the family of Star Tracker has always been very exotic, even from himself, always traditionalists, that family "anecdotes" about beings from space and the rare magic horn, those crazy things could not guide anypony, that was just fantasy, right?
Star Tracker is not a lucky pony since his parents died when he was just a colt, and his grandparents always wanted the best for him, but what they considered the best, for Star was not, leaving that clear, he never imagined that his grandmother wanted him to back home.
"Are you sure it is prudent to destroy the portal? What happened was not your fault, you know it very well" - said Newblood, while he and Elián watched the destruction of a huge circular structure, huge rays several meters wide were fired from the warships, gradually destroying the huge structure.
"It may not be my fault what happened, but in the end, I provoked it, my lack of judgment provoked that war, one that nobody expected, one very expensive for all, one that I could have avoided if only I had not been naivety "- said Elián
"And what do the others think?"
"... they do not know, and they will not, on the other side the same" - said Elián, while he saw how the huge structure was fragmented after receiving a particularly powerful shot of a Keyship.
Not knowing what to answer for the first time in two thousand years, Newblood only contemplated the scene.
"Before I did not understand the reason of the Forerunners of their self-imposed exile, now, I think I understand it, maybe you too, or you did it long ago" - said Elián, with a soft and melancholy voice.
Newblood, confused as to where Elián wanted to arrive, no more than a second later, opened his eyes in astonishment at what those words implied.
"It's crazy Elian, millennia of his history would be lost, it's too severe punishment, you're committing the same sins as those egomaniacs!" - Newblood replied.
Looking at Newblood amazed by the outburst, Elián returned his gaze to the scene and he simply answered.
"It's not a punishment, it's an opportunity, you said it yourself, our interference was key in its history, but it was disastrous, a new beginning, a new opportunity to do things well, that's my gift to them, and not all of them go to have an evolutionary regression, his children will be their guides and guardians "
Before Newblood could answer, the huge portal exploded with such force that even a few ships that were a thousand kilometers away exploded.
"... and what happens with the other side?, Now that there is no magic in that place, they can not communicate with us" - said Newblood.
"No, they can not, but thanks to that now there is only one species, now they all have the same physical capacity, at least they will learn that no one is better than others just by being able to see better in the dark, manipulate magic or be more capable in battle, now they are all capable of the same "
"That is a decision that does not correspond to us" - answered Newblood with a higher tone.
"You know well that magic was what changed their bodies, I did not do anything more than what you did" - answered Elián sharply.
Not knowing what to answer, he let Elián continue talking.
"That place is no longer capable of generating magic, it is a dry river, but this place is not, when the time comes, both worlds will meet, the water will begin to flow once more" - said Elián, while both they teleported to ecstasy bays.
"The process is beginning, they are returning to their most primitive form, we will use the twin planet of Gaia, curiously, it is one of the planets that you fortified, at least you did not name it, we leave that honor to its future inhabitants" - said Elián while walking between the enormous room.
When they rescued all those who could from the all wars, at some point they had managed to have all the tribes inhabiting the space cities, the majority survived the most disastrous conflict, leaving 300 thousand souls.
300 thousand souls, 9 tribes, 10 if the hybrids are counted, the initial population will be scarce, they will have organizational problems at the beginning maybe, but they will prevail, that world is an almost exact copy of Gaia.
The animals that were also brought on board for the green spaces are contemplated in the change, collecting each plant and animal of the planet in less than two years was an exceptionally difficult task, even Newblood admitted that, without the help of its people, the extraction had taken more than a hundred years.
Everything was ready to repopulate the planet, but only one thing was missing.
"What will happen to us, what are we going to do?" Asked Newblood, as he watched Elián approach a lookout towards a huge camera.
"We will finish this task, they have a lot of potential, and one day, maybe they will do a better job than us Newblood" - said Elián, while watching the huge cryptum, the light that emanated was a pink color, for some reason, it gave the print of a heartbeat.
"They will have the horn of hope, with that, nothing will be able to hurt them, I hope it is enough" - said Elián.
"and we will finish what started all this when they reach the stars, we will be at home."
"... I consider this place my home" - answered Newblood
"Mom, can you tell me a story so I can sleep?" - a small Star Treacker asked.
"very well son, today you behaved very well with the dentist, you deserve a small reward, my big colt, which you would like to hear?" - asked Golden Night lovingly while caressing Star.
"Maybe something about the space ponies?"
"You really love those stories, right?" - Golden said with a smile.
"They are so exciting !!, even the grandmother says that stories really happened" - the colt boasted.
Holding a sigh, Golden had another subject to talk to his mother, but for now, his little son awaited his reward.
"They are so real while you create my star, very well, this is the story of when the Forerunner saved an entire planet from dark magic----"
"Star !!, it's better if you're not sleeping again in class, or the teacher is going to scold you again" - whispered Blue Belle, as she shook Star, who was slowly waking up.
"I'm awake, I just rested my eyes" - said Star, while trying not to fall from his seat.
Before Blue Belle could answer, Professor Flintheart was standing right in front of them.
Star had not realized even in the danger they were in.
"Young Star, I understand that your high performance in space magic classes requires more time than a simple pony of earth can have, but if you does not pay attention to class, it would be a pity if your scholarship is withdrawn by low average" - murmured Professor Flint.
Star was the only ground pony who was currently attending the school of Princess Celestia, amazing the teachers with his perfect score on the magic exam and passing the practical test with his control in environmental magic.
The school had accepted the admission of a ground pony even with the criticism of several nobles and a few professors, but winning several enemies who were seeking their expulsion.
If it were not for the help of Princess Luna and her generous scholarship, Star could not afford the "special" tuition that had been assigned to her, as revenge, the nobles and the professors who hated him (including Professor Flint), made the condition to keep the scholarship only with a perfect average.
Only one student in the entire history of the school had that achievement, Princess Twilight, and another almost got it, if it were not for her sudden disappearance.
But it was not a problem for Star, it had been two years and he still had the scholarship, winning incredible friends, and eliminating the bad image that had been imposed on he.
If only Star was not such a dense pony and a greater confidence in his achievements, he might not be so intimidated continuously by the few ponies who want him out of school.
