***

"War, sister. I can scarcely believe it."
Princess Luna, The Avatar of Albion.

***

Fluttershy.

“You have to kill me - don't you understand? If you don't kill me, I’ll kill. I… I don't… I can’t. Please. Stop me.”

“If you insist.”

***

Throne room, Canterlot Palace, May 6th. Year 3 of the New Diarchy Calendar.

Celestia approached her throne slowly, thinking about everything she had heard. Her decisiveness disappeared for a moment as memories came flooding back - the blood and fire of conflicts she had seen over her eleven thousand years.

War is not easy, she thought. But if it was easy, it wouldn't be real.

Her decision made, she stepped forward. Her horn glowed, and the cushion of the great seat slid away, as a long golden glaive rose from beneath the throne. Though it had not been drawn for a thousand years, the weapon was untouched by time, gleaming and resplendent. Carvings of fiery maned ponies crossed the blades and sculpted flames licked the tip of the glaive's spear. This was her blade - the Astra di Irae, the star of war. She had reformed it herself - it had begun life as the Regalia di Irae, a sword known as the weapon of kings, but she had reworked the weapon into a glaive, matching her own preferred style. With a clang, the butt of the handle smashed into the floor before her, held upright in her telekinetic grip. She inspected it, nodding slightly at the condition of the weapon.

“So you've made your decision, then,” the familiar voice of Discord said from behind her.

“I have,” Celestia replied without turning.

“I'd comment about the fact that you sit with a sharp phallic object under your plot,” Discord said scathingly, “but I'm more inclined to comment about how insane the idea of you entering this conflict is. It's a bad idea! It's the bad idea, definite article, capital letters, italicised font!”

Celestia turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised at his hyperbole. As if to illustrate his point, he had snapped a claw and a heavy, leather-backed book appeared in his paw, where he turned it to a page showing the words "BAD IDEA" next to a picture of the two of them stood in this room, and showed it to her.

"I would rather be known as the Princess who took a stand when faced with evil than the Princess who cowered when others suffered," Celestia replied simply, ignoring his antics. “The days are gone when I would let others suffer because a war was not my own.”

“You have the power to ignore i-” Discord started.

“No,” Celestia said. “I may have the power… but I do not have the right. You forget, Discord - I have fought Tyrants before.”

Discord sighed. “This is a little different.”

Celestia snorted. “It is no different. Divine Right, Sombra, this Solamina - Tyrants cannot be satisfied until all the world kneels prone at their hooves.” She tapped the glaive against the floor. “The pragmatic choice is to fight. If this Solamina broke one world, whatever her reasons, then she will seek to break more. Possibly even ours, if she can. And then, if and when she does so… she will offer a compromise that is not one at all.”

“Of the ‘Give us everything and we don’t kill you’ kind?” Discord asked.

Celestia nodded. “Exactly.”

“Ah. This is a pre-emptive strike,” Discord realized.

“Partially, perhaps,” Celestia admitted. She hefted the glaive experimentally. “But the real reason? These humans… they have suffered so far, beyond belief, beyond anything I have seen. I have the power to end that. And I can - and will - use it.”

“You mean change it,” Discord said.

“I know what I say,” Celestia said.

Discord sighed, snapping the book from existence - he knew a lost cause when he fought one, especially with her.

“I take it you summoned Luna,” Celestia said after a moment.

“Yeah, Lulu should be on her way,” the Draconequus said quietly. He sighed. “And now I’d better go - I expect you'll want me to go find a way to send your troops there.”

“I suspected you would have that ability,” Celestia said with a slight smile. “You did claim to have encountered these beings before.”

“In a manner of speaking,” Discord retorted. He raised a claw. “I’ll help you. But this is a bad idea. Pre-emptive or not, you're in way over your head.”

“Your opinion,” Celestia said, “is noted.”

He disappeared in a flash, leaving Celestia alone.

***

Guestroom, Canterlot Palace.

The human lay on the bed, his eyes closed. He didn't seem to have registered the presence of Discord, who was observing him with a grim expression, but Discord knew that he knew the Draconequus was there.

“Did you come just to stare at me?” the human asked after a moment.

