Beyond the path of the outmost sun through utter darkness hurled
Further than ever comet flared or vagrant star-dust swirled
Live such as fought and sailed and ruled and loved and made our world.
—R. Kipling
CHAPTER 3 – SATORI
The room at the top of the off-limits tower was unlike any that Twilight or Rainbow Dash had ever seen. A large circular floor, inlaid with several types of luxurious wood in the same stylized sunburst that Celestia bore on her haunch, dominated the room. It was sunken into a recess, and a circular table surrounded it completely with the exception of two walkways. On the wall beyond the tables, high-quality maps, framed as if they were art, hung on the walls. The somewhat-harsh lighting came from an array of overhead spotlights, with the brightest illuminating the central floor. This place, which Celestia described as the "incident room", had a deadly serious feeling to it.
Twilight would have liked to study the maps (particularly the ones of the lands neighboring Equestria), but there was no time for that. She and Rainbow Dash were escorted by unicorn-guards to places at the surrounding table. There were others in attendance. The Wonderbolts' leader (whom everyone simply called "Captain") also stood at the table, as did the commander of the Royal Guard, the chief archivist, the headmaster of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and several ponies that Twilight knew only by sight, some of whom stood at the tables, some of whom were standing by the walls with rank-and-file Wonderbolts and mid-level guard officers. Nimbus, now in her Wonderbolt flight suit, waited behind Twilight and Rainbow Dash, her presence somehow comforting to them.
Celestia and Luna stood upon the central floor, speaking very quietly to each other. As the last of the attendees entered and the doors were closed, Celestia rapped a golden-shod hoof on the floor. Conversations ceased immediately.
"Friends, thank you for your attendance on such short notice," she began. All bowed their heads. "There is little time to waste, so I will keep the formalities to a minimum. Though not all of you have met each other, it is enough to know that you are all defenders of the land of Equestria, and have in the past put yourselves at risk for its good. Tonight, I must ask you to do so again."
There was an intensity and aura of command about Celestia which neither Twilight nor Rainbow Dash had ever experienced. This was not the gentle motherly ruler of Equestria; this was royalty in the most meaningful sense.
"A threat approaches from the night sky," the princess continued. "Some of you may have heard or guessed something of it already. The falling stars which you may have seen tonight are its harbingers. Please lend an ear to Princess Luna; she can explain better than I."
Luna stepped forward. For a moment, she hung her head. Her eyes lifted, and met Twilight's, just for a moment. Luna took a deep breath, then stood straight. When she spoke, her voice had an older, world-weary timbre; even the very words she chose belied her young appearance.
"Do you remember the ancient tales? 'The stars shall aid her escape.' The... thing that I was, Nightmare Moon, did escape. None are gladder than I am that she was defeated." The princess dipped her horn toward Rainbow Dash and Twilight, eliciting deep blushes from the two and curious glances from others. "Yet, her plots... my plots, I am ashamed to say... did not disappear with her. She set some of the stars themselves against Equestria. If she could not rule, she at least would have vengence."
There was a chill silence. Some of the attendees looked upon Luna with pity, some with fear, and some with open loathing. Celestia again tapped a hoof, an expression of stern disapproval on her face as she wordlessly reminded all that this was her sister the princess Luna, not the creature Nightmare Moon.
Luna glanced at Celestia, who nodded. "Show them," Celestia said.
Luna closed her eyes and spread her wings. The lights seemed to recede, and wisps of star-dusted night flowed from her mane and tail, filling the room like a fog. As the gathered ponies watched nervously, a ghostly outline of Luna seemed to grow from her, becoming slimmer and taller until it stood as tall as Celestia. There were whispers of "Nightmare..!", but these were hushed as the outline became more distinct. This was not Nightmare Moon, but the regal Princess of the Stars, equal of the Sun-Princess... what Luna might have been, had there not been a thousand years of timeless exile and heartless rage.
The dark mist around the ponies dissipated. They were all standing on nothingness, surrounded on all sides, above and below, by a sky darker than any Equestrian night and stars more brilliant than any diamond. There was no sign of the furnishings, the walls, the floor, anything of the room which they had been in, though the ponies' hooves still felt something underfoot. Several of the pegasus-ponies present reflexively flapped their wings, though doing so only set them hovering in place. In their midst, Celestia and the regal ghost-Luna stood; the post-adolescent Luna whom they knew was not to be found.
Luna gestured with a wing. "There they are," she said in a breathy, ethereal voice, "the revenge of Nightmare Moon." All turned to look where she had indicated. Three luminous star-like objects – the same which Twilight and Rainbow Dash had seen in the telescope earlier – were moving steadily toward a blue-green disc. Along their path, both preceding and trailing the bright specks, were the lesser sparks. Some had almost reached the disc.
