Re: Ancient Equestria Arc 2: Starswirl's betrayal.

[Cloudchaser]

Vera and Inysa were walking together with Queen Faust and Celestia, enjoying Luna's night sky.

"I always loved Luna's moon and stars, they are beautiful in their own way just as my dear Celestia's sun has it's beauty. Then there's you Night Vera, I sensed something in you the day I found you in the ruins of your home town. I took you in despite a lot of nay sayers, I told my daughters to treat you like you were their sister in blood and I am glad they did so even better than I had hoped. Now the circle has come around and I now know what it was that I sensed in you that day." The Queen said, receiving a questioning look from Vera.

"What would that be then, mother?" Vera asks.

"The magic of friendship." She simply said and smiled at Vera who looked at Celestia for a better explanation.

"So you're saying that in one way or another you knew that I would one day become the bearer of an element of harmony and learn about the magic of friendship?" Vera's trying to work out exactly what her "mother" was trying say.

"Yes and I'm glad you showed your sisters that same magic for they might be needed to call upon to elements of harmony when you and me and the rest of the bearers are gone. Enough of the past, have you and Inysa given thought to what you will be doing now that there's peace? With the baby on the way I wouldn't recommend keeping up with the hard physical work you're doing."

Vera and Inysa exchanged questioning looks before Vera turned to the Queen again. "How did you.." The Queen giggled a bit. "I am your mother and a mother knows her child better than they do themselves, well it also helps being very old and knowledgeable but a little bit of magic does help." She winked at Vera and Inysa before continuing. "So have you thought of a name yet and for far gone are you?"

Vera blushed before she brought her emotions in control. "I've only been pregnant for a few days, we haven't had the time to think of a name yet, I think we'll save that for when I'm closer to birth."

The Queen smiled again, she seemed to be in a good mood. Celestia had mostly been quiet which was unusual for her but she finally stepped up and asked about their future plans.

"So what will you and Inysa be doing in the time to come? Can I still expect too see my high general at my side when I need her or will you be too busy with running your academy and readying yourself to become a mother?"

"For the first few months before my belly starts to get too heavy to get around easily I will come when you call upon me, otherwise we'll return to my mansion. I'll keep running the academy until I'm about due at which point I'll have Rhuno help out if he decides to stay with us. After that I want to focus on being a good mother, while you did a wonderful job at being a mother, Faust but you were never my real one, the one who gave birth to me and Wind and I intend on being there for my child. There's been enough orphans from this war and we need to focus on finding families for them."

The Queen looked satisfied with the answer as did Celestia. "We'll take in any gifted unicorns we can, start a school for gifted unicorns. Begin talks with Eagle Blade too see if he can found a flight camp or something for the pegasi and we'll talk to the representative for the Earth ponies on what we can do for the earth pony children."

"If you don't mind I would like to return to the party and gather my friends and see what their future plans are." Vera said and excused herself as she left The Queen alone with Celestia.

"The Queen seemed to be in a good mood today, she was almost literally beaming of pride and joy but I could still feel that her body is feeling the age and the loss of the immorality at the hands of the corrupted Queen Chrysalis and she doesn't have much left now, a couple of years at max, a year or less at the minimum. Alicorns are complex creatures and no one but themselves really know were they came from or how they gained their immortality.." Inysa said and they then proceeded to small talk, mostly about the topic of a name for their filly. As they approached the party again Vera decided she'd see if her friends would still respond to her command or if they'd have to be gathered up one by one.

"Elements of Harmony! Front and center! Now!" She yelled and slowly but surely everyone gathered around. "What do you want, Vera?" Eagle Blade asked.

A wide grin spread across Vera's face. "Well first off you all fell into line as if I'm still your commanding officer but we're all equals here, maybe not in military rank but friends have no ranks over the other, I love all of you from the depth of my heart and in a way it pains me to see us split up again. So I thought that we should all gather up one last time and share our plans for the future, you're all welcome to stop by my mansion and academy at any time you want but I really want to know what you guys are planning to do with your lives now that there's no big evil to stop from destroying our world. So who wants to go first? "

[Princess Blueblood]

Eagle sighed, and put a hoof around Gold.

"I don't know what I'll do. Perhaps I'll see what I can do about all the pegasus orphans. See if I can't help rebuild a few of the outlying towns. Try and turn the pegasus government around. I think its time we stepped out of the feudal system, and joined the other two pony tribes with modern day society," Eagle said. "I also have to deal with some other matters to." Eagle nudged Gold lightly, and she pushed her head up against the bottom of Eagle's chin.

"What about you, Gold?" asked Vera, smiling.

"I don't know. I'd like to see if I can perhaps expand the magic academies in outreached cities, like Stalliongrad or Germaney. Maybe also expand the Recon Corps, and perhaps invest some time in training the current Mages of Canterlot. The only concrete thing I know about is raising a family with this big lug," Gold said, kissing Eagle on the good side of his face.

"I guess what we're saying is that we'll see where fate takes us, you know?" Eagle said, holding Gold close.

[Guest]

Rhuno was sitting next to Gold, and was next up to share his plans for the future.

"Well... *Rhuno bites his lip* I do not really know what I will be doing. I guess for now, I am going to stick around here in Canterlot, hang out with Vera, and act as the personal bodyguard for our princess of the night."

Eagle reaches over and hoofs Rhuno in the chest.

"Personal bodyguard huh? We all know there is more to that then just security..."

Rhuno blushes as everyone stares him down, sinking low into his seat, which is not really low since he is quite large.

"ANYWAY! What about BALM HERE!" Rhuno nudges Balm with his elbow.

[Arualsti]

Balm looked a little guilty as he avoided everyones gaze.

'I'm going to travel.' He said shortly. 'I'm going to help ponies'

He tried to avoid Vera's gaze, and Rhuno's. They both had such strong connections with the Princesses, and it was them he wanted to run from. He turned his gaze toward Needle and Wind.

'We are going back to Wisp.' Needle grinned. 'We are going to protect it and help the ponies there'

'And after that...well, we had better catch up with my sister and Inysa' Wind added with a laugh.

[Cloudchaser]

Vera nodded at her friends plans, some knew more than the other but they all seemed to have a clear line on what they wanted to do. Some were opting for a more quiet life to start a family in and some liked the adventures of life and would keep up an adventurous life.

"Sounds like everyone has some form of idea what they want to do, congratulation on becoming a father in a couple of months, Eagle. Inysa here will be one too if you can call her a "dad", don't ask how I got pregnant with her foal just.. unicorn magic y'know?" Vera said and blushed a bit as Eagle chuckled and accepted the congratulations without anyone asking just what kind of "unicorn magic" had been in use. They knew better than to ask when someone didn't want to tell.

