't even going to celebrate at all this year Also, Pinkie….”
Pinkie snorted and smiled, “Not celebrate a party, pfff, your hilarious, but anyway what were you saying ?” her hooves holding Twilight tight.
“Thank you.” Twilight responded in a happy tone as she broke the hug up and grabbed some of the hay fries laid out on the table. While she happily munched on her snack, onstage, DJ PON3 herself was rocking out with her new accomplice, Rainbow Dash, who had wandered up onstage and began dancing for the crowds. They yelled and cheered while dancing side-by-side, which naturally doubled the cheers.
Rainbow shouted to Vinyl, “This party is awesome!” Vinyl nodded in agreement as they danced on. On the other side of the room, Applejack was serving cider for the guests and staff, who lingered behind for the party that they had set up for the princess.
“Ah reckon that the party was a success then, Pinkie?” AJ said as she filled a glass of cider for Pinkie. The both of them smiled at each other as they watched the scene of Rainbow Dash and Vinyl Scratch dancing to the music that was playing, and doing a pretty good job at it, too.
Yet, despite the party, the night drawing around the house as they raved on, nothing interesting occurred until Twilight stepped up with Rainbow to dance.
“I am coming onstage.” Twilight muttered confidently. The crowd went wild in excitement as Twilight got onstage next to Vinyl, and in a cider-drunken spur of the moment, she started dancing onstage and shaking her flank. This caught the attention of the stallions offstage, and they started to gather near the front of the stage to cheer loudly. Then Rainbow joined in with Twilight and started doing the same, and soon Vinyl too. Soon, the party started to get crazy as a few mares joined them onstage following their drunken moves. It didn’t take long for the party to get out of hoof in this manner.
As the mares danced, Rarity watched silently from a ways away. As she did, Pinkie and the others on the grounds started to dance too, and after a moment the rave was back on. Vinyl jumped for her turntable and started remixing the song. “Aww yeah, come on everypony!” She yelled happily.
The crowd let out another cheer and went back to dancing as Rainbow and Twilight jumped offstage and went to settle in the back by the desserts table. They both laid on a small couch off away from the stage. As Twilight lay there, she started to feel more and more tired, despite the ranting party in the background. She passed out right there on the sofa, snuggling up to Rainbow Dash. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight woke up a few hours later, her breath smelling of alcohol and her vision cloudy as the sun beamed her in the face. She wiped her muzzle and messed with her mane while standing up slowly. She walked over to the bar, and as she did, she tripped on the passed out DJ. “Ow, what the hay was that?” She rubbed her head and sat back down on the floor, trying to return to the living world.
Rainbow sat up and looked at Twilight with frazzled eyes. “You okay, Twi? You need some help?” Rainbow sat by her friend and wrapped a caring wing around her.
“Yeah, I’m fine Rainbow. Thanks. I just need to get moving…...ugh, I am tired...” Twilight stood up and shook her wings before she realized something dismal. “Wait, I have to go to the train station! I have to catch the train in order to make it to Canterlot! I have a meeting to attend; it will govern the fate of two empires !”
So after the party, as they walked along to the train station many ponies came around to wave off the famous mare. The reason her friends came was simple, they didn't hesitate as it was the going away of their best friend and the one who brought them together in the first place. When they arrived Pinkie burst into tears over her taking leave to Canterlot, naturally Pinkie would be the one to lose it. Standing around the platform, Rarity spoke first "Well darling, we came to see you off, and I want you to be safe, who knows what we would do without you here darling."
Rainbow nodded and added "We really need you around" and in an effort to hold her cool she slyly added "egghead."
Twilight was kinda surprised to see Rainbow Dash, labeled the cool one mentioning her feelings to any of them "th-thanks Rarity and thanks to you too Rainbow."
Rainbow nodded "yeah, yeah but isn't that your train coming up right now ?" There was a loud whistle in that erupted before the sound of screeching brakes.
Twilight blurted "Oh yes, it is!" with that realization, she hugged Rainbow Dash and Rarity then she waved off the rest of her friends hastily. With that, she was off again on her trip to Canterlot. She got onto the train platform and waved off to Spike, who had followed her there.
“Bye, Twilight! I will see you soon! Please be safe!” Twilight nodded reluctantly. She stepped off the platform and onto the stairs leading up to the train that was destined for Canterlot…..
The tower was silent save for the clip-clop of hooves on the stone floor. From one side of the room to the other, and then back again. It was a short distance, there wasn’t much room in the round chamber. The pacing stopped as the door opened and closed, another set of hooves entering the room.
The first hoof steps sounded again. “Twilight,” Celestia said, walking over to her faithful student. She smiled softly. “How fortunate it is that you’ve joined us.”