"I'm sorry professor, it's just that I did not sleep at night, Princess Twilight published a new book about environmental magic in space and its effects on Equestria, and Princess Luna helped in its elaboration, so I just could not stop read it "- said Star while trembling a bit by the intimidating teacher.
"It's true teacher, Princess Luna gave him the book in person a few days ago, several saw the exchange at the time of departure" - said Blue Belle, calling the teacher's attention.
"I appreciate your information, Lady Belle, but I did not ask for it, in the future, maybe instead of going where they do not call it, I could better select your ... company" - said the professor, while he walked back to the front of the living room.
"Uff, that was close, they almost took you out of the room again Star, that fucking racist ..." - said Blue Belle, while relaxing.
"Thank you cousin, I hope the teacher was not so intimidating, it always makes me nervous" - answered Star in a low voice.
"To be a genius, you're very stupid when the situation calls for it, at least it's the last class" - said Blue Belle, gaining an annoyed look from Star.
"-And do not forget to complete the optical spell, I want it early on my desk tomorrow" - said Professor Flint.
"Finally! Come on, Star, I'm fed up for today" - said Blue Belle, jumping from her place with a big smile.
"I'm sorry, Belle, but today I have other plans" - said Star, while he kept his things in his saddlebags.
"But what? You do not have a social life and ... oh, it's the anniversary today, is not it?" Blue Belle asked, while her face turned into a grimace.
"... yes, it's already late, so I have to hurry or they're going to close the cemetery, do you want to go?" - Star asked, as they walked out of the room.
"Of course, I have not visited my uncles for a while, besides, someone has to protect you at all times" said Blue Belle, hitting her helmet with Star's shoulder.
"Of course, because I'm so helpless without you" - said Star, while avoiding with all his strength not to wince.
"We can go through some flowers to the market, at least my potatoes were a few weeks ago, but the flowers they brought must be withered" - said Blue Belle.
When she not receiving an answer, Blue Belle noticed that Star was simply lost in her thoughts.
"Star?"
"Staaar?"
"Staaar !!" - Blue Belle shouted, as she threw another blow at the poor pony's chest.
"Auch! That hurt, why was that?!" - Star asked.
"Are you very distracted today, are you okay?" - asked worried Blue Belle.
"Yes, I'm fine, or at least before your punches, I swear, you look more like a ground pony than me" - said Star with pain.
"I'm sorry for that, but it's not normal that you're so distracted, or at least not so much, you're fine? '" - said Blue Belle.
"Yes, I'm fine" - Star said, but her cousin's implacable gaze told him that she was not buying his excuse.
"... well, no, I'm not, do you remember the stories of the grandmother?" - Star asked, as they started to walk again towards the exit of the school.
"The Forerunner, how to forget, practically forced us to memorize them, why do you ask?" - Blue Belle asked curiously.
"Because it still feels strange that the grandmother is so demanding for simple stories, even in the death of my parents, she used that rare symbol in their graves, and you know how my aunt made that decision"
"they still do not talk, besides, you have to admit that preserving the family tradition of supposed guardians is very ... what word am I looking for?" - said Blue Belle.
"Useless, fanciful, stupid?" - said Star.
"I was going to say archaic, but yes, what do you want to get to?" - Blue Belle asked as they left the school.
"Because those stories, leaving aside the fantasy of combats and others, comply with certain physical and magical laws that, if the grandmother does not lie about how old those stories are, they did not even know each other!" - said Star exasperated.
"Law of gravity, mass attraction, nuclear forces, synchronized magic, harmonic energy" - continued Blue Belle, between murmurs.
"Exactly, even you noticed it!"
"What do you mean by that!?"
"Sorry, it was not my intention, but my point is that something strange happens with those stories, your parents and mine never approved that the grandmother told us those stories, and neither the family traditions, do not you think that we should at least know about What is it? "asked Star.
"Do you want to go with the grandparents to ask?"
"No, I'm still upset with them, but your mom may tell us"
"And why of the sudden interest?"
"... today in class, I remembered the last time I spoke with my mother before the train accident, she told me the story of dark magic, at least I want to know why our family is in dispute for simple stories" - said Star, Blue Belle looks at him with a bit of astonishment, wondering if the anniversary of his parents' death has something to do with his sudden will.
"Well, I admit that I'm also curious, but you're going to be the one to ask my mom" - said Blue Belle, as they walked to the market.
"We have a deal" - said Star with a smile, while the ponies passed indifferently around them.
Two months after Twilight knows she's going to be aunt.
"You can not be serious!"- Yelled Silver Sky, her navy blue fur contrasting with her blue eyes and gray mane.
At first glance, many would say that she was barely a teenager, they often confused her a lot with her daughter, even their cutiemarks resembled each other, a shooting star with a silver-colored crescent moon.
But the scene that was happening in a room in a mansion in the private area of the Sentinel family could be mistaken for a senate session.
"Your sister left the family name before making a public presentation, no one outside the princesses and a few others even know she is your sister" - calmly answered an old mare, although only her hoarse and tense voice could give a sign of his age, something his daughter silently thanked, longevity was a characteristic of the children of the Sentinel family.
"And what does it have to do with denying the relationship with your son ?, your grandson!" Silver yelled, hitting the carved wooden desk, splintering it, no matter what its cost was worth more than a house in lower class areas.
"It is for their protection, as well as ours, we can have influence and power, but we are not above the law, when Golden and Topas died, they did not leave anything to certify his kinship with us"
"Legally, they could stop the adoption or worse, that another family adopts him, risking the secrets of the family and their life, you know very well that there are many ponies that would like to have some influence on us, they could kidnap him or even kill him in an attempt to get information from his mind "- ended with a sigh Donají.
Her golden fur had not lost its shine even with age, her cutie mark had a magic wooden box closed, the white mane was the envy of many mares in Canterlot even from her childhood.
"Now that's a pure sh-"
Signaling interrupting her daughter, she invited her to return to the seat.
"I made Princess Luna her protector, no one will touch him, she was an intimate friend of the previous family leader and coppered a favor that she owed to the family, even your daughter does not have prudence in being with him so much time, the rumors about a romance between those two is being quite popular among the nobility, luck we know the truth "- she said with a slight touch of amusement in her voice.