"Oh my god I'm gonna be an auntie! Needle did you hear that?! I'm gonna be an aunt!" Wind was over joyous at the news that her sister was pregnant. "I'm gonna be coolest aunt ever, let me know if you give birth to a pegasi since y'know dad's lineage is mostly pegasi and" Wind flapped her wings at little bit. "I was born a pegasi so there's always a chance."

"Oh I wouldn't even dream of keeping such news from you, I'll be sure to let you teach our foal to fly if it's a pegasus, coolest aunt ever has to do something to earn that title, right?" Vera laughed out loud as Wind was fist pumping the air, she was joined in by chuckles and small laughs from the rest of the group and a small giggle from Needle who pulled her mate back down on earth to calm her down a bit, she turned to Vera and Inysa and asked about their future plans.

"So what are you and Inysa planning? I can't imagine you'll be taking on too heavy a tasks with a baby on the way." Needle asked.

"Oh we'll still stick around, I've had enough of adventures out around in Equestria. I'll be running my academy as usual until I'm far into my pregnancy at which point I'll probably ask Luna if she can let me have Rhuno around for the last few months before I give birth. He helped me run it last year when Inysa was away so I think he'd be a good choice, the students like him as well. Other than that I'll be preparing for a new chapter and adventure in my life, becoming a mother will be quite an adventure I can imagine, scary in a bit but I'm also looking forward to it."

The group sat around talking about each other's future plans, Gold and Vera were discussing pregnancy things and what they think motherhood would be like, Rhuno was busy playing cards with Wind, Needle and Eagle. Balm had slipped away unnoticed to begin his journeys around the world. Eventually as the evening shifted towards late night they all said their good byes and wished each other good luck with whatever they would do, one by one they all retreated to rooms that had been set up for them to use while staying at Canterlot and in the morning they all went their owns ways, except for Vera, Inysa and Rhuno who stayed at Canterlot. Their futures had only just begun and little did they know that their grand children would be involved in one of the last major wars in Equestrian history, their grand children would become heroes in their own right but that is a story for another time. For now our heroes had for the first time in their lives a future ahead of them.

(NOTE FOR THE NEXT POSTERS: Your wrap up post must deal with the future of your current characters a little bit of mention on what they did for the rest of their lives and how they died. The life of their children and grand children (if your character/s plan on getting any) and whatever achievements they got in their lives. You've got about 197 years to cover, a big gap would come in around 150 years from now when Discord is ruling and fucking things up. For Derpy you've got to cover Rhuno's life for the next 197 years, important things he did in life and what he feels when the arc 1 & 2 characters are dead and what he does when Nightmare moon's first appearance happens.)

[Princess Blueblood]

In the years that passed, Eagle became an even more renowned legend among the pegasus tribes. "'Ol Wingless" is what they referred to him as. That, and insane.

Shortly after the ceremonies, Eagle Blade created Equestria's First Aerial Navy, a group of about 20 ships dedicated to aerial warfare, a primary means of defense against Griffon Raids. While the ships were rather ill equipped, Eagle would go on to make them some of the most dangerous and fearful weapons in Equestria's arsenal. Eagle created Cloudsdale, a replacement to Mothercloud, and deemed it the new capital of the Pegasus tribes. There, he would reform the government from a social-class based military nation, to a modernized, equalized nation, respected by all.

Eagle Blade would marry Gold Ingot only 3 months after ascending to the pegasi throne. While they were separated for their first couple months of marriage, Eagle would spend as much time as he could with his love, fearing that he would lose her like he lost Needle Point.

Eagle had three children, 2 pegasi, one unicorn. Following tradition of the Canterlot courts, the parents of their respective race would name them their children. Gold named the unicorn Silver Blade, after her late sister. Eagle named his two pegasus sons Frost Blade, and Storm Blade. Silver Blade would be loved by both her brothers, but Frost and Storm were mortal enemies from the beginning.  Frost Blade would lead on to become the spitting image of his father, continuing to reform the pegasi nation, while Storm would become a legend in his own name, leaving the pegasi nation for the Shadow Clan guild. He would not ascend to the heights of the Great Princess Night Vera, but he would leave his mark on the great Griffon-Pegasi War that would break out in the years to come.

Eagle Blade would stay king for another 60 years. In his time as king, 7 attempts on his life would be made, all by the griffons. Eagle dispatched them all, showing that even with age, his battle prowess did not evaporate from his old bones. During he Great Griffon Pegasi War, Eagle Blade's Aerial Navy would decimate the Griffon Air Corps. Eagle's own service within the war showed him to still be a brave and loyal soldier, even at the ripe old age of nearly 80 years old. He himself would storm the castle of Gryphus VII, and execute him. Eagle would then seize control of the Griffon's Military Technology, creating the first ranged gunpowder weapons. By the time Eagle resigned as the King of the Pegasi Tribes, gunpowder weapons were well on their way to modern usage. While only supplied to the special operations groups of the Equestrian Military (Shadow Clan, Wind's Special Operations Group) and even then, only crude weapons, Eagle would become the father of the Equestrian's military swift rise to power.

Eagle would die shortly after his 100th birthday, assassinated by a rival pegasus group from the far north. Eternally known as the great leader, the pegasi nation committed their first genocide on this pegasi tribe, wiping them out completely. His funeral would be attended by many of his friends and even some of his foes. Even the Griffon Military would have a week of mourning in his honor. A massive statue in his honor would be erected on the mountainous border between the Griffon Lands and Equestria, where his native mother cloud was destroyed. His legend would live on with his great grandchildren, Hurricane, and Ashes.  

Eagle would often visit his friends, but later in his life, he became much more independent, relying less and less on the princesses. While always pledging his allegiance to them, in his late life, he became very hostile to many of the decisions the princesses were making. In the end, he was loyal to the princesses to his last breath.


Gold lived a wonderful life. The senior arch mage of Canterlot, Gold led a grand school of magics that would increase the amount of mages that Equestria had at its disposal. While she would not have a legacy as great as her husbands, she would raise her children, and mold them to be the greatness they would experience in their life. She would die a widow, at the age of 120 years old, the only thing left in her life her grandchildren, and both her husband and children had met their sorrowing fate at the hands of death. She would be slowly be lost in history, but many of the mages at Canterlot would remember her as the mother of modern magic, expanding the realm of it from not only the basic schools: Creation, Healing, Combat, and recreational, but to the areas of intelligence, teleportation, and so on.

Gold would stay good friends with he rest of the group, and would often find time to visit her friends, such as Rhuno, Night Vera, and Inysa.

[Arualsti]

Balm stepped out into the cool dusk, taking a breath of crisp mountain air, feeling better leaving the party early. He would gain nothing staying their for the duration, and time was of the essence. It was not yet late enough for shops to be closed, and he had a sizeable bag of gold as a reward from the Princesses. He pulled the medallion from his neck, then paused for a moment, then threw the heavy lump of metal in with the rest of the gold.