“Yeah,” Discord admitted. “You're the one who’s come to wreck the status quo around here, after all. Time was, that was my job.”

The human sat up, looking at Discord with a surprised expression.

“Well,” he said. “You're… new.”

“Indeed?” Discord said with a raised eyebrow. “I would have thought you'd have heard of me. I am rather distinctive.”

“Who are you?” the human asked.

Discord sniffed, feeling moderately offended. “I’ll have you know, I’m very famous on Equus.”

“Yeah, well, I’m from Earth,” the human said with a wry smile.

The Draconequus raised an eyebrow, and then made a pose. “Discord - sower of chaos, doer of deeds, maker of chocolate rain.”

“Oh… I had heard of you,” the human said, nodding in comprehension. “Gotta say, though,” he added, waving a hand in Discord’s direction, "seeing is an entirely different matter.”

“On that, you and I can agree,” Discord said, before walking up to Elliot and staring him in the face. “Ooh, that's a nasty case of magic burnout you're developing there…”

“Yeah,” the human said, frowning at the Draconequus slightly. “I know.”

“And do you know how long you've got left?” Discord asked, grinning a slightly nasty grin. The human, to his credit, didn't seem perturbed, save a narrowing of the eyes.

“Enough time,” he said coolly. “I would hope.”

“Ah, but time enough to do what?” Discord asked, still smiling. “That, I guess, is the question.”

“To do what I have to,” the human replied simply. “What’s it to you?”

Discord’s smile remained in place. “I’ve a vested interest in this world. Let’s just say, I’ve invested a lot of time and effort into it, and would hate for it to be wasted because of one human popping up.”

The human narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t ask Celestia to offer me her help. Actually, I wanted her to send me back home, end of.”

“Is that so?” Discord asked, his smile fading slightly. “Well, she always was too reckless for her own good when you gave her a cause - reminds me of more than a few folks I’ve known over the eons.”

The human folded his arms. “Did you come in here just to irritate me?”

“No,” Discord replied at once. “I came in here to get information.”

Unimpressed, the human nodded. “And did you get what you wanted?”

“We shall see,” Discord said, smiling slightly. “We shall see.”

And in a flash, he was gone, leaving the human alone. Without another word, the displaced man went back to lying down.

***

Throne room, Canterlot Palace.

When she walked into the throne room to see her sister armed with her ancient glaive, a look of cold determination upon her face, Princess Luna was rightfully concerned.

It had been a long time since Luna had seen that particular kind of determination on her sister's face. There had been many occasions in their past where such an expression had appeared: it had been the expression on Celestia's face when the mad King Divine Right had declared his intention to defeat her and conquer Equestria for his own. It had been her expression during the First Discordant Age, when Discord had unleashed a horde of monstrous abominations upon Equestria.

It had been her expression when Luna, maddened and tainted by the forces of the Heart of the World, had faced her on the field of battle at the head of an army.

To see that expression now… did not bode well. It was an expression for conflict, an expression for times when they would be tested. It was not an expression Luna enjoyed seeing.

"Sister," she said softly. "You summoned us?"

"I did," Celestia replied, smiling slightly, though her eyes still blazed with that determination. "I thought it best you should hear what I had to say."

Luna nodded slowly. “Alright - I’m listening.”

Celestia sighed. “Where to begin…?” She looked at the floor, her eyes closed. “I spoke with him.”

“With the human?” Luna asked, frowning slightly. “What did he tell you?”

Celestia didn’t answer for a long moment, and Luna found herself wondering just how bad whatever she was about to hear was - Celestia and Luna had both seen enough horrors that Luna could have sworn they could no longer be surprised.

“The name Astra Solamina Maxima,” Celestia said eventually. “Do you remember what you said? That only one mare could ever have the right to hold that name?”

“Yes?” Luna said, frowning.

Celestia looked her younger sister right in the eyes. “You were right.”

***

Doctor Hooves’ home, May 6th. Year 3 of the New Diarchy Calendar.

“And you’re sure it said ‘humans’?!” the Doctor said, eyes wide as he listened to Ditzy speak.

“Yes,” Ditzy said with a nod. “H-U-M-A-N-S.”