"Your father also agrees with my decision, we can not integrate him into our family, not now, not publicly, fortunately, your daughter is helping with the nobles get used to seeing Star in the upper reaches of Canterlot and Princess Luna is helping in their school education, let it be for now, so it seems, he is fine "- Donají finished while offering a little water to his daughter.
"It's funny that you mention that, because just a few hours ago they looked for me to ask me something" - Silver said as she transformed the glass of water into a bottle of strong cider, offering a little to her mother with a movement of the bottle
"And why is that important?"-Donají asked as she levitated two glasses with extra ice.
"Apparently, Star dreamed of the stories you told us as children, especially dark magic, apparently it was the last story that Golden told him" - said Silver, with a sad touch in her voice.
"And who wants to know exactly with that story?" - said Donají, although the Sentinel family was very careful with the conservation of information, especially with regard to the Forerunners, many details were lost in the course of time, from the death of family members who did not manage to share the information, until the loss of the location of the sanctuary, be it a place or an object, the Sentinel family knew that its origins had something to do with that word, one that was repeated a lot in the history of the battle against dark magic.
Donají would lie if he denied that she was also interested in that story too.
"That story hides many secrets even I do not know, I suppose you asked because there are similarities with physical and magical theories and laws of physics?" - Donají asked with a bit of fun on her face.
"I do not blame them, instead I would also have doubts, hopefully you never have to know ..." Silver said in a soft and hopeful voice.
"I think the same dear, we are very few, our time is coming to an end, I regret not having noticed before" - said Donají in a tired voice and a little trembling.
The Sentinel family could be among the most influential and powerful, but they were far from having the capacity to act of their glorious times.
Before the legendary battle with the father of monsters, their number exceeded 200, more or less, literally an army.
But the victory was very costly, more than half died, several relics, as well as important information of his origins lost by the death of the chief depending on the family, were the most difficult times according to the family register.
From there their numbers were falling, death in isolated battles, illness or lineages lost due to lack of heirs.
Thanks to one of the family relics they could have a rather detailed genealogical record, unfortunately, had suffered damage at some point and part of the information was lost or inaccessible, but the line of Donají and his daughters were not the main branch of the family, they belonged to the third.
When Donají was hardly a filly, she witnessed the death of the last member of the first line, Itxly Dawn, a pegasus mare, her fiancée died before the wedding, she never loved anyone again and that is why she had no offspring.
The second line probably died in the campaign against Grogar, there was no data to reveal the reasons for their disappearance.
And the third line, Donají and her lineage are the last, if things went on like this, in one hundred years there may be no one left in the Sentinel family.
"And all for a stupid tradition ..." - Donaji murmured, surprising Silver.
"What are you talking about, mother?" Silver asked, recovering from the shock.
"... my girl, your sister spent years trying to convince me of how horribly traditional we are with our history, we fought for a long time, even in her death I refused to accept it, maybe because at some point I did the same with my father and failed ..." - Donají said sadly in her voice.
"But it's over, our family has already offered everything they had, no more, we'll leave the cloak to someone else" - declared Donají, making her daughter unrecognizable, but with small tears in her eyes.
Many times family members had not been able to go with their loved ones because they did not meet the requirements for confidentiality, since they and their children would be subjected to initiation treatment, the family could not take the risk.
Even her husband had problems at the beginning to pass the tests, Silver could not sleep in those days because of fear.
"So what do we do?"-Silver asked, barely recovering from the statement.
"Unless the situation is extreme, we will not do anything, no more initiation, we will not say anything more about the Forerunners, Blue and Star will be the last ones to know the stories, even if they tell others, they will not be more than that, fantastic stories, partly you helped with creating that scenario "- said Donají with a bitter smile.
"And what will happen in the future? the family relics only work for the family, or if they pass the initiation and are registered" - asked Silver.
"The princesses, I think it is time for them to know about the ponies that look after their backs, I would lie to you if I am not excited to see their faces of a surprise, if they do not lock me up in an asylum before this is clear" - said Donají with mischief.
"The princesses?! Are you sure that is prudent? Even you yourself said that they would never believe us" - Silver said in amazement, almost throwing the cider base on the ivory floor.
"You know as well as I do that they are special, just like Princess Cadence and Princess Twilight, alicorn is part of the best-kept stories in our family, they can be trustworthy" - Donají said calmly, reassuring his daughter.
"Or you can fall in the dark, you know well the risk, mom" - said Silver.
"And that's why only we can use our artifacts, it is unlikely that any of them will join our family, there are no alicorn stallions and I doubt that Blue is that kind of adventurer" - said Donají, as she got up from her desk and walked towards the only window in the room.
"And what about Star ?, Do not you think he can marry a princess?, I personally would not have problems if Princess Celestia fell in love with Star" - Silver said with emotion in her voice.
Donají could not do more than roll her eyes, ever since her daughter was a filly, Princess Celestia was always an icon of her.
"I doubt it very much, but we can not rule out the possibility"
"And what is your plan?"
"I had the intuition that we would have this talk, so I plan to go and request a private audience with Princess Celestia" - said Donají as she left the window towards a small bookseller.
It might seem normal to the naked eye, but when Donají used her magic to move the books in a certain order, a secret hatch the size of a door opened right next to it, revealing several wooden boxes of different sizes and magical artifacts from distant times.
Donají walked quietly into the room, approaching a magical glass shelf, from which only those who had permission from the owner could open.
In it, there were only two objects, a rectangular wooden box carved with various symbols, and a sphere of silver metal.
It had been 12 years since Silver saw that sphere.
"Since we do not know what will happen in the future, at least the princess with her immortality can give this sphere to our descendants in case of need, at least they will know what to do" - said Donají, as she looked at the sphere tenderly, as if It was an old friend.
"Wait, what will happen to all the things we have saved? artifacts and family relics? We can not just throw it away" - said Silver confused, while her mother left the secret room and closed it, leaving a simple bookcase in her place.
"I will scatter them all over Equestria, kept for when they are needed, no creature will find them unless they have this sphere"
"... very good mother, do you want me to accompany you to see the princesses?" - Silver asked to get up from the seat.