He travelled from shop to shop, buying what he would need to survive. He bought his first set of armour, simple leather that was a few sizes too big, and a cloak to cover the rest of him. A crystal pony was a rare sight outside of the Crystal Empire and he didn't doubt his hide was worth something to those from far away lands. He bought his first weapon too, a simple, long steel dagger, which he promised he would only use as an absolute last resort. He treated himself to a new saddle bag, one specifically tailored for alchemists, with many pockets and pouches for bottles and ingredients. He also bought new equipment, not because he needed it, but because he wanted it. He immediately felt guilty afterwards, at the thought of wasting the gold. He laughed at the idea of purchasing ingredients however, he knew that he could walked out of Canterlot and find half the ingredients on sale within an afternoon, and all for free. He bought a few more essentials, leaving the last shop with a flustered sales-pony who wanted nothing better for him to leave so that she could clean up.

He debated staying in Canterlot one more night, and start in the morning, but as he looked up to the castle and saw ponies slowly streaming out, he knew he should leave. They, especially Rhuno, would have the annoying habit of winding up In the inn as he, and he didn't want any questions. As the moon rose over the towers of Canterlot, full and bright, Balm exited the great doors of the city and made his way down the moutainside.

He arrived at the first road sign by midnight and already his hooves ached and his thighs were sore. He stared at the locations on the sign, 'Mothercloud' had been crudely scratched out. Balm swallowed down the hard lump forming in his throat, and decided to walk in the opposite direction. He travelled south, following the road to Manechester. The final destination was arbitrary really, what mattered was the ponies he had helped along the way.

2 A.D.

Balm saw the tall stone walls of Manechester in the distance. It was the biggest city he had seen since Canterlot, but the 2 couldn't be compared. Canterlot shone like the sun, perched upon a mountainside, with delicate white towers with golden roofs. Manechster was squat and low, spreading with the movements of the enviroment. Grey building with thatched roofs surrounded a castle in the centre, and Balm had been walking past farms and smaller settlements for days now. The ponies he had met so far had talked with strange accents, and gasped in surprised at his beautiful coat. He had not yet received any hostility within the borders of the land, unlike some of the dangers he had faced in the past year on the road. He wondered how much he has missed up in the airship, travelling distances in days that would usually take months on hoof, longer if you stopped at any hamlet, village, hold or city that you laid you eyes on. The first few months had been the hardest. He had to take the long winding road around the Everfree forest. At first he had protested the advice of the other ponies he had met on the road, dreaming of all the rare and powerful ingredients that the forest would hold. But as he saw ponies that did come out of the forest, often close to death with open wounds, or dehydration, or a poison of one form or another, he quickly realised the warnings were well founded. He did occasionally dare to wander n the outskirts, where the trees were still small and not so wild. His bravery often paid off, with a bounty of rare herbs, some of which he recognised, many more he didn't. He brewed and experimented as he travelled, often selling potions and new recipes at each town with an apothecary, buying new bottles with the profit. He gave potions to the more needy, healing ponies who needed it without ask for a bit in return. Sometimes they would offer lavish gifts instead, but all Balm ever asked was a bed for the night a small amount of food, if he knew they could spare it. He made a rather large bit of profit when the owner of a inn called The Star Buck took particular interest in the recipe for the hot brown potion he often made for himself in the mornings to help he feel more awake. The owner had instead on buying the recipe for a massive sum and not a penny less. Balm had agreed, and was able to fund the rescue of a town that had been ripped apart by an avalanche as a result.

By the time Manechester had come into sight, Balm had looked back on his time on the road. He had grown strong in his travels, his hoofs were tough and muscle had replaced fat. He would never be as strong or big as Eagle Blade, but he had surprised himself one night when a trio of bandits had attacked him one night. Balm had managed to not only fight them off, but also drag their unconscious bodies to the nearest towns guard tower. He had not yet wet his blade with any creatures blood, but he still kept it sharp and clean, just in case.

Balm half wanted just to turn around and head on to another city, helping ponies on the way again, but he knew that he needed to replace supplies, and even in the city there was a surplus of ponies in need. A surplus of ponies who might wish to do him harm too. As he passed through the city gate, he asked a guard about the areas of the city he should avoid. These were usually the poorest areas that would need help, Balm had thought to himself as the guard gave him a rather long list. Keeping his possessions firmly on his person and secure, he travelled to these parts of the city, buying from their shops, and discreetly giving potions to ponies who would die without them. The amount of dirty foals with sunken eyes and tight skin stretched over protruding ribs upset Balm. He bought several loaves of bread and blocks of cheese from a local vendor and gave some to the starving citezens. He would never have enough though, and as discreet as he was, there would always be thieves able to smell the money on him from miles away. The bright white of the midday sun gave way to the yellows of afternoon and the orange of dusk, and Balm found an inn in one of the richer districts of the city. He would stick out less there.

After a small, but delicious meal, Balm retired to bed, where a surprise was waiting for him.

A tall, slim unicorn sat on the chair by the window, observing the street below. He barely seemed to react to Balm entering the entering the room. “Hello Balm” He said in a calm voice. He did not have the accent of the region, having a refined and crisp Canterlot accent. “You're a hard pony to follow. Can't travel from A to B in a straight line, can you? Always getting distacted. I suppose you finally made it here though. As secretive you try to stay,you don't half draw attention to yourself.” Balm felt the urge to draw his sword. This pony unnerved him more than monsters and bandits. The unicorns horn flared, and Balm suddenly found himself naked, all his possessions now in a heap beside him. The sword and his saddlebags were grasped in a white magical aura and floating toward the unicorn “That's better now isn't it? Now we can talk without me worrying about getting a knife in my chest or a faceful of some horrendous concoction you have brewed up. Sit Balm” Balm did not move. “Please” the unicorn added, gesturing to the seat next to him. Balm walked cautiously to the unicorn and sat next to him. He was ice blue, his eyes were the same shade as a winter sky and his wavy mane was white. He caught Balm trying to catch a glimpse of his cutie mark and winked at him, making Balm feel unusually embarrassed.

“Who are you?” Balm asked, his voice shaking.