The brown-maned stallion blinked, turned in a circle, blinked again, ran a hoof through his mane and then tapped his chin.

“Humans,” he thought to himself. “Well. That… is… a…”

“Do you know what they are?” Ditzy asked, tilting her head.

“Depends on whether this human is the source of the dimensional disturbance!” the Doctor said, turning back to his device. “Do you have any idea how bad that could potentially turn out to be? No, silly question, of course not.” He grabbed the device. “Dimensional traveller? Dimensional invader? Maybe a vanguard? Or maybe a refugee? No, no, this is all too speculative. I have to speak to the human. And what if there isn’t one?”

“Doc.” Ditzy said slowly, “maybe you should slow down?”

He looked at her. “Slow down?”

“Yeah - maybe it’s not some big emergency,” Ditzy said with a smile. “It could be nothing.”

The Doctor blinked at her, and then slowly nodded. “Maybe this isn’t such a big deal.”

***

Throne room, Canterlot Palace.

A war, fought on another world by humans and free ponies, united in common cause against a mare who had once been Princess Celestia. Luna could not believe what she was hearing - but she knew it was true. Her sister had never lied to her, not like this, not about this kind of horror. The Lunar Diarch rolled the information around her head.

“While it is tragic… it is not our war, sister,” she said slowly, trying to be delicate. “You have heard the human’s tale, of the tribulations and monstrosities. Would it be right to subject our little ponies to such a conflict, knowing that it was one we could avoid?"

"We thought so once before," Celestia replied. "Mol Cassar, remember?"

Luna scowled. The reminder was an especially sore point with her. "We did the right thing then. That Sombra used our inaction as an excuse to rile his Empire into war against us…"

"Luna," Celestia said softly, cutting her off. "Would you really choose to stay out of this fight, knowing what we could do - knowing that we could do something?"

Luna sighed, looking at the ground for a moment in thought before looking up at her sister.

"No," she said softly. "I would not. If this is the path that you shall walk then I shall walk beside you."

"We are agreed then," Celestia said with a firm nod and a smile. "It's time."

“Indeed,” Luna replied. “War looms over our realm once more.”

“Not just ours Luna.” Celestia walked up to an open window that revealed the sky over Canterlot, leaving Luna waiting for her next move. “This war looms over our whole world. This tyrant is not satisfied with her own Equestria. She invaded a world and has driven it close to annihilation. What is to say that she cannot or will not attack our own.” Celestia turned back to Luna. “This isn’t just our fight, just as it is no longer merely the humans’. The Concordat must gather.”

“Will they stand with us?” Luna asked.

Celestia smiled wryly. “Whether they will or not is irrelevant - we will call them, and we will see if the ancient alliances are still worth anything.”

Luna nodded slowly, her expression settling into resignation. She walked out to the window, looking out upon the peaceful Canterlot day. To a certain extent, there was a hesitance in her heart. It had been so long since a true war…

"Are you sure about this course?" she asked Celestia. "Are we ready for this?"

"No," Celestia admitted. "But we were not ready before - not for Divine Right, not for Discord, not for Sombra. We have fought many wars, sister - I have faith in us. Ready or not, together we are unbeatable."

"I hope you're right," Luna said quietly.

With that, her horn glowed blue for a moment, and suddenly a large bolt of light shot into the sky, before detonating above Canterlot with a loud blare, not unlike a war-horn. It was an ancient signal, one not seen in the Kingdom of Equestria in many hundreds of years. Luna closed her eyes, and began praying to whatever power ruled over their lives that this was the right path.

***

The Crystal Empire.

Princess Cadence was deeply engrossed in the business of state when the blare reached her ears. She looked up sharply when she heard that noise, her ears twitching. She blinked, shock making her entire body suddenly feel weak.

"My lady?" Grey Stone, her adjutant, said, frowning. "What was that noise?"

Cadence raced to the window, looking out in the direction of Canterlot. Though it was many miles away, if she was right, she would be able to see…

There it was. A great explosion of blue energy in the sky, visible even from the Imperial Palace. She felt sick to her stomach at what it would mean - the spell was ancient, but all members of the royal family knew what it was and what it signified.

"My lady?" Grey Stone asked again, the stallion approaching her tentatively. "What's wrong?"

