A dark lord from Equestria's past returns to finish what he started
When a great evil threatens the world, the nations unite to fight for right to survive. A fellowship is set out to seek out the only weapon able to destroy their foe, the fabled Sword of Balance. This group will go to Tartarus and back to gather the sword and save the world.
It was a dark stormy night in the zebra homeland. On the top of the tallest mountain in the land stood a small shack, its inhabitant, a lone zebra named Nubescu. This zebra had the rare gift of foresight; this made her quite well known in the zebra nation. Many would seek her out with an intention to learn of their future. Only those who had the endurance to best the mountain and the wits to solve the puzzles the prophet set were worthy of the knowledge of things that have not yet come to pass.
This particular night, Nubescu was granted a vision while in her sleep. It was not a random tidbit of information to aid an inbound stranger, but a warning for the entire world. The dream took place long ago, before the tribes of pony-kind were united. A powerful force came to the developing lands; he was the first of his kind to appear, a mighty alicorn. His coat was pitch black and his face marked with red and purple stripes. His sickly yellow eyes resembled fire and the other worldly purple of his ethereal mane added to his intimidating appearance. The pony tribes worshipped him as their god, almost uniting them in the process; unfortunately, he let it go to his head and started demanding the construction of massive monuments which left the lands around them barren wastelands. He bound the passing of the sun and moon to the whim of his powerful magic to display his authority over them. However, before the tribes could become unified, his already corrupted mind snapped. Once he learned about the other developing races; the dragons, changelings, griffons, zebras, and buffalo, the power hungry alicorn decided to try and claim leadership of those lands as well. With his current “subjects” tasked with the massive construction projects, he turned to dark magic to summon an army of pony sized, mutilated, alicorns to fight for him should the other races be… too blind to see the god before them.
As powerful as he was, the dark alicorn was not omnipotent: the other races had already unified, because they consisted of a single type of creature, pony-kind consisting of three vastly different races. It was with that early unification that the early “nations” could effectively resist his army of darkness, if only for a time. It was with great reluctance that they temporarily united under one flag to not only counter the advancing armies, but to forge a weapon to defeat the dark lord once and for all. The dragons provided an infinite amount of magical crystals, the changelings brought skilled craftsmen and mages, the griffons harnessed the power of the clouds above, the zebras donated a vast knowledge of herbal ingredients, and the territory the buffalo claimed had a surprising amount of untapped metal veins.
What they forged was a mighty sword made of the strongest and lightest metals, enchanted with the power of nature itself and smelted by the white hot flames of the eldest dragon, all in perfect balance. A great gathering of the many nations leaders was held to discuss the next course of action, they all agreed that the time to strike was the instant the meeting was concluded, the only disagreement was over who was to possess the sword and confront the dark lord. After many arguments and compromises; it was decided that the dragons would carry the sword into battle. Being the most durable of the many races, a dragon mage by the name of Golden Tranquility set out with the Sword of Balance and the combined armies of the five races to put an end to the darkness once and for all. The following battle was anything but small, the two armies clashed all over the future Equestria. It was over the dark lord’s largest monument site that Golden Tranquility and the alicorn clashed, many workers fleeing as the two engaged in combat.
Victory was in Tranquility’s claws when the unthinkable happened, the alicorn cheated. He cast a paralysis spell on the dragon and knocked the sword away, the sword landing at the hooves of a young alicorn filly that had yet to earn her cutie mark, obviously his daughter. The alicorn stretched out his hoof, asking the filly for the sword. She took the sword with her magic, and slowly trotted over to her father. The dragon, being fully aware of his surroundings, had a look of acceptance that his task had failed. Seeing a mighty dragon cast down like that disturbed the filly, she had always known her father to be less than kind to his subjects, but seeing the war he was creating awoke something in the small alicorn, pure, unfiltered rage. With one unexpected swing, the sword cut through the neck of the dark lord like a knife cuts butter.
The dark alicorn blinked once, and then dawned a look of pure anger. He was about to strike her down when his head slowly slid off his neck. The forces of the overlord froze mid combat as the body of their master started to crack and glow, the air around it being sucked into the expanding crevasses. Suddenly all sound ceased to exist, if only for a moment as the body let out a concussive shock wave as it exploded, banishing both the Dark Lord’s soul and his army to the Shadow Realm, a dimension where only shadow exists; a lifeless void.
The dragon stood over the frightened filly and silently gave his thanks, with that he took the sword in his claws and bowed before the young alicorn, offering her the sword. “You have done the world a great favor young one; I offer you this sword as a token of gratitude from the many races of this land.”
The filly slowly took the sword with her magic, unsure of what else to do.
“Tell me little one, what is your name? No doubt the dragons will craft a song in your honor; it would help if they had a name to go with it.”
“C-Celestia… my name is Celestia sir.” She was still very frightened about what she had just done to her father.
The dragon nodded. “What a beautiful name, we are in your debt Celestia.” He couldn’t help but pick up on her stress. “Do not fear little one, what you did was very brave. You stood up for those who had none to stand up for them. That, my little pony, is the calling of a true leader.”
“B-but I'm too little to lead anypony, I'm just a filly.”
“Those who do not want power are the most qualified to own it, for they fear what will happen if they abuse it. I will be your advisor if you wish, if only for the early years of your rule until you get a feel for leadership and discover your own style of ruling.”
“And what about my little sister? She is too little to have anypony speak for her.” Celestia could tell there was no arguing with the dragon.
The dragon didn’t have to think very long on this one, “Two rulers are better than one. Don’t you agree? The two of you would be perfect for keeping each other from acting in a way that would be less than favorable. When she is able, she will join you on the throne.”
Celestia hesitantly accepted his offer and for 10 years she ruled by herself (with the aid of Golden Tranquility). Once Luna was old enough to think for herself, she joined Celestia on the throne. After another 1000 years, the dragon that set Celestia and Luna on the path to leadership was claimed by old age. Golden Tranquility was more than just an adviser to Celestia and Luna; he was a father figure for both them. Aside from Celestia, nopony else remembered those dark days, Luna being much too young to recall them. The Sword of Balance, along with the truth of how Equestria was actually founded, was hidden away. Being broken down into its three parts; the hilt, the blade, and the gemstone, the sword was scattered throughout the lands of the six races. The knowledge of the pieces whereabouts were kept secret, even to the princesses (which turned out to be a wise move considering Nightmare Moon). He was given a memorial outside the castle that the princesses inhabited; it was a statue of a golden triad, the Equestrian symbol of harmony and balance. Though upon the appearance of Nightmare moon, the castle was abandoned, alongside the last remaining trace of those darker days.
The vision faded to black, the only color coming from two sickly yellow eyes, an evil laugh resonating in the darkness. It was there that the dream ended and Nubescu awoke with a start, the disturbing sound of evil laughter still quite audible in her mind. She knew what she had to do, she had to warn Celestia of the coming threat and hope she would seek out the Sword of Balance.
It was another beautiful, summer morning in Equestria’s capital. The sun was starting its long journey across the sky, casting it in a brilliant pink-orange light. The ivory towers of the castle shared the colors of dawn in the early hours of the day, most ponies were still asleep at this hour, but those who were awake witnessed the beauty that Celestia created every morning to start each new and wonderful day. It was at this time that the unicorn, Guiding Light, was most at peace, being Celestia’s most trusted advisor tended to make one’s life stressful. Not just anypony could be her adviser; it was Guiding Light’s cutie mark that earned her position. It was the Equestrian symbol of wisdom, three circles aligned to shape out a triangle with three crescent moons hugging the interior of each circular dot; all joined at the center creating a single, blue, image.
The normally busy Canterlot streets were in the proverbial ‘calm before the storm’ that was the Canterlot elite. Guiding Light was just leaving her castle suite to catch an early breakfast before her royal duties called. She let the early morning breeze tussle her blue mane and cool her pale yellow coat; it was the perfect way to start the day.
Guiding Light was on her way to the castle kitchen to sneak a biscuit when she was stopped by a familiar voice. “Up early as usual eh?”
“Hello Valor” she sighed “you know I have to get to the castle early.” Valor was the most respected knight in Canterlot, that and he was the best at his job. Having the Equestrian symbol of courage, a large green crescent moon with a smaller one inside of it and a circle inside of that one, certainly made being a knight look easy. Guiding Light and the green pegasus met in the Canterlot Sculpture Garden each morning and Valor would walk with her to the castle. That is, he did when Guiding Light’s cousin Iron Curtain didn’t find him. He was very protective of his little cousin, which would be expected out of an earth pony. To top it off, he was the highest ranking officer of the Equestrian Armed Forces. His cutie mark, the Equestrian symbol of power, three red wavy lines with a circle attached to the right side of the upper wave and the left side of the lowest wave, definitely qualified him to own such a position.
“VALOR!!” came a heavily accented Stalliongrad voice that both of them knew very well. “Valor, I specifically told you NOT to flirt with Guiding Light!”
“I wasn’t flirting, we were just talking.” Valor defended, matching the red giant’s anger
“Ya ne zabochus!!” he shouted back, slamming his huge, armored hoof to the ground. ”I’ve told you hundreds of times; I do NOT want you around my cousin!”
“I'm not a filly anymore Iron, I can be the judge of who I can and can’t hang around!” both Valor and Iron Curtain gave her a startled look, not expecting her to enter the argument. “He’s the most respected knight in Canterlot, what do you expect him to do?”
“I uh…” Iron started before he was cut off again by his cousin’s attack.
“Exactly! So shut your pie hole!”
“Um Guiding, you don’t need to yell at him, he was just--” Valor started before she turned to give him his own scolding.
“And you!” the raging unicorn stated. “Don’t think for a moment that you’re not fair game! Every time you two fight, there were several points where you could have been the better pony and ended it but chose to keep on fighting about me!”
Valor stood silent with his ears folded back, he knew better than to argue with the mare when she got into one of her moods, as did Iron Curtain. With a pointed “humph” she trotted off in a huff.
Once Guiding Light was safely out of earshot, Valor looked up to Iron Curtain “I think we just barely escaped with our lives.”
The red giant slowly nodded “da comrade, she can be quite wolatile…”
***
The two of them were always arguing over pointless things, it frustrated Guiding Light to no end. She stomped through the Canterlot Sculpture Garden, grumbling the whole way. She stopped at the statue of Discord, no longer looking quite as heroic as he used to, Guiding Light looked up at Discord’s submissive position and sighed. “I guess I should calm down shouldn’t I?” she asked nopony in particular. “I should go apologize.”
“Excuse me?” came a voice from behind she hadn’t heard before. “can you tell us how to get to the Canterlot Airport?”
