A bead of glistening sweat trickled down Discipula Star’s brow and dripped from her clenched jaw, falling to the frosty ground at her hooves as she concentrated on a paper target nailed to a fence post nearly twenty yards away. Her short, black horn radiated a focused point of white magic at its tip as the young mare narrowed her violet eyes. Suddenly her magic flared brightly. Buzzap! A beam of pure magical energy lanced out towards the target, catching the side of the paper and disintegrating nearly half of it as it passed by. The beam continued for a good distance more before slowly dissolving as the spell broke apart harmlessly in the air.

“So close,” Star sighed, before blowing a breath of air up towards her horn, which had a thin trail of smoke drifting off of the tip. The talented mare decided to end her practice session for the day and trotted across the empty field to grab her belongings before heading back to Canterlot Castle, where Inferno, her adoptive daughter, would most likely be in the process of sorting through enchanted gems. The dragon had been indispensable over the past week, providing her keen eye to Alexia Lynn Sapphire, who was using the jewels to build flying chariots for the military. Star lent her assistance to the hyperactive earth pony as well, but there wasn’t much call for her talents, unless she wanted to count lifting and moving heavy parts, which the mare knew any unicorn worth their weight could have done. That’s why she had taken up practicing combat spells every day after finishing up at the shop.

Star bent down and picked up her saddlebags, tossing the stained white bags over her waist with a casual surge of magic. After only a week of practice, the studious mare still hadn’t learned much more than a simple spell that focused magical energy into a beam, which could pack a fair punch when properly used, but that was mostly because her other duties didn’t leave her with much time to practice. The hardest part for her was aiming the spell accurately, but with practice, the unicorn knew it would become easier to do. A small sigh escaped her slender lips as she glanced up towards the cloud laced sky and saw that the sun would be setting soon. Curfew would be going into effect, not that it mattered, because she hadn’t been planning on leaving the city anyway.

“Star, we got a letter from Nature Spark!” The familiar voice of her daughter caused Star to drop her gaze from the sky. Inferno was running across the frozen ground, her scaled feet making a soft crunching sound with each short stride. “He said that he finished with his business and will be returning to Canterlot before heading north, to the Crystal Empire,” the dragon huffed breathlessly as she came to a quick stop in front of her mother. “He… should be… he-here… any day now.”

“Thank you for telling me, Inferno,” Star laughed, “but you could have waited for me to return to the castle. There was no sense in you running all of the way out here.” Inferno had crouched over as she tried to catch her breath and the little dragon waived a clawed hand into the air dismissively. Her mother smirked as she rolled her eyes. “We should get back to the castle, before you get into trouble for breaking curfew,” Star said as she tightened the straps on her bags and started walking in the same direction that her daughter had just come from.

A sort of routine had developed in the week after Star’s friends had departed from Canterlot. Each of them had left the capitol on various missions, given to them by the immortal rulers of Equestria. Princess Luna had asked her student to remain behind however, so that the studious unicorn could assist her friend Axel with building the many vehicles that the military would require to procure victory over the Red Eyes mercenaries under Duke Doré Langue’s command. It wasn’t the most exciting of tasks, but Star committed to her work as she did with her studies, with steadfast determination. The fact that her mentor also had other jobs for her to do elsewhere in the city did help break the monotony of the small mare’s routine though, for which she was grateful.

Star stirred from her silent musings as her hooves connected with the stone path, which lead up from the lower field of the castle grounds to the main yard. Nopony used the far parts of the castle property during the winter months, so it provided the unicorn with ample space for practicing her magic. Up ahead, Star could see a pair of stallion’s walking along the fence line of the property, clad in the glistening armor that signified them as Princess Celestia’s royal guards. If they were outside patrolling, then that meant that the elder princess would be somewhere nearby. The violet eyed mare peered about the dead garden, but saw no sign of her sun marked ruler.

“Discipula Star, I see that you have been practicing some new magic,” Celestia said as she descended from somewhere above Star’s head. “I would have allowed you to use the military training areas, had you only asked. There was no cause to keep your private practice sessions a secret.”

“Oh, it isn’t like that at all, Princess Celestia,” Star replied as she bowed low to the white alicorn, who was just touching down on the cold stone walkway. “I had no intention of keeping secrets, but I am a bit self-conscious when it comes to performing new spells, so I like to be alone while I’m learning.” Star stood up and was met with Celestia’s mildly amused gaze fixed on her.

“As if you have a reason to be worried,” Celestia laughed. “My sister has told me time and again how well you take to new magic.”

“I told her the same thing,” Inferno added as she also bowed to the princess. “She is the most talented unicorn that I have ever met, but she never listens.”

“What brings you out this evening?” Star asked in a feeble attempt to change the subject. Whether it worked or not, Celestia saw fit to steer the conversation away from the tired looking little pony’s activities.

“I was just out stretching my wings,” the princess replied as she unfurled her sleek, feathered appendages to their full size. “All of this busy work I’ve been attending to in the castle has left me with very little leisure time, you see.” Star just nodded knowingly, as she too had been kept busy since the princesses had officially declared war on the Crystal Empire. The sweat covering the black mare’s hide was beginning to cool in the evening breeze, sending a shiver along her spine and causing her to continue walking up the path while she conversed with the alicorn beside her.

“Yes, I can only imagine how bothersome it must be to deal with the politics of a situation such as this,” Star said as she passed by the princess, who fell in step with the much smaller mare’s stride. “It probably doesn’t help much to deal with ponies breaking the new curfew,” she added as they approached the rear of Canterlot Castle. The garden had all but died as winter wore on, but most of the hardier shrubs still remained, though they were far from exuding their full glory, as they did in the spring months.

“‘Tis true I suppose,” Celestia admitted, “but the curfew is in place for a reason and I have no qualms about dealing with the extra effort of maintaining the safety and harmony of the Equestrian citizens.” The princess shot a slightly haughty glance in Star’s direction, but the unicorn was far too exhausted to care much at that moment.