"War," Cadence replied. "We're going to war."

Predictably, Shining Armour burst in a moment later, his eyes wide with shock. Though he was officially the Prince Consort of the Crystal Empire, he still held the position of Captain of the Royal Guard, and he knew what had just happened.

“That…” he said, eyes wide. “That's…”

“I know,” Cadence said quietly. “Canterlot calls for aid.”

Shining Armour straightened up, his face taking on a grim expression.

“And the Empire will answer,” he said grimly.

***

The Palace of Unity, Daiyamas, Yamato.

Tengu sat atop his throne in total silence, the storm of his mind currently at calm as he meditated. He was separate from the world, his awareness now free of his physical awareness and brushing the things that lay beyond the world. With his own powers now attached to his spiritual self, he was able to feel the winds of his land and ride them.

As always he was watching his land, all without moving a single inch. He could see everything that transpired in his tumultuous realm, a land as beautiful and as volatile as the skies that lay over them.

His body still lay, sitting upright and unmoving, back in his palace atop the Daiyamas, the Imperial Mountain. As he meditated, his demesne and his body were attended by a legion of dedicated Tsukumogami who had been in his service for countless centuries, every one of them a prized possession of his. High above the land and populated only by the spirits of the myriad items that lay within its walls, the Imperial Palace was a realm apart from the daimyos of the ayakashi and their petty politics and wars. What better stronghold could there be for the Great Tengu, Supreme Shogun and Emperor of Yamato.

A ripple through the air suddenly disturbed his thoughts. His mind returned to the matters of the physical world and he stirred from his meditation.

His attendants stared at him, startled at their lord’s abrupt awakening. Most continued in their work but there was now an air of concern as their lord’s beaked face twisted into one of discontented contemplation. Something was not right.

A loud blare then echoed through the sky, washing over the Daiyamas. The Tsukumogami all started at the sudden noise, pausing in their work.

Tengu stood up from his throne and began to walk to one of the windows in his great hall. A doorway led out to an open-air gallery that looked over the eastern face of the mountain. The final echoes of the thunderous horn-call were beginning to echo and the tail end of the wave of force that had heralded it was, disappearing over the top of his palace, moving on to the west.

Tengu shut his eyes and sighed. He knew what the call meant, he knew what was coming. Celestia had called for him and it was his obligation, as an ally and a friend, to answer her. A crisis was coming, a terrible calamity that was surely to toss his unstable realm back into uncertainty.

“Once again my days of peace have come to an end,” he muttered to himself, an edge of bitterness on his voice.

Still, no sense dwelling. All this was transient - as peace came to an end, so too did times of crisis. First, he needed to prepare. It was time to summon those at his command.

***

The Silken Hoof, Canterlot.

The only difference, Prince Blueblood noted wryly, between a common pub and one frequented by the high aristocracy was the sheer expense of the nasty-tasting alcohol they served. As he took another swig of wine, ignoring his building headache, he tried to cheer himself up by reminding himself that at least it was better than socialising. He really hadn't been in the mood for another party and the last fundraiser he had attended had been a nightmare. Tonight he was simply spending time with himself, for himself.

"Milord?" the barmare asked, looking at him quizzically. "Are you alright?"

Blueblood shrugged. Normally he wouldn't deign to answer, but he was feeling less uptight than usual.

"Fine," he answered. "Another merlot, please."

As the mare went off, Blueblood wondered vaguely what his father, the late lamented General Steelblood, would have made of him being in a high class bar, wasting away his life.

Probably wax lyrical about how disappointing I am, for the ninetieth time, Blueblood thought tiredly. Drinking brought up these kinds of memories - the kind that he would rather keep buried - but sometimes the urge to drown his boredom was great enough to overshadow his desire to forget just who he was and who his father had been. Hero of all those border wars and expeditions. Smashed a Griffon with a sledgehammer. Couldn't do buck-all as a father, but hey ho. He had medals, so that's fine.

"Four tries," he said out loud, perhaps a tad louder than he would have done had he been sober. “Officer commission after four tries. You'd think perseverance would get some recognition, but no…”

"Milord?" the barmare asked, raising an eyebrow. He smirked, and shook his head.

