As ragged as New Canterlot’s housing district might seem to outsiders, development was actually quite proactive, always keeping their capacity just above population growth. This foresight allows for new arrivals and visitors to be immediately settled into an empty room of their own, just as the sisters had been the night before. The fireproof Lowland wood and pervasive moisture in the air left even the newest buildings warped and draughty, as though it had been standing for centuries. Still, four walls, a roof, and a hay-stuffed mattress were an improvement on sleeping on the wet grass again. Despite that, Celestia was surprised how much she had come to rely on Luna’s magic for a restful sleep, now that she wasn’t using it; especially when a screaming foal never seemed far off in this cramped village.
Celestia lay on her bed, staring at the slats of the upper bunk for a good while, counting the lines and knots as she listened to the locals already at work this early in the morning. Her sister eventually awoke, yawning and stretching contently as if to spite her.
“Good morning. Sleep well?” Luna asked, dangling her head over the side of her cot.
Celestia grumbled in reply, sitting up and stretching out her stiff back. The one time she thought she would get a comfortable night’s rest…
“Looking forward to today?” her sister continued, not waiting for a real answer.
“Looking forward to what? You’re the one getting flight training. What am I supposed to do, take notes?”
“Yeah?”
Celestia rolled her eyes, pushing off the deceptively comfortable hay-stuffed sheets and walking to their room’s only window. She pulled back the tatty, loose cloth pretending to be a curtain to look through the glassless frame. Unsurprisingly, most of their view was dominated by the house next door, though the sky could be seen at the right angle. Shame about the farm smell, but at least they weren’t on the ground floor—the last thing they needed was ponies peering in at them.
“I’m sure they’ll find something for you to do. Maybe you can work the fields?” Luna suggested.
The white unicorn turned back with a glare. “Don’t even joke.”
“Come on, let’s go find some food,” she shrugged, jumping down and walking to the door.
They had been told that food could always be found at the firepit by the war-tents, so that was their first port of call this morning. Sure enough, some carrots were already grilling over the open fire, with a few boxes of surplus root vegetables sitting around for the taking. The sisters approached the fire and took in the heartening smell, wondering if it was really okay for them to take cooking food without asking.
“I appreciate your timeliness, Stargazer. I shall send a messenger to Commander Ironhead immediately,” a deep voice spoke from within the main tent nearby.
“Stargazer?” Luna repeated as the sisters looked at each other.
No sooner had they exchanged glances, a knock on the tent prompted the guards to lift the flap, and a pale-orange, bespectacled unicorn ducked out. He had large, curly, ginger hair, with a grey streak running from fringe to tail, and a blue shawl of stars and moons tied around his neck. His glasses were particularly striking, as they featured multiple successive, hinged lenses of varying magnifications.
“Stargazer?” Celestia asked out loud, as shocked as she was curious.
The unicorn straightened himself with a sigh, looking at them with disdain.
“Yes, what? Do I know you?”
“Not personally, but we know you,” Celestia replied, immediately wanting to square off against his abrasive personality.
“Sort of,” Luna added.
“We’re students of Starswirl the Bearded,” Celestia continued. “We’ve heard quite a lot about you.”
Stargazer raised his eyebrow, peering at them more intently over his spectacles. “‘Starswirl the Bearded’? Don’t hear that name very often these days. Prove it.”
As if expected at this point, Luna stepped forward and spread her swan-like wings, causing his eyes to widen. Whatever his initial reaction to this might have been, Stargazer was quick to suppress it and restore his airs.
“Well, that proves nothing, though I am more inclined to believe you knew that pony.” He cleared his throat, shifting to a more deliberate stance. “Does that, uh, make you…?”
“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” the elder announced, puffing her chest to compensate for her lack of wings.
“Princess Celestia,” he repeated wistfully, before looking at Luna. “Then why is that one the alicorn? The King and Queen had only one child.”
“They did not!” Luna childishly rebuked, immediately losing the regality she had presented thus far.
“I- I just haven’t needed to ascend yet!” Celestia snapped, immediately outing her own insecurities. “It’s an imprecise science!”
“‘Science,’” Stargazer scoffed. “Yes, it does sound like Starswirl rubbed off on you two, that alicorn-obsessed fool. Why focus on the things in front of you, when there’s a whole universe to explore beyond our reach?” He shook his head as he looked down, his expression souring as old memories came flooding back. “He and I used to be quite the rivals, you know; trading intellectual blows for years, fighting head-to-head for first place.”
The sisters looked at each other sceptically as he continued.
“Who would have thought that he would be the one to save us from Discord? Him and his little band of ill-fated heroes.”
“What are you talking about?” Celestia snapped.
“He saved you?” Luna asked more gently, tilting her head.
“Yes. Discord hunted down the strongest magic-users in Equestria when he arrived. Naturally the King and Queen were first, then he turned to us, the Council of Nine. He sealed us in Mount Friendship while we met to discuss how to counter him, blocking our exit portals and leaving us to starve. Nopony would have survived if the Pillars had not dug through solid stone to save us.”
“Wow,” the sisters expressed in surprised unison.
“Of course we were incapable of aiding in their fight against Discord,” he chuckled dryly, looking back up. “It is a fool’s errand. For a short time I considered him the victor in our little race for even trying, then he went and got himself killed. You can’t lose a race if you’re the only one running.”
Celestia and Luna scowled, reminded of who they were talking to.
“Ah, I see you’ve met our esteemed guests,” Ustiarius announced as he exited his tent, smiling broadly.
“Indeed. I was just on my way,” Stargazer concluded, giving a short nod to the sisters before leaving toward the housing district.
“He’s an odd one, that Stargazer,” the Commander mused, looking back at the unicorn as he approached the sisters. “For a pony that likes to stare at the stars, you’d think he’d spend less time gazing up his own cavity.”
Both sisters snorted into a giggling fit, having never heard a joke so risqué in their lives. Ustiarius smirked, feeling quite proud of himself.
“Messenger,” he shouted, prompting a winged legionnaire to gallop over. “Give this copy of the dragons’ waking schedule to Commander Ironhelm, and if you would, let Legionnaire Shooting Star know that the Princesses are ready for her.”
“Aye, sir!” the legionnaire saluted, taking the scroll in her mouth and spreading her wings before shooting into the sky.
