A Shadow Over the Sun

To my dearest Tia,
It is with deep remorse that I must inform you that I am leaving your Solar Empire... Your methods of controlling the citizens of Equestria are harsh and cruel... I have implored you to change your ways before... Right before you banished me to the lunar surface. But the ponies of Equestria have suffered for far too long.. I am going to take action now. Finally. As I should have a thousand years ago. I have taken a large group of loyal Equestrians to the Outland. Remember? The place where our kind lived separated and steeped in hatred before we moved to Equestria? Well it shall now be a place of peace. A grand new home for the Lunar Republic... You have no control over us now. Furthermore, I have resumed my control over the moon's rising and setting. Do not fret however, the moon shall still alternate with the sun in Equestria. Dear sister... Tia... I wish that one day you should see the error of your ways... Please do not let yourself further slip into the deadly pits of discord...
From your beloved sister, Princess Luna.

The Alicorn sighed as she placed her quill down, the glow around the feather fading. With one last look around her tower room, she slipped on a cloak of black, her starry mane vanishing from sight as she glided out of her door. In the quiet world outside, even the gentle sound of her hoofsteps on the stone seemed to send earthquakes through the castle. This would be the last time she would ever see her sister as a comrade... The last time she would ever stay in this castle as a Princess of the Solar Empire... She, Luna, was leaving.

The long lines of troops seemed to never end. Each pony walked perfectly in time with each other. Left, right, left, right. All in were in perfect time, their polished armor scattering the sun beams like a prism.  Yet if you looked past the gleaming coats of the royal guard, you would see three shadows jumping over the rooftops.  Their hoof-steps fell silently on the tiled roofs of Canterlot, slipping almost invisibly over the town. The pegasi above paid them no heed, for their clothes were especially tailored to blend in with the tiles.
The rouge Equestrians were slipping towards the castle, all of their eyes darting around as if they half expected the Royal Guard to come knocking on their door. One of the four lifted her hood slightly, her pastel blue horn peeking out into the daylight. The horn glowed brightly for a moment, a long rope materializing in mid air. The second of the three spread out grey wings, grabbing the rope in her mouth and flying up towards one of the spires. She then tied it to a railing, yanking twice on the rope to signal her comrades. The next figure had a bit of a tougher time, seeing as his large red hooves would not grip the cord correctly. Finally, he ended up just taking the rope in his mouth, pulling himself up with massive effort. The unicorn just levitated both herself and the rope up to the top of the tower, re-joining her comrades. "General. Are you positive that we have the correct meeting place?" The horned female questioned, her voice barely above a whisper. The Pegasus just nodded, yellow eyes peering around cautiously. She lowered her head slightly in a bow as another hooded figure approached. "Princess. You have no idea how good it is to see you once again." The General murmured, taking a step towards her superior as if to embrace her. The princess merely chuckled and spread one of her wings out to envelop the General in a hug. "Ditzy! We are. Ahem. We mean.. I am glad to see you as well; I am in the company of friends once more. Please, let us go before the Guards catch us."
The Alicorn smiled, her own horn flashing as a coal chariot appeared in front of her friends. "Hop in. This is the fastest way to get out of here." She smiled, her horn flashing once again as she summoned her own personal Bat Guard. "Take us to the Outland. If you see the rest of the fugitives, please fly in front of them to lead them to safety." Luna ordered, settling down besides General Ditzy. The pegasus chuckled. "Luna.. No one has called me Ditzy Doo since we last saw each other. I am known as Derpy Hooves now. General Derpy." Luna nodded in affirmation, turning to the rest of the cloaked figures.  "Mac and Trixie. Please remove your shrouds. I promise that both of you are all safe here now." The midnight-colored Alicorn smiled, trying to keep the subtle hint of an order out of her voice. The rest of the company nodded, shoving back their cloaks. There stood a red colt with a yellow forelock known as Big Macintosh and sleek blue unicorn named Trixie. Luna looked delighted to see them all. They all exchanged excited greetings and turned suddenly as one of the guards called out. Apparently, he had spotted the refugees, and was now flying ahead of them.
"This is your turn to shine, Luna. They are all looking for your leadership. Give them a reason as to why they should follow you. Set a grand example." Derpy nodded waving her own grey wing out towards the crowd they were now leading. The princess nodded sullenly, turning towards her new subjects before clearing her throat. "Citizens of Equestria... You have all willingly chosen to follow me towards a new land. One our kind has not returned to for quite some time now... The land of our Ancestors... The Outland. But do not fear of the dangers that may inhabit our land, for you are not going to be alone. The New Lunar Republic shall lead each and every one of you towards a safe life away from the my sister's tyranny. Now... WHO IS WILLING TO BREAK FREE OF THE SOLAR EMPIRE?" Luna bellowed, her deafening voice reaching out to every single pony that was following her. A rousing cheer followed from everypony below them, a chant beginning to form with her name as the subject. "Luna, Luna, Luna, Luna." They all shouted, a slight pink tinge touching Luna's cheekbones. "They shouldn't be cheering for me... I am just a public figurehead..." She sighed silently, staring out towards her new home...
The land of exiles: The Outland. They all rode in silence for the rest of the trip, just enjoying the company that they all lent each other. Things were beginning to look up for everypony. Their spirits were at their peak with a new home and a new leader in their sight.