“I meant nothing ill by that, your highness. It was just a logical observation of the current situation,” Star apologized, though Celestia knew full well that the perceptive pony had been on her sister’s side of the debate over whether or not to place a nationwide curfew. Princess Luna had opposed the suggested law from the first time it had been mentioned, so the royal sisters had put it to a vote. The law had caused quite a bit of resentment between Celestia and Luna at first, but with much bigger problems to deal with, the siblings had put aside their petty disagreements for the time being, a fact for which Luna’s student was very thankful.

“Have you heard any word from Downpour and Backdraft?” Inferno asked, effectively diffusing whatever tension had begun to build between the ponies walking beside her. “I’d imagine that their group will be breaching the walls of Cloudsdale soon.” The princess met the red serpent’s questioning gaze and shook her head.

“I have yet to hear from them,” Princess Celestia replied. “I can only hope that the siege will be over soon, because the innocent citizens have been in danger for so long, but Cloudsdale is a veritable floating fortress and it may take some time for my loyal soldiers to break Rainbow Strike’s defenses.” The former sergeant had been tipped off as to the princesses’ plans to capture him, just in time to seal off the pegasus city. Downpour and Draft were supposed to sneak into the city and take the traitorous stallion out quietly, with the help of the military, but they had been forced to change tactics. Now the pegasus brothers were laying siege to the weapons manufacturing city in the sky, along with a sizable portion of Equestria’s winged soldiers.

“What will you do once he’s been brought back to Canterlot?” Star asked, though she already had a fairly good idea of the princess’s intentions.

“If he is brought back alive, then Rainbow Strike will answer for his crimes and my sister and I will decide upon a suitable punishment,” Celestia replied, much to the unicorn’s surprise.

“I see,” Star mumbled. She had been expecting the princess to have the former sergeant executed, as she would most likely have done in the past. Though it was possible that Celestia was trying to change her ways, Star would only believe it when she saw it. “Well, let us hope that your soldiers bring him back alive then,” the smaller mare added as they approached the doors at the rear of the castle. She paused momentarily to pull open the doors with her magic, allowing Princess Celestia and Inferno to enter before her.

“Good evening,” Celestia said in passing, as she strode by two unicorn guards who were standing to either side of the entrance. Despite being a bit drafty, the Canterlot Castle was still much warmer than it had been outside and Star let out a contented sigh as she followed the alicorn into the ballroom. “It has been most pleasant conversing with you, Discipula Star,” the princess said with a polite nod in the smaller mare’s direction, “but I must retire for the night, lest I’m too exhausted to read papers after raising the sun tomorrow.” Celestia grinned as if she had told a joke, but whatever humor might have been in her words passed over the unicorn’s head as she absentmindedly bowed.

“It was a pleasure speaking with you as well, Princess Celestia,” Star replied.

“Good Night,” Inferno added before the princess had left the dimly lit ballroom behind. The dragon yawned once she knew they were alone and a moment after, Star found herself yawning too. “It’s about time for bed,” the tired dragon commented.

“Mhmm,” Star mumbled in agreement as she started walking towards the hallway, which would lead her to the main hall, the stairs and eventually, her room on the second story. It seemed like such a long distance when she thought about it, but that was probably just because she’d worn herself out again. Every day since her friends left, the unicorn had been working hour after hour, with only the necessary breaks to eat and sleep. Maybe this was what her life would be as long as Equestria was at war, she thought, as she entered the expertly designed room and made her way over to the large bed, where she shoved the decorative pillows off of the edge and sprawled out carelessly, finally allowing herself to relax a bit. Inferno joined her a moment later and pulled out the letter from their friend, Spark, so that her mother could read it.

To Star,

I’m going to be leaving Dodge today, so by the time that this letter reaches you, I should be nearing Canterlot. Things at home are much the same as they were before all of this happened, though I will admit that there is a certain heir of fear hanging about the place. Suri and I took care of the business I needed to attend to, which was mostly checking in on our mother and little brother. That was quite the reunion for my sister and after some hugging, bickering and crying, Suri decided that she wanted to stay here, so that she could reconnect with our family. I can’t say I blame her, though I will miss having her company during the trip, but only a little bit. There are a few subjects that I need to discuss with you and the princesses when I arrive, but I’d rather not get into them through a letter, so until then, take care of yourself and I’ll see you soon.

Sincerely,

Spark

P.S. I’m so sorry that I won’t be seeing you for awhile, Star. I hope that you can understand why I am staying here. It has nothing to do with what happened the last time we spoke and I hope that you can forgive me for not saying a proper goodbye before I left. I do care for you a great deal, but I need to sort out my own life right now.

Your Good Friend,

Surinam

“I’m sure,” Star mumbled as she set the letter aside. Just like the last letter that she’d gotten from the two siblings, Suri had obviously written this one for her brother and had added her own message at the end, most likely without his knowledge. Star was happy to hear that one of her friends would be returning soon, but finding out that Suri, who she had very strong feeling for, would not be joining him stung quite a bit. All in all, it was a fairly bad way to end another stressful day, she thought.

“Are you alright?” Inferno asked, as her mother crawled under the covers and rolled onto her side, facing away from the chubby dragon.

“Yeah, I’m just exhausted,” Star replied, doing her best to choke back the sadness creeping into her voice as she spoke.

“Oh, okay,” Inferno said as she joined the unicorn underneath the warm blankets. “Goodnight, mom,” she yawned as her horned head hit the soft pillows.

“Goodnight, sweetheart,” Star whispered back, as she closed her heavy eyelids and let sleep push away her morose thoughts for the night.