The sisters watched as the messenger soared up, turning to see the colossal city of Pegasopolis floating above them, just west of New Canterlot. How they had missed it was beyond them, as the weightless structure of dense clouds and hazy rainbows was easily twice as big as the walled township, if not more. Columned structures and domes peaked over the edge, hinting at so much more on its cottony surface, where only those with pegasi magik could tread.
“Woah,” Luna gasped, not expecting the pegasus city to be quite so imposing this close.
“She won’t be long. Shooting Star’s a stickler for punctuality, I hear,” Ustiarius stated, turning back to his tent. “Make yourselves comfortable, and have as much food as you like, it’s for everypony. You’ll need the energy.”
“Ustiarius?” Luna asked after him, as Celestia continued to gawp at the floating city.
“Yes?”
“How come we know so many ponies here? You, Summer Twinkle, and even Stargazer, by name. This has to be more than a coincidence.”
“Oh, you know the new recruit? That makes sense, I suppose, she hasn’t been here long,” Ustiarius mused, before sighing, turning to face Luna. “To put it bluntly, there’s nowhere else to go. After the fall of Canterlot, many smaller settlements were destroyed by the tidal wave of refugees. Some emptied their storehouses trying to help, others were destroyed by angry mobs, refused entry because they knew the same would happen to them. We were lucky that New Canterlot was an already established, self-sufficient outpost with cultivated land and ample resources nearby, despite the dragons.
“I’ve heard there’s a thriving group of survivors near Horseshoe Bay, and another up north, probably at the Crystal Spire. If you can brave the snow, going to the next largest settlement makes sense, especially when I’ve heard they have some kind of protection magic over there. Speaking of which, you’ve probably noticed on your travels that there aren’t many unicorns around anymore.”
The sisters looked at each other, having never given it much thought. Considering where they were in Equestria, it made sense that the population was mostly terran, though that did not account for Canterlot’s dislodged unicorns.
“Yeah. I could say we’re a dying breed, but that would be a bit melodramatic,” he scoffed dryly. “Between the losses at Canterlot, and unicorns being naturally drawn to magic like moths to a flame, I figure most went north. But for ponies like the Ponydale survivors, travelling west was their only option, and that’s why I’m here too. Most of us aren’t here by choice. Trust me when I say that Stargazer does not shut up about his precious holiday home in South Sea Post; complaining how he would live there instead if only crossing the desert wasn’t so dangerous. So far it has slipped my mind to inform him of the paths around the desert; only fools and traders with a deadline travel straight through.
“Still, every so often we do get ponies seeking out the ‘Resistance’, like yourselves, or Summer Twinkle. The presence of Pegasopolis helps ponies feel secure here, despite the constant threat of dragon attacks, and there’s a constant trickle of ponies who want to take the fight to Discord. Thanks to the fields, wood, and accommodation for pegasi up there, we can continue to expand for quite some time. It would take a lot to destabilise things here. Anyway, long story short, anypony worth knowing these days will show up here, sooner or later. You two showed up, after all.”
Celestia bobbed her head to the sentiment, though was already deconstructing his speech in her mind.
“How do those ponies feel when they come to fight Discord, but get put against sleeping dragons instead?”
Ustiarius laughed at the rebuttal. “Believe me, we would all prefer to be flattening that monster’s face with our bare hooves, and we’ve been planning on how to do that for years. But if we can’t come up with a solution for these dragons, there won’t be an Equestria left to save, if—by some miracle—we did bring Discord down.”
“Do you… ever think about South Sea Post?” Luna posed, twisting her hoof in the dirt.
“South Sea Post…” he mused, looking up at the old memories. “Sometimes I think about that vast, shimmering sea; but that whole experience was soured by the lies I was forced to tell there. And to be honest, if staying behind would have cost me ten years of my life, I’m glad I left when I did—no offence. Mainly it makes me think of a kind mare named Meadow Flower, though. But she moved out when I left. I hope she’s doing well.”
“Meadow Flower? Like, the Meadow Flower? The herbalist?” Luna’s jaw dropped.
“A purple pony with brown hair?” he confirmed, looking quite confused. “How on Terra do you know her? I’d be shocked enough if Celestia remembered, but you were just a baby!”
“‘Remembered’?” Celestia asked, equally confused. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly. You met her as a filly, but I’m not surprised you don’t remember. So how do you know her?”
Celestia’s eyes bugged at the thought. Meadow Flower had mentioned strange goings-on at South Sea and a mysterious stallion; was this what she was talking about?
“We met her at Haysead Swamp!” Luna enthused, answering his question. “She even travelled with us all the way to Silent Pines. In fact, she even gave us this—”
The alicorn reached into her saddlebag and pulled out the apothecary’s tome with her magic, offering it to the stallion. He stepped forward and opened its cover with his own light-blue aura, causing a gentle smile to cross his lips as he turned the watercoloured pages.
“Well I’ll be. I had no idea she was such a talented artist,” he mused, flicking through a few more beautifully rendered floral diagrams. “I’m glad she’s still around. I feared the worst after Meadowbrook…” He paused, staring up at the watchtower across town. “I wanted to give her my condolences, or at least visit the graves, but I can’t leave my post. None of us can. Ponies rely on me here. There’s no time to feel.” He sighed, before gently closing the book and passing it back. “I’ll let Little Cobb know she’s safe, though.”
“Little Cobb?” Luna asked, stowing the book as Celestia held her tongue, unsure if she should share Haysead’s unconfirmed fate.
“Yes. He and Mage Meadowbook had a daughter: Little Brook.”
“She has a granddaughter?!” Luna’s jaw dropped in shock.
“She never mentioned that,” Celestia confirmed with a frown.
“I’ve heard they have a complicated relationship, but it’s not my place to say. If you’ll excuse me, Princesses, I need to liaise with my Legionnaires about the revised timetable. Please make yourselves comfortable, I’m sure Shooting Star won’t be long.”
With a nod, Ustiarius ducked back into his tent, leaving the sisters alone with the stationed guards. The alicorn turned to her sister, still processing this new information.
“There’s no way she knows, right?”
Celestia tightened her lips. “No, I definitely think she would have said so.”
“She’s been alone for so long… Why wouldn’t anypony tell her she has a granddaughter?”