Guiding Light turned around to see a green unicorn stallion and a grey pegasus mare, most likely married. “Yes of course, it’s at the other end of Canterlot,” she said pointing to her right “a few miles down the road after Donut Joe’s place, you can’t miss it.”
The green unicorn looked to the pegasus “Told you I could ask for directions” the unicorn told the mare next to him smugly.
She rolled her eyes at him. “Ok fine, you win.”
Guiding Light couldn’t help but chuckle “where you two headed anyway?”
The blonde pegasus immediately answered “we’re going to Prance for our honeymoon!” her voice full of excitement
“No kidding? Congratulations”
“Thanks!” she was still excited about their destination, she let out a squee then added “ooohh I can’t wait. Common Crafter, the sooner we get to the airport, the sooner we can start our honeymoon!” she let out another squee and pulled her husband off in the direction of the airport.
Guiding Light shook her head and chuckled, it warmed her heart to see the excitement of a newlywed couple. After watching them canter off into the distance, she decided her apology could wait and made her way to the royal kitchen to get her breakfast.
***
“There you are Guiding Light” Valor called just before she entered the throne room. “I wanted to apologize for this morning, you’re right. Your cousin and I had a talk and he is willing to ease up his overprotective side so long as I don’t try anything.”
“Wait. He what?” Guiding Light had never heard of her cousin changing his mind about something so important to him like that. “are you sure it was my cousin and not a changeling?”
Valor chuckled “yes I'm sure. Now let’s get in there, Celestia won’t let us live it down if you go in there without me.” Guiding Light and Valor walked in with each other every morning, Celestia gave them both a good humored earful if one was without the other upon entry. It was an unspoken law that the two of them be together when she arrived for work.
“Yeah I guess you’re right” Guiding Light sighed and walked in as Valor held the door for her.
“Ah Guiding Light, Valor. It’s good to see you both this morning, are you ready for the day to start?” Celestia greeted warmly as the two entered.
“That we are your Highness.” Valor bowed as he replied, although Celestia and Luna preferred their subjects not to bow, many did it anyway out of respect. “Forgive me your majesty,” he said trying not to laugh “Knight School was very strict about the bowing.”
“Remind me to have them change that part of their curriculum” Celestia said quietly, as Guiding Light took her place besides her, ready for the day to begin. “You ready Guiding Light?”
“Yes your majesty” she replied, playing off of what Valor started.
Celestia rolled her eyes. “Valor, you may let the first petitioner in now.” She quickly said, eager to end the shenanigans before they started.
Adopting an uncharacteristic look of seriousness, Valor opened the door and faced the line that had started to gather. “Celestia is ready to receive the first petitioner now.” He allowed the first pony in line to enter the room, stepping in front of the line and closing the door after she had passed.
The petitioner wore a cloak, covering most of their body. The legs that stuck out from underneath were stripped, indicating it was a zebra. “Greetings, it is rare to see a zebra in Equestria. What can I do for you?” Celestia’s tone was warm and welcoming, as it always was whenever she dealt with the public.
“I come not to petition, but to warn you of evil’s mission” came the gravelly voice of the elder zebra mare, It sounded like her throat was on the verge of disintegration.
Everyone present cast the zebra an odd look. “I'm not sure I follow.” Celestia said “could you elaborate?”
“Two thousand years ago… this land was ruled by an evil foe.” The zebra prophet started, but before she could continue her warning, Celestia shot up.
“How could you have possibly known what happened two thousand years ago!?” Celestia’s voice was stressed and defensive. A tone nopony had ever heard her use.
Guiding Light put a hoof on Celestia’s foreleg, calming the Sun Princess as she sat back down. “Are you ok Princess?”
Celestia gave her adviser a pained smile and then turned back to the zebra that patiently waited for her turn to speak. “You may continue” Celestia said to the cloaked figure.
The prophet cleared her throat, “As I was saying. Two thousand years ago… this land was ruled by an evil foe. With a mind so twisted, thoughts of domination existed. The dark lord plots to return, the entire world he plans to burn.” The zebra’s warning and her knowledge of the past frightened Celestia, but she let the zebra continue. “You must find the Sword of evil’s Bane, or else any attempt to resist will be in vain.”
Celestia’s pupils shrunk and her ears fell flat against her head. How could she know about that sword? I'm the only one who still remembers that far back. She stood up, and gave the zebra a cold stare “how do you know of that sword?” the Princess’s normally warm voice now very, very cold.
Guiding Light cast a worried look to Valor who had an equally concerned look, he took Celestia’s new tone as his hint that the rest of the petitioners outside wouldn’t be getting a chance to talk to her today. He slowly opened the door and walked out to confront the crowd, who would be less than happy to hear that court had closed before it had even really opened.
“It came to me in a dream, the vision was correct so it would seem.” The prophet zebra’s voice remained unemotional, as if such visions were a regular occurrence.
Celestia sat back down and looked at Guiding Light, silently asking if ending court early would cause too much trouble. Guiding Light nodded her agreement, although the ponies in line would be upset, it was rare for Celestia to end court early and they wouldn’t hold it against her. As Celestia looked at the door to tell Valor to inform the crowd, she saw that he had already done so and nodded her thanks to him. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention prophet, I am in your debt.” The zebra bowed and left the chamber, once she was gone, Celestia turned to Guiding Light “I am unsure whether or not to believe her words, I will not lie to you, her knowledge of the past is disturbingly accurate.”
“Is that really true?” Guiding Light asked, she didn’t want to believe that such a pony had ever existed
Celestia nodded sadly, that night still gave her nightmares. “I think its time I let you in on the true story of Equestria’s founding.” She got up to lead the two ponies to a more private location.
Once Celestia led Guiding Light and Valor to her private chambers, she told them the dark tale of the nation’s founding. As much as it pained Celestia to bring up those dark days again, she knew that she had to tell somepony about it.
Valor held Guiding Light in a comforting embrace as she began to shiver in fear, knowing that Equestria had such a bloody founding frightened the poor mare. She was desperately trying to hold on to logic and reason as they fled in fear of such a past, Valor being her only anchor as she leaned against him.
“Surely now you see why I desperately hope that what that prophet had to say is wrong. As accurate as her story was, I highly doubt that my father can escape the Shadow Realm.”
Guiding Light tried desperately to think of a course of action, but fear was slowing her resolve.
“So what I ask of you is,” Celestia continued “what would you recommend I do? I don’t think i am able to tackle this situation alone.”
Suddenly Guiding Light had an idea. “You don’t have to, we must inform the other nations about the possibility of a world wide threat. Have the leaders meet in neutral territory and from there, discus a course of action.”
Celestia nodded her agreement. “It will be tricky to convince the Changeling Empire to attend, as you well know, things are tense between us.”
Guiding Light nodded “This meeting will also serve as peace negotiations between the six nations; after all, if we are to unite against the possibility of annihilation, we need to end current conflict between each other.”
Celestia smiled warmly at Guiding Light “I knew it was wise to appoint you my adviser, I shall construct the invitations right away.”
The harsh sun beat down on the windswept dunes of T’gaduna, the changeling homeland; the rocky spires looming tall into the sky provided the only source of shade in the unforgiving desert. Changeling settlements could only be located along the G’niala, Great River, because of the annual floods which provided large quantities of food. Contrary to popular belief, changelings did not “eat” love, they required physical nourishment just like every other living creature did.
They took great pride in their architecture, being in such an unforgiving environment with scarce resources outside of sandstone and granite forced them to get creative. The capital city of Ca’tial housed the greatest of changeling architectural creativity, structures and statues ranging from elegant to simple. The patterns carved into a building indicated what the purpose of the building was, who lived or worked there, and showed off the designer’s skill. At the center of Ca’tial was the pride of all T’gaduna, the citadel that housed the nation’s rulers since the dawn of their collective rule. The structure was a massive pyramid, designed with magnificent carvings and colorful mosaics depicting past achievements. Around the base of the citadel sat many statues of Changeling hero’s and great leaders of the past, in T’gaduna, no hero was ever forgotten.
After the failed invasion of Equestria, Queen Chrysalis had been dethroned and the pharaoh Vesparum took her place. Like the leaders of the past, Vesparum started off as a normal changeling. Once Chrysalis’s family was removed from the Royal Bloodline, Vesparum’s bloodline was next to inherit the throne until his dynasty came to an end. After addressing the nation for the first time, he doubled in size due to the influx of magic from the love of the people.
Vesparum was what many would call a rationalist; he ruled strictly by facts and rarely let emotions interfere with his plans. However he did take the emotions of his subjects into account when dealing with domestic and foreign affairs, he wanted to settle the conflict with their neighbors, but knew it would be impractical for things to be resolved anytime soon.
Vesparum was going over the monthly financial reports when a scroll materialized over his desk. “What's his?” he picked up the scroll with his magic and read it to himself.
Dear Pharaoh Vesparum,
A matter of significant importance has arisen and I respectfully request your presence at The Great Assembly Hall as soon as you are able. The other nations will be present as well; the matter I wish to discuss affects us all. It is recommended you bring some well recognized individuals accompany you; they will have an important choice to make after we discuss the details. Please reply as soon as you are able with the date at which you will arrive. Attached to this letter is a map directing you to the assembly hall, I wish you safe travels.
I hope to see you at the gathering, Princess Celestia
“Celestia is gathering the other nations for an important meeting?” if the legends were true, The Great Assembly Hall hasn’t been used in over two thousand years, what could possibly come up that required its sudden use. There had never been a conflict that involved more than two nations at once. The pharaoh pushed a button on his desk, “K’gatu, I request your presence in my office.”
The changeling that came into the room wore a dark blue toga and had a very disciplined posture, a true member of the royal staff. “You called sir?”
“Yes. It appears Celestia is requesting my presence at The Great Assembly Hall; I want you to gather our greatest mages to accompany me.”
“The Great Assembly Hall?” K’gatu questioned “The same one from the legend?.”
“It is, whatever has come up, I doubt it is something to take lightly and I need to learn all I can about it. Celestia isn’t one to take threats lightly so it’s not anything small. Now if you’ll excuse me, Celestia requested I reply as soon as i could with a date. I plan on leaving as soon as the mages assemble.”
K’gatu bowed and left the room to leave the pharaoh to his work. It’s not every day a nation you almost went to war with invites you to a peace talk, any delays would be unacceptable.
***
Ci’oa was in his home on the far end of Ca’tial, he was developing an invisibility spell that cost half the magical energy to cast. He was in his study going over his notes for the tenth time when he was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Coming!” he yelled in annoyance.
The changeling at the door was the royal messenger, accompanied by two royal guard. “Ci’oa, the Pharaoh requests your presence at the Citadel.”