Nature Spark had already left Canterlot by the time that Star awoke the morning after she and her friends had been given their various missions by the princesses and the blind stallion had taken his sister, Surinam Cherryblossom along with him. Both of the unicorns, Star had read in the note she’d found stuck to the outside of her door, were heading home to Dodge and then they would be returning to the capitol before Spark left for the Crystal Empire. Though she had still been half asleep when she found the short page, Star was wide awake and on the verge of tears by the time she’d finished reading it. Spark, she had expected that sort of action from, but she had hoped that Suri had forgiven her for trying to change their relationship. Disappearing without talking face to face was a bad sign though and obviously confessing her feelings to the actress had been a poor choice.

Star dried her eyes on her foreleg as she crumpled the note up with her magic and tossed it into the trash. She’d cried enough the night before, though the copious amount of cider she and her friends had consumed earlier that same night held most of the blame for her tears. Still, weeping wouldn’t solve any of her problems, so the unicorn walked back into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She took a seat on the couch and groaned as she slowly fell onto her side. Sleep sounded like the best course of action to her as she sank into the plush cushions.

Knock. Knock. Knock. The sound of somepony’s hoof rapping against the door shattered Star’s peace and forced her up from the couch with an annoyed grunt. The night spent drinking hadn’t left the normally pleasant mare in the best of moods and she could feel the first signs of a migraine trying to form in the front of her skull. Star reluctantly got to her hooves and ambled towards the fancy wooden door for the second time that morning. Before finding Spark and Suri’s note, she had planned to go downstairs and grab breakfast for herself and Inferno, but being abandoned had left her rather gloomy. Now she cracked open the door and saw her mentor standing on the other side.

“Sorry if I woke you from your sleep, my faithful student,” Princess Luna apologized, though it was well after morning and her student should have been awake already anyway. “But we have decided to hold a meeting with the ponies of Canterlot in a few hours, where Celestia and I will be announcing the declaration of war on the Crystal Empire.” Star pulled the door open further as she listened and rubbed the sleep from her puffy eyes, hoping that the princess couldn’t tell that she’d been crying part of the night. “As well as addressing the curfew issue,” the midnight blue alicorn added sourly.

“Then I will prepare for the day right away, Princess Luna,” Star replied with a quick bow, which her twinkling maned mentor answered with a smile and a nod of her head.

“Good, then I will see you on the veranda overlooking the castle courtyard in an hour,” Luna commented before turning away from the bedroom. “Try not to be late.”

“Of course, princess,” Star agreed, before retreating back into the welcoming warmth of her bedroom and closing the door behind her. An hour left the mare with enough time to bathe and she seized the opportunity. Star crept quietly to the bathroom, doing her best not to wake her sleeping daughter as she closed the door behind her. A quick flash of magic got the water running and it wasn’t long before a cloud of steam had filled the small room. The unicorn sighed contentedly as she slipped into the soothing bathwater.

Between the heat and her receding headache, Star nearly fell asleep again as she soaked in the tub. The small mare yawned as she pushed herself up from the liquid embrace of her bath and began scrubbing her body with licorice scented soap. Though she hadn’t been doing anything to get very dirty the day before, Star still felt much more refreshed as she stepped back out of the bath, pulled the drain plug and floated a towel off of the rack hanging on the wall.

“So the princesses are formally declaring war today,” Star mumbled aloud as she dried her dripping mane and damp hide. “I suppose that means we failed Spark’s mission then,” she added quietly as she ran the soft towel across the white owl on her flank. The herbalist stallion had tasked himself with trying to prevent the conflict from escalating to the point it had, but it had been an insurmountable task, even with the help of his friends.

“Mom, are you in there?” Inferno called out from the other side of the door, just as the unicorn had begun to comb out the tangles in her three-toned mane and tail.

“Yes,” Star replied, “I’ll be out in just a minute.”

“Okay, because I have to use the bathroom,” Inferno called back. It was just over a minute later before Star exited the bathroom, with a newfound smile on her face.

“I’ll go get us some breakfast,” Star said as her daughter rushed by her in a blur of red scales. “Then we have to meet the princesses, because they have a few announcements to make.”

“Don’t you mean lunch?” Inferno mumbled from inside the bathroom. It might as well be breakfast for them, since they’d just gotten up, the unicorn thought, as she turned from the door. With her daughter already awake, there wasn’t anything else for Star to do, so she straightened up the messy bed and then headed for the dining room.

Celestia wasn’t around as Star gathered a simple breakfast for her and Inferno and she hadn’t seen many servants either. The small mare assumed that everypony was preparing for their rulers’ meeting. It would explain the lack of activity in the castle anyway. Just as Star was snatching up a couple of pastries though, she saw a familiar face approaching her from across the open room.

“Well, good morning,” Axel greeted Star with her usual bubbly voice. “Did everypony already leave?” The earth pony must have just woken up, Star realized, so she didn’t yet know that Spark and Suri had left before sunrise. Downpour and Backdraft had most likely headed off already as well, but the unicorn couldn’t be sure.

“I know Spark and Suri took off already, but I’m not sure about the Ursa, Strata and the pegasus brothers,” Star replied.

“Oh, Spark didn’t wait around to say goodbye,” Axel commented morosely. “I mean, I know we all said our farewells last night, but I was hoping to see all of our friends off.”

“Yeah, so was I,” Star agreed, “but I’m sure we’ll see them again in no time,” she added with a forced smile. In truth, the unicorn couldn’t be certain that their friends would make it back to Canterlot safely. The missions that the princesses had tasked them all with had inherent dangers, but Star held out hope that everything would turn out alright in the end.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Axel said as she bounced over to the buffet of food on the table beside her friend. The rust colored pony’s previous cheerfulness had returned as quickly as it had disappeared. Sometimes Star envied her friend’s ability to brush of depressing feelings so easily. “So, what are your plans for today?” the earth pony questioned as she plucked an apple from the table and took a large bite.

“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are holding a meeting in the courtyard later, so we need to attend that,” Star explained. “That’s about as far as I’ve planned for today though.” Axel nodded her head up and down understandingly as she peered at the breakfast spread.

“Do I have enough time to eat and take a bath?” Axel asked.