Twilight looked at the standing Alicorn sheepishly. “Heh… sorry I’m a bit late…” She looked around the room and saw Luna sitting on a chair in front of the only table present. A small, lonely window was the only source of sunlight in the tower, but it was enough. Sunlight reflected off the grey stones, making it seem lighter than it was. A chalkboard was directly in the beam of light, a silly drawing of a huge sunny butt gracing the green. Twilight couldn’t hold back a small smile which she hid behind her hoof.
Luna spoke up. “May I inquire the cause of thy tardiness?” She was frowning a little, and Twilight sighed, smiling openly at the thought of the party. She blushed.
“I was… having some fun with my friends.” She chuckled. “Pinkie’s parties are quite the happening.”
Celestia smiled softly and nodded. “I understand.” Soon, her smile faltered and a serious expression dominated her features. She walked to the chalkboard and flipped it to its other side, but this side was clad with the likes of a huge moon-butt. Twilight snorted, near-inaudibly, and Luna’s frown deepened. Celestia only sighed and picked up the eraser, shaking her head, and started to wipe away the plot.
Luna sighed annoyed, “Whoever draws those incessant caricatures?”
Celestia chuckled, but didn’t answer her question, “You should lighten up a bit more sister.”
Luna tilted her eyebrow, “Lighten up?”
Celestia laughed and stood back, the board now blank. She turned around and looked back, serious again, she sighed deeply and took a deep breath before she started to speak.
“Now, as you know,” Celestia started, “The march will start in a few hours, Everypony is nearly ready to move out, And, this time, the paperwork is actually done…” She chuckled breathily. “So, we should go and hold our speeches shortly. But first… let me fill you in on recent events.”
Twilight nodded and took a seat. Celestia positioned herself in front of the board, the little stump of white chalk in her magic.
“As you might know… there will be some troops sent towards the island where everything is happening…”
Twilight nodded. “Yes… I know that. Do I still need to speak to them?”
Celestia played mindlessly with the stump of chalk in her magic, twirling it around. Luna followed it with her eyes, both intrigued and annoyed, Celestia nodded, smiling. “If you could, please.”
Twilight nodded back, fiddling nervously with her hooves, looking down. “I… do have something prepared, although I am not sure if it is good enough…”
Celestia smiled. “I have full faith in your capabilities.”
Twilight smiled thankful and nodded. Then, Luna cleared her throat. “So… now what?”
Celestia smiled and started to write on the blackboard, the chalk coming off the board in small whisps as the stomp went over the black. Thank goodness there was no screeching sound to be heard… Hooves and blackboards were no fun combination.
~
Twilight was shifting on the balcony. She would first put up her left leg, scratch her right leg, then look down at the murmuring soldiers, scratch her left hind leg with her right hind leg, fiddle with her hooves and look through the flashcards she prepared for just this moment. Two guards stood unmoving aside the door to the balcony. She fumbled slightly with her dress for the occasion. Celestia and Luna were nowhere to be found.
Of course, Twilight thought. They had their own duties to attend to. She sighed and shuffled once more before she walked up again, taking a deep breath. As she cleared her throat, the armed stallions and mares below would look up to her, standing alert. She looked down, stoically, trying to feign confidence, and started.
“Soldiers of Equestria…” she said, her voice echoing over the plaza. She winced slightly as she heard her own echoes, but regained her composure as she found that her voice actually sounded quite steady. “We need your help to defend our Equestria.”
She smiled softly to herself, a slight shadow none of the soldiers would be able to catch from so far below. “A new threat has presented itself inside Equestria’s borders. It is up to you to defeat this threat and make sure our country is safe.”
She nodded. “And I know, you can do it.” She stomped her hoof to underline her message. “I know that you can defeat the threat, because you are Equestria’s army! You are the best of the best, the bravest of the bravest! You have battled many more and won! I am confident that you will win this battle too.”
She smiled, this time visible for all to see. “I… we, the princesses of Equestria, have all our confidence, all our faith in you. We know that you will not disappoint us. And I know that you will always fight for our homeland, our country, for our Equestria!”
The soldiers below grunted and shouted with her in unison, saluting. “For Equestria!”
Twilight smiled and nodded contently. She couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved, the speech had gone over well. No stumbles, no awkwardly silent crowd… She sighed inwardly from what could have been, and focused on what is. The imminent threat these brave soldiers were going to face.
When the captains started to shout orders, she knew that was her cue to retreat from the balcony, but as she turned around, she picked up a little sentence - the captain shouted. “The Armies of the Crystal Empire - including their Captain and Prince - will be assisting us as well!”
And she stopped. Captain? Prince? She gulped.
Shining…
Her brother…
There would be no celebration, no song, no dance...
Twilight greeted her brother, speaking of the battle to come. She spoke first, “brother, you don't have to do this; you're not a simple guard, and you've got nothing to prove.” She gave him a nervous smile. She held onto her big bro, holding back whatever tears she had for her brother. “I just don't want to see my brother get hurt out there. You're my amazing brother, and losing you to this, I'd never let myself be forgiven.”
