In a dark cell a small white pony raised her eyes to the small hole she
and Dazzle had made weeks ago for a bit of light, each day the filled it
with mud or rocks and dug it out again at night. The only gap in the sold
stone walls. The stars were beautiful things and she wished nothing more
than to run free beneath them, suddenly, her ears perked, the placement of
the bright pinpoints was odd, not right...
"Dazzle!" she whispered, shaking her companion awake, the soft purple/pink pony opened her eyes and tried to figure out what was wrong.
"What?" she yawned sleepily.
"The stars, see the way they are arranged?" Star Swirl seemed incredibly excited. The two ponies turned to one another and their next whisper was in unison.
"They are coming."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Silverswirl was up and ready for the day before the sun was In fact, the only pony to beat her was Draven, who had gotten her up. She smiled at her matriarch "What can i do for you?"
"Go ahead and keep an eye on the western troops as they come, they harbor dislike for us and though Majesty means well, her people have minds of their own." Draven looked faintly pained by the idea, but Silverswirl knew what she meant. The white unicorn nodded gravely and trotted toward the forest edge.
Silverswirl was also aware that choosing her was a way of making sure she wasn't around to mope. Many unicorns were getting their wings for the breeding season, also known as fledging, right now. Silverswirl considered herself crippled in the sense that she had no wings to speak of. Therefore, she would never have a mate.
She leaped into the air and her power revealed itself. A thin ribbon of silver, nearly transparent, replaced the white unicorn, it whisked away at top speed leaving only a whisper of sound behind it in reassurance "I will not fail you my queen."
Draven smiled, secretly pleased that Silverswirl had called her queen. She headed over to Silthor, he had been fledging the past few days and it was a long and painful experience for males, if they fledged at all, which wasn't unusual, but a majority of them didn't. Unlike the females, where only unicorns fledged, males all fledged, regardless of species. Silthor's wings had finally broken through the thin layer of skin between then and the outside world last night. Some months before fledging males developed small thumb-like appendages on their sides, which were later covered by a thin layer of skin, over the next months they developed, only to dry out and be shed at the end of the breeding season.
Unfortunately this was a fairly painful process in the last month of fledging and Silthor had been rather testy the entire time. Now he spread his leathery, dragon-like wings to show off a bit to his mate. A smile played upon her ghostly white face as she sat down beside him.
"Tough night?"
"Always is when they come through."
"A splendid set this year." she chuckled. "Its rather unfortunate you won't use them much, too bad you chose an earther right?" he just laughed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kimono was up with the break of day, the rising sun never ceased to amaze him, those fantastic colors! It was like the beginning of time for him, in fact, in it's own way it was, the beginning of his own time. The beginning of his herd and their world.
"Hows it goin' Kimmy?" Minty was grinning as climbed up the rather steep hill.
"Call me Kimmy again and die." Kimono threatened.
"You'd hurt me? Gee, maybe I should tell Sunny Daze that she's in love with a murderer."
"I am not a murder," Kimono's eyes took on a rather violent look, "Yet I'm going count to three now, you run or die, 1, 2, 3..." Minty was already on his way back to camp. Kimono gave a satisfied stretch and followed.
By midday the army was on the road, a huge caravan inching its way along the narrow back roads. Majesty strode tall and proud looking and Draven couldn't help but wonder why the western queen was bursting with such pride. "What did you do?"
"Not what I did, but what allies we have, thanks to Medley the great diplomat of course."
"Oh? Whom pray tell?"
At this moment they all found out, because the first of the traveling allies landed in front of them, a tall, proud looking pegasi, but what stood out the most was his hair, it was the colors of the rainbow, his sleek black hide nearly masked his expression, "Hello ladies, where do we bunk?" several more rainbow haired ponies appeared beside him.
Draven was speechless, rainbow ponies were fairly reclusive, sticking to the less traveled forests, for fear that they would be taken advantage of for their powers as they had been so long ago. How in the world had Medley convinced them to come?
"There are more coming." the black pegasi added, as if he feared Majesty might not be pleased with the idea that there were only six of them here.