“We have about thirty minutes or so,” Star told her, “but I suppose if you can hurry, then you’ll have the time.” The point was probably moot, the smaller mare realized, since everything Axel did, she did at a fast pace, but it couldn’t have hurt to mention.

“Sure thing, Star,” Axel replied.

“I’m going to head back to my room. I have to make sure that Inferno gets some breakfast before we head over to the meeting,” Star said as she hefted two plates of food with her levitation spell. “I’ll see you on the veranda overlooking the main courtyard?”

“Mhmm,” the earth pony mumbled around a full mouth. Star couldn’t suppress a grin as she turned towards the doors of the dining hall and trotted out. At least one of her friends was still with her, the unicorn mused. There was still a chance that Downpour and Draft hadn’t left yet, but Star wasn’t counting on it. The pegasus had most likely joined the soldiers that they would be working with around the time that Spark and his sister had left the castle. Now it was just her, Inferno and Axel that remained in the capitol.

Star balanced the food effortlessly as she made her way back to the bedroom and shoved open the door, calling out a greeting to Inferno as she carefully entered. The young dragon was lying on the bed again, having apparently finished up her business in the bathroom, but the smell of food caused the serpentine girl to stir from her half sleep. Star walked in and set the plates on the table near the red couch at the foot of their shared bed, just as her daughter was rolling off of the comfortable mattress. Inferno ambled over slowly and flopped on the couch with very little grace.

“My head hurts,” Inferno groaned as she pressed her hand on either side of her head and sank into the couch.

“That’s why you don’t need to be drinking,” Star flatly stated, as she scooted one of the plates in front of her daughter. Inferno snorted a small cloud of smoke in reply. “Eat some fruit, it’s good for you,” the unicorn said as she took the first bite of her own delicious breakfast. The banana nut muffin was warm, but crumbly and she made a bit of a mess as she ate.

“I’d rather have a nice gem,” Inferno huffed in reply as she began to gently massage her temples, “Like a crisp ruby or maybe a tasty sapphire. That would hit the spot.” Star roller her eyes as she swept the crumbs from her fur onto the table. Somepony would stop by to clean the room later, of course, but the polite young mare saw no reason to make extra work by dropping food all over the lush carpeting.

“Well you can worry about that later,” Star told the dragon. “We only have a little while before we need to meet the princesses, so if you want to eat something, then right now would be the best time to do so.” Inferno let out one last protesting grunt before reluctantly sitting up and examining the food her mother had brought. The hungover dragon wasn’t very hungry, but she did manage to peel and eat a plump orange before the time came for the two of them to head over to the veranda, where the princesses would be preparing to address the doubtlessly large crowd of Conterlotians.

Just as Star had expected, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were in the midst of conversing in slightly hushed voices as she approached, with Inferno and Axel trailing close behind her. The unicorn had decided to put on the clothes that Suri had picked out for her during their last shopping excursion; a white skirt with beautiful gold trim that was a bit shorter than what Star normally wore and a matching low-cut blouse. Though she wasn’t certain it was the proper attire for attending a war declaration, it was the nicest outfit she owned and this was a very important day. In just a matter of minutes, the rulers of Equestria would officially start a war with the Crystal Empire and the intelligent little pony knew that the world would never be the same for it.

“Discipula Star, you look positively lovely this morning,” Princess Celestia complimented as she noticed the black unicorn walking up with her two companions.

“Thank you very much, Princess Celestia,” Star replied as she and her friends each dipped into the customary bow. “It’s just a little something that Surinam picked out for me.”

“It is quite the becoming attire,” Princess Luna admitted as she turned around to face her loyal student, “as is your gown, Alexia.” The earth pony had decided do don her own dress when she’d seen Star wearing hers. It was dark brown with green trim and a much more appropriate length than the short skirt her friend was wearing.

“Thank you for the compliment, your highness,” Axel replied. “I don’t normally wear long dresses… or dresses of any sort really, but I figured that I should try to look proper for this big meeting.” The rust colored mare swayed back and forth self-consciously as she glanced down at her own clothes, causing the light fabric to flutter at the hem.

“I see that Inferno chose not to doll herself up along with the both of you however,” Luna observed. The unclothed dragon rolled her yellow eyes in reply.

“I’m not much of a clothes wearing kind of girl,” Inferno responded dryly. The headache she had developed that morning was putting a bit of a damper on her mood still, Star noticed, but neither of the alicorns seemed to pay the fact much mind. The princesses had more pressing concerns to fret over at the moment.

“I assume that Star has already informed the both of you about the nature of this announcement we will be making,” Celestia said, turning the conversation in a more somber direction. Axel and Inferno nodded their replies. “Though you three are already privy to the plans my sister and I have made, I wanted you here to observe, first hoof, the effect that our words will have upon the population.” Star was about to ask what she meant by that, but Luna began to elaborate before the unicorn could form the words.

“A declaration of war, while it may seem to be no more than a useless statement considering that battles have already been fought, will no doubt cause a rift in our citizens,” Luna explained. “While most ponies will detest going to war, especially after the effects of our struggle against Discord, many will also see the necessity of it.”

“So long as we have performed our duties properly,” Celestia added.

“I think that this will be a good lesson for you to learn, my faithful student, because the most difficult aspect of wielding the power to lead, is being forced to choose between two evils,” her sister continued. “You have grown into a very mature young mare over the years, but I know that you struggled with taking the life of that mercenary who attacked you.” Star nodded her head slowly, eyes fixed on the ground as she tried to ignore the screams of a burning griffon that sounded in her mind just as clearly as the day she’d first heard them.

“From this moment on, every decision that we make and every action that we take will create a far-reaching impact on the world,” Celestia said, seamlessly continuing her younger sister’s speech. “Lives now hang in the balance and we have no doubt that more difficult choices will be presented to you. We just want to make sure that you will be able to live with the consequences of those choices, Discipula Star. For better or for worse, you and your friends have gotten entangled in this twisted plot and we want all of you to be prepared for what is to come.” Celestia’s voice fell silent and the room quieted with it as the three girls pondered their matriarchs’ words.