“I'm Elixir” the unicorn replied “I'm no pony important, really. You, are the important one. Balm, one of the saviours of Equestria, one of the Princesses elite”

Balm shook his head “You must be mistaken, i'm just a generous traveller” he said in a very unconvincing tone.
“Balm, let's not lie to each quite yet” Elixir said smoothly. “A crystal pony helping every bleeding heart he sees, with a satchel full of potions. Not to mention you are an exact likeness of your portrait in Canterlot. The artist there are truly wonderful, they captured that entrancing shine on your rump perfectly, unless of course you gave them all a good look before you left?” Balm blushed as Elixir continued “You are Balm alright, and I have a proposition for you

3 A.D.

The spires of the Crystal Empire were far on the horizon. Too close for Balm. The journey back north had been much quicker. For one, Elixir had insisted that he couldn't help every town he had heard about. The help Balm had given on his journey south had taken affect strongly. Ponies seemed to be helping others more. They had circumvented Canterlot as much as they could, much to Balm's amusement. Elixir had given Balm a very tempting offer. He and a small group of other ponies were looking to build a town. A haven of learning and reason, separate from the influence of the Princesses or King Sombra, or the new Sheik of Saddle Arabia. They had some of the best and brightest from all the fields of study Balm could think of, and man he could not, except for healing. In Elixirs own words 'Every pony else came up short, in one way or another'. Elixirs cryptic words had not meant much, only his insistence that ponies in the cold north of the Crystal Empire needed him more than the south. So Balm had followed him.

Elixir was a guarded pony. Balm was not sure how much more he knew about him than what he gave away on his first night. He was still unsure whether he could class Elixir as being good. He seemed to fall into the grey area that so many others did. He knew a lot about potion craft, but did not see much need in using it to help ponykind, instead creating potions with unusual or novelty effects that would benefit him alone. Like the night Balm had gotten the scare of a lifetime when a female version of Elixir had entered his tent to surprise him, or the potion he would occasionally slip into mare and stallions drinks at inns to persuade them to share his bed for the night. Balm was constantly on guard of his drink on nights like that. Elixir had propositioned him before, sometimes quite aggressively, but Balm had always turned him down, usually to the laughter of Elixir, as though the whole thing had been a joke.

The next day a run down fort appeared on the horizon. It was built on a hill overlooking a still lake, a crumbling wall surrounded a tiny crooked castle in the centre. But despite its appearance, the town was busy and pleasant. Houses had been fully erected on the east side, and the skeletons of half built houses filled the west side. Ponies worked on them, overseen by a large black earth pony in burgandy robes. Ponies greeted Elixir warmly as he passed, and even nodded politely to Balm. Elixir approached the black stallion with gusto.

“Elixir!” The pony bellowed “Aren't you a sight for sore eyes? Two years is too long for a wild pony chase” He noticed Balm at Elixir's side and laughed “You must be Balm, I hope you are ready to work as soon as possible. Refugees are entering the town every day and many bring sickness and injury with them. We have ponies like Elixir here who are skilled enough at alchemy and can bandage a wound, but none compare to you”

Balm was hurried into the castle and briefly introduced to only a few of the red robed 'elites', mostly those assigned to the healers. As Balm was almost thrown into the infirmary, he could tell how bad the temporary healers had been. The room stunk of rot and death and ponies lay in dirty cots, their bandages black with blood and yellow with pus. Balm resisted the temptation to cover his nose and block out the smell, instead nervously giving instructions to the rest of the healers and went to the pony nearest to him. The young mare had broken ankle. Balm could have set it in minutes, but it had been set incorrectly. Bone shards still poked out of the skin, half healed bone had twisted her hoof at a sickening angle. Balm fed her some numbing potion before snapping her ankle bone, cleaning away the dead flesh and resetting the bone. She would probably always walk with a limp, but at least she would walk again. Balm came into his element after the 5th patient, almost shouting at his assistants for more potions or clean water. Some had come in with wounds that would have healed better on their own than being brought into a dirty diseased riddled place such as this, others Balm knew he could not save, so he fed them a personal concoction to ease their passing. He worked into the night, vaguely aware that Elixir, now dressed in his burgundy robe, had come to watch him work a while. Balm ignored him, intent on getting the infirmary into an acceptable condition. No one was allowed to sleep until every inch of the room was cleaned. He assigned everyone a time at which they would need to check on patients vitals and change their bandages. Early the next morning, Balm finally collapsed in the corner of the room, his work done for the day, exhausted to the bone. He did not remember being carried to a bed, but he woke up in a small room, his possessions on the desk opposite, a clean burgundy robe on the chair. A young healer, who reminded Balm a little of himself was stood breathless at the door.

“There are more refugees sir, many of them are ill, one mare is close to giving birth” he said.

Balm gave some quick instructions, then jumped to his hooves and pulled on his burgundy robes. No rest for him today.


30 AD
It was a cold, bright day in Solstice, and Balm woke to the sound of bird song. Elixir snored gently beside him, the reek of alcohol on his breath. Balm hurried out of bed to the shower, washing his body gingerly. As he expected, Elixir joined him quickly, still drunk from the night before. He tenderly kissed Balm on the neck then mounted him without warning his teeth gripping Balm's mane for support. Almost as quickly as he started he was finished, pulling out of Balm roughly, his breath staggered. Elixir quickly cleaned his sticky manhood and left Balm wordlessly. He finished cleaning himself, sore from both last evenings and this mornings passion. He shrugged on his robe and made his morning rounds.

Balm was getting older with each passing day, he could feel it now. He was slower, and his body ached quicker. He had also started to fear death. Not the sort that comes at the sword or jaws of a beast, but the sort that peers over your shoulder for years and creeps into your soul, until you pass away alone and forgotten. Twenty years had passed since the evening he had first let Elixir share his bed, for fear that one day he would be too old to be wanted. And in those 10 years Balm still knew little about him. He still would lure stallions and mares much younger than himself into his bed, sometimes like last night, he would fall into Balm's bed as a last resort, and Balm was long past saying no. Other times, Elixir was as gallant and kind as his appearance would suggest. A few times he had appeared at Balm's door as a mare, and had let Balm mount her, until she fell pregnant. Unlike unicorn magic, Elixir had to keep drinking his gender change potion to keep the baby, but the stress on both their bodies was too much. Balm had helped deliver the baby much too early. It didn't survive the night. After that Elixir had taken to drinking too much and caring too little. He was meant to be one of the high councillors of Solstice now, but he spark he had for helping others had long since burned low.

Solstice had grown since Balm first arrived near 40 years ago. The castle still remained in the centre, but houses and markets had burst out from the walls and spread down the hills to the lake. The population was varied and strong, many of the older ponies having survived persecution of some form of another. Crystal ponies mingled with earth, pegasi and unicorn. Griffon defactors had settled in well as guardsmen and craftsmen. One even sat on the council. Even minotaurs and striped horses called zerbras were not an uncommon sight. Under Balm's careful eye, the infirmary had grown and Balm considered Solstice to be one of the healthiest towns in the land. But they were still only a stone's throw from the Crystal Empire and Sombra's growing influence. The Princesses, now fully in charge of Equestria, had sent envoys, and even separate Pegasi lords had their eyes on the town. Balm had always ensured he stayed out of the limelight, even turning down a council position, much to Elixirs anger. There was no need to make the town more of a target by making his presence known. One day the envoy could be Vera or Eagle, possible even Needlepoint. They would mean him no harm, but there would be no containing his secret after that.