This startled the changeling mage, the Pharaoh never summoned anyone. “What does he need me for? I’m on the verge of a magical breakthrough.”
“Something concerning The Great Assembly Hall, if the legends about that place are true, then it’s of utmost importance.”
“Whatever it is can wait, I am almost done with my latest work.” Ci’oa was in no mood to abandon such an important project.
“I’m afraid it can’t, the Pharaoh is calling all the other great mages. That means you, your research will be there when you return from the conference.”
Ci’oa sighed and left the house, when the Pharaoh summons you, you go. But if there was one thing that got under his shell and ticked him off, it was being pulled away from his work. It was with great reluctance that he followed the messenger.
Once Ci’oa and five of the other great mages entered Vesparum’s office, the pharaoh was sending his response to Celestia’s letter. “The mages have arrived your majesty.” The messenger declared.
“Excellent,” the Pharaoh then addressed the mages, “Celestia has requested my attendance at The Great Assembly Hall. As you all should know, it’s a location of neutrality so I have no logical reason to refuse her request.”
“And you need us for…?” Ci’oa asked irritably.
“She suggests I bring some well recognized individuals with me, the advances in changeling magic you all have have made have earned you all quite a name for yourselves. It is such that I request that you all join me on this meeting; being the only other race to have the ability to use magic, it is only logical that the most respected of our mages join me.”
“Will we be escorted?” another one of the mages asked.
“It would be foolish not to bring an escort on a mission such as this.” the Pharaoh replied.
“Some time away from T’gaduna may do me some good, count me in.” a third mage stated.
There was a low murmur of agreement, reluctantly, Ci’oa agreed as well.
“Excellent, we will leave immediately.”
***
All across the world, it was the time of the Dragon Migration. The dragons were a nomadic race and were always on the move, nor did they have an official government; the only real leadership came from the eldest of each clan. Age was something dragons respected; it showed wisdom and skill which were highly regarded attributes in draconic culture. So when Nonulhunnedrog (the third eldest of his clan) had a letter appear before him mid-flight, he was rightfully confused.
Dear Nonulhunnedrog, I know it has been too long since I've been able to write to you, but I request your appearance at The Great Assembly Hall. I hope you still know the way; it’s the castle I showed you 1000 years ago when you were young. With that said, something has been brought to my attention that threatens every inhabitant of this land; a dark power has been predicted to return. I know you must have expected a letter concerning something like this to be delivered to the clan elder but, as ironic as this sounds, I trust you far more than he. I suggest you bring your son Lissfokulaan, I know he isn't the one to jump into things but I have a feeling he will want a part in this.
Your dear friend, Kulaaskoorshul
He chuckled at Celestia’s draconic spelling of her name; she and Nonulhunnedrog went way back. Even though he was only a baby at the time, he was there to comfort Celestia when she had to banish Luna, it was with great pride that he informed the clan elder and his son of the journey he was about to make. As Celestia predicted, Lissfokulaan was hesitant to go. Luckily he didn’t need too much convincing to change his mind and with one swift course correction, made their way towards The Great Assembly Hall.
***
Celestia had just sent off the last invitation to Chief Thunderhooves of the buffalo and started writing the invitations to the bearers of the Elements of Harmony when her sister Luna walked in. “So thou is still going through with this, aren't thee?”
Celestia just chuckled, “Luna what did I tell you about your language?”
Luna blushed. “Oh yeah. Anyway, why are you letting one ‘prophet’s’ words frighten you so much? If you ask me, her story was hogwash.”
“There is much about the past you do not know my dear sister.” Celestia said sadly with a tear in her eye. “Once I get back, I’ll tell you about our father. Our real father.”
Luna stood unmoving with a startled look on her face, if it wasn’t for the unnatural sadness in her sister’s voice, she would have dismissed it entirely. After about a minute Luna finally said “S-so what you’re saying is… Tranquility is- was not our father?” Celestia nodded, it was the equivalent of telling a young filly she was adopted. “I-I n-need to b-be alone f-for a bit.” Luna was on the verge of tears.
“Take all the time you need my dear sister, but rest assured there is a reason why I never told you.”
Luna jumped out the window of Celestia’s room and took flight to her own. Her departure signaled the arrival of the three ponies she requested accompany her, other than Twilight and her friends. “Ah Guiding Light, Valor, Iron Curtain, I'm glad you came to assist me.”
The pale yellow unicorn just chuckled, “It was my idea Princess.”
The Princess smiled sheepishly, “Oh yes, of course. Are you ready to leave?”
This time it was Valor’s turn to chuckle, “Princess, we’ve been ready for the past week.” Both Valor and Iron Curtain were sporting their full suits of armor, Valor looking like a more dignified guard captain, but with a long, pointed green hat instead of a helmet. Iron Curtain looked like the living incarnation of his name, covered head to hoof in thick, red armor. “Although I think Iron here is going a bit overboard.”
The red behemoth rolled his eyes under his helmet, “We’re going against dragons comrade, I think you are not prepared enough.” His voice muffled by the headgear.
“You do realize that the dragon I invited is one of my closest friends right?” Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow.
“You can never be too careful your highness.”
Celestia rolled her eyes as she finished the invitations to the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and sent them off. “If you all are ready, I will open the portal to The Great Assembly Hall. It will be left open for Twilight and her friends to enter when they arrive; I have instructed the guards to only let them in.”
They all nodded, indicating they were ready. Celestia’s horn flared up a bright yellow and shot a beam of light at the wall. At the point of impact, a large oval with the picture of a large, musty balcony rippled into existence. Celestia picked up the case that contained the Elements of Harmony and one by one, they walked through the portal on the wall.
“It’s about time you showed up.” Came a deep, booming voice from right next to them.
Resting on the dusty stone floor next to the portal sat a full grown dragon, his orange scales and red spines glistening in the afternoon sun. Next to the large dragon was a much smaller one, just a little bigger than Iron Curtain. His scales were a brilliant shade of cyan and his spines, a royal blue.
“Ah, Nonulhunnedrog, it’s good to see you made it.” Celestia greeted warmly. “And it pleases me that you convinced your son to accompany you.”
The younger dragon simply snorted his acknowledgement.
“And who are they?” Nonulhunnedrog asked, pointing a large claw towards Guiding Light, Valor, and Iron Curtain.
“The two armored ones are my personal guard and Guiding Light here is my adviser.”
“I see, though I think that big one is going a bit overboard.”
Valor turned to Iron Curtain. “HA! Told you.”
Iron Curtain removed his helmet, “There, that better?” he asked sarcastically.
Celestia rolled her eyes and Nonulhunnedrog chuckled to himself. “I requested the Elements of Harmony to join me as well, hopefully they will arrive soon.”
“Celestia, if I may, you said the dragon in your story was named Golden Tranquility. Why is this dragon’s name so… complicated?” Guiding Light asked, although he didn’t say it; Valor was wondering this as well.
“Remember how I said the other races gathered once before?” Guiding Light nodded. “In that time, the dragons translated their names, into the common language so they could be addressed properly. Tranquility continued to use his translated name due to his constant proximity to ponies.”
“Yes, his draconic name was: Yuvonrobormah. Directly translated, it means, Golden Balance Father. Looks like he took the ‘father’ part out.” Nonulhunnedrog commented. “If the songs are correct, he was a very honorable dragon.”
Celestia nodded slowly, “Yes, he was a very good friend of mine.”
Trying to change the subject, Valor cut in with, “When do you think the other races will arrive?”
“Three weeks at the longest, I was only able to get a reply from the Changeling Empire however. The changelings are the only other race besides unicorns capable of replying to those letters quickly.” Celestia replied after she calculated the distance they had to travel.
With the assembly hall being over two thousand years old, there weren’t exactly a lot of things to do. The next three weeks were going to be interesting, for everypony.
It had been two and a half weeks since Celestia sent the letters to the other nations to join her at The Great Assembly Hall, and so far only Pharaoh Vesparum from the Changeling Empire and the senators of the Griffon Republic had arrived. Celestia was sure Chief Thunderhooves and President Kiongozi would arrive soon. It hadn’t been easy to pass the time, even with Pinkie Pie’s help. The different nations mostly kept to themselves, with the exception of the changelings when they got bored, some of the guards would disguise themselves as one of the Elements of Harmony and mix things up a bit.
The sky above was overcast; the mountain that the hall was built on was far out of Equestrian territory and therefore, away from pegasus controlled weather. Valor and Guiding Light were sitting on the balcony alone, enjoying each other’s company and watching the clouds gather. The surreal moment being broken by, “So Guiding… wonderful weather we’re having.” Gah why did I say that?! It’s about to rain!
“It’s good I suppose.”
Out with it man! “So um… I've been thinking.” Yes, that’s it.
Guiding Light turned to face him, throwing off his train of thought.
Oh crap, I've never gotten this far into it. Usually Iron’s jumped in at this point. What do I do?!
Suddenly Guiding Light was engulfed in green flame and a changeling was in her place. “Dang it you were so close! What happened?” One of the guards agreed to help him practice gathering up the willpower to ask Guiding out. Iron warned him about spending too much time with the changelings, but Valor refused to judge them. After all, you can't blame a soldier for following orders, he was just giving them the benefit of the doubt.
“I've never gotten passed the ‘I’ve been thinking’ bit. Her cousin always barges in right there.”
The changeling opened his protective outer blue lenses, and rolled his emerald green eyes. “That’s what this practice is for! Now let’s try again.”
But before he could change back into Guiding Light, the mare herself walked in. “Abort mission.” Valor frantically whispered.
The changeling guard stood up and calmly walked inside, nodding to Guiding Light as she passed. “Are you busy?” she asked shyly, “I heard that cloudy days can actually be quite peaceful.”
Valor shook his head, patting the space next to him with his hoof. Hesitantly, she sat next to him. They watched the cloudy sky for maybe about ten minutes when Valor finally spoke up, “So…” but before he could finish the cheesy line, there was a clap of thunder and it started raining, hard. They hurried inside, shook themselves dry and Valor finished the line, “wonderful weather we’re having.” Laughing slightly as he said it.
Guiding Light giggled “yes, it’s quite lovely.”
The green pegasus took a deep breath, “I’ve been thinking…”
Right then, Iron Curtain walked up. “What are you two doing?”
OH COME ON!!
“Iron, you have the worst timing…” Guiding Light said dryly. “Could you go away please?”
Iron Curtain glared at Valor, “No…”
“For the love of Celestia Iron calm down, we were talking about something important. It would be much appreciated if we could continue in private.”
“You’re lucky you’re my cousin Guiding, from anypony else, I would NOT back down so easily.” Iron snorted and walked off, leaving the two alone once more.
