The Tower by the Mountain Side (Luna)

[crystallance]

It was a quiet winter morning that day atop the mountain side. Far off to the distance of the large and bustling castle-city Canterlot, the vicinity had been purged of more than just pony civilization. The mountain side’s surroundings had also been purged in a ghastly white blur, surrounding the entire scene. Chromatic greens and blues were muted by achromatic whites as the rocks and grass patches of the geography suffocated underneath the thickness of the snow. The bottom half of the mountain’s sky had been obscured in a chalky mist, but Celestia’s sun shined brightly in the face of the mountain as its rays passed gently through a semi-translucent tower covered in crystal.

The tower stood up high and alone upon that isolated mountain side. Constructed based on classic pony architecture and sharpened with regal detail, the tower clearly belonged to somepony of great wealth. Off to the distance of the tower stood a light-gray pelted mare bearing an aqua-blue colored mane and a light-green cape. She appeared far too preoccupied in her own work to enjoy the morning’s scenery.

“Ugh… The edges are too sharp… terribly overdone… and the inner contents… much too obscured by the sample’s impurities… a little extra refinement would certainly be in order…”

The unicorn frustratingly mumbled to herself as she glared at a small crystal. Her horn shimmered as she levitated the crystal using her telekinesis, casting crystal magic spells to further refine the translucent stone in front of her. Just who was this mare atop the mountain? She was Crystal Lance, the infamous and now retired former head of the Equestrian Army mages.

[Princess Luna]

Luna was flying, alone, up towards the estate of Crystal Lance, the former head of the Equestrian Military's mage division. The pegasus guards that normally would accompany her refused to allow her to go anywhere without a small attaché, even if she wanted to, so she sneaked out of her bedroom window to go talk to and attempt to reenlist Crystal Lance.

The air got colder and thinner the higher up she went, and Crystal's home was nearly at the summit, high above the castle. Luna cast a short heating spell to keep the ice off her wings and eyes and continued on.

The reason for this short excursion was, ironically, concerning the Equestrian Military and its current status. Rumors of a small cult had been popping up. A cult that refused to follow Luna and her sister as rulers of Equestria and threatened to overthrow them. But those were just rumors, so nopony made any real note of it, as many other small groups had opposed she and her sister's ruling many times in the past, nicknaming it the 'Solar Empire' and whatnot. All those protests died down quickly after they began.

But after a recent expedition of a small team of Equestrians and a Canterlot envoy went to Hoofington to find some beast, the team encountered members of the aforementioned cult in the forest. They were organized and had training, which means the cult threat was now very real and a possible danger, especially without Celestia or her student to go take care of like they always manage to do.

Luna reached the glittering tower and touched down, her hooves tapping lightly on the crystal. She walked up to the door and gave it a quick few, firm raps, expressing the urgency of the situation without being rude. For the severity of the situation, Luna could have full well burst right in, but she figured that wouldn't be a very good start to selling her point to Crystal. She needed Crystal back in the military, and she couldn't afford to lose her again.

[crystallance]

That crystal had nerved her to no end. Whether or not she ever managed to actually make it look moderately ‘good’, it failed at living up to Crystal’s heightened standards each time. Focusing her magic towards the center of the crystal, she simply split it to pieces from its center in her frustration.

“Huf…huf…” Crystal panted after her magical outburst. In that moment, she finally began to notice how pathetic it had been for her to get so worked up over a simple rock. Was this all the elite crystal mage of Equestria had to live for in her retirement? Is this what she had been reduced to? A shut-in mare with nothing to do but obsessively polish crystals all day? Crystal took a long gaze over the mountains, pondering over the questions in deep introspection.

Honestly, she did not know what to think of it. Sure she didn’t have much to do, but she didn’t really have to do anything with her level of wealth. And her past work in the military certainly didn’t attract that many friends to go out with. In fact, the only friends Equestria's Forces ever gave her Crystal had been forced to watch die at her side in combat. It was a truly painful subject for her… and one Crystal would have much preferred to forget. She finally decided she had gone through enough magic practice for the day. She began to trot back towards her tower, seeking to pick up a novel for the day instead.