"There is no way that you will escape my hooves, Luna... No way..." The white Alicorn hissed, the gold shoes covering her hooves flickering slightly as she tossed the letter into the fireplace. "Guards." She suddenly barked towards the doorway. "Summon Captain Gilda and General Twilight. NOW." The order was met with the sharp clack of hooves on marble as the guard sped away to summon the two. The white ailicorn chuckled darkly, her eyes flicking over to the feeble pegasus hiding in the corner. "ChalkZone, get your feather-brained self over here." Without waiting for an answer, the Alicorn's horn suddenly began to glow, a hand formed out of pure light suddenly reaching over to slam the pegasus into the tiled wall. "You pitiful pegasus, LEARN TO ANSWER ME QUICKLY. YOU KNOW I HATE WAITING." The light tightened down on ChalkZone's throat, her grey eyes suddenly widening as the air was blocked from her lungs. "I.. I am sorry Princess. I-it wi-will not h-happen a-gain. P-please l-l-l-let me go..." She choked out. The princess nodded in disgust and dropped the inferior pony, motioning her closer. "Brush my mane." She ordered as ChalkZone got back to her shaky feet. "Yes, Princess Celestia." She mumbled quickly, picking up the brush in her mouth and walking over to her ruler.
Five years... For five long years she had worked for this dictator. For five long years, the Resistance had rebelled against the Solar Empire... Now they had a leader... Princess Celestia's own sister... Princess Luna.. A rumor had been circulating throughout the palace staff that even Capitan Trixie, General Derpy, and Captain Spike had betrayed the Solar Empire and joined the Lunar Republic... Equestria was unraveling... If it weren't for Celestia's control over the Windigos, all of Equestria would be encased in ice by now... ChalkZone had been lost in thought while brushing Celestia's elegant mane - the Alicorn's pride and joy - when Captain Gilda and General Twilight walked in.
Both of the members of the War Council looked particularly intimidating in their full battle armor. ChalkZone had known Twilight before Celestia had gone power-crazy... She had been a sweet book-loving unicorn... Now, she had more battle scars than the royal library had books. The most prominent one was a long, jagged one that angrily sliced across her forehead. As holder of the element of Magic, she also served as the castle's official Spell Master. The griffon next to her was Gilda... Probably the meanest griffon to ever fly the skies of Equestria. Her already sharpened talons had been reinforced with pierced metal, giving them a deadly edge when fighting. Celestia waved ChalkZone away from her as her advisors entered. "Ahh, ladies. So glad to see you both aga-" The princess was cut off as Gilda rudely said. "Yeah yeah, cut the formalities, Celestia. My Vanguard is waiting for me so that we can make our daily overhead flight." Twilight cut a cold glance at her comrade, switching her gaze over to her former mentor. "I deeply apologize, your Majesty. Captain Gilda seems to have forgotten her place. Please continue with your thought." The Alicorn sighed impatiently, tapping her hoof on her throne. "Hmph... Anyways, I regret to inform you that the rumors you have heard are true. My sister and a few other traitors have left the Empire to go lead that pitiful resistance some of the commoners have put together. In three days, the 1st Unicorn Battalion, the 1st Griffon Vanguard, and the 1st Pegasus Company are to march to the Outland and bring back the traitors for trial." Gilda and Twilight stood there for a moment, their composer shattered with their shock. "But... Princess... Are all THREE really needed? I mean, beg my pardon, but that is almost four thousand troops you are requesting... They are just a bunch of rebels..." Twilight finally broke the silence, her eyes narrowing slightly at the prospect of an invasion of that magnitude. Yet Celestia just smirked, her eyebrow rising slightly. "You dare doubt my choice, Twilight Sparkle?" The purple unicorn quickly looked down, her ears lowering in shame. Celestia was her superior... Of course she couldn't contradict her decision...

        Anxious hoofsteps echoed through the old castle's stone halls. "Princess!" A gruff voice called. Luna turned around sharply to greet the call. Standing in the doorway to her study was the dragon, Spike. The Alicorn's face broke out into a smile as she rushed over to welcome her old friend. "Captain Spike! How nice it is for you to pay me a visit! It gets lonely here in this castle with just my advisors. Tell me, however... How do things go in the Solar Empire? Has any news arrived?" The dragon's bright green crests seemed to droop slightly with weariness. "My dear Luna, things do not seem to be looking up for the Lunar Republic at the moment... Celestia has raised the grain tax by twenty percent, she has signed a treaty with the griffons, and…" He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Your sister has placed a reward of ten thousand bits on the retrieval of your severed horn…" Luna seemed to freeze for a moment, sorrow flooding her aqua optics for a split second before fading. "We are beyond her rule now. My friend, please. Come to the next war council with me... I fear that my sister may take steps further than a simple bounty in order to retrieve me…" Spike nodded, sweeping his upper torso into a bow, the gentle clank of his armor filling the silence. "As you wish, milady." The midnight Alicorn smiled. "Very good, but please call me Luna, Spike. General Derpy and Capitan Trixie already do." She winked as Spike suddenly opened his mouth in awe, revealing a set of razor sharp teeth. "So.. The rumors ARE true. You manage to recruit Celestia's personal Spymaster Derpy Hooves... How did you manage that?" The Princess just laughed and beckoned him with a wing towards a set of large oak doors. Inscribed in the wood was a motto: 'The moon rises higher than the sun.' It was the motto of the Lunar Republic. Of course, the motto had been in place far before Luna had been appointed their 'leader.' Spike followed her towards the doors as Luna smiled kindly. "Would you like to see the library?" A kind reference to his old friend, Twilight Sparkle… Spike above many others would appreciate seeing the library… A look of joy dashed across Spike's visage before his normal stern appearance returned. "Of course I would… Luna."