“Sorry about that, so where were you?”
Valor cleared his throat, “I’ve been thinking…”
“Guiding Light? Valor? Chief Thunderhooves and President Kiongozi have arrived; it’s time to begin the negations.” Celestia had about as bad a sense of timing as Iron Curtain.
Guiding Light and Valor sighed and silently agreed to continue it later.
***
Because of the storm outside, the meeting was held on the indoor portion of the balcony instead of the gardens; it was a tight fit for Nonulhunnedrog, but he managed. Once all the rulers were present with their respective guests and advisers, Celestia was ready to begin the meeting. “I'm glad you all could make it here on such short notice, this meeting serves two purposes; first and foremost it is to settle any conflicts our nations may have with one another.” She was looking at Pharaoh Vesparum when saying that last part, he simply nodded. “The other is to address the possibility of a worldwide threat to us all.”
“And what could possibly be a threat to ‘the all-powerful Equestria?” Senator Broad Beak asked sarcastically, one could say that the Griffon Republic was envious of Equestira’s power as a nation.
Celestia gave the senator a cold look, “I’m glad you brought that up, Senator. After matters have been settled between our nations, I will inform you of what we may be up against.”
***
After many long hours bickering and arguing, the debating going into the early hours of the morning, the six leaders managed to (mostly) resolve any conflict between each other. The guards and the guests had long since retired to bed, leaving only the leaders and their advisers in the balcony when things finally came to a close. Guiding Light dragged her hooves along the floor, half asleep, towards her room. She wasn’t sure how she managed to pay attention so long without passing out mid-debate. Guiding was halfway to her room when she bumped into Valor, who was just leaving the bathroom.
“So you” *yawn* “finally managed to settle things between the nations?” he asked sleepily.
Guiding Light mumbled something and nodded.
“My room’s closer. Common, I’ll sleep on the couch.” Guiding Light didn’t have the mental or physical energy to refuse Valor’s offer, as soon as she plopped down on his bed, Guiding Light was out cold. Valor chuckled and trudged over to the couch and fell asleep as well.
***
The next morning, Guiding Light and Valor awoke to the sound of heavy knocking at the door. “VALOR I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!” roared Iron Curtain from the other side. “Otkrytʹ dverʹ!” Iron had a tendency to speak in his native Stalliongrad when he got extremely angry.
“By Luna Iron calm down, I'm coming.” Valor moaned as he got off the couch. He motioned for Guiding Light to perform an invisibility spell on herself so she could avoid being seen by her cousin and endangering Valor. Once she was out of sight, Valor opened the door. “What do you want? It’s too early.” Valor ducked as an expected hoof swung where his head was not but half a second ago and shattered the stone frame of the door. “Oh, I should have guessed. Can’t find Guiding eh?”
“Let me in Valor, I know Guiding is here with you.” Iron angrily said, rubbing his hoof.
“She isn't here, but feel free to check.” Valor stepped aside to let the red giant in.
Iron Curtain practically turned the room upside down looking for her. During his search, Lissfokulaan walked by the door, whispered three draconic words to himself, and left with a knowing chuckle.
***
Lissfokulaan had just woken up and was on his way to breakfast when he heard the crashing and banging in a room down the hall. When he went to investigate, he found a large earth pony tearing the room apart looking for something… or somepony he thought to himself. “Laas Yah Nir” the teenage dragon whispered, before his eyes the aura of the ponies flickered around them like a bright red flame. There was one aura however, that had no body. By the shape of the aura, it was a unicorn mare, no doubt the one the earth pony was looking for. Instead of pointing her out, Lissfokulaan decided to spare Valor’s life and keep quiet.
***
After Iron Curtain left Valor’s room, convinced Guiding Light wasn’t there, the green pegasi let out a sigh of relief. “Thank Celestia…”
Guiding Light dropped her spell and sighed as well, “that was too close. We need to be more careful.”
“Yeah I know, but I think I can handle it.” Valor smirked, “I’ve known him so long that I can predict his every move, he doesn’t scare me.”
“And if you couldn’t predict his every move?”
Valor shrugged, “He still wouldn’t scare me, and so long as I stay out of his range I’ll be fine.”
“Nothing scares you does it?” Guiding Light said irritably, with only the smallest about of amusement.
“Nope.” Valor said with a stupid grin plastered to his face, he picked up on the amusement in her voice instantly. “Common, I'm starving.”
Guiding Light gave an exasperated sigh “Typical Valor, always hungry.”
***
The storm had subsided shortly after the debates ended, so breakfast was held outside. When Valor and Guiding reached the outdoor dining area, they were greeted by the sound of a changeling arguing with one of the buffalo warriors. “OF COURSE I EAT FOOD YOU NINNY! WHAT DO YOU THINK THESE FANGS ARE FOR?”
“Bro, did you even hear what that crazy queen of yours said?” the buffalo didn’t even sound like he was arguing; in fact he sounded incredibly laid back. “She was all like ‘I need to find food for my subjects’ and ‘go! Feed!’ Common bro, it’s not that surprising I thought you dudes ate feelings.”
The angry changeling rolled his eyes, “Please, positive emotions are just the source of our magic. Queen Chrysalis was a romanticizing nutcase. NOW QUIT HOGGING THAT MUSHY STUFF!”
Before the argument could go any further, Vesparum and Chief Thunderhooves walked up. “Ci’oa, that’s quite enough.” The Pharaoh spoke calmly. “It was a mistake anyone could make.”
“And you Hang Ten, you’ve had plenty to eat. Why don’t you go talk to Spike? It’s been awhile since you’ve talked to him.” Chief Thunderhooves spoke in an equally calm voice.
Ci’oa grumbled and grabbed his third bowl of the mushy stuff (he had no idea what it was, but it tasted amazing), while Hang Ten shrugged and walked off to find Spike.
Valor walked up to the short tempered changeling, “So what is that stuff anyway?”
“The Dunes if I know, but it’s the best stuff I’ve ever had! The buffalo brought it.” Ci’oa said before he shoved his face into the bowl.
“I know right?!” Pinkie Pie shouted, startling Valor and Ci’oa. She grabbed another bowl and threw dignity to the wind.
Valor shrugged and got two bowls of the mushy stuff, one for him and one for Guiding Light. When he put the bowl down in front of her, she gave him a puzzled look. “Apparently this stuff is really good.” Valor reassured her. “It’s a buffalo dish, thought I’d give it a try.”
“If you say so…” Guiding Light hesitantly lifted her spoon with her magic and dipped it into the bowl. After she ate the contents of the spoon, Guiding spoke up “Wow, this is good.” She turned to Valor to ask him what he thought of the dish, but found him unable to speak with his head in the bowl. “Really Valor?” she asked dryly. “I thought you were a respected knight.”
“Not when food this good is in front of me.” Valor said with a stupid grin, mouth dripping with whatever the food was.
Guiding Light rolled her eyes and continued to eat her food, it may have been undoubtedly the best thing she ever had, but she had a reputation to keep up. It wasn’t long before the others awoke and took a seat at a dining table; the griffons stuck mainly to their own food, they had a very apparent presence of xenophobia. When Valor suggested the buffalo dish to one of the griffon skylords, he got an earful about the “impurity” of buffalo food. The zebra’s, however, were very open to other cultures; one of the zebra rangers even asked for the recipe to bring back to his hometown.
***
After a very satisfying breakfast, Celestia gathered everyone to the garden courtyard to begin the meeting. “I must again thank you all for coming.” Celestia greeted seriously once everyone had taken a seat. “You have been summoned here to answer a threat to us all, our world stands upon the brink of destruction; none can escape it. You will unite or you will fall, each race is bound to this fate.” The Princess’s voice carried an unnatural tone of serious and urgency, not even the arrogant griffons dared question her words. “The great zebra prophet Nubescu has foretold the return of the greatest evil ever known.”
“So it is true…” President Kiongozi said in awe, Nubescu had a perfect record when it came to predictions.
Celestia nodded “The evil she predicted return has only one name, a name I have not dared speak aloud in over two thousand years.” Her face remained neutral, it was almost frightening. “His name: is Majora.” Hushed murmurs followed, each of the other races had remnants of those dark days hidden away in their history, only Celestia removed all traces of it from Equestrian history and culture. “The Sword of Balance must be reassembled; it is the only weapon that can defeat him.”
“What about the Elements of Harmony?” Twilight Sparkle asked hopefully, “Surely they can stop him.”
“I have no way to know for sure whether or not the Elements will be able to defeat him, they weren’t discovered until after Discord arrived.” Celestia said sadly. “I would rather not take that risk; the Elements of Harmony would only serve as a temporary barrier, if they worked at all.”
“What do you mean by ‘reassembled’?” one of the griffons asked.
“I had the sword separated into its basic components and spread across the lands to prevent it from falling into the wrong hooves. This was proven to be a wise decision once my sister became Nightmare Moon, it would only have been a matter of time until she learned of its existence if it stayed in Equestria.”
“So where are the resting places of the sword’s pieces? Surely you must know where they were hidden.” Nonulhunnedrog asked.
Celestia shook her head sadly, “What if I had gave in to the feelings of greed and power?” She had a very good point, if Celestia had been the one to transform into a power hungry tyrant, she would have had access to the most powerful sword in existence. “I had all knowledge kept from me, but there is one place where clues were left: just in case.”
“Where is that?” asked Chief Thunderhooves
“Far below the surface of the old castle me and my sister inhabited before her banishment resides The Chamber of Equilibrium, it is there that the locations of the pieces can be deciphered.”
“What are we waiting for?” one of the griffon skylords stated, ready for action.
“One does not simply walk into the Everfree Forest.” Fluttershy said in a rather assertive voice. “Behind every tree lurks a predator ready to strike. Timber wolves and manticores stalk the paths, waiting for an unprepared victim to feast on.” She started to tremble as she spoke. “Even the plants are out to get you, flowers that are laced with poison and the simplest of leaves could be hiding a carnivorous jaw.”
Twilight stopped her fear ridden description of the Everfree Forest with a calm hoof on the pegasus’s shoulder.
“This is true, but the danger of the forest is what keeps the castle ruins safe from scavengers and unfriendly eyes.” Celestia countered. “It is here that I present to you, the great warriors of the six nations, the greatest mission you will ever partake in; should you choose to accept it.”
Twilight and her friends looked at each other and silently agreed to accept Celestia’s quest. “We, the Elements of Harmony, accept this quest.”
The griffon from earlier was about to stand, but was pushed back down by Senator Broad Beak. The last thing the senator wanted was his skylords dieing on some stupid pony mission.
Ci’oa saw the potential to field test some of his more advanced offensive and defensive spells. “You have my spells.”