But she did not find a novel on her way back towards her home. As she neared her tower, she could not help but look forward with shock and disbelief. At her door had been none other than the alicorn princess of the night and moon… Princess Luna. Her immediate instinct was to bow at the alicorn princess’s hooves. Though she held a few grudges with her past experience in the military, Crystal held nothing but the upmost respect for her two princesses.

“Princess Luna… It’s good to see you again…” Crystal spoke firmly to Luna, her head still bowed and her hooves still knelt. “But with all due respect Princess, I must ask: Just what is the business you hold here in my home?”

[Princess Luna]

Though unnoticeable to anypony else, Luna caught the slight abrasive tone that Crystal took when she questioned the reasoning for her abrupt arrival. Normally to be polite, Luna would have sent a scroll beforehand to give a small heads up before her arrival, but this was too important for formalities.

Luna 's lips tightened, her mouth forming a thin line devoid of any emotion but seriousness. Luna centered her turquoise eyes on Crystal and walked up closer. "A new threat has arisen. And it is powerful enough to put our very way of life at risk."
She kept her eyes cemented on Crystal, watching and interpreting her reaction. "You may or may not know, but a small cult sect has grown from a small few to a great organized force. We don't know where they are based from or who is leading them, we only know that they exist and will not be dispersed by the presence of a few royal guards. Our military is a mere shadow of what it used to be, and it must be rebuilt to combat this cult. This is why my task leads to you. You are the only one who has enough prior experience to both lead and train vital recruits the art of combat magic. There are already many willing in Canterlot alone to serve, they only need a teacher, and a role model."

Luna's face turned from a mask of bitter seriousness to one of near pleading. "Please, Crystal. For the sake of Equestria and it's creatures, I implore you to reconsider your resignation." She took a few steps back, eagerly awaiting the unicorn's reply.

[crystallance]

“To be honest…” Crystal replied as she slowly began to raise her head to meet the eyes of her Princess. Her words were spoken softly and with contempt, evoking a powerful emotion of both sincerity and confession upon their delivery. “…all I’ve been doing lately has been reconsidering that act. Life out here secluded in the outskirts of town… it’s simply boring. And there isn’t exactly much for a mare like myself to be doing out in the city. So I guess for better or for worse… the military is the only true home I’ve ever really had. That’s kind of sad, isn’t it?”

For that brief second, Crystal paused to close her eyes and inhale a deep breath. She had brought a lot across and still had much more to say.

“So… A cult that threatens the current balance of power, you say?” Crystal spoke again, bearing somewhat of a more upbeat and positive tone than she had before. It seemed as if her nation was in need of her… and Crystal would never disregard Equestria’s call. “Sounds urgent enough… In fact, I think I might recall hearing such rumors of a cult myself! The situation would call for nothing less than an immediate military overhaul…” As Crystal spoke the words, she slowly paced herself in the direction of Princess Luna. Clearly, she had been more than open to the idea. “Very well then, milady. A teacher and role model, I am both. I’d be more than happy to take up the position once again. But only under one condition…”

“My mages… are mine,” Crystal asserted as she stared her Princess straight in the eye. “I respect your authority good and well Princess, but you must trust that whatever actions I take are simply for Equestria’s best… no matter how extreme. Please… I need your trust.”

[Red Charge]

Fine and dandy but you two forgot the cult is still just rumors -_-

[Princess Luna]

(that's where you're wrong, Red. The small group of Equestrians that were in the Hussle at Hoffington thread had contact with a group from the cult, and I'm guessing Ranger would have relayed that information to the authorities, which is how Luna found out, causing her to go find Crystal. At least the fact that the small group had enough of an intelligence network to know about the creature in the forest and knew the Equestrian team's whereabouts seems like more than enough reason to take measures.)

[Princess Luna]

(whoops forgot it was my turn to post )

Luna breathed an almost inaudible sigh of relief and resisted the urge to smile when she realized that Crystal's approach to the situation was not too far from Luna's own and agreed to return to the armed services. This seemingly small victory was a massive weight off of her shoulders and gave her much needed thinking and breathing room. She had her battle-tested master mage and fellow teacher back.

However, she couldn't help but let her mind dwell on the unicorn's last statement; “My mages… are mine,”. Luna absent-mindedly straightened her small blue crown. She was a princess after all, and above all other authority, everypony would always answer to her and only her, sans her older sister who was away at the time. Crystal was asking for a lot of trust, especially when essentially handing over all of the current mages in the military and any others that would be trained, Luna couldn't help but imagine what Crystal could do with her own private army of trained unicorns.