"These are the spirits of wrathful stars, given form. I had hoped they would have disappeared when Nightmare Moon was defeated, but it seems they have a life of their own now. They are not normal, natural meteors, which by the power of Celestia do not reach the land. The borders will not stop them, for they are sent by a Princess of Equestria." Luna's voice took on a note of profound sadness. "Yet I cannot recall or divert them, for Nightmare Moon is gone. It is by her will that they strike, not mine. And when they have passed through the border-veil, though they will have been slowed, they will become cold, real stone. They will strike. And they will destroy." Luna paused, then recited in a spell-like litany, "Manehattan, for its indifferent, self-absorbed thousands. Ponyville, for its laughter that seemed mockery. And Canterlot..." She turned to face Celestia. "...for you."
Nobody spoke for long moments. Celestia spread her wings and with the slightest of wingbeats moved to Luna. She rested her head on Luna's shoulder, Luna doing the same on Celestia's shoulder, and they touched golden-shod to silver-shod forehooves. It was somehow reassuring that even in a council of war, the princesses were unashamed to show affection and forgiveness for each other.
Luna moved her wings and separated from Celestia. "I have been afraid to reach too deeply into her memories. If I had done so sooner, perhaps I would have known—"
There was a sudden concussive BOOM which struck them all. The surrounding space-scape rippled, then seemed to collapse into itself. The shock of transition back to the chamber was dizzying; someone along the wall retched. As the ponies came to their senses, they saw that the doorway to the chamber's balcony had been blasted open, and a flinty, burnt smell filled the room. Several ponies staggered over to the balcony to look out upon the plaza below, Twilight and Rainbow Dash among them.
There was a smoking pit ten feet across in the middle of the patio of the restaurant at which Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Celestia had eaten not two hours earlier. Glowing red crystals lined the pit; a few more were scattered across the plaza Several ponies were limping away from the small crater, bleeding from shrapnel cuts. Others were running or flying about aimlessly. Some were screaming in terror. One with a broken leg and a gash on his side that showed the white of a rib bone and the scarlet of a crystalline shard was being dragged by his tail away from the scene; it was the waiter who had served them their desserts. Twilight's stomach threatened to spasm. She had never seen such appalling injuries before. However, even as they watched the royal guards were arriving at the scene, calming the crowd and making way for the evacuation of the seriously hurt. As Twilight had told Rainbow Dash earlier, the guards were professionals. There was comfort in that.
Spitfire and a pegasus-guard whom Rainbow Dash recognized as Lieutenant Cloudmane spoke quickly with the guard commander, then flew down to the plaza below. The rest of the ponies returned their attention to the two princesses in the center of the room.
Luna, now back in her familiar youthful appearance, had collapsed and was being gently nuzzled by Celestia. After a moment Luna struggled to her feet, the effort of becoming the Star Princess showing. "I'm okay, I just need a moment," she whispered to Celestia.
Celestia turned to face the other ponies. "We have no time for elaborate plans," she said firmly. "We will have to simply do what we can." She regarded Luna for a moment, then held each of the other ponies in her gaze, one after the other, taking their measure.
"I will go to Manehattan," she said at length. "I will take the Royal Guard pegasus-ponies with me. Princess Luna will remain here at Canterlot, and with the unicorns of the Guard and the elder magi..." She indicated the school headmistress and the chief archivist. "...she will lead its defense." Luna looked startled, but Celestia continued. "She knows more of the nature of this threat than any of us. If anypony can find a way to save lives, she can. The Guards who remain here will be under her command."
Celestia then turned to face the blue-uniformed fliers. "The Wonderbolts, along with Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and their friends, will protect Ponyville." Rainbow Dash made a fearful 'eep!', and Twilight opened her mouth to object. Celestia smiled and raised a hoof, forestalling objections. "The greatest fliers of Equestria, and the Elements of Harmony... together, you are equal to the task."
Together, Celestia and Luna lowered their horns to the assembly. Every pony bowed deeply in return.
"There is no time to lose. Go now, with the blessings of Equestria upon you!" With that, Celestia nodded to the pegasus-guards, and they stepped onto the balcony and took wing.
Luna took a deep breath, then turned to the cluster of unicorns. "Let's go," she said, "I have a few ideas..." and led them out to the spiraling stairway.
The Wonderbolts gathered around Rainbow Dash and Twilight. Nimbus approached Rainbow Dash, a broad smile on her face. "Looks like we get to fly together, sooner than I'd thought. Good thing you're used to being a hero."
The tension in Rainbow Dash burst all at once, and she laughed. "Yeah, no pressure! Now let's go save Ponyville!"
As the Wonderbolts moved to the balcony to take off, Twilight asked in a meek voice "Could one of you give me a lift? My chariot is um, out of order..."
...next chapter...