“And you have my horns dudes.” Hang Ten stood.
“And my voice.” Lissfokulaan joined in aggressively.
Celestia nodded sagely, a slight smile of hope gracing her lips. “Nine companions. You shall be the Fellowship of the Sword.”
But before Celestia could open the portal back to Canterlot, the sky darkened, the ambient sounds of nature ceased, and the wind died down to absolutely nothing. It was as if time had come to a standstill; a truly disturbing setting, the peaceful aura of nature being replaced by the aura of death and despair. Even the mighty dragon Nonulhunnedrog was frozen in fear. The pupils of the sun princess were barely visible they were so small, and her ears were pressed firmly against her skull. Oh no….. She thought, her worst fears were about to come true.
“What’s going on?” Valor asked Celestia very quietly.
Celestia slowly looked at Valor, pure fear in her eyes. “He’s here.”
“What's going on?” Valor asked Celestia very quietly.
Celestia slowly looked at Valor, pure fear in her eyes. “He’s here.”
A blood chilling laugh filled the air, filled with malice and insanity. The horrid laughter caused everyone present to shiver. Slowly, the wind started to pick back up, much colder than previously. The laughter returned, much louder this time. Following the maniacal outburst came a voice, a voice full of spite. “Hello my dearest Celestia…. It’s been quite a long time since I last saw you, my you’ve grown. I see you’ve repurposed my fortress, how symbolic.”
“Show yourself coward!” Iron Curtain shouted, challenging whatever was taunting the Princess.
The voice chuckled again, “My my, what have we here? A tiny little pony challenging me: their god. Pathetic.”
“YOU DARE INSULT MY STRENGTH!?!” Iron looked as though he was about to explode. “Pokazhi sebya!!”
The laughter returned, only this time in a mocking tone. “A northern pony? How cute, do I need to show you your place?” The sky darkened more and the temperature dropped significantly, the breath of those present becoming visible. Lightning filled the sky although no rain fell, and wind tore across the gardens; the air cold enough to chill the soul. Lightning struck the ground at the center of the circle the six nations created when they sat, the bolt arcing and crackling in place. The strand of raw plasma split in two, creating a portal of sorts. Out of the portal stepped the ghastly form of the demonic alicorn, his fierce yellow eyes burning bright with anger. “I may not have a physical body, but I do not need one to show this slave where he belongs.”
***
Meanwhile in the Canterlot Sculpture Garden, the statue of Discord sat undisturbed. The spirit contained within however, was quite restless. That aura… it’s familiar somehow… Revelation hit Discord like a train; he knew where he felt that aura before. Oh no! He’s broken free of the Shadow Realm, this can’t be happening!
***
Iron Curtain was sent flying across the room as a blast of telekinesis hit him hard and left him unconscious. The concussive force would have killed any other pony, but Iron Curtain was much stronger than the average pony. Guiding Light rushed over to him, frightened the blast had killed him.
Majora laughed cruelly as Guiding Light wept trying to wake him up. “Now you see my power, my dark magic has lost none of its potency!”
Twilight and her friends rushed to the case containing the Elements of Harmony, they had a chance of the Elements failing, but they had to do something. After donning the necklaces and tiara, the six friends stood in formation before Majora. “Time to see if this works!” Twilight shouted. She focused on the power of Harmony, channeling her magic to the tiara. Magical sparks danced around them as they focused on defeating their foe. The six ponies rose into the air, powerful magic humming as it increased in strength. Majora stood, unfazed by the display of insanely powerful magic. Pinkie Pie sank to the ground and pulled out her signature Party Cannon, she hit a button on the top and a blast of rainbow shot out towards its target. The dark spirit didn’t even make an attempt to dodge the power of harmony racing towards him, letting out a yawn of boredom. The blast of rainbow nailed its target, causing an explosion of pure magic in its wake.
The blast sent everyone flying into the air, landing various distances towards the stronghold. When the dust settled and everyone was picking themselves up, the spot where Majora had been ‘standing’ was empty, save for a large crater. “I-it worked?” Celestia asked, dumbstruck that the Elements of Harmony had been able to defeat something of such power. However the sky remained dark and the sounds of wildlife refused to return, something wasn’t right. “Keep your guard up, I still feel his presence.”
Iron Curtain began to stir into consciousness, “IRON!” Guiding Light cried, happy to see her cousin hadn’t been killed. “Don’t you dare scare me like that again!”
“Ug, moya golova. What happened?”
Celestia walked over to Iron Curtain as he tried to get up. “Majora hit you with a blast of telekinesis that should have killed you; you are a very lucky pony.”
Iron chuckled “He couldn’t kill me if he tried. Where is that bastard anyway?”
“The Elements of Harmony were used against him, thankfully they worked.”
The laughter returned, any sanity it had previously held, was lost in the crazed cackles of the spirit. “It will take more than that sweet daughter! Let’s see how well you fare without your precious Elements!”
Dark red mist started to quickly surround the six mares of harmony, all of them starting to panic. “What's going on?!” Twilight asked, just before the black-red cloud encased her completely.
***
Wait, is the seal weakening? It can’t be; that would mean…. But before Discord could finish his train of thought, his stone prison shattered; causing the draconequus to fall to the grass below. “H-he killed them!” Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared with a pop and a flash of light.
***
The Elements of Harmony had vanished from the gardens without a trace. “What have you done to them Majora??!!” Celestia screamed.
“Now why would I tell my traitorous daughter that?” Majora slowly reappeared above the crater, the calm waving of his short, ethereal mane contrasting the madness in his eyes. “There is nothing you can do to stop me!” He burst out into his insane laughter once more.
Nonulhunnedrog reared up on his hind legs, towering forty hooves above the ground, and inhaled deeply. “YOL TOOR SHUL!!” A fire whiter than Celestia’s porcelain coat and hotter than any pony-made furnace could ever hope to achieve shot out of his gaping maw towards the spectral foe.
Majora continued his mad laugh, making no attempt to dodge the raging inferno barreling towards him. As the fire melted the stone and ignited the air around him, Majora had no intention to stop laughing. Finally out of breath, Nonulhunnedrog ceased the hellfire from leaving his jaws. “You think your puny shouts are any better?!” The crazed alicorn taunted.
Before the mighty orange dragon could release another powerful shout, there was a flash and a pop, causing all to turn towards the source. Beneath overhang that separated outdoors from indoors stood Discord, the spirit of chaos, looking none too pleased. He snapped his talon and all those present disappeared with a pop and a flash. With one last snap, the draconequus was gone.
The crazed alicorn resumed his insane laughing; he did not plan on Discord entering the equation, but it made things interesting. Even with the Spirit of Chaos aiding his enemies, it mattered little. For two thousand years he plotted his revenge, taking every variable into account. To him, conquering the six nations was a giant game of chess: if you wanted to win, you needed to plan as far ahead as possible and expect the unexpected.
***
With a pop and a flash, all those attending the meeting (save for the Elements of Harmony) landed on a heap in the Canterlot Sculpture Garden, thankfully the dragons were at the bottom of the pile. As they started to pick themselves up, Discord popped next to them. “Well it’s good to see that the dragons landed on the bottom, boy did I get lucky on that one. Did I get everypony?”
Celestia looked at the pile she landed next to, confirming that everyone had safely been transported. The raw power of chaos magic left the Sun Princess slightly envious of the draconequus, but the unpredictable nature of chaos magic made Celestia glad she couldn’t use it. “Yes I believe so, why did you help us?”
“I may be the spirit of chaos, but I'm not evil. All I want is a good laugh, and death isn't funny. I’ve known Majora for eons; he will not hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way.”
“Did he kill the Elements of Harmony?” Guiding asked as she shakily climbed down from the top of the pile.
“At first, I thought he did. When I arrived to help you escape, I felt the residue of a dark magic teleportation spell.” Discord replied painfully. “Where he has them now, I do not know.”
Nonulhunnedrog snorted “So much for the fellowship, the Elements of Harmony made up pretty much half of it.”
“I will go.”
Everyone turned to the source of the voice. Valor was standing tall, showing no signs of being intimidated by the task at hand. “Are you sure about this Valor?” Celestia asked skeptically.
Valor simply nodded. “It is my duty as a knight to defend Equestria from any danger, no matter what.” The green pegasus was uncharacteristically serious, which indicated he was going on this mission and nopony was going to tell him otherwise.
“I will go too.” Guiding Light said hesitantly.
“I'm sorry Guiding, but I can’t let you come. Celestia needs you here.” Valor said painfully.
She turned to Celestia. “With your permission, I request that I accompany the Fellowship. They will need somepony with brains with them.”
“Hey!” Ci’oa protested.
“No offence.” Guiding hastily added.
The changeling mage just sighed.
Celestia sighed as well; she didn’t want to risk losing her most trusted advisor. “Although I hate to admit it, you’re right. Without Twilight Sparkle, nopony else is qualified to be the ‘brains’ on this mission.”
“Hey!”
“No offence Ci’oa.”
Guiding Light turned to Valor and stuck out her tongue, Valor just rolled his eyes.
“Net!” Iron Curtain stepped forward. “If she goes, I go.”
“Really Iron?” Guiding asked exasperatedly. “You don’t need to follow me everywhere.”
“It’s not because of Valor… this time. I'm going because besides Hang Ten and that blue dragon, you have no warriors.”
“He has a point.” Celestia stated. “Iron, due to your position, your highest ranking officer will be filling in during your absence.”
“I understand Your Highness; that is something I considered before I spoke up, and I am quite confident in General Stratagem’s abilities.”
Celestia nodded. “Very well, I wish you all luck on your journey. Majora’s army will be awoken soon, so time is of the essence.”
Everyone who was part of the Fellowship stood together and nodded. Before any other words could be said, Discord snapped his talon and the group was gone. Celestia glared at him. “Relax my dear, I only sent them to Ponyville. You said time was of the essence, so I put them as close as I could.” Discord replied casually.
Celestia sighed, it was nice that Discord was helping her, but that didn’t make him any more pleasant to be around.
It was another calm, sunny day in Ponyville; ponies were walking around, completing their daily chores as they always did. A small unicorn filly and an earth pony colt were walking along the road, each enjoying a delicious homemade blueberry muffin. “It sure is a nice day isn't it Pip?” the grey filly asked.
“It sure is, and these muffins your mum made are positively smashing!”
Dinky took another bite of her muffin, savoring the taste. Ever since her mom got married, her cooking has improved tenfold. She swallowed what she had bitten off, “Just wait until you try my dad’s pizza; it’s the best!”
“Oh yeah, I forgot that your mum got married. What’s your dad like?” Pip asked, genuinely interested in Dinky’s life.