She shut those images to the back of her mind, internal upheaval was the last thing she needed and wanted to think about. She shook her head lightly and brought her eyes to Crystal's with a smile. "Anything you need, you'll have it," She held out her hoof to shake on it, even though the gesture was nearly pointless; the alicorn's words were as sincere as her love of her country, the shake would just mentally seal the deal. "And I'm granting you full command of all the current mages in the military, as well as any new recruits you may train." She mentally bit her lip at the thought of a whole group of dangerously powerful and skilled ponies not answering to her, but it truly was for the best.

[crystallance]

“I cannot thank you enough for your trust Princess… I am truly grateful to be able to fight under your leadership,” Crystal promptly replied. She found herself unwilling to accept Luna’s hoofshake, opting to bow at the alicorn’s hooves instead. A simple shaking of hooves would never properly display the level of gratitude she held in her heart. Ponies shook hooves in the face of their equals, typically in agreement with deals or negotiations. Crystal Lance was neither her Princess’s equal nor a dealmaker with her. She was instead her loyal subject, making a solemn vow of service to her country. Being the professional she was, Crystal Lance simply could not accept Luna’s hoof.

“It should take me some time to get settled back in HQ. Old ponies to get reacquainted with… Old junk of mine to bring along… But you can count on me to return to my role rather soon,” Crystal added, rising up from her hooves to meet her Princess’s eyes. It was at that moment that she began to notice how worried Luna appeared, growing both curious and sympathetic toward her Princess's apparent stress. Her face became an expression of deep concern.

“So… May I ask how you have been holding up? Ever since your sister left the kingdom, I mean.”

[Princess Luna]

Luna lowered her offered hoof back down to the marble floor. The subtle tap resounded through the room. She gave a curt nod at Crystal's list of things that needed doing. And was most curious of the 'junk' she mentioned. Luna cracked a polite smile, "Id love to see what personal effects from times passed that would be returning with you. Also, we don't have very many new recruits, or officers for that matter in service. There hasn't been much need for an Equestrian military since, well..." She looked down and paused for a moment, scuffing at the floor with one of her forehooves. "Not since I was banished as Nightmare Moon and came back in her image aswell." Her head stayed down, her eyes focusing intently on the floor.

"Relations with my sister are fine. My wrongs have been righted, and the rift in our relationship has been mended. I spend 1000 years trapped on the moon, fueling my hatred and mistrust, and a simple conversation with my sister is enough to put everything back to normal. I do not understand."

Luna sighed and met Crystal's eyes. "Things with my sister... They could be better. Of course I am forgiven and everypony Is happy, but you can't just put a mistake like that, not to mention 1000 years of it plaguing your mind, behind you on a whim." She closed her eyes and looked down again.

"I've had all this happen in such a short time... And then my sister just leaves. I have no idea when she's coming back, nopony does. I've tried sending scrolls via bird, but when I set them off they just fly in circles around my room and then land."

She rose her head and began walking back in forth in front of Crystal, her voice slowly raising. "And on top of that, I need to successfully run this empire in the face of economic collapse, plus a growing threat from a covert cultist sect, and manage every other little problem WITHOUT any kind of assistance from my sister, who is quite literally my mentor and has 1000 more years of experience with handling a government than I do."

Luna's rant ground to a halt. She cinched her eyes shut and bared her teeth, rubbing her temple with one of her forehooves. She struggled out a breath. "Things... Things could be better since my sister left... I'm barely holding together under all this pressure, but I'm trying to manage, and I'm doing my best." She gave a defeated sigh. "I really need help, but there's nopony that I can share any of my responsibilities with, mostly because I'm the princess and it would be against royal laws and decrees, but also because nopony else wants to do it. The militaristic problem posed by this cult movement was too much, and luckily you are the only pony that is qualified to help me handle it, hence my coming to find you." She shook her head and kept the forehoof pressed on her temple.