The elder sister sighed, shaking her head. Even if they made the journey back to whatever remained of Haysead Swamp to tell her themselves, it wouldn’t be until after their showdown with Discord. No point worrying about it now.
“Let’s eat before your trainer arrives,” she concluded.
The pair proceeded to sit by the firepit and make use of the cooked and raw vegetables, replacing what they took from the grill. While the smells of New Canterlot and Haysead Town were not dissimilar, there was a clear difference in the lives these ponies led due to their economic systems. A clear division of class had occurred in Haysead, who still used Canterlot’s traditional crowns and bits as barter tokens, leaving two distinct groups: the haves, and the have-nots. New Canterlot, on the other hoof, operated entirely on good will, without any bartering in sight. Do what you can to help, take only what you need, leave things better than you found them; a system likely brought over from Ponydale. ‘Leave no pony without, we’re all in this together’.
Celestia felt a renewed sense of purpose swell as she looked around, watching average ponies go about their day by choice, not obligation. From the violent tribe of the jungle, to the desperation of Old Macintosh, to the degeneracy of Haysead Swamp; this was the first time she had seen a glimpse of the Equestria she had read about in books. This was what they were fighting for. This was the Equestria worth saving.
Before long, a distant speck descended from the floating city, gliding down to the war-tents before fanning its tan wings into an abrupt stop. The sudden noise startled the sisters, who looked up to find a bold, rainbow-maned pegasus hovering just above them. Unlike the standard Legionnaires around them, who wore dull iron pteruges and a red sash across their chest, this pony’s armour was highly polished, with an emphasis on light pleather straps. They weren’t sure if this was standard for the Pegasopolis Legionnaires, but the intricate design on her helmet suggested she was something special.
“You must be the visitors,” she called down, before dropping from the sky without warning, flapping one last time to make a feather-light landing beside them. “I’m not sure what I was expecting, but you two look pretty unassuming. How do I know you’re not pulling my tail?”
Celestia rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming. Sure enough, Luna stood from the log and posed for her doubter, spreading her wings and igniting her horn in what had become a standard performance.
“Alright, alright,” the middle-aged pegasus nodded approvingly, her lightning-shaped mane bouncing by her shoulders. She huffed in amusement, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “It’s been a long time…”
“I’m sorry?” Celestia asked, standing from the log too.
“Sorry, I was just thinking about the past. I’m Lieutenant Shooting Star, Legionnaire of the Pegasopolis Royal Legion, and drill instructor of the aerial division. You don’t know me, but I worked in Canterlot Palace many years ago, as a Valkyrie. I… was there when it happened.”
The sisters looked at each other, really starting to appreciate just how much time had passed for everypony else. Sweet Blossom’s age was abstract enough to wave off, but first Ustiarius, and now Shooting Star—two ponies who had lived in the very same palace where they were born. An entire generation of suffering under Discord while they were statues in the desert…
“I’m Luna, and she’s Celestia,” the alicorn offered, stepping forward with a hoof to her chest. Celestia grumbled at the appropriation of her introduction.
“I figured,” Shooting Star stated bluntly, looking them over without modesty. “Can’t imagine what took him over that day, but that old wizard did well getting you two out. I don’t know what good it’ll do us now, but I suppose a princess is better than nothing. Why do you look so young? Is that the royal genes at work?”
“It’s a long story,” Celestia quickly replied, wanting to get a word in.
“Hmm,” she nodded absently. “Well, I’ll teach you all that I can, time permitting,” she stated directly to Luna, before looking the white unicorn in the eyes. “I’m not sure what I can do for you, though. Were you planning on taking notes?”
Celestia clenched her teeth. “If you worked at the Palace, shouldn’t you be showing us a little more respect?”
Star took a deep breath, looking up at Pegasopolis. “I suppose I have a unique perspective on things. It’s my job to ensure the future survival of my trainees by any means necessary, and I don’t make friends doing it. Perhaps that’s made me brash over the years, or perhaps I’ve just been desensitised to princesses.”
“What does that mean?” Celestia snapped, annoyed by this pony’s attitude.
“It’s a long story,” she echoed with a wry smirk, looking back at their confused faces. “So, what’ll it be?”
“You two go ahead, there’s something I want to do first,” Celestia replied sourly.
“All right. You know how to use those things, Princess?” Star asked Luna.
“Uh- Sort of.”
“Let’s see it.”
Shooting Star spread her strong wings and beat them once, returning to her spot just above the firepit. Luna hesitantly followed suit, unfurling her feathers and swinging them down. And again. And again. Her back slowly arched as the heavy flaps began to lift her up, inch-by-inch. It was a wonder she had managed to lift herself and her sister out of the Chicomoztoc pit on her first attempt at flight.
“I can see we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Star assessed aloud, resting her forehooves on her hips. “They keep you caged up all these years or something?”
“Something like that,” Luna forced out, straining under the effort. “I’ve not had them long.”
“Interesting. I like a challenge. Everypony I teach was born with theirs, though that goes without saying. Nopony’s giving out wings here yet.”
“You seem pretty blasé about alicorns,” Celestia called up. “Is that from working at the Palace?”
“Valkyries didn’t get face-time with the royals, actually. Let’s just say… I’m confident about our future,” Star answered with a smirk.
Celestia shook her head, not understanding the answer at all. Meanwhile, Luna was kicking her legs in an aerial gallop, doing anything she could to finally elevate herself to the height of Shooting Star. The difference in their technique was night and day—so to speak.
“Even my daughter could fly day one” the unimpressed Lieutenant observed. “I’d say we’ll take this slowly, but I assume you don’t plan on living in New Canterlot for years. Besides, I have my own duties. Alright, let’s start easy. You should be able to glide, right? I assume you’ve seen a bird before.”
Celestia scowled up at her, unnoticed.
“Follow me, we’ll use the plains to the east. Last thing we need is you crashing through some farmer’s roof. I would rather do this on the clouds, but your sister wouldn’t be able to join us there,” she continued, looking down at the unicorn. “We’ll meet you there when you’re done. Don’t take too long, you’re already at a disadvantage.” She turned back to Luna. “Let’s go.”
With a slight swoop up, Star began to glide toward the surrounding wall, clearly forcing herself to slow down. Luna let out a frustrated breath before desperately kicking to the side, awkwardly arching her whole body after the pegasus. She managed to climb just high enough to clear the perimeter, before gingerly attempting to tilt her wings to glide, splaying all four of her legs out to steady herself. After a minute of awkward wobbling in the air, she slowly began to move forward without flapping, toward her waiting tutor.