"Just reminiscing," he said quietly, before returning back to his own melancholy. "That's all."

Much as he hated thinking about it, it was an unfortunate fact that when he was alone and drunk his thoughts often turned to his late father. The late lamented Steelblood. The hero, Steelblood. The one everypony took great pleasure in reminding Blueblood that he was nothing like. The one, everypony took great pleasure in reminding Blueblood, who was the better Stallion, the better Unicorn. Braver, stronger, hardier, more determined. Every inch the heroic Prince ponies expected of the Blood line, and so much better than his son.

Like they'd ever give me the chance anyway, Blueblood mused sourly. Not like there's any wars to go prove myself in these days…

A sudden loud noise rang out, shaking the room slightly and making everypony duck. Everypony, that is, except Blueblood. His eyes widened almost reflexively at the sound of the blaring horn. Everypony in his family knew that noise - his father had drilled into him exactly what it meant.

"Oh," he murmured, turning around in his chair. Without another word, he dropped a bag of bits on the bar and walked out, ignoring the half confused, half amazed cry of the barmare as she counted a full month's earnings in the bag. He walked out onto the street, looking up at the ever expanding shockwave of blue magic.

The Clarion Call, he thought with astonishment. The call to war for the armies of Equestria. That's…

There were no words in voice or thought for what that was. The Clarion was a legend, one that all ponies from the royal lines knew and the military trained to respond to, but one that everypony else knew of as a legend, nothing more. Rumour had it that the last time it had sounded was over eight hundred years ago, when Captain Eternal Guard had led a guard revolt and Blueblood's own illustrious ancestor, Blueblood XXXVI, had stopped him.

Without another word, Blueblood headed to the palace. Though he had left the military, he was a Blood. Much as he hated the idea of going to war… if Equestria called, no son of his line would fail to answer. It wasn't just tradition. It was part of him.

Watch me, Dad, he thought, determination fuelled by alcohol in his eyes. Watch me do our family proud.

***

New Aquila, The Griffon Empire.

When the call blared across the sky, Emperor Abelard Augustus was overlooking his realm, as he was wont to do. He didn't react openly to the blaring sound or the shockwave across the sky. He didn't need to. A slight scowl was the only sign he had even seen it.

“My lord!” a voice called from behind him. “My lord!”

Gertrude Van Gant was one of his adjutants, a pleasant enough lass when she wasn't worrying about… well, everything.

“My lord!” she called again. “In the sky! It’s -!”

“I know,” he said simply, and she stopped stammering. He turned to face her. “I have eyes, Gertrude.”

“T-then what do we do?” she asked.

Augustus smiled softly. “Summon Prince Gardell, and call out the Royal Guard. Also fetch Lord Garth of the Knights of Aquilus. We have a little trip to plan.”

Gertrude nodded, and turned to go.

“Oh, and Gertrude,” Augustus added, and she turned back to look at him. “Sound the horn of Aquilus as you go, there's a good lass.”

Gertrude's eyes widened. “T-the horn of Aquilus?”

“Did I stammer?” Augustus asked gently. “Sound the horn. This is a time of crisis, but I will not have Equestria out sound me for calling my people to war. We have our own cry to action.”

Gertrude nodded once, and turned to leave. Augustus found himself stood alone once more. A few minutes later, a loud, blaring war-horn - sounding not unlike the call of a great bird - sounded across the city. If the Clarion of Equestria was a summons, the horn of Aquilus was a wake-up call that Griffons would never fail to heed. It was the cry for their kind to move to action, a sign of calamity ahead. Augustus sighed.

And now, he thought to himself, we shall see what moves the mare who holds the sun to call for my help.

***

Golden Oaks Library, Ponyville.

Twilight looked up as the sound of a great horn blaring out shook the very roots of the Golden Oaks Library.

"What in Celestia's name was that?!" Spike yelled from the kitchen, eyes wide with shock and fear as books fell from their shelves.

Twilight narrowed her eyes. There were myths and legends she knew, but they were of times many hundreds and thousands of years ago. Legends of the call that had rung across Equestria, sounded at times of panic… but there was no way…

Before she could ponder further, Spike burped up a letter and, without a word, handed it to her. She sighed, opening it up.