“Twilight...I have to prove something to myself; I refuse to sit by and lose my country, my family, and everything I love.” He smiled back at her and patted her head. “I've made my decision. It wouldn't be your fault, since I would never blame my little sister. Remember that you'll always be my little sister, and I promise, this will all be okay.” With that, he stepped into the crowd of soldiers.
Twilight tried to follow but couldn't get through, watching what was left of her brother’s mane and body disappear into the large crowd; she wasn't too keen on looking much further for him. She walked back inside and spoke to herself, “This conflict will be pointless, a petty test of strength, but we must retaliate with full force.” She walked into the throne room, moping as she sat between the two sisters’ thrones.
A soft voice spoke out from the front of the room. “Do not worry, Twilight,” Luna sang softly, “this war can't last long; it is the changelings, after all.”
Twilight sat on those words for a minute before agreeing with them and saying back, “I worry for my brother; he's still just a captain. He's not going to get anywhere without some experience, and I'm sick of seeing the general treat him like he's not ready.”
Luna was sitting beside her now and nodded along as she stated plainly, “He will be ready when he is ready, and I get the feeling he’ll be ready at the turn of the tide.” Luna pulled her wing around Twilight, consoling her emotions as she pulled her back to her hooves. “Come now, much work is still to be done, dear student.”
Twilight grabbed her things and sat with Luna in the library for the coming hours, speaking with her of the finding of the the old fortress, filling her in on the history of the place again. She remembered it in its previous state, which was of complete disarray and disrepair, of the evil eyes scanning hers for fear and weakness.
The great tapestries of the past centuries could always weave a vivid and colorful picture of history to Twilight. Luna grabbed a small cut of a tapestry from a bubble and pulled it from its safe enclosure. She pulled the strings from it and unfolded it. There before Twilight lay the most vivid of the bunch, a nightmare given shape, a shadow with no body, it was Sombra in his full form. His eyes drew her attention, red and full of so much hate and contempt for the world.
Luna looked at Twilight. “You see, this was one of the first descriptions of Sombra after his fall, before we all knew what he really looked like. I must say, this form doesn't do his presence justice.” She shook her head. “Giving up the empire to him, that was a terrible mistake. To be allowed to rule for so long, I just thank my sister that she managed to save the empire in the end. Even if he's still around, we conquered him with one feat at a time.” Twilight agreed as she closed the piece of tapestry back up and sealed it in a main bubble, safe from harm, and returned it to its safe place in the library vault.
Luna shook slightly with chilling thoughts of Sombra’s return, his want and need for total domination and dominion, and his lust for achieving it. She remembered his old life, being an umber and his knowledge he found on them, and how he misused it to conquer and enslave his people.
“Twilight, not many can just appear again out of history. Sombra used to exist, but eventually he became a shadow. He’s what you should tell your fillies to make them sleep at night. Now, ponies live in fear of a shadow who is unfit to rule. He shouldn't exist, he's been gone for many years; we can't let him play his full part in all this.”
Twilight responded, “You're sure his presence in all this changes things?” She looked at Luna with a troubled gaze.
“I'm sure it's not for good, but I'm also sure the changelings have some things to play, and maybe their fates are entwined like a piece of string wrapping and stretching on the horizon. The real question is begged; is this string part of a greater machine?” Looking back to Twilight, “I worry it won't be easy to defend Equestria from two foes on the same side, but I have faith.” Twilight nodded enthusiastically as they finished up their reading for the day.
They made their way back to the throne room, which was still vacant, save for a few servants scurrying about preparing dinner, which already was making the castle smell delectable.
Celestia flanked to one side of Twilight as Luna did to the other, both looking hungrily towards the dining hall as they marched there right along with Twilight. Luna sat at the table right beside her sister, just as she did in the throne room as Twilight sat beside Celestia on the other side.
“So, Twilight, you did a phenomenal job on your speech. A grand step forward to being a good princess is being able to address problems by speech if needed.”
Luna nodded emphatically. “I expect you to be prepared to give another speech if needed soon?” Twilight nodded as the servants brought forth lovely smelling food from the kitchen.
Luna spoke out of the midst of the sudden clattering of food-filled dishes. “Shall we eat?” They offered seats to the staff and started a sudden impromptu banquet in the hall. A happy sight to see, the merriment in the dining hall that night. Compared to the coming nights, it would be a drastic change.
Twilight took great note in the celebrations prepared to wish for a good march into battle. She took due note of it because, after the festivities and cheering of the soldiers leaving, the whole city of Canterlot fell silent in the coming days. After their return, there was no victory party or return celebration, and at that time, looking back on the day, there never would be, for this was just the beginning.