Celestia watched as Luna stumbled through the sky, wondering how long they would be forced to remain in this smelly place. She shook her head, wanting to focus on her own task. Try as she might, she could not get the earlier revelation of Meadow Flower’s granddaughter out of her head.
“Excuse me,” she called to the nearest legionnaire; a purple terran standing guard outside Ustiarius’ tent.
“Uh— Yes?” he stammered, not used to being addressed.
“Do you know where Little Cobb is?”
“I believe he’s on outer gate duty right now.”
“Thanks,” she replied dryly, turning to leave.
“But, uh—”
Celestia looked back, eyebrow raised.
“I, uh, couldn’t help but overhear your conversation, being here the whole time. If you want to know more about Little Brook, it might be best to talk to her yourself. The last time a fan of Mage Meadowbook came here and learned about that, he really upset Legionnaire Cobb. I’m not sure he’ll ever get over the loss… I— I assume that’s why you want to talk to him.”
“Where is she?”
“Little Brook? She was given lookout duty today. It’s a reward of sorts; gets you out of the mud.”
The purple stallion pointed towards the large wooden tower by the south wall, which she remembered from the day before.
“Hm. Thanks.”
With an appreciative nod, Celestia changed her bearing and began towards the old tower. The short journey there was the same as yesterday’s, spotting various ponies working the fields and passing the odd Legionnaire going about their duty; the only difference being more pegasus activity after Pegasopolis’ arrival. Like bees around a hive, there never seemed to be a pause between the small dots zipping around the imposing cloud city, floating high above them to the west. She wished she could see over the lip of the skyward island and visit it herself, but not even the best levitation magic would let her walk its surface like a real pegasus.
Arriving at the watchtower, Celestia swallowed her fear as she placed a hoof between the rungs of its very, very tall ladder. It was a vertical climb from the ground all the way up to the top, which stood comfortably over the height of the perimeter wall beside it, some five stories tall. She hoped her curiosity was worth it. Worst case scenario, she had her magic, but the fall itself was daunting enough.
After a minute of laboured climbing, Celestia arrived at the top of the lookout, wheezing as she reached out desperately for the flat surface. All the walking since her incarceration in South Sea Post had got her in pretty decent shape, but these were not muscles she was used to using. Sure enough, a lone pony was sitting on a stool at its apex, scanning the southern horizon through an articulated lens. She had a teal coat with brown, side-swept dreadlocks, wearing the same low-rank Legionnaire armour as the other resistance members. Unsurprisingly, she released the magnifying glass and turned around to stare at the heavy-breathing intruder.
“Can I help you?” she asked with a mixture of confusion and annoyance, quite certain she had never seen this pony around the village before.
Celestia continued to huff, pulling herself fully onto the flat boards of the lookout, unable to shake the knowledge of just how high up she was, teetering on century-old stilts. She spread her legs apart, terrified of the whole structure toppling over at the slightest movement.
“Don’t worry, it’s quite stable,” the terran dryly assured her, proving it with some solid knocks on the nearest beam.
“Don’t—” Celestia gasped, trying to control her vertigo. She closed her eyes for a second, before trying to force out her question between breaths. “Are you—Shooting Star?”
“What? No. Doesn’t she live on Pegasopolis?” the legionnaire answered, more confused than ever.
Clearly the panic was getting the better of her. “No, not-” Celesia grunted in frustration, trying to steady her breathing. “I meant—are you Little Brook?”
The terran paused before answering, uncomfortable about where this was going.
“Yes? Who are you.”
“I— I know your grandma,” Celestia explained, finally catching her breath.
“Grandma… Meadow Flower?” Little Brook’s tone suddenly softened, but not without a subtle cocktail of emotions accompanying it. She stood from her stool to fully face the unicorn. “You met her?”
“Yes. She’s well, last I saw her, considering. I know it’s none of my business, but… she told us how she’s been alone since the loss of… your mother. Why haven’t you gone to see her? Does she even know you exist?”
It felt like Little Brook’s expression transitioned in slow motion as she watched every facet of her face twist from hope to rage.
“You think I want to stay here? Do you think I like fighting dragons, fearing for my life on a daily basis?” she barked, arching her back. “Don’t you think I want to meet my grandma, the only living relative I have besides my dad? I can’t leave! She lives in some swamp somewhere, days away, and I should abandon my duties and life for what? Go all that way to maybe meet a stranger who for all I know will disown me the moment I introduce myself? No. I’d rather… I’d rather keep my idea of her in my head than lose it to the reality.”
“I didn’t—” Celestia fumbled, not expecting this reaction at all. “I- I think she’d want to see you. I only spent a week with her, but I think knowing that something of Meadowbrook remains would make her really happy. I had a book of hers, but my sister-”
She scoffed loudly, rolling her eyes. “Meadowbrook, Meadowbrook; it’s always my mother ponies want to talk to me about! I’m not just Meadowbrook’s daughter! She left me and my dad to run off with the Pillars when I was a filly and never returned. I was her dirty little secret. I owe her nothing.”
Celestia bit her lip, now understanding Ustiarius’ subtle warning about not getting involved. Clearly this issue ran a lot deeper than she was aware.
“I could… show you where to find your grandmother?”
Little Brook snorted, looking away bitterly. “Have you been living under a rock your whole life? Discord has destroyed the world, and we’re the only thing keeping dragons from wiping out what’s left. You think I can just take a couple of weeks off to visit relatives? This fight is my life; it always has been, and probably always will be. I don’t want it to be—I hate my life—but it is, that’s just a fact.” She looked back at the unicorn, her lip twitching. “Who are you to come and tell me how I should be living my life? You don’t think I’m aware I have a grandma I’ve never met?”
Celestia remained quiet, agreeing entirely with this verbal beating she was receiving. What was she thinking doing this? Who was she to inject herself into the personal affairs of others? Being a princess didn’t give her carte blanche to meddle just because she thought she was right. To these ponies, she wasn’t even a princess, just some nosey, entitled brat… Maybe Luna would have handled this better.
“I’ll do what I can to end this as soon as possible, so you have a chance to lead a normal life with your family,” she replied, avoiding eye-contact.