Dear Twilight,

Come at once to Canterlot. You will have heard the Clarion Call. If you know that name, you know what it means. Bring your friends - we will need the Elements for this.

I'm sorry.

Celestia.

Twilight dropped the note, eyes wide. She did know the name, and she did know what it meant. And what it meant was more terrifying than any task that had ever been set before her - even the Crystal Empire.

"Twilight?" Spike asked, seeing her expression and looking suddenly worried. "What's wrong?"

"Spike…" she said softly, but no other words came. Instead, she walked slowly over to him and hugged him, trying to push all the love she felt for him through the hug. Whatever happened now, she knew there was a good chance she would not survive it. She needed to connect while she could.

"Twilight, what's wrong?" the little dragon asked.

She didn't answer for a long time.

***

Unknown location, Eastern Equus.

In the depths of a deep, dark forest, warm amber eyes stared at the expanding wave as it laced across the sky. Birds flew into the sky as the great war-horn sounded, blaring out and startling them. The figure pondered the meaning of that call for a long time, before turning away from the sky and walking back into the woods.

At first she ignored the loud cacophony. Politics was not the play of the trees. The trees were silent, the trees were still, and when Kings and nations fell, the trees would wait, watch, and always remember.

Even as she glided between the trees the thin canopy of the wide copse she was wandering within revealed the wave of force that passed overhead. She was not really one to consider the affairs of the outside world. It had never been an interest of hers though circumstances had forced her to involve herself at certain points in her life.

As she watched the receding light and final echoes of the loud horn-call, she pondered what was going on.

The wind picked up around her as she lifted her body off of the ground. Rising into the air, she carefully parted the branches and leaves of the trees above her and cleared the canopy altogether.

Looking out over the forest, she looked over the land she called home. The copse had been on the slope of a mountainside that led down into a massive wooded valley, a great river running through the middle of it. The valley ran on into the horizon, the opposite mountain rose into the air, obscuring the land beyond. The wave of force carried over the mountains and disappeared from view.

Still curious she turned away and climbed up the mountain slope, flying over the trees on the wind, whipping the leaves and branches as she passed. Birds took to wing as she passed, crying out and singing in joy at her presence. As she carried herself up to the top of the valley wall, she once again found the wave moving on into the distance, the noise already gone.

This was a new experience to her. So few things ever disturbed her realm anymore and the sign of something so vast and alien was disturbing. Something clearly wasn’t right.

Frowning at the thought of outside events intruding on her realm once more, she picked herself up and rose high into the sky. Riding the winds, her long green hair and diaphanous shift flowing behind her, she rose above the clouds Shutting her eyes, she flew through the cloud-cover, feeling the cool vapour washing over her until she felt the sunlight bathe her.

Opening her eyes again, she looked down through the thin layer of clouds at the and below. Stretching underneath her was an endless undulating land covered in trees stretching on into the distance like a carpet of green. Through her eyes she could see the lives of the trees, their energy and souls writhing and undulating like the pulses of any animal. Hidden amongst the hidden veils of the woods, she could also spy her moving children stalking between the trees, gliding and dancing through the land.

Shooting back down to the ground, she rode onto the tips of the trees and quickly flew back over the land, her eyes roaming back and forth as she searched for a particular mound hidden by her trees.

The trees and clearings whipped beneath her, the occasional animal or other creature also appearing. Her mind on her mission, she ignored them passing under her, even as they celebrated her presence and passing.

In the distance, her eyes could see a lone mountain, a monument to nature’s might that others had taken as the shrine to an ancient hero. Her destination in sight, she sped towards it in search of the one who could respond to the coming crisis.

Finally, after hours of travel, she began to find what she was looking for. The trees remained thick but now great artificial structures were beginning to punctuate her trees. Great ruins, aged remnants of walls and towers now covered in creepers and vines, broke through the thick canopy, announcing the presence of the mountain’s inhabitant.

Following the ruins, she moved to where the greatest number of piled stones lay. Here the trees were thinned and carefully spaced, as if someone were tending them and keeping them in place.

She knelt by the pile, gently, and simply stared at it for a long time. She came here still, as often as she could, and briefly an image of fire and calamity consuming this place flashed through her mind, chaos and uncertainty all around. She sat in silence, and considered.