“I imagine that everypony is getting anxious out there,” Luna sighed as her gaze lingered on the doors leading out to the veranda,” so I suppose we should get this over with.” There was no pleasure in the princess’s tone as she spoke, only an overwhelming feeling of displeasure at what she was about to tell her subjects. Her elder sister’s face held the same kind of sorrow as they took their first, slow steps towards the large balcony.

The busy sounds of a couple hundred restless ponies greeted Star’s ears as the princesses pushed open the doors and stepped out into the cool winter day. Star was unsure of what she should do with herself, until her mentor glanced back and motioned for the unicorn and her friends to join them. Star tentatively obliged, though she only walked out far enough to be able to see most of the gathered crowd without being observed in kind. It wasn’t shyness as much as the crushing weight of the moment that caused her legs to shake slightly as she stood, but she managed to stay upright and neither Inferno nor Axel appeared to notice her unease.

“What’s going on!” a voice shouted from somewhere below.

“Yes, why have griffons been attacking our cities!?” another pony chimed in.

“And why have your guards begun to enforce a curfew?” yet another cried out.

“CITIZENS OF EQUESTRIA, PLEASE GIVE US YOUR SILENT ATTENTION,” Celestia commanded, as she peered out over the colorful crowd with sad, purple eyes. The crowed quieted at the princess’s behest and then she began to explain the reason for their meeting. “’TIS WITH HEAVY HEARTS AND MINDS THAT WE HAVE GATHERED YOU ALL HERE TODAY,” she told the restless ponies.

“AS EACH OF YOU ARE WELL AWARE, THE EMPRESS OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE HAS BEEN TAKEN PRISONER,” Luna continued, using the same booming, Canterlot voice that her sister had spoken in. “AND THE PONY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ABHORRENT CRIME IS THE SAME PONY WHO HAS BEEN GIVEN POWER OVER THE EMPIRE IN HER ABSENCE, SINCE THE EMPEROR HAS FALLEN ILL AND CAN NO LONGER LEAD HIS COUNTRY!”

“THIS STALLION, DUKE DORÉ LANGUE, HAS OPENLY ATTACKED OUR KINGDOM AND EVEN PAID MERCENARIES TO SET FIRE TO ONE OF OUR VILLAGES,” Celestia informed the crowd. Star took a few small steps forward so that she could better see over the smooth, white railings that surrounded the large balcony on which they stood and tried to gauge the reaction of the ponies standing in the frosty courtyard far below. She had witnessed the result of the Red Eye’s attack against Ponyville and had seen the destruction and death that the griffons had wrought at the monstrous duke’s bidding. He was just as responsible for the murder of Spark’s old friend, Chestnut, as the Red Eyes were. “EVEN NOW, THE TOUCH OF HIS HOOF CAN BE FELT OVER ALL OF EQUESTRIA AND WE BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE SUITABLE RESPONSE FOR US TO GIVE!”

“What are we to do?” somepony questioned the alicorns.

“Yes, are we even safe in our own homes?” The crowd was growing frantic as they shouted out their concerns, but the princesses remained calm as they waited for the silence to resume.

“Luna wasn’t able to prevent Ponyville from burning to the ground during the night, so why should we trust her to protect us now?” a mare asked.

“What will you do to protect us?”

“WE WILL ANSWER HIS CALL TO WAR,” Princess Luna stated in a thundering voice, which caused the crowd grew eerily silent once again, completely absorbed in their rulers’ speech. “HE WOULD ACCUSE US OF THE VERY TRECHERY THAT HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR, SO WE WILL RESPOND IN KIND!” The younger alicorn spoke with a steadfast conviction that Star admired greatly. It was comforting to her, but would have been utterly terrifying to the princess’s enemies, the small mare imagined. “THERE MAY WELL COME A DAY WHEN DISHARMONY PREVAILS AND THE BONDS BETWEEN PONYKIND ARE IRREPARABLY SEVERED, BUT IT WILL NOT COME WHILE WE STILL DRAW BREATH!”

“WE WILL ATTAIN PEACE THROUGH HARMONY,” Celestia announced as her horn began to glow, “AND IF NECESSARY, WE WILL PROCURE HARMONY THROUGH FORCE!” The elder princess’s words were accompanied by a blinding flash of magic from her slender, white horn, which caused the shining sun to flare brightly behind the thin clouds that covered it. The crowd grew hushed as they observed the sudden show of celestial power. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna always acted so down to earth around Star, that she often forgot about the immense powers that they wielded. “I KNOW THAT SOME OF YOU MAY CONSIDER THE IDEA OF GOING TO WAR UNSETTLING,” Celestia continued in a more docile, but still powerful voice. “WE STILL VIVIDLY RECALL THE MANY YEARS SPENT BATTLING THE BEAST, DISCORD, MY LITTLE PONIES AND THE HORRIFIC BLOODSHED THAT CAME WITH THE FIGHTING AND CHAOS, BUT NOW A NEW FORM OF DISHARMONY HAS ARISEN, IN THE SHAPE OF THIS PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A STALLION, AND WE MUST UNITE AGAINST HIS DARKNESS!”

“’TIS A VERY DIFICULT CHOICE THAT WE HAVE BEEN LEFT WITH ON THIS DAY,” her sister added, taking control of the conversation as seamlessly as ever. “WE MUST EITHER CHOOSE TO RELENQUISH CONTROL OF OUR HOMELAND TO OUR ENEMY AND HOPE THAT HE SEES FIT TO RULE OVER ALL OF US WITH AN HONOR AND DIGNITY WHICH HE HAS YET TO HAVE SHOWN OR WE CAN STRIKE A BLOW AGAINST HIS TYRRANNY!” Judging by the slowly building cheers coming from the shifting mass of ponies below, Star was fairly certain of what the citizens would have chosen were it left up to them. “MANY OF THE CITIZENS OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE ARE INNOCENT IN ALL OF THIS OF COURSE AND WE WILL WEEP FOR EVERY POOR SOUL LOST IN THIS TERRIBLE WAR,” Luna explained.