“Huh?”
“Sorry for disturbing you.”
Little Brook remained confused and angry as Celestia turned back towards the ladder and gingerly found the rung with her rear hoof. Neither said another word as she descended, with the princess remaining in deep thought as she walked back to the main gate to find her sister and Shooting Star. The day proceeded with Celestia actually taking notes on flying until their instructor left for her afternoon drills in Pegasopolis. Luna could tell something had happened, though her sister never explained why she was upset, and the two quietly studied for the rest of the day.
The sisters’ third day in New Canterlot played out much like the first, with a half-day of training followed by self-guided practice. While Celestia could not put her notes to practise, observation had always been her forte, and she found Luna’s failures and successes to be very enlightening. On the dawn of the fourth day, the sisters arrived at their usual meeting spot beside the firepit and ate while waiting for Shooting Star to arrive. After waiting an unusual amount of time for the punctual pegasus, Celestia approached one of the few legionnaires around, which happened to be the same purple terran as last time.
“Excuse me,” she began, startling him once again.
“Ah! Y-Yes?”
“Do you know where Shooting Star is? She was supposed to meet us today.”
“Oh, well, she’s probably suppressing the dragon with the others, if I had to guess. I’m not, uh, combat-ready, so I was left behind to watch the town.”
“Suppressing the dragon? What dragon?”
Luna stood from the log bench and approached, curious at the mention of dragons.
“Oh, there’s a whelp in one of the nearby caves, just up there.” He answered, turning to point towards a distant blot on the northern Highlands Mountain. Sure enough, the dark speck lit up now and then, betraying the activity within. “The younger they are, the more temperamental their hibernation is. Mayor Stargazer keeps the timetable accurate using the stars, but sometimes they wake up early. This one was… something like three months ahead of schedule?”
“You’re beating up a baby?” Luna whined, sympathising with the small thing she imagined, beset upon by an army of ponies.
“I wouldn’t call it a ‘baby’,” he corrected with concern in his voice. “I hear the big ones are as old as Equestria, so ‘young’ is a relative term. Its fire would burn just as hot if it got out.”
“How big are these dragons?”
“Oh, they’re big. I’ve not seen one face-to-face—yet—but the illustrations show them as anything from the size of a house, to all of New Canterlot!”
“Woah! Should we go help them?” Luna asked her sister, now concerned for the legionnaires.
“I’m not sure what two unicorns could do that a trained army couldn’t,” she replied, before correcting herself. “I mean— well, you know.”
“To be honest, it will probably be over by the time you get there. It’s a long way on hoof,” the stallion pointed out. “Commander Ustiarius and the Light Brigade left a few hours ago. Legionnaire Shooting Star will be back sooner than the ground troops, but that could be all day, depending on the dragon.”
“What should we do today, then?” the alicorn asked her sister, not confident she could fill a day with solo practice.
Celestia sighed, looking up to the distant cave fight raging without them. “Find our training elsewhere, I guess. We’ll need more than flight to defeat Discord.”
“You- You want to fight Discord? The Discord? Hoof-to-hoof?” the stallion baulked.
“That’s the plan,” the unicorn replied, never feeling less prepared than she did in this moment. They had come all this way for training, and what had she accomplished? Watching her sister stumble through the air, and taking notes on aerodynamics, which they had already covered with Starswirl.
“By the way, what’s your name?” Luna asked, turning back to the stallion.
“Me? O-Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude; my name’s Vigiliae. I’m just— not used to ponies talking to me. Town guards tend to fade into the background around here.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Luna,” she replied, looking at Celestia to introduce herself this time, though she seemed to be away in her own head, yet again. “And this is my sister, Celestia.”
“Yes,” he bluntly agreed, having overheard numerous introductions already.
Luna blinked, confused by this response and the lack of any further conversation.
“Right. Well,” she turned to her sister. “Do you know where we’re going?”
Celestia refocused, acknowledging the direct question this time. “I have an idea. Thanks for your help.”
With a nod to Legionnaire Vigiliae, the sisters left the tent area and trotted back towards the housing district, keeping a curious eye on the distant cave for as long as it was in sight. The local ponies didn’t seem to pay the distant firefight any mind, presumably because it was such a common occurrence. Soon enough, the two princesses stood outside the largest house in the centre of the housing district, the comparative mansion belonging to Stargazer. Unlike the boxy, multi-family apartments around them, the Mayor’s house was a regular two-story building with architectural flourishes not seen anywhere else. Despite the red banners and imposing text, making sure you knew that ‘MAYOR STARGAZER’ lived here, the wooden letters above the door stated this was in fact New Canterlot’s town hall.
“What are we doing here?” Luna asked, looking up at her determined sister.
“Despite everything Starswirl said, Stargazer is the closest thing to a wizard we’ve got. He might not be useful for spells, but maybe he has some ideas about tactics. Discord is a magical creature, after all.”
“Are you sure about this?” the concerned alicorn posed, as if trying to talk her sister out of it.
“Do you have a better idea than sitting around all day twiddling our hooves?”
With Shooting Star, Ustiarius, and most of the Legionnaires out of town, she admittedly did not.
“No…”
“Well then.”
With that, Celestia approached the wooden door and knocked, hearing the hollow noise echo throughout the interior. She stepped back and awaited a response. After a full minute she tried again, this time eliciting a distant, annoyed answer from inside.
“Yes, yes, I’m coming.”
Despite the distance of the voice, the door opened very quickly, revealing a small foal a little younger than Luna at the door. He was a unicorn, with the same orange coat and mane as Stargazer, but sporting a neatly combed bowlcut with a blonde streak running through it. Against all odds, they could only conclude that this was his offspring.
“Um, is your father home?” Celestia asked hesitantly, a little shocked that the maligned Stargazer had found a willing spouse.
The young foal nodded, though did not move.
“Can we see him?” Luna added.
The door suddenly opened further, revealing the familiar face of Stargazer, looking as sour as ever. While he still wore the same starry cloak as last time they met, now all the hinged magnifiers were lowered across his glasses, striking quite an eccentric visage.
“Thank you, Starburst, I’ll deal with this,” he stated dryly, prompting the foal to disappear into the building without a word. “Yes? I hope you realise it’s outside operating hours.”