She could feel the energy of the forest around her, writhing and pulsing like the smaller flares of the animals that lived within it. Behind her, however, was a much larger and more powerful beacon.

Turning from the pile she looked to the wall of the mountain. Cut into the skin of the rock face was a massive arch, covered in worn carvings and blocked by immense stones, cut as smooth as the arch pillars around them. Behind those stones was the one she sought, her husband who slept beneath the mountain, unaware of the world around him and unwilling to realise he need to confine himself behind the rock.

She flitted towards the stones of the arch, the gateway into the mountain and reached out to it. To her the great grey stones were warm, barely holding back the beacon’s energy. She pressed against it, forcing her essence and thoughts at the edges of the golden light of the energy within the mountain. Frowning, she tried to push at the unyielding light, unable to move it aside. Like the countless times she tried before, what lay within the mountain would not respond.

“Stubborn fool,” she muttered to herself, speaking aloud in a quiet voice that sounded like flowing water.

Stepping back from the stones, she regarded the gate and the arch around it. She couldn’t understood her husband these days, one who could dream so large and yet think so narrowly at the same time. Sighing in her mind, she rose into the sky once again.

Concerns and fears, visions of fire and calamity, of death and destruction the likes of which had not been seen in many millennia. They were all coming, she was sure of it.

Once again the world would pass her and her husband by. Kingdoms would rise and fall, empires would expand and collapse, wise rulers would live for eternity and learn what they wished and the forest would remain.

Or would it?

The trees watched. The trees waited. And all the years of their lives were as pinpricks to the certainty of the forest…

… but even forests could die.

Shutting her eyes in sorrow, she took to the skies. The light had come from the east and so to the east she would get answers. She flew over her lands, in the direction of what lay beyond. For the first time in millennia she would be the one to help shape the world’s fate.

She was sure she would be needed.

***

Celestia's Throne Room.

Luna stepped away from the window, eyes closed as she took a deep breath. When she opened them, she found herself looking at the resolute face of her sister. Her own face took on that same expression, and she bowed before her sister.

"My liege," she said in olde Equestrian speak. "I, Sidera Somniata Luna, renew my oath to thy service. My blade is yours to wield, and my life yours to command. Thy command is mine will, thine enemies mine, thine causes mine own, yea, though the abyss take me."

"Rise, Sister," Celestia replied, and Luna rose to look her sister in the eye.

It had been an age or more since either of them had used the Old Names. The Sun Diarch sighed: a sign of the seriousness of their plight, perhaps, that Luna would use the old names so.

"Sidera Somniata Luna, I, Gloriana Regalia Celestia, do hear your words. Thine blade is accepted, and thine fealty acknowledged. And to thou I say this - I shall lead fair, and I shall lead true, yea, though the abyss take me."

The formalities over, Celestia smiled tiredly. "It's been a long time. I didn't really need the words."

"No, you did not - but I needed to say them," Luna replied solemnly, slipping slightly back to her archaic tone. "The last time I went to war, it was as thine enemy."

"Your past is long forgiven, Luna," Celestia murmured with a smile.

Luna bowed again. "Command me, sister. What would you have us do?"

Celestia looked thoughtful for a long moment, as though considering the question.

"The humans will require an emissary of our kind," she said. "An ambassador to show that we are their allies - and a commander to lead our forces in tandem with their own. I can think of no better choice than you."

"I am honoured," Luna said. "When do I go?"

“Soon, sister,” Celestia told her. “First, though, we must gather our council. We must prepare.”

***

Author's Notes:

Howdy all :-)

So, I've been really pleased with the positive response this story has been getting. It's really justified my desire to write this story, and I'm really happy about it. However, I'm afraid this will be the last update for a little while, for a couple of reasons. Mainly, IRL stuff is being a pain. I'm also trying to write an original novel, which means that this story (and indeed, all fanfic) has to to take a backseat. Finally, I want to make a real effort to make the best story I can - and that means that I'll be being doubley meticulous with this stuff, making sure you get the best chapters possible.

So: until the next chapter comes out, have a good one guys. :-)

Jed.