Before Dinky could give her reply, there was a pop and a flash from behind them. When Dinky and Pip turned to see what had caused it, they saw six figures land in a heap. The two young ponies had their eyes fixed on the blue dragon as it righted itself, absolutely terrified.
Ci’oa looked around; upon seeing he was in an Equestrian village, he transformed himself into a pony so he would not bring too much attention to himself. The form he took was a dark grey unicorn stallion with a short, well kept, green mane. “We shouldn’t linger, don’t want any unwanted attention.”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” Lissfokulaan stated “but we have a dragon and a buffalo in our group, attention is all we’ll get.”
“He has a point.” Guiding Light said after dusting herself off “Also we’ve been noticed already.” She tilted her head to the two frightened foals staring at the blue dragon. “I’ll take care of it.” Guiding Light slowly trotted over to the paralyzed children, “Hello there” she said sweetly, crouching down to their level once she reached them “what are your names?”
“D-d-dinky…”
“P-pipsqueak.”
“My name is Guiding Light; I am Princess Celestia’s adviser.” She kept her voice calm and gentle; she let out a chuckle as the children gazed at her in wonder. “My friends and I are on a mission into the Everfree Forest, could you point us in the right direction? I promise the dragon won’t harm you.”
Pipsqueak and Ditzy pointed to their right, wordlessly complying with her request.
“Thank you ever so much.” Guiding Light thanked them and watched as they scampered off. “Alright, let’s get going.”
“We were lucky they were children.” Iron Curtain commented.
“Right, so let’s stop wasting time and get a move on.” Valor said, still uncharacteristically serious.
“Lead the way Bro.”
Not wasting any time, the group made its way to the Everfree Forest. The town of Ponyville was eerily quiet, most likely from the sight of an adolescent dragon casually walking through town scaring everypony away. As they reached the end of town, an exotic voice from behind bid them stop. “And here I thought it was me that caused this fright, but what I see is quite the sight.” A zebra mare stood in the middle of the road looking at them calmly. “What brings a group so different, to a town so insignificant?”
“We are going to the ruins of the old castle,” Guiding Light, the self-appointed diplomat, replied. “Princess Celestia has sent us on a very important mission.”
“Normally I would oppose entry into the Everfree, but I cannot oppose a royal decree. I wish you luck on your quest, I'm sure you will do your best.”
Guiding Light thanked the zebra for her concern and well wishes. For the rest of the walk through Ponyville, the group continued to the forest without another interruption.
***
Meanwhile at Canterlot, Celestia was in her chambers preparing for her speech to address the nation about the results of the negotiations. She always dreaded big speeches, but that’s what came with being a monarch. There was a knock on her door, “Come in.”
“Your majesty? It’s time to begin the speech.” One of the guards informed.
Celestia sighed; there was no point in further delays. “Thank you, I’ll be out shortly.”
The guard bowed and left the room, leaving Celestia alone once more. It was ironic really; world peace (albeit temporary) was about to be declared, only to be followed up with a declaration of war. She sighed again. Let’s get this over with.
Celestia left her room and began the long walk to the balcony that overlooked the city. About half way there, Luna joined her in her walk. “I still can’t believe that you were able to manage world peace Tia,” she said enthusiastically “but what is the ‘bad news’ anyway? Do we have to give the changelings all our cake or something?” Luna asked jokingly.
Normally Celestia would have encouraged Luna’s shenanigans, but the weight of what she was about to tell the nation was too much. “You remember how I’d tell you about our father?”
Luna instantly dropped her playful smile and became tense. “Y-yes, but is now the best time?”
Celestia slowly nodded, keeping her pace. “The timing is perfect; the bad news is we’re going to war.”
“Wait, what about the treaties?” Luna asked dumbfounded.
“We’re going to war, against our father. Two thousand years ago, he ruled the race of ponies with an iron hoof. He went mad with power and resorted to dark magic to summon an army of evil to conquer the other nations. They united and forged a sword to defeat him, but I ended up dealing the killing blow to our father.”
Luna stared back at her sister, eyes wide.
“You must understand, dear sister; that I had to. He was worse than Nightmare Moon, worse than Discord! He’s returned to finish what he started and he won’t hesitate to kill. He’s already kidnapped the Twilight and the others, the fact that he hasn’t killed them yet indicates he needs them for something, but I do not know what.”
Being sisters for two thousand years granted them the ability of foolproof lie detection, Luna digested what she heard and analyzed it for any traces of deceit. Celestia’s words passed even the strictest part of the Night Princess’s lie detection. “From anypony else I would dismiss such a story right away. What do we need to do and how do we rescue the Elements?”
“Right now I need to inform the nation about what has happened. After that, you and I are going to discuss the next course of action.”
Luna nodded and walked off to wait for her sister in the council chamber. As Celestia walked out onto the balcony, the crowd that gathered erupted with applause. With a raise of her hoof, the applause died; the ponies eager to hear the news. Celestia cleared her throat, “Citizens of Equestria, I have returned from my mission of peace successfully.” It wasn’t often she used her Royal Canterlot voice, so she had to clear her throat again to be able to continue. She signaled for the applause to stop, and continued speaking. “But such success comes with bitter news. An ancient foe of mine is returning with an army, we are about to go to war.” There was an audible gasp as everypony down below reacted as predicted. “Do not fret,” Celestia hastily added after coughing and before the crowd got out of control, “there is hope, but we must remain calm. I have sent a group out to retrieve a special item that will defeat him and his army.” As the crowd calmed down, the Princess of the Sun continued. “Over the course of the next few days, you will see increased guard activity all across Equestria. I know many towns still have guards stationed in them, but their orders are now to keep the occupants safe from harm.” She observed the reactions of the ponies below, judging what to say next. “Do not think that I am forgetting about what has happened to Luna, more important things have arisen and I simply don’t have time to deal with petty political disagreements." The crowd’s response was neutral; it was the best Celestia could have asked for given what they’ve been through.“ That is all I had to say. The coming days are going to be rough, but we WILL get through it. I thank you for your time.” She gave the gathering a bow and left the balcony. Once Celestia was off, she rubbed her throat; Royal Canterlot always gave her a sore throat.
“Is it true?” Shining Armor asked as Celestia approached the council chamber. “About what happened to my sister?”
“I take it Luna told you what happened?” Shining Armor nodded. “Yes, it is true. I miss Twilight just as much as you, we will get her back.” Recent events had erased all traces of warmth from her voice. As they entered the council chamber, the several military officers and key personnel from the Imperial Management Division in the room rose in acknowledgement. Celestia bid them sit and took her place next to her sister at the head of the table. “I will not lie to you; we are up against a mighty foe, which is why we need a plan of action for when his dark army awakens.”
General Stratagem, a dark brown unicorn clad in royal armor, rose. “With all due respect your highness, we don’t know what to expect from his army. If you could enlighten us as to what they are capable of, perhaps we could formulate an effective resistance.”
“He used dark magic to summon a force of brutal, ruthless, miniature alicorns. They are no more powerful in magic than an average unicorn, and no faster in flight than the average pegasus, but they have the advantage of numbers and do not know fear.”
The general nodded and sat back down. “I would recommend a modification to ‘Plan Omega’.”
Another officer spoke up. “But that involves total martial law! We can’t just expect the entire nation to comply peacefully and so suddenly.”
One of the IMD leaders stood. “I agree; we need a plan that won’t involve shutting down our entire economy!”
“That is why we are going to revise it.” General Stratagem calmly replied. “Plan Omega was designed with complete anarchy in mind, it has battle plans that account for both pegasus and unicorn involvement.”
Celestia and Luna sat in silence as the military officers and IMD personnel bickered over a course of action; it was times like this, however rare, that Celestia wished Guiding Light were here to come up with the best logical conclusion.
“We should fully implement Plan Omega only around the borders and the cities close to them, that way we can maximize defense without compromising our infrastructure.” Luna said suddenly, just loud enough to be heard over the shouting.
Everyone stopped arguing and looked at Luna. “That… that just might work.” General Stratagem said slowly, in case one of the IMD had an objection.
Celestia nodded. “Then make it happen, I’ll make sure the affected areas are notified. You all know what to do.”
Everypony stood, ready to begin preparations. “Operation ‘Last Stand’ is a go ponies, let’s do our country proud.” General Stratagem said, the military officers and IMD leaders saluted and galloped off to begin preparations.
After they had all left, Celestia sighed. “Military ponies and their code names. I’ll never understand them.”
Luna smiled slightly. “It gives deeper meaning to the goals they wish to accomplish; it inspires them to go above and beyond to see that goal through to the end.”
For the first time since Majora’s return, Celestia smiled.
The Everfree forest, a thick forest that even the bravest of explorers shied away from, with carnivorous monsters and poisonous plants: it was the very definition of dangerous. The six companions stood at its edge, the path into the forest just before them. Deep within the veil created by the dense canopy, sounds of the beasts within creating a symphony of nature, the occasional manticore roar in the distance. They had all heard the rumors about this place: about how the weather controlled itself and the wildlife beyond feral.
Even Valor, with the cutie mark of courage, was hesitant to enter. Lissfokulaan walked closer to the edge and inhaled. “RAAN MIR TAH!” Suddenly all the animal calls within the forest stopped, but it was not the same silence as the mountain, this was more natural. The blue dragon turned to look at the others. “They will not harm us, at least for now. I suggest we make haste before the effect of the Thu’um wears off.”
“What did that do?” Valor asked as they started into the forest.
“That particular one calms the beasts of the wild, for a time. Once their calls start to pick up again, I will need to perform the Thu’um once more.”
“That’s handy.” Ci’oa commented shakily. Even though the animals would not harm them, the forest still gave him the creeps. Changelings evolved in the desert, forests weren’t something they were familiar with. Occasionally he would jump at a sound he thought he heard.
“What other things can your shouts do dude?” Hang Ten asked from the back of the group.
Lissfokulaan chuckled. “I can use them to aid me in many ways; be it offensive, defensive, or to support my allies.”
“Is the thoom limited to dragons? Or can anypony use them?” Guiding Light asked, failing to pronounce the draconic word.
“It would take many, many years of study and near constant meditation for a non-dragon to use them effectively.” Lissfokulaan stated matter-of-factly. “It would also help if you could pronounce the words.” He added as a joke.
Guiding Light’s face reddened, clearly embarrassed. The group continued down the lonely dirt path in silence, with the exception of Lissfokulaan shouting every now and then to keep the dangerous wild animals at bay. The calm of the forest was natural and almost inviting, if it weren’t for Ci’oa’s paranoia, the scenery would have been quite peaceful. Eventually they came to a very old foot bridge, the loosely hanging boards gently blowing in the wind. Immediately after the bridge stood, the main gate (or what was left of it) to the castle ruins.