A quick glow of his horn summoned a yellow arrow pointing towards the opening hours by the door, and they were indeed a few hours too early. From his brash tone and annoyed glare, Stargazer appeared to not recognise them from their first meeting, and the elder sister was quick to match his demeanour. Years of anecdotes had prepared her for dealing with this pony, and she had no intention of pulling any kicks.
“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna? From the other day?” she snapped.
“Princess?” he echoed doubtfully, giving them both a serious looking-over before noticing Luna’s wings. “Oh. Yes? What.”
Celestia huffed in frustration. “We came to New Canterlot looking for means to combat Discord. You do remember who that is, right?”
“Yes, I know who that is,” he sneered, lifting the magnifying lenses from his spectacles.
“For lack of a better option, we came to see if you had any insights on how to deal with him. Unless you have more important things to do than save Equestria?”
The orange unicorn huffed in frustration. “Well, I was in the middle of charting the stationary rotation of the moon in relation to the greater star system’s ambulation from solar wind, but I suppose I can spare a moment.”
Celestia stepped forward, expecting him to open the door for them to enter, though he remained steadfast.
“You wish to enter my private property?” he snapped accusingly.
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Luna mumbled to herself.
“You would rather two royal princesses stand out in the mud, just to speak to you?” Celestia rebuked, looking down her muzzle at him.
Stargazer fidgeted awkwardly, fighting himself over what to say. It had been a long time since he wasn’t the utmost authority around here, or at least on par with the Commanders. The Equestria of old was an antiquated concept by now, but the monarchy still held a special place in his heart for simpler times long past. One of them was an alicorn after all, and a favour now could secure him a position in the royal court later, if they were successful.
“No, I suppose not,” he concluded. “Come in, but please wipe your hooves before you enter.”
Celestia stepped forward, almost pushing the door into him as she entered; purposefully not wiping her hooves on the rough, sunken doormat inside. Luna followed after her, though wiped her hooves as instructed.
The inside of the Mayor’s house was spacious and fully wood-constructed, as one would assume. Where warped planks would let in a draft in other houses, Stargazer’s featured meticulous plugging work, using wooden wedges to fill the gaps. The interior felt immediately warmer than most once the door was closed, with simple tapestries of constellations lining the walls. From the open lobby, a staircase on each side met that half of the upper floor’s balcony, which wrapped around the central two-story corridor, leading to Stargazer’s prized observatory at the end of the hall ahead of them.
“Ah, my invention has caught your eye, has it not?” he gushed, sweeping his foreleg toward the astral lens. “I’m something of a genius when it comes to astrological phenomena, and this elegant contraption allows me to view the twinkles in the sky as easily as a lit candle in your hoof. I’m not surprised its grand visage brought you to me. You can look, but don’t touch, it’s very finely calibrated.”
“That’s not why we’re here,” Celestia assured him with exaggerated disinterest.
“It’s beautiful,” Luna peered in wonder, far more interested in the mechanism than her sister was. “It’s a lot less wooden than it looks from the outside.”
“Ah, yes. I assure you my astral lens is made from the finest, hoof-shaped Pegasopolis brass. Unfortunately that rendered it somewhat heavy, leading to the unsightly scaffolds outside. But its outward appearance does not concern me; this is the finest spacial magnifier in the land! This is not just any astral lens, but THE Astral Lens!” he pridefully chuckled. “I used to miss my Astroscope at whatever remains of the Academy, but I can confidently say that after years of hard work and meticulous iteration, this beauty of intricate engineering is my new magnum opus.”
“Do you really think this is important?” Celestia snapped. “Equestria is in ruins, and you’ve spent the last thirty years looking at the sky through your telescope!”
“‘Telescope’?!” he spat, eyes twisted in rage. “This mechanical marvel is no mere ‘telescope’, I’ll have you know. Princess or not, I will not have you enter my home just to insult my life’s work! Do you have any idea what I do for this settlement? How imprecise the dragons’ hibernation schedule would be without my celestial divination?”
“‘Divination’?! Any literate pony could learn to track time via the rotation of the stars!”
“And who do you think wrote those books? Who else do you see with a standard astral lens, let alone build a state-of-the-art, highly-tuned instrument like this?!”
Luna deliberately cleared her throat. “I think we’ve gone a little off-topic here.”
Both the Princess and the Mayor turned their heads with a dismissive huff, leaving the alicorn to awkwardly laugh halfheartedly.
“Very well,” Stargazer reluctantly sighed. “What was it you wanted from me? Something about Discord? I don’t know what you expect me to suggest against an incomprehensible monster like that, but perhaps you can get something from Starswirl’s journal that I could not.”
“Starswirl’s journal?!” both sisters yelled in unison, causing him to stagger backwards, barely catching his spinning spectacles in time.
“Yes. You said you were his students, did you not? I have a book of his in my possession, and suspect he won’t be asking for it back any time soon.”
“Where did you get it?” Luna demanded, stepping toward him with unsettling enthusiasm.
“YOU’RE the one who stole the items from their graves!” Celestia accused, approaching him even closer.
Stargazer backed up into a side table, nearly knocking over a small vase of flowers in his fluster, before steadying it with his magic.
“‘Stole’? How dare you! You’d rather I left a valuable book to the open elements of some dank forest? Are you mad? Just because the book contains spells, that does not make it magically impervious to water damage!” he retaliated, adjusting the collar of his cloak. “I was doing him and future generations of wizards a favour by preserving it.”
“Valuable, huh? So you did it for the money?” Celestia snapped, leaning in an inch from his muzzle. “Where are the other items? The mask, and the shovel and whatever?”
“Mask? Shovel? What are you talking about? And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the value of currency isn’t especially high right now. Knowledge is a far more valuable resource.”
Luna frowned. “Why would you want to help Starswirl, anyway? I thought you hated him.”
“‘Hated him’? Is that what he told you? Rivalry is nothing so base as ‘hate’,” he replied, gently pushing the princess’ face away. “We encouraged one another to excel, to aim for higher goals and never be satisfied. I dare say a great mutual respect can be found at the core of any good rivalry. I certainly acknowledge the many contributions he made to the scientific community, regardless of the differing opinions we might share.”
The sisters looked at each other doubtfully.
“Are you sure it wasn’t just jealousy?” Luna probed.
