The Everfree Castle was still in the later stages of construction. Ponies bustled to and fro with building supplies. The laborers ignored everything but their work, but the guard were eyeing my party with wary eyes.

“Well,” A Captain whose name I didn't know sighed. “I’ll see what I can do, but the Princess is currently holding a closed court.”

“All the better!” I cheered, pushing past him, my too large cloak flowing behind me. “I bring news they too need to hear!”

“I uh wait!” the Captain stammered, he seemed to trip over himself in his haste, a few Halfblood Thestrals watched with concern as the captain pulled himself back to his hooves. “Wait!” he exclaimed again.

As I brushed by a few laborers, something twitched under my heavy cloak. The laborers glanced at me, but otherwise ignored me.

“Come!” I called back to the Thestrals. “They will need to speak with you as well!”

The Thestrals glanced at the guards, not quite sure if they should follow me, or stay with the guards. The Captain crashed into a pair of workers carrying a few stones. They growled in annoyance as the rocks fell to the ground.

“General Luna please, I must insist!” he called.

“Nay!” I called back happily “I have news and I wish to speak with my sister!”

Despite the chaos I seemed to cause in my wake, or rather maybe because of it, it did not take long for me to reach the massive double doors that lead into the main hall. The Captain had been left long behind, although the Thestrals had decided to fly to avoid the ground bound ponies and thus were hovering behind me at a respectful distance. The guards at the main hall doors glared at us, but didn’t otherwise say or do anything.

I quietly gestured for the Thestrals to remain here, before lighting my horn and undoing the door’s lock. Placing my hoof on the door, I took a deep calming breath. Before pushing the door open as hard as I could.

Creeeeeak

The Main Hall was being used as the temporary Royal Court until a better throne room could be built. The heads of powerful houses and the bureaucrats gathered along the walls, so they could watch the proceedings in the center of the room. Tia sat in an ornate wooden chair at the far end. She seemed ready to admonish a trespasser for breaking into the room while running the brand new nation was occurring, but her eyes widened when she saw it was me.

“L-Luna?!” she cried, silencing any rumblings from the peanut gallery.

“Aye sister!” I called. “I have returned and I bring great and terrible news!” I could hear the mirth in my own voice despite the words I purposefully used. Reaching down underneath my robe, I wrestled with a knotted sack, trying to undo the knot. Freeing the single object from its holding, I tossed it into the middle of the room for all to see.

Lord Bloodmoon’s head bounced off the freshly carved stone. The stump of his neck leaving bloody impressions behind.

Many of the crowd gasped.

“My word!” I heard one particularly loud stallion exclaim.

“Is that-?!”

“My goodness!” An older mare - who had claimed a front seat near Celestia’s right hoof - exclaimed as she fell to the floor unconscious.

Tia’s mouth opened and closed as she tried to find words to say

“Luna… I- I-” she stammered. Eventually she must’ve decided she would never find the words she wanted and merely dove off her temporary throne. I smiled warmly, meeting her lunging embrace with my own.

“I’m here Tia.” I murmured into her white coat.

“Lu… I was so worried about you…” she replied, her nose buried in my own coat. “I feared I would never see you again…”

“I know… Not so fun is it?” I smiled, leaning back to look into her eyes. “But there’s more.” she met my gaze, fear beginning to gather in her eye’s horizon.

“I cannot imagine your return would be ‘terrible’... she stated, loudly enough for everypony to hear. “Tell me, what terrible thing is coming?”

I could feel my eyes gleam with mischievous delight.

Two navy blue wings erupted from under my heavy cloak. The onlookers gasped again, and I was certain a few more had fainted. But my eyes were locked on Tia’s face for her reaction.

Surprise. Confusion. Realization. Surprise again. Understanding.

“I promise to never leave your side Tia. Not ever.” I promised, bowing slightly.

“Lu-...” Tia seemed to lose the ability to speak again, tears began to fall from her soulful magenta eyes. She wrapped me in a hug again, doing her best to crush my ribs around my new feathery appendages.

It hurt.

It hurt a lot.

Tia must’ve started learning her Earth Pony strength and seemed to be trying to press her love into me via sheer pressure.

But I let the feeling of being loved wash over me without complaint.

A broken spine would be a small price to pay to bask here for only a single second longer.

I was loved.

Well and truly loved.

But sadly, all good things must come to an end, and Tia broke the hug she had done her best to kill me with.

“And I bring with me another tribe who wishes to join our budding nation!” I wanted to continue bonding with Tia, but I understood it would be awkward to continue to do so while we were the center of attention in a crowded yet silent room. “Gentlecolts? If you could let my guests in?”

The Guards outside must’ve heard me, and opened the door again, letting my Thestral friends walk into the Main Hall.

“Lu-?” Tia looked confused.

“What? You expected me to kill everypony under Bloodmoon’s sway?” I asked, sending a mockingly serious glance towards my sister. “May I present Saros! A resistance leader under Lord Bloodmoon’s rule!” The blue gray thestral had a white bandage around his head. “Waxing Gibus! Saros’ brother who was instrumental in the sacking of Bloodmoon’s Lair!” Waxing Gibus was was covered in bandages, having intercepted many attacks meant for his brother during the riot. Turns out, he had not been lying. “Commander Fyrefly! Former prisoner and Pegasopolian Legionnaire!” The only non-Thestral in the group stepped forward, waving a cast covered foreleg awkwardly. “Glistening Melon! Former Prisoner and Head Chef of Castle Bloodstone!” I hadn’t met Melon during the prison break, but he had been the former head chef who was also in prison. He had saved many lives by boiling whole jars of garlic in the kitchen, flooding the lower levels of Castle Bloodstone with the smell of ‘garlic soup’. “And finally, Mayor Moonrose, Rebel Coordinator of the Resistance in the City of Bloodstone proper.” Another great pony I had met after the battle. She hated how many of her Halfblood brothers and sisters were eaten by their Lords. So she had taken it upon her self to organize the different cells in the resistance, using her insider knowledge of what the Purebloods were planning in the city to position the Rebelling Halfbloods. There was no telling how many lives she saved over the years.

Tia looked stunned.

But to her credit, she wasn’t hesitant for long.

“Welcome to Castle Everfree.” She greeted kindly. “Please Thestral folk, we have much to discuss."

Moonrose bumped Saros with a wing and coughed politely.

“Oh! Um…” Saros stalled quite suddenly. “If I may ask your eminence…” he looked very nervous. “Could you not call us ‘Thestrals’? Our surviving citizens want nothing to do with the late Bloodmoon… So they voted amongst themselves to be called;” the stallion swallowed in embarrassment. “Sarosians…”

Tia hid the fact she was taken aback well. Which she swiftly recovered from as well.

“Sarosians…” she rolled the word over her tongue. “Sarosians. I like it. I approve.” she smiled gently yet warmly. “Come then Sarosians… We have much to discuss.” she turned away to get back into her throne.

The newly dubbed Sarosians looked nervous, but Fyrefly looked shamelessly hopeful and flew ahead. I glanced back at my new friends, and gave a warm inviting smile.

That seemed to reassure them, and they flew towards the foot of Tia’s throne.

I looked back at my flank, now proudly displaying a silver crescent Moon on a field of black splotches.

It was a new age indeed.

And the Sun and Moon rose together.

Whew! Friggin' told ya it was going to be a ride...