43 AD

Sombra's power was growing.

The crystal ponies felt it.

The crystal ponies feared it.

He had sent soldiers disguised as refugees into the town, they attacked and took as many crystal ponies as they could contain, killing any that resisted. King Sombra had decreed all crystal ponies belonged to him, and they must return to him in chains or in a coffin. They dragged fillies from their mothers and old stallions wear weighed down with the weight of chains. Balm was ready to march upon the Empire himself if it meant he got a single pony out, and it was only Elixirs words that had stopped him. He was needed here. He was one of the head teachers of the College of Solstice, the centre of non magical learning in all of the pony lands. Elixir instead helped mass the fighters of Solstice, in case they attacked again. Which they did. They came with a force big enough to capture or kill every crystal pony several times over. They only killed those who got in their way, they only wanted the crystal ponies. Balm was in his office when they attacked. Elixir had grabbed him wordlessly, lifting him in a magical aura when he resisted. Balm tried to grab his sword, the same weapon he had bought those many years ago, but Elixir pulled him away, and up toward the astronomy tower. He dragged Balm in and blasted some magic at the door lock, fusing it shut. Balm leapt up behind him and tried the door, but it wouldn't budge.

“Why won't you let me fight?” He shouted at Elixir “Those are my people out there, the ones that are being chained, I must help!”

“No!” Elixir almost screamed back “I can not lose you Balm. I just can not. I can't let them chain you and break you. I can't let Sombra use you as leverage against Equestria if he ever finds out who you are. You must remain safe. You must stay here!”

Elixir lifted Balm in his magic as easily as if he were a baby dragging him up the tower properly, magically locking every door along the way. As they finally made it to the domed telescope room, Elixir blasted the trap door shut and forced Balm against the wall. There was a rack affixed there, which held several pieces of stargazing equipment. It was there Elixir bound Balm with magical ropes. Finally, he collapsed into Balm's lap, sobbing into his chest. No words were passed between them, just tears.

They didn't hear the first door fall, or the second. But they both heard the cracking wood of the third door, and the shouts of soldiers climbing up the stairs. Neither knew how they knew to come up the tower, but it didn't matter now. They must have had flash fire or axes, or maybe a unicorn had joined their ranks as the doors were barely holding them. They would be upon them in only a few minutes.

Elixir turned to Balm and mouthed 'I'm sorry'

His hooves pressed against Balm's throat, and only became more persistent as Balm struggled. Balm could feel the pressure growing in his head and a fire in his lungs as he struggled the breathe. The panic didn't last long. He could feel the calm creeping into his body as the darkness creeped into his eyes. He felt oddly at peace now. He would let the darkness come.


The soldiers were true to their word and did not harm Elixir. The crystal pony was dead and that was good enough for them. They returned with all the crystal ponies from Solstice, either in a chain gain or as blood on their swords. Less than 10 years later the Princesses had banished Sombra, but the Crystal Empire and every crystal pony went with it. Solstice survived and recovered, and became stronger than it ever was, growing with every generation, the college producing some of the best scientific minds in the land.

Elixir did not live long enough to see the Empire freed. Some say he was just old, others said the drink had got him, others noted the poisons missing from the college store about the same time a his death.

Balm had been remembered at least, his name, along with Elixirs had been added to the founders stone, a rock immortalising all of the earliest elites of Solstice. He was only a name now, his legacy all but forgotten to a few.

[Arualsti]

Needlepoint and Wind both woke up the next day, their heads sore and buzzing. They lazily dressed, their manes ruffled and sticking up in odd ways. They groaned and lent on each other as they made their way down to the kitchens, looking for some food and water to make them feel better. They were going to leave in the afternoon. Vera had organised 2 royal chariots to take Needle, Wind, Flotsam and Jetsam back to Wisp, and they couldn't miss them.

The head cook begrudgingly gave them a bowl of dry oats each and a jug of water. They both practically inhaled the oats and fought over the water. Suddenly a great clock in the hall rang out. 12 times.

“Shit!” Wind exclaimed. They were scheduled to leave in quarter of an hour. They spread their wings and took off so quickly they left trails behind them. They pulled up quickly by their room and started packing. Needlepoint neatly placed all her possessions into a chest, whilst Wind threw everything in as fast as she could. Within 10 minutes they were packed. They grabbed their chests in their teeth and struggled to take off. They strained as the reached the stairs to the landing platform.

As Wind tugged one more time and flew onto the platform, she saw one chariot take off, the other still on solid ground, though the pegasi looking extremely annoyed. Wind left her case, which promptly fell back down the stairs and would have flattened Needle if she hadn't taken off, leaving her case to fall down the stairs too. Wind flew to the guards and explained and apologised profusely, whislt Needlepoint sheepishly asked some porters to retrieve their cases. Within 10 minutes they were off, hot on the heels of Flotsam and Jetsam.

Within an hour or so they were flying side by side with the other chariot, though communiation between the 2 chariots was impossible with the roar of the wind. They flew slower than they would have alone, and stopped every night on small clouds to sleep and eat. Within 3 long weeks, Wisp was in sight, the village hadn't changed since Needle had left. Ponies were gathered waiting for them, foals flying ahead to meet them. They tackle hugged Needle with such force she flew off the back of the chariot.

3 AD

Wisp was growing, though very slowly. Thousands of pegasi were being displaced, and a few of them had flown as far south as Wisp. At first the locals met them with distrust, but after they had proved themselves like Needle had, they were welcomed with open hooves. Needle returned to doing odd jobs and teaching the foals to fly, whilst Wind helped organise the new citizens of Wisp and create the first militia of Wisp, which officially policed the citizens and protected them from wild animals. There was a grand total of 4 of them, Wind included, but she couldn't be happier. She trained them hard, and helped extend the safety of Wisp's borders. They were both content, save for one thing...

5 AD

“Vera!” Wind exclaimed, flying up to great her sister. It had been the first time they had been able to visit. They had been busy, then the baby had come. The trip from Canterlot to Wisp was long, especially for a young foal. But now the young was old enough to come flying down to meet Wind, albeit shakily 'Auntie Wind, Auntie Needlepoint!' he squeaked.

They stayed for a month and a half, enjoying relaxing on Wisp's sunny beaches and swimming in it's blue waters. Needle took the colt out daily in her flying classes, giving Vera and Inysa blissful peace.

On the last day, Wind approached the pair with a request. It was about time her and Wind had a foal of their own, and she knew they had the magic to make it possible.

Later that night, after they had said their goodbyes, Wind nervously snuggled up to Needle. 'Needle, my dear, I have a suprise'

She pulled off her loose linen sleeping gown to reveal the thick, black, and very much erect stallionhood where her soft pink marehood had once been. Needle shrieked in horror and took off, clinging to the light fixture.