"No dear, but I would love for you to take care of your father while I am out" - said Donají as they left the room, entering the corridor covered with great works of art and details of wood and ivory.
Many of them had been gifts from the places they saved throughout their history, from paintings to sculptures were given by the owners at certain times, even the art schools sent the finished products as a token of appreciation for their extensive patronage.
"Of course, it's been a while since I spoke with dad, take care of yourself, mother, if the guards arrive at the door to get you out of the insane asylum I may be delayed a little" - said Silver as she walked towards her parents' room.
"Very funny dear, see you later" - said Donají, saying goodbye to her daughter and walking to the front door, maybe on the way she comes up with a way to explain the situation to the princess.
Princess Celestia had had better days, also much worse days, today in an attempt to clear her mind off the oppressive Senate and the nobles, the princess decided to walk a little in the garden.
At the entrance to the garden, there was a beautiful statue of a royal knight, or as they were called before, Centurions.
This awoke memories in the goddess of the sun, memories of her beloved city.
Canterlot, a beautiful city on the tip of a mountain and the capital of Equestria, few cities that could be compared to it.
It might not have huge skyscrapers and big roads, but Canterlot stood out above most cities, and it was the immense amount of knowledge that was generated in its schools.
And all started when there was only the castle, a hundred centurions, forty unicorns, a dozen wooden houses and a beautiful river that ran through the center of the small settlement.
The centurions were originally a group of ponies that were saved by Celestia and Luna, in some mountains in the cold north.
It was one of the few villages in which lived not only land ponies but also unicorns and pegasus.
As a token of appreciation for having been saved from a greater ursa major, the small town vowed to protect the princesses, which they did for a long time, fighting battles that even the pillars could not.
Even though the princesses were only girls, some very powerful, the centurions took care of them and consoled them when the pillars disappeared.
Even when Princess Luna succumbed to darkness, the centurions were the ones who gave the princess time to confront her sister, containing the nightmarish beasts that had been summoned.
At the end of the battle, Celestia not only lamented what happened to her sister, but almost more than half of the centurions also perished in combat, a few more than 100 managed to survive.
Celestia at least appreciated that her sister did not see what happened after, the centurions were not only their guards, they were their friends, even a family.
Being responsible for their deaths would have torn Luna apart.
But even against the odds, centurions never blamed Luna, lamented that none of them realized what their beloved princess was suffering in silence.
Not long after finishing the castle of Canterlot, a few unicorns decided to settle on the outskirts of the palace, the centurions were legendary, and also to have the princess that living in the surroundings was very attractive.
For that reason, the city suffered a migration over the years, slowly, but constantly, Canterlot became a huge city in size and population.
Now the city had more than just unicorns, even lived other species, such as minotaurs and griffons.
Thanks to the increase in population, the number of requests to enter the ranks of the centurions made it look more like an army to a guard, therefore, the princess decided to reform her guard.
She decides to reward years of the fidelity of her beloved guards, who have faithfully accompanied her for generations.
At first, they were fearful, but they accepted to be the nobles of the city, helping to manage the kingdom, and they began to train the royal guards.
This helped not only the management of the government, but it also formalized what is now the royal guard, going from having disorganized militiamen, to the beginning of a permanent army.
Thanks to this, in the last thousand years, most of the ponies that changed the magical and technological world have been from Canterlot.
But that was not the only thing that has changed, the centurions are now only a legend, heroes of the past, motifs of legend.
Not even their descendants know their noble past, now the nobility was mostly no more than piranhas in search of fresh meat, although there were a few who still have a commitment to Equestria.
When Princess Luna returned from exile, she lamented not only for the damage she inflicted on her friends but in the deplorable state in which they were, she cry for days before the memory of her old friends.
The princess still remembers when the centurions and pillars clashed in an experiment proposed by Starswirl.
Maybe the pillars were powerful against a powerful enemy, but even they could not against a whole legion of centurions driven by the love of their princesses, the sense of duty for their nation and the friendship between their centurion brothers.
"Princess, are you okay?" Asked Raven, a unicorn secretary in charge of coordinating the castle staff, and Celestia's lady-in-waiting.
"I'm sorry Raven, everything is fine, I just remember because why I do not take the titles away from the nobles" - said the princess, provoking a small laugh from Raven.
"Although I'd love to hear more stories from centurions, princess, we have a busy schedule, but I still need to you see the documents about the renewal of the navy that Princess Luna proposed" - said Raven.
"very well, by the way, you can still be a princess, sure you do not want the work?, I still have the crown" - said Celestia, as they left the garden.
"not even for all the bits of the world, majesty, also you have a meeting with the prince yak in three hours" - Raven said with a smile while Celestia complained in silence.
While Celestia and Raven walked through the garden, a small commotion in the distance was noticed, before the guards began to take their position, a rather exhausted unicorn guard appeared.
"Princess! I'm sorry to bother you, but a noble asks for your audience, it's quite insistent" - said the golden armor guard, while he bowed his head and recovered his breath.
Celestia, dismayed at the situation, turned to Raven in search of an answer, although the confused face of her secretary gave her all the answers.
"Who is it about?" - Celestia asked, usually the nobles never looked for her without sending a previous appointment, and they were almost always mundane things, they never asked for an audience.
"It's Lady Donají, your highness" - the guard said, shocking Celestia and Raven.
Donají Sky, the matriarch of the Sentinel family, a line of ponies who helped in the most important battles in times of crisis, without them, Equestria may have been something very different from what it is today.
They arrived with the first inhabitants of Canterlot, but from the beginning they stood out a lot, from their names to their "unique" customs, but at times of extraordinary crisis, such as the invasion of Canterlot by the beasts of the forest or the conflicts in the crystal borders, they were always there, without being asked.
For these reasons, Celestia gave them a noble title, the first family outside the centurions to earn that title, and perhaps the most important.
But throughout its long history, no member of the Sentinel family sought a private audience with her.
"Informs Lady Donají that I will see her in my rooms" - said Celestia, saying goodbye to the guard who when he finished greeting, he teleported.
"Raven, can you send some snacks to my room? Also a some of wine and some tea, something tells me that this may last a little" - said Celestia.
"Of course, Majesty, I will cancel your agenda today, I will take care of the prince" - said Raven.