“Jealousy! Hah! What was there to be jealous of? Yes, he finished top of our class at the Academy and received a position in the royal court, but I have achieved great things too! I’m sure he was equally in awe of my many advancements within the field of astrology, and I don’t recall him having any inventions to his name.”
Celestia rolled her eyes. “Just get the book, would you?”
He sneered, but chose to hold his tongue. “Very well.”
Stargazer turned and ascended the nearby staircase to the second floor, following the balcony before entering the second room on the right. The sisters stepped back from the wall they had worked themselves into, and took a moment to look around the spacious room. For all intents and purposes, this was New Canterlot’s town hall, with the large lobby seemingly intended as a forum and meeting place for the citizens, despite the strict time schedule. Even with Stargazer’s wife and son, it seemed grossly unfair for this multi-room property to house them alone, and the sisters wondered how he managed to get away with it. Even without the constraints of a currency system, significant resources had been spent on this building, let alone the brass telescope and observatory at the end of the hall.
Moments later, Stargazer exited the room, holding a thick, blue tome in front of him with his magic. He descended the staircase and stood before the pair in silent accusation, feeling unjustly persecuted for his charity.
“That’s… Starswirl’s journal?” Luna asked in anxious wonderment.
“Yes, though I don’t know what good it will do you. I couldn’t even open the blasted thing,” he snapped, thrusting the book toward them.
Celestia took the book in her magic and looked it over. Sure enough, this was one of the many books they had seen in Starswirl’s possession back at the house; a dusty-blue hardcover emblazoned with his cutie mark, and a simple Old Ponish numeral on the spine. She opened the cover effortlessly, much to Stargazer’s chagrin. This was his hornwriting, unmistakably.
“How did you-” Stargazer began in frustration, before being immediately cut off.
“This is it. It really is his,” Celestia breathed in relieved awe.
“Let me see!” Luna begged, bouncing on her hooftips to get a better look.
Celestia lowered the book for her sister, before looking back at Stargazer with fierce eyes.
“What were you planning to do with this? Why did you hide it?”
“‘Hide it’? I wasn’t planning to do anything. It was a… memento mori, that’s all. I already told you, I hold him no ill will.”
“Well, you might not have hated him, but he hated you,” she growled, her eyes becoming misty. “He was a genius—of magic, of literacy—who dedicated his life to saving the world. What you know could barely fill one of his countless journals!”
Stargazer was too taken aback to feel insulted, not understanding where this hostility was coming from.
“He raised us from foals, all on his own,” she continued, now drawing Luna’s attention. “He wasn’t perfect, but he did the best he could. All so ponies like you could—what—lounge about in relative luxury, enjoying your little hobbies while the world burns?”
Celestia waved her forehoof around the room, highlighting the relative decadence of his lifestyle, especially the prized Astral Lens.
“Sister…” Luna softly warned, trying to calm her sister as she took the book with her own magic.
“You could have done something,” Celestia spat, now thrusting her hoof onto his chest.
“Hey!” he exclaimed, finding himself pushed towards the wall once more.
“Celestia!” Luna exclaimed, becoming scared by her sister’s sudden rage.
“She’s right, you know,” a familiar voice whispered in her ear. “They did nothing. They sat idly and watched the world burn around them. They know not what they want. They must be shown how to live, for their own sakes. Once we rule over them, none shall suffer from their own selfishness again.”
“Not now!” she hissed back, quietly enough not to be heard. One of them losing control was already too much, she couldn’t succumb to her dark thoughts as well.
“Starswirl might have been the best, but that didn’t stop the rest of you from trying!” Celestia cried, pushing Stargazer back yet again. “You were part of the Council, yet you did nothing! None of you! How can you live with yourself when only six ponies were brave enough to stand against Discord?!”
“Seven,” he reflexively corrected, hitting the corner of the lobby.
“Seven?” the white unicorn repeated, thrown off her rant.
“There were seven members of the Pillars. At least that’s what I heard.”
“There were only six graves.”
“Then maybe one survived, I don’t know,” Stargazer snapped, straightening his posture as his brewing indignation set in. “And who are you to say we have done nothing? Look around! Do you think these ruins were waiting for us to comfortably move in?”
He began to walk against her hoof, pushing Celestia back as he continued.
“We have been building this community for years, from nearly the ground up, all while dragons threaten our lives on a daily basis. ‘Not brave enough to stand against Discord’? All those headstrong fools got for trying was an early burial! Tell me, if the glorious ‘Starswirl the Bearded’ wasn’t enough to defeat that monster, then what chance do we stand? What would you have me do, hm? Shall I ink the scope of my Astral Lens? Perhaps point out Ponelaris to him? Or maybe you would have me launch a stone at his head like a common terran?”
Stargazer pushed on, driving her past Luna and the middle of the lobby, with no signs of stopping.
“Forgive me, ‘Princess’, but I have had it up to here with self-important politicians expecting their lessers to rise to greatness in their name. I broke my back for the Academy and the Council of Nine, and what did I get for turning my hair grey at twenty-five? Little more than a pat on the back. A bronze ribbon. A participation reward. I am a hoofnote in history that has already been forgotten, all thanks to geniuses like your Starswirl, who are too wrapped up in their own egos to even reply to my scrolls! Do not judge me weak for not rising to your impossible standards, and don’t you dare ask me how I live with myself, when I am the only one who must do so!”
As Stargazer panted heavily, practically foaming at the mouth from his exertion, a small voice came crisply from the top of the left staircase they now stood next to.
“Dad?”
Steadying his breathing, Stargazer took a step back and readjusted his spectacles as the speechless Celestia lowered her hoof.
“Apologies, son. Return to your studies, this meeting has concluded.”
Without further acknowledgement, the small, orange colt returned to his room.
“I think you should leave,” Stargazer stated resolutely, walking past Luna to the front door. “Take the book. I don’t want it.”
He opened the door with his magic and stepped back, his position clear.
“Sorry,” Luna mumbled as she passed, Starswirl’s journal under her wing.
Celestia walked to the door and stopped, thinking of what to say, before continuing silently. Stargazer closed the door behind them and lowered its bar. After a whirlwind of dizzying emotion, the princesses found themselves back in the mud outside. They stood in silence and collected themselves for a moment, before Luna turned back to her sister.
“Celestia, why did you antagonise him like that?” she asked, more concerned than annoyed.