'Needle, come down' Wind pleaded 'it's fine, it's safe, it won't hurt you'

As she talked her penis bounced along. Needle's shrieks turned to laughter 'is that Vera's work?' she giggled.

'Inysa...' Wind said dejectedly.

Needlepoint continued to laugh as she floated back down.

21 AD

'Satin! Put your brother down!' Wind shouted at her daughter, Satin Stitch, who held her 7 year old brother, Breeze, out the window.

'Cross Stitch, Cross Stitch, Cross Stitch' he chimed in a sing song voice. She snorted at him in anger. To his credit, it was a very excellent nickname.

'Breeze, stop teasing your sister!' Needle followed up. Satin Stitch had been born by her, nearly 16 years ago, and Breeze had been born by Wind a few months after Vera and Insya's last visit. Sometimes they would privately joke that if they had known that the laughter of foals was actually more like the shouting of foals, they wouldn't have bothered.

Wisp had grown bigger in the past decade. It's location made it an ideal spot for highborn pegasi to come and relaxed. With them, they brought gold and business, and soon Wisp was a bustling port town. Wind still headed the local militia which had also grown in size, and Needle still taught fillies and colts to fly, especially the ones of those on holiday. They lived a fairly easy life, full of love and laughter, and reaped the rewards of Wisp's prosperity. Flotsam had retired, and Jetsam had taken over the lead of Wisp. He was a good leader, as good as his father, but he still glared at Wind when they passed in the street. Satin had found herself the centre of attention whenever the holiday season started. She was still technically of high born blood, and now from a profitable family too. She would make an excellent match for maybe the third son of a pegasi family, who would otherwise have little to inherit. Needle guarded her daughter from this as best she could, but she was as pretty as her mother and loved the attention of males. Needle had to admit that she was very smart though, and could look after herself. Breeze took more after his mother, Wind. Headstrong and bold, he was destined to become the militia captain too, Wind was certain.

80 AD

Needle was old, her wings were weak and withered and she was almost blind. She has grand children and great grand children and a great great grandchild was on the way. That was what she was holding on for. To see that little foal look up at her. Her children had grown up to do great things. Breeze had become the head of Wisp's city guard, and Satin has surprised everyone by becoming a royal librarian in Canterlot. Their lineage now had unicorn, earth and pegasi all mixed in, and they spread far out over Equestria.

Wind had died 5 years earlier, she was old too. Years of fighting had caught up with her, and she left peacefully. Needle was glad she had gone first, she did not want her to have seen how Needle had become. Unable to fly, unable to walk, barely able to see. She got so confused sometimes. She would sometimes still think Wind was around, or that she was young again. But then she would catch herself in the mirror and see her grey mane and loose, wrinkled skin. This was no way for a pony to live, alone and scared.

Two weeks later she got to see her first great, great grandaughter, a pink filly who had Wind's eyes.

'Wind, look! She has your eyes.' Needle said to no one.

She died a few days later.

She was not buried, that was not the Wisp way. She lay in a boat filled with blue and green flowers, her sword fell across her chest. When Needle had first seen a Wisp funeral, a single bowman had shot a flamingly arrow at the boat, which would float out to see. Now, as hundreds of ponies gathered by the habour, dozens of unicorns sent up tiny sparks of fire, which illuminated the night sky like a firework. They fell like snow on the boat, and Needle's burning body drifted off toward Wind.

[Cloudchaser]

Vera and Inysa had decided to sleep in for the first time in many years, in the morning they had some fun with naughty things. Vera had requested the lovers room for her and Inysa so it had all kinds of kinky costumes and toys that one could think of and Vera got to enjoy a small show from Inysa in various outfits before they got down in bed and made each other orgasm until the bed sheets were dripping of sweet and love juices. They huddled up in each other's embrace for a little while before they got into the shower together after which they headed out to grab a late breakfast. By now everyone but Rhuno had probably left Canterlot to seek out their destinies, Vera wondered when she would see one of her friends again, Wind had promised to catch up but knowing that filly she'll be busy with all sorts of things so they would have to probably visit herfirst. Shortly after breakfast they headed down to the academy, her students were glad to have their teacher back and they had a lot of questions for both her and Inysa. They had ponies of all ages, gender and race in the academy and a lot of the younger fillies were bouncing around them bugging them to hear the stories of how they stopped Starswirl and what Vera would do now that she was a Princess. The older students and tutors started to shove the eager fillies away to get back to their practice but Vera figured that since she'd be a mother in a few months time she might as well start telling stories to her students as practice and she stopped her tutors and told them all to settle down because she would tell a little bit about her travels and life for now. Inysa decided she'd write down Vera's life story and in the months to come everyday at lunch and dinner Vera and Inysa would re-tell their stories and even the older students couldn't help but be intrigued.

3 AD

It had now been a few months since Vera and Inysa's first child was born, it had been a male pegasi and they named him Stormy after his ability to pick up flight and storm around the mansion and causing havoc to the maids and servants while Inysa tried to catch her son since Vera was still recovering from the birth, eventually Inysa managed to grab her son and take him back to his mother since it was lunch time. Vera was lying on a couch in the garden, enjoying the stillness and silence, she had never imagined raising a pegasi filly was such tiring work and whenever she could she got Inysa to watch him when she needed to rest a bit, long nights were a common now and they took turns on checking what it was that Stormy was crying about in the night. Vera slipped into meditation and she didn't notice the time flying away as suddenly she felt something bump into her and start clinging to her and climbing all over her, she opened her eyes and saw her sons eyes look into her but upside down, he was hovering above her head and Vera heard her mate panting behind her. "Stormy get down from your mother's head, it's lunch time and you're a growing filly and need every bit of nutrition you can get if you want to grow as strong as your mother and her sister." Inysa commanded and the filly's smile turned into a frown and he just said "Fiiine" and fluttered down to Vera's teats for his lunch meal, he drank big gulps and when he felt himself full he smacked his mouth at Inysa who nodded at him and he was instantly back to soaring around the garden, sniffing all the flowers and chasing butterflies and whatever else he found curious. Inysa sat down and cuddled close to Vera as they watched their son being chased by a angry looking Bumblebee. "You gave birth to a wonderful son, Vera. I can't wait to see what he decides to do when he grows up." Inysa said and Vera nodded her agreement.