Celestia, giving a grateful gesture to Raven, teleported to her room, while she took one last look at the commemorative statue of her old guard.
"The princess will see now, Lady Donají" - said the guard who had cut her from the throne room to the princess' room.
Appreciating the help, the old mare entered when the doors opened to allow her passage.
The rooms of the princess could surprise anyone who entered, decorations of gold and precious stones adorned the room, the balcony overlooking the horizon projected a light that could be mistaken as a golden river, the princess sitting on a cushion next to a small a table full of small snacks was the only thing that caught the attention.
Before any word came out of her mouth, the princess spoke with that maternal tone characteristic of Celestia.
"Please take a seat next to me, Lady Donají, this is a unique occasion and I would love to do it in this place" - Celestia said without taking her eyes off the horizon.
"Thank you for your hospitality, princess, I would never bother you if the situation was under control, but now things are uncertain" - said Lady Donají as she approached the balcony, taking a seat and accompanying Celestia in her sight towards sunset.
Disconcerted, Princess Celestia had not received information about conflicts that required urgent attention.
"What happened that you needed a private audience with me instead of requesting to the Senate?" - Celestia asked.
"It's a delicate thing, princess, it requires subtlety, my family has kept secrets and traditions older than Canterlot" - said Lady Donají, while her expression showed a slight conflict as if she were struggling about what to say.
Now quite intrigued, the princess looked away from the horizon and looked at Lady Donají.
Celestia could not deny her curiosity with the Sentinel family, they had never revealed anything of their history, where they came from, their goals, nothing.
The ponies that married the children of that family changed radically, those who were part of the Sentinel became fervent defenders of freedom, little by little the descendants of that family had at least some connection with every corner of Canterlot and Equestria.
Industry, technology, trade, they had a great influence.
Even at one time they had been suspected of being infiltrated by their lack of personal background, their lack of ambition was the cause of many accusations, which increased even more after their members were unharmed by the invasion in the Cadence's wedding.
This was an opportunity for Celestia to learn from the history of the most influential and ancient family in Canterlot.
"By tradition, I can not reveal much of your majesty, not even to you, but now things are changing and I need your help" - said Lady Donají.
For anyone, it could be a show of betrayal such a bold statement, but Celestia knew that this family had traditions that were quite strong with its members, perhaps the mere fact of talking about this already violated several of their family codes.
"Only members of the family are allowed to know this, I think you know about the rumors about the radical changes in attitude that all those who enter my family, but it is not surprising" - said Donají, with a soft ironic smile on his lips.
"Then you need my help with that, Lady Donají ?, your family has enough connections to do what you need, you can even pressure the Senate to approve the movements your family needs" - said Celestia.
"It's not something the Senate can fix, but you, maybe yes, my family has a problem that is quite worrisome, but we are taking action" - said the old mare, leaving the princess speechless.
"And what kind of problem your family suffers, if it is a council that you are looking for, maybe I can help" - Celestia said calmly, afraid of the implications of those words.
"Let me start with the principle, majesty, some traditions change over time, but those of my family have been the same for longer than Equestria itself, we have watched over the safety of Equus"
"The oldest record that my family has is when we defeated Grogar and the Titans, now they are a simple story thanks to the efforts of my family, but the price was high"
"More than half died in the battle and we lost the trace of the origin of my family, but we recovered"
"When the demons began to emerge, we started to battle, and we won, but it was a bitter battle, the griffin kingdom fell into disfavor because we did not make sure to kill everyone"
"But we could not do everything, Discord are an example, when we realized that we were not enough, then we heard about the conflict with Nightmare Moon, the eternal night was something that could not be ignored"
"When we arrived, things had already been solved, and I think it was for the better, most likely my great-grandfather could had to kill Princess Luna instead of banishing her" - said Donají, causing Celestia's surprise to turn into shock.
"Since then we worked to improve the quality of life of everyone, supporting everything we could, be named noble, helped us, the rest, as they say, is history" - ended Donají.
"... well, it's ... a lot" - said Celestia while trying to assimilate the new information.
"Do you believe me?" Asked Lady Donají, confused.
"When you mentioned that the problem was about your family, i cast a spell that detects the lies, forgive my mistrust, but without that, you might have to be more persuasive" - Celestia finished with a small nervous smile.
"At least that leaves one concern less" - said Lady Donají, somewhat disappointed that she had not detected something like that, but age did more than wrinkle a pony.
"Well, this is quite informative about the mysterious past of your family, but what has to do with your problem?" - Celestia asked.
"My family is tired princess, always watching over the safety and welfare of others, but when my oldest daughter died, it was the straw that broke the camel's back" - said Donají.
The death of the successor of the Sentinel family shook Canterlot, but she never imagined that something like this would so brutally affect Donají's family.
"We are only six of us princess, we can not do much anymore, my husband and I are very old, when my Golden died she did not make public to Star, we can not adopt him unless they raise suspicions among other nobles, my other daughter wants to live in peace with her family, honestly I also want the same, I'm tired "- finished Donají, while her sad look was lost on the horizon.
Not knowing what to answer, Celestia remained silent, as she let the old mare finish explaining her reasons for her visit.
Then Lady Donají's horn lit up, teleporting a silver sphere, at first the princess thought it was magical in nature, since it was levitating, but as it did not detect magic, it surprised the princess of the sun more.
"For some reason, only members of the Sentinel family can open this sphere, but when there are no options, I ask you, princess, in times of extraordinary crisis, will invoke my descendants and inherit the family's legacy?"
"the only thing that they have to do is touch the sphere with their magic and deepen in it "- said Donají, levitating sphere to Celestia.
Taking it carefully, Celestia observed the sphere, the only thing that her magic felt was the volume of the sphere, it had no mass.
In an attempt to find out more, I try to find out what the sphere contained even with the warning that it would not work with her.
The result, an instant headache.
"That is one of the reasons why no one outside of my family can see inside the sphere princess, curiously anyone can access it while that requirement is met, either pegasus or earth pony" - said Donají with a touch of fun in her voice.
"You know, my daughter thinks that this is a mistake, nobody outside of us has seen that sphere, even suggested that you marry one of our descendants in order to entrust our duty to you, the alicorns are eternal after all, they would do better than guardians that we"- ended Donají while she grabbed a margarita sandwich and took a bite.