“I don’t think this is safe to cross anymore comrades.” Iron Curtain said after testing the rotting bridge with a hoof.
Without warning, Lissfokulaan picked up Guiding Light and Iron Curtain, and flew across with ease. After he put them down, he went back for Hang Ten; the buffalo was much heavier than the two ponies, and therefore, a much harder trip given the dragon was only an adolescent. “You could have warned us!!” Guiding Light exclaimed.
Before Lissfokulaan could reply, Ci’oa called back from the other side. “Are you going to carry us too?”
“Yeah.” Valor agreed. “I don’t think we can make that.”
“You two have wings, use them.” The dragon called back.
Ci’oa and Valor mumbled something to themselves, unfurled their wings, and took flight.
Once they landed on the other side, they avoided eye contact with the rest of the group. “You two are so lazy…” Guiding Light said slightly annoyed. After she turned around to keep the pace going, Valor smirked and opened his mouth to speak. “Don’t say it.” Guiding Light commanded before the green pegasus could say one of his trademark witty comments.
The main room was massive and years of neglect were taking its toll. The ceiling to the main room had fallen in many years ago, every stained glass pane was shattered, and vines grew on the decorative pillars that stood at even intervals along the walls. It was a window into the past; the bits that survived showed what the culture of Ancient Equestria was like. Large stone debris littered the floor, most likely pieces of the ceiling that long since collapsed. At the center of the large room stood the statue that once held the ceremonial spheres that represented the Elements of Harmony, the spheres were destroyed by Nightmare Moon during her return a few years ago. The group slowly walked up to the statue, looking around in awe of the scenery and respect for an era long past. Vines grew in the plates that held the spheres, their absence allowing plants to grow where they once rested. Valor slowly flew up to each plate and carefully removed the vines out of respect.
Once they were clear of vines, Valor spoke very quietly. “Alright, let’s split up into groups of two and look for something that might lead us to The Chamber of Equilibrium. Celestia said she had knowledge of it hidden from her so the stairs are going to be hard to find.”
“Keep an eye out for a triad,” Guiding Light added “it’s the Equestrian symbol of balance. It’s bound to lead us to the chamber.”
Everyone nodded and wordlessly paired up to start their search. Valor and Guiding Light went back outside to check what was left of the gardens, Iron Curtain and Hang Ten went up a staircase to the right to explore the upper floors, and Ci’oa and Lissfokulaan went down a hallway to the left to search the lower levels.
***
“This place is huge.” Ci’oa said in awe as he and the dragon left the kitchen ruins. “I wonder why Celestia abandoned it.”
“Grief.” Lissfokulaan said sadly. “After her foster father died and her sister went mad a week later, she couldn’t handle the constant reminders around her.”
Ci’oa stopped dead in his tracks, speechless.
“My father told me about how traumatized Celestia was, crying herself to sleep for weeks after banishing her sister so soon after her father’s death. That was when the Royal Guard decided that it was time to relocate the capital, if Celestia stayed here any longer, depression would have taken its toll.” A single tear rolled down his scaly cheek. “Even now she still combats it; my father and I say a prayer for her each night to aid Celestia in her mental struggle. With Majora’s return, her battle against herself will be that much harder.”
Ci’oa didn’t know what to think. What Lissfokulaan said left an emotion inside the changeling he had rarely felt; sadness. Celestia had done an amazing job at hiding her inner struggle, changelings could sense emotions easily, Ci’oa didn’t feel even the smallest amount of depression within the Sun Princess. “I had no idea…”
“Let us not dwell on the past, it only brings sadness here. Tell me; how does changeling magic work?” said Lissfokulaan trying to change the subject to a much more pleasant one.
Welcoming the new topic, Ci’oa’s face brightened at the chance to enlighten someone about the magic of his race. “It’s actually very similar to unicorn magic, only it favors illusion based spells over anything else and tends to be quite theatric.”
“Interesting. Do changelings have the same endurance as unicorns?”
“Kind of.” Ci’oa replied honestly. “You see, our magical strength is determined by the amount of positive emotions around us, even more so when it’s directed at us. The more positive emotions for us to *ahem* ‘feed on,’ the stronger our magic is.”
Lissfokulaan nodded. “What about your shape shifting ability?”
“That is not reliant on our magic in the slightest.” The changeling chuckled. “It is an evolutionary trait, developed to aid us in recharging our magic.”
The two continued to discuss magic as they walked around the lower levels of the ruins, happy to have something to distract them from the strong negative connection attached to the castle’s history.
***
The original plants that inhabited the royal garden of the castle had long since died, leaving the wild plants of the forest to take their place. Valor and Guiding Light followed the worn path that had once been decorated with lovely flowers, but was now home to wild ones. They did not speak. The trail, while dead, still had a story to tell; one of pain, one of loneliness. Dead branches of ancient hedges hugged the old path, what a sight this place must have been all those years ago. The path wended around the edge of the castle, with a few rotted sitting areas here and there. Seeing the garden’s sad tale brought a tear to Guiding Light’s eyes, she understood the story quite clearly. Valor placed his wing over Guiding, giving silent comfort. He understood the garden as well, and truly felt Celestia’s pain in the dead grove.
Once they reached the back of the castle, the two ponies walked into a large opening. It was a large circular memorial site, at its center stood a large granite pillar holding a golden triad; the resting place of Golden Tranquility. The monument stood tall over the slowly disappearing cobblestone floor around it, proudly displaying the symbol of balance. The triad’s golden shine had dulled over the years, moss and grime covered its surface. Guiding Light sat down at the base of the monument and cried; the dragon that had once been Celestia’s father, sat forgotten for over a thousand years. Valor flew up and rubbed some the muck off the lower right pyramid, the gold underneath shined brightly in the orange light of the setting sun.
“We should find the others. Do you want some time alone Guiding?” Valor said after she had cried for about a minute.
“No,” she sniffed, shakily standing back up “I’ll be fine.”
Valor gave her a supporting hug once she was back on her hooves. “Just tell me if you need some time alone, I’ll understand.”
Guiding Light smiled and hugged Valor tightly. “I think some time together would be much more helpful, this place is far too depressing to sit alone to think.”
The green pegasus chuckled. “I couldn’t agree more.”
When he loosened his grip, Guiding Light hugged him tighter. “Don’t let go, not yet.” The tone of her voice indicated another session of sobbing; Valor continued the embrace without hesitation. Once his grip had been safely re-established, Guiding continued her sympathetic sobbing into Valor’s shoulder.
After about five minutes, she picked her head up off her green pillow and sniffed away a few remaining tears. Valor smiled warmly at her when she made eye contact. “Feeling better now?” he asked warmly.
Instead of a verbal reply, Guiding Light gave Valor a kiss. “Now I am.”
***
Hang Ten and Iron Curtain had searched about every tower that was still standing for clues to the chamber’s whereabouts. “Nothing in this room either dude.” The buffalo said disappointedly. “You think the entrance is in one of the towers that fell?”
“Net, they would not leave clues to such an important chamber in a place that could fall at any moment.” Iron said none too pleased with their luck.
Hang Ten snorted, “Then why are we up here checking towers dude? Shouldn’t we be in the keep?”
“You never know comrade, its best to make sure you have covered all possibilities.”
“Whatever bro lets head to the keep, this place gives me the creeps.”
Iron nodded and they silently made their way to the main room they had come into to make sure they hadn’t missed anything. If it wasn’t for the depressing atmosphere, Hang Ten would have been in a much more laid back mood.
As they walked down a hallway, something flashed in the corner of Iron’s eye out a window. He looked to see what it was, and there it was: the monument to Golden Tranquility. Part of the one of the pyramids had been cleaned off, reflecting the setting sun into the window. “Hey, I think I found it!” Iron Curtain exclaimed. “It’s outside in the gardens.”
A/N: the story gets darker from this point on. If any of you think that I should bump up the rating too teen, I will not hesitate to do so.
It surprisingly didn’t take Valor and Guiding Light very long to find Iron Curtain and Hang Ten. “We found the entrance!” Guiding Light exclaimed once she saw her cousin at the end of the hall. “It’s in the garden out back.”
“I saw.” Iron Curtain stated. “We were just on our way over to investigate it.”
“Any idea where Ci’oa and Kulaan are?” Valor asked.
“No idea bro,” Hang Ten replied. His laid back attitude returning “haven't seen them since we split up.”
“We’d better start looking then.” Guiding Light suggested. “I saw them take the hallway on the left side of the main room, we should start looking there.” Everyone nodded and made their way to the main room to look for their companions.
***
Meanwhile, on the northern Equestria border: a division of Equestrian soldiers patrolled the border. The northern border didn’t neighbor any nations; it was the end of Equestrian expansion into the frozen lands. A few of the unicorns and pegasi stationed there were huddled around a campfire, drinking vodka and playing cards.
“[Why are we guarding this border anyway?]” one of the rookie Stalliongrad pegasi asked, his Canterlot accent very present. “[I mean, what are the odds of an attacking force surviving in this weather? The griffons tried it five hundred years ago, and boy was that a failure.]”
“[Napoleon Born of Heart is nothing compared to the force we now face; we’re fighting an army created by dark magic.]” The commanding officer stated; he was a burly unicorn covered in battle scars. “[They were created with the sole purpose of our annihilation.]”
The rookie took a swig of vodka, “[Doesn’t mean their immune to the extreme cold like we northern ponies are.]”
He received a shove from the pegasus veteran next to him. “[We’re not immune to the cold you dumb mule, we have a higher tolerance. We don’t bring the vodka just because it’s good for the soul; it’s also good for a freezing body.]”
“[I’ll drink to that.]” The senior officer said, raising a bottle with his magic.
As the soldiers drank a toast to the divine nectar that was vodka, the ever present blizzard vanished entirely.
***
At Canterlot, Celestia was sitting at the dining table enjoying a nice dessert. She used her fork to shave off a bite-sized piece of cake, mouth salivating as she brought it up. Suddenly there was a pop as Celestia put the cake into her mouth. Expecting to taste the rich chocolate, her tongue was greeted with the sensation of the most wretched food in existence: bananas. Celestia spat the vile fruit out of her mouth and tried to scrape the remains off her tongue. She hated bananas with a passion.
Discord poofed next to the sun princess, laughing so hard he needed support. “Th-that was priceless!” He managed to wheeze. “I do enjoy our quality time together.”
Celestia glared at the draconequus as he started laughing again. “Say Discord.” She slowly started.