“BUT DUKE DORÉ LANGUE HAS UNLEASHED A STORM OF PAIN AND BLOODSHED UPON OUR BORDERS, FAIR CITIZENS, AND HIS EVIL WILL SPREAD TO THE FARTHEST REACHES OF THE WORLD IF WE DO NOT STAND TOGETHER NOW,” Celestia expounded. “SO WEEP FOR THE INNOCENT LIVES THAT ARE TAKEN, BUT ONLY AFTER WE HAVE CLAIMED VICTORY IN THEIR NAME AND IN THE NAME OF ALL PONYKIND!” The crowd’s low cheer had grown into an uproar of stamping hooves and impassioned shouts as the princesses approached the end of their speech. Star stared at the alicorns, her feelings caught somewhere between amazement at how well the princesses had addressed the ponies under their rule and sorrow that she’d been around to witness them declaring war on another country.

“JUSTICE WILL BE HAD,” Celestia and Luna assured the crowd, their words perfectly in sync as they spoke. “ON THE THRONES OF EQUESTRIA AND THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY, WE SWEAR THIS TO YOU!” If Star considered the cheering an uproar before, then she would have been forced to classify the new wave of screams and thundering hooves, which rose up after the princesses had finished speaking, as nothing less than deafening. The unicorn peered out over the stone railing and was met by the gazes of a couple hundred loyal Canterlot civilians as they cheered for their matriarchs.

“Your words certainly appear to have inspired them, princesses,” Star observed as she returned her attention to the alicorn siblings. “I suppose that after a few thousand years, I should have expected nothing less.”

“Yes, but it is they who will face the most difficult challenges during this war,” Celestia replied as she continued to gaze down lovingly at the ponies she ruled over.

“What do you mean by that?” Inferno asked; the first words that either of Star’s friends had uttered since the princesses had invited them onto the veranda.

“It is the soldiers who will fight to retain the harmony of this land,” Luna elaborated, “and it is the families that survive the inevitable fallen who will be forced to endure the hardships of life after their loved ones have passed.”

“A pain that we know all too well,” Celestia added somberly, as she and her younger sister raised their hooves to the crowd to signify the end of their decrees and allowed their subjects to slowly disperse from the castle grounds.

“I’m sorry,” Star replied quietly, as she contemplated the pain behind the princess’s words. Immortality could very easily be both a blessing and a curse, the small mare decided. A life eternal would allow a pony to achieve many great things, but at the cost of watching all those that they truly cared for die, leaving them to carry the sorrow in their hearts until the end of existence. It was a sobering thought.

“Do not be, my faithful student, for we both accepted our destinies long ago,” Luna told her. “Now come, let’s return to the castle so that we may discuss our plans for these coming days.” Star noticed the slight tremor in her mentor’s voice and it sounded to her as if Luna were troubled by what the Conterlotian ponies had said. They seemed to at least partially blame the younger princess for the destruction of the small village known as Ponyville, but Star knew that there was nothing that could have been done to prevent it. Nopony had been expecting such a sudden and brutal attack to occur inside Equestria’s borders, so they had no right to hold Luna responsible for the damage that had been done. Surprisingly though, the princess seemed to be taking everything in stride, a fact for which her protégé was very grateful.

“I suppose that this means I should get started on my designs for the fleet of chariots that the military needs,” Axel commented as she pranced alongside Star and Inferno. “It’s going to be very, very exhausting work, so the sooner I begin, the better it will be for everypony.” Star nodded her head absentmindedly as Axel turned the corner and walked off, too busy fretting over everything to remember that she’d been asked to stay behind so that she could assist the mechanically inclined mare. It was useless for the unicorn to worry about things that she held no power over, but that is exactly what she did as she followed the princess of the night, with her daughter by her side.

“Ha- have I failed the citizens of Equestria, Star?” Princess Luna asked her faithful student, as they sat in her sparsely lit bedchambers. The question was a bit sudden, but not terribly unexpected for Star, because the young mare had noticed the gradual change in her mentor’s poise and visage when they left the courtyard behind. The princess’s blue eyes had been fixed on the ground by the time Inferno had wandered off to lend her skills to Axel and they’d arrived at Luna’s bedroom, as if the spotless floors held some hidden truth which the alicorn wished to divine. It was only now, as she asked her question, that Luna pulled her gaze up from the matte colored tiles. “I must admit that I do hold some blame for what happened in Ponyville and the loss of every innocent life. I should have been able to prevent the mercenaries’ attack. The nighttime world is my domain, after all.”

“You cannot do that,” Star replied as she gazed towards the twin windows, which had been covered with thick curtains that were just a couple shades darker than her mentor’s hide, in order to block out the late afternoon sunlight.

“Do what?” Luna asked, her sour expression melting away into simple confusion.

“Blame your self for the actions of a wicked pony,” the unicorn explained. “It was not you who paid the Red Eyes to burn down a peaceful community nor was it you who took the Empress, Serenade, from her palace.”

“Perhaps not, but failure to act against evil is a form of evil in and of itself,” Luna stated with a renewed scowl.

“You speak as if you could have prevented what happened and didn’t,” Star retorted. “Is that the case, Princess Luna?”

“Of course not,” the princess replied haughtily. “You know well that I would have done anything in my power to prevent that horror. How could you even suggest such a thing, Discipula Star?” Star just smirked at her starry maned mentor.

“You’ve said it yourself, princess,” she replied. “You would have done whatever you could to stop those griffons, but the fact is, that there was no way for you to have known their plans and nothing you could have done to change the fates of those Ponyvillians, so stop blaming yourself.” Star may have spoken more boldly than she’d originally intended, but seeing her ruler in such a mood was unsettling for the young pony.