5 AD.

2 year later their filly was now 3 years old and able to fly longer stretches on his own and he wasn't dependant on mother's milk any more and had started to eat proper food. Today was a special day for the Vera family, they were to visit Night Vera's sister Wind Catcher and her mate Needlepoint at Wisp, it was the first family vacation and Stormy's first major trip outside of Canterlot. Stormy was bouncing up and down on his parents bed about 4 hours before they were due to leave, they woke with a groan and asked what's up. "WHAT'S UP?! WHAT'S UP?! Have you two forgotten we're to visit Auntie Wind and Auntie Needle today?!" Vera groaned from sleepiness before she looked at the clock, it was 4 hours until they would get ready to leave. "Honey, it's 4 hours until we're going to get ready to leave, believe me I'm just as excited as you to meet my sister for the first time in 3 years but please go back to bed, we're not leaving earlier than out transport is scheduled, your father and I don't have wings so we can't fly there ourselves otherwise we would have." Stormy blushed a bit and stopped bouncing on the bed, he stood in silence for a little bit before he looked at his mother again. "Can I.. uh.. sleep with you and dad for the rest of the night? My room is so dark and scary and I can't sleep." Inysa had tried to go back to sleep but after hearing her sons request she looked at Vera who looked at her and they both sighed and Inysa lifted the sheets so he could cuddle down in between them and they all drifted back to sleep, Vera and Inysa cuddling each other with their filly sandwiched in between them.

“Vera!” Wind exclaimed, flying up to great her sister. It had been the first time they had been able to visit. They had been busy, then the baby had come. The trip from Canterlot to Wisp was long, especially for a young foal. But now the young was old enough to come flying down to meet Wind, albeit shakily 'Auntie Wind, Auntie Needlepoint!' he squeaked.

They stayed for a month and a half, enjoying relaxing on Wisp's sunny beaches and swimming in it's blue waters. Needle took the colt out daily in her flying classes, giving Vera and Inysa blissful peace.

On the last day, Wind approached the pair with a request. It was about time her and Wind had a foal of their own, and she knew they had the magic to make it possible.

15 AD

Vera and Inysa had decided about a year back that it was time for Inysa to bear a foal as well and like Inysa had impregnated Vera it was Vera who impregnated Inysa and now a year later their second child was born, a unicorn whom they named Silverlay, she had inherited Vera's mother's mane colour and Inysa's grey coat so she looked like she was almost made out of silver. Stormy was now 11 years old and was being nudged into the living room where a newly arrived Inysa and her little sister were waiting, Stormy who was usually a very social pony was resisting his mother's attempt at pushing him in and eventually Vera grew tired and just grabbed him in a levitation spell and put him down in front of where Silverlay was sleeping peacefully on her mother's hind leg. "Come on don't be shy, say hello to your new little sister, Stormy." Inysa said assuringly, Stormy was fixated on his sister, he had never seen an almost newly born filly before and it made him curious. He shifted closer and closer until his nose was inches away from Silverjay when she suddenly opened her mouth and burped into his face making him tumble backwards into Vera. "Haha, sorry honey. She just had her first meal and fell asleep after it, babies tend to burp a lot so I wouldn't advise putting your nuzzle right in her face." Inysa giggled and watched on amusingly on Stormy's second attempt, this time he approached from the side and poked his sister a little before he beamed up and started chatting with her about all the fun stuff he'd show her when she grew older.

30 AD

Stormy was now 26 years old and had just completed his military training, Silverlay was now 15 years old and had grown up to be more like her mother. The silent but smart one, she had been enrolled into Celestia's school for gifted unicorns and was about to graduate in a few days but she was together with her parents Night Vera who was 54 and Inysa who was 46 and they were attending Stormy's graduation. Stormy had graduated at the top of his class and been promoted several times thanks to his excellent sense for tactics, it was a big day for them. Vera was beaming with pride for her son who had chosen to follow in his mother's footsteps, Celestia was personally attending the ceremony and made sure that Vera and Inysa had front row seats.

75 AD

Vera was growing old, she was a year from hitting 100, Inysa was 91. Stormy now 71 had found a mare 20 years ago that he loved and settled down with her and they had gotten a child together, their first grand child was 20 years old and still living in Stormy and his wife's house and together with Silverlay now 60 and her husband and their children who were various ages between 10-25, she had gotten the fertile genes of the family and had given birth to twins twice. They all sat and talked in Vera's mansion's garden as their children were hanging out with each other, Silverlay who had always been a beautiful mare was talking with her parents about her child hood together with Stormy, Vera whipped out the old story of when Silverlay burped in Stormy's face. Stormy rolled his eyes as his sister nudged him a bit before giving him a big old sisterly hug which he returned, he may be a general in Celestia's army but he still loved his little sister who had burped in his face the first day they met. Vera and Inysa smiled and giggled at them, both of them were starting to feel age take it's toll and they both knew they didn't have long left before they passed away.

85 AD

Vera was now 109 years, Inysa 101 and both were on the last year of their life but they held on a little longer for Silverlay's grand child to be born and they all had one last big family meet up. Stormy already had grand children and he was growing quite old himself just like Silverlay. It was the last family meet up they would have before the age of chaos started and their family would be split and the bloodline trace would be lost in the ensuing chaos.

86 AD

Vera and Inysa had died within a few months of each other, Inysa had lived to see Stormy's great grand child be born before she passed away, Celestia and Luna had declared a day for mourning in Equestria as the funeral for Vera and Inysa were being held. Celestia and Luna both held speeches at the funeral, recounting the many feats they had made and how Vera had grown into a sister for them, Rhuno was attending the funeral as well. In the years of chaos to come Vera's academy stood as a hollow ground unaffected, her and Inysa's elements of harmony had rooted themselves under it and protected anyone within it's walls from the chaos magic of Discord.

Future after Discord.

Vera's bloodline trace had been lost as her family split apart and spread across the land, her great grandchildren and their children had lost knowledge about their heritage and with the 114 years to come it became mixed with all races of pony and the bloodline back to Vera and Inysa became mumbled and forgotten and some even found relationships within the bloodlines of the other heroes from Dragost and Starswirl's betrayal time. Yet there was one who would come to redeem the bloodline and begin it anew, her name would be Wind Rose..

[Guest]

Rhuno woke up in his new quarters within the castle, very very drowzy. He made his way down to the kitchen to eat breakfast, where he found out that Wind and Needle had already left for Wisp. He was sad that he was not able to say goodbye, but he knew he would see them again. It still sucked though, knowing that it would be a while till that happened. Vera and Inysa were still in there room, sleeping after a night of... well... lets not go into that... thankfully Rhuno had ear muffs in his room that he had asked for just in case. Balm had left the night before without anyone knowing, and that puzzled Rhuno. He knew that Balm wanted to see the world and help it, but he did not know that Balm would leave to go on that path right away! Rhuno hoped that he would see Balm again someday.

...

Oh time. You can be a cruel cruel thing.

It was a bright sunny day. Birds chirped in the trees and flowers were in full bloom. The gardens of Canterlot were filled with life. A lone figure stood within them, facing a memorial. The memorial depicted 5 ponies and minotaur. The large figure stood, covered in a dark robe, his features hidden underneath. A single tear made its way down the protuding white muzzle, then fell and hit the ground. 