The unicorn sighed, looking up at the binary sky above them, spotting a number of pegasi ferrying rain clouds from one of Pegasopolis’ many warehouses.
“We’ve lost so much,” she answered wistfully. “So many years of our lives. Starswirl. Our parents. They’ve all lost things too—countless families have been devastated by Discord, of course I know that, but… Whenever I’m reminded of the things I’ve lost, I just…” She sighed again, shaking her head in resignation. “Does that make me selfish?”
Luna looked up at the sky with her sister, carefully considering her reply as she squeezed Starswirl’s book to her chest.
“No, I don’t think so. No matter how kind a pony is, their own pain is always going to feel worse to them than others’.”
Celestia nodded solemnly, but wasn’t convinced. Between Luna, Starswirl, Sweet Blossom, Little Brook, and now Stargazer, she only seemed to start fights and bring misery to everypony’s lives. There was still time to apologise to Luna, but all the others… Starswirl…
“Maybe we’ll have time to come to terms with it after all this is over,” she hoped aloud, not believing the sentiment of her own words.
“Yeah,” Luna agreed quietly, also watching the weatherponies at work. “Looks like it’s going to rain soon.”
“Yeah. Let’s go back to our room.”
A brief walk to the edge of the district and the sisters were already ‘home’. Rain began to patter at the roof as Celestia sat by their small table and spread the book open, while Luna flew up to the top of their bunk bed. Their lodgings might be spartan, but to their surprise they were never found wanting.
“What does it say?” Luna called down, kicking her legs restlessly in the air.
“Give me a second,” Celestia answered, flicking through the pages with her magic. “This must be his last journal, it’s blank at the end,” she observed, before flipping the book to see its spine. “Volume… CXXXIV.”
“He wrote that many books?! That would fill a library! Where did he keep them all?”
“In his magic trunk, wherever that is now. I doubt he left it at South Sea,” she mused, turning the journal back over. “If he could store an entire turret in that box, a few books would’ve been easy.”
“A few?! But do you think the trunk is still magic after he… you know. Do enchantments like that last?”
“Dunno,” Celestia deflected, not wanting to think about it.
“We were lucky to find this one. If Stargazer hadn’t taken it off the henge, anypony could have taken it, and then where would we be?”
Celestia remained silent, not wanting to think about how she alienated the last remaining pony to know Starswirl personally. Still, she had this feeling inside as though she and her sister were meant to find this book. That unicorn had been unable to open it, but it reacted effortlessly to her magic. This must have been part of Starswirl’s plan. She flicked back to the very first page, which read: ‘The Journal of Starswirl’, with a visibly later addition of ‘the Bearded’.
“So, what does it say?” Luna asked again, rolling over to watch her sister from the corner of the bunk.
The unicorn turned the front page and began to read, before quoting it aloud.
“Gone. They are gone. The only hope of Equestria’s return, and I have failed them.”
Celestia looked back at her sister, who shared an equally dire face, before continuing.
“Was twelve long years not enough, or did I fail my duties as mentor? First Cosmo, and now sweet Celestia and Luna. That monster’s evil knows no bounds, and I shall see it fall if it costs my final breath. This is my repentance. A fresh start. Discord shall rue the day he crossed that mirror, and I shall see to it personally.”
She turned to her sister again. “What mirror is he talking about?”
Luna shook her head, just as clueless. Celestia read on.
“But I am nothing alone, not against that thing. If those poor sisters were not enough, I must find others worthy of transcendence. New princes and princesses. I shall end what I began if it takes an army of alicorns.”
Celestia trailed off, leaning back on her chair.
“That doesn’t sound like the Starswirl I remember,” Luna mused, her cheek resting against her hoof.
“He thought we had been turned to stone, Luna, forever. He must have felt the same way we feel about him now…”
The dejected alicorn rolled onto her side as Celestia flicked through a few more pages.
“This is all about him forming the Pillars of Equestria. Mage Meadowbrook and Meadow Flower in Haysead Swamp, Rockhoof of the Mighty Helms in New Canterlot, Mistmane of the East… Everything that happened while we were petrified.”
“What does it… say at the end?” Luna asked hesitantly.
Celestia remained still, her mind also racing at the implications.
“I… I don’t think I want to know.”
Luna silently agreed.
The sisters spent the next few hours in their room, with Celestia carefully studying the journal as Luna stretched her wings, still sore from the training. By what would be considered evening, a knock came on their door, and a familiar stallion let himself in.
“Ustiarius!” Luna exclaimed, pulling herself to the end of her bunk.
“Princesses,” he greeted them with a small bow, appearing visibly winded.
“We heard about the dragon. How did it go?” Celestia asked, looking up from the book for the first time in hours.
“Well. Well,” he nodded, forcing a smile. “The dragon was suppressed, and no casualties is the best possible outcome.”
“You galloped all the way there and back in a day? You must be exhausted!” Luna exclaimed.
“Indeed,” he agreed wearily, looking down at his aching legs, more caked in mud than usual. “However, I was asked to deliver a message from Shooting Star, so here I am.”
“Shooting Star? Couldn’t she have flown here herself?” Celestia asked snidely.
“She didn’t know where you were staying. It seemed easier to deliver it myself than try to explain. Anyway, she wanted you to know that she will be available for training tomorrow, same time and place.”
“Thank you for letting us know, Commander!” Luna smiled gratefully.
He forced another exhausted smile. “Please, just Ustiarius is fine; you are princesses, after all. Now, if you’ll excuse my haste, I need to wipe-down and get off my hooves. Sleep well.”
“Good night, Ustiarius”
“Good night,” Celestia echoed, immediately returning to the journal.
With a smile and a nod, the large stallion left, closing the door behind him.
“You should think about getting some sleep,” Luna suggested, laying back on her hay mattress. “The journal isn’t going anywhere.”
“Don’t discount the possibility,” Celestia retorted, before yawning and stretching her back. She had been hunched over for quite a while. “Fine, but it stays with me.”
The unicorn pushed out her chair and carried the journal over to her bottom bunk, where she curled up with it in her forelegs. Luna peered over the edge of the bedframe and giggled at the sight.
“Go to sleep, Luna,” Celestia grunted without opening her eyes.
“Yes-yes. Sweet dreams, sister.”
“Sweet dreams.”