"I need to know if this is a risk for others, Lady Donají, if what she says is true, Equestria would run out of its most ancient and powerful defenders, I have to know what things you have faced" - said Celestia with a firm voice.
It was obvious that the princess demanded to know the history of the ponies that have fought in the shadows, heroes of yesteryear, heroes of legend that rivaled and perhaps surpassed the pillars.
Fortunately, it is something that Donají already had prepared, the princess only wanted to know her past actions and of her family, the Forerunners had to remain anonymous, and maybe, to be forgotten at last.
"Of course princess, but first, please promise me that this is only between us, the other princesses can also know about the situation, but the less they know it's better" - Donají said pleadingly.
"I swear by my sun, that not a soul outside the princesses and who is not worthy, will know what was spoken here" - said Celestia, as the sun went down, for her sister to raise the Moon.
Very few were lucky enough to see such a performance, but for a unicorn, but for Donají it was enough to trust the princess.
Now, under the light of the stars, Donaji signaled for Celestia to hand her the sphere while inviting her to return to the room.
Celestia walked with tranquility and a little emotion, in her long life she had seen many things, there were few times when she was excited for something new, although the seriousness of the situation was something more important, Celestia could not help but feel excited.
Stopping right in the middle of the room, Donají stood in front of the princess, while closing her eyes in concentration.
"Permission to access unauthorized subjects, granted, open historical archives" - said Donají, while a blue light surrounded her and Celestia.
The sphere imploded into thousands of tiny fragments, then, they surrounded the two ponies, one waiting patiently and the other astonished by the spectacle.
Then everything went dark, to be replaced by a scenario that neither Celestia had ever seen or expected.
"Welcome, highness, you are the first who is not of the Sentinel family in this place" - said Donají, standing next to Celestia.
"Where is this place?" - Celestia asked, amazed by the landscape.
Celestia had visited astral planes and distant dimensions, even the world of dreams was not a place unknown to her.
But the place she was in was absolutely new and out of place.
It seemed like a city, if the ordered structures gave her an idea of one, but everything was very different, Celestia could not distinguish other used material that was not metal, it looked like silver, but faint lights passed through them like veins.
In the distance, huge bluish metal pillars stood on the horizon, it seemed to have no end.
But when Celestia looked up at the sky for some way of knowing the location of the place with the help of the stars, she gasped.
It seemed that the sky was replaced by a huge metal roof, small creatures in the form of birds were seen in the sky, but Celestia could not confirm that.
The lack of green or something that would show that the place was alive scared her a little.
"its real name is unknown, my grandfather named it Elusion, here we keep all the historical and family records, unfortunately not all, was damaged a long time ago, but still works"
"Where are we exactly?" - Celestia repeated.
"We are still in your room, your highness, this place is simply a stage, although it is one of the mysteries that are unanswered, maybe some of my family's ancestors created this artifact and gave it this form, I'm not sure" - said Donají, as she walked down the huge metal road.
Celestia, relieved that she had not been teleported, followed Donají at a slow trot.
The atmosphere felt very strange, Celestia compared it to the world of dreams, reinforcing Donaji's statement that she had not left the palace, but the strangest thing was the lack of magic in the place.
"Lady Donají, is this place not supported by magic?" Celestia asked, as they reached the center of the city, or at least a wide area, in which stood a pedestal with a bright board.
"No, it does not, and I'm not sure how it works, my whole family theorizes that this is the result of knowledge lost a long time ago, besides that, in all our time, we have not found anything that is similar to this sphere "- said Donají, although they had many artifacts, it was not a lie that they did not know where they came from.
Stopping on the pedestal, Donají signaled to Celestia to stand next to her.
Just as they were at the base of the pedestal, Donají gently touched the light board, causing many screens to open, all with different images and symbols that Celestia had never seen.
"What moment in history would you like to visit a princess?" Asked Donají, with a mischievous smile on her face.
"Any news of my sister Miss Raven?" Asked Princess Luna, as they walked to the throne room for the night's court.
"The princess guards have not yet reported any abnormality, but a private audience is a rare thing, especially because of whoever asked for it" - Raven said while examining the pending tasks of Princess Luna.
"The Sentinel family, we still remember when Fidelius Infinity led the battle with grace and power between enemy lines, a good friend and companion, we are glad to see that their descendants still shine like our stars" - Luna said with a slight blush.
"It's kind enough on your part to take under your guardianship to Star Tracker, that young colt is maybe a new Twilight, even being a ground pony" - Raven said discreetly confirming that they were only in the vicinity.
"That family has been exceptional since ancient times, it is an honor to be able to teach one of their children, although the situation with the young stallion is something that causes us conflict, if only the descendants of the centurions had not perverted, Star could be publicly accepted by his family "- said Luna sadly.
"From what I understand, Star is doing well, his cousin is helping him a lot, although I guess it's uncomfortable for them to think they're a couple" - Raven said as they reached the throne room.
Luna teleported two cushions and put them at the foot of her and her sister's throne, sitting all the time was very uncomfortable, at least she could give herself a moment of comfort, even at the expense of Raven's fulminating look.
"And that's a bad thing ?, I understand that herds are now rare and monogamy is predominant but is rare if those cousins are a couple?" Luna asked innocently, causing Raven to moan internally for having another topic to explain in their classes of modern society.
Then a golden light momentarily illuminated the throne room, leaving Princess Celestia standing a few steps away from Luna and Raven.
"Hello sister, how did it go in your private audience with Lady Donají?" Luna asked with emotion, but her emotion was replaced with concern when she saw the serious face of her sister.
"Sister, is everything okay?" Luna asked, as Raven got up from her cushion and slowly left the throne room, or at least that was her intention before Celestia stopped her with her magic.
"Please, stay Raven, this is important and I would like you to be here with us" - Celestia said in a low voice, as she put Raven back on the cushion.
While Luna and Raven waited patiently for Celestia to speak, Luna teleported another cushion for Celestia, which she accepted, but not before casting a lock spell for the entrances and another approving sound in the throne room.