“What is it my dear? Are you going to throw a little tantrum?” Discord cooed, he snapped his fingers and a foal’s bonnet appeared on Celestia’s head.
She threw the bonnet in Discord’s face. “No, I just had a simple question.” A wicked smile growing on her face as she picked up the banana that was once her cake. “Do you like bananas?”
Discord’s eyes shot open. “Uh oh…”
“Aw is the ‘big strong Discord’ afraid of a banana?” Celestia teased in a baby voice.
“Celestia, stop and listen.” Discord said worriedly.
Celestia put the banana down and closed her eyes, listening to the flow of the earth’s magic. They snapped back open, pupils tiny and ears plastered to her skull.
“You feel it now right?” Discord asked; almost as frightened as Celestia.
The Princess of the Sun slowly nodded, too afraid to speak.
“I need to get some things ready. I'm bringing Luna in to keep you company in my place.” Discord snapped his fingers, with a pop and a flash, he was gone and Luna was standing in his place.
“How did I get here?” Luna asked. She looked over to see Celestia frozen in fear. “Tia? What's wrong?”
“Listen…” She whispered.
Luna did as her sister asked and closed her eyes. Instantly, they snapped back open. “Tia, you need to calm down, he’s all the way at the northern border.”
Celestia’s expression didn’t change, Luna wasn’t sure her sister had even heard her. Before the Princess of the Night could say anything else, Celestia spoke. “We’re doomed, we’re all going to die.” A tear ran down her porcelain white coat and onto the floor below.
“Tia? We’re not going to die! Do you hear me?!” Luna yelled, trying to shake some sense into her older sister.
Celestia refused to acknowledge her. “Maybe now I’ll get to see Tranquility again…”
That was the last straw. Luna drew a foreleg behind her head, drawing upon all her earth pony strength, and swung hard. The following slap resonated throughout the dining hall, Celestia remained standing, but she was now looking far to her left. The white alicorn slowly looked back at Luna, bringing a hoof to her cheek. “Th-thank you my dear sister, I- I needed that.”
The midnight blue alicorn embraced her older sister tightly, trying not to cry. “That’s what I'm here for Tia, I have no intention of breaking my promise to our real father, especially not now.”
“He would be very proud of you right now; it warms my aching heart to see that you still honor his teachings.”
Luna sniffed back a few tears. “Like I could ever forget that slave driver.” She said, trying to brighten the mood. “He would wake me up at the crack of dusk to raise the moon every night.”
The two alicorn sisters laughed, recalling old stories from their childhood.
***
“[What happened to the wind?]” The rookie asked cautiously.
“[Not sure.]” The veteran replied. “[What do you think Cap? Could it be magic?]”
The captain’s horn lit up a bright red, scanning the area for interfering magic. He ended the spell, puzzled. “[I’ve never felt anything like it before, put the base on high alert.]”
The older pegasus saluted and took off towards the command building. Not a moment later, a siren blared. “[This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill. All personnel report to your stations now.]” Pegasi scrambled out of the many barracks that lined the southern wall towards the armory to get their weapons, some were still struggling to put their armor back on. The unicorns however, had no trouble putting their armor on and went straight to the wall.
After the initial chaos of the siren, the entire base was on high alert. Pegasi patrolling the now calm sky and unicorns standing on the stone wall, the captain made his way to the side opposite of Equestria and joined his men on the wall. “[Steady!]” He yelled, not needing magic to amplify his voice.
In the distance, the dull roar of countless hoofsteps clad in armor echoed across the tundra. “[I see them!]” The rookie from earlier reported. “[I’ve never seen so many before!]”
“[How many and how far off are they private?!]”
“[A region easy,]” That was over a million ponies! “[I’d say they're about-]” Before the young pegasus could finish his estimate, a dark red beam of energy struck his chest, exiting out his back. He looked down at the fresh hole in this chest, started to whimper, then dropped from the sky like a brick; the first fatality of the war that was about to wage across Equestria. The remaining pegasi quickly dove out of the sky to avoid being shot; one pegasus retrieved the body of his fallen comrade and brought it back to the base.
“[He’s gone. I'm sorry.]” The captain told the pegasus who held his brother in his arms tightly, doing his best not to cry. “[I’ll make sure he gets a memorial in the Canterlot Sculpture Garden when this is over.]”
“[H-he can’t be dead…]” The pegasus sniffed. “[I promised his wife in Canterlot I’d bring him home safely.]”
The captain put a reassuring hoof on the private’s shoulder. “[He isn't truly dead; his name will live on throughout the ages. Your brother will be remembered as a hero for all eternity.]” He perked his ear towards the advancing army. “[By the sound of it, I’d say I have time to make the phone call to Canterlot to report the first death. I know Celestia will have a statue of him constructed.]” He fixed the quivering private with a glare. “[You are hereby relieved of duty. Pack your things and fly hard for Stalliongrad, you don’t have much time.]” He softened his expression and smiled. “[Don’t worry my boy; I’ll break the news to his wife after I'm done with Canterlot. It was an honor serving with you son.]” The captain finished with a salute.
“[Thanks dad, I love you.]” He returned his father’s salute and gave him one last farewell hug.
“[I love you too son, now hurry, you don’t have time.]” His son let go, retrieved his brother’s dog tags, and flew off.
With his surviving kin safe from danger, the captain made his way to the command building to make a few phone calls while he had the time. Along the way, the soldiers gave their captain approving nods and pats on the shoulder, silently telling him that he had done the right thing.
***
Celestia and Luna were still in the dining hall, recalling old stories when one of the attendants timidly walked in. “Um… You’re Highness?” She quietly asked.
Both sisters stopped to catch their breath. “Yes, what is it?” Celestia asked warmly.
The attendant gulped, gathering all of her willpower. “Fort Canter just called…”
Celestia and Luna sighed; they knew what the call was about.
“They reported in the approaching army, but also the first death….”
Luna cast a glance towards her sister. “I’ll take it from here sister.”
Silently thanking her younger sister, Celestia left the room.
“Who was he?” Luna asked firmly.
“H-he was one of the air patrol pegasi. He was shot down gathering intelligence.” The attendant was trying not to cry.
“Did you know him?” Luna had adopted a much kinder tone upon seeing her distress. The attendant only nodded, if she opened her mouth, she would lose control. “Was he family?” The attendant shook her head then looked at the floor with regret in her eyes. Luna gave her a warm smile and gave the mare a comforting embrace. “I’ll be sure he is properly remembered, but he would not like to see his mare live a life of sadness. Why don’t you take the next few days off?”
The attendant sniffed back tears and nodded; she made her way home after being released by the Night Princess.
***
As the region of small, twisted, blackened alicorns came into view, the unicorns on the wall entered a battle pose. They were horribly outnumbered, but the ponies of Fort Canter had something the dark army didn’t, something worth fighting for. The unicorns stood firm, the pegasi crouched below the wall ready for rapid takeoff. As their enemy drew closer, the blood red of the evil eyes came into view, showing no hint of mercy or humanity. “[Hold your ground!]” The captain shouted as the force drew closer, the ground beginning to shake with each approaching step. Suddenly a dull sound that was a mixture of a hum and a buzz was heard to the south, a few of the pegasi looked back to see if they could spot the source. A group of small winged, metal, tubes with a transparent disk at the front descended from the clouds above. Their wings did not flap, being propelled by an unseen force. As they made their slow approach, the humming increased in volume. Before the captain could give the order to intercept, Discord popped next to him. The draconequus was wearing the uniform of an Equestrian sky commander; Discord gave a salute to the captain. “[I am here to assist you friend, those fighters are under my command.]”
The captain returned the salute. “[We could use all the help we can get. What are those anyway?]”
The spirit of chaos smiled slyly. “[Creations of war from a different dimension, modified to be operated by my chaos magic.]”
The airborne war machines whizzed overhead towards their foe, the humming quickly becoming a roar as one hundred of them zoomed by. “[Go go go! Follow them into battle!]” The captain ordered the pegasi.
“[And whatever you do,]” Discord warned them “[don’t ever get between them and their targets, they have a nasty sting.]”
The dark army stopped and some took flight to engage their attackers. Discord’s machines let out a series of rapid-fire sounds as two jets of fire appeared behind the transparent disk at the front, many of the dark alicorns fell from the sky as they were struck by hundreds of unseen projectiles. The metal flyers broke formation to engage their foe as they did the same, trying to strike them with powerful bursts of magic. As the chaotic battle waged on in the sky, the force that remained on the ground marched on. “[Hold your fire!]” The captain shouted. The unicorns on the wall shifted about in anticipation, horns aglow. The army continued its advance, even as their comrades fell to the ground before them. They marched over dead bodies and the burning metal husks of Discord’s machines as they were slowly taken down, hate burning in their eyes. “[FIRE AT WILL!!!]” Suddenly, a cascade multicolored bolts of magic were hurled at the enemy.
Discord tried to summon his ground force, but something was blocking his magic. He tried his simplest trick, conjuring cotton candy clouds. No luck with that either, something was very wrong. As Majora’s army returned fire, Discord was forced to take cover below the wall due to his lack of magic. Suddenly he felt a familiar presence; one he hoped would be off somewhere planning. Majora was on the field, blocking his magic. “[Captain!]” Discord called. “[Prepare for the fight of your life.]”
The captain gave Discord an odd look. “[What do you mean?]”
“[He’s here.]”
“[What? Who's he-]” He stopped mid-sentence as he realized who Discord meant. He grew a wicked smile. “[Then we shall give him a fight worthy of remembrance.]” He galloped off to the command building, for what he did not say. Discord snapped his fingers and swapped to normal magic; one of the benefits to being a spirit was that he could use all four types of magic. The antlers on his head flared up a sickly yellow as he unleashed his own volley of magical bolts.
Majora’s army continued to advance, unhindered by the magical bombardment. Even as the burning metal skeletons of Discords machines fell down upon them, taking out a few dozen when they violently crashed. In the midst of the sea of alicorns, one stood tall over the others. His body in the flesh, eyes fixing discord with everlasting hate. Majora took flight, Discord launched up to the sky to meet him in battle. Without the aid of his chaos magic, the battle was surely lost, but as the captain said: he was going to make it worthy of remembrance. Discord summoned a force-field of yellow magic as Majora summoned his own blood red shield, they collided with such force that a shock wave erupted from the impact. They traded shots of powerful magic, each trying to impale the other. As Discord and Majora continued their aerial skirmish, the fort below was quickly overrun. The fort had been lost and the army was free to continue its march into Equestria, but before they could get any farther into Equestria, the fort exploded into a white ball of energy, leaving a large green mushroom cloud in it’s wake. It was a balefire bomb, the first megaspell to be detonated in history.
