Those Distant Sisters CH22

Ch22:

Covenant Truth lay awake in the bed he had been given. He was uneasy, as the princess who greeted him had noticed, but his orders were clear. A unique opportunity had been given to the nation of Hearth. This Luna, goddess of the night, could be the key to everything he and the leaders of his nation had been preparing for years. Relieving himself of his uncomfortable position on the mattress, Covenant Truth set out toward the Princess's chambers. If he could not ensure her return with him, he was not sure he would be allowed to return himself. Four lives lost in the defense of the nation is well within the ability of Hearth's Core.

The lime colored colt wandered the halls of the castle, having found nopony in Luna's chambers, or any of the open areas he had passed. The night was calm, but its chill nipped at him. Eventually, he happened across a high balcony in the tower and found his bounty. Luna stood overlooking the city, seemingly ignoring his approach. He stood behind her for some time before she sighed and spoke.

"As always, I shall guard the night." Luna turned to face the smaller colt. "That is what I told my sister the last time our nation needed me. I served as I could but at the end, I was not there." Covenant took the chance to make his point.

"Princess, if what I've been told is true, you are often not there when this nation wants you. And when it wants you to not be there, you are in force." Luna looked sadly at the young pony, who returned her gaze with what he hoped was confidence. "Is it possible, Luna, that you are not where you should be?" Luna looked puzzled, returning her gaze to the night's sky.

"I have tried being elsewhere, young one. You know of my time on the moon, when I cast this nation aside for my own desires." Luna's horn glowed gently as a star shot across the sky. Her voice was softer as she continued "We are lucky they have accepted us back at all after what we did."

"There are places other than Equestria and the moon." Covenant said, careful to mimic the lunar goddess' hushed tones. "My nation is out there, across the sea, and it would not take luck for us to welcome you."

Luna turned toward him and smiled, once again speaking at a more traditional volume. "Your nation has gotten along fine without me, Covenant Truth. Why exactly should I come to them now?" Covenant turned his head, unwittingly revealing his concern. "Covenant Truth, what reason do you have to ask me to leave Equestria?" Luna asked again, gracefully lowering herself to lie on the ground so that she could look the smaller pony in the eye.

"My nation is in turmoil. The ponies there do not yet know it, but the powers of this Earth that supply us with our very lives are quite literally growing cold and dying." Covenant joined Luna lying on the balcony, shivering softly from the cold of the stone floor. "I'm sure you've heard that our nation is kept warm by a sheet of magma under the whole of the island, yes?" Luna nodded. "The heat does more than that. Every machine in Hearth is powered by geothermal energy – every light, every home, every school and hospital and office and refinery. We could in theory survive by converting every power and heat system in the nation to the same liquid fuel that operates our aircraft, but it would take years to enact such change." Luna, who had turned her full attention to the visiting dignitary, finally responded.

"The ponies of your land do not know it? How is this possible?"

"We…" Covenant struggled to find a nicer term, but couldn't. "We have lied to them. For years. There is a team of unicorns in Hearth's Core that lends their magic to the magma sheet every day, to warm it. But the size of this group continues to grow and we cannot maintain it on our own for much longer. We fear what the ponies will do when they discover our deceit and lose their way of life all at once." Covenant looked back toward the princess, practically pleading with her. "If you are willing to join us, if you can convince your friends who bear these great elements of harmony to join us, you may well save our nation as the seven sisters of the night. We have been grooming a populous that loves the stars, and if you return with me I can assure you that every pony in the nation you rule will want you to be there." Luna looked into his eyes, seeing that he was in fact quite serious.

"The bearers of the elements have not exactly been unaffected by the members of the nation you are asking us to lead." Covenant nearly growled his reply.

"What Sonority did was what any pony in Hearth would have done to end that debacle as quickly as possible. Death is a part of what it means to be alive, not some plague to be avoided at the cost of valuable time."

"I see." Luna closed her eyes, gathering her thoughts. "I see what you are, Covenant Truth. I see what kind of creatures inhabit your land and what kind of leaders claim to control them. Disloyalty, oppression, selfishness, control, abuse, lies." Luna's voice became harsh to match her glare towards the now shrinking Covenant Truth. "You claim to be familiar with the force to which we owe our freedom, but your proposition defies every element of Harmony. If your nation is doomed it is not because of the change in the world around you – it is because you have lost sight of what is important in this world." Luna rose above Covenant Truth, returning to her perch above the city. "You had best return to your quarters, ambassador. The nights here are quite colder than you are used to."

Luna glared angrily at Covenant Truth, fixing him to the floor in fear. Sonority's tale of her past great anger was quite vivid in his mind as an eternity passed on the cold castle balcony. Luna's gaze eventually left him, meeting instead with a scroll that had appeared in front of her. She read it, giving Covenant a moment to rise to his hooves and back slowly to the door.

"My sister is coming home. You had best prepare - negotiations will be… tense."

With that, Covenant Truth galloped back to his room. He briefly considered fleeing, but caught sight of his craft being explored on the runway. He would have to face what he had proposed either here or at home. Hopefully he would survive the ordeal.