[crystallance]

“I see…” Crystal spoke quite a few times listening to Luna’s confessions. She honestly felt somewhat powerless as she heard the alicorn’s words, repeatedly facing the fact that there was really not much she could either say or do about the majority of her leader’s problems. Crystal Lance was known for fighting battles and leading mighty platoons of mages. She had nothing to do with government or economics. Crystal Lance simply born a mage for battle and she honestly wasn’t sure what to say.

“Well… At least you’re actually here,” Crystal eventually mustered the guts to respond. “I… I mean at least you aren’t running away from it all. At least you’re actually trying to do something about all those terrible things. The day I got fed up with our military, I chose to lock myself up in this tower… But you… you’re actually here trying to do something about all of our problems! If you ask me, you can compare yourself to your sister and doubt your own experience all you want… But in the end, you’re the pony who’s here in Canterlot, actually trying to make a difference!”

She was surprised at how much she actually managed to say. Crystal knew how more than well how to deliver a powerful morale speech to her mages, but emotional support was not necessarily one of her specialties. Though dazed for a second, she quickly returned to her senses to finish what she had been saying.

“Look… I’m sure you’re juggling a lot of issues right now… But what I'm trying to say here is… is that I think you’re handling things just fine Princess…”

[Princess Luna]

Luna let her hoof slide from her temple as she listened to Crystal speak. She kept her eyes closed and her head down. Halfway through Crystal's speech, Luna's ears perked up and she raised her head, wearily meeting Crystal's eyes. She even managed a weak smile by the time Crystal had finished.

Luna sat up and straightened herself out, flapping her wings once to stretch out the tension in them and then closing them again, once more filling the regal and commanding figure of Equestrian Royalty. She exhaled gently and let her posture fall almost unnoticeably. "Thank you.. Crystal. Kinds words go a very long way to lightening my burden." She looked around the crystal tower again. "I wish there was more I could do to thank you, for both re-accepting yourself into our armed forces and for offering your words of support, because a simple thank you doesn't seem like enough."

Luna's eyes finished drifting about the room and once again met Crystal's. "Anything you need... Resources, personnel, funding. Anything. Just request it and I'll make sure it's there." Luna got up and walked with a fluid grace over to one of the windows. "I'm also inducting you to the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance division, you will have full clearance at the requisitions office and the express permission to handle any issues how you see fit." She turned back and locked her icy blue eyes with Crystal's. "This also means that you do not take orders from anypony. You only answer to me, and me alone." She walked back over to Crystal and stood squarely in front of the unicorn. "Do you understand?"

[Red Charge]

OOC:

Luna, for Pete's sake. Come to chat when you can, need to talk to you.

[crystallance]

((OOC: Luna was just making a Mass Effect reference. She wasn't really inducting Crystal into the Stars. No worries.))

“I understand, your Highness,” Crystal Lance promptly responded, her eyes locked directly onto her Princess’s as well. Holding an incredibly firm posture, she held her right hoof in salute. “…And I’ll look forward to serving you again in HQ. I promise to do everything in my power to get Equestria's military moving where it needs to be.”

[Princess Luna]

Luna cracked a smile. "I knew you'd be up to it." She turned to face the door before sharply tapping her hoof on the floor. A diminutive little pegasi fluttered through the door wearing official robes and carrying a quill and parchment. "Allow me to explain, the defense council will need to have your name put down on paper with both of our signatures to allow you access to the rights and resources that a Spectre has at their disposal, I do hope that you understand." She turned back to Crystal with a sigh. "This also means that I must use the traditional induction speech, and luckily, my scribe counts as a public witness, so that should cover for it." The little pegasi landed softly and put the parchment on the ground, holding the quill in his mouth, ready to write.

Luna straightened her back and sat regally in front of Crystal. "It is the decision of the princess that Crystal Lance be granted all the rights and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Branch of the Canterlot Elite Guard." She peeked over to her scribe, who was scribbling away hastily, but keeping pace with the princess's words. "Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those whose actions lift them above the rank and file." She got up and started to slowly pace in front of Crystal. "Spectres are an ideal, a symbol, the embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the royalty, instruments of our will. Spectres bear a great burden. Both our first and last line of defense, the safety of Equestria is theirs to uphold."

Luna finished with a nod to her scribe, who picked up the parchment in his mouth and deposited it in front of Luna, who wrote her name with a royal flourish, then placing it on the floor in front of Crystal, gesturing to a blank line where she was to sign.