"Of course, yes, find a spot to march, or, ah, fly..." Majesty trailed off, apparently stunned as well. The rainbow ponies filed past, making their way into the crowd.
"Dazzle!" she whispered, shaking her companion awake, the soft purple/pink pony opened her eyes and tried to figure out what was wrong.
"What?" she yawned sleepily.
"The stars, see the way they are arranged?" Star Swirl seemed incredibly excited. The two ponies turned to one another and their next whisper was in unison.
"They are coming."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Silverswirl was up and ready for the day before the sun was In fact, the only pony to beat her was Draven, who had gotten her up. She smiled at her matriarch "What can i do for you?"
"Go ahead and keep an eye on the western troops as they come, they harbor dislike for us and though Majesty means well, her people have minds of their own." Draven looked faintly pained by the idea, but Silverswirl knew what she meant. The white unicorn nodded gravely and trotted toward the forest edge.
Silverswirl was also aware that choosing her was a way of making sure she wasn't around to mope. Many unicorns were getting their wings for the breeding season, also known as fledging, right now. Silverswirl considered herself crippled in the sense that she had no wings to speak of. Therefore, she would never have a mate.
She leaped into the air and her power revealed itself. A thin ribbon of silver, nearly transparent, replaced the white unicorn, it whisked away at top speed leaving only a whisper of sound behind it in reassurance "I will not fail you my queen."
Draven smiled, secretly pleased that Silverswirl had called her queen. She headed over to Silthor, he had been fledging the past few days and it was a long and painful experience for males, if they fledged at all, which wasn't unusual, but a majority of them didn't. Unlike the females, where only unicorns fledged, males all fledged, regardless of species. Silthor's wings had finally broken through the thin layer of skin between then and the outside world last night. Some months before fledging males developed small thumb-like appendages on their sides, which were later covered by a thin layer of skin, over the next months they developed, only to dry out and be shed at the end of the breeding season.
Unfortunately this was a fairly painful process in the last month of fledging and Silthor had been rather testy the entire time. Now he spread his leathery, dragon-like wings to show off a bit to his mate. A smile played upon her ghostly white face as she sat down beside him.
"Tough night?"
"Always is when they come through."
"A splendid set this year." she chuckled. "Its rather unfortunate you won't use them much, too bad you chose an earther right?" he just laughed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kimono was up with the break of day, the rising sun never ceased to amaze him, those fantastic colors! It was like the beginning of time for him, in fact, in it's own way it was, the beginning of his own time. The beginning of his herd and their world.
"Hows it goin' Kimmy?" Minty was grinning as climbed up the rather steep hill.
"Call me Kimmy again and die." Kimono threatened.
"You'd hurt me? Gee, maybe I should tell Sunny Daze that she's in love with a murderer."
"I am not a murder," Kimono's eyes took on a rather violent look, "Yet I'm going count to three now, you run or die, 1, 2, 3..." Minty was already on his way back to camp. Kimono gave a satisfied stretch and followed.
By midday the army was on the road, a huge caravan inching its way along the narrow back roads. Majesty strode tall and proud looking and Draven couldn't help but wonder why the western queen was bursting with such pride. "What did you do?"
"Not what I did, but what allies we have, thanks to Medley the great diplomat of course."
"Oh? Whom pray tell?"
At this moment they all found out, because the first of the traveling allies landed in front of them, a tall, proud looking pegasi, but what stood out the most was his hair, it was the colors of the rainbow, his sleek black hide nearly masked his expression, "Hello ladies, where do we bunk?" several more rainbow haired ponies appeared beside him.
Draven was speechless, rainbow ponies were fairly reclusive, sticking to the less traveled forests, for fear that they would be taken advantage of for their powers as they had been so long ago. How in the world had Medley convinced them to come?
"There are more coming." the black pegasi added, as if he feared Majesty might not be pleased with the idea that there were only six of them here.
"Of course, yes, find a spot to march, or, ah, fly..." Majesty trailed off, apparently stunned as well. The rainbow ponies filed past, making their way into the crowd.