Every royal guard had orders to prohibit the passage of anyone when a princess cast such a spell, so whatever the reason, it must be important, something that worried Luna, and terrified Raven.
Celestia was still in shock, something she had not experienced in decades, but with good justification, she had never imagined that among her subjects there were such ponies, compared to her and her sister, maybe even the pillars and their centurions, his actions paled in comparison.
Without the Sentinel family, Equestria and other countries would be nothing more than a dream, although it is true that individually they could not compete with her and her sister, they had dismantled armies of demons and legions of monsters.
Internally Celestia thought that they should be ruling instead of her and her sister, their titles of nobles were not reward enough for all their achievements, and sacrifices.
Looking up, Celestia saw her sister and Raven both quite worried, taking a breath more to calm their nerves, spoke with their characteristic maternal tone.
"I'm sorry, it's just that Lady Donají left me totally shocked, to tell the truth, this could change many history books" - said Celestia, confusing Luna and Raven.
"What does it mean to change the princess history books?" - Raven said while Luna supported her with a nod.
Remembering that they did not know anything about her talk with Lady Donají, Celestia began to tell them about her little adventure in Elusión.
"Dad, rests a little, mom should not delay" - Silver said as she closed the double mahogany door.
Silver was beginning to worry a little about her mother, it was already quite late and she began to consider visiting the asylum in search of her mother.
Fortunately, the sound of the huge door of the mansion echoed, only members of the family could enter, that meant that her mother had returned, since her daughter and Star had never dared to go to her grandmother's house in the evenings, risking waking up his grandfather.
Not long after, Donají entered the restroom where she room was located.
"I guess things were interesting, at least the guards did not look for me to get you out of the castle" - Silver said with a slight smile.
"In fact, it was, at least I think I'm the only pony who has managed to leave the princess speechless" - said Donají, as she leaned back in a small chair.
"What did you show to the princess?" - Silver asked.
"Everything I could in five hours, you were right about this, Silver, it is liberating, in addition to satisfying, she even try to convince myself to let her use freely Elusion" - said Donají while teleporting a glass with ice and whiskey.
"Even if it is possible using the initiation and assuming that the test passes, that is a risky thing" - Silver said with concern.
"Before I explain to Celestia about the requirements and I reluctantly accept when I explain them once more unless she marries one of our family, it is impossible for her to accede" - said Donají.
Although it would not be a bad idea in the end that someone of royalty joined the Sentinel family, although it is something Donají would never say out loud.
"And what moments did you show her? I guess she was quite surprised that Starswirl's teacher was a member of our family"
"I did not show it to him, although it would have been funny, she asked a lot about the battles we fought before and during Equestria" - Donají said with longing.
"Many history books would be rewritten with all the information stored in Elusion, you explained that it is a secret that should be well guarded, right mom?"
"I made it very clear, the incident with the pegasus rebellion was a reminder of why it is better to keep certain secrets" - said Donají while she added more wood to the fireplace.
"Do you think she will keep the secret?" Silver asked as she got up and stretched her limbs, preparing to leave.
"I'm sure, at least if she tells it, it will do with ponies that are trustworthy" - said Donají while watching the wood burn.
"That's good, now we can dedicate ourselves to our affairs and stop worrying about threats, I will begin to dismantle the information network and spies, at least all of our assets will have a good retirement fund" - said Silver with relief.
Although the Sentinel family was very cautious, they usually hired help with mercenaries and spies, or they did so until they welcomed various families around Equestria, managing to create a kind of private army, all loyal to their saviors.
The orphans of battles in villages were protected, bred and strengthened, at first they were included as a type of direct subordinates of the Sentinel family, for which they knew their secrets.
But thanks to certain events, it was decided unanimously by each representative of the subordinate families that the secret should only be known by the Sentinels.
There were few active families, as over time many were disappearing, some had family businesses, from farmers to scholars, they even had "infiltrators" in the royal guard, but others were only dedicated to the missions entrusted to them.
At least for Silver, it would be less work for her already strenuous management of the companies in her family, although secretly, Silver was happy to give a good stipend to families who have sacrificed as much as hers.
"Yes, they ask why our decision, tell them that they are free to come and talk to me and I will explain it to them with pleasure, by the way, your father had a problem while I was not there?" - asked Donají with concern.
"Fortunately no, at this moment he is sleeping" - Silver said as they left the room towards the corridor, defending himself to stand right in front of his mother.
"Thanks, dear, I do not want to think much about his health, but at least with this, I can also spend more time being with him" - said Donají, hugging her daughter.
"you got married when you were in your twenties and he was in his thirties, it's a wonder that my father is still alive, Ponyville did not even exist when they got married" - said Silver, returning the hug, putting a little more strength before the slight trembling in her mother.
"I know dear, but that does not make it easier" - said Donají. Suddenly Donají left the hug of her daughter, to return to the room and standing right at her desk and writing something quickly on something, before Silver managed to say something, Donají cast a spell that made the parchment disappear.
"Sorry, but I just remembered a detail that will be useful to the princess" - said Donají, with a smile on her face.
"And that's all" - said Celestia at the end of her story.
Celestia expected a sea of questions, mentally prepared to answer all that she could, her sister could become more difficult to calm than Twilight, at least her beloved secretary was a quieter pony.
But what he received were totally surprised faces, Celestia had to admit that the scene was very funny.
"Well, that explains a lot of things, if you think about it," Luna murmured.
"In fact, I always asked myself why things never worsened throughout history, at least we already know who was responsible" - said Raven.
Celestia nodded in agreement with Raven, whenever they faced an enemy, although she was powerful, most of the time she was alone, or with a small group of followers.
But apparently, the Sentinels were in charge of keeping the subordinates of each of these villains at bay.
The pillars were powerful, but it is useless before a huge army that attacks in all directions, the Sentinels made sure to contain or destroy the threat.
their most important feat in recent history, or at least for Celestia, was during the battle against King Sombra.
Celestia always wondered why the king had a disorganized and scattered army, made things much easier for her and her sister when it was her battle against the King.
Luna at the time believed that the king was nothing but an idiot, but what she saw in Elusión, made her tremble.
Not even with the help of the pillars could they have had a chance against Sombra's army, they would have fallen the same day.