It has been so many years since I've seen your faces. So many years since I have heard your voices. Oh what I would give to tell your one more joke, to share another meal with you, to share another adventure. Well... it is that day of the year again. The day we celebrated our victory over Starswirl. Anyway... I just wanted to come by and say hi. I know you all must be having a hell of a time wherever you are. I wish I could join you... but I must wait for my time, just like you all did. Well... I best be back off to living and stuff. Yup. You lot just keep my spot open at the table, ok?


The figure walked up and placed his hand on the memorial. Another tear fell. The figure then left the garden, heading back to the castle.

...

Things were not well in Rhuno's world. Sometime after the fall of Discord, something had changed in Luna. She no longer was the happy princess she used to be. Whenever Rhuno questioned her on the matter, she would shrug it off, telling him everything was fine. But it was not. She was depressed. She kept to herself most of the day and night. Something was not right.

...

Rhuno had just returned to Canterlot from quite the journey. Every year, he would spend a month traveling from Canterlot to Wisp, to Cloudsdale, to Solstice, and back so he could pay respects to his long passed friends. He had found out about Balm's final resting place when he had visited Solstice once and found his name on the founders stone, no pony but him knowing how that name meant to the world. Only one last stop was needed, and that was in the Canterlot cemetery. He was in no rush to return to the castle, since before he left for his trip he and Luna had not been in the best of terms.

Rhuno made his way down the rows of headstones, until he found himself before a small statue. It was that of two unicorns, both in a loving embrace. Engraved on the front were the names Night Vera and Inysa.

"Huh, another year has passed since you've been gone. Funny how time flies ain't it? Well, just wanted to come pay my respects again, as usual. Got you guys some more nice flowers. I know how much you two loved the smell of fresh flowers."

Rhuno placed the bouquet at the base of the statue.

"Well, I best get back to guarding Ms. Grumpypants. I hope she is feeling better since the last time I saw her."

Before Rhuno could turn around to leave however, a drowsiness came over him. A very strong feeling of sleep.

"Wha? Why am I so tired all of a-" Rhuno let out as he fell to the ground, unconscious.

...

Rhuno found himself in some sort of ethereal realm. But that is not what had his attention. What had it were the two unicorns standing in front of him. His eyes filled up with tears as he grabbed the two and brought them into a hug.

"Oh how I have missed you two so much! All of you!"

The two let him hug it out, until his tears subsided and he finally let the two down.

"We have missed you as well Rhuno, but this meeting is not for old times sake. Our elements have given us the power so we may tell you something very important." Vera stated.

"Luna is not the mare she used to be. She has been in relation with the very dark force we battled back at Dragost. It has slowly been manipulating her, making her feel worthless and unloved. We need you to bring this to light." Inysa added.

"I knew something was not right with her as of late! I will get Celestia and we will confront Luna."

"NO!" Vera stopped Rhuno. "You cannot do that! Remember? Only with the elements of harmony were we able to defeat that thing! You must leave Luna be! You first must re gather the elements!"

"Well, how am I supposed to do that? They disappeared after Discord was taken down."

"Well lucky for you, we know who one of the next bearers is going to be." Inysa chimed in. "A pony of our bloodline is one of the next elements. You must find this pony and help him find his element. Not sure about the rest of the elements... but at least this is a start. Find him, and the rest should fall into place. Friendship is magic, remember?"

"Indeed I do guys. Indeed I do."

Rhuno grabbed them both in another big hug, getting as much contact in as possible before letting them go. He started to feel dizzy again. 

"Guess it's just about time to go huh?"

"Indeed Rhuno. We really do miss you. Remember this, we are always watching, and we are waiting. We do have that seat waiting for you at the dinner table, with the rest of us. Balm even shows up on occasion! But till then Rhuno, good luck." Vera answered, as Rhuno felt himself losing consciousness yet again.

...

Rhuno awoke, finding himself alone in the cemetery. He got up, brushed himself off, and made his way to the castle.

Rhuno arrived in the throne room, to find Celestia perusing important documents and the like. He made his way up to her and made a bow.

"What brings Rhuno here today to see me may I ask?" Celestia inquired as she continued reading the documents.

"Since I am guessing Luna has herself locked up in her room for the day, I felt it necessary to let you know that I am resigning as Luna's personal bodyguard."

Celestia dropped the document and stared at him, somewhat in shock. "What?"

"You heard me correctly Princess. Something has come up, and I need time for myself to see it out. All I can say is this. Someone from the past has given me a task which must be dealt with."

Rhuno leaned in closer, which caused Celestia to react by leaning in as well.

"My task deals with the elements of harmony and a certain force which we thought defeated long ago." Rhuno whispered.

Celestia jumped back in her seat. "What!? Well tell me everything! We must get on this at once!"

"Sorry Celestia. But I cannot do that. It would just endanger us all. The less people that know, the better. I will let you know this. Vera said this to me. She talked to me when I visited her grave today. Believe in your sister Celestia."

Celestia sighed. She had not heard that name in a long time. Her life was a long and busy one, and things would tend to slip through the cracks. Some which she wish never would.

"And one more thing Celestia, you cannot tell Luna about this. In her not so happy state, she would be a perfect target for this force. I do not want her to know of it, knowing she would wish to take action against it. This is between you and me. Ok?"

"You have my word Rhuno."

"Good. Now I will be leaving right away. I shall acquire essentials needed for the road before I go. This quest will be like finding a needle in a haystack, so I do not know how long I will be gone. I shall see you when I return your majesty."

"Best wishes go with you Rhuno. May your journey be safe." Celestia expressed as Rhuno turned and made his way out of the throne room.

...

Rhuno stood just outside the cities wall, the gates slowly closing behind him. He wore a simple green robe, which covered his entirety to hide who he was. On his back was a large pack, containing food and essentials for the journey ahead. On his sides were two small hand axes. He had trained in all kinds of weapons and tactics back when Vera was still alive. Having a friend as the leader of the Shadow Guild had its benefits. He would be a shadow, albeit a large one. It took much more care to go unseen when he was not a pony, but it could be done, as long as he drew little attention to himself. Rhuno stumbled a bit as he took his first step, the pack weighing heavy on his back.

"Not as spry as I used to be, heh." Rhuno chided himself.

Well Vera and Inysa. This is it. The beginning of another adventure. I wish you two were here to share it with me, same goes for Wind, Needle, Eagle, Gold, and Balm. I will see you guys soon, but for now, lets see what more I can do before I leave this world for the next, eh?


And with that, Rhuno began his way down the path, the sun at his back, the clouds in the sky, and all of Equestria laid out before him.

[Cloudchaser]

Arc 2 all done and wrapped up, good job people. Onto Arc 3 after new year.

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