“Once again, you have proven yourself to be wise beyond your years, my faithful student,” Luna told the young mare, as she dropped the scowl from her countenance.

“Well, I did have an excellent mentor,” Star replied with a grin, which the princess soon matched. “Now, I think that it is about time that we discuss our plan of action.” Luna nodded in reply and cleared her throat, as she shifted into a more comfortable position on the couch where she sat.

“Yes, there is much to be done if we are to be prepared for this war,” the alicorn admitted. “Foremost for you and your friend, Axel, will be the manufacturing of sky chariots. With that bloodthirsty clan of griffons controlling the skies above the empire for Duke Doré Langue, we would be hard pressed to claim victory without a fleet of the vehicles on our side. Though the pegasus in our service are courageous soldiers, capable of dealing with a band of mercenaries, the military’s attention has been divided due to the traitorous actions of the disgraced sergeant, Rainbow Strike.”

“Yes, with him in control of Cloudsdale, Equestria’s ability to forge the weapons it would need to form an offensive will be severely hindered,” Star agreed. “But why would he have broken his oath to the throne to begin with?” The very idea of somepony turning against the princesses made no sense to the unicorn.

“A lust for wealth or power maybe,” Princess Luna replied, her tone growing more venomous with each word she uttered. “We can speculate all we like, but the only one who truly knows is Rainbow Strike himself. I assure you though, that if our soldiers are able to take him alive, I will discover the reason for his treachery and he will pay dearly for it.” There was no trace of forgiveness in the princess’s voice and for a moment, Star actually felt a pang of sorrow for the former sergeant, because he had so stupidly brought the wrath of the immortal ruler down upon himself.

“I am sure he will,” Star agreed as she banished the piteous thoughts from her mind. “Have you and Celestia procured a suitable place for Axel to begin her work then?” she asked a moment later.

“We have, actually,” the princess replied. “The crystal pony, I believe Ursa is the name he goes by, is already there readying the building for us.” Star had nearly forgotten that Draft’s coltfriend had been left behind. An earth pony could do little to help with a siege upon a pegasus city, so he had offered to lend a hoof in Canterlot before setting up a rendezvous with the Crystal Resistance, a group of ponies who’d rebelled against the corrupt duke’s leadership. Though Star didn’t know the stallion as well as her winged friends, she was still glad to hear that he had remained in the city for awhile longer.

“I can only imagine that the place will be prepared by the end of the day,” Star said as she got up from her chair. “Ursa certainly seems like the type of pony who would be a hard worker. I should find Axel and Inferno, so that the three of us can see if he needs any assistance,” she added, after catching sight of her mentor’s questioning eyes.

“Hmm, you may be right,” Princess Luna replied. “I suppose that there is little else that you can do at the moment and I would like to have a few private words with my sister.” The alicorn got up from the couch and gave her large wings a good stretch before folding them back to her sides. “Just do what you can to help your friends over these next few days, my little pony. Plans may well change in the future, but for now, the construction of those flying chariots takes precedence over your other duties.” Star nodded her head in reply as her horn began to glow. The unicorn shoved the bedroom door open with her magic and the princess followed her out into the hallway, where they soon parted ways.

Star wandered through the castle for a short time before finally stumbling upon Inferno. The red dragon was just walking out of Axel’s room as the black mare came walking across the carpeted hall. Star flashed a smile, which Inferno quickly returned before beckoning her mother over with a wave of her clawed hand.

“What do you need?” Star asked as she stood in the open doorway of her friend’s room. “Ursa is already busy setting up the shop that we will be using to build the chariots and I’m sure that he would appreciate a bit of help.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize that he was still here,” Inferno replied, with a look of mild surprise on her scaly face. “I was just going to see if you wanted to see the designs that Axel drew up for the military sky chariots, but I suppose that can wait until we meet up with Ursa.” The little dragon took a few more steps into the room before shouting, “Axel, grab your stuff! We’re going to the building that the princesses set aside to be your shop.”

“And hurry up, because Ursa is waiting for us,” Star added, following her words up with quiet giggling at the thought of the earth pony doing anything slowly.

“I’m ready!” Axel shouted back as she bounded over to the door with her over packed, brown saddlebags in tow. The rust colored mare was in such a hurry though, that she tripped on the thick rug sitting just inside the doorway and would have landed face first on the hard tiles, had Star not been there to catch her with a simple levitation spell.

“I didn’t know I needed to say ‘be careful’ too,” the unicorn giggled as she gently returned her friend to her hooves. Axel just laughed her almost-crash off and continued down the hallway with a bounce in her step, despite not knowing where exactly they were supposed to be going, but she had happened to take off in the right direction, so Star and Inferno followed after her, albeit at a more measured pace.

The building that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had set aside for Axel to work in was one giant mess, though Ursa assured them that it had been much worse before he started cleaning it up earlier that morning. Its previous function had been as a large storage facility for the military’s stockpile of weapons and provisions, but that was years before. Now, most of the windows were boarded up and those that weren’t sported fractures along the grimy glass. To go along with the dim lighting and chipped walls, there was a fine layer of dust and, what Star believed to be, animal feces of some sort. She cringed at the thought of what the place must have looked like before the emerald stallion had begun his work.

Currently, Ursa was taking a break from the monotony of moving empty crates and rusty hunks of metal, so that Axel could show Star, Inferno and him the rough designs she’d come up with for the new chariots. Having no military experience however, the blonde haired mare was left swishing her tail back and forth from one side of her wheel marked flank to the other in frustration, as she tried to figure out how to allow for the best mobility without sacrificing the speed and strength of the vehicles. Star could almost picture the various mechanical pieces working together in her friend’s head as the earth pony argued silently with herself. After a few minutes of watching the display of quiet aggravation though, Star decided that it might be best to find somepony to help with Axel’s little dilemma and she knew just the two pegasus to ask, if they hadn’t been sent out on another mission anyway.