"Yes, we know now, and we owe them a lot, Equestria is in debt to the Sentinels" - said Celestia.
"That is a denigration of their exploits, sister, the least they deserve is a place among us, I will make the preparations for their addition to the royal family" - said Luna, as she prepared to teleport.
"I gave the same proposal to Donají Luna, but she refused" - said Celestia, gaining a confused look from Raven and Luna.
"If it is in the public opinion of your Highness, their public achievements are sufficient to justify your accession to the throne, in addition to being the main responsible for many of the administrative and industrial processes in Equestria, not to mention their sponsorships to the universities" - said Raven.
"They do not want more work, they just want to rest and spend time with their families" - said Celestia.
"We can not offer much, they have enough money and political power, their ambitions are only for improving Equestria or quality of life, frankly I'm not sure what we could use as a reward if they do not want to govern with us" - said Luna.
"They only asked for one thing, protect Elusion, but I will also protect their descendants" - said Celestia with determination.
"I will coordinate a section of my guard to be their protectors, sister, but what do we do with Elusion?, where did you keep it?" Luna asked.
"Before coming, keep it in the vault of the elements, but ..."
"Anybody with powerful enough magic can open it" - Raven said.
"Although Donají assured that nobody without the permission or their family can access, I will not risk being stolen, Elusion may be the most important artifact that underneath the elements that Equestria has protected" - said Celestia.
"But it's just a historical and family record of the Sentinel family, right?" Raven asked, while Luna also wondered why her sister put such "book" of history in such esteem.
"That's what they said, but Elusion is something else, maybe Donají did not tell me for safety, but that place hides great secrets, until the world needs the Sentinels, we must protect it" - said Celestia with conviction.
"What do you propose sister?" Luna asked.
"I did not trust to keep it in a vault, nor build an exclusive shelter for it, it would raise suspicions" - said Celestia.
"Princess, I mention that the sphere is totally liza right?" - Raven asked.
"Yes, do you have any suggestions?"
"Maybe, if it is not very big, we could keep it in view of everyone, the new crown of Princess Luna could be the perfect hiding place, always accompanied by one of the princesses, I could not think of a better guardian" - said Raven with a smiling face.
"Besides that, the bluish color would be confused with a precious stone, well thought Raven" - said Celestia while teleporting the sphere from the vault.
Before Celestia could do or say anything else, a parchment with the seal of the Sentinel family materialized conveniently.
Before she even touched it, the scroll unrolled and a voice spoke.
"Permission to reproduce voice message, Princess Celestia" - said a voice.
Everyone in the room was surprised, a scroll with voice message was very complicated magic, to use two tasks must be done at the same time you think about the message and write the spell.
Celestia, assuming that Donají used a voice permit to keep the secret safe, gave permission to reproduce the message.
"Permission granted, starting message"
"Princess, a detail that I forgot to add for lack of time for your questions, is that the artifact can easily change, it is one of the few magical functions that it has, but my family does not use it because the artifact has to be touching it and continually drains the protector's magic.
I'm sure that with your alicorn magic can hold a drain of the magic of that caliber, that only if you consider it appropriate, all you have to do is repeat these words.
'Admin permission Donají org. 00293: Stalemartyr, change of form'
With that you can change the shape of the artifact at will, it only works if it is in constant contact, it is a very powerful spell, the only one that we can combine in it, if you like later I can share the details, but for now, have a good night princess."
Then the parchment was disintegrated by the magical fire, leaving several confused glances.
"Well, that fixes it, although I must admit that I did not give much time to clarify certain things about the artifact to Donají" - said Celestia blushed by the implacable look of Luna.
"Could I try, Princess?" - Raven asked.
"Very well Raven, try to imagine the way you want her to turn as you say the words and touch the device, it should work" - Celestia said as she handed the sphere to Raven.
"Administrator permission Donají org. 00293: Stalemartyr, change of form "- Raven said while keeping her eyes closed in concentration.
Instantly, Raven felt that her magical reserves were drained abruptly, which scared her for a moment, but stabilized instantly, Raven compared it to the same wear of a levitation spell on heavy objects.
When she opened her eyes, the sphere seemed to come alive as it took the shape of a metallic calendar, similar to the one she used to use in her work with Celestia to maintain the order of the princess's time.
"Amazing, the transmutation spells are permanent, but this spell retains the amount of mass without replacing it with magic" - said Luna.
"In fact, sister, it is easier to simply transform it permanently, the amount of magic required to maintain the shape is proportional to its mass and volume, Raven, how is your magic reserve?" - Celestia asked, but then something happened.
The object suddenly came out of Raven's grip, falling to the ground, or at least that must have happened, but thanks to Luna's reflections that did not happen.
When the princesses turned to Raven for answers, they were surprised to see her panting.
"I'm sorry princess, but suddenly it became very difficult to continue, it was like I was trying to lift an entire battleship" - Raven said while trying to catch her breath.
By casting a medical spell on her, Celestia discovered that almost all of her magic reserves had been exhausted.
Raven might not be a prodigious unicorn, but in no way, she was weak, that the spell would quickly tire her, surprised Celestia.
Luna, always curious, began the spell before Celestia could do something, but this time, forming a small crown the color of her cutie mark.
"I see, sister, this artifact is more than what the naked eye can see, the amount of magic required to maintain the spell is enough to tire most unicorns in an instant, maybe only the alicorn can hold it indefinitely "- said Luna, as she placed the crown just on the back of her horn.
The sphere was small in size, so the crown was smaller than Celestia's.
"Are you sure you're okay with wearing it?" Celestia asked.
"We'll be fine, it's quite comfortable actually, by the way, are we going to tell someone else about this?" Luna asked.
Celestia, helping Raven to her feet, dismissed her so she could rest, then turned to her sister with a thoughtful face.
"We will tell Cadence and Shining when they visit us from the empire, Cadence's baby shower will be done in a short time in the house of Shining's parents, but keep the secret of Twilight, she is very enthusiastic with knowledge, I am afraid that she will bother to Donají in her door in search of answers or permission to accede to Elusión "- said Celestia.
Luna barely contained her laughter, but the intensity of Twilight was legendary in the castle.
"Maybe one day we will tell Twilight" - said Luna.