“What’s the problem?” Inferno questioned, as she peered over at a few of the rough sketches in the earth pony’s grasp.

“Ugh, why does this have to be so complicated!?” Axel whined as she slumped to the floor in defeat. That was all that the unicorn needed to hear before suggesting her idea to the frazzled mare.

“I wouldn’t know.” The dragon shrugged.

“My friends, Brass Heart and Glory, could probably lend some assistance tomorrow, if they’re not busy,” Star told her friend.

“Those pegasus guards who told the princesses about what was happening in Cloudsdale?” Ursa asked. Star nodded her head in reply and it seemed to perk her friend up a little bit.

“That would be great,” Axel admitted as she got back to her hooves. “The only reason I was able to work out the kinks in my prototype was because Draft helped me, so having another pegasus to work with would make things much simpler, otherwise I’d probably be here all night, trying to figure out how to make this work.”

“Well we wouldn't want that,” Star replied as she helped the rust colored mare pick up the papers that had fallen to the floor when she’d dropped to the ground. The unicorn gave the drawings back to her friend, who immediately stuffed them back into her saddlebags. “Besides, it’s getting late and we should try to get a decent night of sleep in before we start the real work in the morning,” she added.

“Yeah, I am pretty tired,” Axel yawned in response, as she took a few steps towards the open doors of the makeshift shop. “I think we may have gone a bit overboard with the drinking last night.”

“Definitely,” Inferno stated, most likely recalling the hangover that she’d been forced to suffer through that afternoon.

“Mhmm,” Star mumbled in agreement, as she followed the earth pony out of the building, “but that was probably the last batch of hard cider that we’ll be drinking until next cider season.” If we live to see another cider season, she thought afterwards.

“Hey, are you coming, Ursa?” Axel asked, after she’d taken notice of the fact that the emerald stallion wasn’t walking beside them. Both mares and the dragon glanced back to see where he was, but the crystal pony waved a dismissive hoof in reply.

“Not quite yet,” he told them. “I want to get a little more work done before I call it a night.” Axel just shrugged and continued on her way out of the musty smelling building, with Inferno trailing after her, but Star stood where she was, because something about his mood seemed a little off to her.

“Are you okay?” she asked the shaggy, blue maned stallion.

Ursa just nodded his head and replied, “Yes, I just want to get this finished.”

“Okay, well I guess I’ll see you in the morning then,” Star said, as she met his reserved gaze. There was obviously something else on his mind, the unicorn observed, but she didn't know Ursa well enough to press him for the truth yet, so she let it go for the time being. “Goodnight, Ursa,” she said as she started walking away.

“Night,” he mumbled in reply as she walked out into the cool, evening air.

“Hey, mom, get a move on!” Inferno called out from a block away. “Axel’s freezing over here.” Star had to admit that the breeze held quite the icy bite as it gently caressed her exposed body and made her regret not changing out of her short skirt and into a warm cloak before leaving the castle.

“I’m coming,” the unicorn replied as she quickened her pace into a slow trot to catch up with her friends. At least it isn’t snowing right now, Star thought, as she walked up beside her daughter and noticed Axel shivering slightly in her own dress.

“I wish winter would end already,” the earth pony sighed as she resumed her journey back to the castle, which was only a short walk away.

“Yeah, but it wouldn’t be so bad if we could actually enjoy ourselves for a bit,” Inferno replied. “I like playing in the snow.” Her simple statement caused Star to falter in her gait for just a moment, as the unicorn lamented the fact that her daughter was being deprived of the childhood joys of the season. It was just one more small loss brought on by the war, she mused.

It didn’t take long for the three of them to reach the castle gates, where the two stallions standing guard opened the doors for them to enter, but because the two mares had been focused on how cold it was, they hadn’t said much during the trip, causing it to seem like a much longer distance. Star was just glad to be back where it was warm and sighed with contentment as she stepped out of the natural elements and into the slightly cozier building. The castle wasn’t generally known for being well heated, but it was still sheltered from the winds, which was enough for everypony inside during the long winter nights that held the city in their cold embrace.

“I’m going to grab some dinner before bed,” Axel told them as they walked through the main hall. “Would either of you like to join me?”

“I’m not that hungry,” Star told her. The late lunch she had eaten, along with a quick snack before meeting up with Ursa, had been enough for the unicorn, but the rumbling of Inferno’s stomach suggested that the dragon didn’t share that sentiment.

“Yeah, I could use a bite to eat,” her daughter replied.

“Alright, well I’m going to head up to the room, just try not to wake me up when you come in,” Star said, before heading towards the spiraling staircase that lead to the upper floors of the castle.

“Okay,” Inferno replied as she followed Axel to the dining hall, leaving her mother to walk the quiet halls in peace.

Star entered the dark bedroom and immediately stripped off her clothing, allowing the finely crafted garments to fall carelessly to the floor. She was too tired to be bothered with picking them up. The maids would do that for her in the morning. Though she was usually a very neat mare and had always tried to tidy up after herself in the past, Star’s recent activities had left her with very little time to worry about trivial matters such as picking up her room that night. She imagined that the cleaning ponies would forgive her that small indulgence, considering the work she was going to be helping with would protect not only them, but the entirety of Equestria as well.

A few seconds after discarding her skirt and blouse, Star shuffled her way over to the bed, yawning as she pulled back the thick layer of blankets and slipped in between them. It had been a very short day for the small unicorn, but the heavy drinking she had done the night before, combined with the stress of worrying about everything that was happening around her, had sapped what little strength she’d had and the next day promised to be a busy one. Star’s soft snores began just moments after laying her head down on the comfortable pillows and falling into a deep slumber.

Author's Notes:

Chapter one opens with Star doing some personal training and then flashes back to the day after the last book ended. I hope I made that clear enough. I'm very happy to be writing again, because I've missed telling this story. I've grown more attached to my characters than I ever thought I would... and I love it. I hope this was a satisfying way to resume the book and I hope you enjoyed the first of many chapters to come.